Pick a Pic Challenge
Title: Torrid Teachings
Banner #: 14
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Genre: Romance
Rating/Disclaimer: M - Lemon warning.
Summary (384 character limit): Bella is a spoiled brat, only at university for the parties. When her practice exam results are sent to her father, he forces her to see an ugly nerd for tutoring. During their two weeks' studying together, Bella learns a lot for her exams, but more about herself. She matures, focuses on studying, and sees Edward in a different light.
To see all entries for this contest, please visit pickapic dot twificpics dot com.
"Bella, I am cutting you off." Dad had rung really early on a Saturday morning and that was the first thing he said.
"What the fuck?"
"Watch your language."
"Why are you ringing so early?"
"It isn't early, it is eleven o'clock," he said, exasperation in his voice.
I cracked my eyes open slightly and peered at the clock. He was right, but so was I. Eleven on a Saturday morning was early, especially after drinking too much at an awesome party the night before.
"What do you mean 'cutting me off'?" I asked, even though I knew what it meant.
"No more allowance. I will pay your rent and living expenses for the rest of the year, but no more allowance, unless you start studying."
"Dad, I study all the time, that's why I'm so tired."
"If you studied that much I think you would be at least passing your courses. I got your mock exam results today."
"Shit," I muttered under my breath. "How did you get them?"
"They were sent to your permanent address, which is my house, so I opened them. What are you doing, Bella?"
"You opened my mail? You can't do that."
Dad sighed heavily as I tried to distract him.
"What did I get?" I asked after some silence.
"All Ds."
"Well, that's good, they always say the mock exam mark is a good starting point, and everyone does better in their exams."
"Bella, if you don't pass these exams I will stop paying for everything."
"Oh, but, Dad..." I tried turning on the whine that usually got me my way.
"No, that is final, no allowance, and nothing if you don't pass. Good bye, Bella."
He hung up on me, just as I was about to call him 'Daddy'. Pity I couldn't use my eyes to sway him over the phone, I would have to consider the long drive home if I wanted to play him properly.
I spent the rest of the day feeling sorry for myself, and getting ready for a night out. Just as I was about to leave I got another phone call.
"Bella," Dad said when I answered. He already had his 'this is serious' voice going.
"Daddy," I said, making myself sound as happy as I could.
"I have found you a tutor. He will help you with your studying."
"Aww, but Daddy..."
"He will text you to organize your first session, his name is Edward."
"Okay, Daddy," I said. I needed to stay on his good side if I wanted my allowance back, and whining too much would just piss him off.
-0-0-0-
The next day I received a text.
Hi, Bella. Could we meet in the central library at 2pm for our first session? Edward.
I snorted at all the punctuation. He must be a nerd. I replied, mainly to see if he was cool enough to understand.
Thts gd w me. Wnt me 2 brng ne thng? Ttyl B
Just as I was about to claim a victory over the nerd he replied.
Just bring your textbooks and notes. See you at the library. Edward
I turned up at the library after I had breakfast just out of curiosity. I didn't have any plans of seeing a tutor, or studying. I had already decided to live off Dad for the rest of the year then find something else. I didn't want to get a job, and I didn't want to give up the university party life style, but I was sure something would come up. I almost had money on Dad giving in, especially if I begged for a second chance.
"Bella?" A tall, strange-looking guy said as I passed him on the steps.
"Yeah, who's asking?"
"I'm Edward."
I looked him up and down and it was not very impressive. He was wearing neatly pressed slacks and a shirt and tie under a vest. Before he led me inside the library he picked up a tattered black duffel bag and swung it over his shoulder. It looked like Dad had found me the king of the losers.
After he offered me a seat at one of the tables I took the opportunity to look around. I had never been in the library before, I saw no use for it unless it hosted a party. We were sitting in the middle of an open space, surrounded by tables and a few nerds studying. Behind Edward was the issuing desk and the rest of the space was framed with book shelves.
"Can you get out your textbooks and notes?" Edward said, interrupting my sneer at the tie-dyed t-shirt two tables over.
I emptied the books and paper onto the desk, making sure it was all mixed up. He looked at it all then at me. I sat back, waiting to see his reaction, I was hoping he would give up, that would mean Dad wouldn't get angry at me.
Unfortunately he started organizing the mess, putting all the pieces of paper in one pile and the textbooks in another. His spider leg-like fingers moved over the table, scuttling around my stuff and making me shiver.
"Okay," he said when he was satisfied. "Your dad gave me a list of courses you are doing and I have planned our sessions around the ones I did, so I have some background knowledge. We will also look at some basics about essay writing and exam skills to help with the others."
"Whatever," I said, agreeing for now but planning a way to never see his bushy eyebrows again.
"Did you leave some books at home?"
"No, I brought everything." I scanned the books between us, pretending to recognize the books I had never opened. I had brought all of them, even the one I used as a doorstop.
