I made a quick stop by the library to print my short story. 60 pages which I stapled. I then headed in direction of my French seminar lecture room. The appreciative glances I got from several guys along the way gave me a boost of confidence. If they thought it looked nice, maybe Edward would find me…

Edward is your professor, Bella… and you are his student. Stop forgetting it!

I sighed. As if I could forget... I was a little early to class, so remembering Rose and Alice's advice from earlier, I decided to go hide in a corner where I could wait and watch for Edward's arrival. I had no idea why Alice and Rose wanted me to be late to class, but given my lack of experience with men, I chose to simply trust them. After five long minutes, I finally saw him.

Dear Heavens, he was more handsome than ever…

He was wearing a close-fitting black t-shirt that gave a glimpse into his large, muscular shoulders as well as the outline of his pecs (that appeared hard as a rock). With black denim jeans and a pair of black Puma sneakers, he almost looked like a student! Alice had told me he was only 24, which was not helping me remain reasonable...

From my hiding place, I waited for him to enter the classroom. His entrance provoked a series of giggles. I counted up to 10 before walking into the room as well.

…8, 9, 10.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside. Edward, who was speaking, stuttered to a halt, and stared at me from head to toe, obviously surprised. His gaze lingered on my pendant, and I had to admit he looked positively enthralled.

Note to self: thank Alice and Rose.

Edward did not utter a word until I was seated at my place. His eyes hadn't left me, which no one but me seemed to notice... Once seated, with Edward still silent, I thought back to the advice my two friends had given me. My lips curved into a shy but seductive smile, silently inviting him to continue. Which he did.

"Well, I have to say I was rather surprised by the content of the questionnaires I asked you to fill out last week. Some choices really disconcerted me… At the question: 'Which French literary works would you like to study this year?', many of you naturalized French authors such as Hemingway, Byrd, Agatha Christie or even Orwell." He admonished with a stern look, which caused a few girls at the front row to cough in recognition.

I had to refrain myself from laughing out loud because it did not fit with my desired image of 'Sexy Bella' as Rose had labeled. But I definitely erupted in laughter internally.

"I also regret to inform you I will not be able to incorporate the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy or Melissa de la Cruz's last novel into this course's syllabus."

Another cough fit. Some students had actually written that request on their forms? What were they doing in this class?

"Fortunately, I was also very pleasantly surprised by the literary choices of some of you who seem to have a fine knowledge of the subject matter… as well as an appreciable sensibility." He pursued, capturing my gaze in a firm lock.

Against incredible odds, I managed to hold his gaze without blinking. I was making progress...

His two green pupils burning into mine made me feel like my body was on fire!

During the next two hours, I followed Rose and Alice's instructions to the teeth. I boldly stared at Edward, hung on his every word, remained silent, and stayed away from his fangirls who were occupying the front row. As Alice had rightfully predicted, they were all dressed to impress.

Edward may have dressed like a student, but his prose as a professor was perfect: his analysis was correct, and I agreed with his perspective on literature. He was as smart as he was handsome. The perfect man...

Perfect, perfect… That's the only word in your mouth. Why don't you replace it by professor, professor, PRO-FES-SOR!

Urrgh, why was it so difficult?!

His eyes met mine several times, and every time, I tried my best not to blush and look down. He seemed... Unsettled. At least as much as me. On one hand, I could understand: the woman before him today was the polar opposite of the woman he'd met a week ago, the mouth full of toothpaste and wearing an oversized pair of jogging. My plan was going rather well so far. Yet, as time flew by, the anxiety in the pit of my stomach kept growing. A bunch of questions assaulted my mind...

Was it really a good idea to give him the short story?

If you give it to him, you have a 50% chance of participating in the seminar and finding out what did or didn't happen between you 2 at the party. It's too late to back out.

What if I didn't give it to him and simply spoke to him like a normal person?

It's quite simple, dear. No short story? No seminar and goodbye Edward. As far as speaking to him... you're not serious, are you?

But I really want to disclose my most intimate fantasies to him?

Not really. But if you want to find out the truth, you're going to have to. Besides, it's just an assignment to determine who gets to take the class. It's not like he's going to have everyone read it.

Would the way he looks at me change?

The way he looks at you? Dear, you are only one student among many others! don't take yourself for who you're not. You know what, Bella? You infuriate me.

Let me ask you an actually intelligent question. Listen carefully: did you really write this story to probe Edward to find out the truth on that evening's events or did you write it to seduce him? That's the real question!

That was truly a good question.

As for the answer, it was probably a little bit of both.

Too lost in my internal contemplations, I was caught off guard by the end of the second hour of lecture. It was already over. I had waited all week for this.

"Very well, class is almost over... I hope you didn't forget about the assignment you're turning in today! I'm sure you didn't. Put it on the corner of your desk. I will walk around collect them. I will announce the 20 students selected to take this course Wednesday at 5:00 PM."

The bell rang.

"Thank you and see you next week." He concluded, effectively dismissing the class.

Students started to empty the room while I unhurriedly collected my things, putting them back in my schoolbag at a particularly slow pace. I had to give the husky voice a try.

When Edward got to my row and noticed the thickness of my assignment, he raised an eyebrow...

"Inspired?" He asked, picking up the story, an irresistible smirk illuminating his face.

Now is the time for the husky and sexy voice, Bella!

