Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Give Me A Little Trust

Chapter Four: Temptation

Edward's POV

This man is completely incompetent. I swear he has the hots for my wife, and is agreeing with everything she's saying. I'm the one paying him £250 per hour yet I have to sit here and watch as he and Lauren flirt back and forth.

So far today we have covered things Lauren and I agreed on, more problems with my work and Lauren's obsession with carrying a baby and being pregnant rather that adopting. I've probably said about ten words in total throughout this two hour session, but they seem to have come to an agreement that my opinion no longer matters. Who cares that it's my marriage on the line? They certainly don't.

Replaying the conversation I had with Lauren this morning in bed was like pulling teeth but I don't know where I went wrong.

"Does this matter to you anymore?" I questioned as she fluffed up her pillow.

"Yes, of course it does. You're my husband."

"Well it doesn't feel like it." She looked at me apologetically and kissed me softly.

"I'm sorry Edward. Things have just been…stressful, and I know it's not your fault so I'll stop taking it out on you." She kissed me again and moved her hands up my chest. "I'll try and be a better wife."

The soft kisses and caresses were gone and filled with lust and passion. I was leaning over Lauren, kissing my way down between her breasts when she shoved me and yelled stop.

"I can't do that yet, Edward. Don't you see that every time I think of sex I think of the baby we can't make?" The bathroom door slammed behind her and I was left to handle a very obvious bulge in my boxers.

One cold shower took care of it but I still couldn't work out how we went from kissing like there was nothing wrong to her storming away. It wasn't like I initiated that or was forcing Lauren to do anything. But alas, that would have to wait. Apparently we're not scheduled to talk about our sex lives, or lack of, until next week. What a riot that session is going to be.

"Well I think that's it for today. Progress is being made, don't worry." I stood up and shook his hand before leaving. The only progress being made was him trying to make his way into my wife's pants. Sleazy bastard.

The car journey back home was silent and the after effects of this morning in bed was hanging between us. I wasn't going to bring it up. Why would I when I repulse my wife sexually? That's just what every guy wants to know.

"You can just drop me here; I'm meeting the girls for lunch." I pulled over and Lauren jumped out without a look back. Sighing I drove through the city, back to my office. I figured I may as well get some work done.

Alice was leaning back in my chair with her feet on the desk when I walked into my office. She was flicking through spreadsheets and I knew she had no idea what she was actually looking at.

"Where you been, Eddie?" She asked innocently.

"Meeting." It wasn't technically a lie.

"Really? But in your schedule it says 'personal' over that two and a half hour slot."

"I was with Lauren." She smiled as I hung my jacket up on the hook behind the door.

"Aww, my big bro happy in love." How wrong she was. "Anyway I just came to remind you about tonight, with Bella, Jazz, Emmett, and Rose." I frowned.

"When was Rose invited?"

"I invited her when Jazz asked me. Anyway, you won't bail on us will you?" She asked pleadingly.

"No, Alice. I won't bail on you. I said I'll be there, and I will."

"Good!" She smiled, kissed me on the cheek, and then pranced out the door.

Work was slow and I just wanted to get out of there. By six I was home and showered, just getting ready to go. My job that evening was to pick up Alice, Rose and Bella since I didn't want to drink. The three of them were all at Bella's house as it made things easier for me.

They hopped in, Alice and Rose in the back while Bella sat in the front with me. Rose was wearing an ever classic mid thigh red dress, Alice was in a small black dress that as her brother I didn't approve of, and Bella was in a similar dress to Alice except it was blue and she looked really nice in it. Only nice, as I'm a married man and would never fall to temptation, no matter how much Lauren pushes me away.

We parked a few streets away and met Jasper and Emmett waiting outside the club. Alice, being Alice, had us in the VIP section within seconds of entering. Emmett went to get everyone drinks while we all sat round a booth, looking out over the abyss of dancing bodies to the music. Once we were all back at the table with drinks in hand Alice declared we should dance.

"No, you guys go. I'll watch our drinks." Bella said, taking a sip of her martini. Alice frowned but Bella reassured her she would be fine.

"I'll stay with you." I said as the four of them made their way over to join the body abyss.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I don't really feel like dancing anyway."

"Been that type of day again?" She asked as I rubbed my eyes.

"Yep. It's becoming normal."

"Counseling?"Bella asked hopefully.