"You are missing some, I was going to start with Juvenal."
"Oh, yeah, I didn't buy all the textbooks, I used some of Dad's money for clothes."
He stared at me until I shifted uncomfortably. His eyes were an ugly, dirty green, reminding me of swamp and damp moss.
"You need the textbooks."
"Yeah, well, I needed clothes too."
He shook his head and stared down at the table. I almost sighed with relief that he was no longer looking at me with his slimy eyes. Unfortunately I had a view of ginger hair, the sort of color that any normal person would dye or cover out of shame.
With a sigh he took out a notebook and pen and started writing. "I will find you the books you need, someone will be selling them cheap or I might be able to get someone to loan them to you."
I shrugged and put my feet up on the seat next to me, I was not going to read any of them, but I wasn't going to keep him from his book fetish.
"I can see you take good care of books, so I'm sure someone will be happy to lend theirs to you."
I looked at him in shock. I was sure it was obvious these books had never been opened, only an idiot would think their condition was from care. He was sitting there, baring his teeth at me in some sort of grin. It took me a few seconds of staring at his teeth, which were unnaturally large, to realize he was trying to make a joke.
I stood up and started gathering everything, shoving it all into my bag. He protested weakly, saying he was only joking and trying to lighten the mood, but I ignored him and stormed out of the building. The anger carried me to the gym and through my workout.
By the time I got home there was a message on my answering phone from Dad, telling me to ring him.
"Edward said you walked out on him."
"He laughed at me." I wasn't in the mood to talk to Dad, I wanted to be left alone for the rest of the year, then he could nag me and make me get a job and stop partying.
"He was trying to get through to you, you were being a spoiled brat."
"Whatever, Dad."
"I will make a deal with you."
"What?" I asked, not caring about what he wanted now. He had taken away my allowance, and was going to take away everything else; he had no more leverage.
"I will give you your allowance if you go to tutoring."
I sat up and thought. I really wanted the money back, and I could survive sitting in the library for a couple of hours for it.
"How many sessions?" I asked before agreeing.
"An hour every day."
"Aww, Daddy, that's too much."
"Fine, you can have two days off each week."
"Thank you Daddy, I love you."
He huffed, said it back, and hung up. I hugged myself and rang Angela to invite her over for celebratory drinks.
Before she arrived I started earning my allowance back by texting Edward.
Meet u 2moro? Wat time wre? B
I drank a lot and didn't notice the message alert until the next morning.
I am available between 10 and 11, we can study in the same place. Remember your textbooks. Edward
I panicked and jumped out of bed when I saw I had half an hour to get there. Slowly I lowered myself back down to the edge of the bed and clutched my head as a brass band started to practice across my brain.
After chugging two Red Bulls and swallowing some aspirin, I was only ten minutes late. Edward was sitting at the same table reading a massive book and taking notes. His hair hung down over his forehead in clumps, almost blending into his wild eyebrows. I shivered slightly as I watched his creepy fingers turn a page.
"Hi," I said as I slumped in the chair opposite him.
"Hi, Bella. Sorry about yesterday, I didn't mean to upset you."
I waved his apologies away, not willing to listen to him trying to make himself feel better.
"I got you the books you need, most of them are mine." He started piling books onto the table. Each thump echoed through my head, and my eyes ached as I saw how much reading I was going to have to do.
"Shit," I said when he finally stopped pulling them from his bottomless bag of torture.
"Yes, it's a lot. I thought we could just do some reading today, try to get through some of them. And I need to review some of them, it's been a while since I did the courses."
Silently I took the thinnest book and opened it. There were notes scrawled around the edge of the text in spidery handwriting like my grandmother used. It was almost illegible to me with all its flicks, loops, and links. I turned a few more pages to see every page littered with his stupid notes.
"Sorry about the writing," he said. "I like to write notes in my books."
I turned back to the front page again, avoiding any conversation with him.
After reading the first page three times, and nothing registering in my brain, I lay my head down in the book. My only hope was that the information would be sucked in through my skull, and if it worked I would try hitting myself with the book as soon as my hangover was gone.
"Bella?" Edward asked after a few seconds.
"My head hurts," I explained. "I can't concentrate."
"Can I get you something? A drink of water?"
"I have a hangover, I think I might go home." As soon as I said it my brain was celebrating, this was how I could go to tutoring to pacify Dad, but then get away from Edward.
"Okay, Bella. But I need to warn you, your dad is going to check up on you, and I will feel obligated to tell him you left early."
I glared at him, trying to melt his ugly nerd face. I watched as a disgusting lump moved in his throat.
"What the fuck? Why can't you just take the money and tell him I'm doing fine? What is the big deal?"
"He is paying me, and I have an obligation to him. And he said he would need daily reports so he knows when to take away your allowance."
My anger at the weak, crawling boy in front of me made my head throb and killed my argumentative mood.
"How about I read to you?" he said quietly after a minute. "That way I get to review as you listen and learn."
