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It gave her the strength she needed to nod and murmur, “That’s exactly what I want.”
He straightened, looking over one shoulder and then the other, possibly to see if the ghost of Antonio was hovering nearby. Eva could imagine how her brother would be glaring at her if he were still among the living, but he wasn’t—God bless him and keep him—and his loss had only emphasized the need to seize the day.
She would always miss her adoring, wonderful, bully of a big brother but it was time for her to have her own life. On her own terms.
Jack leaned in, asking in a harsh whisper, “What the hell, Eva? You know Antonio would never forgive me if I fucked around with his little sister. Pardon my language.”
She sighed, her hopes falling as quickly as they’d risen. If he was reluctant to use the f-word around her, they were never going to end up naked together. She felt the hurt creeping into her features, so she clenched her sweaty hands under the linen table cloth and tossed her hair so that it fell sexily in her eyes, something that turned men to putty in a woman’s hands—at least according to Georgie.
This was her shot at getting what she needed from the only man left in the world she could trust, and she wasn’t going to give up so easily.
“Jack, I’m sick of walking into bars, restaurants, even my yoga studio—all the places where men talk to women in this stupid city—and feeling like an idiot. Like I don’t belong. Sure, men stare at my body, but as soon as they realize I have no idea how to flirt, let alone anything else, interest fades pretty quickly.” She swallowed, refusing to feel ashamed. “For once I want to feel sexy. Wanted. Desired. I thought you, especially, would understand that feeling. That feeling of being on the outside looking in and so desperately wanting to be included.”
Jack’s eyes softened slightly, and she knew he was thinking of his time as the scholarship kid at Belmont Hill, the one everyone but Antonio loved to treat like human trash. “Eva, you’re an intelligent, successful woman. And you’re gorgeous. You have to know that.”
He thinks I’m gorgeous? He’d never said anything like that to her before. In fact, other than a mutual love of fast-paced fiction, he’d usually been too focused on whatever he and Antonio were doing to pay too mu
ch attention to his best friend’s little sister. But the thrill that compliment sent through her was short-lived.
When he spoke again his features were tight, closed-off. “You could have any man you want. Why would you even ask me for something like this?”
Shit. Code Red. Of course he’d say no. He might be a playboy, but he’d always had morals, and was loyal to a fault, one of the many things that added to his attractiveness.
Time to play on his ego, Eva thought, another one of Georgie’s lessons. She leaned in to meet him, so that their noses were only inches apart.
She whispered, the better not to be overhead by the rest of the restaurant, “Because I’ve heard the rumors about you. Your ex-girlfriends talk, Jack, quite a lot, and they have nothing but good things to say about your performance in the bedroom. Your skill. Your prowess. Your…” she paused to raise her eyebrows invitingly, “Your everything.”
There. Let him think she’d heard marvelous things about his cock.
If that gave her access to it, so be it.
Unfortunately her innuendo did little to improve his mood. A look of disbelief mixed with horror crossed his face. “I’m far from the only man in the city who has that kind of reputation.”
“Yes, Jack,” she said, desperation coloring her tone. “But the difference is, I trust you. Completely.”
He studied her for a long time, then exhaled. He dropped his head back, looked at the ceiling. “Antonio trusted me, too.”
“Antonio wanted you to look after me, right? As far as I’m concerned, you would be. I’m diving into the shark tank of New York City dating, with or without you. But with your help, I’m less likely to be ripped apart.”
He snorted with disbelief and shifted in his seat. When he next looked at her, Eva expected to hear the word “no.” Instead, he said, “What sort of things are we talking about? What do you want me to teach you?”
“Well, the exact lesson plan is up to you.” She shrugged one shoulder, struggling to play it cool. Truthfully, she hadn’t expected to get this far in the negotiations. “But I would like it to be thorough. Very thorough. I want to be well-versed in all areas of sexual education.”
He raised an eyebrow. “All areas?”
“Yes. Well, you know better than I do. But…oral. That’s a must.” She shivered, thinking of that mortifying time with her ex Rick. She shook off the memory and pressed on. “But I’d also like to branch out. Learn a little about what it means to be wild and adventurous. I thought we could try role playing, public sex, light bondage, that sort of thing.” She shrugged again, ignoring the nervous giggle threatening to spill from between her lips. She hadn’t said most of these things out loud before, let alone asked a man to help her do them. “I want to be able to drive a man crazy. So I’d like to know about your favorite toys, positions…I want it all. All that stuff you’re famous for.”
He straightened the napkin on his lap. Swallowed. Recrossed his arms at his chest. His blue eyes blazed at her, shining with disbelief and…desire? She didn’t know much about that kind of hunger, but something flared in his gaze, sending an answering flare of heat across her already too-warm skin.
“I can’t believe…” He shook his head. “How the hell do you even know about any of that, Eva?”
The answer to that was easy: Lots and lots of Googling. She’d become well-acquainted with tumblr too, and that was quite an intoxicating way to spend some time online. But even though none of her knowledge thus far had been hands-on, it was clearly having an effect. Jack Bennett was more than speechless. He was completely off his game.
Seeing that, her confidence rose. She touched his elbow innocently, and smiled. “So, the deal is, in exchange for one month—thirty days—of sexual education, I will do whatever you want me to do in that boardroom on Tuesday. All right?”
“Whatever I want…” he said slowly, testing it out.
“Yep. You want me to tap dance on the boardroom table, I’ll do it. If you agree to what I want, first, of course.”
