“Okay. So I’ll file that piece of information away for later use.”
He placed his hand on the small of her back, a slight gesture that spread warmth through her. She slid a glance at his arm. “Is that being a gentleman too?”
“Of course.”
Chapter 8
Lucas couldn’t focus. Felicity’s perfume reached inside him and pulled him along as if he had no brain. At this moment he would do anything he could to touch her in any way. Even if it meant that he pretended to have the gentlemanly intentions of a mentor. Inside, they were taken to a table immediately. The restaurant was full without being overly crowded or cramped. By the time they were done eating, Lucas hoped to convince Felicity to go to a bar with him, under the pretense of practicing her new skills.
They sat and stared at the menus. When the waitress arrived, Felicity looked at him. “Am I allowed to order my own food, or does that fall under the gentleman’s purview?”
She spoke sweetly, with just a hint of sting that most people wouldn’t have noticed. He couldn’t help but smile. “Depends on the date. Do you trust me?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how serious they sounded, as if he alluded to more than a simple meal. She gave a sharp nod of her head, so he looked up at the waitress. He spoke, being careful not to look at Felicity because he didn’t want to give away any hint of nervousness.
“The lady will have the chicken and pasta. Can you please put everything separate? The pasta on one plate with a bowl of sauce on the side and the chicken by itself? I’ll have sirloin, medium, with a baked potato. And we’ll start with a bottle of wine.”
He handed her the menus and rested his forearms on the table. “How did I do?”
Her eyes blinked rapidly, and for a moment he considered she was having a seizure, but then realized it was shock. “How did you know?”
“What to order? That was a simple guess.”
“To ask for everything separate.”
“I listened to you when you ordered at dinner the other night and yesterday at lunch. I watched how you approached your food at the wedding.”
She shook her napkin out, and he knew she did it as a means to develop a response, so he gave her time. “It’s a texture thing. I don’t like the flavors of my food to mix. If everything is separate, and something feels or tastes funny, I can ignore it and eat the rest.”
He’d suspected that was the case. He spent his time with teenagers who did all kinds of weird things with food.
“That’s what I need you to teach me. I don’t know how to figure out what people like or don’t. What they want.”
He brushed aside her concern. “That’s just paying attention to people.” He stopped. She truly didn’t understand. “I’ve seen you watch people. You see everything. Your eyes focus on the scene in front of you and absorb it all.”
She licked her lips in a way she had no idea was seductive and rolled her bottom lip in to bite. “But I can’t interpret what I see. That’s why I can’t pick up a guy. I can’t read the signals. But if you teach me to put out the right signals, they’ll make the move and I won’t have to guess.” She paused, and a look of longing stole across her face. “Right?”
He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and held her hand. “Sweetheart, all you have to do is flirt in a place like this, anyplace really, and guys will flock to you.”
She pulled away from his grasp with a laugh. “I can’t flirt. Charlie tried to teach me once. She said I looked like a crazy person off her meds.”
Lucas bit back a laugh because he knew she’d be offended. The waitress returned with the bottle of wine and poured a glass for each of them. Felicity eyed the glass.
“After last night, I’m not sure more wine is a good idea.”
He smirked. “I don’t know. I think last night turned out pretty great.”
Where some girls might blush or offer a flirty comeback, Felicity just stared. He sighed. “It was a compliment, Felicity. Agree with me, smile, something to let me know that it was the same for you.”
Her lips slowly curved as if she wasn’t sure of the movement. The smile stretched until he saw the hint of white teeth behind her pink lips. And just like that, the whole room brightened as if lit by a spotlight.
He sipped his wine in hopes of cooling his throat. The sweet tang slid down, but the taste barely registered. His tongue only remembered the taste of Felicity. “About last night.”
“I wasn’t drunk, but I was tipsy. I shouldn’t have jumped all over you like that.”
“It wasn’t one-sided, Felicity.”
“I know, but I agreed to be nothing more than your fake date, and then I went and made you break your moratorium on women. I should’ve respected you more than that.” She paused, her face serious. “Let’s forget it happened and go forward being friends. We make a good team.”
He tried to not let the full force of the blow hit him. She thought last night was a mistake. He’d been sure that she ran out because she was scared. It felt like more than a quick fuck to him, but he was obviously mistaken. When had he ever been that off the mark?
It took a moment for him to realize she was staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to agree with what she’d proposed.
“So, you want me to teach you how to flirt? What makes you think I could show you? I’m a guy.”
“First, you’re a guy, so you can tell me what guys respond to. Second, you’re a teacher, so it’s natural for you to tutor me. Third, you successfully gave me a formula for getting through the wedding reception. You said it yourself: People loved me.” She settled back in her chair, elbows on the armrests. She would make a damn fine lawyer. Make the argument and let it rest.
He inhaled slowly and thought. Looking past her to the bar, he watched the people interact. Of course he was aware that women flirted; however, he never thought about the how or why things worked on him. Were there universal signals?