I handed the book to him and settled in, my head resting on my arms on the table. Edward read the book quietly to me and as I listened my headache receded. His voice was deep and soothing.
I was actually disappointed when he finished and said he had to get to class, I had started to enjoy hearing about Ancient Rome.
"What time tomorrow?" I asked before he left.
"I can do ten again, or three if you are going to be hungover again."
I smiled as he checked himself, obviously scared of upsetting me with his jokes again.
"No drinking for me tonight, but I have class at ten so we will have to do three." I wasn't planning on going to class, but I did want to go shopping.
For some reason I decided to read the rest of the book that night. Edward was a good teacher, his enthusiasm for the subject had been infectious. It only lasted until the end of the book, though, the other books in the pile did not interest me.
After I spent a few hours shopping the next day I felt good. I had found a present to send to Dad, another level to my attack on his ultimatum. At three I dawdled into the library and managed to smile at Edward as I sat down.
"I read the rest of that book," I told him.
"Well done, one down, twelve to go."
My mood slumped slightly at the reality of all the work I had to do.
"Will you read to me again today?" I decided the nicest way to study was to listen to his voice as he read, and I was hoping he was willing to do so.
"Maybe, but first I want you to write for me. Take one aspect of Roman culture in the first and second centuries and write a short essay about it."
I looked at him, waiting for the punch line or the grin that showed he was joking. There was nothing but dirty green staring back at me.
"What?" I said, still not sure what he wanted.
"I want to see what your writing is like, I need to know if we need to focus on that. I just want a short essay, half an hour's writing. You can use the book."
He wasn't joking, his face was serious, like he thought he was being reasonable. I slowly got out a pen and some paper and tried to organize my thoughts. I decided to write about Augustus and the beginning of the Roman Empire. As I wrote Edward read another book, which he took out of his bag, occasionally writing notes in the margins.
After half an hour of writing I finished my conclusion, read it through quickly, and handed it to him. He thanked me and started reading. As he concentrated on my work I watched him. His eyes flicked over the paper, pausing occasionally, and I realized I was wrong about their color. They were predominantly brown, with green flecks, and as he read they sparkled, showing his passion for the subject.
Only a minute into reading it, he started to smile and I was glad he liked my writing. I felt relieved that I didn't have to see his thick brows come down over his eyes as he frowned.
I found myself studying his mouth. His teeth were incredibly white and as I watched his tongue came out to lick his full bottom lip. If he didn't look like a loser in his nerd clothes, he would have been the sort of guy I would hook up with at a party.
"It's good," he said, breaking me out if my daydream about sucking on his lip.
I smiled sweetly at him and thanked him.
"So we don't need to look at essay writing too much, we will focus mostly on knowledge. Would you like to choose a book to read for the rest of the hour?"
I shuffled through the books in my bag and chose one randomly. The covers screamed boredom to me, but I was sure that he would make the content interesting for me. I handed it to him.
"You want me to read to you again?" he asked, a surprised look on his face.
"Yes, I liked it."
He hesitated but opened the book and started to read. As I listened I studied him some more. With some new clothes, and a haircut, Edward could be good looking, even one night stand material. By the end of the hour I had decided I would fuck him and try to teach him to be less of a nerd; that would be the best way to pay him back for the effort he was having to put into teaching me. It would also make the tutoring more fun if I could play with him a bit.
"Thank you for reading to me," I said as we packed up our table.
"No problem, Bella. What time are you free tomorrow? I can do any time after five."
"Me too, five will be great. But can we go somewhere else? This library is too quiet and stuffy." What I meant was, he was too stuffy, I need to see him relaxed, in a normal environment.
"Sure, where would you like?"
"Your apartment?" I asked instantly. He would be comfortable there and I could scope out what sort of person he was. "I would invite you to my place but my roommates don't do quiet."
"I don't know," he said hesitantly.
"Come on, Edward, I work better when I can relax, and I think your reading was annoying people."
He glanced around the room, worried that he was causing other people distress. "Okay, we can study at my apartment. Here, I will write the address down for you."
-0-0-0-
The next afternoon I turned up at Edward's front door, ready to play. I wore my thigh-high boots, my shortest shorts, and a top that showed off my boobs under a long coat.
Edward let me in and escorted me to the couch. Before I sat down I took off my coat and bent over to put it on the floor. When I turned around I found that my audience had disappeared. I sat, unsure where he had gone, and looked around me.
The apartment was full of beautiful furniture, nothing looked as if it had been adopted from Goodwill, or from the sidewalk. None of it even looked like it was secondhand. There was artwork on the walls, ornaments on the mantle, and even cushions. I had to assume he was house-sitting because this didn't look like a student apartment.
Edward finally came back with a tray of drinks and snacks, all set out nicely in little bowls.
"I'm hungry," he explained, gesturing to the tray. He handed me a glass and I sipped as he set out his notes on the table. "I think we should start working on Juvenal today, and as we work though that we can discuss the history behind it, to help with your other exams."
