His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 61: Intro for Newbies

Chapter 61: Intro for Newbies

** Harper **

"I’m just a newbie exploring untrodden grounds ... So anything goes, but maybe be gentle on the shock level?" Harper casually avoided answering May’s question directly.

May gave her a meaningful look. "I find it hard to believe that anyone mentored by Eli could be called a newbie." Her eyes slid toward the man. "He’s quite seasoned across various niches, despite being relatively new to our team. Isn’t that so, Mr. Pro?"

... Mr. Pro? Harper glanced his way curiously. Was that a compliment to his literary editing skills, or ... something else?

"Don’t mislead Harper here," Eli said to May. "I make customized plans to work with all my clients. Her eyes are still quite innocent."

Oh. Harper’s innocent eyes widened. Just what level of "pro"ness were they talking about, if she was still considered innocent? That was such a blow to a self-proclaimed steamy romance author.

May considered the statement with equal doubt. "Hmm ... If that’s the case, she can start with this one. It’s a pretty solid introduction."

She handed Harper a small paperback. On the cover was a woman’s arms tied up in an intricate pattern of rope knots. The title, somewhat expectedly, was Bound.

Harper recalled a couple of books where she’d seen scenes of cuffing and tying someone to the bedpost. Clearly, she wasn’t that innocent like Eli and May thought she was. "I think I’ve read stuff like this before," she clarified, eager to mend her image. "The basic bondage play, right?"

"More like the ultimate bondage play, starting from beginners and graduating at advanced level." May offered a professional smile. "That’s part of why I asked if you’re reading just for fun or with a purpose to learn. Kinks are trendy these days and a lot of books are doing it to get attention, but most of them only go about it superficially, and sometimes they even get the details wrong. This author, on the other hand, is an experienced sub in real life. Her scenes are accurate and very, very spicy."

That was a new perspective Harper hadn’t considered before. But it made sense, now that she thought about it — anyone could imagine how it’d feel to be tied up and gagged, but to get the nuances right, especially for the readers who might already be experts themselves, would require either lots of research or real experience. It was the same idea behind the ups and downs of her own web novel.

"Thanks, I do appreciate a proper introductory course." Harper flipped the book to the back cover, curious to see the author bio and acknowledgements. "Is this one of the books you’ve edited? The author must’ve been pleased to hear such high praises from her editor."

"Actually, the author is a friend of mine." May chuckled at that. "We’re in the same club."

It took Harper a moment to grasp the meaning of it. "Oh ... Of course, I should’ve known!" The dots suddenly connected. "You are an expert in real life too, aren’t you? No wonder you’re so good in this niche and can tell when things aren’t done right."

May was about to reply when, from the corner of her eye, she saw Eli picking up a book from the booth’s featured shelf. "Whoo, Mr. Pro." She whistled, her attention immediately caught. "You’ve leveled up. Interested in the hardcore stuff now?"

Harper followed suit to stare at the book in Eli’s hands. The cover was a blindfolded girl cuffed up spread-eagle against a wall. Her figure was blurred into the background, whereas the focus of the image was on a table in front of her laden with tools — chains, whips, clamps, plugs ... and lots of others that Harper didn’t even recognize.

Her jaw must’ve dropped, because Eli immediately put the book back when he saw her face. "Marketing studies," he said nonchalantly. "The next time someone asks me what Editor May monopolizes in, I’ll be able to give a more accurate answer."

May snorted. Harper cocked her head to the side, contemplating.

Were they simply joking, or was Eli really interested in this kind of play? She hadn’t picked up any hint of such traits from him, but he was the adventurous type, and given the "bad boy" impression that everyone else had been pointing out to her ... she wouldn’t be surprised if he was into something like this.

What would she do if that was really the case? She never thought of herself as a kinky person. But maybe ... she could learn? Would it be worth a try if she could possibly impress him with some unconventional passion to share?

Eli had picked up another book as she pondered the thought. On her other side, May cleared her throat. "I also have some other recs for you that aren’t in this niche," she said to Harper. With a knowing smile, she lowered her voice and added in a whisper, "You don’t have to go for kinks to impress a guy, my dear. But what you should consider is to understand what they want in the bedroom. Your web novel shows it — your Chapters from the guy’s perspective are clearly less popular than the ones from the girl’s. Have you noticed?"

Harper blinked. Was May giving her relationship suggestions after reading her mind from the way she was looking at Eli?

Mindreader May winked and pressed another book into Harper’s hands. "This one does a really good job on the male perspective," she continued. "Give it a try and see what you can learn from it. Pay particular attention to his inner language and fantasies, and you’ll probably see a lot of things you can apply to your own situation."

Oh yes. May was totally giving her relationship advice, disguised as an editor’s recommendation.

"T-Thank you," Harper said, a little embarrassed that she was once again seen through so easily. But at least, it was refreshing to talk to someone who was experienced and observant but also so subtle about it, unlike their mutual friend Chelsea.

May waved a hand. "Sure thing, that’s what my job is today anyway — to introduce newbies to new tropes." She made a suggestive glance toward Eli, who was still busying himself with the bookshelf on the other side of the booth. "Just don’t forget to thank me when you get somewhere, hmm?"