“Good advice for anyone, honey.”
Bones of Spring (WIP) – Chapter 58 – Excerpt
“All right,” Dionne said as he made his way over. “You’ve sorted out your little quarrel. Now it’s time for work.”
Whatever sexual charge and enjoyment Kat felt out of dancing with her partner was quickly and efficiently crushed by the major’s resumption of her education. He not only critiqued her, but also Fisher, which amused her to no end.
“Don’t lead with your dick,” he told him. “I know you want to impress everyone with your hip mobility, but show a little discipline.”
Kat knew without needing to be told that Fisher’s erotically charged style was not something he’d be changing any time soon, but also sensed that this was a pre-existing rapport between these men. She was content to study it until it was time for her instructions.
“And you, don’t let him distract you or he’ll just run you over like a locomotive.”
“I thought movement was the point,” Kat observed as they began to pack up. “Not winning awards.”
“Yes, for you two it is,” Dionne said frankly. “But you need to be able to observe your surroundings. You need to be able to switch partners. You need to be able to put this feeling, what you two have, on other partners if need be.”
It was this last thought that stuck with her as Fisher drove them back to the hotel in his dark green Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
“I’m never going to be seductive the way you are,” she told him. “I don’t think anyone is. ”
“One of these days you really will have to accept that you are sexy, Kat. It’s not just that you’re a bombshell, it’s the way you look at the world like you’re going to make it beg for mercy.”
“There’s nothing attractive about a limp.”
“That’s not the point,” he said as he slowed for the light, then turned to her. “When I was starting out, I knew a Parisian man with a stutter. Brilliant, a bit shorter than average, attractive but nothing you’d call Hollywood. He walked through doors like he had a key to the city. Women couldn’t get into bed with him fast enough. He could use his speech impediment to make people think he was stupid, or he could use it to make them think he was harmless. Or he would just not acknowledge it. But when he chose to, he could make it hypnotic.”
“It’s not the same,” Kat insisted.
“It is,” he said, looking at her. “That’s your stutter, Kat. You have to use it differently, and you’ll understand how to interact productively with different people based on how they view you. If a man does express disgust or discomfort around you, what does that say about him?”
Kat shrugged. “I don’t know, that he’s a bastard.”
“It says that he’s afraid of you.”
She sat back in the caddy’s comfortable leather seat and considered this in silence for a little while. She’d dealt with such men in the field of war, had used her limp to distract, to mislead. She’d taken advantage of the assumptions of her weakness time and time again. It wasn’t so different, really. It was the possibility of being found desirable that challenged her more.
“All right. But I don’t know how to make it sexy.”
“Don’t try,” he advised. “People see someone who’s different, who’s confident, and their limitations take on their own charm.”
“Is that what you saw?” she said with a wry smile.
“I saw a woman with whose talent and experience were vastly underused.”
She snorted. “I’m a good shot and I’ve got an ear for languages. It’s hardly a key to the city.”
“You are an avalanche, my dear. You can fascinate a man even as you’re coming towards him in all of your wrath. You have power. That includes sex. Don’t take it for granted.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Is that an order from my commanding officer?”
Fisher paused to consider the answer for a little too long, and failed to notice the light had changed. A chorus of horns shrieked behind them. He quickly turned his attention back to the road, his mouth pressed into flat line that couldn’t entirely conceal his smile. His hand went to her knee, fingertips light as they moved the hem of her skirt up a few inches, making her shiver.
“Good advice for anyone, honey.”