His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 62: Hone Your Craft

Chapter 62: Hone Your Craft

** Harper **

May was extra nice and insisted on giving Harper both books for free, so Harper thanked her again and tucked the gifts into her purse. The two editors chatted a bit more about their work projects before more people showed up at the booth, and May had to shoo them away to tend to her post.

"Well. That was a cool learning experience, Mr. Pro." Harper mimicked May’s tone and laughed when Eli rolled his eyes. "Where did that nickname come from anyway? Professional endorsement?"

"A somewhat embarrassing one." Eli shook his head like it was a truly unfortunate tale. "The first week I joined this team, I called May out on a factual mistake she made with ... a certain type of body accessory. It caused a bit of an upheaval in the office, since she had always been assumed the guru in this matter, and it ended up giving me a somewhat undeserved reputation too. People still make fun of us for that."

"... You called out May on a mistake?" Harper gasped. Damn, he really was interested in kinks then. Not only interested, but experienced as well, to be able to contradict experts like May.

"Not from practical experience," Eli clarified, obviously reading Harper’s expression. "Remember I lived on the west coast? Stuff like this isn’t uncommon there at all. They have street fests and carnivals to celebrate these things, where people would just walk around with all the coolest toys they’ve got. I’ve seen enough to know a few facts."

The more he explained, the more Harper grew curious. So he hadn’t tried any of this for himself ... but he must be fascinated by it, if he had spared the time to go to all those festivals. Maybe this had always been something that he secretly wanted to explore ...

"Anyway, enough about nonsense." Eli dismissed further discussion on the topic. "What did May whisper to you about when I was checking out her featured list? And what was that second book she handed to you? I didn’t recognize the cover."

"Oh." There was no way Harper would tell him the truth about May’s advice. "It’s ... just a book to help me hone my craft. May said it has good scenes and smooth writing, so I could probably learn a bit from reading it." To show that she had nothing to hide, she fished the book out of her purse and showed it to Eli.

Eli glanced at it, then threw her a strange look. "She’s not trying to steal your editing business from me, is she?"

"... What? Of course not!" Harper laughed, and she looped an arm through the crook of his elbow, because this was a perfect time for some "casual touches". "No one else can teach me the way you can. And you’ve just proven that you’re even a pro in her niche as well, so who else could I possibly wish for, when I already have the best editor there is?"

She let the praise hang coyly between them as they continued making their way through the crowd.

~ ~

They checked out more book tents, browsed random odds and ends from gift stands, and grabbed a classic fair dinner of smoked turkey legs and funnel cakes. Harper remembered to keep slipping in an "unintentional" flirt or touch, and she was relieved that Eli didn’t seem to have picked up anything out of the ordinary.

Or if he did, he didn’t seem to mind.

The thought gave her encouragement. Her confidence grew, now that she knew she could learn to play this seduction game just as well as anyone else. So once she returned home for the night, she immediately dug into the book May gave her, eager to add something new to her skill sets.

It had been a while since she held a book made of real paper in her hands, and she was quickly lost in it.

The story followed a fake dating trope. The main characters were two friends who struck a deal to pretend to be in a relationship, in order to avoid their families setting them up for stupid dates. They embarked on a journey full of hilariously awkward situations, but as some of those fake dates backfired and created unexpected opportunities for them to get to know each other more, sparks started to fly.

Fake dating wasn’t typically Harper’s favorite. But the plot was funny, easily keeping her turning the pages. She remembered to slow down occasionally though, to pay attention to what May pointed out to her — the differences in the two characters’ perspectives, especially the guy’s inner thoughts.

It became quite obvious what May was trying to show her.

As soon as the storyline progressed to the two characters falling for each other, the girl’s Chapters took on a mellow and romantic tone. Starry eyes, dreamy smiles, feathery touches ... sweet moments that made her want to lean in and brush gentle kisses over the guy’s lips. In a way, Harper found it all too relatable, because that was precisely how she had felt during all those teenage years she spent in a crush.

The guy’s Chapters, on the other hand, were completely different. His attention was on the fullness of her lips when she talked, the softness of her breasts when they hugged, the curve of her hips when she walked. And the language he’d use for those various body parts ... was not the type of "soft smut" language that Harper would use, either in writing or real life.

Not to mention the fact that, even though the book was a slow burn and hadn’t gotten to a sex scene yet, there were already multiple Chapters of the guy doing unspeakable things in the shower while entertaining certain wild fantasies, and what the girl had done in those wild fantasies were truly, mind-blowingly wild.

Harper got it then. Not that she believed in sexist stereotypes, but there was some truth in saying that men tend to be more ... physical, when it comes to attractions. It was a crucial part of the relationship for them, and if this book was right, it was also something they yearned for in return from their partners.

Was that what May was trying to tell her? That in order to seduce a man — especially a bad boy like Eli — she should first learn to become a bad girl and tempt him with desires and fantasies?

But ... how could she even go about it, if Eli had made hard rules especially against "real sex"?

Harper closed the book and spent the rest of the night pondering.

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