"Failing miserably." I answered glumly.

"I don't know what to do for you." Bella admitted.

"You can't do anything. You're not my wife." She nodded and slowly ran her hand over my back in a soothing manner. Rose and Emmett sat down and grabbed their drinks, finishing them in one.

"It's so hot out there." Rose said, taking Alice's drink. "You two should go dance, we'll stay here." She suggested. I could tell from the look in Rose's eye though that it was a direct order to leave her and Emmett alone.

Politely I led Bella to the packed dance floor and attempted to dance among the masses. All I achieved to do was rub my body against hers and frankly that was the last thing I needed to do, especially when she's wearing that dress. My body reacted immediately and I tried to step back. My mind was repeating over and over in my head that I had a wife, Lauren.

I don't cheat and refuse to even look at another woman who raises the possibility of me straying. Unfortunately Bella seems to be causing that problem for me and there is no way I am willing to lose my friendship over lustful thoughts.

A surge of people in front of me pushed Bella flat into my chest and from the widen of her eyes I could tell she felt the problem I was having in the front of my jeans.

"I'm sorry." I said quickly before walking away, out to the VIP terrace. Looking down over the private gardens below in shame I heard Bella approach me from behind.

"Edward, wait."

"I'm sorry…maybe I should just go." I said trying to walk past her.

"No, hold on." Bella placed her hands on my chest and wouldn't let me walk forward. "What…what happened back there?"

"I'm pretty sure you felt what happened." I said, avoiding looking into her eyes. She blushed but shook her head.

"Edward what I mean is-"

"I know what you mean. I'm sorry. Things at the moment have been a little difficult…sexually and I don't know…my natural instincts took over. I guess I've been sexually repressed for far too long. I didn't mean for that to happen and I'm mortified that it did." She hugged and pulled back smiling softly.

"Forget about it. Obviously you're having more problems than I realized and I guess it's natural."

"You're not offended?" I asked warily.

"Well…no. Should I be?"

"I guess not. But maybe you should since we're friends my body was clearly thinking of you as more than a friend."

"Just your body or your mind too?" Bella was eyeing me carefully and I knew if I answered wrong that could be the end to our friendship.

"Body." Though my mind was thinking about it, but she didn't need to know that.

"See, everything's fine. It was just animal instinct and there is no problem here. You're not attracted to me right now are you?" I glanced over her quickly.

"No." I said as my body raged for me to touch her.

"So no problem. Let's just delete that incident and pretend it never happened. Instead of dancing we came out here, sound good?"

"Yeah, sounds good." She took her hands off my chest and I instantly missed the contact but pushed that thought aside as I tried to get control of the lust running through me. Thanks to that problem this morning with Lauren running out I've been practically turned on all day and that is not a situation I want to be in again.

We made our way back to the booth and sat down again with everyone. Another round of drinks had been bought and there was a tray of shots there as well. It was obviously going to be one of those nights for everyone. Luckily for me I got to sit back and watch as they all got drunk. For once I was relieved I wouldn't be joining in the shots; who knows what might have happened if I became drunk and was around Bella in that tempting dress. I would probably turn into someone else as I would never cheat but clearly that other Edward would.

"Right, shots first." Emmett declared, handing them out so the five of them each had an equal amount in front of them. "And for you Edward we got six shots of water, so you can play to." He said, sliding them towards me. I picked each one up and smelt them, making sure they were water and not vodka before agreeing on anything.

"So basically, we each ask a question and if the answer is yes you drink, if it's no them you don't. Pretty simple, but fun. Who wants to go first?" Emmett glanced at us all and noticed none of us volunteering so decided he would ask the first question.

"Would you have sex with another person at this table?" Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett all drank, leaving Bella and I just sitting there.

"I'll go next." Alice said, eyeing Bella and me carefully. "Have you ever fantasized about someone at this table?" Again my sister caught my eye then looked at Bella, I knew what she was implying but was not going to acknowledge it.

I did have to drink though; I had fantasized about Bella and Rose when we were younger and dating. Everyone else at the table drank and I only assumed Bella had fantasized about Jasper or Emmett when they were growing up. It was obvious who the other four had thought about; they should all just hook up and stop trying to be sly.

It's blatantly obvious from anyone who has eyes that Rose and Emmett practically want to rip each other's clothes off and that Jasper and Alice are crazy about one another. They should just admit their feelings and have it off already.

