I’m trying to concentrate on what the professor is saying at the front of the classroom, but I can’t. I’m too wound up by what happened earlier this morning at the hotel. I can’t believe Lucas Ford turned out to be a narcissistic, asshole douche. And I can’t believe I told him off! He’s a VIP guest in our most expensive penthouse suite, after all. What the heck is wrong with me?

I hope I have a job waiting for me when I go back to work. I think the odds are fifty-fifty he’s going to get me fired. Obviously, he won’t tell my boss the truth about our exchange, but he could easily think of something horrible to say about me to get me fired if he were feeling particularly vindictive.

And then where would I find another night job that pays as well as The Rockford and allows me to sneak in two to three solid hours of studying every shift before racing here to school to sit through two morning classes? Shoot. Maybe I should have just screwed the guy, asshat or not. I mean, at least it would have been something to check off my bucket list, right? A story to tell at cocktail parties. Not that I ever go to cocktail parties. Wow. I had no idea I’d developed so much self-respect over the past five years. Thanks, Dr. Carlson! You’d be so proud of me if you knew!

“What do you think, Miss Medford?” my professor asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“I…uh,” I stammer. “I’m sorry, Professor. I was daydreaming.” I flash him a genuinely apologetic look.

My professor smiles. He knows I work the night shift at a downtown hotel and that I’m working my ass off to make this crazy schedule of mine work. “It happens to the best of us,” he says kindly. He scans the crowd for his next victim and focuses on a handsome guy in the front row named Noah. “Mr. Endicott?” my professor asks. “Can you tell us about the court’s rationale in this case?”

Noah answers the professor’s question with aplomb and I zone out again, letting my mind wander to a thousand thoughts, all of them having to do with Lucas Ford.

Finally, the class ends and I begin gathering my laptop and books, my mind and body both exhausted from the mental and physical toll of the past several hours.

“Hey, Abby.”

I look up. It’s Noah, the guy the professor called on earlier. He’s always flirting with me, even though to my knowledge I’ve never done anything to encourage him. Yes, he’s handsome, but he’s far too straitlaced for my taste.

“Hi, Noah,” I reply.

Noah’s wide smile reveals straight, white teeth. “I’m having a little party tonight. A small group is gonna watch the game and have pizza, and play beer pong or Cards Against Humanity or whatever. I was hoping you could make it?”

I pause. Noah’s definitely cute. And his body is really attractive. True, he seems a bit stodgy for my taste, but maybe that’s exactly the kind of guy I should be pursuing nowadays. Maybe the way I reacted to Lucas Ford’s behavior earlier this morning is proof, once and for all, I’m finally ready to move on from bad boys and act like a mature and reasonable grown-up when it comes to romance. “Tonight just so happens to be my night off,” I say brightly to Noah. “I’d love to come.”

Noah’s smile lights up his entire face. “What’s your number? I’ll text you the address.”

I give him my number and he texts me the information.

“And hey, if you want to bring your toothbrush and a change of clothes or whatever, that’s cool,” he says. “That way you can drink as much as you want and crash.” His face flushes. “On my couch, I mean. Or I could sleep on my couch and you could take my bed. Whatever works.”

“Thanks,” I say, doing my best to suppress my amusement at his sudden awkwardness. “That’s really sweet but not necessary. If I drink, I’ll just Uber home.”

Noah nods, disappointment washing over his face. “Yeah, of course. I didn’t mean to imply any expectation… I just meant, you know, just in case.”

I resist the urge to sigh audibly. Damn. It would have been so much better if he hadn’t back-pedaled. If he’d acted like it was a foregone conclusion he was going to seduce me tonight because he’s just that good. Out of nowhere, I think of Lucas Ford’s sexy voice saying, “Don’t call me sir…unless I happen to be fucking you.” And my clit pulses at the delicious memory. Why can’t Noah be more like Lucas Ford? Lucas might be a douche, but at least he’s a sexy one. I clear my throat and smile kindly at Noah. “No worries. I know exactly what you meant and I appreciate your thoughtfulness. It was sweet of you to think of my safety. I’ll see you tonight.”