Thinking about hanging at the bar with his friends, he knew that yes, in fact, some signals were universal to all men. All men looking to get laid anyway. He allowed the ideas to tumble around in his head for a few moments. Felicity needed a plan, a formula to execute, just like the list of questions with appropriate follow-ups. He couldn’t give her a pile of possibilities to sort through.
When he returned his attention to her, she had shifted and taken a sip of wine. She stared at him but said nothing. Her eyes, with their laser focus, were where she needed to start. Her eyes alone could bring any man to his knees.
“I’m thinking, developing a plan. Why don’t you tell me what you did today?”
“If you’re developing a plan, I don’t want to distract you.” She took a long drink of wine, and he began to think maybe the wine was a bad idea.
“I’m thinking. I can listen and carry on a conversation while I think.”
“I talked to Layla. She’s not going to make it. Her transmission needs work, and by the time it’s finished, she won’t be able to get here. Other than that, I sat on my balcony and enjoyed the sun and the sounds of the waves.”
He tilted his head, knowing there was more. She shoved her glass away as if it had offended her.
“I finished some work for school too. Go ahead and tell me how I’m on vacation and I shouldn’t be working.”
“I won’t. You like working from your textbook, right? It makes you comfortable and at ease.”
Her eyes widened as she nodded.
“What do you like most about science? Is it the fact that the answers line up and balance in formulas?” He thought he might’ve pegged her on that. Control. Balance.
She shook her head slowly. “No, that’s Layla. She’s a math major. She likes knowing how to find the answer. Charlie likes the problem, approaching things in different ways like in a video game—choose your own adventure.”
“What about you?”
“I love science because for everything we do know, there are still millions of things we d
on’t. There’s always something else waiting to be discovered and understood.” Her eyes lit up when she spoke.
Hmm. He hadn’t thought the unknown would excite her.
The waitress arrived with their meal, and Lucas thought about how to teach Felicity to flirt. In a flash, it came to him, much like when he was in the classroom and a student struggled to grasp a concept. Sometimes a new way to explain it just bolted into his brain.
“I have it,” he said with a broad smile as he picked up his knife and fork to dig into his thick steak.
“Have what?”
“Your formula.”
She stopped cutting her chicken into bite-sized pieces and set her silverware down on the edge of her plate. “What is it?”
“EAST.”
“East what?”
“It’s an acronym. I think it’ll work.”
The look she shot him was full of disbelief.
“Eat your dinner, grasshopper. Then I’ll teach you, and you’ll practice.”
Her forehead did that adorable crinkly thing. “Grasshopper?”
“I guess you’re not into kung fu movies. How about Padawan?”
This time, she nodded. “I prefer Star Trek to Star Wars, but I get the reference.”
He cut into his steak and mentally developed how to explain the lesson as he would for any other student. While they ate they discussed her plans for after graduation. He talked about his job, the students he worked with, his baseball team.
He wished he could’ve talked with her all night. Her brain was fascinating. For as much as she was convinced she was socially inept, she was a fabulous conversationalist once you got her going. She made leaps in the conversation that shouldn’t have made sense, but did. It all added to the whole picture of who Felicity was.
When their plates were clear, she leaned forward full of eagerness. “Okay, let’s go. What’s your master plan?”
“EAST. The first thing you need to know is E—eye contact. In general, that will be enough of an invitation for a guy if he’s looking.”
She snorted at him. “Eye contact? Seriously? And I thought Charlie was nuts talking about the hair flip.”
“Trust me. You glance at a guy and make eye contact. Hold it for a few seconds. If he’s interested, he won’t look away. If the first time doesn’t work, look around and land on him again. That’s enough of a hint. If he doesn’t come over, then he’s not interested. Move on.”
“So you’re telling me that if I make eye contact with some guy standing at the bar, he’s going to come over here to talk to me?”
Lucas nodded. “It might not work right now because you’re here with me. Most guys won’t approach a girl who’s taken.”
Her jaw dropped.
“You know what I mean. We look like we’re together, a couple, on a date.” Part of him wished it were true. That Felicity was in fact his date.
“Okay. What’s next?”
“A—attention. You need to really pay attention when a guy talks to you.”
Her eyebrows slammed together. “I pay attention.”
He chuckled. “You do too much multitasking. Even now, although you’re listening to me, you’re also thinking about the next two letters of the acronym, how to put all of this into play, and which of the guys at the bar you might want to try this on.”
She shrugged. “It’s not my fault you talk slow. I can’t control my brain wandering off to other things.”
“You can control it a little.” He considered that for a minute and wondered if she really could control it. Her brain moved pretty fast. “I have no doubt that it’ll happen no matter what, but the guy shouldn’t be aware of it. First, when he approaches, angle your body toward him. Show him you’re open to his approach. When he introduces himself, he’ll probably lead with a question, like asking your name. I know you can handle the Q and A from there. I watched you do it at the wedding.”
Lucas leaned forward and refilled their glasses, emptying the bottle of wine. Felicity sipped slowly. She didn’t look like she was having anywhere near the fun she had last night.
“Okay, eyes and attention. What else?”
