A/N: Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll! We had 201 votes so that's amazing! It was close but Edward Meets Bella won out by a few votes so you get to see the very beginning of their story from Tennisward. Please note he was still a little bit of an ass back then. He still had yet to be tamed by our little lion tamer. : )

"Edward fucking Cullen!" Garrett yelled, patting me on the back as I walked into the bar. I glanced around the room, instantly scanning the field to see what I was working with tonight. It looked like the same old chicks that were here every time. I'll admit I enjoyed a good lay every now and then…okay maybe a lot, but I was starting to get bored with them. Same stupid antics every time. All I had to do was smile and they'd practically drop their panties and bend over right there.

We walked over to the bar and I ordered three shots right immediately. I knew it wouldn't take much to get me drunk. I wasn't much of a drinker now and I knew I'd be paying for this tomorrow, but after that long ass run at the French Open I needed a fucking release.

"So see anything you like?" Garrett winked at two chicks walking by and was fairly obvious in checking out their ass. I did the same and shook my head. I downed my last shot and ordered a beer.

I turned around and leaned back against the bar. Everyone that passed eye fucked me like I was a piece of meat. And to them I honestly was and for the most part I didn't give a shit. I wasn't looking for anything more. I was a smug bastard and I knew it, but I also knew I had a lot of shit to be smug about. Not only was a good looking son-of-a-bitch but I was also primed to become one of the greatest tennis players in the world.

I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket and I already knew who it was before I answered it.

"Alice," I said.

"Edward," she sighed. "You're in a bar aren't you?"

"No," I lied, taking another sip of my beer.

"Shots all around!" Garrett yelled, slamming his credit card down. He was always my go to guy when I wanted to party but he was an annoying little fucker. And he just blew my cover even though I was fairly sure it was obvious.

"Is that Garrett? Edward he always pushes you to drink too much and you have training tomorrow!" I winced and pulled the phone away from my ear as she yelled. My sister was never one to be shy about voicing her feelings and I was usually on the tail end of the shitstorm. I barely paid attention as a good-looking redhead brushed her body a little too close to mine as she ordered her drink. I didn't mind one fucking bit. I smiled at her and put my phone back up to my ear. "And I have your new photographer coming in tomorrow and I just wish you would at least give a good first impression before she sees what a little shitbag you really are Edward."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "I always make a good impression. Remember the last chick you hired to clean my house? I thought we got along pretty well the first day."

"Yeah I walked in on her blowing you in your living room."

"Sounds like a good first impression to me." I smirked and set my beer down. "Listen Alice I'd really love to chat but I have…to go." Strawberries. I smelled strawberries. Usually bars smelled like piss and beer but this was delicious. I just had to…taste it.

I whipped around and closed my phone, disposing it into my pocket again as the smell brushed past me again. A girl with long brown hair darted past me with some guy and settled herself at the end of the bar.

I watched them as they interacted, trying to decide if they were together or not. I may be an asshole sometimes, but I don't go for married girls or girls with boyfriends. It just leads to a whole lot of bad shit and I did have a conscience. I never ever forced myself on a girl if she didn't want it.

After a good half hour and another beer later I decided they weren't together. There was no intimate touching or kissing or sappy looks. They were straight up friends, even though I couldn't understand why. I couldn't see her properly from way down here but if I was friends with a girl who smelled that good we wouldn't be just friends for long. Maybe he was gay or something. That was the in thing right now right? The gay best friend?

I saw my in when her blonde haired friend made an exit, leaving her alone at the bar. She spun around in her barstool and ordered another drink.

"I'll be back," I slapped Garrett on the chest, but he barely noticed. He was talking to a couple of girls and was completely uninterested in my agenda. I picked up my beer and made my way over to the girl. I didn't even really know what I was doing but I had to meet her. I felt myself drawn to her and I didn't know if it was some kinky sexual thing or what. Blew my fucking mind. I guess I'd just try to act normal and see what happens.

"Hi there." I turned the charm on and smiled.

"You're going to fail buddy, don't even try." My brow furrowed in confusion at the outright rejection. That doesn't usually happen. This definitely wasn't part of the Cullen game plan. Besides her dismissal, she hardly acknowledged my presence, keeping her eyes straight ahead. Maybe if I could get her to just…see me.

"Oh come on sweetheart, you didn't even look at me." I grabbed the sides of her stool, barely brushing my fingers against her body as I spun her around. My breath hitched in my throat, finally seeing her for the first time. She almost made me feel…inadequate. I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. And I'd never wanted anything more.

