Reckless Temptation (Sinful Scholars #2)

1. Sabrina

1

SAbrINA

A quiet whimper sounded next to me near the end of Civ Pro, then a hurried scratch and scritch of a pen tip over paper.

“What'd she say?” Maxim whispered.

I held back a smile and slid my notebook more to the edge of the desk so my classmate could see the note I’d jotted down. Professor Angus often liked to keep us on our toes and toss out dates and important things to keep track of. Verbal reminders could be missed if students ditched class. With a deep disdain for technology—except where it “made sense”, in her opinion—Professor Angus preferred to lecture with peppered-in surprises, require handwritten reports, and add in mentions of random deadlines in person. While it would be easier to update things online, she stuck with her old-fashioned routine of telling us what we needed to know, usually without any preamble.

Her announcement of the upcoming law internship was just one more example of her tossing deadlines at us out of nowhere.

Tapping my pen at the note I’d penned, I emphasized what Maxim had missed. The poor guy struggled enough as it was. He wasn’t a native English speaker, and he dealt with a hearing loss. With that language barrier, he couldn’t read lips accurately, either.

As Professor Angus continued talking, I wrote some more.

June 15 th

Start date for J&S internship.

Maxim breathed easier, nodding his thanks as he copied the notes.

“Several internships will open up over the course of your studies here,” Professor Angus said as she propped her hip against the desk down at the front of the small lecture hall. She crossed her arms as she skimmed her sight over the law students sitting here, all of us no doubt starving and ready to leave for the day.

I packed in a hard, tough schedule to get my bachelor’s in English in less than four years, and I thought those days had been long. The seven-to-six routine that kicked in for this L1—what we dubbed our first year of law school—was more grueling than I could’ve anticipated.

“But those opportunities are usually reserved for interested applicants to consider for the summer after your second year is completed.” She tipped her chin up, letting her pencil-thin gray hair slide back as she stared up at us seated among the rows of this old room. “This internship position is a new position offered by Lorsen & Spengler.”

I wrote what she said without looking down at my paper. Maxim could copy as he wished. Yet, as I let this news sink in, I struggled not to grin with anticipation.

“Lorsen & Spengler?” another student asked from the front row of seats. “Holy shit,” he added as a mutter.

“ The Lorsen & Spengler?” someone else asked with no small hint of surprise.

Or maybe it was awe.

Lorsen & Spengler was one of the most prestigious law firms in the country. It was undisputedly the best law firm in all of Florida, holding on to that spot for over a decade now. Celebrities sought their representation. Mighty, powerful individuals all over the world would hire the top lawyers at Lorsen & Spengler.

Professor Lorsen taught Criminal Law here at the university, and it was one of my favorite classes of all. He was one of my favorite professors, fair to a fault and never prone to showing bias. That mattered for someone like me, fighting to belong here as a scholarship student.

Light laughter sounded in the row behind me.

“ The ?” Tiffany Lorsen joked. “You make it sound like we’re royalty or something, Jared.”

Keeping a blank face, I didn’t react to the queen, the diva, the socialite bully who probably wished she really were royalty. Tiffany Lorsen was a royal pain in the ass, as far as I was concerned, but everyone else here saw the perfect blonde as one of the best students to walk these halls. It sure didn’t hurt that she called Professor Lorsen her father.

“What she say?” Maxim asked again, nudging me.

I shook my head, not in the mood to relay the joke. It didn’t matter. Tiffany would always think she was better than the rest of us. Besides, I wouldn’t dare talk in class. No matter the thoughts of annoyance running through my head, I would be the obedient law student that I should be. Silent, observant, poised, and ready to take notes while I paid attention.

“The competition for this internship spot will be fierce,” Professor Angus intoned, not reacting to Tiffany’s antics, as used to them as she was.

Naturally. Of course, it will be competitive.

Everything that we could earn or work for in this program was one test or contest or another.

“The requirements to be in consideration for this coveted spot will be shared shortly.” She lowered her arms to tick them off with her fingers. “An interview, preview of your LSAT, your current grades and standing, a letter of recommendation, and successful performance and behavior at a trip to one of Lorsen & Spengler’s cases.”

Yes! An actual field trip? Now I was really getting excited. As much as I was a book nerd and loved the purely academic side of law school, I was enthusiastic to get out there and see how it worked, to be part of the action in any small way I could be.

“A couple of other things will be posted as well, but as I will be participating in the panel to choose this intern, I wanted to give you as much notice as possible.”

“What she say now?” Maxim whispered, wincing as he wrote the notes I’d jotted down.

