Page 57 of Nefarious
“I know. And that was my stance at first, but I didn’t expect to feel an attraction to anyone here.” She laughed through an almost sob. “It gets complicated so fast.”
Now Val put on her human face, her understanding aunt face. “Oh, honey. We’ve all been there. It can be hard to follow the rules when you want what you want.”
“But they are the rules. I should just get over this. Summer will end soon enough anyway, right?”
“Hold on, now. It may be a gray area, but unless we’re talking about a direct supervisor, there’s no reason you can’t date a co-worker.”
She looked relieved, but then she slumped. “It doesn’t matter. He’s made it obvious he’s no longer interested. If he ever was.”
Val tapped her fingers. “There’s always something you can do. You are a woman after all. You hold the keys. What you choose to do depends, though, on what you hope to achieve.”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you looking for a boyfriend? A long-term romantic commitment that could lead somewhere after the internship ends? Or do you just want a summer fling?”
“I hadn’t thought it through. I don’t know. I mean, I guess I wanted a fling that could lead somewhere?”
Val shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. You have to make a decision. Your actions will depend on which way you want to go. Whatever you’re doing now will net neither result though.”
“So if I wanted a boyfriend?”
Val hoped she could convince the girl against this. Dane didn’t have girlfriends. He might keep her all summer, but with Noelle on the table, the most Selena might get would be the space between projects. And once he finished with Noelle, Dane became Val’s. Preferably, he’d give up and come crawling back to Val to re-negotiate terms. Maybe she could get him to go in for simple revenge.
“That’s going to be the difficult sell because you’ve already scared him by alerting him to your interest. So you are going to have to back way off and make him think you aren’t interested. You’ll have to make him think he wants something he can’t have.”
“But that could take all summer.”
“Women have to wait around far too long for men to pursue us. But we always have the trump card, and we can always short cut the game, if all we want is a moment in time. It’s when you want to possess them that you get yourself in trouble. You end up giving yourself away in the process.”
“So what if I just want a fling?
“Much easier. And actually, the fact you put yourself out there works in your favor. Despite what I just said, now that he knows you want him, whenever he sees you, he’s going to think about sex. So you’re already a step ahead. Crook your finger and he’ll come running.”
“But he’s already shot me down.”
Val couldn’t help smile her mischievous grin. “I find men always need a reason to say no to sex. They rarely need a reason to say yes.”
“So I just flaunt it?”
“Pretty much. You’re beautiful and smart. He’d be a fool to turn you down. But bear in mind, if you choose that route, you’re almost guaranteed to walk away from any chance at romance. It could still happen, but in my experience, men are dogs. You might win their hearts, but they’re born ready to hand over their dicks. Take whatever and whoever you want, Selena, and you could still have a very fun summer.”
Val always marveled at the influence she could wield over men with nothing more than the simplicity of her own body. She didn’t fool herself into believing there was anything special in the act. From a young age, she’d never hesitated to use her sex to obtain whatever she needed. Her high school counselors, church leaders, friends’ dads, and neighbors’ husbands would provide food, shelter, and sometimes money in exchange for what she was willing to do to them. Some, like her uncle, had tried to take it from her—but never for long.
Selena laughed. “You’re just so much cooler than I expected.” Her shoulders relaxed, and she said, “Thank you for listening to my personal dilemmas. It’s nice to have someone I can trust to come to for advice.”
“I’m sure your father wouldn’t care for me telling you all this.”
“My father doesn’t need to know everything I do. Besides, it’s not like he pretends to be such a saint.” She blushed. “Oh, sorry. I mean, I know you—”
“No need to apologize. You’re absolutely right about him. He holds himself to a different standard.” She patted Selena’s knee. “Like all men.”
“It makes me so mad that he gets away with treating me like a child. He treats the women he dates like they’re possessions. And the women who work for him—”
Val leaned in. “Yes?”
“Well, you ought to know.”
“I never worked for Geraldo. He worked for me.”