"Have you ever broken the law?" Jasper asked, watching who reached for their next shot.

Alice, Rose and I all drank. We all broke the law by speeding or other driving penalties. It's our love of fast cars that got us into trouble.

"Emmett, shouldn't you be drinking?" Bella pointed out.

"Now why would you say that?" He asked, trying to be innocent.

"Because you were arrested for noise complaint, disrupting the peace, indecent exposure or something like that, vandalism, breaking and entering-"

"My own home!" He said, trying to defend himself.

"-several driving offences and for assault."

"Okay, you're making me out to be a criminal here. For starters the noise complaint, I learned the bagpipes, apparently they are noise pollution and when I refused to stop playing them the neighbors went mental and called the cops. Second, disrupting the peace- it was a dare. Indecent exposure, another dare. Vandalism, I did that when I was fifteen and stupid. Breaking and entering my own home doesn't count and I only did it because I left my keys. Driving offences…who cares, no one got hurt. The assault was different, that guy had it coming."

"I'll give you the assault but apart from that you have broken the law either way. Now drink." He did somewhat glumly, anxiously watching Rose's response to all of his past. She didn't seem bothered one bit.

"Just to clarify, I've never done any time and have never been to court." He said somewhat proudly.

"Anyway, Edward it's your question." Bella pointed out before Emmett started ranting.

"Em…have you ever joined the mile high club?"

Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper all drank. I frowned at Alice and she just shrugged before saying it was none of my business. I really didn't want to know anyway.

"Wait, you haven't?" She asked, looking at my untouched shot of water.

"No."

"But you and Lauren take the company jet all the time, are you seriously telling me that you two haven't got a little adventurous thousands of miles up?"

"Nope. But I take it that you have?" Her cheeks tinged a little.

"Don't tell our parents."

"I won't." I'm sure they would love to know Alice had it off somewhere in the jet the next time they're traveling anywhere.

"Bella?"

"Nope, I'm not a big fan of flying so sex up there just doesn't appeal."

"Okay, my question." Rose declared, I could only sit and wait to hear what painful question she would ask. "Drink if you haven't had sex in a month."

Jasper, Bella and I were the only ones who didn't drink. Alice shot me a curious glance, clearly wondering what the hell is wrong with my marriage as I tried to avoid it and look away. Unfortunately I looked at Bella and she was finally on the same page as me with my sexually repressed problems, just what I wanted. This was night was going from bad to worse.

"Bella, you're question." Emmett said.

"Ever been tempted when you knew it was wrong?" I drank immediately and so did she. Emmett, Alice and Rose all did as well. Poor Jasper had three shots left.

"Well you're just innocent, aren't you?" Alice said, running her hand over his arm. "Don't worry, I'll corrupt you soon enough." That I had no doubt about.

She pulled him up by his shirt and moved him on to the dance floor why he was mesmerized by the movement of her hips. He was putty in her hands and she knew it. Hopefully she wouldn't play with him then discard him; I think he's more like a keeper for Alice.

"Let's talk." Bella whispered, moving away from the table, as I followed her.

"What is it?" I asked once we were in a quieter and more secluded area.

"The last drink…temptation." I knew where she was going with this. "Was that tonight or not?"

"It was-" My phone started buzzing in my pocket. "Sorry, hold on a sec." Answering the call and putting it to my ear I heard Lauren's slurred voice.

"Edward, be a doll and pick me up."

"Where are you?"

"The Four Seasons."

"Want to tell me what you're doing there?" Though I had a funny feeling I already knew.

"Met some folks…look, will you come or not?"

"I'll be there in fifteen, stay in the lobby."

"No don't worry I'll stay in this suite for another ten before coming down." She hung up and I sighed.

"I've got to go, Lauren needs me." Bella nodded in understanding. "Will you be okay to get home?"

"Yeah, we'll just get a taxi or something." She said shrugging.

"I'll send a car for you."

"No really, you don't have to." Bella said shaking her head.

"I know, but I want to." She smiled her thanks and kissed my cheek.

"Go." I took three steps before turning back to her.

"You tempt me Bella, but as long as I'm married nothing can happen. I'm sorry if this affects our friendships but I want you to know that you don't go unnoticed by me." Then I walked away, leaving her, to go fetch Lauren.

A.N.

Thanks to bronzehairedgirl620 for beta-ing this chapter.