Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) (8 page)

Uh oh, it was
what I’d thought. I hesitated, handing her the next dress to try on. After
taking a seat on the stool in the corner of the large dressing room, I finally
found my voice again. “I need a little background information first, McKenzie.”
Watching her sigh, I shook my head at the first dress she’d tried on. “Not that
one. Try the pink and white one.”

“I have a crush
on someone and I’m tired of only being friends.”

“Someone at
school?” Before I gave advice, I needed to find out who she was trying to
seduce. The last thing I needed was for Brian to discover I’d given his baby
sister advice on how to blow her professor.

“No, someone
from home. I’ve known him a long time, but he still sees me as a kid.”

I arched a brow
and looked at the flattering dress she was modelling. “Turn around let me see.”

She was such a
naturally pretty girl with her long, sandy blonde hair and puppy-dog eyes like
her brother’s. She wore no makeup, and yet her face was flawless. She only
needed to learn to flatter her lean body better.

“I like this
dress on you.”

Kenzie looked in
the mirror and frowned. “I want something a little more sexy.”

Shaking my head,
I reminded her, “You’re attending a wedding shower on a boat filled with women.
Who exactly do you want to be sexy for?”

She grinned
sheepishly. “Good point. But I want the dress for the wedding to be a little
more—you know.”

Yeah, I did
know. She was a young woman trying to pull it together and look like a grown
up. I’d been there. “How much older is this guy you have a crush on?”

It wasn’t a good
sign when she paused. “Eight years, technically, but—”

“Eight years,
Kenzie? Please tell me he isn’t one of your teachers or someone you work for?”

“No. Our
families have known each other for a long time, and eight years isn’t all that
much. Look at Josh and Haylee. She’s only a year older than I am, and their gap
is larger.”

She had a point.
“True, however that’s not the norm.”

“I know. But you
should have seen them at the Christmas Eve party together. You could feel the
love between them, you know. And with the exception of my awful sister-in-law,
Rebecca, there wasn’t one person there who thought about their age difference.”

I wouldn’t
disagree. Haylee and Josh complemented one another fully. “Wait, back up. What
did your sister-in-law say?”

She proceeded to
try on a lavender dress which suited her coloring very nicely. “She’s a bitch
and trash talks her behind her back, saying Haylee is a gold digger and that
she trapped Josh.”

“I see. Is she
coming to the wedding?”

“Unfortunately
she is. Anyhow, she’s jealous because she’s miserable with my oldest brother.
What do you think of this one?” She looked at herself in the mirror.

I walked over
behind her and held up the back of her hair. We both looked in the mirror at
the image. “Perfect for a beach wedding. It’s subtle sexy, which is what you
want.”

“Will you give
me some advice on what to do to get his attention, pretty please?”

Now I knew why
Brian was hard pressed ever to say no to his sister. I might not be able to
ever offer relationship advice, but over the years I had inadvertently mastered
the technique of getting a man’s attention.

“All right. Come
on, then. We have some more shopping to do.”

She hugged me
exuberantly, practically squealing in delight.

***

An hour later, McKenzie
had new underwear, bras, and a couple cute outfits that she could wear both to school
or out in the evening. And the most important thing: shoes. I talked her into
two pair and told her to practice walking in them that night.

“Thank you for
doing this. I know I kind of put you on the spot to take me shopping today,”
she said when we got to Sephora in search of makeup.

“I love
shopping, and I’m having a good time, Kenzie.” I was enjoying myself. It was
like having a younger sister. One who wanted to spend time with me. A pang of
regret hit me over the current tension with Addison. I checked my phone, but
she’d stopped calling after several unanswered attempts.

“When do I get
the actual seduction advice? I mean, all of these clothes are great, but if I
flounder like an idiot, none of it is going to matter.”

I swiped my
card, opting to pay for her makeup myself as a gift instead of having Brian
pick up that, too. Considering he’d already been generous with the clothes and
shoes, I didn’t want to push it. “I’ll tell you on the car ride home.”

She nodded,
eager to leave with her bags in hand. “Thank you for the makeup. It was very
generous. But, um, you’ll teach me how to put this crap on my face, right?” She
eyed the cosmetics dubiously.

“Yes, of course.
And you’re welcome,” I smiled.

We got into the
car, and I turned towards the younger woman. “Okay, you ready for the one thing
you need to know about seduction?”

She nodded, enthusiastic
to hear whatever I was about to say.

“It’s simple.
You need to stop trying.” I’d learned this unintentionally due to my social
anxiety. Ironically, my inability to be charming came across as playing hard to
get. This made most men more interested than ever.

She frowned.
“What?”

“You have to
stop trying. Tell me the truth. Does he know he’s your crush?”

“Probably. He
used to tease me about it when I was younger. I’m sure he still knows I’ve got
feelings.” She sighed, obviously not liking that fact.

“That’s the
first obstacle. You’ve got him up on this pedestal, Kenzie, and I have news for
you. If you keep him up there as your crush, he’s not incentivized to get down
and be part of the real world. Relationships aren’t easy.” From what little I
knew about them. “What could be better for a man’s ego than to have a woman
adore him and not have to deal with any obligation?” I started the car and we exited
the mall.

She thought
about it for a while. “I get your point. Maybe I should sleep with someone else
and try to make him jealous?”

