Page 16 of Savage Seduction

“Yes, you are. You have to pass. We have our grand plan, remember?”

We stop at the entrance to the lecture hall, and she turns to face me. “You’re absolutely right. Grand plan, new life… for both of us.”

“Exactly. I left law enforcement.”

“And I left the tech world behind. If I never have to code or develop an operating system again in my life… this will have all been worth it.”

“Once you get your PhD, the sky’s the limit. Plus, we might be able to work together in the future. You’ve only got a few more classes to go, right?”

“Right.” We hug. “Good luck,” we say in unison.

I pull the door open and say, “After you, my friend.”

“Meet me right here when you’re done. I’m going to need moral support,” she says.

“I’ll be waiting.” I give her arm a squeeze as she steps past me into the lecture hall.

I stand outside in the hallway, waiting for London. My phone buzzes in my backpack. Pulling it out, I see an unfamiliar number. I let it go to voicemail and slip the phone back into my bag just as London bursts into the hall.

“What the fuck was the answer to number six? Seriously, how would we ever know that?”

“Which one was number six?” I sling the bag over my shoulder as we start walking toward the exit.

“The picture was some naked chubby woman standing on a seashell?”

“Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli? Come on, London. You knew that one.”

“No, I did not. There’s no way I would have forgotten that weird-looking shit. Sometimes I think I should have stayed in computers.”

“What did you put down for your answer?”

“Selling Seashells, by Sally Seashore.” She laughs and scratches the top of her head. “I seriously didn’t remember that one.”

“Otherwise, how do you think you did?”

“I’m sure I passed,” she says. “I could have done better if I had more study time.”

“I’m sorry. That’s my fault. I should have met you before class like we had planned.” I stop before the exit and give her a hug.

“You’re damn right you should have… but also, I’m not sure what I would have done if some Hunky McTight Pants offered me a latte.” She pushes the door open for me. “Plus, it’s kind of my own fault.”

“Why’s that?” I walk outside and shield my eyes from the bright sunlight.

London puts on her Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses. “I was up late last night hacking into my nana’s bank account.”

“What the hell? That’s illegal… plus, it’s your grandma.”

“Exactly. She couldn’t remember her account number or password and after searching for an hour through piles of paperwork, I decided to just hack in. Probablysaved me five hours of stress. Not to mention I have to eat all the time when she’s around or she accuses me of being anorexic.”

“Anorexic? Seriously?”

“She’s watched enough episodes of Doctor Donny to be a danger to herself and others.” She holds up her key fob and pushes the unlock button. “Where the hell did I park?”

Beep.

“Over there,” I say, pointing to the north side parking area. “I’m glad you passed.”

“How’d you do?”

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