Confidence Building 101 Read online

  She broke off their kiss and peered into the eyes on the stunned high schooler. Stunned might not be a strong enough word for what she was seeing. Bewildered, maybe? Or perhaps flabbergasted was more fitting for his reaction. This sweetheart looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

  “I’m sorry,” she hurried to apologize, her hands dropping back into her own lap. “I got a little carried away.”

  His mouth had yet to move. It simply hung open, frozen by what he’d just experienced. Her tongue had slipped inside his mouth! Not only that, but it played with his own tongue! Incredible amounts of regret rapidly began shooting through his body as he reflected on his lack of reciprocation. He could’ve made out with her, but he sat there like a dork instead. That still didn’t take away from the fact that his cock had never been harder.

  “I just…Kevin! You bit my lower lip!” she emphatically declared.

  His mouth finally closed as he nervously swallowed.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this excited. “That’s my favorite thing in the world! How did you know that!?”

  He stopped himself just before “I didn’t” came out of his mouth. For the first time in his life, he was going to be the cool guy. He casually answered, “I just did.”

  Lisa was all smiles. “Well…wow! Okay…um…I’m-I’m very impressed.”

  Was he making her flustered now? Maybe acting like you know what you’re doing even when you don’t, can be a turn-on for women. Wait, wasn’t that pretty much what she told him? The thing about confidence? He was calling the shots, right? He made the move, he bit her lip, and she loved that he went for it. It was all starting to make sense now.

  “Making out was going to be one of my three surprises,” he told her, smirking like he’d done this a million times before.

  “We can definitely count it,” she said. “I just got a little caught up in the moment. I haven’t had a guy bite my lip in probably ten years, and the last guy who did it made me bleed. He didn’t understand what the word ‘gentle’ meant—unlike you. That was perfect. Okay, two surprises down, and one to go.”

  A coolness unmatched by anything in his life swept over him. “We’re still at one,” he told her with a grin before finding her neck with his hands once again and leaning in for another kiss.

  This time, it was his tongue that moved inside her mouth as she was quick to follow his lead. Their tongues quickly tangled, sharing in a dance of fluid mixing and saliva exchanging on the family room sofa. Twenty-four hours ago he’d sat across the room and watched a football game with his buddy. Now, lightning shot through his veins as he made out with his dream girl. Everything was hot and burning. Even his toes were experiencing vivid sensations from this magical moment. Sharp pins poked all over his body, causing every nook and cranny of his being to feel alive.

  As good as making out with her was, a little boy would go along with what was happening, but not a man. A man would keep her on her toes and give her something she never expected. His hands slipped down to the sides of her arms as his mouth moved to her neck, his lips working closer to her delicate skin before he hit a wall.

  A wall of vanilla.

  He busted through that intoxicating layer of heaven and found her neck. Soft, gentle kisses swiftly turned to stronger, more aggressive lust. His tongue joined his lips as her creamy skin became exposed to everything he had to offer.

  “That feels so good…” she moaned.

  Could he do it? Her pleasurable pants only encouraged him. Would going for it be a step too far? But he’d just made out with her! Actually, she was the one who first made out with him, so maybe this would be okay? This was his exact problem! He thought too much! If she didn’t like it, then she would put a stop to it. He needed to just go for it. After all, that was her advice.

  His left hand grazed along the slick material of her long-sleeve workout shirt until it found her breast. A light squeeze quickly gave way to her hand joining his and removing it from her chest. Well, no one could fault him for trying.

  “Easy, tiger…” Lisa giggled.

  His mouth moved back to her lips and his hands regained their place on her neck. Passionate, sensual kissing filled the next thirty seconds until he pulled back just a few inches and gazed at her face, waiting for her closed eyes to open.

  She finally broke the lock on her eyelids to be greeted by a never before seen pair of dominant brown eyes. This wasn’t the timid kid she’d grown so accustomed to having in her presence. There was a knowing, almost controlling vibe coming from Kevin. In fact, the urge to take things further was becoming an increasingly tougher battle to fight. Perhaps she should’ve let him cop a bit of a feel.

  His hand brushed a few stray strands of brown hair out of her dazzling right eye before leaning in and giving her one last peck on the lips.

  She was blown away after he pulled back from her. “I…you…wow… That was three things alright,” she told him with a girlish titter.

  “Actually, that was four things.”

  Her eyebrows perked up. “Four things?”

  “The lip bite, making out, the neck kisses, and the little peck after we finished,” he said, his voice brimming with confidence.

  “Yeah, I guess it was four,” she smiled, still giddy from the past few minutes. “Actually, I think we’re at five. Someone got a little touchy-feely…”

  He laughed, but this time his eyes didn’t move to the floor or sheepishly look away. This time, they remained locked on her face. “Well, my hands are my second and third pairs of lips, right?”

  She shot him a grin before reaching for her glass of wine. “I’m starting to think that this entire thing was some kind of ruse.” She didn’t really believe that, but his sudden burst of poise was fueling her naughty side. “I bet you have a line of girls waiting for you.”

