A Taste of Temptation (Love Spectrum Romance)

A Taste of Temptation

Reneé Alexis

Genesis Press, Inc.

Indigo Love Spectrum

An imprint of Genesis Press, Inc.

Publishing Company

Genesis Press, Inc.

P.O. Box 101

Columbus, MS 39703

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, not known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the publisher, Genesis Press, Inc. For information write Genesis Press, Inc., P.O. Box 101, Columbus, MS 39703.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author and all incidents are pure invention.

Copyright© 2007 Reneé Alexis

ISBN-13: 978-1-58571-543-5

ISBN-10: 1-58571-543-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition

Visit us at www.genesis-press.com or call at 1-888-Indigo-1-4-0

Acknowledgements

First, and certainly foremost, I want to thank God. For without his blessings, there would be no book. Thanks also to my parents, my friends and family. All of you have given me something that makes me unique. To Deborah Schumaker, my editor at Genesis Press: you are more valuable than you know. Thanks for putting up with my tantrums. To the Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America, you couldn’t have been any more supportive—thanks. Last, but definitely not least, to my fans who have supported me with my previous books. I love you!

Renee Alexis

CHAPTER 1

Parson’s Lecture Hall was filled to capacity; Brandi knew why. She had heard about this professor, how good he was, how he played no games when it came to his class. She wanted that kind of discipline in order to keep her scholarship. Her other professors were virtual academic stereotypes: middle-aged, graying, pot-bellied. Tall, dark and handsome would be a nice change. Her ex-boyfriend, Eric was exactly that. However, Eric had zero ambition, and fully expected his good looks to get him over, no matter what. Eric was, in a word, shallow. For Brandi, those negatives were compounded by his having slept with one of her best friends, graduating from just being shallow to being a dog. She had dumped him immediately.

Her mind drifted back to an evening a month ago at Manhattan’s newest nightclub, The Entrapment. She and some friends celebrated her emancipation from Eric Fontaine and her winning the Seymour Scholarship. There was a man in the club who was tall, handsome and magnetic. She hadn’t been attracted to a white man since having a crush on her gym teacher in 6th grade. Their eyes had met the minute Jacob walked into the club. Everything about him—his light brown hair and tall slender frame were orgasmic. She had felt like a traitor for having seen beauty in one outside her race. But this Jacob made her forget all that. Those deep-set hazel eyes of his mesmerized her right into his bed that night.

She pushed aside memories of her Jacob encounter since he flat-out told her he wasn’t into relationships. So she turned to the class syllabus. She could tell the class was going to be a killer. A fifteen-page syllabus!
Isn’t it just like an older man to give everyone the life histories of all the classi
c authors and poets?
This professor must be expecting some heavy-duty studying from his students. Like it or not, there was nothing she could do about it because the class was a prerequisite to retaining her scholarship money. She quickly put the paper away and her mind returned to ditching Eric.

Her best friend, Tiffany, breezed into the room, her upbeat personality on full display. “What’s up, girl? Anxious about seeing Polaris?”

“No, I’m not anxious about Polaris. You know how most professors are, sixty years old and balding!”

“Polaris? Girl, please! He is fine, let me tell you. Why do you think I busted the pavement the first day of registration to get this class? He has all the women following behind his tight little butt.”

“Then he’s not sixty or balding?”

“If Timothy Edward Polaris is sixty let me just say this; he carries it well, damn well. The guy can’t be any older than thirty-two, but from his credentials anyone would think he’s older.”

“Yes, yes, I know. He’s the king of the world, right?”

Tiffany looked around the crowded, noisy lecture hall and smiled. “Your sarcasm is actually on the mark. It’s packed in here because the man knows his stuff. He didn’t graduate from Princeton with two degrees and tons of writing awards by not knowing his stuff. The guy’s a heavyweight.”

“How do you know all this about the guy?”

“Look, if you study something, you tend to know it well. I have studied him like he’s a course being offered here. I know everything about him.”

Brandi shook her head. “I don’t even believe you. Some people study everything about bridges, sciences, math, etc. But you, you study Polaris?”

“You will, too, take my word for it. He has the sexiest hazel eyes you ever wanted to drool over.”

Hazel eyes! Jacob has hazel eyes, not that I’ll ever see them again, but I can dream. But thoughts of him will get me nowhere.
She forced her mind off him. “Finally, a handsome
young
instructor. Well, that’s a perk of sorts, since we have to sit in here for three hours.”

“It’s all cool, girl. Polaris will rock this class, and you will be damn glad for it.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, are you still gaga over that man you met in the club?”

