Page 38 of RAKEish

“Try to make eye contact. Not staring, just a flirtatious glance. If he looks back, it’s an invitation.

She reached for a tapa, considering Scott’s words. “Got it. Travel in pairs, eye contact. Next?”

“If it works, he’ll come over with a pickup line.”

The mention of pickup lines had her squirming. Her attempt last night had to have been the worst one ever. A morsel Scott would someday entertain his friends with. “And if he just says hello?”

“Then you say hello and wait.” Scott’s tone suggested there was an art to even this simple interaction.

In her profession, the ability to wait until a client spoke was practically a job requirement. “Got it. Sexy hello followed by psychologist dead air.”

He frowned. “Do you have a sexy hello?”

She nodded.

“Let me hear it.”

She fluttered her lashes and gave it her best shot. “Hello,” she said, low and throaty with a hint of a growl.

A brief pause hung in the air as he adjusted his tie. “Stick with a normal hello and then wait. Trust me, he will move into his pickup line. It might not be smooth, but he’ll have something planned.”

Lux took another sip of her martini, mulling over the dismissal of her seductive hello. It hadn’t been that bad. Hell, she’d practiced it several times today. “What’s up next on your coaching agenda?”

“The importance of touch. It’s a crucial part of flirting.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” she whispered, awareness rippling through her.

Scott’s gaze turned smoldering as he leaned in, his thumb ghosting over her lip with deliberate slowness. “You had a little chocolate there,” he whispered, the simple words charged with an undercurrent of something more.

“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed with a warmth that spread far beyond her skin, even as she dabbed at her mouth, though he had already swept the sweetness away. “Thanks.” What was it about his touch that made her quiver, stirring a yearning even when her mind screamed abort?

“A touch indicates interest,” he said, his tone clinical, a gentle reminder that this was instruction, not initiation. “It’s a way to gauge the situation. If a touch lingers too long or feels off, always trust your gut.”

She exhaled a featherlight breath. “And if I’m interested?”

“While women often respond to the brushing of their hair away from their face, men react positively to a touch on the arm or knee, especially when seated.”

“But how do I justify touching him?” Lux pondered, quite certain she’d never boldly graze a man’s leg.

“No pretense necessary,” Scott explained. “Fold it seamlessly into your interaction. But be cautious, touching a man’s knee can send a certain signal.”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to get out of there and hook up.”

Lux blinked. Was he teasing her, testing her gullibility? “How do they leap to that conclusion?”

“We’re simple creatures,” Scott said, an amused smile curving his lips.

Lux chuckled. He was dead serious. “That much is obvious.” The idea that a simple touch could be so misinterpreted was almost comical, and yet, the intensity behind Scott’s gaze was undeniable. If she weren’t careful, the night would tip into dangerously deep waters. It was time to steer back to the shallows. “What lesson did you skip to tell me about touch?”

Scott’s eyebrows rose in silent acknowledgment, a slight tilt to his head as if he, too, recognized the precarious edge they’d been skirting. He leaned back, creating a space that felt suddenly vast. “The art of small talk. It’s crucial. Master it, and it can be as effective as good looks in getting a date.”

She stiffened, the implication snagging her pride like a thorn. Had she been a natural beauty, she bet he would have skipped this lesson. “That’s good to know, because once our sessions are over, I plan on reverting to my old self.”

Scott gave her a warm, reassuring smile. “You know, Doc, there’s something compelling about a person who is comfortable in their own skin. It’s not the look, but the confidence that truly captivates.”

“Those are pretty words, but I fear reality hasn’t proven you right…yet.”

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