  Kevin finally dropped his fictional persona. Ms. B wasn’t some high school girl. She wasn’t like any other girl either. She was special, and the last thing he wanted to do was be some kind of arrogant wiseass around her. He respected her too much to act that way.

  “Believe me, there’s no line of girls,” he admitted. “I’m not totally sure what happened. I just felt really comfortable.”

  That was music to her ears. “Awesome! That’s what we want! For you to feel comfortable and confident! Do you understand what I mean about taking charge now? You just went for it instead of waiting for me to tell you what to do. Like the lip bite and the neck kisses—which were both incredible by the way—were things you went for. I loved it and my body told you that. Now, you went for the little boob grab and I wasn’t so on board with that, and I told you.”

  “I apologize for that.”

  “There’s nothing to apologize for at all!” she immediately stated. “I love that you had the balls to go for it. We would’ve had a problem if you kept trying to cop a feel after I pushed you away, but I know you’re not that kind of guy.”

  He retrieved his glass of wine and finished the remainder of the drink. “I shouldn’t have touched you like that. It was out of line. I’m sorry.”

  “Kevin, sweetheart, it’s fine,” she reassured him. “I’m serious. I told you to go for it and I’d give you feedback. Hey, if I was one of your cute eighteen-year-old classmates, then chances are I would’ve let you get a feel. But I’m not. I’m an old lady.”

  There was a genuine look of bewilderment on his face. He was having a hard time comprehending what he’d just heard. “An old lady?”

  “I’m twenty years older than you,” she laughed. “I’m pretty sure that makes me an old lady.”

  He took a moment to consider a list of possible ways to approach this subject. The wine had started to kick in, and he was beginning to feel significantly looser and less tense. Or was his relaxed state a result of having kissed his ultimate fantasy girl? Who knows? Either way, he was on top of the world.

  He decided to stand up and silently head into the kitchen before giving her his two cents. The t
een retrieved the bottle of wine from the refrigerator and carried it back to the couch. He could use a refill before taking this next leap.

  “More wine?” he asked.

  She held out her glass and allowed him to fill it. The bottle swiftly moved to his glass where he filled it to the top, promptly downing half of it.

  “Um…you’re supposed to sip wine, not chug it,” she laughed.

  He was well aware of that. He just needed a little liquid courage to truly speak his mind. “You’re not an old lady.”

  Lisa wasn’t a girl who fished for compliments. She knew that she was attractive; but at the same time, she was thirty-eight years old. No amount of yoga, working out, or healthy eating could make her eighteen again. And spending so much time around her son and his friend made her realize just how old she was. They didn’t even know any of the bands she listened to!

  “Well, I’m not young either…” she said.

  He took another chug of his drink. His glass was down to a quarter full. “You look amazing for your age. Wait, that didn’t sound right. You look amazing for any age.”

  She sipped a small amount of wine from her glass in an attempt to hide her smile.

  “You could be a model or something,” he added.

  She swallowed before rolling her eyes. “Get out of here…”

  “You could!” Kevin passionately argued, starting to show the effects of the alcohol as he finished the rest of his glass before refilling it. “You’re stunning.”

  “Sweetheart, maybe you should slow down,” she said.

  He took another long swig before shaking his head, moving onto more important matters. “I’m fine and I’m totally being serious. You know, every year I look at the swimsuit issue that comes out during the summer, and you’re like a hundred times hotter than those girls. I honestly mean that.”

  Was he drunk? That had to be the explanation for what she was hearing, right? Kevin had been nothing but a gentleman over their eleven years of knowing each other, and the idea of him even calling her beautiful before today seemed crazy. And now look where they were: they’d made out, he’d briefly felt her up, and now he was telling her that she belonged in the annual swimsuit issue. She never would’ve imagined her Friday night turning out like this.

  “Well, that—”

  “There isn’t one girl at our school who’s even in your league,” he interrupted before downing half his remaining glass.

  That one certainly caught Lisa’s attention. “That’s very nice of you to say, but come on…”

  “I’m being serious!” he shouted. “You’re in a completely different league than the rest of the girls at school. Actually, who am I kidding? You’re in a different league than the rest of the female population!”

  Her normal laugh turned to a snort before her hand embarrassingly covered her mouth. She couldn’t help but strongly react to what she’d just heard. It was just so ridiculous.

  The inebriated teen wasn’t above enjoying a few beers at a party from time to time, but he wasn’t exactly a seasoned drinker either; and, well, those two glasses of wine were certainly taking effect. He decided to finish the rest of his drink just for good measure.

  “Are you serious, Ms. B?” he asked. “You’ve been telling me all about confidence, and now you’re going to act shy? I put hot chicks into four groups.”

  Her eyebrows perked up again. This outgoing, brash, drunk side of him was quite a sight to see. In fact, it was somewhat enjoyable. When was the last time a man was this open and honest with her? Other than the assholes at work, of course. She found herself curious as to where he was going with this.

  “You have hot chicks, really hot chicks, super hot chicks, and finally we have Ms. B level hot chicks,” he explained.

  Lisa started laughing.

