Notes – A quick fic written because I apparently hadn't finished playing around with Rosetta's attempts to seduce the professor yet. Not really set at any specific point in the timeline and doesn't have any spoilers.

The lesson had gone surprisingly well, Layton had to admit.

Usually one of Rosetta's allocated 'private study lessons' were the part of his week that Layton dreaded the most, seeing as they generally considered of him politely trying to ignore her flirtations and secretly making sure there was another person within shouting distance to stop her from attempting any of her more… direct approaches with him.

Worst of all, he suspected that she wasn't actually learning anything from these lessons and that would be terrible.

However, today's had been quite different – she'd been attentive, she hadn't made any inappropriate remarks and part of the professor was hoping that this meant she had turned over a new leaf.

The other part of him was highly suspicious of what she was up to.

"Well then, I believe that's all we need to cover for today," Layton said, once the lesson was over, "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Stone."

"Looking forward to it, professor," she answered, with not even a bat of her eyelids. She hadn't made any sly remarks about the 'covered' comment either, something was up.

"Ladies first," he said, gesturing towards the door.

Rosetta didn't budge; "Oh no, you go first. I insist."

A shudder ran down Layton's spine. But… she couldn't be leading him into a trap that involved him leaving his office could she? That seemed a bit backwards.

"If you're sure," replied Layton, nervously trying the handle.

The door would not open.

Layton's heart might as well have stopped right there.

"Ah, it appears that this door is jammed…" he muttered.

"You don't say," chimed Rosetta, with no trace of innocence.

Eyes darting across the room, Layton quickly commented, "I'm sure I left the key around here somewhere."

"Here it is, professor," answered Rosetta, triumphantly dangling his office key in front of her.

"Th-that's very good, now if you just pass it over we'll be out of here in a moment," Layton said, hoping with all his might that she wasn't going to say what he expected her to.

Rosetta pouted, drawing the key back towards her.

"But professor, we haven't finished our lesson yet," she replied.

"I'm quite certain we have finished, now please Miss Stone, I do need to get home before Luke and Flora start to worry," said Layton.

"Very well, but if you want them you're going to have to come and get them," Rosetta purred.

"Oh no…"

She was not going to… yes, it turned out she was.

Every fibre of his gentlemanly being wanted him to look away, but he couldn't stop himself from staring in dismay as Rosetta proceeded to drop the key down her top. He'd always thought that top was a bit too low-cut to be appropriate university wear, now he knew for sure. The key jingled as it landed in its new home.

Well, that was it. The key was gone forever. There was no way that a gentleman could ever, ever bring himself to put his hand down a lady's top so he'd just have to accept that his fate was to stay here for the rest of his probably short life and be at the mercy of this deranged woman.

"What are you waiting for, professor?" Rosetta cooed.

He wondered what Dean Delmona would make of it when they found his body.

"Don't you have to get back to those brats?" she pressed.

There was no time to wallow in pity; Layton knew that he had to take action if he wanted to get out of this.

"To begin with I do not approve of you referring to them as such," he started, "It is not a gentleman's place to question a lady's actions but in this example I believe that you are acting inappropriately, Miss Stone."

"It's not as if I'm stopping you from getting your key, just reach in and grab it," Rosetta mocked, pressing her chest out in front of her. The key jingled again as she moved.

"I cannot do that," Layton answered firmly.

"That's such a shame, I suppose those kids just have to starve," she replied, walking dangerously close to him.

It wasn't the starving Layton was worried about as much as it was Flora attempting to cook unsupervised. But he had more pressing things to worry about at the moment, much more pressing indeed.

When he made no further comment Rosetta continued to move in closer, like a tiger approaching a wounded gazelle. She was almost on him before she stopped.

"Well, professor?" she asked.

This was his only chance.

"Forgive me, Miss Stone."

"Wha- …hey!"

Layton tugged at the middle of her top, presumably nipping her bra where he'd heard the key jingle. It toppled out below and he quickly snatched it up with his free hand before letting go of her top and bra. The latter twanged back against her skin, he hoped that it hadn't been painful, but there wasn't time to find out.

Turning as fast as he could he jammed the key in the lock and turned it, before throwing the door open, taking the key back out and sprinting down the hallway.

If anyone had been around to see that then he'd make up an excuse by tomorrow, but right now the only thing on his mind was putting as much distance between himself and Rosetta as humanly possibly.

"And I thought I had him for sure this time," Rosetta sighed, rubbing her chest where the bra had snapped back into place, "Oh well, there'll be plenty more attempts before the semester's over." She headed over to the window, where she could see Layton scrambling to get into his car; "Same time next week, professor!" she called out to him.

This was answered by the Laytonmobile's door slamming shut.

The next day Layton received no questions about why he'd been running through the halls, but he was asked about why he'd left his office door unlocked overnight – doing something like that was rather dangerous.

"Perhaps," Layton told the Dean ominously, "But sometimes the things on the inside are far more dangerous."

Poor Dean Delmona had no idea what he was talking about. Something that's more dangerous on the inside? It was probably just one of the old boy's puzzles; he was known to love them.

As Rosetta walked by and winked at him, Layton considered the only thing he found puzzling right now was that lady's mind.