A/N: Hi everyone! I'm soo excited to share this story with you! Today I'm sharing the prologue and in the middle of the week I'll post chapter one, otherwise Monday will be posting day for now:)

HUGE thank you to Mel Cee, my incredible beta and friend-love her so much! Special thank you to my amazing prereaders: May Tucker, Paige, Noles, and May T. Brown.

Song suggestion: Coming Home by Skylar Grey

Can't wait to hear your thoughts! :)

"Hey, Bella, wait!" he called from behind me.

I was already running away, desperately hoping to find a cab. Maybe I should just order an Uber. As I hurried along the sidewalk, I cringed with each stride, knowing I was ruining my sparkly Manolos. They were a gift from Manuel himself. Double cringe.

I looked around for a street name that I recognized but came up short. Sighing, I continued on, and then I turned back to glance at the beautiful man, who had been following me for the past three blocks, and who was currently staring at me with expectant eyes. The same man who I needed to get some distance from.

Sure, I'd flirted with him after I spilled my martini all over him. He was a man, and I was bored. This was typically what I did for sport. But this man wasn't like my usual playthings. Which made sense because I wasn't the same girl anymore.

My reputation took a swan dive following the scandal. My friends didn't want to be seen with me in public, afraid I'd tarnish their names. I'd become a recluse before my return to NYC, in fear of the wrath from not only the public but also from my mother.

My overbearing mother suggested I keep a low profile, stating that the "incident" would be yesterday's news…eventually. Her exact words were "It will blow over, darling. Just give the world time to forget." The implication that I should please not create another mess for her rang through loud and clear. God forbid she lost her standing dinner reservation at Pastis and her title as co-chair on the board of every charity on the Upper East Side.

I slowed my steps slightly as I took him in. Eying him up and down, I let out the breath I'd been holding in since I'd left the bar without saying goodbye, breaking my promise to find him before I did. As much as I was drawn to him, I knew I needed to keep running, so I turned to head in the opposite direction once again.

Problem was, it didn't matter how far or fast I ran. I wanted him. I wanted to keep him.

Just this once.

Sure, I had all the luxuries money could buy, and I used to have the notoriety too. But I never really wanted a guy before. Guys used to line up for the opportunity to talk to me, hoping for the chance at a date.

They all wanted me. To them, I was a beautiful, perfect object. An accessory to their success. To their name. To me, they were something fun to pass the time. Something that could be discarded when I eventually got bored. The long blonde hair, green eyes, and toned body were easy bait for them.

All my life, I'd done what was expected of me. I went through the prep schools, attended charity galas, and then when I was old enough, I modeled for the Who's Who, having dinner and making connections with whomever my mother deemed best.

I was flying high off of the money, the fame, the status. That was until it all came crashing down with one wrong move. There was no forgiveness. Nobody looked at everything I'd done right, but then again, had I done anything right in my twenty-five years?

The problem about being up so high was the only direction to go was down. Based on the fact that I was lost in the streets of Brooklyn, I'd finally reached rock bottom.

His footsteps echoed off the pavement, and I could tell that he'd picked up his pace, moving on from walking to jogging behind me. However, I was fast even in my four-inch heels, so I sped along, hoping to keep some distance between us. For both of our sanities. I'd never felt a connection with someone so quickly and so intensely. If I dared to want him, what would that mean?

Our worlds were so different. His was Brooklyn and a bar. Mine was Barneys and baguettes. We might as well be oil and water—two things that just can't mix. Except I wanted to see if I could shake things up enough to try.

My steps slowed as I decided it was time to finally stop running. From this man. From the things haunting my past. From myself. I turned to face him and said his name in a whisper. "Edward." I was unsure what to say next, how to put into words all the thoughts swirling in my head.

I paused and found this gorgeous creature looking at me, looking at me like he really saw me and not just my beauty.

Edward was a ruggedly handsome, green-eyed man. A man who had no clue who I was or what I'd done. Or at least I hoped he didn't. Throughout our conversation at the bar, he never let on that he'd heard my name, knew who my family was, or why I'd been ostracized. To him, I was just Bella, and it was liberating. To finally be myself, and to not worry about being judged.

Taking in the yearning in his eyes, I decided at that moment that if he wanted me enough to chase me down the streets of Brooklyn for an opportunity for more, then I could want something too…

I started walking toward him to close the gap, to see where this could take us. Maybe I didn't have to be the girl from the Upper East Side, trying to recover from her fall from grace, and the man from a bar in Brooklyn, whose lifestyle couldn't have been more different. Maybe we could just be and see how it went. I'd never know unless I tried, right?

I mean, I was famous for my swan dives—what was one more?

Who knows, maybe this was not only what I wanted but what I needed.

A/N: Let me know what you think. Also Pretend for Me was nominated for Top 10 Completed Fics, please vote:) Thank you!