“In truth, you probably won’t need anything else, but if you’re not sure if the guy can take a hint, you use the last two letters: S, smile, and T, touch.”
Her eyebrow rose at the last word.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Offer a smile. A real one. Laugh at jokes he makes. We all like to think we’re funny. Then when it’s comfortable, touch him innocently. I’m not talking about a grope session.”
Her eyes darted away.
“Touch his arm, brush your hand against his as you reach for your drink, that kind of thing.”
Her gaze returned to his, and he knew something bothered her, but he had no idea what. She nodded slowly. “That’s all I need, huh? You make it sound easy.”
“For chicks, it is. You just need to sit pretty and wait for guys to fall at your feet. We’ll jump at the slightest go-ahead. You ready to go?”
“Where?”
“Let’s hit a bar and you can practice.”
“You want me to pick someone up now, tonight?”
“No time like the present. We’ll choose a bar crowded with spring breakers. You’ll have your pick.”
She smiled and her eyes brightened. “Okay. What do I owe you for dinner?”
He stood and tossed bills on the table. “Nothing. My treat. I owe you at least that. Besides, after I get you liquored up and flirty, I’m going to talk you into going to dinner with my family tomorrow night.”
As she stepped away from the table, she looked up at him. “No liquor necessary. I’ll go. It’s what any friend would do, right?”
Felicity didn’t know what she was doing. She was far from stupid, but Lucas made her do stupid things. Why would she volunteer to spend more time with him and his family? Especially knowing that Becky would be there. But after her slight outburst, Becky saw her as competition. That was a new experience. No one had ever been jealous of her before.
All these awkward thoughts floated through her brain as Lucas’s hand rested low on her back, guiding her to the car. The touch was innocent, but felt intimate. She kept thinking about his hands roaming her body.
But none of that would help her with her mission for the night, which was to learn how to flirt and actually pick up a guy on her own.
Arriving at the car, Lucas opened the door and smiled at her as she climbed in. Something poked the back of her brain as he walked around the car. She closed her eyes and focused. The smile and the touch did it. Lucas was using his own technique on her. While they’d sat at the table, she had his rapt attention and his eyes never left hers. Was she his guinea pig to test the theory? If so, she was proof that it worked. He’d sucked her in like it was nothing.
As he started the car, Felicity smiled. She had another winning formula. The pleasure she would have telling Charlie about this. If she was successful, which she had to be, she wouldn’t have to have discriminating taste like she’d told Charlie. It’d been a lie and Charlie had called her on it, but Charlie thought Felicity was too shy to find a guy.
Lucas drove as if he had a destination in mind. He said nothing, so neither did she. She watched his profile in the dying sun, the shadows making the scruff on his jaw even darker. A sudden pulse of lust shot through her as she thought about that scruff against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. She tore her gaze away and looked out her window.
Lucas pulled into a crowded parking lot and stopped near the door. “Here you go.”
“Aren’t you coming in?” Panic struck. She knew she wasn’t ready to do this alone. She needed a—what did Charlie call it?—wingman.
“I’ll be there, but if we walk in together, most guys will assume we’re on a date, remember? You go in, find yourself a seat near the center of the bar. Even if you don’t see me, know that I’m there watching.”
Felicity eyed the door. Nerves fluttered in her stom
ach. She hadn’t been worried about the wedding because she knew Lucas would be there to rescue her if she screwed up, but here she’d be in the middle of a crowd with no help.
“Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”
She inhaled slowly, filling her lungs to capacity. Pushing her shoulders back, she pulled the handle on the door.
Lucas tapped her shoulder. Leaning close, he whispered, “You got this.”
His breath brushed her ear, and she wanted to lean back against him and feel his breath on her bare skin. She wanted to forget this stupid idea of picking up men and enjoy the next two nights with Lucas. Two amazing nights with him would be enough to satisfy her for the week. Then she could slip back into her normal life.
She closed her eyes and pushed off the seat before she acted on her impulse. Without saying anything to Lucas, she stepped from the car and closed the door behind her. Outside, the air was warm and sticky, but inside the bar the air-conditioning was working overtime. The chilly air made her shiver.
She took a minute to scan the layout of the business. Tall tables filled the bar. People sat elbow to elbow. It seemed like everyone came with friends. She didn’t see anyone else flying solo. Sad picture, her life.
Making her way to the bar, she checked out her prospects. Groups of men sat together, and as she walked by, she felt some look up and follow her with their eyes. She impressed herself by recognizing that. Luckily, one chair at the bar was open so she quickly slid onto it. While she waited for the bartender to notice her, she twisted and began her search in earnest. Who would make eye contact with her?
Please let him be normal.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked behind her.
She spun back. “Just a Coke, please.”
He nodded and grabbed a glass to pour the pop. He smiled as he worked, so Felicity tried her formula on him. She made eye contact, held it, but he didn’t do anything other than slide the glass in front of her on a napkin. He was either uninterested, or she was already doing it wrong. With her glass in hand, she turned back to the crowd. No one seemed to notice her now.
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