Page 7 of Praise Me: Pilot
CHAPTER 4
Haylo
My plan to seduce Joel is coming along swimmingly.
Am I better at this seduction stuff than I realized?
All through dinner, his big hand never leaves my thigh. He glowers at the men near us at the table. More than once, I catch his gaze on my breasts, my mouth. And I’m not going to lie…I am significantly warm and tense, too. Inside my panties, in the center of my chest. Tingles are crawling all over me, leaving me buzzing.
His voice belongs to a man. It doesn’t crack and he doesn’t stutter. His words are thoughtful and he’s listening to me. Nothing like the boys my age who attempt to ask me out. Not even close.
Joel is a presence. He oozes capability and strength.
As an air force pilot, he must be brave. As a commercial one, he must have ambition. Work ethic.
I find myself eager to know more about him…before I seduce him.
It doesn’t hurt to study my subject a little, right?
It’s not like Ilikehim. Not as a potential boyfriend.
Heck no.
I am not falling into the trap of dating a man who spends most of his time flyingawayfrom me, just like my father. I used to watch my mother cry every time Phil left the house, smelling his T-shirts while he was away. Reanimating only when he was due home.
No, my little plan is just for me. It might be petty. Not healthy in the slightest. ButI’mgoing to act selfishly for once. I’m going to disregard my father’s feelings and do what feels good. What I want. After I even the playing field, I will set my boundaries and stick to them. Phil isn’t going to get my hopes up anymore. For once,I’mtaking.
Dinner winds down and all the underclassmen help clear the plates, including me, though I’m surprised I’m eager to return to Joel’s side. Something about him makes me feel…not judged. Free to speak my mind and not hold back. Not conversationally…or physically. Should my body be responding so potently to a thirty-two-year-old man?
Is a man what I’ve been holding out for all along?
“Hi,” I say, resting my hand on Joel’s shoulders from behind, memorizing the ripple that passes through his muscular back. I like the dramatic effect I have on him. It makes me feel…significant. “Some of the parents and their daughters are heading out to see a movie, but it looks like a sad one. I avoid those like the plague.”
He looks back at me over his shoulder. “I remember.”
Of course he does. “Do you want to go for a walk to the lake with me, instead?”
His nostrils flare slightly and God, he looks dubious. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Haylo. I think I should go back to my hotel and turn in for the night.”
I was expecting that response—and I don’t let it deter me. “Okay.” I glance toward the group of sorority sisters and parents gathering in the entryway, chewing on my bottom lip. “Maybe I will try and brave the movie after all. How bad could it be? I’m sure one of the single dads will sit with me—”
Joel stands so abruptly, he nearly knocks over his chair. “A walk sounds good.”
I clasp my hands together beneath my chin, beaming up at him. “Really?”
He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out, as if he’s distracted by my smile. “Do you want to put on a jacket or something?” The man scrutinizes my body, sounding desperate. “Maybe some baggy sweatpants?”
“It’s not even cold out, silly.”
“Right.” He swallows hard, looking like a man on the way to the gallows. “Let’s go.”
We leave out the back door of the sorority house, taking the street that leads to the lake. We’ve only made it halfway down the block when I slip my hand into Joel’s larger, warmer one, swinging our arms playfully until he relents and cracks a smile. That flash of teeth and the brief appearance of crow’s feet at the edges of his eyes almost stops me in my tracks. Goodness gracious, he’s sexy. In a mature, self-assured way that apparently really appeals to me. He’s too old to play games. He’d know exactly what to do with me.
“I hope you don’t make a habit of walking to this lake alone at night, young lady.”
For some reason the use ofyoung ladyin that stern tone makes me clench inside my panties. “Um. I take morning walks sometimes, but don’t worry. I have an industrial-sized can of pepper spray and a whistle.”
“You still shouldn’t go alone.”
