The Attendance Policy
"You were supposed to be a stranger. A beautiful mistake. Not my professor."
Twenty-one-year-old Ember Hayes thought her biggest problem was her cheating boyfriend. She was wrong.
After catching her high school sweetheart in bed with her former best friend on the same day she got her dream university acceptance letter, Ember does something completely out of character, she walks into an upscale bar and lets a gorgeous older stranger buy her a drink.
Dr. Adrian Blackwell is everything her safe, predictable life isn't: sophisticated, dangerously attractive, and electrifying in ways that make her forget every rule she's ever followed. One night of reckless passion later, Ember thinks she can move on, forget the stranger, forgive her boyfriend, and start fresh at Ashford University.
Until she walks into her first Literature class and discovers that the man who whispered filthy promises in her ear is now Professor Blackwell, her academic advisor, her instructor, and absolutely, completely off-limits.
Adrian recognizes her instantly. The professional mask slips for just a moment, revealing the same hunger that consumed them both. But he recovers quickly, making one thing clear: what happened between them can never happen again. His career, her education, both their futures—everything is at stake.
But denying their chemistry proves impossible when they're forced into close proximity. Private office hours become torture. Intellectual debates crackle with unspoken desire. Every accidental touch ignites memories of tangled sheets and breathless moans.
As if that weren't complicated enough, Ember discovers Adrian is hiding something dark: his appointment at Ashford wasn't random. He's investigating a corruption scandal involving powerful faculty members—including the Dean, who happens to be Ember's ex-boyfriend's wealthy, influential father.
When Ember's ex starts spreading vicious rumors about her "inappropriate relationship" with Professor Blackwell (ironically, to cover his own father's crimes), she and Adrian must choose: protect themselves by staying apart, or risk everything to expose the truth and fight for a love that could destroy them both.
In a world where power, privilege, and propriety reign supreme, the heart wants what it wants. Even if wanting it could cost you everything.
Some lessons can't be taught in a classroom. Some desires can't be graded. And some love stories are worth failing for.