Manipulative Attraction

12. ⚛️ Good Samaritan

Once the blaring House music, spun by a well-known DJ, had begun, Shon and Jeannie found it impossible to hold a conversation. At the Uni, the students were part of the elite, but they still liked to party.

"Let's go outside where we can talk," Shon said, placing a hand on Jeannie's back and ushering her outside.

Shon not only wanted some fresh air, he wanted to remove Jeannie from the smoldering looks of half the men in the room. Especially those from the big blond behemoth that had bumped into him "by accident." Shon hadn't believed the big blonde's apology. Especially since Thorne had given him a baleful glare as he said he was "sorry."

When Jeannie and Shon entered the covered tent on the back deck, the music receded to a faint cacophony of noise. Lounge couches and side tables, spread out in a random order, made for a cozy atmosphere. The rest of the space was empty except for a group of students talking in solemn tones near the back.

"So, Jeannie," Shon said, sitting close enough for their thighs to touch. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

With Shon's gaze remaining on her face, Jeannie pondered his question After a moment, she answered, "I like to read, bake, and study. If I have any time left, I think of ways to rule the world," she deadpanned.

Shon laughed. His classmate's humor was dry, but her guileless delivery made her hilarious. "What a combination, Jeannie! Let me know how you get on with ruling the world, okay?"

Jeannie smiled and Shon noted the way Jeannie's lips showcased her perfect teeth. He was, despite himself, finding her immensely attractive.

"What do you like to do, Shon?"

"Oh, this and that." He brushed her thigh as he lifted his hand to wave it in the air. "Studying mostly. Reading, too."

Shon casually leaned back and placed his arm behind Jeannie, draping his fingers near her shoulder. "I also play in a league. Water volleyball, actually. You should come to a game one day."

Jeannie smiled. "I'd like that, Shon."

"Then let me take you to one tomorrow."

Jeannie tucked a curl behind her ear. "Oh, that would be great!"

After they exchanged numbers, they continued to talk. Shon became more attracted to Jeannie as the night went on. This woman wasn't a wallflower. She was both beauty and brains. And in his book, that was a lethal combination.

How I misjudged her, Shon thought.

At first, it had dismayed Shon when his cousin Sarah revealed Jeannie liked him. He'd come to the party intending to set Jeannie straight. Shon didn't have time for girls. Not for dating anyway. Intimacy, however, was a different matter.

Shon and Bekka Freeman, the dean's daughter, had struck up a mutually beneficial arrangement. She would take care of his needs, and he, in turn, would write up most of the project.

One time, when Shon was over at Bekka's apartment, he and Bekka had discussed their classmates and Jeannie's name came up.

"She isn't even paying tuition," Bekka whined, wrinkling her perfectly freckled nose. "I don't see how she got into the program, even with someone pulling a few strings." Bekka frowned, thinking deeply. "I hate how she says nothing. She just stares at you, Shon, and takes up the space of someone more deserving."

Shon had rolled over to look at Bekka. "I never noticed her staring at me."

Bekka pouted. "Well, believe me she does."

"Who pulled strings to get her in?" Shon asked, affronted. He'd entered the Uni on merit and was aghast someone could just waltz in under false pretenses.

"Well," Bekka said, tapping his naked thigh with a beige hand. "I don't know who. That doesn't matter, anyway. I'm wondering about the 'why.' I bet she got into the Uni on pure pity." Bekka then cackled like a witch, her mouth twisted in a cruel snarl.

Disgusted with her slander, Shon had left soon after.

Speaking with Jeannie for five minutes convinced him that Bekka had gotten it all wrong. Shon regretted not listening to his instincts. Jeannie was quiet, sure, but that didn't mean she wasn't bright. In fact, Jeannie had more intelligence in one of her cells than Bekka had in her whole body.

"We need to set a time for our date tomorrow," Shon said, playing with a lock of her curly dark hair. Jeannie thrilled at his touch. She wanted to see what Shon hid under his gray cashmere sweater and dark blue slacks. Seeing him in his swimsuit would be the only way to see his form without them becoming intimate.

She and Shon, intimate? Jeannie thought, mentally licking her lips.

She mulled the idea over for only a second before an image of Thorne came to mind.

Golden hair blowing in the wind, a fur wrapped around his waist, and a steel sword, long and heavy in his hand. Thorne's fur boots accentuated his muscular, tanned legs, and the shield strapped to his bare chest was—

"Jeannie?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Shon. I was just wondering if I locked the door to my apartment." No way could she tell Shon what she'd really been thinking.

"Should I take you home to check?" Shon said, rising from the couch.