Page 29 of Lovebug
“Oh, yeah?” he asks. “You need my male… member?”
“That’s right,” I respond.
Oh gosh, is he being suggestive? Or is this me being a dirtball like Calliope said? This guy has such a poker face, and I have no idea how to read him.
I decide to forge onward with my pitch.
“We focus mainly on health and wellness supplements, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that our new MANicure line specifically for men is launching this fall and—”
“Hold up,” he interrupts. “Your man-specific product line is called MANicure?”
“Yes?”
He shakes his head. “Carry on.”
“And we need all hands on deck to blast our customers’ testosterone into the next time zone!”
“Oof. That is god-awful ad copy. Who wrote that?” he asks with disdain.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m speaking from the heart.”
“Sure, you are. You know what? Uh… what was your…?”
Is he searching for my name? I place a hand on my chest as I often do when I’m introducing myself.
“Mabel again.”
“Your name is Mabel Again?” He chuckles.
“Mabel McGonigle actually. I was just repeating it for youagainsince—”
“I’ll be there, Mabel Again.”
“You… wait. You will?”
“Sure. I’ll be your… MANicure.”
“Wow!” I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you! Ohmygosh! Really, this is huge! Thank you. Seriously! So grateful! So happy! So—”
“Alright, don’t burst a blood vessel, lady.” He takes another look at the flyer, and an odd look comes over his face when he squints closer at it. He stuffs it in his back pocket and says definitively, “See you there. This has been… how shall I say?” He pauses and considers. “It was…interestingmeeting you.”
“Likewise, Wally.”
He breathes in sharply as though he’s about to protest my use of Wally but then decides to allow it.
I thrust my hand in his direction for a friendly, albeit belated handshake. The one I should have offered him the moment I approached, but I got distracted from my usual good manners somehow. He stares at my hand without touching it. Just as I’m about to pull my arm back to my side, unshaken and embarrassed, he suprises me by reaching out and taking both of my hands in his. His right thumb starts tracing a line across my knuckles, and let me tell you, I feel it… everywhere. It’s like the energy from his body pulses directly into mine, spiraling through my arms, skating up my neck, tingling my hairline, then plunging down my chest, all the way to the tips of my toes.
I stumble on my feet even though neither of us moved. Since he’s still holding both of my hands, he steadies me. He bends his knees and tips his head down so he can look me in the eyes.
“You okay, Mabel?”
“Yeah,” I say, a bit dazed. “Yes. I’m… you remembered my name.”
“Well. You told it to me less than a minute ago. So.”
“That doesn’t usually matter. People usually find me pretty…”
“Pretty what?” His brow furrows slightly.