"I will do whatever you want me to do," I said as he flipped through the books.
We worked through two satires and I had almost forgotten what I was trying to do, Edward was making me enjoy studying again. As he turned to the next one I stretched, my hands reaching high, my stomach exposed. I closed my eyes as soon as I was sure he was watching, and stretched my arms backward to push my boobs out.
When I relaxed and opened my eyes I caught him quickly looking away, a slight blush on his cheeks. I knew I was getting to him, but he wasn't going to admit it. It was going to be difficult to crack him, but I was up for a challenge.
"Let's take a break," I suggested, still waiting for him to look up from the book.
"Sure, if you need to."
"Will you give me a tour of your flat?"
He stood up and waited for me to follow, I held out my hand to him, feigning the need for help to stand up. He took my hand gently and tugged me up. I pretended to overbalance and crashed into him, my arms conveniently wrapping around his neck.
"Wow, sorry," he said as he held my waist to steady me.
I stayed pressed against him for a few seconds, looking into his concerned eyes. As I turned away I made sure my hip rubbed against his crotch.
He led me down a hallway, pointing out the bathroom and kitchen. He told me that his mum had bought and decorated the flat for him, and agreed when I said they must be rich. I wondered why he was tutoring if he didn't need money, but remembered him saying something about needing experience for the graduate teaching program.
Further down were two bedrooms. I pushed my way into his room, despite his attempt to block me. Inside it was very neat, the only mess was screwed up balls of paper in and around his trash can. I took a closer look at the bookshelf, seeing some of my favorite books amongst the collection. When I turned around I found Edward still standing in the doorway, nervously watching me. I couldn't stop myself from teasing him and fueling his nervousness. To the left of the door was a closet and I decide to explore it to see if he owned any normal clothes. I opened it and found what I expected; shirts, ties, vests and slacks. I was disappointed but flicked through the hangers anyway. Pushed to one side was a hanger that didn't match the others. On it was a pair of jeans with Abercrombie & Fitch on the label, and a shirt that wasn't designed to be worn with a tie. I pulled it out of the closet and held the clothes up for inspection.
"These are hot," I said as I turned to Edward. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head at me as I carefully put the hanger back.
"I want to study in here now, it's a nice room."
"I don't think that's a good idea," he said. "Let's go back to the couch."
I sat down on the end of the bed and wiggled to get comfortable. With a sigh he left me there and came back with the Juvenal textbook.
As he walked toward the desk I shuffled back so I was lying on my stomach. He sat on the desk chair and turned to face me, ready to start, until he noticed he could see down my top. I gave him a few seconds to stare before interrupting.
"Where were we up to?"
"Oh, um, Satire three," he replied, his cheeks reddening again. "You look comfortable there, how about I join you. Then you can see the book too."
As he moved to lie next to me I thought I heard him mutter something about 'distracting' and I smiled to myself. He got comfortable next to me and I made sure we were touching as much as possible, moving closer whenever he moved away. It didn't take long before he stopped moving away and tried to focus on studying, although I could tell he was as distracted as me with all his 'um's and losing his train of thought. After we stumbled our way through one Satire I rolled onto my back to rest my neck. As I lay there Edward propped himself up on an elbow to look at me.
"So what do you think of Juvenal so far?" he asked.
"I like him. He hates everyone, doesn't suffer fools, and speaks out about things he doesn't think are right. I like how he attacks the important people's status and egos by pretending to not know their names. I wonder if those men were really that bad, or if he exaggerated to make a point. I would have liked to know him, although he wouldn't have liked me."
As I spoke I watched Edward in my peripheral vision. He watched me carefully, his eyes occasionally flicking down my body, but mostly focused on my face.
My stomach let me know it was hungry and I realized we had been studying for almost two hours.
"Thank you for tonight," I said as I got ready to leave. "I'm sorry you have to put up with someone so stupid."
I was fishing for compliments, but didn't expect him to grab my hand and turn me to face him.
"Don't say that, Bella. You are very smart. You have taken in all that information very quickly and easily. If you actually attended your classes and put some effort into completing assignments you could be an A student." He dropped my hand and ran his fingers through his hair angrily.
"Thank you," I said quietly, his praise affecting me deeper than the silly compliments I had been fishing for would have.
We stood in silence for a minute, wondering where the conversation could go now. The tension in the room increased as he looked into my eyes again, the anger quickly leaving his face. I stepped forward until I was almost leaning against him and balanced on my toes. I watched as his eyes flickered between my lips and eyes. Before he could fully analyze the situation and back off, I put my hand behind his neck and pulled his lips to mine. His lips were soft and warm and I licked them gently, trying to coax some movement from them.
He backed away from me, moving my hand off his neck. He didn't respond how I expected him to, how guys usually responded, but the hesitation was enough for me to claim a small victory. The adjustment of his crotch as I gathered my bag had me planning a victory parade, though.
