*Disclaimer - Sadly, I own nothing of Twilight with the exception of merchandise, bought and paid for. I do, however, own my love for borrowing the characters and playing with them however I choose to. I thank Stephenie Meyer for creating the TwiWorld and for allowing us to have our fun with it. She owns Twilight, the insanity it created in my mind is my own.

Shug beta-reads and msj2779 pre-reads for me. They keep me sane and on track. :)

Whatever Works

Beside You

Our day began tension-filled, and it continued that way. Esme got snippy with Edward when he was hesitant to leave her – "I'm not a child, Edward! I can certainly be on my own for ten bloody minutes!" Siobhan was coming to spend the day and would stay there with her overnight as well. Edward tore a strip off Mike when two cars arrived to take us to The Dorchester Hotel – leaving me in a chauffeured car on my own, tailing them. To top it off, security wasn't ready for them when we arrived so we had a twenty minutes wait in the garage – in separate cars.

The elevator ride up to the room exuded tension. Mike ushered Edward into the far corner behind two large men, sticking me in the opposite corner, and informing two other hotel patrons that they would have to wait for the next lift. Edward scoffed at him and told him he was being ridiculous and rude. Mike told him he was being careless and warned him not to dare choose today to "act out." Edward fired back some choice words in a hushed display of anger about Mike feeling free to act out his filthiest fantasies in Edward's home, so he would damn well do as he wanted, whenever he wanted.

Arriving at our assigned floor, we were greeted by a hoard of people fussing and shoving us in the direction of the suite, all the while smiling forced smiles and informing us of the services that each of the group would provide throughout our stay. Once inside, Edward stormed off to check the rooms, returning to snatch up our overnight bag as well as his garment bag and went into one to change clothes. He slammed the door behind him.

I stood with Mike as the hotel staff fluttered around and one of the big guys from the elevator talked into his headset. He turned to me with his usual grin. "So… Bella… how are you doing?"

"A little tense, Mike. Don't piss me off."

"Ooookay. Coffee?" He rubbed his hands together briskly and rushed to the catering table to pour himself a cup. I only followed because I really was in need of a coffee.

He allowed me half a cup before he gave me the rundown. "Edward will have three in-person interviews, in succession before a short break. While they are here, you can either disappear in one of the bedrooms or take a trip to the spa. We'll get you an escort."

"I'll stay here, thank you. I'm here for Edward, not pampering."

"Yeah, well you can do whatever you want while he's doing the phone interviews. No one can see you then. They won't even know you're here. You'll have to be quiet though." He winked at me and made that tongue-clicking noise that I detested.

Edward appeared behind Mike, acting out a mime that he was hanging himself with his own tie. "Don't boss her around." He leaned over Mike to whisper, "You look great, by the way. I'm talking to my girl now, not you, Newton. Actually, you can fuck off for a minute and give us some privacy." His eyes never left me the entire time he interacted with Mike – I loved when he did that. It made me feel like I was the most important thing in the world. "That's what you were wearing the first day I saw you."

My eyes struggled to take in the whole image of Edward. He wore a very snug, fitted grey suit with a charcoal shirt and slim black tie. He was all kinds of beautiful while he told off Mike, and then he was smiling at me and I had no choice but to focus on those green eyes approaching me with haste. His words finally hit me – he remembered what I wore to my interview? "I don't have very many professional-looking clothes."

"You look amazing, Bella. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you that before this madness began. You looked great that day, and even more beautiful now that I really know you."

"You're not so bad yourself," I replied, willing my cheeks to stop at pink rather than progressing to crimson. "You clean up very nicely. Your mother would approve of this look."

"Is my hair all right? I grabbed Evan's shampoo by mistake in the shower and didn't have time to rewash."

I reached up to tug on a piece that was just dying to stick out. I helped it along – it was more him. "Perfection, as usual."

"Okay kids, time to burst your bubble!" Mike sang out, stepping between us. "The first interviewer is here. Take your place, Edward. I'll get your coffee. Bella, maybe you could hang out by the table here and pretend like you're the coffee girl."

