Chapter 49

James Hunter loved being naked.

He especially loved being naked in public. He luxuriated in it now, on the latest of countless mornings he’d spent modeling in this U-dub classroom. He relished the visceral rush of a room full of art students studying his nakedness. What should have left him feeling vulnerable always made him feel perversely powerful instead, and today was no different. In fact, Thursdays were now the days he enjoyed the biggest thrill of impending victory. For those were the days he felt Bella Swan’s big brown eyes above all others, poring over his body with feigned indifference, dutifully recreating every detail of his physique on paper with her small but deft hand.

The lady doth protest too much, he thought as he glanced in her direction. He didn’t buy her stand-offish behavior or disdainful looks. He sensed that she secretly enjoyed his innuendos and come-ons. He’d known it the first day of class, when he watched her cheeks flame as his erection picked her out of the crowd. He rarely lost control that way in front of the class, even when the prettiest girls were gawking at him. Their appraisal always aroused him, but he was able to keep the beast at bay, for the most part. The blood would dance through his cock just enough to display its magnitude, but he would mentally will it not to rise completely. He had plenty of experience at keeping himself in check until it was time for the beast to be unleashed. And the middle of an art class was definitely not the time or place.

But that first day, the sweet-faced girl planted straight in front of him had done a number on his self-control. She looked so innocent, blushing and trying not to eye his groin as she sketched him. Her pretty features were unadorned with make-up, her skin creamy and unblemished, her brown eyes beautiful but wary. The young figure beneath those skinny jeans was taut with still-new curves. Everything about her screamed “virgin.” Yet somehow he knew she was not. Something in her eyes spoke of passion, of desire, of sins committed— or perhaps, sins she had yet to commit. She was ripe and ready for them. And he was more than ready to be her sinner of choice.

He tried to quell his imagination as he stood before her that day, a prop spear aloft in one hand to match his own spear, both pointed at her as if she were his prey. He attempted to stop undressing her with his eyes; to avoid picturing her delicate breasts in his hands, her slim legs spread open wide and waiting. But the more he denied himself these images, the more willful his dick became. It throbbed with insistence to conquer the red-cheeked girl standing mere feet away. The titters and furtive glances from the other students only hardened him further. He imagined silencing their giggles by grabbing the brown-eyed girl and fucking her in the middle of the room while her classmates gaped in shock.

That night, he went to a club and found a willing partner in the middle of a strobe-lit dance floor instead. He pushed up her skirt and proceeded to fuck her into a frenzy amidst a sea of gyrating bodies. No one seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn’t care. The high of public sex intoxicated him far more than the drinks he’d downed. He closed his eyes and pretended the moaning, drug-addled girl in his arms was Bella; and then he came.

Of course, he didn’t know her name then. She was Brown-Eyed Girl until the day he finally caught a glimpse of her name on the front of her sketchbook. Now she was Brown-Eyed Bella. And she was proving to be the ultimate challenge.

He’d had a lot of them lately, and it suited him. His night job had provided an unexpected array of opportunities to prove himself. Ever since Renaissance Escorts’ top stud had removed himself from the roster, James and his fellow escorts had busied themselves making sure Edward Cullen’s former clients were satisfied.

He never could quite figure out what women saw in him, anyway, except for his handsome face. The guy was “man-pretty“— good-looking in a masculine yet non-threatening way. An old-fashioned charmer, from what he could gather. Cullen was tall and hung a suit well, but the guy never hit the gym, that James knew of. He was certain he was in better physical shape than that lanky drink of water. And he could be just as smooth as Edward Cullen. He could be a gentleman. He proved it night after night, wooing and seducing every one of Cullen’s cast-off customers until they forgot their former favorite.

It was all a game, anyway. By the end of the evening, the women who hired him didn’t want a gentleman anymore. He knew what they wanted. And he gloried in giving it to them. Especially Edward’s women. Every time he fucked one of them to a shrieking orgasm, his self-esteem soared. For whatever reason, Cullen had grown to legendary status in only a couple of years at the agency. Nothing was more gratifying than banging one of his women better than he did. Surpassing the renowned escort had become James Hunter’s raison d’être. He wouldn’t be satisfied until every one of Edward Cullen’s clientele was satisfied.