A kick to the back of my chair jolted me forward. It happened so suddenly that I lost my balance in my chair and bumped my elbow into my water bottle. Rattling, then tipping over, it crashed to the floor and rolled down the steps.

Dammit.

Rachel Brown smirked from her spot behind me. I shot her a quick glare as I got up to retrieve the bottle. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment to be the source of such a distraction.

Next to her, Tiffany furrowed her brow. “Excuse me, Professor Angus,” she said sweetly. “Could you please repeat that? I couldn’t hear over the commotion.”

“Yeah, Sabrina,” Rachel sneered. “If you’re not talking through class, you’re making as much noise?—”

“Enough, Ms. Brown.” Professor Angus kept her wrinkled face emotionless as she watched me reclaim my seat, then glanced at Maxim, as though she already knew it was him whispering, not me. “I said that the criteria for the internship position will be posted tonight. That way, your year-one projects can be completed according to schedule. It would serve you well to incorporate your community outreach project into the application for this position, should you want it.”

Should I want it?

Hell yeah, I wanted this intern spot!

Class was dismissed, and Professor Angus called Maxim down to speak with her. She wasn’t so heartless as to let him suffer with his obstacles, but it never appeased him. Maxim was just that anxious, nervous to miss anything despite Prof. Angus always offering him a copy of her handwritten notes. It made him that much more of an underdog, making me want to help him too.

As I packed up to leave the lecture room, I made sure to keep my head down. Avoiding eye contact with Rachel and Tiffany was a lesson I learned back in August, when I first started my law studies here. Tiffany was too “good” to bully me directly, at least when a member of the faculty could see. Therefore, Rachel was her agent in arms, doing her bidding and trying to make my life worse in any possible way.

Skirting past them completely, I hurried outside to start the bus ride then walk home. Ignoring the long route and how my stomach grumbled for dinner, I passed the time with thoughts of the internship spot. Excitement built within me. Nervousness tried to settle. Underneath it all, I smiled and welcomed this optimism about the opportunity to get ahead.

I was already ahead in life. My parents had never gone to college, so my bachelor’s in English was a huge milestone for our family. My father hadn’t even graduated from high school. We came from modest means, and with my determination to go into law, I would be able to one day provide for them. This internship would be one more impressive achievement to put on my résumé. It would serve as another example of why I should be considered for a generous salary on a legal team somewhere near home.

By the time I arrived at the small one-story house I lived in with my parents, my hunger pangs were gone. They’d passed, leaving me feeling empty and tired. But the second I set foot inside and called out my hellos, the scent of enchiladas hit my nose and I groaned.

“Sabrina! You’re so late,” my mom hollered from the kitchen where music played.

“I’ll warm you up a plate,” my dad added as I hustled to the kitchen. This warm, colorful room was the one spot in the house where I could feel the sense of family we were blessed with. This was where we ate, where I did my homework, where my mom cooked and tried to help out with some dishes for the small catering company she worked for. It was the site of many conversations held, games played, and meals shared.

So, when I plopped into my chair and grinned at them, I felt like I could finally breathe. I could relax and lower my guard. Without books and homework in front of me yet, I didn’t have to concentrate. I could just be . Without Tiffany and the other bullies watching me, I didn’t have to keep a hawkish control on my composure and image.

“Long day?” my dad asked as he leaned over to kiss my brow. He set a steaming plate down for me as Mom brought over a glass of water.

“Yes, another long day,” I said happily.

“Bah. You say that about every day,” Mom teased, taking the chair to sit with me. It didn’t matter that they’d already eaten. They would savor every minute of my company that they could. Law school was a demanding existence, so they had to take advantage of what they could, when they could.

I nodded, agreeing with her as I stuffed my mouth. So, so good. The rich spices and tang of flavors distracted me from wanting to complain about anything at all. Any time I had the privilege to taste her food, I was in heaven.

“What was today?” Dad asked, so interested in my days. To him, I was a “superhero” for going to college and trying to be a lawyer. He had never aspired to obtain the education I had, mostly because he had to work through his youth instead, but he never missed a chance to show his interest in what I did.

“Torts, contracts, and Civ Pro,” I replied before taking another bite.

“Civ Pro…” He furrowed his brow, etching the lines on his tanned face. “Don’t tell me what that one is again. I know it. I know it.”

“Civil Procedure,” my mom filled in for him, as keenly interested in my life as he was, despite her lack of knowing what it all meant.

He snapped his fingers and nodded. “And Criminal Procedure was the one you did last semester.” He beamed.

I didn’t know how I’d ever lucked out to get such loving parents like them, genuinely intrigued and invested in what I did. “And I’ll have to take them again. But listen to this! Professor Angus announced that they will open up internship applications to L1 students.”