"No," Edward growled, taking my hand. "Bella is nobody's coffee girl, and she's not going to pretend like she's on staff." He lowered his head to speak to me quietly as we discussed where I'd like to be for the interviews. I teased him by telling him where I'd most like to be was straddled on his lap. He flushed slightly, and a make-up person swooped in to run a brush over his face. I settled on a seat by the desk in the corner. I could watch him from there but appease Mike by appearing to be a staff member of theirs, perhaps.

I was in awe of Edward Masen in action. He was all charm and grace, introducing himself to each journalist as they came to him. He chatted amicably with the one male interviewer and was a total gentleman to the two females. He answered the same questions from all three without expressing boredom or rolling his eyes in disgust. If I wasn't already in love with him, I could easily fall for him just from witnessing one of the interviews.

The minute the third person left, I was reminded that he had just shown me his profession – he was acting for the interviews. His totally believable smile fell the minute the door closed, and he dropped his head into his hands. Mike rushed over to ensure he was all right and called out for everyone to clear out and take a break for ten minutes. He even gave me the evil eye when I dashed to Edward's side but then held up his hands in resolve that I was going to be right where I was. Period. That was smart on his part, because I seriously would have tackled him and taken him out of the game. Shaking his head, he left the room.

I sat beside Edward and rubbed tiny circles on his back, learning that all of my concern was for naught – he was laughing. "Okay, who the hell came up with those questions? Half of them had nothing to do with the movie! What's my favourite cheese? For real? Who the fuck cares!"

"And all three asked that," I laughed along with him. I had thought it was a stupid question myself, but he had answered it all three times without so much as a smirk.

"Fucking bizarre! What a silly question!"

"Maybe it's the new trending topic," I suggested, and he cracked up further. "So Edward…" I leaned in holding a mock microphone. "Your fans are dying to know, so I have to ask – do you prefer open or closed-toed shoes?"

He spewed a mouthful of water as he laughed at my imitation and then offered his reply, as if he were serious. "Well, Bella… may I call you Bella?"

"Of course you can, Edward!" I swooned, fanning myself.

"Personally, I like the airy feeling of having my toes exposed, but the heels are frowned upon by the producers. I'm a menace to myself and everyone around me. Really, I could break my neck."

I cracked up, dropping out of character. "I think she was asking what you prefer on women."

"Oh! See, I totally misread that! Cut that question! I looked like an idiot!"

"We'll go with the sock question then, if that's all right. What's your color of choice in socks, Edward?"

"Can we go back to the shoe question? I'd like to respond to that differently, if I may."

I nodded with a mock serious expression of interest.

"No shoes. At all. That's what I prefer. See my girlfriend has these fantastic feet! They get me all kinds of worked up. Really… they turn me on like nothing else. I want to do nasty things to them, and if I don't get the chance to, I have to go whack off – seriously, it's that intense."

Busting a gut, I gave up on our interview and collapsed against him with a giggle-snort. "You can't say that!"

"Imagine Mike's face if I did?" he whispered, holding me close. "I'm glad you came today. This is fun – I could handle this if you had been with me all along. I want you with me. Always."

Staring up into the most sincere eyes, I replied, just as genuinely, "I'll be right beside you."

~ 0 ~

I sat with Edward for several phone interviews – they weren't as cheesy as the early morning ones – and then we had a lunch with "industry people." For that, we were kept apart, and I had the pleasure of Mike beside me, deflecting any questions thrown my way. He even looped his arm around the back of my chair at one point, intimating that we were together. My boyfriend did not look happy. He smiled pretty for the cameras, however, posing with our lunch guests and a few other patrons when requested. Clearly, he was the most beautiful person in the room. I could stare at him for hours. When I did give in to my desire to mentally make everyone else disappear, I got nudged under the table by Mike. Edward chuckled from his end of the table, and we amused ourselves with stolen glances from then on. Several of the people from lunch went back to the room with us for Edward's next round of interviews. That wasn't nearly as much fun.