His cock was growing again at the thought. Time to shift his thinking to more benign subject matter before the class was treated to another full-on erection. He avoided looking at Bella, though he could see her out of the corner of his eye, dark hair spilling over her shoulders, teeth gnawing gently at her bottom lip. His cock stiffened further. Fuck. He wasn’t going to let her win this time. He turned his head slightly and looked in the other direction, at a stocky, bespectacled boy with a bored expression. James concentrated on that sexless image until his dick went limp. Not long after, the hour was up.

He reached for his blue robe, thrown over a nearby desk. Then he made his way around the room, perusing the students’ work, as was his habit. He enjoyed seeing the various drawing styles and interpretations of his physique. Some of the budding artists were quite talented, and Bella was one of them. The lines of her sketches were becoming bolder and freer, though she still had a fine attention to detail. He liked her details. She always got the shape of his lips just right; she always made his muscles stand out. She had to find him attractive, just by the way she drew him. He was sure of it.

His nerves began to dance a little as he got closer to her easel. He couldn’t wait to see what she’d done this time. She busied herself putting away her supplies as he approached— her usual avoidance mechanism. Silly games, he thought. He stopped and pored over her sketch of him, a side view this time. The lines of his body were strong and fluid, the details etched in a lighter hand. She hadn’t balked at drawing the protrusion of his partial hard-on, nor the curls of pubic hair crowning it. She wasn’t afraid to look at him anymore and recreate exactly what she saw. Fuck, was that ever hot.

“Nice work,” was all he said aloud. He wasn’t about to gush. Less was always more. He preferred to speak with his eyes instead. He waited until she hazarded him a glance, then made sure the look he gave her conveyed his real thoughts. Her cheeks colored slightly, making his dick stir. Seducing that skittish fawn was his fondest wish these days. At work, most women were a sure thing. After all, they were paying him to do their bidding, and that usually included sex. But a girl like this would have to be coaxed and cajoled into letting her inner impulses run wild. That was fine. He could be patient, just as he could be a gentleman. By the time she came to him, his victory would be all the sweeter.

“Thanks,” she mumbled in acknowledgement before turning to load up her backpack.

“Have you made your submissions to the art show yet?” he continued, undaunted. “If not, you should consider this one. It’s one of your best yet.”

“Thanks,” she repeated, her eyes flitting to his. “I might. A friend of mine is going to look over my work and give me her unbiased opinion so I can figure out what to submit.”

“Good idea,” he said with an amiable grin. “Like I said, I’d be happy to throw in my two cents. I think I have a good idea what the professors are looking for.”

Bella gave him a brief nod. “I appreciate the offer. I’ll let you know.”

Her expression indicated that she would not be asking for his opinion any time soon. He couldn’t help but feel mild irritation at her tone. What was with her, anyway? It seemed that the nicer he was to her, the more she brushed him off. What had he ever done to her, except reveal his attraction? From day one, he’d made no attempt to hide his desire. Perhaps that sort of honesty was too much for her. She’d already shot down his innocuous offer to buy her a cup of coffee last week. What would it take to break down this girl’s defenses?

He would have to concede defeat, if only for today. Someday he would figure out a way to melt that icy exterior of hers. But for now, he simply walked away, glancing perfunctorily at the other students’ drawings before disappearing behind the privacy screen at the front of the room where his street clothes waited.

He took his time dressing, pondering what he could do to avoid getting cold shoulder from Bella yet again. He buttoned his denim shirt slowly, and dawdled over lacing up and tying his Doc Martens. The classroom had grown quiet after the last of the students filed out. But then, from the beyond the screen, came an unfamiliar female voice.

“Bella! Thank God, I finally found the right room. So this is the art studio? Very cool!”