Mom’s jaw dropped. “Already?”

“I thought you said that you wouldn’t have an internship until next summer,” Dad said.

Despite their lack of higher education, they fully understood the importance of internships. Real work experience, according to them, was irreplaceable. Being present and doing the work was how they tackled chances of getting ahead, and they were enthusiastic for me to not only study but also to start getting job experience.

“I know!” I couldn’t help but smile again. “It’s new. But this summer, Lorsen & Spengler will take on just one L1 student.”

“That’s fantastic!” Mom clapped. “Let’s celebrate!”

I laughed, shaking my head. “I didn’t get the spot.”

“Yet,” Dad added.

“It’ll be very competitive.”

“Bah.” Mom dismissed me with a wave. “You’ll get it, Sabrina. I know you will.”

“You’re too bright not to.” Dad leaned in to hug me.

I nodded, used to their praise and appreciative of it. I was also a realist, though. “It will be difficult. I’m going to go through the criteria for it tonight, and then…” I shrugged. “May the best student win.”

“I’m betting on you,” Dad said.

As I finished eating, they asked me more about it, again telling me that they had utmost faith that I could be the one chosen. Everything they said instilled more excitement in me, but once I was done and had washed my dishes, a little bit of dread trickled back in.

I sighed as I bade them both good night before making the short walk to my apartment. It wasn’t much, just a studio over the garage, but it was mine so long as I lived with them. After the latest hurricane damage that obliterated most of the house, Dad invested in rebuilding the garage with this additional living space over it. They cherished the fact that they could still provide me with a home. Scholarships paid for my schooling, and having no rent was a blessing.

Normally, entering the small studio would induce further relaxation. This was my safe haven. My study. My home. My space to unwind or focus, depending on what I needed most at the moment.

On the heels of the internship news, though…

I was antsy.

Nervous about whether I would get it.

Thrilled that I could be in the running for it.

And… uneasy about how harsh the competition would feel.

Law school already fostered a dog-eat-dog mentality. But to fight with all my classmates for one spot?

“It’ll be brutal,” I told my best friend, Elise, when she called me after my shower.

A fellow—or former—law student herself, she was still keyed in to the law school news. Elise dropped out after her first semester, choosing to go into nursing instead, but she stayed in touch with many classmates and had already heard about the internship news before calling me.

“Brutal, yes. But also bearable,” she coached, launching into a little pep talk. “Especially for you. You’re smart. You refuse to have a life outside studying.”

I laughed, knowing she said that with love. “Hey, I volunteer at the Humane Society.”

“Okay, that just proves you love animals. But it’s also something you can put on your résumé.”

I shrugged even though she couldn’t see it.

“Everything you do is for graduating and getting a solid job afterward,” she said.

“True. But that’s true for all of us.” Maybe some students didn’t have to worry about their futures and finances like I did. I doubted Tiffany Lorsen lost sleep about bills and helping her family keep a roof over their heads. “It’s not like anyone goes into law—or nursing—for shits and giggles.”

“You’re right.” She sighed heavily. “And then there’s people like him .” Another swoon-worthy exhale left her lips.

“Huh? Him who?” I frowned as I sat at my desk and eyed the stack of homework and reading I’d need to get done tonight. “Where are you, anyway?” The light music and chatter on her line suggested she wasn’t at home.

“At the Cricket,” she replied, naming a little dive bar near her apartment complex. Lots of students stopped in there for cheap beer, darts, and billiards. At least, that was what Elise told me. I’d never been. She was unerringly accurate about my having no life outside of school.

“I thought you had an exam to cram for,” I said, not worried about scolding her. She liked to joke that my academic attitude needed to rub off on her more often.

“Nah. It was postponed. Ergo, I’m taking a night off and getting a drink with Heather.”

“Hi!” Heather said in the background.

“Ah.” I fought a yawn.

“And the him I’m talking about is none other than Nick Grant.”

I groaned, rolling my eyes at the mention of the campus’s bad boy.

“He’s so hot.”

“More like he runs hot,” I replied. I’d never met him, but I’d heard the same stories she had. “As in hot headed.”

“Such a rebel,” she added, tacking on another sigh.

“And probable dropout,” I reminded her.

“Eh, whatever. There’s no harm in checking out some eye candy every now and then,” she preached.

Yeah, right. “Whatever you say,” I replied airily.

With the pile of books and my aging laptop charging in front of me, I resisted another yawn. I wouldn’t have a now or then to ogle bad-boy art students.

I had too much at stake. This internship would be the first solid step at securing my law career. It had to be.