A Taste of Temptation (Love Spectrum Romance) by Reneé Alexis Page B

sexual gifts were way beyond anything she could have imagined. “You are so incredible to me, Tim.” Oops!
    His eyes met hers and he put his pen down. Why am I here with her? Both of us are falling apart. “Brandi, don’t do this. We are here to concentrate on your paper—only that.”
    “I’m sorry. It just slipped out.”
    He massaged his left temple. “Maybe this was a bad idea. You know we can’t be together, and continuing this will only make it worse.” His mind hadn’t been on Moll Flanders, either. Brandi was a real struggle for him, but for the sake of her schooling and his career, he could not falter. “Can we do this, or do I need to refer you to Miss Shang’s tutorial?”
    “No! I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anything to come out. I’ll be okay; please don’t stop tutoring me, Dr. Polaris, I really need to pass your course.”
    “Don’t get upset. I didn’t mean to get on you, but I don’t want us to get into trouble. You will pass my class, Brandi, but it’s going to take a lot of work, not only with the books but being professional as well. You understand, don’t you?”
    “Yes, but it’ll be hard trying to keep my mind off you. Tell me that you also understand.”
    “You know I do. Now, is it going to be me or Miss Shang, plain and simple, Brandi?”
    Her voice dropped. “I want you.”
    That hit him hard. Her answer had more than one meaning—for them both. His voice softened: “I’m sorry if I scared you. Are you okay now?”
    “I guess so.”
    “Good, then let’s explore Moll Flanders in more detail. Moll also had sexual issues, Brandi. There were instances of incest, homosexuality, prostitution, and multiple lovers. That could be one aspect of Moll you could address. What do you think?”
    “That might be a good angle, because there’s a lot of that throughout the book.”
    “Right. You could explore how her personality fit into all of that and what made her explore those issues. You’ll have to dig into Moll’s personality to make this work. Do you have any resources?”
    “Just the book, but I could go on line…”
    “I’ve done that for you; got some things that might be helpful. I also found some of my old notes. You can use them if you like.”
    “You did all of that for me?”
    “Sure. I pulled them out last night. I said I would help, and I am.”
    He handed her the package. “You should start on this as soon as you can, and if you need me again, you could call me. Here’s my cell and the office numbers.”
    That wasn’t what she wanted, easy access to him. Her mind would go a mile a minute until she dialed him. Restraint would be the key, and from what he said he had to help her use it. He seemed different from Jacob, perhaps because she was getting to know him in a different light.
    “Another paper is due in three weeks. Can I call on you again for that one if I need help?”
    “Yes, but you won’t need me; everything you need is already inside you. Just use it.”
    “When do you want the paper?”
    “The sooner the better; couple of days, maybe. I’ll edit it for you if you like—give you extra input before it’s due.”
    Silence. They were okay as long as they were talking business, but the minute it stopped, the awkwardness set in. Brandi grabbed her backpack from the floor. “I heard you’re thinking about that assistant coach position for the Madcats this year.”
    “Maybe, but I think I have too much on my plate for that. They knew I did some coaching at the high school level.”
    “Cool. I’m on reserve cheerleader squad since I was late for try-outs last spring.”
    “I didn’t know. I haven’t checked the rosters. I’m sure you’ll get your chance to show Madison what you have.”
    “Sure hope so.” She checked the clock on the wall. “Better get over to Thorndyke. He’s a killer on people coming late to his lab. Thanks for the info.” She looked at him strangely. “Are you okay with me calling you Tim?”
    “I