Learning Curves

by Jane Fox

  Learning Curves

  Richmond Brothers Love Curves Book 3

  Jane Fox

  Copyright © 2019 by Jane Fox

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  1. Sebastian

  2. Aubrey

  3. Sebastian

  4. Aubrey

  Epilogue

  Also by Jane Fox

  About the Author

  1

  Sebastian

  I had a busy day, and the library on campus was just one of several stops I had to make. My hopes of getting in, retrieving the materials I’d ordered from another library, and getting out were dashed as soon as I walked through the door.

  There was a young, skinny blonde standing at the counter berating the woman behind it. I stopped for just a moment, taking in the young woman working there: she was stunning. Thick black hair was twisted into a messy bun with a pencil sticking out of it. Intelligent-looking eyes hid behind glasses frames, her brow furrowed as she listened to the shrieks from across the counter. And even her conservative blouse couldn’t hide her gorgeous curves.

  I need to start coming to the library more often.

  I shook my head, trying to dislodge the impure thoughts I was having about the woman behind the counter. She was there to work, not to be ogled by pervy economics professors. I mean, I had at least fifteen years on her. She looked hardly older than the students in my undergraduate classes.

  Certain parts of me, however, were convinced that she was the perfect woman for someone like me. Or, to be more precise, the perfect woman for me.

  I calculated inflation rates in my head until I’d calmed down. Luckily, I composed myself quickly, because the screaming girl at the counter needed to be silenced.

  I walked closer, trying to determine what the issue was.

  “Do you or do you not work at this library?” the blonde snarled. As I got closer, I could see that her bag was designer, her highlights were expensive, and her skirt was way too short.

  “Yes, Miss Jennings,” the woman said behind the counter, her voice remarkably even-keeled. “As I’ve told you several times, I do.”

  “And is it or is it not your job to assist students?”

  “It is, Miss Jennings,” the woman said with just a hint of a sigh.

  “Then do your damn job!” the blonde screamed.

  “I’d be happy to show you how to use the databases and help you find materials,” the dark-haired woman said. “But it is not my job, nor is it the job of anyone in the library, to write your paper for you.”

  “Do you know who I am?” the blonde hissed.

  “No,” I said behind her, “but I’ll admit that I am curious.”

  The blonde turned around to glare at me and snapped, “No one’s talking to you.”

  I glanced around the lobby of the library. “As loudly as you’re talking, I’m certain that you’re speaking to everyone between here and the dormitories. Which professor is this paper for?”

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with you!” the girl yelled. “God, this place is full of idiots.”

  “It’s for Professor Johansson,” the gorgeous woman behind the counter said, her eyes locking on mine. And for a moment I forgot all about the snotty blonde; forgot about everything except the lovely woman in front of me, showing a profound amount of grace under pressure.

  “How coincidental!” I said. “We have lunch every Tuesday. I’m certain that he’d love to know that one of his students... a Miss Jennings, was it?... is trying to get a librarian to do her work for her.”

  The blonde spun around so she was facing me. “And just who the hell are you?” she asked.

  “Where are my manners?” I said mildly. “Dr. Sebastian Richmond, department of economics.”

  “You’ll be sorry,” she seethed. Then she turned to the woman behind the counter. “You too. My family is a major donor to the school, and they won’t stand for me being treated this way.” She whirled on her inappropriately high stiletto and stomped her way out the door.

  “Thank you, Dr. Richmond,” said a relieved voice behind me.

  I turned to study the woman a little more. She smiled at me softly, the edges of her mouth turning up as she looked at me steadily. She was even more stunning up close.

  As if she suddenly felt self-conscious, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and glanced down at the counter.

  “Think nothing of it, Ms…?”

  “Cortez,” she said, taking my proffered hand and shaking it firmly. “Aubrey Cortez.”

  “I thought I knew all the librarians,” I said.

  “Oh, I’m new. And not a librarian. Well, not yet. I just started my Masters of Library Science program here at Hendricks. I’m working here as an aide while I get my degree.”

  My heart fell. Not only was she too young for me, she was a student. While there was no official policy against faculty dating students who weren’t in their department, I’d heard how my colleagues discussed those professors who dated students. Dirty old men, it was whispered. Dirty old men like me. I was nearing forty and there were streaks of silver around my temples. Entirely inappropriate for someone like Aubrey.

  “What can I help you with, Dr. Richmond?” Her voice shook me out of my thoughts and back into the present.

  And oh, the answers I could give her to that question. I swallowed hard and thought about inflation some more. “I have inter-library loan materials to pick up,” I said.

  “Certainly. Just one moment,” she replied, and walked to a shelf further behind the counter. For the first time, I could see all of her, and the rest of her was just as gloriously perfect as what I’d already seen. Round hips, thick ass, shapely legs—I wanted to run my hands over every inch of her body. Or maybe my tongue.

  “Is that all?” she asked, and I startled as if she’d read my mind.

  “Excuse me?” I said, my voice sounding thin.