So much for shutting out thoughts of Jacob.
“Please, don’t bring him up.”

“Why? I thought you liked him. You told me that when you called to tell me everything.”

“Almost everything. I did like him.”

“Did?” Tiffany leaned in closer. “What’s your deal, girl? You said he’s fine and that he was sweet to you, so what’s the problem?”

“Tiff, you know what the problem is. I have thought about my actions that night and I feel ashamed. Plus, I would just make matters worse for myself by dating a white guy.”

“That doesn’t even sound like you. Color never mattered to you before.”

“It has, though never in a negative way. I never let anyone know about it. I just feel bad knowing how much I love the brothers, then backsliding and going for a white guy. Besides, you know my dad, Kelly, Marco, and the rest of my friends and family. You know how rigid they are on this subject. I’m just not ready to deal with questions about why I’m with a
white boy
. And you know they would call him,
boy,
Tiffany.”

“It’s a big deal to them, but hey, they’re not dating Jake, Jock…what’s his name?”

“It’s Jacob. Now get it right.”

Puzzled, Tiffany dropped the subject. “It’s all cool. I’ll leave you alone, but don’t ask me for any tissue when you start drooling over Professor Sex Machine.”

“Does he really look that good?”

“You may not want to go by me. I’m the one who doesn’t have problems with
white boys
, so how would I know?” She held up a finger. “Correction, I don’t have problems with boys at all…or men.” She turned in her seat. “So, you’re going back to Eric, aren’t you?”

Brandi looked annoyed. “Can’t let it go, can you? You, of all people, know Eric and I are a done deal. We don’t want the same things. Besides, he’s not ready for a woman who could end up making more money than he does. He doesn’t want that, or a family. No! He and I are done.”

“Jacob whoever could give you those things?”

Brandi dropped her notebook back onto the small desk. “Cool it, Tiff. He and I are also a done deal. Besides, he didn’t give me a number. Now will you cool it about that?”

“Fine, but you’ll change your mind about white guys when you see Polaris, because his butt is so…so, ooh, I can’t even describe it.”

Brandi clenched her teeth. “I don’t have a race issue, Tiffany. Besides, don’t you still have a thing for Stuart?”

“Will you hush? I can’t have screaming orgasms over Polaris when you mention Stuart!”

“You’ve finally hit rock bottom.”

The back lecture doors opened and Timothy Polaris started walking down the long aisle. From behind, Brandi could tell he definitely wasn’t sixty. As she looked at the slender professor with the light brown crew cut, she saw a resemblance to Jacob. The tall, well-built frame was the same.
I’ve got it really bad. Now Jacob is everyone to me.
Thinking she could be losing her mind, she quickly squashed the thought. She felt relief as she kept watching him.
No, definitely not him—I hope. Besides, what would Jacob be doing in Parson’s lecture hall?

Tiffany nudged her slyly. “He’s looking better and better, isn’t he?”

“Until I see his face, he’s just another professor.”

The professor turned to face the crowded lecture hall and began speaking into the microphone. Brandi lifted her head and her jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She looked at the closed circuit television set near her. “Tiffany, that’s him. Look.”

Tiffany peered at the monitor. “Are you sure that’s lover-boy?”

“As sure as I’m sitting here.” She saw the skepticism on Tiffany’s face. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m sure he’s the one.”

“Frankly, I don’t believe you, but if that’s the daydream you want to have, go for it.”

“Whatever.” Nothing mattered to Brandi. She was face to face with the one man who had taken her body to heaven and her mind—south! Reality quickly set in.
My God!
Mind in overdrive. His voice confirmed everything.

“I’m Timothy Polaris, and this is English Comp 812.” He smiled as he spoke. “If you’re at the wrong university…well, sorry, you’re stuck with me for a minute, I guess.” He waited for the laughter to subside. “Before I go over the roster, let me explain a little about the course. It covers 16th through 20th Century literature from the best in American lit to England and the rest of the world. It’s a long course lasting from today, August twenty-eighth to December eleventh and attendance is mandatory every week since the course moves fast. Take plenty of good notes. There is a mid-term, papers and the final exam, which is half of your grade. The first three weeks of the course will concentrate on 16th and 17th Century authors. Midway, I expect to get into the middle 18th century. Everyone with me so far?”

Brandi knew that smile was definitely the same smile that had dazzled her at The Entrapment. “No, this has to be a mistake,” she whispered to herself. “Why is he here?” She nudged Tiffany. “This can’t be him!”

