King of Greed (Kings of Sin #3) by Ana Huang

I eventually relented and answered after some thought.

Learning environment: big table, natural light, some background noise as opposed to total silence.

Learning medium: visuals.

Time of day when I usually wanted to take a nap: early afternoon.

“Perfect. This was very helpful,” she said at the end of our hour. “I think we’ll get along just fine. Anyone who’s a fan of Garage Sushi is friend material.”

Our mutual interest in the local indie band had been a pleasant surprise, though I hardly considered it a solid basis for a friendship.

“Does the same time next week work for you?” she asked. “I don’t have class on Mondays, so I’m flexible.”

“No. My SAT tutoring gig starts next week.” Rich people spent ridiculous amounts of money to get their kids into the Ivy League, and the cash I raked in from my math lessons went a long way in covering my expenses.

“What about in the morning?”

“Work.”

“Night?”

“Work.”

Her brows rose. “So you work, tutor, then go back to work?”

“Two different jobs,” I said stiffly. “Cafe in the morning, Frankie’s at night.” I’d stacked all my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I could work the other days. Between the coffee shop, diner, tutoring, and occasional lawn-mowing gig on the weekend, I earned just enough to sort of fit in at Thayer.

I didn’t actually care about ingratiating myself with my classmates, most of whom came from wealthy prep school backgrounds I could never relate to, but the biggest benefit of attending a school like Thayer was the networking. In order for people to take me seriously, I needed to look the part, and looking the part was damn expensive.

Alessandra’s face softened. She was the type of student who belonged without trying. She didn’t mention what her parents did, but I could tell just by looking at her that she came from money.

“What time do you get off work?” she asked. “We can meet then. Based on our schedules, Mondays are the— ”

“I don’t get off work until eleven.” I challenged her with a cool stare. “I’m guessing that’s too late for you.” I left out the part about how I usually studied after work. I didn’t know why, but I focused better when I was tired.

I liked Alessandra more than I thought I would, but I wasn’t convinced about this whole tutoring thing. The last thing I needed was her to bail on me in the middle of the semester because I wasn’t progressing fast enough for her.

“Good thing I’m a night owl,” she said, meeting my stare with a serene one of her own. “See you next Monday.”



I didn’t believe for a second Alessandra would give up her Monday night—or any night—to tutor me. She probably had a date or party to attend, which was just fine. If we couldn’t make a time work, then we couldn’t make a time work. Despite Professor Ehrlich’s reservations, I was confident I could pass English on my own. I had to. Not graduating was not an alternative.

I wiped down a table at Frankie’s, trying to ignore an unwanted pang of jealousy at the thought of Alessandra on a date. I had no claim on her, nor did I want any. I’d hooked up with a few girls at Thayer but never bothered dating any. I was busy enough without dealing with the drama of romantic entanglements.

“Whoa.” Lincoln let out a low whistle from the booth where he was scarfing down a burger and fries instead of closing up shop. He was the owner’s nephew and one of the laziest fucking human beings I’d ever encountered. “Who is that?”

I glanced up, already annoyed that someone was walking in five minutes before closing time, but for the second time in a week, my annoyance died a quick death.

Brown hair. Blue eyes. An armful of books and a half-teasing, half-challenging smile as she took in my shock.

Alessandra. Here. In Frankie’s. At eleven fucking o’clock on a Monday night.

What the hell was she doing here?

“We’re closed,” I said, even though we weren’t supposed to turn away customers until the absolute last minute and it wasn’t my place to turn them away in the first place.

Lincoln stopped drooling long enough to glare at me. “Dude,” he hissed. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not here for the food,” Alessandra said calmly. “We have a tutoring session, remember? I’m here to give you a ride.” She sat at a counter stool. “Don’t mind me. I’ll wait until you’re done.”

“That’s your tutor? Damn, I should’ve stayed in school.” Lincoln resumed ogling her in a way that made me want to rip his eyes out of their sockets.

“I’m tired.” I stepped in front of him, blocking his view. It was either that or earn myself an arrest for assaulting my boss’s nephew. “We’ll schedule our session for another day.”

“Perfect,” she said, ignoring Lincoln’s indignant protest. “You focus better when you’re tired, right?”

How—Professor Ehrlich. I was going to kill him.

I could tell by the look on Alessandra’s face that she wasn’t going to budge, so I didn’t argue further. I’d learned how to pick my battles a long time ago.

Eventually, Lincoln tired of leering at her—either that, or he was put off by my death stare—and left me to close up shop.