  “We have three items for you. Is that all you were expecting?” she said, giving me a smile.

  “Oh. Yes. I mean, no. I ordered four.”

  “Let me check,” she said, entering some information into the computer. “R-I-C-H-M-O-N-D, is that correct?”

  “It is,” I said.

  “Like the actor,” she said, her attention mostly on the screen. “Harris Richmond.”

  “Yes, Harris is the brother that all my students seem to know, as well. Being in economics, you’d think at least some of them would be more impressed by Colton.”

  I had her attention again, her mouth hanging open just a little. “Harris Richmond is your brother?”

  “He is indeed,” I said. “One of them.”

  “Wow,” she mouthed, and gave me another shy smile. “It must be hard for him, having a brother as brilliant as you.”

  “I knew I liked you, Miss Cortez,” I said, leaning on the counter and returning her smile.

  Even her blush was gorgeous. “Please,” she murmured. “It’s Aubrey.”

  “Only if you’ll call me Sebastian,” I said.

  “Ok,” she said, looking away again. “Sebastian.”

  And my name sounded so perfect coming out of her mouth that I missed what she said next. “Pardon me?”

  “It should be here any day now. Looks like it got routed to the wrong institution initially,” she said, and I finally realized she was talking about my missing book.

  “Well, then, I’ll have to check in daily,” I told her.

  “Oh, no sir, don’t trouble yourself,” she said. “We�
��ll call when it arrives.”

  “It’s no trouble at all. Oh, and Aubrey?” I said.

  “Yes, Dr… Sebastian?”

  “Call me if that girl gives you any more trouble. You can find me in the directory.”

  “Thank you,” she said, gracing me with one more smile.

  I carried the warmth of our conversation with me for the rest of the day.

  2

  Aubrey

  Well, I’d made a thorough fool out of myself in front of the hottest man I’d ever seen in real life. Sebastian Richmond had a curtain of brown hair framing his face, with brilliant hazel eyes peeking out from behind horn-rimmed glasses. He was wearing an honest-to-God tweed jacket, too. When he smiled big, adorable dimples showed on either side of his face. And that voice? That honey-tinged, British-accented voice? He was a nerd girl’s wet dream.

  And I was nothing if not a nerd girl.

  I couldn’t believe that he had walked in just as Cassidy Jennings had been in mid-rant. Sebastian Richmond may have been blissfully ignorant of who she was, but I didn’t think anyone else on campus was so luckily clueless.

  The Jennings were old money, but the most recent generations didn’t seem to display the work ethic of their forebears. Cassidy’s father had been a regular fixture on the gossip pages in his day, and that hadn’t slowed down when he married a D-list movie actress who was better known for her assets than her talent. And Cassidy seemed to be carrying on the new family tradition of a bad attitude mixed with plenty of public intoxication.

  Daddy’s money might have gotten Cassidy into Hendricks, but she had forgotten that she’d actually be expected to do her schoolwork once she got here.

  And apparently that’s where I came in.

  I pulled up my email and began composing a thorough retelling of the situation for Karen, the library administrator. Karen seemed a bit high-strung, and I suspected that I hadn’t heard the last of Cassidy Jennings. The sooner I could document my side, the better.

  But my task was complicated because my mind kept drifting back to Sebastian Richmond’s easy smile. And when he’d said that he knew he liked me? I thought the butterflies in my stomach might be strong enough to lift me up and carry me away.

  Focus, Aubrey.

  I regretfully pulled myself back to the task at hand. No matter how much I wanted to think about Sebastian instead of Cassidy, I was there to do a job and I’d be damned if a spoiled little rich girl was going to get in my way.

  I mostly held it together for the rest of my shift, but I just couldn’t seem to stop thinking about those hazel eyes.

  Sebastian’s last book arrived the following day. I was reaching for the phone to call him (not that I’d already looked him up in the directory and memorized his office location and extension, because that would be crazy) when I realized it was nearly my lunch and I could just drop the book off for him.

  Look. I knew nothing was going to happen. You know who doesn’t get the guy? The quiet, shy, chubby librarian. I’d read enough novels to know that. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t be collegial, right? Maybe listen to him say, well, anything in that gorgeous accent for a little while?

  I wondered if people took his class just for the opportunity to stare at him. If I’d had a professor that hot while I was doing my undergrad work, I might have considered it.

  Girl, you need a date.

  I shushed the voice in my head. I had plenty in my life without the complications of a romantic relationship, thank you very much. With my inner sassy voice properly contained, I grabbed Sebastian’s book and headed towards his office.

  It was a gorgeous fall day on campus, the leaves beginning to change but the sun shining so brightly it felt like nothing could be wrong in the world. Until I reached Sebastian’s building. Then that stupid voice came back.

  He’s going to see right through your pathetic ruse. I bet he’ll be creeped out. Stalker.

  The voice almost had me convinced to turn on my heel and run back to the library. That’s when I felt a gentle hand on the small of my back. I turned to find Sebastian Richmond looking down at me, a concerned look on his face.

