“What do you mean? Give me instructions.”
“Maybe rub his leg a bit and then give his parts,” she winked at me, “a little accidental brush with your hand.”
“Accidental brush?” I snickered while my face flamed hot. “How do you touch a man like that accidentally?”
Tanya spoke without hesitation. “If you start low and keep inching higher, you’re giving him lots of warning and time to stop you. By the time you get to the top, he’s usually not protesting too much. He likes it.”
“And then what?”
“And then you tease it a bit. Rub it with your hand through his pants.”
“And when he explains something,” Selena added, “hang off his every word.”
They both laughed.
“Like, even if he’s ordering his meal from the waiter, just lean in and smile like he’s giving his Nobel Peace Prize speech.”
“Yeah, men dig that shit. Makes them feel important.”
“What if he doesn’t want my hand on his leg?”
Tanya leaned in, her expression serious. “Then we’ve got bigger issues on our hands.”
When I came downstairsat 7:55 p.m., I could hear Axel talking business on the phone.
I was wearing a little black shift dress and a six-string choker of pearls around my neck. My makeup was dramatic, and my hair was swept into an elegant but soft updo. I paired that withankle boots and dark tights. I was going for a young, modern Audrey Hepburn.
When he saw me, he ended his call with one word and stood with his hands in his pockets while I walked toward him.
“You look expensive.”
“I am expensive,” I said, turning my back to him so he could help me put on my coat. He didn’t touch me in his efforts, but his closeness made my body long for something more.
I wondered if I would actually have the guts to take it to stage two.
At the restaurant,the hostess led us to our table. When I saw the group sitting there, I hung back and let Axel approach first.
I was behind him, but I could hear Giselle exclaim, “And here is Axel now.” When she saw me, she looked surprised, but she smoothly added, “And his lovely wife, Mila.”
Axel stepped aside and, with his hand on my arm, steered me front and center.
I smiled to the table of clients, mentally thanking the stars that it wasn’t the same group that had witnessed my wine throw.
Everyone welcomed me warmly as our coats were taken and we were seated side by side. I focused on anything but Giselle across from me.
I sat quietly, ordered a drink and listened while the group made small talk.
Axel played right into my plan when he grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it reassuringly.
When he lifted his hand to drink, I kept my hand resting on his leg. His thigh was hard and muscular beneath the fabric ofhis pants. I slowly inched my hand up his leg, wondering if he’d stop me.
The conversation flowed around me, while my entire focus was on my touch. Did he even notice that my hand was halfway up his thigh? It was moving, or massaging. It was just resting there.
I was acutely aware of his body. The strength of his leg, the vibration when he laughed at something, the way the rest of him seemed so natural and normal.
Tanya and Selena hadn’t told me what I was supposed to do once I got this far.
I felt his big, warm hand cover mine, and then press on it until it was flat against his leg.
