Page 14 of Tempting the President

“How do you—”

“Lawyer thing.”

Riiight.

I really should have thought twice about having not just a lawyer as a roommate, but as a best friend, too.

“Fine.” I glance around to make sure no one’s listening, then lean forward. “Remember Annie Steele? My psychology student?”

“The quiet one who actually reads the assigned texts,” Elissa confirms with a nod. “What about her?”

“Her brother came to see me last week.”

Elissa waits, clearly expecting more. When I don’t immediately continue, she prompts, “And this is dramatic because...?”

“Because he found my Kindle,” I blurt out.

Her eyes widen. “Oh.”

My shoulders slump.Oh, indeed.It’s the understatement of the century, but whatever. Elissa is the only person who knows about my love-and-hate relationship with MC romance, and right now, I just feel relieved to have someone to talk to about my...dilemma, which I know is another understatement, but...whatever. Right now, my rollercoaster of emotions makes me feel like I’m back in high school, and my mental vocabulary reflects this.

“Did you try to convince him it’s for academic research?”

“He doesn’t believe me.”

“Smart.”

“Lis!”

“I’m just being honest. Only an idiot would fall for that.”

“Itisfor academic research, and anyway, that’s not...that’s not the worst part of it.”

Elissa’s brows shoot up. “How can it get any worse—“

“He took my Kindle.”

That gets her attention. “What do you mean—are you saying he stole your Kindle?”

“Not...exactly.” I fidget with my napkin, shredding it into tiny pieces. “He sort of...confiscated it. As evidence.”

“Evidence of what?”

“Of me supposedly influencing his sister’s research interests in inappropriate directions.”

“I see.” Elissa’s tone has turned thoughtful, which tells me she’s busy analyzing things. “So let me get this straight. Annie’s brother thinks you’re encouraging her to research...what? Romance novels? Motorcycles? Sexual psychology?”

“All of the above?” I wince. “Annie’s been writing this thesis about power dynamics in relationships, specifically focused on ‘motorcycle club alpha males’ and their effect on ‘repressed academic women’.”

Elissa doesn’t laugh, which is a testament to our friendship. She doesn’t even smile. She just nods thoughtfully, like we’re discussing a perfectly normal academic scenario.

“And her brother thinks you’re the inspiration for this research.”

“Yes! Which is ridiculous, because I would never discuss my personal reading habits with a student.”

“But he found your Kindle.”

“Yes.”