Dinner was a repeat of lunch, only this time, Edward took a seat next to me as he issued a death stare at Mike. Frequently, he leaned in to speak softly in my ear, issuing apologies. Tension ensued when Edward begged out of a club suggestion, claiming he was tired after the long day. Mike had other ideas and was hell-bent on making it appear that I was not staying with Edward in the suite. It had been a long day, and my eyelids were feeling heavy already. When I yawned, Edward called it game over and bid goodnight. He placed a hand on my back as we walked towards the elevator, security in place on either side.

"Want me to take the next one up?" I whispered to him in jest.

"You wouldn't dare!" His hand went to my back once more, guiding me in when the door opened. A young girl and her mother joined us, timidly leaning around one of the bulky men in front of Edward to ask me if I could get him to sign an autograph. He obliged, and I snapped a picture of the three of them together before we exited on our floor.

Both of us needed to use the facilities, so we each headed to a washroom, meeting back in the main room with smiles and a tender kiss. He'd had the same idea as me and had gargled away the garlic shrimp taste. Leading me over to the couch, he pulled me down onto his lap, and as if reading my mind, he removed my heels, tossing them aside. His hands felt like heaven on my aching feet, and his mouth was performing wonders on my throat and jawline. I reclined against him, enjoying every second, knowing that there would be no limitations tonight. We had all night, and it was just me and him…

And Mike and several guests. Ugh.

I flew off Edward's lap when we heard the loud voices at the door. Frowning, he rushed me into the bedroom he'd chosen earlier, grabbing a bottle of champagne and two glasses on the way, and slammed the door behind us. He put some music on in an attempt to drown out the sounds from the outer room. Music went on out there, as well. Louder. He took a deep breath and pulled me into his arms, attempting to start over with his seduction. He was doing remarkably well with that – I barely noticed we weren't the only two people on the planet when his mouth claimed mine.

With a firm grasp of his head, I encouraged him to keep on with it after he groaned at the sound of the locked door jiggling. They were out there, we were locked away in here, and all I knew was that I had been waiting with increasing frustration to have Edward completely fill me. My patience was exhausted.

"Fuck!" he groaned against my lips when someone started knocking.

"Shhh, it's okay… they'll go away." I did my best to distract him, but still, he wasn't into it.

"I'm sorry, Bella. This isn't at all what I had planned."

I felt so bad for him – I knew he had wanted to create a perfect setting for us and this wasn't it. I also knew that he had no idea that my perfect setting was simply being in his arms. That was it. We tried cuddling on the bed. We attempted a conversation. We even had a moment of silliness, knowing that usually worked for us too. He gave up with a heavy sigh and reached for his phone. I headed for the bathroom, afraid I was going to show my frustration over his frustration in a not so productive way.

"Did you leave anything in there?" Edward asked when I came out. He was packing up.

"We're leaving?" I hoped my disappointment didn't show too much, but it was impossible to mask entirely. This was a gorgeous suite, and spending a night with my beautiful boyfriend in this kind of luxury was very appealing. Not to mention we still hadn't gotten to the sex part yet. I wanted to bang my head against the wall. No, I wanted my boyfriend to bang me against the wall!

He approached me with his smoldering sex smile. "I've secured us a more private setting."

~ 0 ~

Our more private setting was a room at another hotel entirely, called '41.' He called in some favors, and owed more still for the room they availed to him – it was the Conservatory Suite, a multi-level penthouse suite. Once the valet left us alone, I gawked openly. The black and white theme of the hotel was in sharp contrast to the décor of The Dorchester. This one scored higher for me, simply because I had Edward to myself.

"I wasn't aware that Mike was booking a two-bedroom at The Dorchester. I tried to get us another room there, but they're fully booked." He slipped his arms around my waist and nuzzled at my neck as I admired the view. "Champagne?"

I shook my head. "This must have cost a fortune, Edward. I don't need champagne."

Tightening his grip on me, he murmured his denial. "Isabella Swan, a night like this with you is worth any amount. Besides, the champagne is a comp from The Dorchester. I took it. Mike will be pissed when he finds out."

We cackled evilly together at Mike's expense, and I turned to wrap my arms around Edward's neck. "Can we save the champagne for another night? I'm actually in the mood for a beer."

