The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story (7 page)

Ellie nodded as she snatched a sweater from the rack near the door and draped it over her arm. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

He slid his palm lower to the small of her back and guided her out the door. “Failure,” he whispered in her ear in regard to her answer. Pulling back, he waved to her mother. “See you, Mrs. Harper.”

Cindy waved with an amused expression on her face. “Try to have a good evening,” she called out optimistically. With a final wave, she shut the front door behind them.

“Good luck,” Ellie grumbled under her breath. As they approached the car, she reached for her door handle, but he cut her off.

“Allow me.” He nudged her hand away and opened the door for her, stepping back so she could climb inside.

The nasty look he received was not what one would wish for on a date. “Really, Alec,” she complained. “You’ve driven me places a thousand times before. You’ve never—”

Her refusal to play along was starting to piss him off. To get her full attention, he took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. “What part of ‘
this is a date’
do you not get?” She opened her mouth to respond, but he held a hand up to cut her off. “I’m judging your every move, and so far, you’re not doing so hot. Put on your big girl panties and suck it up. I might not be your ideal date, but I’m doing my best. You asked for my help. Now take it seriously.”

Ellie gaped at him with a shocked expression, as if she’d only now just realized she wasn’t being a very good date. Her cheeks flushed at the reprimand, and she mumbled an apology. “I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be apologizing on the first date,” he said darkly. As soon as she was safely seated inside the car, he slammed the door shut behind her. He didn’t know why he was so angry with her. It wasn’t as if he had any personal stake in her evening with Jake. If she refused to take things seriously and screwed up with him, it was her own fault.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his anxious emotions. Shit, it was like he was on a real date the way he was acting so edgy. He needed to nip that in the bud. He was here to help Ellie, not get annoyed with her for not following his expected script.

He climbed into the car and started up the engine. As he did, Ellie shot him a contrite smile. “This is a really cool car. Where did you get it?”

A grin of his own spread across his lips. She knew damn well where he’d gotten the car, and she also knew he’d been working here and there with his father to get it running. Her faux ignorance meant she was playing along. It was an apology without having to actually voice one again. “I bought it cheap because it was busted and fixed the thing up myself. Me and my old man.”

Her gentle smile never wavered. “It’s lovely.”

Her response tugged at his heart, as they were both fully aware of his father’s issues and the strained relationship between the two of them. Ellie knew the whole sordid story, and though he’d never voiced it, he knew she understood how much the rare bonding time with Jerich meant to him.

Reaching out, he squeezed her hand, his fingers tightening around hers. “Thanks.” As he glanced at her, he realized this was much more emotion than what he’d felt on any date in the past six months. This meant something more than any of the other bimbos and jock groupies he’d been dating.

Feeling uncomfortable with this discovery, he slipped his hand from hers and turned his attention to the road. What was wrong with him lately? He needed to get his head in the game and stop acting so unlike his usual self.

* * * *

Alec watched Ellie’s face as she stared up at the massive structure that was DeNuzio’s restaurant. He would admit that imitating Jake’s entire date had been painful on his wallet. He hadn’t been entirely sure how he was going to be able to afford it, but the help from his father went a long way in paying the check at the end of the evening.

Even without Jerich’s help, Ellie’s reaction right now was worth it. She was gazing in unadulterated awe at the lavish building, her face lit with delight. She’d protested at first, but he could see just how in love she was with the place, and she hadn’t even stepped through the doors yet. Coming here had been a wise choice. Maybe Jake was on to something.

“Are you ready?” he murmured in her ear as he placed a hand to her back.

Dragging her eyes from the exterior of the restaurant, she beamed up at him. “This place is beautiful. I feel like a princess.”

She looked like a princess. He grinned at her exuberance. “I think that’s the point.” Guiding her inside, he made his way up to the counter to give his name to the maître d’. While she ogled the place a bit more, he figured out where their seats were. When instructed, he followed after a woman dressed in a black pantsuit wearing a pin emblazoned with the restaurant’s name.

Drawing her attention away from décor, Alec took Ellie’s hand as the hostess began leading them toward their table. “Come on, El. We’ve got a table right next to the band.” They approached their very intimate spot, and he gave a polite thank you to the hostess.

Once the hostess had retreated, Ellie tugged at her chair to pull it out, but Alec slapped her hand. “Wrong.” Nudging her out of the way, he pulled the chair out for her. “It’s my job to do that.”

He could tell by the way her shoulders tensed that she was trying very hard not to show her exasperation. She’d never been one for all of the girly rituals, and waiting to have her chair pulled out for her was no doubt an annoyance.

Still, she put forth the effort and took a compliant step back. Waving a hand at the chair, she said, “By all means then.”

Despite her best efforts, there was a mocking yet playful tone to her voice. She
was
put off by his chivalry. He couldn’t help but smile behind her back. She was not a predictable girl, and he found that refreshing. Hopefully Jake would, too.

He bumped his hip good-humoredly against hers as he positioned her chair behind her knees. “You’re finding this far too amusing,” he informed her. “Dating is serious business.”

“I’m just finding date Alec to be comical,” she retorted with a small smile. Sitting down in her chair, she allowed him to help her scoot inward toward the table.

Just as she was nearly situated, there was a loud bang. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Had she just cracked her knee against the table leg?

“Son of a—”

“Don’t you dare curse on our date or so help me…you’re not getting a goodnight kiss!” It was the only date-like threat he could think of spur of the moment.

Ellie looked up from massaging her knee long enough to glare at him. “You’re not getting a kiss whether I curse or not.”

“Ouch.” He followed his complaint with a slap of his palm to the back of her chair. “I hope you don’t say that to Jake, or he’s going to give up real quick.”

