Initiative. I knew what she was implying.
“I tried that,” I told her. “It doesn’t seem like he wants me.”
“Men never know what they want,” Michelle said. “Theythinkthey do, but sometimes they don’t really know until it’s right in front of them.”
“Iwasright in front of him!” I argued, feeling more and more frustrated. “I was ready!”
“It’s more than just dressing up in lingerie and standing there waiting,” Michelle chided. “You have to act like you want him. Tell Stefan point blank that you’re there for him—that you’re there to fulfill his needs. Then ask him what they are.”
“I guess I could try that,” I conceded, feeling embarrassed. Why hadn’t I thought of that?
I sat there, twisting my wedding ring around my finger, processing her words.
“He’s got a lot going on, Tori. He works so hard to support his family’s business, and a lot of people depend on him,” Michelle continued. “You need to prove to him that you’re the personhecan depend on. You need to provide him with an escape. When he’s with you, he shouldn’t be worried about business deals or bank accounts or anything else.Youare the calm in the storm. You need to give him something that no one else does.”
“But what about me?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
There was a long pause.
“You should be grateful,” Michelle said. Her voice was gentle but her tone was firm. “You’re getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Not just this trip and all the luxuries that come with it, but you’re getting your college paid for, remember? It’s what you wanted, more than anything. So that’s the trade-off.”
“But…” My voice cracked. “He’s so different than I expected. I don’t know if I can love him.”
“You’ll learn to love him. But god, Tori. If you want this life, you need to understand the part you play and act accordingly. The relationship will grow with time. It won’t just happen overnight, but it will happen. You just need to commit to the give and take, okay? Trust me.”
When she put it like that, it made sense. Stefan was giving me the opportunity I’d been dreaming of. College had always been the goal. Here he was, handing it to me in good faith, and I’d given him nothing in return except a day of frivolous spending and drunken antics at a bar. I needed to prove that I was worthy of this gift.
“He barely even talks to me,” I confessed, unable to tell Michelle any of the other things that had transpired between myself and Stefan. “How am I supposed to ask him what he wants?”
I knew she’d be horrified if I told her about the temper tantrum I’d thrown in Vienna—spending tons of my new husband’s money and then standing him up for dinner out of spite. And if she knew I’d dressed myself up like I had, just to get drunk and flirt with a total stranger at the hotel bar, Michelle would probably fly all the way to Budapest and give me more than just a firm talking to. And I would deserve it.
I had been acting like a spoiled brat.
“Don’t ask. Just point blank say to him, ‘Tell me what you need.’ It works every time,” Michelle told me. “If he seems standoffish, it’s probably because he’s resentful that you haven’t consummated your relationship yet, and the longer this goes on, the worse it will be for you. So get back in the game and seduce him.”
“Are you sure? I mean…I just don’t understand why he hasn’t made a move first,” I said. “Unless he doesn’t want me.”
Michelle laughed, not unkindly. “Think about it, Tori. He knows how inexperienced you are. He probably thinks you’re afraid of him. That’s why he hasn’t made the first move! You have to show him that you want him.”
Even though I knew she couldn’t see me, I nodded, my mind whirling. Her practical, expert advice made perfect sense, as usual. And it had given me plenty of ideas.
We got off the phone and I composed a text to Stefan:
I’m ordering dinner in from room service. Is 7 good?
He responded after a lengthy pause.That’s fine. Thank you.
I would do exactly what Michelle had told me to do. I’d seduce him.
And I’d do it so well that he’d never look at another woman again once we were done.
