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“Exactly,” Lucy said, holding her arms up high, as if embracing the very essence of herself. “The key to being happy is to love yourself. If you’re constantly trying to bend to meet the expectations of others, then you never even get a chance to know much less like yourself. There is nothing wrong with refusing to conform to the standards society has set for us as women. As a matter of fact, words like ‘slut’ were designed for the very purpose of trying to force us to conform. As long as your friend is happy with herself, try to be happy for her.”
“Don’t you ever want to get married?” Janet somehow found the nerve to ask her. Lisa looked horrified by her friend’s brazenness.
“I have two amazing friends who are in committed, long-term relationships. One’s married and I’m betting the other will be soon. I have no desire for any of that. I’m happy with my life as a single woman, and my friends and I both accept and cherish our differences.”
The girls looked pleased with Lucy’s opinions. Most of her students usually were. One of the things that made Lucy good at her job was that she lived what she taught. She encouraged her students to be independent and empowered to take control of all aspects of their lives—from their careers to their own ideas about femininity and sexuality. She had done all of that herself since she’d become emancipated from her parents at the age of sixteen. And she had personal experience with having to live her life in spite of the negative opinions other people had about her.
She dated a lot of men, and when she felt like it, she slept with them. Although she never slept with more than one man at a time, that was by choice, not because she’d ever promised monogamy or exclusivity to someone. She enjoyed a man while they were together, but when she tired of him, she didn’t feel guilty about moving on to the next, in particular because she was always honest about not wanting anything too serious. She liked to feel sexy, she liked sex, and except for the short time she’d dated Jamie, she’d never had a problem getting a man to give it to her. She dressed to show off her assets in their best light possible, and she didn’t think she should have to apologize for that to anyone; therefore, she didn’t.
“Thank you, Professor Conrad,” the girls told her as they got up to leave.
“Any time. I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to come and see me.” As they walked away, Lucy grabbed her notes from the desk and looked back down. Within seconds, however, she heard the girls giggle.
Automatically, Lucy looked up.
Immediately, she sucked in a breath and stiffened as her gaze collided with the golden brown eyes of Jamie Whitcomb, adjunct professor of environmental studies and, as Lucy had discovered after confronting him about the invitation she’d found, a genuine billionaire whose grandmother had been traveling buddies with Howard Hughes, and had left both Jamie and his sister seven-figure trust funds. After he’d confirmed just how wealthy he was and that he’d indeed failed to invite her to Paris because he hadn’t been ready to have her meet his family, Lucy had broken up with him, but only after she’d completely lost it. She’d accused him of deliberately hiding his background, “playing” at being a regular guy, and “slumming it” with a girl he was embarrassed of.
Even now she cringed to think of it. She’d completely overreacted, driven by the fear that once again she’d fallen for a man who came from a world in which she’d never be accepted. Later, she’d wondered—if he’d taken the time to reassure her, would things have worked out differently?
She hadn’t been playing games, but it had still surprised and hurt her that he hadn’t put up a fight.
He’d simply agreed, saying, “If my wealth puts you off that much, Lucy, then it’s best we end things now.”
Aside from work, their acquaintance should have ended there, but the situation had been complicated by the fact that Lucy’s best friend, Melina, was friends with Jamie, and that Rhys and Max, Melina’s husband and brother-in-law respectively, had needed someone to invest in a new theater for their Las Vegas magic show.
That person had turned out to be Jamie.
His gaze unwavering, Jamie strode toward her.
Behind him the girls were still whispering and giggling, but a look from Lucy pushed them out the door. She couldn’t really blame them for their girlish adoration; Jamie wasn’t flashy, but he was certainly one of the best things to look at on campus.
Of course, Lucy would never admit that out loud. Just like she’d never admit how much she missed him. How much she wished things could have been different between them.
For a while after their breakup, Lucy hadn’t been able to hide her anger and hurt feelings. Now, time and distance—and yes, quite a bit of logic—had done its job. Okay, so he hadn’t told her he was wealthy, but he also hadn’t directly lied about it. Ultimately, she could understand why someone with that much cash wouldn’t want to advertise it. Although the end result of their breakup remained the same, she’d tried very hard to change her attitude toward him. It hadn’t hurt that Jamie had used some of his vast fortune in order to help Lucy’s friends. Since they worked together at the university and had friends in common, Lucy had decided the best thing to do was put aside her anger and make sure everyone knew she was moving on, even if she didn’t always believe it herself. But it wasn’t like she had any choice. Jamie was firmly in her past.
She just had to make sure she acted like it. When they weren’t together, she could convince herself she had no regrets. But when he was near? For some reason, Jamie had the ability to throw her equilibrium off and make her feel a confusing whirl of emotions that made her act very unlike herself.
“Jamie. What brings you here?” Lucy asked. She placed her notes back on the desktop and crossed her arms over her chest.
He smiled and the combination of those incredible eyes, framed with mile-long dark eyelashes and a killer row of even white teeth, made Lucy shiver.
“I was in the neighborhood,” he said, “and I thought I’d stop by and say hello.”
“Well, you gave my students quite a thrill. Think how giddy they’d be if they knew you were as rich as a sheikh.”
“Yes, well…obviously not all women find my wealth to be an asset.”
Lucy almost winced. It was true his money—or more precisely, the lifestyle and expectations that ultimately came along with the money—had sent her running, and even as she acknowledged how unfair that was, she also knew that eventually, he’d have been the one to judge her inferior and walk away from her. She’d just made sure she’d done it first.
“I noticed you didn’t deny you’re as rich as a sheikh.”
He sighed. “Honestly, Lucy. Can we just not go there?”
Regret sent heat rushing to her cheeks. She’d meant it as a joke, but in hearing her own words, she’d just sounded snarky. She straightened some books on her desk. “You’re right. No point.”
She studied him again. Even before she’d learned about Jamie’s affluent background, she’d never thought of him as a typical professor. He was handsome, to the point that he could make a woman forget her own name, and he was confident, commanding a room with his quiet presence alone. He had a sense of style, too, dressing in clothes that flattered his coloring and were tailor-made. She’d noticed right away that everything he wore was superb quality, even if it was just jeans and hiking boots. He taught environmental studies and spent a lot of time outdoors, taking his students on “learning trips” as he liked to call them. He was a hands-on professor and one of the smartest people Lucy had ever met. Most of all, he was truly a nice person. She’d never heard him speak an unkind word to anyone.
Focus, Lucy. Focus on being civil and pleasant and getting him the hell out of here. But why was he here? He’d been on her side of campus before and he’d never stopped by. Why now?
