Read Online Not What She Seems by T.R. Raven - Free Book Online Page A

attractive. People often complained how hard it could be to catch a cab but she never had that experience as cabbies were more than happy to pick up a good looking young lady. She motioned for a cab and watched as two almost collided in a race to pick her up. She climbed into the first one and told the driver to take her to Cambridge, to Harvard Square. As the cab inched its way through the city streets Sylvia tried to relax but found it nearly impossible. She couldn’t decide what was stressing her out more, the Hunter who’d followed her home or her first real meeting with Mason. When she caught the driver openly staring at her in the rear view mirror while stopped at a red light, she scowled fiercely at him. She had neither the time nor the inclination to flirt with him today.
    Traffic was worse than she had expected and she arrived at Harvard Square twenty minutes late. Hasti ly she tossed a few crumpled tens to the driver as she slid out of the cab and dashed into Au Bon Pain. She hoped Mason was still there. She remembered him mentioning he had a tight schedule that day.
    Once inside the café Sylvia looked about frantically, trying to find Mason in the sea of customers.
    “Looking for someone?”
    She jumped when a male voice spoke behind her but she broke into a huge grin when she saw who it was.
    “I’m so sorry , I didn’t mean to startle you!” he apologized.
    “Hello, Mason, I’m sorry I’m so late today. Traffic was awful!”
    “It’s no problem. I’m running a bit late myself. I got held up after my last class. I saw you getting out of your cab when I was crossing the street and I called to you, but you didn’t hear me, I guess.”
    “Well, no harm done. W e’re both here now, right?” Sylvia couldn’t help but notice how downright delicious he looked in his pullover sweater and faded jeans. She was ready to take him, on the countertop in the middle of the café, crowd be damned, if he suggested it. The feeling of the energy rolling off of him was intoxicating.
    “What’s your pleasure?” Mason asked her. Sylvia considered his choice of words as she tried to pull her mind away from the sexual fantasy that had begun playing out in her head.
    Mason escorted her to the counter to order as he pulled out his wallet. She wasn’t surprised to see he planned on picking up the tab even though it was she who had invited him for coffee. A man of his caliber could be expected to be a gentleman, even though so many men of the current time seemed to have forgotten what that entailed.
    Sylvia gave her order to the girl behind the counter and watched her as Mason gave his. The cashier was flustered by his good looks and trying hard to act casual but failing miserably. Mason seemed not to notice his effect on her.
    When their food was read, he led Sylvia to a table in a quiet corner. He placed the food down and held out a chair for her.
    “Is this okay?”
    “Yes, thank you; it’s fine.”
    “So … what do you do, when you’re not retrieving runaway K-cups?” Mason began with a twinkle in his eye once he was seated as well.
    “I w ork for a PR firm,” she replied with her canned here’s-what-I-do-for-work answer when she couldn’t divulge she was actually an escort. “What about you?” She was dying to know if he was studying to join the Ministry, given his chosen course of studies.
    “I’m working on my Doctorate in Theology right now, here at Harvard.” Sylvia oohed appropriately at this as she nibbled on her bagel. “I earned my Master’s recently, and this is the last step for me before jumping back into the work force.”
    “Are you planning on becoming a Priest?” Her question elicited a chuckle from him.
    He shook his head as he swallowed his sip of coffee. “No, not at all, though many people assume that. My calling is to teach, and religion has always interested me. It just seemed natural that’s what I would teach someday. I’ve got a ways to go still, but I’ll get there.