Dinner With a Bad Boy Read Free Page A

kissing her and doing all sorts of depraved things with her. Not in fact, but all night long as his imagination tormented him.
    He still didn't know why he'd done it, much less taken her money. But he knew without a doubt that he'd do it again.
    Right now, in fact. In the middle of school even, because for whatever reason, she obsessed him. Everything from her repressed-accountant suit to her subtle ginger-spice scent intrigued him. What woman dressed like a corporate robot but kissed like a wildcat? And why would a woman—one from a very solid and upright family—suddenly want to horrify them with a biker-fed pretend date? The puzzle intrigued him so much that he'd lost an entire school day to the distraction of unwanted fantasies.
    Talk about teen flashback. Here he was, back in school, desperately trying to haul his mind off some girl. Maybe his father was right: He'd never outgrown his adolescence.
    Then Mitch rounded a corner, heading for the sanctuary of his classroom, only to come face-to-face with his imagination. There she stood—or rather crouched—over her niece, a lost look on her face. Mitch didn't want to interfere. Lord, the last thing he needed was a higher profile with Mandy's family, but a second glance revealed the girl in tears.
    Mitch stifled a groan. He had ample experience with teen drama—real or imagined—and in this case he probably understood more than Mandy's beleaguered aunt. So, after a stern mental warning to keep his libido firmly in check, Mitch cleared his throat and sauntered forward.
    "Are you all right, Mandy?"
    The poor girl looked up, stammering in her haste to swallow her tears. "M-Mr. Kurtz!"
    He gave Mandy a gentle smile, while beside him he felt more than saw her aunt's lithe body tighten with anxiety. Down, libido, down! He forced himself to concentrate on Mandy, settling onto his haunches to look her in the eye.
    "One bad grade—even an F—isn't grounds for tears," he began. "Though I am concerned—" He didn't get any farther as, beside them, the seductress exhaled in loud relief.
    "Is that what this is about? Lord, Amanda, you scared me half to death."
    "No." Mandy hiccupped, her voice a low moan. "It's not that. I mean, it is, but..." Her voice slipped away as tears continued to stream down her face.
    Mitch tried again, keeping his voice gentle. "I want to help, kiddo, but you gotta talk."
    The girl looked up, her eyes tragic. "They'll take me off the team."
    Mitch almost laughed, but he'd been teaching teens too long to make that mistake. Still, he couldn't resist smiling. "You're a long way from academic probation. You can still play volleyball."
    Beside him, however, instead of sharing his relief, his mysterious Sue blew out a soft sigh. "Oh, Amanda, I'm so sorry." Then she opened her arms as Mandy dove into them, the girl's tears darkening Sue's silk blouse to almost black.
    Meanwhile Mitch stood up, confusion warring with distraction as he noticed that Mandy's distress had pulled her aunt's top two buttons open. Once again he mentally kicked his libido back into a corner as he quipped, "Honest Injun, she's still okay to play."
    Then Sue lifted her dark Asian eyes, meeting his with obvious trepidation, but her voice remained level. "Chinese family, Dra...er, Mr. Kurtz." He watched as her olive skin flushed in embarrassment. "If Amanda can't keep up with her studies, then her sports activities go first."
    He frowned. "First? Before what?"
    "Culture!" Mandy practically spat out the word. "Piano and violin."
    "Well," he hedged, already recognizing the problem, "music is very valua—"
    "I hate them!" the girl cried. "I don't ever want to play again!" Then, before he could respond, Mandy whipped around, her skin blotchy beneath dark eyes suddenly shining with hope. "Wait! Ma Ma's out of town! She left this morning for some training thing, so I'm staying with Auntie Ling." Her gesture definitely indicated his Sue. Then as Mitch sorted that out, Mandy dove into her backpack