“Hey, Alice,” he heard Bella reply, her voice exuding a warmth he’d never heard from her before. “I’m glad you could come. I could use some help picking out what drawings to submit to the art show.”

“No prob,” the other female answered breezily. “I can’t wait to see your stuff.”

“I’ll start from the beginning of the semester, I guess.” James heard the rustle of paper as Bella presumably flipped back through her sketchbook. “These are some profiles of the other students. We drew each other from across the room.”

“Oh, this one is nice. He’s kind of a hottie,” came Alice’s voice, accompanied by a giggle.

“Yeah? I hadn’t noticed,” Bella answered with a laugh of her own. “After a week or two of student sketches, we started in with the nude models.”

“This one looks classic,” Alice noted. “The way the drape falls over her body. You’re really good, Bella.” She sounded impressed.

Bella sounded bashful. “Thanks. I’m improving, I think.”

“Definitely. I can see the progression in your drawings.” There was a slight pause and the sound of more turning pages. “Oh, no, this must be Jackass James!” came a shriek from Alice.

It was his turn to bristle from his hiding spot behind the screen. So that’s what Bella called him behind his back? Nice.

“In the flesh,” she replied with a weary sigh. “Well, thankfully you don’t have to see him in the flesh, but I do. Arrogant prick.”

“Hmm, prick is right. He is sporting quite the boner here, isn’t he?”

“I try to ignore it. He seems to have gotten control over it since that first day, thank God.”

“Too bad,” Alice replied with a snort. He heard a few more pages being turned. “He does have a nice bod. Pretty hot, really.”

“You think everyone is hot,” Bella retorted, though it sounded like good-natured ribbing. James was still getting used to this other, softer side of Brown-Eyed Girl. He just wished she had agreed with her friend’s assessment.

“Hey, I love Jasper to death, but I can still look. Are you really so gone on my cousin that you don’t even notice other guys?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Bella’s voice took on a dreamy quality that immediately made James envious of Alice’s cousin, whoever he was. “I mean, I notice them, but they don’t make me feel anything. Not like Edward does.”

James froze. Every cell in his body went brittle at the name. Edward? No. Not possible. He had to have heard wrong. And even if she had said that name, it couldn’t be Cullen.

“Well, obviously the feeling is mutual. No one else could have made him turn his life around the way you have. I’d given up hope that he’d ever quit the business. But all it took was the right girl to give him a reason to stop selling himself. I will be forever in your debt, Bella.”

James’s head spun. He wanted to sit down, but the nearest desk was out in the open, and he didn’t want to give away his presence. Not when his two disparate obsessions were converging in a wild, unbelievable twist of fate like this. The girls had to be talking about Cullen. Who else fit the description? Especially with an old-fashioned name like “Edward.”

“I still can’t believe it happened,” he heard Bella say, her voice sounding like it was coming through a vacuum to his stunned ears. “I can’t believe that the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life turned out to be the best. When I hired him, I never thought in a million years that I’d fall for him. The fact that he fell for me is even more bizarre. I still sometimes think I’m going to wake up to find out the whole thing was a dream.”

“Well, I’m proof that it’s not. I wouldn’t be here with you right now if it wasn’t real. And I wouldn’t have a new best friend if you hadn’t done the crazy thing you did. So like I said, I’m grateful.”

“So am I,” came Bella’s voice, a choked-up sounding whisper.

There was another silence, punctuated by the sounds of what he assumed was a hug between the girls. He poked his head around the side of the screen for a second, just long enough to confirm the bonding moment between girlfriends.

After that the two got down to business, discussing the merits of Bella’s better sketches. He was so lost in his thoughts that he was barely cognizant of what they were saying. His ears did perk up at Alice’s mention of his “juicy ass,” but Bella’s dismissive response only disappointed, then galled him. What were the odds that his most desired conquest had already been conquered by the infamous Edward Cullen? It was absurd. And yet it was the truth. It was proof that real life was stranger than fiction.