"See you tomorrow?" I asked as I left.
"Okay, but I can't see you until after six, I have classes until then. Is that okay?"
"You will have to come to my apartment then, I will try to get rid of my roommates. I will text you the address."
I waited in silence after he agreed, hoping something would happen, but he just opened the door for me and said goodbye as I left. The session hadn't been a complete waste, there had been some chemistry; but I could feel him backing off, trying to reestablish the tutor-student relationship.
The next day seemed to drag, I even managed to attend some classes to help the time pass.
At ten past six Edward arrived.
"You're late," I said as I let him in. "I thought that was my thing?"
He laughed. "You have actually been early the last couple of days. Maybe you are finding some enthusiasm for your studying."
"Or maybe it is you," I said, leaving the statement open to different interpretations, all of which were true.
He followed me through the living room into my bedroom. There were no complaints or hesitation from him as he settled on my bed.
"I need to get ready for a party," I told him, "so we need to do an oral session today. Maybe you could talk me through possible exam questions?"
He agreed and pulled out his laptop to access the online practice exams. As he read out the first question I started to do my hair and makeup, and we discussed the answer, our eyes meeting occasionally in the mirror. He seemed pleased with my answers, smiling and praising me often.
"You should wear it down," he said after watching me try different hair styles.
"I don't want advice on my looks from the nerd king," I said, turning to smile at him.
He ignored my comment and reached out towards me, pulling a few tendrils of hair forward so they rested over my boobs. I held my breath, excited by his first initiation of physical contact between us.
"I need to finish getting ready," I said, slightly disappointed when he looked back at his laptop.
I opened my closet and walked in, leaving the door open behind me. Edward started reading out another question but faltered as I took my shirt off. I was turned away from him so all he could see was my bare back, but it was enough to have him scrambling for his thoughts. I pretended to not know he could see me, and slipped my dress carefully over my head. Finally he managed to read the whole question out and I told him how I would answer it. I felt like my answer was lacking depth, and he should have picked up on that, but all I got was agreement from him.
The tutoring session was clearly a write-off, now my tutor was acting like a dumb male. I slipped my shorts off and kicked them away, then pushed my underwear down my legs, letting it pool around my ankles. There was silence coming from Edward, so I was pretty confident he was still watching. Carefully I bent down to slip into my heels and walked back out into the bedroom.
"Is that all for today, Edward?" I said, struggling to keep myself from laughing at his dazed expression. "Would you like a drink?"
"Yes, yes please," he croaked out then cleared his throat.
He followed me to the kitchen and sat on a stool as I dug the vodka out of the freezer.
"Where are you going tonight?" he asked.
"Jessica's twenty-first. She hired a whole club so everyone could go, even if they are underage."
I handed him a vodka and orange juice and watched as he sipped it. He didn't pull a face, even though I had made it very strong. It seemed the nerd had some drinking experience.
"I'm going to a house-warming tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?"
"Okay," he said, surprising me with his lack of hesitation.
Before we could say anything more the front door was flung open and Jessica walked in.
"Hi, Bitch," she said as she kissed me on the cheek. "Great dress. Makes your boobs look great. What are we drinking?" She suddenly spotted Edward. "And who is this? You're cute, I love the nerd-chic look."
"This is Edward, he is helping me study."
"Oh, study. Chemistry? Biology? Oh, I know, life drawing. She has great boobs, doesn't she, Edward?"
He went bright red and opened and shut his mouth like a fish, unable to respond. I decided to take pity on him and get him away from Jessica.
"Shall we go pack up?" I said and he jumped up and scurried off to my bedroom.
As I followed him Jessica called, "Don't be too long, we gots to get our party on."
"Sorry about her," I said as I watched him stuff his things into his bag.
"No, it's fine. She's an interesting girl."
"I will text you about the party," I said as we walked to the door. "We can have a day off from studying tomorrow, I feel like we are making good progress."
"I agree, you are doing well, you deserve a break and some fun."
"Oh I'm planning to have fun, and you will too." I was rewarded with the return of his smile, which I thought Jessica had killed. "See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Bella." He paused, not turning to leave yet.
"What?" I asked, wondering what he was thinking.
"Nothing," he replied and walked away, leaving me disappointed.
-0-0-0-
I wil pk u up 8 4 th prty. B
I arrived at his door half an hour early after sitting at home going stir-crazy for several hours. I had to wait several minutes after knocking before he let me in, I was almost starting to think he had stood me up.
I almost gasped when I saw him, he looked so different.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting," he said as I stood gaping. "I'm having trouble with these jeans."
I could see the trouble those jeans could cause, but it was all trouble for me.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"They don't fit right."
"Turn around," I said, mainly for my own benefit. He did so and I got to admire a great ass in some very hot jeans. "Okay, I can help."