"There," she sighed. "I looked." She shrugged, still seeming uninterested.

"And do you like what you see?" I examined her big brown eyes, finding myself almost lost in them. Her cheeks were a little flushed probably from the alcohol and her lips were the most luscious pink mounds. I wanted to taste them.

"You're average."

I felt like she'd just stuck a dagger in my stomach. I wasn't used to dealing with this kind of reception from girls and I won't lie I didn't know how to fucking deal with it.

"Average?" I tried to smile, not wanting her to see the chaos going on in my head. I didn't understand this girl. And part of me liked it. As much as I hated the rejection, she was different than anyone else in here. Alice always said I was competitive and liked the chase with women, but this was something completely different. This was a genuine curiosity in this beautiful creature that managed to captivate me in every way. I'd only met her and I already felt her invisible force wrapping itself so tightly around me I thought I was going to suffocate.

I barely heard another word she said before she stormed off. I saw her trip over her own feet and grabbed her before she hit the floor.

"Strawberry," I whispered to myself as I took in her scent.

"Fuck me!"

I laughed a little under my breath and shot off some sarcastic comment, just like I did whenever I was trying to protect myself. It was a defense mechanism and I had a hard time turning it off when something serious was happening. Was this something serious?

She told me she was celebrating a new job at Sport's Illustrated and I'll have to admit I was a little impressed.

"What's the job?" I raised my beer to my lips and took a drink.

"I'm doing a full length photo feature on Edward Cullen."

I started choking on my beer and gasped for air. What are the fucking odds? Doesn't she recognize me? It suddenly hit me that she honestly had no idea who I was, or who Edward Cullen was for that matter.

"And this Edward Cullen, you've never heard of him?"

"No I don't really follow sports."

I laughed a little to myself. Girl doesn't follow sports, but gets a job at Sports Illustrated. Something's not right there.

I leaned a little closer to her and smiled. "I heard he's devastatingly beautiful. And charming. And great in bed." I winked. I realize I was stroking my ego a little there, but after the bashing it just took it needed it.

"Why do you have personal experience?" She teased.

I laughed a little under my breath, despite her joke at my expense. I've never had anyone speak to me like this besides Rosalie and maybe Alice when she got pissed. It was entertaining.

I started tracing the outline of my beer bottle and shook my head. "No. I guess I just have an inside source." And I knew where else I'd love to have an inside source. I had to have this girl. I had to. I won't lie. The fact that I can't have her is a major turn on. I bet she's a snarky little kitten in bed.

She turned away from me and stomped off. Any other time I would have followed her, but I didn't need to. She was going to come right to me and I wouldn't even have to lift a finger.

"I'll see you tomorrow love." I downed the rest of my beer and went to find Garrett. I didn't stay much longer and went home alone, which I wasn't planning on. I found myself wrapped up in thoughts of her and there was no way anyone else would suffice. I whacked off twice before I passed out.

I was a little hungover the next morning, but nothing that was going to make me miserable. I usually felt better after I downed a couple bottles of water and got moving. I puked once, just to get it over with, before I got dressed and headed to the courts.

"You're fifteen minutes late," Alice said as I walked out onto the court. She didn't even look up from her PDA.

I flipped her off and spun my racquet in my hands. I decided not to tell her about the photographer because I didn't know how she'd react. Part of me was worried she'd be upset and fire her and part of me was sure she'd give her a high five and buy her a car. She was always entertained when Rose and I had our spats, but Rose was her best friend. This was a different situation and even though I wasn't sure what it meant, I didn't want to be done with the girl. Not yet. I hadn't figured her out yet.

"Five laps for warm up and then work on serves." Emmett, my trainer, was lacing up his tennis shoes.

"That's more than usual." I wasn't complaining, just making an observation.

"That's for going out and getting drunk the night before a practice. We've talked about this before and I thought you knew better." Even if Emmett didn't bitch at me, I still wouldn't drink a lot. Last night was an exception. He knew that.

I rolled my eyes and did my five laps before grabbing a cart of balls. I walked up to the base line and shot a few off, trying to focus on my toss. I'd been having a little trouble with it lately and Emmett promised me it was because it wasn't high enough. I thought he was full of shit and I was just having an off….month.

"Good morning Bella! How is everything?" Alice's voice distracted me. I glanced over for the slightest moment and instantly recognized the girl strutting towards us, looking timid as ever. Bella. The name sure as hell fits her. I turned my eyes back to the court and threw up a toss, hoping I could impress her. It flew into the net.