“I won’t say that to Jake. I’m sure he won’t smash me into the table.”

“Yes,” Alec said sarcastically. In all of his dates, he’d never once led a girl into the table leg before. This couldn’t have been any fault of his own. It was just that she was so clumsy. “Because he’s so dreamy and perfect.”

“Exactly.” She placed her cloth napkin over her lap and smoothed it out with a smug expression. “He’s perfect.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” He flopped down into his seat with a grunt and lifted his menu for examination. His eyes automatically went to the drink list, and he scrutinized it with Ellie’s future rendezvous in mind.

When the waiter approached their table and inquired into their drink order, Alec answered for both of them. “We’ll both take a glass of apple-raspberry juice. Thank you.”

He could see the outrage on Ellie’s face the instant the words were out of his mouth, but he kept a patiently neutral expression on his face.

As soon as the waiter was out of hearing range, she let loose with her tirade. “What the hell was that?”

“I’m not letting you order soda that’s going to cause you to burp because you’re nervous. Besides, juice is sexier. If you can’t drink wine, you can at least fake the appearance.” In his mind, that was all the explanation that was needed. Before she could argue, he pressed on, delving deeper into the politics of dating.

Over the next half hour, he coached her on what to order, how to behave, and how to keep from unintentionally insulting her date. He could tell she was out of her depth, but she was drinking in all of his advice eagerly. Between the two of them, they might just get her through this. “When in the dating battlegrounds, think paranoid. It will keep your head above water.”

Her eyes widened at such a statement. “Well, that’s a negative outlook.”

It was like she still wasn’t comprehending just how dangerous dating could be. It was a tiring affair. It put a person out there and left them open to being burnt. “This is war, El. You either win or you drown in desperation. Me? I play to win.”

Chapter S
even

Alec was telling a story about blowing up a few pies in the economics room with Matt, and Ellie was giggling like it was the most hilarious tale she’d ever heard. He would guiltily admit that her open delight was a turn on. She didn’t play games. She didn’t lie or tease. She was just…Ellie.

Despite what a horrible date she made, he was finding himself having more and more thoughts that he should not be about his best friend. He was only here as a fill-in for Jake. He had to keep reminding himself of that over and over again. Her feelings for him had never gone beyond that of a sister, and they never would. He needed to keep her agenda in mind and not his own selfish, out of place one.

As he watched her giggle, he brought his mind back around to the concept of a date. If this was real, he would be feeling fairly confident. Still, a confirmation wouldn’t be unappreciated. Feeling mischievous, he placed his elbows on the table and leaned in toward her. “Run your foot up my ankle.”

Not completely unexpected, Ellie gave a choked cough of surprise. “What?” she gasped.

“You’re laughing,” he explained, almost hating himself for the advice he was about to give her. Teaching her to seduce Jake was becoming more and more uncomfortable for him. “You like me, right? Then let me know it’s cool to transition to the next stage. Trust me, Jake isn’t going to make a move unless you give him a sign. There’s nothing more blatant than playing footsie under the table.”

She bit her lip, her eyes filled with uncertainty. “Okay…”

He could tell by the way she dragged the word out that she was nervous about this, so he patiently allowed her to take her time. He leaned back in his chair and attempted to look as innocuous as possible. His supportive efforts apparently went unnoticed, because she kicked him quite suddenly in the shin. He winced as pain shot up the length of his leg. “That just tells me you want me to shut up.”

“Sorry.” Her brows furrowed with concern. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll live. My pride may not after being dissed like that, though.” He kept his tone light. She was trying, after all. With a shake of his head, he slouched down lower in his chair. “You need to ease into it, El. Be gentle.” Using his lounged position to his advantage, he caressed his foot against the side of hers.

She jumped in her seat and her eyes widened at the unexpected sensation.

Alec chuckled and repeated the action. “See? Easy. Sexy. It’s like a French kiss with your foot. Do the work your tongue would normally do.” Even in the dim lighting, he saw her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“I’ve never actually… Well, I’ve never…”

His eyebrows shot up in astonishment at the admission she couldn’t quite get out. “You’ve never French kissed a guy? I knew you were shy around the opposite sex but dang!”

“It’s not that big a deal.”

“It
is
that big a deal,” Alec argued. “You’re about to graduate high school, and you’ve never been good and kissed!” He studied her for a moment in silence. An idea came to him that he felt was almost a necessity. “Wanna try it?”

“Ew, no! I’m not doing…
that
for the first time in front of a restaurant full of strangers!”

He shrugged. “Your loss.” That was probably safer anyway. His already confused head didn’t need him doing anything more to add to its lack of clarity where she was concerned. If he could make it out of this evening without doing anything stupid, things would go back to normal. They had to. Returning the conversation to their feet, he said, “Just try to do your best then. Move your foot against mine in a gentle caress. Don’t make it any more than a light brush, or it’s like you’re blatantly asking him to take you to some sleazy motel for sex.”

“Oh really, Alec,” she complained with a huff. “That’s just silly.”

He shook his head, knowing from experience he was correct. “Slutty girls play full on footsie. Don’t do it.”

She rolled her eyes, but a moment later, he felt her foot nudging his under the table. It sent a jolt of electricity through his leg. Instinctually, he responded. His shoe rubbed against the side of her high heel, and for a moment, he felt the silkiness of her stocking-covered ankle brushing against his own.

She suddenly jumped away as if burnt. “Okay. I get it. Be subtle. Can we move on to something less creepy?”

“Creepy. Thanks,” he said sarcastically. Truth be told, he was actually quite relieved by her remark. It helped him bring things back into perspective. “After I helped you find a suitable dinner.” Suggesting the crab salad had been genius on his part, but then again, he knew her food preferences almost as well as he knew his own.