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CHAPTER ONE
Three months later
“Ask her…”
Lucy looked up from the notes she’d been reviewing. A familiar-looking blonde urged her friend, a short brunette, forward. Lucy recognized both girls as being enrolled in her women’s studies class, which had just ended for the semester. Folding her hands on the desk that sat at the front of the empty university classroom, she waited for the girls, who looked like younger versions of Lucy’s two best friends, Grace and Melina, to gather their courage and ask whatever was on their minds.
“You ask her,” the dark-haired girl said.
“You said you were going to ask her.”
“I changed my mind.”
Lucy’s mouth twitched and she made a mental note to offer another seminar on developing confidence once summer break was over. These two were a mess.
“Come on, ladies,” she called. “If you have a question, the best way to get the answer is to just ask. It’s just the three of us in here,” she pointed out encouragingly, waving her hand to encompass the empty classroom that was one of Lucy’s favorites on campus. Unlike some of the cavernous lecture halls she had to teach in, this one promoted a casual, intimate environment, and allowed her to actually get to know her students a bit.
The two girls shuffled toward her as one unit. “Hi, Professor Conrad. I’m Janet Harger,” the blonde began.
“Of course. I know who you are, Janet.” Lucy smiled encouragingly at her, and then at the other girl. “And you’re Lisa Mills. You both got As on your final exams. Excellent work.”
Lisa’s eyes widened with surprised delight. “Wow, I can’t believe you remember my name.”
“There were only thirty-five students in this class. Why would you be surprised?” Lucy asked.
“Well, it’s just…you’re one of the hippest professors here.” Lisa leaned closer as if confiding a state secret. “I love how you change up your hair all the time.”
“Thank you.” Like Lisa, Lucy was a natural brunette. She changed colors and styles on a whim, but she had a definite penchant for red; right now, her hair was a deep sherry color and the longest it had ever been. Her hair, her nose piercing, her personality, heck even the way she dressed set her apart from the other female professors who were prone to wear ankle-length flowery dresses or stuffy masculine business suits. The fact Lucy didn’t take herself too seriously was also reflected in her teaching style. She worked hard to be approachable and relatable to her students. Sometimes Lucy even—horror of all horrors—cursed in class. She didn’t make a habit of it, but when the expletive fit…
She was glad that to Lisa, Lucy’s style made her hip rather than some of the less-complimentary things people had said about her in the past. But even if that hadn’t been the case, it wouldn’t have mattered. Lucy acted and dressed for herself and no one else.
That included a certain incognito billionaire.
Today she had on a camo-inspired jacket that felt like it had been tailor-made to hug her curves. Underneath it she wore a hot pink silk cami that revealed just a hint of her tattoo. Her flirty dark green skirt was pleated and ended mid-thigh. The four-inch pink platform wedges she wore were one of her favorite pairs of shoes. “So, ladies, is there something I can help you with?” Lucy prompted.
“Um, yes, Professor Conrad, I’m sorry. Lisa and I had a question. We have this friend who is a…” Janet bit her lip, then said, “Well, let’s call her a ‘serial’ dater. She moves from one guy to the next with barely taking a breath in between. She says that’s how she wants to spend her life. She doesn’t ever want to get married, or have kids. I know you say that dating and sexual habits are a personal choice but we’re just worried that she’s going to get a bad reputation, you know?”
Lisa jumped in. “And what about later on in life, when everyone else has settled down and she’s too old to have kids? What if she regrets it and people look at her as some weird old cat lady or something?”
Lucy smiled at the cat lady reference, but the rest of what the girls said gave her pause. Everyone in the world was so worried about what other people thought of them. Few realized that if people would just be themselves and let others do the same, the world would be a much better place.
“Sit down, girls,” she told them. “Please.”
The girls pulled up two chairs and sat.
“You two seem like good friends, and I’m sure the girl you’re telling me about is lucky to have you both in her life. But I have to tell you what I’m hearing here. Your concerns are about how other people will perceive her and how those perceptions will affect your friend’s life, am I right?”
“Yes,” Lisa said. “We just don’t want people to think she’s a slut.”
“People will think what they want. If they say it to her, I’m sure she’ll be hurt. But in the end, your friend has to love herself. Does she?”
“She says it’s her life and she can do what she wants. She likes sex…a lot. She says that she’s over eighteen and she uses protection and she’s not hurting anyone, so it’s no one’s business but her own.”
“She sounds like she knows herself and what she wants,” Lucy said. “That might change some day, but that’s for her to find out on her own.”
Janet and Lisa still looked doubtful, so Lucy continued, “Look, everyone has a different perception of things. There are billions of people in the world and there would be no possible way to please them all. So in the grand scheme of things, who does it make the most sense to please?”
“Yourself?” Lisa said, repeating what she must have heard Lucy say in her teachings.
