“Comfortable?” I ask with a grin.
“Hardly,” she answers.
I don’t know. I’m pretty damn comfortable.
“You know, this reminds me of the time we were in Vegas…”
“Don’t even start,” she says, eyeing me.
“But it’s such a good story.”
“This is a good jumping-off point actually,” Sanders says as he stands and picks up a basketball. I swear, there weren’t any balls or sticks in the first session. Dribbling it and making the entire floor rattle, he continues, “For this lesson, I want you two to look each other in the eyes and mirror what you say to each other. So, Wilder, recount your time in Vegas and, Scottie, I want you to repeat it. Make them short sentences so she can really listen and repeat.”
Great fucking activity.
Smiling up at her, I say, “It was our anniversary. You were wearing that short pink dress that rode dangerously high, showing off those delicious legs.”
She bites the side of her cheek and says, “We were in Vegas. I was wearing a pink dress.”
“Nope, that’s not what he said,” Sanders says, cutting in and tossing the basketball in the air. “He gave you a compliment, and you didn’t acknowledge it. And from what I’ve learned about Wilder, compliments are his love language.”
I mean, I’m not going to tell him he’s wrong. Then again, I think any man would enjoy a compliment, especially from someone as stunning as Scottie.
Scottie turns toward me and asks, “I didn’t notice a compliment. What did you say?”
“I said your dress was dangerously high, showing off your delicious legs.” And then I rub my hands over the sides of her quads. She tenses above me, and it makes me wonder how much this tool of an ex of hers actually paid attention to her. Gave her affection. Said something nice. Because a simple stroke of the leg shouldn’t make her this tense.
“Oh, um…thank you?”
“Tell me what you like about her legs,” Sanders says. “Scottie, I want you to mirror what he says by starting your sentence with‘what I heard you say was’ and then end it with ‘tell me more.’ Think you can do that?”
“Yes,” she says and then turns toward me.
Wanting to have some fun and make this woman feel good about herself, I say, “I love how your legs aren’t stick thin. I love that they give me something to grip on to. I love the way they look in heels. Your calves are fire. And your ass is unbelievable.”
I tug on my lip ring, challenging her, wanting to see if she’s going to repeat what I said.
“Umm, what I heard you say is you love how my legs aren’t stick thin and that they look good in heels, and you have something to grip on to and, uh?—”
“Calves,” I help her.
“Oh, right, my calves are fire, and my ass is unbelievable.” She clears her throat. “Tell me more.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” I slide my hands up to her waist. “I know you don’t need to know just how smart and clever you are, because you know that through and through, but I can get lost in your eyes for days. They’re such a unique shade of blue with a brown ring around the pupil that causes me to stare at them just a touch longer than I should.”
She glances over my shoulder to avoid eye contact, but I don’t let her. “Look at me, Scottie.”
“Good,” Sanders says, now taking a seat and spinning the ball on his finger. “Scottie, repeat what he said.”
She clears her throat and says, “What I heard you say was that you think I’m smart and clever. But you know I already know that. What you like are my eyes and the brown ring around the pupil. You can get lost in my eyes for a long time.” She swallows. “Tell me more.”
A wave of goose bumps spreads over her arms as I creep my hands farther up her waist, holding on to her tightly.
“Back to that night in Vegas, when you were in that dress. We were at that strip club, per your choice, but then you wouldn’t let one single woman near me. That night, you gave me my own personal lap dance, right then and there, in front of everyone. It was one of the hottest things I’ve ever experienced. I like that you claimed me as yours.”
She nods and blows out a heavy breath. “What I heard you say was simple…you like it when I claim you as mine.”
“Good, Scottie. Good. Ask him why.” Sanders is leaning toward us, immersed.
