Barely there Bikini

Chapter 1

Five shots and two Long Island Iced Teas later, I was pretty fucking hammered. Rose was making sure I forgot the whole embarrassing event. Alice was pacifying me as she always does when I do something monumentally stupid. Actually, I shouldn't be embarrassed; after all, it wasn't entirely my fault. It was that incredibly charming, superficial, arrogant asshole's fault. If he didn't show up at the same hotel I was staying at, I wouldn't be down here at the bar drinking my troubles away. Damn him. Damn Edward Cullen, for his perfect, chiseled face, his indescribably disheveled hair, his lean, tight body that begged to be touched, and his breathtakingly beautiful smile that taunts me even now. Damn him for making me fall in love with him.

Who knew that one night with a complete stranger would forever change my life?

~Eight days earlier~

"Try this on," Alice said as she threw yet another bathing suit over the dressing room door. The tiny, vibrant blue material floated into my hands as I looked into the mirror, cringing at the barely-there bikini I had on.

"Alice, really! How many are you going to make me try on?" I asked while holding up the bikini in my hands.

"As many as it takes. Now come out and let me see what the black one is like," she shot back. Alice was usually a bubbly, friendly person but when it came to shopping, she was all business. I grunted, not wanting to reveal so much of my ass to the general public.

"Don't make me come in there Bella! You know I will," she threatened as she tried to open the dressing room door. With that said, I forced the door open and made myself come out of the room on my own accord. "See? Was that so hard?" she cooed.

I murmured something under my breath, trying to intimidate her while staring straight at her. It didn't work. She smiled widely and started to clap her hands in pure excitement. She grabbed my hand and led me to the dreaded 360 mirror. I reluctantly stepped up onto the small platform, wincing bashfully at how the black bikini left nothing to the imagination. Blood rushed over my cheeks for the tenth time today. With each bathing suit I tried on, the less material that covered my body. I turned slightly to see my butt…. Yep, half of it was hanging out of the tiny bikini. I cupped my hands around my ass, and with a high pitch squeal I yelled, "Alice, my ass is hanging out of the bottom. There is NO way I'm wearing this to Hawaii!"

I stumbled off the platform and ran into the comfort of my dressing room.

"Bella that is the style. You can't and won't go to Hawaii in that old one piece you've been wearing for years."

"But-"

"But nothing, Bella. That thing is so thread bare and old. It just won't do. So don't argue with me and try on the last bathing suit before I really come in there and dress you myself."

I took her warning again and peeled off the tiny bikini. I grudgingly put on the blue swimsuit. It really was a great color in contrast to my pale-white skin. I did a once over to make sure I was covered- well, covered enough. I walked out of the dressing room for the eleventh time.

I didn't even get out of the door before I heard Alice scream. Her high pitch voice made me run over to the mirror just to understand her new found excitement for this particular suit. As I turned from side to side, looking at all the angles; I could see why she screamed. It was perfect.

"It's perfect!" she squealed again, mimicking my thoughts. I nodded in total agreement. "I'm buying it for you," she announced.

"What? No, Alice, you've already done too much," I told her.

We had already had this conversation two weeks ago when she offered to pay for my plane ticket and hotel stay for our end-of-the-summer, two-week trip to Hawaii. As you may have guessed, I lost that battle. She came up with a defense about how she would have to go alone and insisted I join her for her enjoyment. I caved, naturally. After all, she was there when Jake and I broke up a month ago; never leaving my side and letting me cry my eyes out. No, I couldn't let her be alone on an island of paradise for two whole weeks. It was a great way to recharge my batteries and finally get over Jake.

"Yes!" she slammed her foot down, pulling me from my thoughts. Great, another fight I was sure to lose. When it came to money, I was always lacking.

My father is Chief of Police in the small town of Forks, where I grew up. My mom left when I was thirteen, so it was mainly me and my dad. Money was something that was hard to come by, but we got through rather well. I hated charity and I hated my limitations. I had to deal with it, though, because of the lack of funds. For this reason, I was forced to go to WSU for college and give up my dream of going to Dartmouth. It hurt in the beginning, but I decided that a college degree could be achieved anywhere. So, as fate had it, I was stuck in my last year of college at WSU. Go Cougars!

"Alice, please let me pay for something. You know how unfair it is for you to pay for everything. Let me at least pay for this swim suit… Please Alice." I practically got down on my knees and begged.

She looked up at me and smiled with an evil grin. Great, what is she up to now? "Okay, Bella, you can buy that one... but I get to buy you five others of my choice." She crossed her little arms across her chest as she grinned in triumph.

I contemplated this, but I knew it was my only way to successfully pay for something.

"Okay, Alice. I'll let you buy five others with one exception." I paused letting her think it over. I didn't want to let her have too much control over the rest of the swimwear; especially the black number; I dreaded that one.

"No exception!" she retorted.

"Yes! Only one, though," I came back squaring my shoulders to show her I meant business.

"Okay... one."

"Not the black one."

"Deal," she squealed with joy.