  “I’m being serious!” Kevin proclaimed while reaching for the bottle of wine again. She pulled it away from him before he could grab it. “Oh, come on! I’m fine!”

  “You’re not fine,” she continued to laugh. “You’re drunk. Your hotness scale only proves that.”

  He definitely didn’t agree with that. “My hotness scale only proves how sober I am. How am I wrong? Now, I would probably put Eva in the ‘really hot chicks’ group, but her personality might bump her up to a ‘super hot chick.’ I’d have to think about it.”

  “Yeah, you should probably do that…” she sarcastically noted.

  “But she isn’t even close to the Ms. B level of hot chicks,” he told her. “In fact, no one is. There’s only one member in that exclusive club.”

  She took a longer sip than usual from her glass as she continued to listen. How fun was this? Everything about it was awesome despite her acting like it was inappropriate. Making out with a cute guy she really cared about, helping him behave more confident and aggressive, and now listening to him talk about how sexy she was? When was the last time she’d spent a Friday night like this? It sure the hell wasn’t when she had some fifty-year-old guy attempting to win her over with his sports car. And Kevin wasn’t even trying to impress her; he was just being honest. At least that’s what she thought was happening. That red wine seemed to be quite the truth serum.

  Kevin set his empty wine glass down on the table and peered into her blue eyes. “You’ve always felt like a second mom to me.”

  Her heart stopped beating. “What?”

  “You really have,” he reiterated. “How many times did I come over on Friday and not leave until Sunday night when I was younger? How many dinners have I ate with you and Scott? How many mornings would I wake up to be greeted with breakfast at the kitchen table? You never complained, or protested, or said a single word about the ridiculous amount of time I’ve spent living in this house. You never bitched about all the food I ate, or when Scott and I would do something that made your life more difficult. I love my mom. I really do. But she can be frustrating at times, and the same goes for my stepdad. This house has always been an escape to me. I always knew that I would be greeted with open arms, and that the world’s most amazing woman would have a big smile on her face when I walked through the door. You’re way more than my buddy’s mom or even a friend. In a way, you’ve been like a mom to me.”

  She was speechless. Moments ago, he’d told her how sexy she was, and now he hit her with this? She felt like a mother to him? A multitude of emotions poured through her body; and to be completely honest, she wasn’t sure how to react.

  “You’re just an unbelievable woman,” he went on, those two and a half glasses of wine now tearing down the last of the walls which protected his true feelings. “You honestly are. You’re so funny, and smart, and awesome to be around. And I don’t want to step out of line here or anything, but I’m being serious about your looks. You’re like the hottest girl in the world.”

  She raised her glass to her lips and finished her wine because she didn’t know what else to do. Nobody had ever talked to her this way before, and she wasn’t only referring to her recent dating experiences either. No one in her thirty-eight years of life had raved about and praised her in the manner he just had. He wasn’t some hotshot lawyer who just wanted to use her. He was a sweet, authentic high school kid; and from her spot on the sofa with her son’s friend who was twenty years her junior on this Friday night, Lisa was in the mood to be fawned over.

  “I’m not the hottest girl in the world…”

  He managed to sneak in and grab the wine bottle before she could stop him. He helped himself to another refill, turning his attention back to the stunning brunette after he’d completed his task. “Name someone hotter.”

  She didn’t wait long to rattle off the first name that came to mind. “Taylor Swift.”

  He burst into laughter, almost spilling his mostly full drink in the process. He quickly downed a third of his glass to prevent that from happening again. “Are you seriously comparing Taylor Swift to yourself? Is that a joke?”

  “She’s very beautiful,” Lisa said.

  “Sh
e isn’t in the same ballpark as you,” he declared while dramatically shaking his head. “Shit…ballpark. She isn’t in the same league as you. Actually, she isn’t even on the same planet as you!”

  “I got it…” she chuckled.

  “Her body isn’t comparable to yours,” he brazenly continued. “She looks like a twelve-year-old girl stacked up next to you.”

  She was having a hard time hiding her smile. She topped off her own glass before digging around in her brain for another name. “Okay, what about Gal Gadot?”

  “Totally blah,” Kevin immediately answered. “We have girls at school hotter than Gal Gadot.”

  She was baffled. “No, you don’t!”

  “Yes, we do!” he drunkenly shouted back. “This is the problem with women. You girls act like female actresses and celebrities are the hottest women in the world just because they’re famous. That’s nonsense. I stand behind what I said earlier. You could totally be a swimsuit model if you wanted to.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “You could! Oh, I have an idea! We should do a photo shoot!”

  She curiously looked over at the drunk teen sitting just a few feet away. “What?”

  “We could do a photo shoot!” he emphatically repeated. “And we could post the pictures online; anonymously, of course. We could blur your face and that way you could see what I see. Everyone would be commentating about how you should be a model.”

  “We aren’t doing a photo shoot!” she giggled while giving him a light slap on the knee. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Well, I’m always up for it if you change your mind,” he told her with a big smile.

  She shook her head while peering down into her glass before a certain actress suddenly caused her to perk up. “I got one! There’s no way I’m hotter than Scarlett Johansson!”