It was also proof that James had been right about Bella Swan. Behind that modest veneer lurked a dark, sensual side. The side that made her seek out a paid escort to bring her sexual fantasies to life. But who had she chosen from all the Renaissance Escorts profiles? Not James Hunter. She hadn’t even recognized him when he showed up in her art class. No, she went for fucking Prince Charming, Edward Cullen. Not only that, whatever her fantasies were, Cullen was so into them that he actually quit the escort business to be with her.

Was she that good in bed, that deceptively demure girl? Cullen had had every kind of woman, but he chose that one, and that one alone. Hunger and envy gnawed at the bottom of James’s gut, tugging at his dick once more. He could see the allure, obviously. He’d ached to melt that girl’s steely resolve long before he ever knew she was Cullen’s girlfriend. Hell, he never knew the guy even had a girlfriend. Rumors had swirled around the agency that Edward quit because he’d fallen for one of his customers, but James had always scoffed at the idea. He couldn’t imagine any guy giving up such a sweet gig. Not only getting to seduce and pleasure women on the regular, but getting paid for the privilege? That was the life. He’d never willingly walk away from that. Not even for a girl like Bella.

He stole a glance from behind the screen. Cullen’s cousin was cute enough. As for Bella, James could see only her back, with its swath of glossy hair dangling above a delectable heart-shaped ass. Cullen had walked away from all of it— all those gorgeous women— for that ass. It must be one hell of a good one under that stretch denim.

Now, more than ever, James yearned to see it for himself. Bella’s desirability to him had just skyrocketed right off the charts with the uncanny revelation of her connection to Edward Cullen. There was no greater thrill than luring another woman away from that overrated has-been. But stealing his girlfriend? The possibility was more than James could have hoped for. Seducing Bella Swan would be the ultimate coup de grace.

He waited patiently behind the screen while the girls narrowed down the sketches to a few contenders. When Bella settled on two of the female model and two of James, Alice asked the inevitable question.

“Which one are you going to pick for your fifth drawing?”

“I’m going to submit something I did in my free time,” Bella answered in a conspiratorial tone. “I have a sketch I drew of Edward while he was sleeping that I think is really good. Don’t tell him I’m entering it, though— I want it to be a surprise.”

“Ugh, you two and your surprises!” Alice exclaimed. “Do I need to remind you how you would have felt if Edward hadn’t finally told you about the Seattle Piano Contest, and you’d missed it? You would have sawed his balls off with a rusty butter knife.”

James barely smothered a guffaw. That sounded like an excellent idea to him.

“I know, but this is different,” Bella argued. “He’s already seen the drawing. He thinks I idealized him too much, but he’s just being modest. I think it’s one of my best pieces, so I’m going to submit it. Maybe, if it gets accepted for the exhibit, I’ll tell him. But I’d rather see the look on his face when I bring him to the art show instead.”

“That would be fun,” admitted Alice. “All right, I won’t say anything. I’ll be anxious to see that drawing myself.”

“You can come over to my room when you have time and I’ll show it to you. Maybe you can help me matte the drawings and get them ready for admission.”

“Sure, I’d love to. How about tomorrow?”

James heard Bella agree, but the girls’ words were hard to discern over the sounds of Bella putting her sketches in her portfolio and gathering her things to leave. When he heard footsteps heading toward the classroom door, he finally stepped out from behind the privacy screen and watched the girls exit the room, their asses swaying in a matching rhythm as they walked.

He stood still for a moment, digesting all that he had heard. Piano contest? Wouldn’t you know, that son-of-a-bitch apparently had talents beyond the bedroom. James didn’t know why that surprised him. And now he might have to put up with pretty-boy’s mug hanging next to his own at the art exhibit, to boot.

Fine. He could deal with that. In fact, he looked forward to it. He would figure out a way to turn the tables. There had to be a way to use this newfound information to his advantage. He just wasn’t quite sure what it was yet.

He did know one thing for certain. He would be at that student art show with bells on. And he couldn’t wait to see the look on Edward Cullen’s face, either.