I paid $150 for a bathing suit. Really, there was hardly any fabric that would make it worth $150. I was determined to follow through with our deal, so I didn't mention it. I should have just let her buy this one, but of course I had to put my food down. I could be so stubborn sometimes.

As a last minute surprise, our mutual friend Rosalie Hale was coming with us. This was bound to be an interesting trip.

They both were so different in so many ways, but similar in others.

Alice was a short, petite, little pixie with an abundant amount of energy. Her very presence alone could brighten up any room. Her fashion sense was unlike anyone I had ever known. I think she had a shopping problem, but to her, it was just some afternoon fun. I didn't think she ever wore the same outfit twice. There was no doubt she got her keen fashion sense from her

mother, Esme Brandon. She is a very highly successful interior decorator for the Stars. She was famous for creating exquisite designs for Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, and Tom Cruise. Needless to say, they were very wealthy.

Rose was a tall, luscious blond that made every man turn their head just to see her walk by. I would literally kill for her legs. She had the bedside manner of a trucker and a mouth of a sailor, and no one ever crossed her. Her family came from Chicago – a rich line of blue bloods – a daily reminder her mother would gladly share. Her father owned several banks up the east coast, while her mother was a debutant junkie. She hosted several parties a year and ran many charitable fundraisers – where everyone paid thousand dollars a plate for three sprigs of asparagus and an ounce of chicken. She had high hopes for Rose, but to her dismay, Rose didn't fit her mother's mold of a perfect debutant. Her free time was always spent working on cars and hanging with us at the local pubs. Her mom frowned upon us, but we didn't care, and neither did Rose.

"How long is this flight?" Rose asked.

"Around three hours… I think," I answered, looking at Alice for conformation. She nodded.

"Well, wake me when we get there," she said as she put her ear buds in her ears and her eye pillow over her eyes.

I turned to Alice, unable to sleep. "So, what are we going to do when we get there?" I asked softly, trying not to disturb Rose or any of the surrounding passengers.

"Well, nothing when we get there. But, I do have things planned for the rest of the trip." She laid her head back, stifling a yawn and slowly closing her eyes.

"Like what?"

"I'm not telling you. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. I promise you, you'll have fun." She opened her eyes and gave me a knowing look before closing them once again.

What did she mean? Of course, I was going to have fun. Did she know something I didn't? Alice was always doing this to me. It was as if she could predict the future or something.

I leaned my head back on the head rest and closed my eyes. I must have dozed in and out of consciousness, because before I knew, it the captain came over the intercom and announced our descent into Honolulu.

We disembarked the plane and made our way to the luggage carousel. One by one we collected our luggage. My measly two suitcases didn't compare to Rose's four-piece, red leather Coach set and Alice's five-piece lemon-yellow leather Gucci set. I shook my head and rolled my eyes as we piled everything onto a rolling cart.

As we exited the airport, the automatic doors opened, letting in the rich, warm ocean breeze of the Pacific. I took a deep breath as the soothing sounds of the distant waves washed over me. Alice was right; I will have a great time.

"Oh my fucking god," I blurted out once I entered the lobby of the hotel we were staying at. I was used to the Days Inn and the occasional Days Inn, but the Royal Hawaiian Resort... I'll say again: Oh. My. Fucking. God!

"Nice, huh?" Alice purred.

"Nice doesn't even begin to describe it. I am so glad you didn't tell me about this," I said as I took in the luxurious surroundings.

"I know you may have wanted to pay for your room if I had told you," she smirked, knowing that I was still choking down my pride with my scandalous bathing suit. I rolled my eyes at her and waved my white flag. I wasn't going to ask any more questions and just let Alice be Alice; even if it meant sucking up my pride.

"When do we get to go to the pool?" Rose asked, looking completely bored already.

"Soon," Alice said as we walked up to the front desk. The front desk agent recognized Alice's last name and perked up with a great deal of excitement.

"Welcome back, Ms. Brandon. We have you in our luxurious suites on the fifteenth floor. Mike will assist you with your luggage. If you should need anything else, don't hesitate to call. Enjoy your stay, Ms. Brandon", the front desk agent said as she handed Alice the keys. We walked away from the counter and headed through the extravagant lobby towards the elevators.

As we rode the elevator in silence, I noticed the bellhop, Mike, starring at me through the reflective doors. I quickly diverted my eyes to Alice, who was staring strangely at Mike. I followed her gaze back to the man in front of us, who in turn flashed me a warm smile as the doors opened. Okay, I will admit he was cute. His blond hair was perfectly styled and his blue eyes grew intense as he motioned for us to exit the elevator. As I passed him, he smiled again and winked. I felt my face blush on its own accord. I pulled my hands up to my cheeks, wishing for the love of god I could make it stop. No such luck.

"Room 1580," he said as he slid a key into the door. He held it open and waved his hand to usher us into the room.

Ohmyfuckinggod! Alice, you are awesome! I thought my reaction in the lobby was priceless, but this trumped that times ten. Wow!

