“He’s probably not thinking of me as more than a hook up either.”
“Depends on the rack.” I grinned. “But fair enough. No sexting. Any others?”
She hesitated before answering, looking away. “Date men in his circle of friends.”
“Who wrote this trash?” I asked, grabbing the magazine and flipping to the article finding the rules she’d just mentioned. Dirty little trick: date his friends. When he sees that other men want you, he’ll stop seeing you as a friend.
“You want to know how to get out of the friend zone or not be a random hook up? Stop reading articles like this. This woman probably lives alone with fifty hamsters.”
“Hamsters?”
“Yeah, I know people always say cats, but I like cats.”
Smiling, she seemed to relax a bit. “You seem pretty sure. What are your credentials and why should I listen to you?”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-two.”
“College?”
She nodded.
“I’m thirty-four and I’m not sure that advice would even work on me. Look, guys your age are preoccupied with parties and fun. You’re asking him to work for it when there’s practically a buffet line of other, delectable options.”
She scoffed.
“Look, I’m certainly no expert on relationships, but I know that,” I handed the magazine back to her, “is crap.”
“Okay, I give. What do you think a girl that finds herself in this situation should do?”
“Well without knowing the situation exactly, I’d say for starters this girl should find excuses to hang around the guy as much as possible. If you aren’t around, he’ll find someone else. And I don’t mean hang out together playing Xbox in sweat pants, although, something tells me you could pull that off,” I said, letting my eyes graze over her again. “You want to dress to get his attention – dresses or skirts, high heels, hair down, just a touch of makeup. And, absolutely do not sleep with his friends. It might make him jealous, but it also makes you just another easy lay.”
“That’s it?”
The unbelieving look on her face caused a laugh to rumble in my chest. “It’s not a perfect list, there are always other considerations like personal preferences and chemistry, but we’re simple creatures.”
“A woman being in the same room as you, dressed nice, who hasn’t slept with your friends. That’s all it takes to get your attention?”
“My attention? Nah, but I’m not your target audience. Contrary to popular belief, we men do mature as we age.”
“What does it take for a woman to get your attention?”
Surprised by the question, I thought for a moment not coming up with any good answers. “I’ll keep you posted when I figure it out. So, tell me about the guy.”
She hesitated for just a moment. “His name is Todd. We run in the same circles, have mutual friends, usually end up at the same parties. We’ve become friends, I guess, over the years.”
“You guess?”
“I mean not friends exactly. We don’t braid each other’s hair and watch Gossip Girl, but we have some classes together and we’ve gotten to know each other over the years. We flirt, we always hang out at parties – it’s like we’ve been dancing around each other for years.”
“Interesting,” I said wondering why this guy hadn’t made a move. “He’s never tried to get you in bed?”
“What?” She looked around like she was worried about the sweet old ladies in front of us hearing our conversation. “No, of course not.”
“Sorry, I forgot people aren’t that up front in our twenties. Let me re-phrase, does he hit you up with texts at the end of the night or put himself near you when it’s time for everyone to leave?”
Squirming in her seat, her unease was apparent. So was my answer. I had no doubt the guy in question was into her and was making a play, however subtle and indirect, to sleep with her. A heaviness settled on my chest at the thought of this beautiful and inexperienced young woman fumbling into bed with some jackass.
“You sure you want to be with Ted? He sounds like an idiot.”
“Todd. And yes, he’s great. He comes from a well-respected family, he’s captain of the squash team, pre-med…” Her voice trailed off.
Nodding, it was my turn to squirm. I disliked the guy more with every new tidbit she threw my way. I knew Todd’s type. Arrogant, rich, entitled. I’d dealt with them my entire life.
“Well,” I cleared my throat. “A guy like Tim is going to have expectations and pressure to be with a certain kind of woman, at least one he plans to keep around long-term. Keep the clothing tasteful – no tube tops or miniskirts and nothing like whatever it is you have on now. No offense, but where did you get that dress?” I didn’t wait for an answer, but the flush that had gathered in her cheeks spread down her neck.
I continued, “He’s probably used to women fawning over him, so don’t throw yourself at him, but stay in his line of vision and have something ready to say when he does approach you. Mention his last match or ask about his future plans. Be interested in him and let him see that there’s more to you than a pretty face. You want to be good enough to introduce to his parents, but sexy enough to make him the envy of all his buddies. Give him a little physical contact – nothing too aggressive, just light touching to show you’re interested.”
“What if that doesn’t work?”
“It’ll work.”
“How can you be so sure?”
I shrugged and bit back the obvious. He’d be a fool to let this girl get away from him.
“What’s your name, Tad’s girl?”
“Bianca. And his name is Todd.”
“Nice to meet you, Bianca. Court.” I offered her my hand which she took and lightly squeezed.
“What do you do, Court?” She withdrew her hand and pointed at the laptop still closed on my tray table.
“Risk assessment. I help companies identify potential risks that could lower cash flow or create higher insurance rates and then implement plans and strategies so neither of those things happen. Not as exciting as pre-med.” I cut myself off, feeling ridiculous for feeling less than some egg head who, statistically speaking, was not very likely to actually become a doctor.
“You’re travelling for work, or…?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I live in New York, but I fly out every month or so to see a client. What were you doing in the city?”
“I went home for Spring break to visit my family.”
“From New York City and you didn’t go to NYU? Shocking.”
“I wanted a more rigorous engineering program. Plus, my parents wanted me to get out on my own.”
“Impressive. And an engineer, huh? Beauty and brains.”
The speakers crackled, and the captain welcomed us to Connecticut while I watched Bianca bite her lip and wring her hands.
“You seeing Tom tonight?”
She raised her eyebrows at my failure to say the right name but didn’t correct me this time. “Yeah, there’s a party to celebrate everyone coming back from Spring break.”
“Don’t wear that,” I said dryly, motioning at her outfit and wishing I could see her done up to impress.
She pulled out her cell and held it with two hands tapping furiously with both thumbs. “No tube tops, no miniskirts, have something to say, light touches…”
“You’re taking notes?”
“I’m a good student.”
Pulling out my card, I handed it to her, our fingertips touched as I held on longer than necessary. “How about you just call me if you need a refresher course.”
Thank you for reading this excerpt of Electric Blue Love. To continue reading, download Electric Blue Love.
Also by Rebecca Jenshak
Smart Jocks
The Assist
The Fadeaway
The Tip-Off
Sweetbriar Lake
Sweat
Spar
Stand-Alones
> If Not for Love
Electric Blue Love
About the Author
Rebecca Jenshak is a self-proclaimed margarita addict, college basketball fanatic, and Hallmark channel devotee. A Midwest native transplanted to the desert, she likes being outdoors (drinking on patios) and singing (in the shower) when she isn't writing books about hot guys and the girls who love them.
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The Fake: A College Sports Romance (Smart Jocks #4) Page 26