  “Aubrey, are you ok?” he asked.

  I was momentarily tongue-tied that he remembered my name. “Yes,” I finally managed. “I was just bringing you this.” I held up the book.

  “You don’t look well,” he said. “Come to my office and sit for a moment. I’ll get you some water.”

  I resisted the urge to tell him I wasn’t ill (just awkward) and instead let him direct me to his office. Since the halls were so narrow in the academic office buildings, he stayed behind me, his hand on my back the entire way.

  Not that I was complaining.

  He unlocked his office door and ushered me inside, and it was almost as if I’d walked into another world. The office was spacious, especially compared to the cramped hallway, and sunlight shone in, painting patterns on the hardwood floor. The rest of the office was dark wood and bookshelves, accented with green leafy plants. In all, it was the perfect office for a college professor.

  “Are these mahogany?” I said, stroking the side of one of the bookshelves, savoring the warmth of the wood.

  Sebastian laughed. “I should have known that a librarian would catch that,” he said, his dimples showing again.

  “Librarian-in-training,” I reminded him.

  “No,” he said, grin still on his face. “Aubrey, I know we’ve only just met, but I think you’ve been a librarian for your entire life. Trust me when I say that’s a compliment.”

  His tone of voice left me in no doubt.

  “I don’t mean to be rude,” I said, “but I’ve been in other academic offices on campus, and none of them were decorated like this.”

  “It is one of a kind,” he said. “I asked administration to allow me to decorate my own office. As soon as I made clear that I’d pay for it, they had no issues.”

  “It must have taken your annual salary just to pay for the shelves alone,” I said. I seemed to be determined to keep putting my foot in my mouth, but I’d priced mahogany shelves, and I knew that they came with a hefty price tag.

  Sebastian tilted his head, curious. “You really don’t know anything about my family?”

  “Aside from the fact your brother’s an actor? I’m sorry, I don’t.”

  “I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “Sit and let me get you that glass of water, and I’ll tell you about them.”

  I nodded, and he stepped out briefly and returned with a cup of water. He handed it to me and settled in to the leather office chair next to his desk.

  “I was born in a small village in Argentina during the Dirty War. My parents were killed during the fighting, and I was sent to an orphanage. I was lucky enough to be adopted by Arthur and Margaret Richmond, who were wealthy British philanthropists.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “You’re one of the Strife Children?”

  “I should have led with that when talking to a reader,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “Yes, the novel Strife Children was based on my family.”

  “I read that novel three times when I was in high school,” I said. “But there wasn’t a Sebastian in there.” I felt my face get hot after I’d said that. I hadn’t intended it as an accusation, but I was worried that it sounded that way.

  “The author gave us all pseudonyms,” he said with a reassuring smile. “I’m Jonas.”

  “He’s my favorite!” I blurted out, and felt my face get a lot hotter as I blushed in embarrassment.

  “Just another sign of your exquisite taste,” he said, his voice gently teasing.

  We looked at each other for a moment, and I began to get lost in his beautiful hazel eyes.

  “Are you feeling better?” he asked.

  “Yes, much,” I replied, jumping up. “I’ve taken up too much of your time. I should go.”

  “Wait,” he said, standing and placing a hand on my arm. “The library can surely spare you for a few more minutes.”
>
  I nodded; after all, I was on my lunch break.

  “Tell me about your family,” Sebastian said, gesturing for me to sit down again.

  “My family? There’s not much to say,” I said as I returned to the couch. “I had a pretty uneventful childhood. Just me, my parents, my sister Alyssa, and our dog.”

  “That sound idyllic,” Sebastian said.

  “It was ok. I mean, nothing like your childhood. I’ve certainly never been on a yacht or eaten at a five-star restaurant. We were more of a picnic in the park sort of family.”

  “I’ve never actually been on a picnic before,” Sebastian said, the corners of his mouth turning down a bit. “I’ll be forever grateful to my parents, but we were in a grown-up world a lot more than in a kids’ world. I know that I’m almost obscenely fortunate, but sometimes I wonder about the little things I missed out on.”

  “It was just pimiento loaf and salt-and-vinegar chips at the park down the road,” I said. “I’m not sure that you missed too much.”

  He gave me a smile that was tinged with just a little bit of sadness, and I suddenly wondered if I was completely wrong.

  3

  Sebastian

  The following day, I received a rather cryptic email from Aubrey.

  Dear Dr. Richmond,

  I’d like to schedule a meeting with you. Are you available at noon on Thursday?

  Regards,

  Aubrey Cortez

  For her, I was.

  I spent the next few days curious about why we were meeting. It could be something as simple as a review of whether the materials in the library collection were meeting my academic needs, but I really hoped that there was some deeper meaning to our planned meeting. I’ll admit that I was distracted in the intervening days, to the point where I forgot to assign reading to one of my classes until I was reminded by the brown-nosing bane of the other students’ existence in the front row.