I took my heels off and knelt in front of him to fold the bottom seam up, helping the legs to sit right on him.
"How's that?" I asked when I was done. I looked up at him when he didn't respond.
He was staring down at me, his cheeks pink with embarrassment, probably thinking about what I could do to him at that level.
"Yeah, good, but that isn't the problem."
I waited for him to explain. He didn't, but started playing with the hem of his shirt.
"I can't help you if you don't tell me. You look hot, I knew as soon as I saw these clothes you would."
"Well, you, down there, on your knees, looking up at me... Let's just say it isn't helping... At all."
I must have looked confused because he rolled his eyes and pulled at the fly of the jeans. I had to giggle, then apologize as he moved away from me, groaning in frustration.
"Sorry, sorry. Edward, come here." I had to follow him through to his bedroom before he stopped to face me. "Let me check the fit, maybe they are the wrong size. But I think you will just have to get used to it, at least until you wear them in a bit."
I gently lifted his shirt and he held it for me as I checked the waistband. It was sitting comfortably on his hips, and I ran my fingers around it to make sure. Next I ran my hands over the back then front of them. They fit perfectly, and I wanted to congratulate whoever had chosen them for him, but I could see the tightness over his crotch.
"They are fine," I said, finally tearing my eyes away from the bulge. I daringly passed my palm over the fly with a feather-light touch, not sure how he would react, but willing to take my chances. "You should be proud of that," I said when his only reaction was a gasp.
"Fuck," he said under his breath.
"Let's go to the party, some alcohol will help you forget." I took his hand and pulled him out to my car, looking forward to showing him off.
The first person we saw at the party was Jessica. She didn't recognize Edward, he looked so much better, until I reminded her who he was. She complimented his new clothes and asked if he had gone to a costume party as a nerd the night before. I watched as Edward's confidence grew, buoyed by the different clothes and attention he was getting from the girls. He even managed to leave my side to get drinks eventually.
When he didn't return for half an hour I started to worry, imagining him sitting in a corner, reciting satires, scared out of his mind by his first party experience. I shouldn't have been worried about that, though. When I finally found him he was sitting with a group of guys from the football team, sleazy girls hanging all over them all.
"Bella," someone said as I walked up to Edward. I turned to see my ex-boyfriend, Jacob, grinning at me. "I thought you would be here." He stood up and pulled me into a hug. "You look fucking hot," he whispered into my ear.
I screamed as he sat back down, pulling me with him so I was sitting in his lap. Edward watched us with a worried look on his face, so I smiled, not wanting to alarm him into doing something stupid.
"We just met Edward," Jacob said as he passed me a drink. "He said he came here with you."
"Yeah, I invited him."
"You are such a nice girl, taking the nerds out for charity." Jacob pushed my hair back and kissed my neck as he talked loud enough for everyone to hear.
Edward stood up and walked away. I slapped Jacob away, told him to stop being a pig, and chased after Edward. I found him leaning against the door of my car, looking broody.
"Don't mind him," I said as I leaned next to him. "He is such an ass, I don't know why I ever liked him. Thank God I dumped him ages ago."
"You dumped him? He's not your boyfriend?"
"No," I laughed. "I don't like that sort of guy."
We stood in silence for a while, watching drunk party-goers stagger past.
"Bella," Edward said, breaking the silence.
I looked at him and saw his forehead wrinkled in thought. "Yes?"
He quickly turned to stand in front of me, leaving very little room between us. He didn't look at my face and I could still see he was thinking through something. That was why I was completely surprised when he was suddenly pushing against me, his lips on mine. It was an awkward kiss, with teeth clashing and our rhythm off, but my body responded with tingles and breathlessness.
"Oh, shit, I shouldn't have done that," he said as he backed away.
"Edward."
He turned and walked away, leaving me stunned, still leaning against my car.
-0-0-0-
Late the next morning I got a text message I hadn't been expecting.
Do you want to study today? I can do five or later. Edward
After being left at my car I had gone back to the party, thinking I would never hear from him again. I had even left early, feeling depressed, ready to face the wrath of Dad, and my exam studying without help. The next morning I tried to study, thinking I should get on to it seeing as I was on my own with it now. I had made too much progress to give up, and I could almost taste success, I had actually chosen courses for the following year.
I logged onto the university website for the first time and watched some of my course lectures. They were so boring I found myself daydreaming and missing chunks of the lectures.
By the time I got to Edward's flat I was frustrated and angry at myself, mainly because I had tried writing an essay about population in the ancient world and had gotten completely confused, but also because I didn't know what to expect from Edward after the kiss.
"Come in," he said when he opened the door.
I settled on the couch and sipped the water he handed to me nervously.
"I need to apologize for last night," he said. "I drank too much and forgot myself. I know better than to do that, please can we forget it?"
"Yeah, sure," I said, hiding my disappointment, even though I knew it was coming.
