As if Leo saw my thoughts, he added, “How bad could it be?”
I didn’t add the part about Jean-Pierre being with the French mafia and being called the Butcher. It was best to keep that quiet.
But, how bad could it be?
“I’d have a body guard with me.”
“Good.” Leo nodded.
“If there’s something that I don’t want to do, then I’m not going to do it.”
He blew out smoke. “Have you discussed that with him?”
“No.”
“You should, before you start.”
“Good point.” I swallowed. “Fuck it. You’re right.”
“You have to take care of yourself. Don’t get lost in some shit that you don’t want to be a part of.”
“I won’t.”
“It doesn’t matter how much money you get if you lose your soul.”
“True.”
“So, don’t give it to him.” Leo handed the blunt back to me.
“I promise.” I took the blunt, inhaled, and then exhaled a cloud of smoke. “I won’t give him my soul.”
“And here’s some advice about men.”
“Oh wow.” I leaned against the counter. “I’ve got to hear this.”
“We men are putty in your hands. We’d do just about anything for you, if you bat your eyelashes at us.”
I bat my lashes. “Like this?”
“Absolutely not. That looks like you had something in them.” He winked. “Forget your eyelashes. The point is that seduction is about making him want you, not necessarily letting him have you.”
“O-kay. I’m following.”
“Right now, he wants you so bad that he’ll pay six figures to have you.” Leo smiled. “But that’s when the games begin.”
“I should make you my pimp.”
“How about I be your Seduction Consultant?”
“Sign me up.” Coughing, I took another hint of the blunt and handed it back to him. “So, you’re saying don’t just have sex with him right off the bat.”
“It’s interesting that we link seduction with sex, when true seduction is the opposite of sex. You know?”
“No.”
“Sex is when desire is met. Seduction is not about the gratification of desire. It’s about the thrill of the desire.”
“The game,” I said.
“Yes. Desire coming closer, and closer, and closer.”
“So, to keep him interested, you maintain that tension of wanting for a long, long time? And what if I end up sleeping with him the first night?”
“Doesn’t matter. He doesn’t own the pussy. This is why women can seduce a man they’ve never kissed, and later that day, seduce another man that they’ve been with for years. Men are lusty animals.”
“Tell me more. Tell me more.” I jumped up. “I’m getting wine.”
“Whether you have sex with him or not, you have to hit him with the sexy eyes.”
“Okay.” I grabbed a bottle off the counter and brought the wine over with two glasses.
“Your eyes have to tell him everything about how you’re feeling. That shit is so sexy. Eyes are a woman’s biggest weapon.”
“So, I’m staring at him…and I’m thinking about how hot he is, and all the things I want to do to him?”
“Yes.” Leo gave me the blunt and took over pouring us glasses of wine. “And you have pretty eyes, so that’ll work on him. The first time I met you, I considered fucking you for one minute.”
“But I don’t have a penis.”
“There’s always that part.” He handed me my glass of wine. “Yeah. That’s lesson number one in this bloody escapade you’re about to get into.”
“Give him the fuck-me eyes?”
“Yes.” He cheered my glass. “That’s all I have for now. When you’re talking to him, don’t get nervous. No matter what. You’re always better off looking him directly in the eyes.”
Sighing, I took a gulp of the wine.
“You can do it.”
I nodded and took another sip.
“Oh, and this gets men too.” He set the glass down, gave me an intense stare for a quiet minute, and then he turned away, looking at something else.
“What just happened?”
“That hooks guys all the time. Give him that prolonged eye contact for a good bit of time, and then look away. That’ll make him crazy to get your attention back on him.”
“This is good.”
He scratched his head and the humor in his face left. “I hope it is good.”
“It will be, Leo.”
“Are you sure?”
“I think it will be.”
“Stay safe, Eden. I’m serious.”
“I will.”
He left his side of the counter, walked over to me, and pulled me into a big hug. “I’ve got your back, no matter what. I’ll never judge. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Call me anytime.”
“I will.”
The rest of the night went brighter, as Leo and I reminisced on our crazy symphony days.
He mentioned that he had a few interviews coming up as a musical instructor for a community college in another state. I was excited, but nervous. If he took the job, he would be gone. It was selfish to want to keep him here, but I knew that my getting the money would also be a way to have him remain at the place.
I could pay rent for both of us.