“Yes.”

This time his gaze dropped to her protruding stomach. “And that?”

“A medical condition.”

His eyes widened.

She laughed softly. “Just kidding. It’s a device to simulate pregnancy. I borrowed it from a maternity store. Women use it to see how clothes will look as the baby gets bigger.”

He picked up the glasses and glanced through the lenses. “Clear.”

He smiled. A slow, sexy smile that made her long to trade in her black sensible shoes for a pair of red strappy sandals.

“I’m not an easy man to fool, Francesca,” he told her. “In fact, I can’t think of the last time someone did. You’re impressive. The fainting was a nice touch.”

She shrugged. “Actually that part was real. I haven’t eaten all day and that messes with my blood sugar.”

He motioned to her protruding belly. “You spend your day like this in the name of scientific research?”

“I don’t always dress up with a pregnancy belly. Sometimes I go out in a wheelchair, or tattoos and black leather.”

He leaned back against the sofa. “That would stop traffic.”

She smiled. “That depends on where I am.” She reached for the tea. “There have been dozens of studies done about the effect of appearance on behavior. Do you know that more people will stop to help an attractive person than an unattractive one?”

“Men are visual creatures.”

“But it’s not just men. Women do it, too. I’m studying-” She stopped and put down her tea. “Sorry. I get on a roll. My studies fascinate me.”

“I can see why. Who are you going to be tomorrow? If your costume involves black leather, feel free to stop by.”

She laughed. “Actually I’m supposed to be done with the research phase. My project for the summer is to write my dissertation. But the thought of spending all that time at the computer makes my skin crawl, so I’ve been putting it off.”