All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.

not beta'd

storyline - "Heart" (Crystal Beachin')

word prompt - lodge

dialogue flex - "Hey!" she protested.

Alice had cooking duty that first night. Bella stood off to one side of the counter, preparing cookie dough for dessert.

Rose was still passed out on the couch, but she was starting to come around.

"Ugh, what time is it?" she groaned.

"Six," Bells said, cracking an egg in to the bowl.

"So much for going back to the beach," Rose mumbled, getting to her feet. "I think I'm burnt anyway."

Alice popped a slice of cucumber in to her mouth. "Yeah, you're kinda pink."

Rose tousled her hair, shaking sand out all over the tile. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Oh, Ro – the guys brought your sunglasses back," Bella said.

"What? Who… which guys? The ones from the beach?"

"Yes. The construction workers."

Rose smiled coyly, retrieving her shades from the table. "Ooh," she purred. "How'd they know we lived here?"

Bella shrugged. "Said they saw you earlier."

"Oh?" Rose frowned. She turned to go upstairs but then whipped around, her already pink face now flaming tomato red. "Wait,WHAT?"

Bella glanced at Alice, confused.

"They said they saw us earlier. We saw them working on the condos right across the street. They were the ones playing music, Bella," Rose gasped. "THEY SAW ME SHAVING MY COOCH!"

Alice coughed, nearly spewing her soda.

"Well, I warned ya, didn't I?" Bella said primly, secretly wildly amused that Rose's dabbling in exhibitionism had caught up with her.

"Oh, shut it," Rose grumbled, leaving the room.

"What happened?" Alice giggled.

"You know the window seats we inexplicably have in our showers?" Bella asked. "They face the street. Rose was sitting on it, shaving down there. With the curtains open."

"That's awesome," said Alice, wiping her hands on a dishrag. "Okay, this manicotti is ready. I'm gonna pop it in the oven."

Bella nodded absently, her mind back on Edward. He had really given her something to think about, with his fantasmic smile and cute little nose. And his hair. His. Hair. It was God-given. Bella didn't want to seem slutty, but she'd totes go to second base with Edward – probably even third.

Maybe even a home run.

The doorbell rang.

It was twelve thirty three - a.m. The girls glanced questioningly at each other.

Rose and Alice were watching TV but Bella was on her lap top, and from her vantage point she could see the front door.

"Maybe it's the boys!" Alice whispered excitedly.

Bella frowned, squinting. The door had narrow glass windows on either side with sheer curtains, and through them she could see that while their late night visitors were boys, they weren't The Boys.

"Um… I don't know who that is, you guys," Bella said, rising as the doorbell rang again.

Rose jumped up and charged the door.

"Hello?"

"Hey thur grrrl," a voice slurred.

Alice and Bella quickly flanked Rose. "Hi."

"We were jus' wonderin' if you wanted to hang out… good times, good times," he continued. "We're stayin' in the house next door."

"Uh, we don't even know you. What's your name?" Bella asked, already becoming impatient.

"I'm Mike. This is Tyler n' Eric n' Benji." He motioned to the dudes standing behind him. All four of them were swaying and holding plastic red cups, and one was double fisting with a cup and a beer bottle.

"Well, Mike, it's a little late, dontcha think?" Rose asked. It was past midnight. What kind of party did these idiots think was going on?

"But you're the girls next door," he chortled. The peanut gallery giggled drunkenly behind him.

Rose rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest.

"Are you Arthur?" Mike asked.

"Arthur?"

"Arthur… you know… Arthurs. Are you Arthurs?"

Rose glanced at Bella and Alice, who shook their heads in mutual confusion.

"Who the hell is Arthur?" Rose snapped.

"Arthur! You know, you write…books…"

"Authors?" Alice laughed.

"Yeah, 's what I said."Mike gestured impatiently, sloshing liquid out of his cup. "You were writing…" He pointed at Bella, his gaze getting caught on her boobs.

Bella grimaced, standing behind Rose. "I was emailing."

"Oh."

Rose sighed loudly, stepping back, causing the girls to step back too. "All right, Arthur, we'll see you later. Tomorrow or something. We're not coming out and… you can't come in, so…yeah."

"Name's Mike."

"Whatever."

Mike and Co. swayed collectively.

"Okay? Good night." Rose shut the door and double locked it.

"Ew," Alice snickered as they walked back in to the living area. "What cheesedicks."

"I know, right?" Rose sniffed. "Future sleaze of America."

"I can't believe they came over here!" Bella cried. "That kind of creeps me out."

"Don't even worry about it. Everything's locked and we'll set the alarm before bed," Alice said soothingly. "They're probably harmless, anyway,"

"Can you imagine if they'd been the ones to see your cooch?" snorted Bella, clapping Rose on the back.

Rose shuddered. "Oh, vom."

Emmett finished his set of bicep curls and sauntered in to the kitchen, where Edward and Jasper were attempting to assemble tacos.

"Dude, the directions said to brown the meat and then add water."

"What? Frig that. I added oil. And seasoning."

"Dude. It's gonna taste like crap."

"Dude. I know what I'm doing. I used to watch my mom make this all the time."

"Dude. There's a difference between watching and doing."

"Dude –"

"Both of you, shut up before I lodge my foot up your asses!" roared Emmett with a look of disgust. "Neither of you know what you're doing. That's why we need chicks."

"See, that's why you're single," Jasper said. "Cuz you're a sexist douche."

"Yeah? And why are you single, numb nuts?" Emmett retorted. "Anyway, what I meant was we could all use the nurturing touch of a woman…"

"Nurturing touch, huh?" chuckled Edward. He'd heard all about the pole dancing pixie and the window stripping blonde. He had to wonder what kind of nurturing the boys really had in mind.

"Yeah, and get your mind out of the gutter," said Emmett, thinking fondly of Blondie's cherry pop tart.

"Anyway, I'm hungry and that smells like ass," Emmett announced, throwing a t-shirt on. "Let's go find food."

Jasper sighed dramatically and clicked the burner off. "Fine."

"I'll drive," Emmett said. He wanted to drive by the girl's house. Hopefully someone would be doing something in one of the windows.

The next morning, Bella woke up around nine. She luxuriated in the soft sheets for awhile, thinking about the day ahead. Now that she knew Edward was friends with the construction workers, she had high hopes that he too would be working on the condos. She secretly planned on tastefully flaunting herself.

Downstairs, Alice had started her morning workout to Britney Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U". Bella secretly loved that song; she felt it perfectly expressed how she felt as an innocent yearning to burst free. She'd gladly be Edward's love slave…secretly, of course.

She'd just buttered her toast when Rose came downstairs, dressed in a sheer pink beach cover up and bikini. The bottoms were narrow they were almost a thong.

"Morning," Bella choked, trying not to stare at Rose's ass cheeks.

"Morning, doll face," Rose said, swiping Bella's toast.

Bella grabbed for it, but Rose was already halfway done. "Hey," she protested. "Make your own!"

"Nope," Rose giggled, leaving only crust on the plate. "Aw, I'll make you a piece," she said, tugging Bella's ponytail.

The girls finished making breakfast and then sat out on the patio to eat. Alice slid off her pole and joined them, using a remote to turn her music off.

And not a moment too soon. Because as they tucked in to their eggs and toast, the sultry sounds of "The Thong Song" echoed across the street from the condos.

just so you know, i love that britney song. it makes me feel very frisky.