As always, thanks to my beta sispepperell. You make me laugh...

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the authors. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Artist's Model

AU All Human. Edward Masen is a painter in Paris known for his sensual nude portraits when he stumbles across Bella Swan.

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Chapter 14: Graduation

My hands were clammy, my brow sweating. All common symptoms of claustrophobia. I was standing in a crowd of over twenty thousand people, composed mostly of parents, but also made of the occasional friend or teacher. I didn't know exactly which category I belonged to.

I grabbed a seat near the front, my giant camera in my hands. Bella had told me that her parents couldn't afford to fly over for her graduation and that I should take many pictures to send to them later. When I'd offered to purchase the plane tickets for her, she just rolled her eyes.

"I know you've got money," she'd said, her hand on a jutting hip. "You needn't flaunt it."

I had tried my best to look humble. "I am naught but a penniless artist."

Bella'd let out a very unladylike snort. "Don't lie to me, Edward. That is a Lacoste polo. Alice is teaching me the symbols. Do you know how much that cost?"

My only answer had been to self-consciously rub my chest.

A heavyset man in his late thirties plopped down beside me, stinking of nicotine and cigarette smoke. I leaned away, trying not to seem too interested in the stains his fingers had accumulated over the years, turning them yellow and black. He reminded me of my own father.

Finally, the long ceremony began. Often, I found myself drifting into a fitful slumber before being jerked awake by a particularly loud round of applause. After several dull speeches, no doubt recycled through the years, and an especially horrid rendition of Pomp and Circumstance, they began calling out the names of the graduates. One by one, each had a brief moment of glory as they received their diploma, shook hands, and were forgotten. When Bella's name was called, I was the only one that jolted upwards, immersed in polite applause. I heaved the camera up, my finger poised to begin spastically clicking.

Bella seemed to glide across the stage much slower than the others, a gentle but terrified smile fixed on her kind face. I could nearly hear her thoughts, careful to not trip and embarrass herself one last time in front of her peers. In my distractedness, I'd nearly forgotten to take pictures; quickly, I clicked a few times, not bothering to check the focus or lighting.

Bella received her diploma with a brilliant smile, and like that, it was over. I whooped and cheered until I was hoarse.

"Not another one!" Bella groaned as she raised her arm half-heartedly. The flash went off.

I peeked at her from behind the camera. "It's for your parents. Now, smile!"

The camera flashed again. Bella closed her eyes and turned away, a trace of a pout around her mouth. I laughed at the resulting picture. "You're such a baby."

Bella shrugged, her dark eyes alight with mischief. "That's okay. Babies are cute and can always make people laugh."

I sighed. "They also annoy the hell out of their parents and can't control their bodily functions."

Her melodious laugh reverberated in the air. "Remind me not to have children with you." Her comment stung more than it should have.

Abruptly, her face was panicked. She pulled me to the side, switching our places. "Help!" she mouthed furiously to me. "Mike is coming from behind me. Save me?"

"Hey, Bella."

My arm wrapped itself securely around Bella's waist, pulling her beside me. She tucked her head sheepishly into my chest. I smiled tightly at Mike, pleased to note that I had to look down to meet his eyes.

"Hey, Mike. This is Edward. Edward, Mike."

I flash my teeth briefly. He gulped. My smile widened. "Pleased to meet you." I squeezed his hand unnecessarily hard, but not as much as I would've liked to.

He winced, shaking his hand out inconspicuously, but composed himself quickly. "Bella, could I have a moment with you? Alone."

I could sense Bella's hesitation, her desperate want to say no, but self sacrificing as she was, she replied with a curt, "Alright."

I stared hard at Bella. "I'll get us some refreshments." Stay here. I'll be back.

Bella nodded in understanding and I released her from my embrace. Cold air seemed to rush to fill the void she left, leaving me feeling empty. Already, the inches between us were a space too vast.

I returned shortly with two flutes of champagne. I stood a little ways to the side, giving Mike and Bella some privacy. As I pretended to scan the legions of people swamped around me, I sipped some champagne and strained my ears to overhear their conversation.

"I don't like him, Bella," he was arguing with her quietly.