"Damn it!" I momentarily forgot about Bella and felt all my frustrations bubble up. I definitely wasn't the most discreet person on the court and it often got me in trouble, but I couldn't help it. I just wasn't a shy person. If I'm pissed you're going to know about it.

Emmett mouthed off about my toss still not being high enough but I shrugged him off.

"Boys! Can we pause for a moment I have someone I want you to meet." Alice waved us over and I held my breath waiting for Bella's reaction. She looked absolutely terrified and part of me thought she eventually figured out who I was last night. Alice made quick introductions and I made it a point to smile at her. I was making her nervous. That was a little bit more of the normal reaction I was expecting.

She was definitely more discreetly dressed than she was last night but she still looked sexy as hell. Almost like the hot librarian. I just wished she had a skirt and low cut top on. I waited until the other two had stepped away until I spoke.

"I think I liked the outfit from last night better…" I smirked and looked down at her chest, remembering how beautiful it looked last night. Now it was completely covered by those buttons. I wanted nothing more than to pop them off. "Bella…"

Emmett was on my ass for the rest of practice and I'll admit I was a little distracted by Bella being there, but I hoped it would wane as the days went on. My curiosity had to peak at some point right?

I ran my ending laps and headed to the locker room to take a shower. I was the only one in there and took full advantage of my newfound Bella librarian fantasy. Afterward I got dressed and started running a towel through my hair as I stepped out into the hallway. Alice should be here any minute to pick me up.

I froze as soon as I opened the door, seeing Bella standing there with her back to me. She was leaning over the mirror across the hall undoing the first few buttons of her shirt. Fuck me.

"That's better," she whispered.

"It'd be a lot better if you undid one or two more." Shit. Did I just say that out loud?

She spun around and gasped.

"What are you doing out here?" I tried to remain calm despite the fact that I was actually a little embarrassed about what'd I just said. I didn't get that feeling often and never over something that tame. What the fuck is wrong with me? I reverted back to my old defenses and shot off a sarcastic comment instead.

"Um…why do I still have a job?" Her voice stammered.

She was so fucking adorable when she was flustered. I decided to experiment a little. I took a few steps forward and rested my arm on the wall above her. "Why wouldn't you still have a job?" I took advantage of our proximity and her slight wardrobe adjustment to look down her shirt. I won't apologize for being a guy. Her boobs are beautiful and they were just sitting right there. How could I not look? It's like telling a kid not to look at the candy in the candy shop.

"Well…I kind of called you a slut," she stuttered, discreetly trying to escape my hold on her. I smiled inside as I gauged her reaction. I was starting to think I affected her more than she let on last night. And I planned on testing that theory a lot.

Before I could try anything else Alice interrupted us and offered Bella a ride home. She declined, trying to avoid me, but I wasn't having it. I took her camera bag and started down the hallway. She wasn't leaving without this. I saw the way she practically fucking babied the thing.

We pulled up in front of her apartment building and I made a quick mental note of the address just in case I needed to find it again. I instantly recognized blondie from last night stepping out of the building. She introduced him as her roommate and I was instantly jealous that he got to spend that much time with her.

"Hi I'm Alice!" I hadn't even heard her get out of the car. I knew that voice. She had a crush already. Alice had a tendency to fall hard and fast. She usually ended up getting her heartbroken and I had to deal with the guy. It was funny though. She was never upset like other girls were after the breakups. Sure she'd cry, but she always said that he obviously wasn't the one. She thought he was coming soon though because of a stupid psychic feeling she had. Apparently she thinks he's kept her waiting long enough.

We said goodbye to Bella and of course Alice offered to give Jasper a ride. I put my headphones in and blasted my music while they talked between themselves. I wasn't interested in listening to my sister flirt with Bella's roommate.

"Hey Alice give me your phone," I said. She was too involved with Jasper that she absentmindedly did as I asked. I quickly scanned for Bella's number and programmed it into my phone. I'd be using that later. I handed it back to her and flipped to the next song on my IPod.

I tried texting her later that night, hoping I could get her to open up a little bit but it was a no go.

The next day with her was fun. I know it sounded bad but it was a fun little game seeing how I could push her buttons. It wasn't the usual type of game I played though. Something about this was different. For the most part I was all about the conquest, but she was making me work for it and it made me take a second look at her. If I wanted to fuck some random chick there's a dozen in my phone that I could call, but I wanted her. It didn't make sense.

