A Knight Comes To Bed by Sweet and Special Books Page A

she often camped out at the university library for major exams. The university had seen better days, that much was certain, but its facilities still had many years of use left in them.
    Sam Matheson sat directly across from her, peering intently at his advanced calculus.
    To Rachel, Sam was one of those guys who had everything going for him. He was on the school basketball team, next in line to manage his father's successful business and from the rumors she had heard around school, was great in bed and knew exactly how to please the ladies. Rachel wasn't sure if she could ever see Sam in that kind of light, though. He was such a great guy that he seemed too good to be true.
    Rachel didn't know him all that well, just what she had heard. Rumors travel quickly—and thoroughly—through college communities though, so Rachel had heard quite a bit. She'd heard about how Sam had come to be the next in line for the family business because his brother had gone through a bad divorce and then committed suicide, leaving the future of the business in Sam's hands.
    Rachel kept glancing up from studying her biology book to stare at those very able-looking hands, when the whiny voice of the guy beside her drifted into her consciousness.
    “I see that you’re studying biology there, and I, uh, I've been sitting beside you all semester.” the boy named Allen said. Allen had been indeed sitting next to her all semester, and very well knew that Rachel was in no way attracted to him at all, or at least Rachel had thought that he had known this. She guessed it wasn’t obvious now that there was some confusion.
    “I guess you have, Allen,” Rachel said. “Is that why you came in here to study, so you could help me?”
    “Well… I didn't want to leave you in here with this brute sitting across from you,” Allen said, then let out of a stale-sounding laugh. “These basketball players are trouble, you know. Isn't that right, Sam?”
    For a moment it seemed like Sam wasn't going to look up from his text book, and instead would continue perusing its words and numbers, but then he answered.
    “I guess so, Allen,” Sam said without looking up. “Something like that.”
    Allen let out a half laugh-half snort of approval that Sam would seemingly bow to Allen's dominance, and then continued with the obvious attempt at picking Rachel up.
    “You see, Rachel,” Allen said. “I've been helping you a lot in class and whatnot, and, um, we don't really know each other that well. Hell, the way I see it you would have failed that last test if I hadn't let you look off of my pages.”
    Rachel sank down in her seat when she realized what Allen had just said. She was mortified that he would bring this up in front of Sam! Rachel wasn't good at biology and didn't mind if people knew that, but it wasn't alright that Allen would just blurt it out loud.
    Academic dishonesty was taken very seriously by university officials and if any students reported hearing such a thing uttered aloud, there could very well be some kind of formal inquiry, investigation or maybe even a probe to try and suss out what the particulars of the situation were.
    Rachel wanted to drop dead and be buried where she sat. She was so shocked and embarrassed that of all people to witness what had just happened, it had to be Sam.
    “Allen, I can't believe you would just say that out loud in front of whoever was around,” Rachel hissed. “Do you have any idea how much trouble I could get into if someone found out I cheated?”
    “Well, you see, basketball players are known to be 'cool' so I doubt Sam will tell anyone. Right, Sam?” Allen said.
    “My lips are sealed,” Sam answered, a small smirk fluttering around the corners of his lips.
    “So anyway, Rachel,” Allen went on. “I was wondering if you would be free to join me tonight to the local theater down on Main Street. I think it would be nice for us to spend some time together, and maybe get to know each other.”
    For a