Bella's voice sounded weary. I could imagine her rubbing her temples, a frown between her brows. "You don't have to like him, Mike."

"How can you even trust him? How long have you known him for?"

"It's been months, Mike. How can you judge him if you don't even know him?"

"Maybe I can't," Mike muttered darkly, "but I don't like the way he looks at you…It's like he's picturing you naked."

I whirled around, fixing Mike with a glare that affirmed I had heard everything. Bella, with her back to me, answered with a giggle that was pitched too high, tainted with an edge of hysteria.

Instantly, I appeared at Bella's elbow, my gaze still harsh. Mike took one glance at my face and walked away. His face was closed. I narrowed my eyes at his retreating back.

"I don't like that Newton kid. He's getting on my nerves."

She placed her hand on my arm, effectively quelling any anger that was bubbling inside of me. I smiled down at her. She gazed back at me, impossibly beautiful with the slight accent of eyeshadow she'd smudged on for the occasion.

"Come on," I laughed, tugging her away. "I'll take you to dinner."

She eagerly shed her graduation gown, revealing the dress underneath. It was the lowest cut I'd ever seen Bella wear, exposing a tasteful amount of her ample cleavage. It hugged her slim waist, cascading into a mess of midnight blue silk. Unlike man girls' dresses, it was short, lacking the heavy formality that seemed foolish in the Paris heat.

When Bella caught me ogling her, she blushed deeply, the flush extending down to her collarbone. I followed its descent with eager eyes. "What do you think? It's one of Alice's own designs. She doesn't let me shop anymore—she just brings heaps and heaps of clothing every time she comes. Originals."

I sucked in a few more lungfuls of air. I wanted to tear my eyes away from Bella, knowing the gawking was probably making her uncomfortable, but my eyes wouldn't stray far from her magnetic beauty.

"I'm sorry," I said apologetically, my lips twisting in an ironic half-smile. "I'm staring."

One blush deepened into the next. "I don't mind. Well, I do. But it's very flattering."

Gleaming blonde hair caught my eye briefly and I watched Newton turn away, trying to be surreptitious. He wanted a show, did he?

I was filled with an inane and violent urge to mark Bella as my own. Possessively, I grabbed Bella forcibly by her hips, grinding her pelvis into mine. She squeaked at the suddenness of my movement, but I, lost to the delicious friction between us, half-moaned in response. I seized her face in my hands, pulling her towards me. Her eyes widened before her lips met mine in a clash of passionate need.

I drank her up, sucking her breath, feeding her my own. I kissed her feverishly, crazed, with a zest that bordered on the desperate. Her strawberry lip gloss coated my own lips, and I devoured it greedily, always wanting to taste more. I thrust my tongue into her mouth, beginning a strange and intricate dance that was entirely new to me, and yet mapped out by instincts. My hands of their own accord slid their way down Bella's body, landing to grab her hips again to pull her closer to me. She responded by lacing her fists through my hair, making me nearly cry out in the pleasurable pain it caused. My grip tightened. Poor girl. She was going to have bruises.

The edginess of my stolen kiss ebbed away, becoming softer, gentler. Our tongue dance slowed, her grip slackened, and I ravished her mouth in sweeter way, peppering her face lightly with kisses.

She pulled away first, her lips swollen and red. I ripped my eyes away from her hypnotic ones to search over the bemused eyes of our stunned audience. I was pleased when a scanning of faces told me there were no blond boys in attendance.

Tenderly, I tucked a strand of hair behind Bella's ears, remembering the first time we'd met. "I got a little carried away. I hope you don't mind."

Her cheeks filled with colour, her eyes never wavering. "I don't mind," she replied faintly. Her eyes whispered of emotions unbeknownst to me. But with her help as my teacher, I was hoping to learn.

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I'm still getting back to everyone's review of the previous chapter...But don't be discouraged! Leave me a review and I will, eventually, get back to you. Oh, and a few random questions: What's a good guitar? And don't say, "Mine!" I mean, literally, what is the coveted guitar, the Steinway of guitars? Just curious. I don't play...But I do own a rather crappy Yamaha guitar!