I sat back on the couch and folded my arms and watched as Edward tried to engage me in a conversation about Roman culture. I wasn't in the mood, and nothing he did, even his obvious enthusiasm, could break me out of my cocoon of depression.
"I cooked us dinner," he eventually said, giving up on the study. "It's just pasta, but I thought I should prepare for a longer session seeing as the exams are so close."
I nodded and thanked him, almost managing a smile. He set the table and I joined him once he sat down and served. It tasted amazing, definitely not the heat and eat sauce I usually had. I even managed a smile as I told him how good it was.
"Seeing as you finally managed to smile, I will let you have dessert too," he said, smiling back.
I snorted gently, amused at him treating me like a child, even though I deserved it after acting like a spoiled brat.
"What would you like for dessert?" he asked as I finished.
I thought for a minute, wondering if I could get away with requesting him, to eat, lick, suck, whatever. "What have you got?"
"Oh, um, nothing, but I thought we could go get something." He was nervous, wanting to cheer me up, but worried he couldn't do it.
We drove to a little cafe and ordered a chocolate platter to share.
"Can I have your brownie?" I asked, staring at the last thing left.
"No, you've had yours," Edward said, stabbing it with his fork.
"I know, and it was my favorite."
"I know it was your favorite, you told me."
"Edward. Please?"
"Whining doesn't work on me. And neither does pouting, or puppy-dog eyes." He slowly bit off half and closed his eyes as he chewed, moaning and smiling.
I watched as his jaw worked, his Adam's apple moved as he swallowed, and his tongue licked his lips.
"Such a small bit left," he said, studying the piece still on his fork. "I can't believe it will be gone soon, just one more bite."
He laughed as I huffed and folded my arms.
"Here," he said as he leaned over the table and offered it to me.
I leant forward, and just as I opened my mouth to take it, he pulled it away and put it in his mouth. My mouth stayed open, now gaping in shock.
"Shall I drive you home?" he said as he held the door of the cafe open for me.
Ten minutes later he stopped outside my apartment and turned to look at me.
"Bella," he said, a very serious look on his face. "I think you are ready to try studying alone; I don't think you need me, and I don't think you ever really needed me. You are very intelligent, and I think you can ace these exams if you just apply yourself."
"But," I said, trying to comprehend what he was saying.
"I also need to study, I have exams next week too. You will be fine."
"What about Dad? What will you tell him?"
"I will say we are still studying together so you don't lose your allowance, but I will give the pay back after you have passed. You will pass."
He was so sure, but after my attempt to study by myself I couldn't be. He could see I wasn't happy.
"You can text me and ring me any time if you need help. I'm not abandoning you."
I had to agree, it would have been selfish to make him waste precious study time with me.
For three days I studied, constantly thinking about him, wishing I could see him again. I thought of every excuse I could to text him, or call him, or beg for him to see me, but I held back.
By Wednesday I had a stack of essays I had written, piles of notes, and a head bursting with information. But I couldn't use any of it. I was not allowed notes or text books in the exam, and without them in front of me I couldn't put my thoughts in order. I started to doubt everything I had managed to store in my memory, not sure if anything that came out was right until I checked.
I was getting angrier every hour I studied. I finally gave in and texted Edward.
I need help. I can't work out who is missing: Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius, Nero. Why can't I remember anything? B
Almost instantly I received a reply.
Caligula. You need to stop studying right now, go watch a chick flick, and have a drink. I will see you tomorrow morning at nine. Edward
I did as he commanded and managed to sleep properly for the first time all week.
At nine the next morning Edward arrived at my door with coffee and breakfast. I let him in and felt the tension finally leave my body.
"What happened?" he asked as he looked over my study bomb site of a desk.
"I don't know, I just had so much information going into my brain. I started to feel like it was overflowing, pieces were randomly escaping through my ears or something. I just can't remember anything, only bits and pieces seem to be there when I need them."
"Shh, Bella," Edward said, coming to stand in front of me. He gently pulled my hands away from my hair, and smoothed where I had bunched it up and pulled without even realizing. "Bella, you need to take a deep breath and relax. I have never seen anyone take on so much information, in such a short amount of time, so easily. You can do this."
I looked up at him, seeing myself through his eyes, willing myself to have confidence. I wrapped my arms around his waist and took a deep breath.
"Okay, I can do it," I said as I looked up at him again. "Is this alright?" I asked, squeezing him gently, not sure if he would regret getting close to me again.
"Yes." He wound his arms around me, stroking my bare skin gently with his fingers. "I missed you," he said quietly, his voice hoarse.
Slowly he leant down and our lips met. He was so gentle, almost no pressure in the kiss, giving me room to pull back or press forward. I stood up on my toes, turned my head and opened my mouth. His tongue slipped into my mouth and I caressed it with mine. He tasted like coffee and mint.
I backed up and sat on the edge of my bed, keeping our mouths together as he bent over me. I slowly lay back, unwilling to stop kissing him. He pushed his knees between mine, and knelt on the bed as my legs wrapped around his waist.