Mike pointed out all the features; I think he was being overly thorough with his descriptions. We simply nodded at every detail.

"Ladies, if there is anything you need please don't hesitate to call." He stopped right in front of me as if there was a double meaning in his statement. He flashed me another smile. I returned a friendly, awkward smile back.

"Here you go. Thank you," Alice said, while handing him a bill and ushering him out the door. I heard him muffle a 'thank you' as the door slammed behind him.

Alice looked over her shoulder, and the three of us started laughing hysterically.

"Did you see how he was looking at you Bella? He was practically eye-fucking you," Rose conjectured. Leave it to her to point out the obvious.

"Yeah, he had some major goo-goo eyes for you. Maybe we do need room service sooner than I thought," Alice chimed in.

"You need to shut up, both of you. He was just being nice, that's all." Yeah, even I wasn't convinced. I rolled my eyes and went to retrieve my mere two bags and retreated to my room.

I walked into a room that was bigger than two dorm rooms combined. I did a little happy dance before flying head first onto the white, perfectly made, fluffy bed. I was enveloped with the massive amounts of pillows that cascaded around me. Yeah, this trumps the Days Inn any day!

"Everyone take a few human moments and then we'll go down to the pool… Let's say fifteen minutes," Alice's voice muttered from behind the door.

"Okay!" I yelled back, pulling myself away from the heavenly bed. I sauntered over to my suitcase and began to decipher which scandalous bathing suit I was wearing first. Naturally, I chose my $150 brilliant-blue bikini; it covered the most of my body. I threw on a tank top and a pair of denim shorts over the swimsuit. I reached in my bag and dug out one of my many books that I snuck past Alice. She made a big deal about me bringing books when there was so much to do and see. I smiled with an evil grin at my stealthy tactics.

I walked over to the balcony, taking in the breathtaking view of the crystal, blue ocean. It was beautiful. Just the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore reminded me of La Push; which in return reminded me of Jake. Damn it! I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of clean, ocean air. No more Jake, I mentally scolded myself. I had promised myself that I wouldn't think of him while I was here.

I sat down in a very nice wicker chair and opened my book. I let the story take away my thoughts and replace them with the author's words of love and understanding. Apparently, I lacked both in my love life.

I must have been reading for about ten minutes, when I heard another sliding glass door open to my left. I turned slightly, only out of morbid curiosity, to see who had stepped out onto the balcony. As my eyes caught a glimpse of the Greek God leaning over the railing, staring out into the picture perfect ocean, I felt my mouth drop and my body go limp. The bright waves of sunlight caught facets of his hair as it blew in the wind. The angles of his face almost brought me to my knees. He was the ideal of perfection – at least from the side. As my eyes traced every inch of his face, I noticed how my body was moving towards him on its own accord.

"Bella, are you ready?" I could hear Alice's muffled voice from behind me.

I abruptly turned to see that she had entered my room. Ignoring her completely, my eyes traveled back to the breathtaking man standing to my left. I expected him to be looking forward towards the ocean, but to my shock, he was staring straight at me.

I fought with every breath as I took in the sight before me. If I thought he was a Greek God from his profile, he was a full-fledged Adonis as he looked at me from just a few feet away. His eyes were a sparkling shade of green that took my breath away. Am I even breathing at all?

His lips, oh God, those lips, turned up into the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen. It rivaled the models of GQ, and even then, his was better than most I had seen. And I had seen my fair share, but nothing compared to his.

Usually I was shy when it came to men. I wouldn't look them directly in the eyes, unless it was for school or work, of course. I would avoid large crowds, especially when it came to going out with Alice and Rose to the popular night club in town. That was always the worst. We would be hit on by most of the town drunks and some new guys that would give it a try, only to be rejected. No one interested me. I was with Jake, my boyfriend, for over five years and for the most part that suited me just fine. He gradually became possessive, overly-controlling, pushy, and needy over the years. One day I had had enough. I loved Jake for who he was but he didn't always bring out the best in me and now I hated myself for wasting five years of my life on him. I was so grateful for Alice, who stuck by me when we finally broke up. It was over a month ago.

My eyes never left his as our gaze intensified. I felt my heart pound in my chest as this perfect man stood in front of me, unmoved. I found myself not wanting to tear my eyes, from him. I gave him a hopefully flirtatious smile. I let myself take in every facet of his amazing eyes as they bore into mine.

It seemed like I was staring at this mystery man for an hour, but in reality, it had only been a few minutes when I heard a knock on the glass door behind me. . "Bella, you know we shouldn't keep Rose waiting. She wants to get down to the pool…," her voice trailed off as she stepped out of the sliding glass door and saw my distraction. Her eyes bugged out of her head as she stared at the God before us. With my head turned towards her, I followed her gaze expecting to see him staring back at us. Instead he was leaning over the railing staring back towards the ocean. I saw a hint of a smile splayed on his lips. I hoped to see more of him while I'm here. That would definitely take my mind off Jake. I smiled at the thought.

Reviews are almost better than Edward as a Greek God... I did say almost. :D