"That's it!" Edward exclaimed and stooped to pick me up. "As if you didn't have me before, with that one statement, you have completely secured my heart." He hung me over his shoulder and gave my butt a playful slap. I think he may have bitten it, as well. He set me down by the mini-bar and passed out two icy bottles, removing the caps with expertise. After a long swallow, he shed his suit jacket, removed his tie, and tossed them aside on a nearby chair. He untucked his shirt as I undid several buttons for him. His twinkling eyes watched as I stripped off my own jacket and tipped my bottle to my mouth.

He approached me fiercely with a low growl, taking the bottle from my hand. "I knew I'd lose all my resolve if I saw you do that." Lust filled his darkened eyes, and he tugged on my blouse, loosening it from the waistband of my skirt. "There's something about you drinking from a bottle that is an insane turn-on for me. I thought I could wait." His lips covered mine in a frenzied kiss. "I thought we could talk and ease into it." His fingers worked at the clasp and zipper on the back of my skirt as he returned to the kiss. "God, I want you so bad right now – help me with this?"

I had it opened in a flash, and his hands shoved the fabric down my hips. I shook to let it drop to the floor before stepping out of it. His hands kneaded the newly exposed flesh, his fingers sliding under the leg bands of my panties to feel even more flesh. Moaning against his mouth when his long fingers delved deeper, I frantically worked to remove his pants. My own hand dipped into his boxers before he even had them down, and I drew his erection out from its cover as he moaned.

"Shit… Bella… I have to get a condom…" He stroked me one last time before removing his fingers and kissed me roughly. "Don't move!"

Like I had a choice. I was frozen to the spot as I watched him dig into our bag and quickly unwrap the foil packet. He was rolling it on his erection even as he returned to me. Taking two seconds to drop his boxers and tug down my panties, he then lifted me, bracing me against the back of the chair he'd thrown his jacket on. I could feel him throbbing between my legs as we kissed hungrily, and I was fidgeting, desperate to get an angle for him to penetrate, but he had all the control in this position.

Just when I thought I had it, he slid out of reach again. He hissed against my throat as I whimpered. "Is this okay?" he asked hoarsely. "Like this, I mean?"

"Yes!" I cried out, just as desperate for him as he was for me. "God, yes, Edward! Just do it!"

He used his fingers first, diving into me without the gentleness he had shown previous times. "Fuck! That feels so good…" He pumped in and out several times and then ran his sheathed erection up and down, coating it with my own fluids.

I actually cried out when he entered me. I believe I screamed some obscenities that involved Edward and God, but it wasn't a prayer I would dare utter in church. It wasn't something I'd ever said in my life! Never, in the four sexual experiences I'd had, did I imagine that something as primal as what we were doing could feel so amazing. Edward was fucking me – straight-out fucking – and I never wanted him to stop.

Sadly, Edward – being human – could only go for so long. The minute I began contracting around him, he pumped furiously and uttered some of his own fuck prayers before he came himself. I ground my hips against him, desperately trying to drag out my own orgasm. I wanted more.

I needed more!

Edward's lips were on my neck, sucking lightly as he calmed his breathing. "Easy, honey. You've got to give me a minute." He eased out much slower and more gently than he had entered and nibbled on my chin as he manipulated his fingers inside, twisting them this way and that, teasing the tender walls inside.

"Jesus, Edward… I don't think I'm done…" I mumbled as I gyrated against his palm.

"I certainly hope not!" He snickered and hoisted me up around his waist. I was about to complain about the removal of his hand when I saw his next intent. He set me down on the chair, gently spreading my legs as he knelt between them with a lustful gleam in his eye. "How many times can Isabella come in one night? Shall we see?"

A/N ~ It feels wrong posting this update on a Sunday. :O lol
It comes to you a day early because I won't be able to post Monday, as usual. Better early than way late, right? ;) I'll actually be out of commission for a bit, but thanks to my lovely ladies reading ahead, I have chapters uploaded and ready to go once I'm able to get back in the game. I apologize in advance for not responding to anyone, but please know that I will be reading and appreciating any and all comments. Thank you all, so very much. XX ~ SR

Oh! And I'm very excited here, "An Introduction to Swirl and Daisy" just updated! YAY! Go read!