For a second he stopped to look down at me.
"Name the emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty," he said suddenly.
"Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero," I replied, suddenly getting over my block.
He leant down and kissed me, his body weight on his arms and knees.
"Who liked to be called 'Dominus et Deus'?" he asked, pulling away slightly from my lips, his breath fluttering over my skin.
"Domitian," I said and waited for another kiss, which didn't happen.
"Why?" he asked, a small smile on his lips, teasing me.
"He compared himself to the gods."
Edward ducked his head and kissed a trail down my neck, finishing when he ran out of skin at the neckline of my camisole. He sat back on his knees and looked down at me again.
"Why could Trajan be considered the greatest emperor?"
"Rome's empire was the biggest it ever got," I answered after thinking for a second.
He slipped his hand under the hem of my camisole and his fingers caressed their way up to my breast.
"And?"
"He defeated Parthia."
With his other hand he pulled my top up and with a wiggle from me it came off. Both his hands had free-rein on my half-naked body and they went straight to my nipples.
"And?" he asked and I looked at him, unable to remember the question. "Trajan, reasons why he was the greatest emperor."
I had to think hard, mostly to remember what I had already said, before he started rolling my nipples between his fingers. "Freed prisoners who shouldn't have been imprisoned. Gave back private land confiscated for no reason."
"Well done, Bella." His fingers moved away from my nipples and drew lazy squiggles down my stomach to the top of my jeans. He undid them and I helped him take them off, leaving me completely naked lying before him. He looked me over, a pleased look on his face.
"Who wrote 'Meditations'?" he asked as he rubbed a finger between my pussy lips and found my clit.
"Hadrian." I said, my voice strained, wanting his finger to do more than just sit on my most sensitive spot.
"No."
"Marcus Aurelius," I yelled, tension escaping through my voice.
His finger started circling, the pressure making my back arch and eyes close. His mouth found my nipple and sucked it hard.
"When was the first civil war?" he asked after several minutes of nothing but panting from me. "And what did it mark the start of?"
"After Nero committed suicide. Shit..." I gasped as his finger slipped inside of me and curled upwards, hitting my g-spot like a magnet to a fridge.
"Not the answer I'm looking for, Bella." His voice was getting husky, obviously affected by what he was doing to me.
"The Year of the Four Emperors. Fuck..." My muscles tensed then shuddered as my orgasm rolled through my body, beads of sweat formed on my skin, and my lungs decided to go on strike for a few seconds.
He removed his finger when my body finally relaxed and I watched from under heavy eye-lids as he put it into his mouth to suck the wetness off.
"Who built Hadrian's wall?"
"Hadrian."
His grin told me he had thrown in an easy question on purpose to get to the next reward faster. With quick fingers he undid his shirt and jeans, stood up, and piled all his clothes next to the bed. I was pleased with this reward, especially the sight of his hard cock bouncing out of his boxers. He climbed back on the bed, between my legs and positioned himself at my entrance.
"Who nominated a horse for consulship?"
"Caligula," I said, grinning up at him.
He slowly pushed forward, then inched his way in and out until he was fully submerged. The stretch had me arching my back again, a small groan of pleasure escaping my lips.
"Who started to build the Colosseum?" he asked, his voice sounding strained and forced.
"Vespasian," I said, my voice sounded breathless.
"Yes..." he breathed as he started to move inside me, his speed gradually building.
"Who ruled for three months and one day?" he called, his voice loud over the sound of skin slapping together.
"Otho." I could feel my belly winding up again, preparing for a massive orgasm.
Our bodies moved together, our heavy breathing matched, and the questioning was forgotten. Edward adjusted his position so he could reach between us.
He called out my name as his orgasm hit, his cock twitching inside me. He kept thrusting as he came and my orgasm hit me hard.
When our bodies had both stopped climaxing he lay on top of me, his head resting on my collarbone. My skin was slick with sweat and my limbs felt like jelly. It took all my remaining energy to wrap my arms around his shoulders and squeeze him to me.
"Which satire is longest?"
"Six."
We lay for a long time, recovering in silence. When my skin cooled down enough to get goosebumps, Edward rolled off me and we snuggled under the covers.
"You are amazing," he said quietly.
"So are you, that was great."
"No, I don't mean the sex," he said. "That was great, but the stuff you have learned in the last week... Do you believe in yourself now? After my special questioning technique?"
We laughed until he got serious again.
"No more freaking out, okay?" he said. "You are ready for these exams, you are going to be brilliant.
"Okay, I think I have the confidence now. Thanks to you."
"My pleasure."
I lay on his chest and fell asleep. I had taken in a lot of information during the last week with Edward, and not just about the Roman Empire. I had changed. I had grown up and realized the reward of hard work. I was no longer at university for the parties and fun, I wanted to get a degree and show I had the discipline and focus to study.