"Mmhh… very."

Edward then glanced at the title of my short story, and his smirk faded instantly. His jaw tightened. Was that a good sign or a bad sign.

As I stood up from my chair, He gave me a questioning look to which I responded with a wry smile.

Ok, Bella. Now come out you just have to throw him one last glance once you reach the doorstep, gently brush your hair behind your ear, and finally bite your lip while leaving the classroom, and voilà!

I performed each of those actions with all the confidence I could muster as I headed towards the door.

"See you next week, Dr. Cullen." Were my last words before I bit my upper lip and exited the room, leaving Edward behind me, the mouth agape, and dangling arms.

I wasn't surprised to find Alice and Rosalie waiting for me at the end of class.

They literally jumped on me as soon as I walked out the door and assailed me with questions on the way to the pub where we'd gotten used to spend all our lunch breaks since the beginning of classes. I calmly answered each of their questions. They appeared very satisfied with my responses and enchanted by the fact that my plan -which had essentially become our plan at this point – was going well. I was quite pleased myself… that was until Alice asked one question too many.

"Bella, if it turns out that something did happen between you and Edward that night, what exactly will you do?"

I had been so focused on finding out the truth about that night it hadn't even occurred to me what I would do once I had it. I thought about it… It was true that Edward had seemed somewhat puzzled by my physical appearance and choice of clothing this morning. But if something had in fact happened between us and he wanted to pursue something with me, wouldn't he have tried to see me outside of class already? Wouldn't he have mentioned it? I thought back to just an hour ago. We were alone in the lecture hall at the end of class… And yet, he didn't make a single move.

The truth was self-evident.

If something had in fact happened between us that night, Edward did not want to pursue it.

It was obvious.

Edward did not want me.

I suddenly felt as though all my efforts had been wasted, and I felt bad I hadn't realized this sooner. I haven't entered Alice question though: what the hell was I going to do if something had indeed occurred between Edward and me?

"I don't really know Alice... If Edward and I did sleep together then clearly, it meant nothing to him. Otherwise, he would have made a move already, don't you think? The fact that he hasn't means that to him… it was probably just a quick fuck…" I reasoned out loud.

I winced when I ordered that last word. I took a deep breath and continued.

"So if I find out that something did happen that night, then I think I'll be forced to drop his class. I wouldn't want to have to deal with him any longer." I couldn't even bring myself to utter his name.

My friend knit her brow.

"Edward is not perfect, Bella. But he is not the type of guy who would sleep with a girl and then act like she doesn't exist." She asserted.

"And how do you know? You haven't seen him in over a year, Alice. People change."

"He's my brother and I know him. Period." She countered firmly.

Rose cleared the throat.

"Girls, aren't you getting a little bit ahead of yourselves?"

She turned to me to provide more insight.

"Bella, let's suppose something did happen between you. That you made love… Just because he hasn't mentioned it doesn't mean he's not interested. On the contrary! You told us earlier that he devoured you with his eyes during class…"

"'Devoured me with his eyes', that's a bit of an overstatement. And even then, I am not a piece of meat!"

Alice and Rosalie rolled their eyes, and I reluctantly understood. My "I am a woman, not just boobs and ass" speech was in total opposition to "My name is Bella Swan, and I am the author of a new erotic novel titled 'The Submissive' inspired by my literature professor" ...

"Fine. You know, not all men out there are assholes. Some are actually sweet, sensitive, and shy. Maybe Edward is one of them. Maybe he is simply afraid to talk to you. Maybe he's afraid of getting rejected. Maybe he's offended that you don't seem to remember what happened at all and doesn't know how or if he should bring up." Rose hypothesized. "Worse..." She considered something else. "Maybe he thinks all you wanted was a quick fuck. Other very likely possibility: he hasn't mentioned anything because you are taking his class, Bella… and he is well aware that it's against university policy for a professor to date one of his students."

Well, that was certainly a fact, one that my mind didn't care to remember.

"See, there are so many reasons that could explain his silence. Not everything is black or white."

Perhaps, Rose had a point, but I wasn't fully convinced.

"Or maybe you're driving yourself mad for no reason because absolutely nothing happened between you guys. And when he's going to read your story, he's going to think you're hitting on him…" she continued with a mocking smile.

"Which brings us to another question: if nothing happened between you, what will you do?" Alice spoke again.

I heaved a sigh of frustration... What did I know?

I'll never drink again. Ever again.

"You know what? All I'm hoping for is I won't be among the top 20 authors of the class. That way, I won't have to take the seminar, and I'll be able to forget about him and move on with my life! It's only been a week since the beginning of classes and look at the situation I'm the unluckiest person in the world…" I whined, dropping my head in my hands.

"You know, actually, if he does not select you to take his class, it may be because he wants to date you. And since he can't do that while being a professor, he'll reject you as a student so as to accept you as his girlfriend." Alice mused.

"Girls! Stop it! You're confusing me!"

This was getting far too complicated. I now understood why I had avoided romantic entanglements for so long: they only brought drama!

"let's just wait and see if you're selected, and then we'll decide how to proceed." Rosalie declared and pinched my cheek playfully.

Now, that was a good idea. Taking things one by one.

Finally some Edward/Bella interaction! Please tell me what you thought about the chapter.

Let me know when you're ready for more :)