Tiffany looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “It’s him, girl. It’s Timothy Polaris though, not your dude from the other night.” Back to Tim: “Told you he was
tight,
didn’t I?”

Brandi ducked in her seat so he couldn’t see her. As he continued, all she could see was the sexy man that had turned her out, an entire night and well into the next morning. The more she thought about having slept with her English professor, the sicker she felt. She had worked way too hard to get into Madison to have it all suddenly come crashing down. Sleeping with a professor was not the best way to start a course of study. Sleeping her way to the top wasn’t about to happen.

For the past month, the very thought of Jacob Wells made her smile. Now thoughts of him brought on emotions far different from the ones he had aroused in her that night. Shock and embarrassment washed over her. She couldn’t look at a man who represented unwanted friction in her life. She grabbed her books and ran out. Tiffany was able to stop staring at Polaris long enough to see Brandi run from the lecture hall.

Tiffany caught up with Brandi, who was huddled in a corner in the main hallway. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay. I can’t go back in there.”

She took Brandi’s shaking hands. “That is not your lover, Brandi. There are a lot of people who look alike in this world. I’m sure that’s the case here.”

“I’m not. He’s too much of an exact replica. He would have to be a twin because everything is exactly the same, from the shape of his head to his shoes. Everything, Tiff.”

“He’s is our professor, nonetheless. Isn’t he everything I told you he was?”

“That and more.”

“Okay, I’m missing something here.”

“You don’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t! Girlfriend, women don’t run
from
Polaris; they run to him.”

“That’s…that’s him, Tiffany. That’s the same man from the Entrapment, no matter what you say.”

Tiffany frowned. “Still on that, I see.”

“Yes, I’m still on that because he is who I was with. No doubts.”

“You didn’t say his name was Tim when you called me the next day.”

“I said his name was Jacob Anthony Wells, but apparently that wasn’t his real name. Don’t you understand? He…he lied to me—lied, like all men seem to do. ‘Jacob’ and Polaris are the same person.” She looked desperately into her buddy’s face. “I slept with Timothy Polaris, and didn’t even know it.”

“Maybe you’re right, since you’re so dead sure about it. I guess you would be since you were able to get a good look at him from the monitors around the room.” She leaned against the wall. “You got a good look at him somewhere else, if you know what I’m saying.”

“I do know what you’re saying, and it’s not bringing a smile to my face. Not this time.”

Tiffany covered her face and took a deep breath. “You lucky heifer. Don’t you know that women would give up organs to sleep with him? They transfer from other schools to get him.” She rested her books on the floor and smiled into Brandi’s less-than-eager face. “Dang, girl! You’ve made history and don’t even appreciate it.”

Brandi stared at her in amazement. “You really don’t get it, do you? I have slept with my professor, not a great way to start at the one school I’ve wanted to attend since seventh grade. Even worse, he lied to me. Haven’t I had enough of that with Eric?”

“First of all, you didn’t commit a mortal sin. Professors need love, too. True, it shouldn’t be done if he’s
your
professor, but it happens.”

“How do you know?”

“Women talk, Brandi. I see and hear all kinds of things because my nose is always into someone’s business. I admit to that, proud of it, actually! I would consider it myself if Polaris as much as looked at me, which he never has, I’m sorry to say!”

“Be serious. This is terrible. I could lose everything I’ve worked for. Winning the Seymour is not an everyday thing. Besides, he could lose his job, too!”

“He won’t let that happen, girl, and you know it! Timothy Polaris is too smart for that. The guy has a nightlife, apparently. Because he’s a college professor doesn’t mean he has to stay home and grade papers all night. It makes sense to use a fake name. I know dudes who do that all the time, not that they have to. Yet, they do it. So does he, apparently.”

”He lied to me, Tiff!”

“I know. I’m not saying the lying part was cool, but he had his reasons. You could still have a relationship with him.”

Brandi’s voice dripped sarcasm. “Really now; do tell.”

“If you like the dude, you’ll figure something out.” Tiffany couldn’t suppress a devilish grin.

“Why are you smiling at me like that? Let’s go so I can face the music, very unsettling music.”

“Not just yet. I need to know something.”

“Yeah, like what?”

She lowered her voice. “What was it like? You know, being in bed with Timothy Polaris?”

“Are you crazy? That’s personal.”

“I tell you about my conquests.”

“You always volunteer details like they’re notches on your belt or something.”

“A girl’s got to be proud of something, right? Come on! You’re holding the key that every chick on campus would pay big time for.”