Read The Cinderella Project (A Comedy of Love, #1) for Free Online

had selected was performing those actions. Again, I showed Moiré the results, explained any differences and made my notes.
    “Okay, phase three. Todd,” I called toward the door, “you can come in now.” Todd practically leapt through the door. Julie’s entire being lit up instantly and I knew this test would give me some excellent results. We explained the procedure to Todd and went through the whole thing one final time. Moiré was actually quite surprised at the notable differences in the readings. I just smiled smugly.
    “Well, Todd, it’s your turn.” Julie was taken out of the room and I had Moiré conduct the test. A few minutes later, Julie was invited back in and when we finally got them to stop making out after the lip and tongue tests, I offered them the choice of the fifty-dollar reward or a gift card good for dinner and a show. As expected, they took the gift card and left hand-in-hand.
    “Rewards, huh,” Moiré said, gesturing at the remaining gift cards in my hand as she watched the couple disappear into the hall.
    “You’ve got to have bait if you want to catch fish,” I replied.
    “True, true.”
    “What’s funny is that the couples almost inevitably choose the gift cards, even though the fifty bucks is worth more and can be spent in more places. Those gift cards? I found that I could get them at a bulk rate—sixteen bucks a pop—when I bought over a hundred at a time. The guy who took my order just about fainted when I told him I wanted a thousand of them.”
    “You dream big, don’t you,” she said with a smile. I ignored the rise in my pulse. “Where’d you get that kind of money?”
    I shrugged. “Grants, mostly. I used some of my own cash, too , and my parents were kind enough to pitch in. But I’ve asked them not to give me financial aid for the most part. Besides, the Psychology Department was supposed to give me a lot more than they have, but… eh. In any case, I had a lot more money when I started out than I do now.”
    “Which is why you’ve got me doing slave labor.”
    “Hey, you put your own handcuffs on.” We shared a laugh. I loved how easy she was to talk to. She had such confidence, poise and friendliness—I felt I’d known her all my life though we’d spent less than an hour together over two days. Maybe this would work out.
    We had two more test couples that day and another two on Friday. Though Moiré had a good handle on what I was doing, there were still housekeeping items to handle and a bit of a learning curve for her to climb. By the time she walked out the door that first Friday, I felt she was up to speed.
     
    Monday started early and we plowed through some Russian love stories. I had a hard time reading them with any seriousness and Moiré and I ended up adding a few things to Anton Chekov’s The Kiss before it was done. Before I knew it, the morning was over.
    Noticing that it was nearly time to meet Ella for lunch, I sighed. “Hey, I’ve got a lunch appointment to catch. Can I have you just write up the notes we took from Todd and Julie please? I should be back around one.”
    “Sure. No rush. I still have P.A.S. one-twelve at two, but I’ll show you what I’ve done when you get back.”
    I smiled, thanked her and started my walk to Ella’s place.
     
    My watch beeped noon as I stepped onto the porch at Ella’s posh townhome. I’d seen a Bugatti—in this town? Wow—in the parking garage beneath the units, mixed in with all the Benzes and Beemers. I had wondered how Ella could afford such a place without a job and with only one roommate to split the rent with. From the way she tossed her credit cards around as if they were confetti, I had concluded that she was probably living on her daddy’s dime. For all I knew, he owned the place.
    I rang the doorbell. Before the rich chimes finished, a tall, tired-looking brunette answered the door. “Nick. Hi. Ella’s not here, sorry,” she said with an apologetic look.
    I shrugged. “That’s