Emmett and I eventually started playing an actual game and I of course tried to show off again. It usually worked out in my favor but I guess she was making me subconsciously nervous. I went off on Emmett, but it wasn't him I was upset at. It was me. This was fucking ridiculous. I don't do this type of thing…whatever it was and it needs to stop right now. I stormed off into the locker rooms, confused as fuck.

Emmett left. Everyone else eventually left. And I just sat in the locker room trying to figure out what the fuck this all meant. Just let her go Edward. Shake it off. She's no one.

I took a shower and changed into some new clothes even though I knew I wasn't quite done for the day. Emmett might be gone but I needed to work out some frustrations and I wanted to start new. I grabbed my racquet and started out onto the court. I was surprised to see Bella standing there at the baseline.

I quietly slipped out of the locker room and leaned against the wall as I watched her. I guess this was fate, destiny…I guess something telling me I wasn't going to shake her. And that scared the fuck out of me.

I leaned up against the wall and watched her for a few minutes. She grabbed a ball and bounced it a few times. She threw it up and hit the lousiest serve I've ever seen. She grabbed another ball and tried another one, nearly hitting herself in the process. I couldn't help but laugh. She was so cute when she was frustrated.

She spun around and screamed, relaxing a little when she saw it was me. "Yeah I know, that serve was really scary."

She mumbled off some excuse about taking some extra pictures and said she got curious about trying. I decided maybe this was an opportunity to spend some extra time with her and do some more experimenting for the both of us. As much as I wanted to figure her out, I needed to figure me out too before I fucked this whole thing up beyond repair.

I checked her grip and saw it was horrendous, just like I'd assumed. I corrected it, quickly brushing my fingers over hers. I almost shuddered at the feeling of her skin against mine. The feeling traveled through my fingers, up my arm down my stomach and straight to my dick. It was about ready to stand at attention and I had to hold it back.

I headed over to the baseline, assuming she was most interested in serving and ushered her over. She stumbled over her feet trying to get them in the right place so I placed my hands on her hips and guided her along. Bad fucking decision. I wasn't one to think with the head on top of my shoulders, but this was insane. She made me act stupid, irresponsible…even more so than usual.

I swallowed hard as her body brushed against me. I nearly shot off right there when her butt brushed up against my dick. I did all I could not to grind it into her ass. I cleared my throat and told her to grab a ball. She mumbled something about my pocket but I shook my head and nodded to the cart.

It was harder than I thought it would be, being this close to her and not being able to have her. I subconsciously leaned forward and smelled her hair. Strawberries again. I moaned inside and committed it to memory. I decided to give in for the moment and allowed myself to feel her a little. It wasn't anything weird or perverted. It was just another little test for me. And it drove me insane.

I stuttered through the rest of this part of the lesson, unable to focus. I didn't even realize I was practically massaging her hips until she looked down at them. I told myself to let go. I told myself this wasn't part of the experiment no matter how much I wanted it. I pulled her closer so that her body was flush against mine. I fought to keep my eyes from fluttering shut. She felt…perfect.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice shaky.

"Giving you a tennis lesson."

"No you aren't," she laughed.

I lifted my finger and traced it down her jaw, enjoying the blush rising to her cheeks. "Yes I am. And I'm trying to seduce you…" I looked down at her body. "We should get you in a tennis dress next time." Another image added to the fantasy file. That one just might make me come undone.

As soon as she brought up scoring I completely shut down. I didn't even realize it until it was too late. And when she mentioned McEnroe I knew my sister had been talking about me. It was her go to guy. Of course she wasn't the only one to say it but it made sense that Bella would hear it from her. I quickly changed the subject, remembering Alice mumbling something about the charity ball earlier.

"So Alice said you sounded pretty excited about the party tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Her face instantly lit up. "My two favorite movies are Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink." She must like the 80's. Note to self: watch every popular 80's movie ever made. I already decided right then and there my plan for the party. I could be pretty clever when I really put my mind to it.

She seemed excited when I told her I'd pick her up tomorrow and I couldn't help myself when she turned around. I reached out and smacked her ass, winking as I walked back to the locker room.

I had a voicemail from some girl when I checked my phone. I didn't recognize her voice and I had no idea where I'd met her.

"Edward. Baby. I want to see you tonight. Give me a call," she purred and rambled off her number. I threw my phone back down and changed into some regular clothes. As I left my phone rang, the same number from the voicemail popping up on my screen. I debated for a few moments, knowing I was horny and could get some easy ass right now without putting forth any effort. I sighed and hit ignore. For once, I just didn't want it.