Ugh. This was
dangerous ground, I realized as I drove onto the highway towards Brian’s house.
“Absolutely not. First of all, it won’t make you feel better, and secondly, it
won’t get the reaction you’re looking for. However, you should go out on dates
and with your friends. Let him see you looking great, feeling good, and not
putting him as the center of your attention. Even if you have to go to
Starbucks at nine o’clock on a Friday night to sit by yourself, make him think
you’re out. And let him know it’s none of his business with whom.” No one knew
that I came home from the gym on Fridays and completely crashed on my couch
while eating something indulgent. It was all about the image, and who was
better at hiding behind it than I was?

“Okay. I can do
that. What else? Part of me wants to try kissing him and see if there’s a
spark.”

I smiled. “Then
you need to figure out a plan to make that happen. However, you most likely
will only get one shot, Kenzie. Don’t take it on a whim because you’ve had too
much to drink or because you’re anxious. Once you put it out there, it’s staying
out there. If you make your move too soon, then it could be years before the
timing may be right again, if at all.” I knew that lesson all too well.

“It’s kind of
hard to be patient, but I get your point. What happens once I do go for it?”

I shrugged. “He
either reacts with; ‘whoa, that’s not how I feel’ or there’s something there.”

“But what if he
rejects me?”

This was the
tough part. The probability of getting hurt was high if he hadn’t indicated to
her over the years that he might feel more. “Then you put on your big girl
panties and take it on the chin. But at least then you’ll know for sure, and
you can move on. I assume no guy in the meantime can hold a candle to your
crush?”

She nodded. “I’m
going to get hurt; I can feel it.”

“If you tell
your brother what I’m about to say, I’ll kill you.” If I was dishing out
advice, I might as well go all the way.

She glanced
over, curious, as we pulled into Brian’s driveway. “I won’t say a word. I
promise.”

“Okay. You get a
big glass of wine, buy yourself a good vibrator, and you say to hell with him.
If he can’t realize that you’re a catch, McKenzie, then it’s his loss. You are
too pretty, too smart, and way too special for you to allow any man to make you
feel like shit.” And there were the words of wisdom from my father when he’d
spoken with his teenage girl back in the day. Minus the addition of the
vibrator and wine, of course.

She grinned. “I
knew you and I would be fast friends.”

***

Later that
night, Brian and I flirted while watching television downstairs, but because
his sister had hung out with us, the opportunity for anything else wasn’t
plausible. Our flight was early tomorrow, so we all turned in.

Now I lay in his
bed, sexually frustrated. I needed to know what else I was getting into in
order to make a decision. Reaching for my phone, I texted him.

“I need to know
the rest of the rules. All of them.”

I was surprised
when my phone rang in response. “Are you seriously calling me from the
basement?”

“You texted me
from upstairs, and yes, it’s easier to talk then to type. Plus I don’t trust
myself not to touch you if we have this conversation in person.”

“I’m trying hard
not to take offense at that statement.” Part of me wanted to go down there
naked and see what he’d do.

“It’s the
hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I’m in this for long-term gain, not
short-term satisfaction.”

“Your bed is
sure comfortable,” I teased, enjoying the sound of his groan.

“You’re killing
me, Sasha.”

“You’re the one
with the rules. Are we doing this? Taking it to this next level?” It was
surreal that I was entertaining the idea. Something about falling into bed with
him after a few drinks sounded reasonable, but embarking on an arrangement in
which there were rules felt a lot more official.

“You tell me? I
know that Juliette kind of freaked you out today.” His voice had a soft, sexy
tone.

“Yeah, a little.
I’m better now, but I’m still on the fence about the rest of the rules.” I
wished I could turn off the lingering doubts.

“And what would
sway you to jump on over?”

“I need to know
all of it.”

“Okay, yes, the
rules. Are we agreed on the first few?”

“Yes, I think
so.” Fuck before fighting, ask policy, and no dating other people. Sure, I
could do that.

“Rule four is
that we don’t spend more than two weeks without having a night together.”

“That’s going to
be tough considering our work schedules, clients, and your travel.”

“I come to New
York at least once per month. We both have airline mileage we can use every
other weekend. And maybe we could take a vacation somewhere together in a few
months.”

The thought of a
trip sounded wonderful, especially one that was with someone. “All right, every
two weeks. We can both make the effort.”

“I have a few
more things we should go over, but in the meantime why don’t you tell me
yours?”

“I don’t know my
rules yet.”

“Okay, how about
you think about them?” His voice went an octave lower, making my heart beat
faster. “I’ll let you get some sleep. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight,
Brian.” I lay there for a few seconds and then realized he still hadn’t told me
all of them. I cursed into my pillow. He was drawing this out way too long. I
decided not to play fair and texted him.

“Your bed smells
like you which is NOT very conducive for sleep.”

“Part of my
seduction technique.”

“It’s working.
Matter of fact I’m touching myself right now.”

I was pleased
with my out of character bluntness and then jumped when my phone rang. When I
answered it, he didn’t give me the chance to speak.

“Another rule is
no masturbating unless I’m involved,” he ground out.

“Call me crazy,
but isn’t the whole point of
self
-pleasure to
not
have someone
else a part of it?”

“Yes, but I want
to participate in all of your pleasure, which includes that. We can do it over
the phone, instant messaging, maybe FaceTime, or my favorite, in person while I
watch.”

All of a sudden
I was hot and bothered. I wondered if perhaps I could get off with only my hand
while he talked to me. “So why don’t you come up here and watch, then?” I
challenged, hardly believing I had done so. He was making me more adventurous
for sure.

His breath
hissed out. “You’d better not be touching yourself.”