Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“That’s perfect. She’ll be sleeping in your bed, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve only got the one bedroom.” I don’t need to explain further. Savage knows I’ve converted my other two bedrooms into a gym and a recording studio. I continue, “If I can’t make it happen while Ruby’s sleeping next to me for a whole week, maybe I’ll have to accept she really does see me like a brother, the same way she sees Titus.”
“No, KC. Failure isn’t an option, like you said. But also like you said, after twelve years of friendship, you have to be strategic here. You can’t be too aggressive with her, or she’s going to wonder what the hell you’re doing.”
“I agree.”
“You have to make Ruby come to you. Seduce her in a way that makes her want to seduce you.”
“Awesome. Yes. This is exactly why I came to you. I need all your fuckboy wisdom.”
He laughs. “You can do this. I know you can. But I think one week to pull this off is bit of a tight squeeze, honestly. Two would be much better. A slam dunk.”
“Well, no shit, Sherlock, two weeks would be better than one. But my hands are tied; her building manager said the work on her place will only take a week.”
Savage pulls a face. “So, call the building manager and bribe him to say he found some mold or something, and the work will take a week or two longer than expected. Easy peasy.”
For a moment, I’m stunned into silence with my jaw hanging open. Finally, I manage, “I couldn’t possibly do that.”
“Why not?”
“Savage, you just made a big deal about how you never keep secrets from Laila.”
“Because she’s my wife. Before that, while I was seducing her, I kept a shit-ton of secrets from her, and she did the same thing to me. And do you know why? Because seduction inherently requires manipulation. Seduction is war. And when it works, that’s the end of the war—the moment when both players lay down their swords and start a whole new game: the actual relationship, which requires full honesty.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
He shrugs. “It’s how it works. Believe me or don’t. It’s up to you.”
“I just want Ruby, Savage. But I don’t want to manipulate her like that. Help me. Tell me what to do.”
“Well, I can tell you what not to do. The exact same thing you’ve been doing for twelve fucking years. You can’t do that and expect to get a different result. Ya feel me? That’s the very definition of insanity.”
I pull a face that concedes he’s got a point. But what I say is, “What do you suggest I do, then? Specifically. Other than bribing her building manager, because I’m not going to do that.”
“I think you should.”
“I’m not doing it.”
“How about I do it for you? That way, you’ll have plausible deniability.”
“Never say ‘plausible deniability’ in my presence again. You sound like a psychopath when you say that, man.”
Savage laughs, while I lean my head back and exhale.
“Just tell me what to do to get a different result than the one I’ve gotten for the past twelve years.”
He exhales. “It’s pretty simple, really. You have to make things feel sexually charged between you. Show her some skin, every chance you get. Work out shirtless. Come out of the bathroom after a shower, wet and wearing nothing but a towel. Show her the merchandise, man. Remind her you’re Kendrick fucking Cook. Show her why every other woman on the planet wants you.”
“That’s not going to work.”
“Kendrick, have you seen yourself?”
“Dude, Ruby’s seen me. A million times. She’s been looking at me for twelve years, including countless times half-naked in a bathing suit.”
“It’ll be different when she’s staying with you. When it’s just you and her, and she’s sleeping in your bed every night.” He winks. “Make things feel sexual, whenever you can, and when you show her some skin, it’ll hit different for her. I guarantee it. Especially if you touch her a lot, too. You know, brush hair out of her eyes. Scoot past her in the kitchen and make contact when you do. Oh, and talk about sex with her, however you can squeeze it into conversation. Do all that, and she’ll eventually give you an obvious green light. I promise you. And when she does that, you need to be ready to go for it without hesitation. Without over-thinking it. Just go for it. Seize the moment when she serves it up to you.”
My heart is racing. “This could work.”
“I know it will.”
“Add to the list, I’ll pretend to have insomnia every night, so she’ll cuddle me.” I explain the whole thing about Ruby’s theory, and Savage agrees it’s a fantastic addition to the overall plan.