Chapter 4

Four

MAVERICK

Seeing Bella again yesterday brought a wave of emotions back. Mainly the sexual kind. She's drop dead gorgeous, with light skin and big green eyes. Her dark, wavy hair and red lips are a contrast to the rest of her. It was all very distracting. So when we got into a pissing match, I left her office feeling completely jumbled. I'm actually a bit embarrassed about how I acted yesterday. I don't normally go head to head like that with anyone, but I came into the class already feeling under a spotlight.

I'm a hardworking, blue-collar guy, and seeing Bella in her business suit and high heels, with perfectly painted nails and styled hair among the backdrop of a high-rise office on Main Street in Charming, South Carolina, made me feel less than good enough and everything about her felt pretentious.

My hometown of Magnolia Point is quaint. There's never the need for a show, and I always imagined when I found the right woman, she'd be just like me. A down-to-earth, hardworking person just looking to live simply. I need someone who would fit into my hometown just the way I do. And my feelings toward this woman don't match up with what I envisioned and have me questioning my sanity.

When Nina and Jay told me they signed me up for this class, I went through a roller coaster ride of emotions. Mainly being ashamed that my friends think I need help to get a girlfriend, when, in fact, I just haven't met anyone who makes me want more. I can usually tell by the end of the first date whether I want to see a woman again. It's all about how we mesh.

First dates are always so hard for people because they are putting on an act. I don't act.

What you see is what you get with me. I'm a jokester. I like to have fun. I have a flirty personality, and I don't take life too seriously. Most see that and call me a playboy when, in actuality, it's the farthest thing from the truth. I'm looking for love just like everyone else. I imagine cold winter nights wrapped up on the couch with my wife while we watch a movie. Or in the summer, taking a stroll on the beach under the moonlight after work. And, of course, coffee on my deck in the morning is number one.

If I voiced those dreams, Jay would support me. Hell, Wes would too, after a bit of razzing of course.

But as far as everyone else? I don't correct anyone's opinions because people are going to believe what they want anyway. So I won't waste my time trying to convince someone of who I am. I know who I am, and that's all that matters.

If a girl can't handle my humor or innuendos right off the bat, she's not for me, and she definitely doesn't deserve my nights with her.

Take Bella Valentino, for instance. When we met at the National Read-a-Book event, she laughed at my jokes and even hit back with a couple of sarcastic one liners, but she seemed guarded and there wasn't enough time to delve more into that. We only spent about twenty minutes together, and all that time was spent with Jay and Nina. By the time I realized I wanted more time with her and had almost worked up the nerve to ask her out, she said she had to run. It felt like a missed opportunity to get to know her at the time, but the more I pondered it, the more it felt like she was brushing me off. So I pushed her from my mind. When Jay and Nina told me they signed me up for the class, the whole situation felt like I was getting a second chance at the girl who made me sit up and take notice. And maybe I got a little too into my feels about being able to see her again.

See? Second chance? Into my feels? I can be a book boyfriend.

But when she wasn't picking up what I was throwing, it felt like just another failed meet. I felt she was being dismissive of me—again—and I reacted with frat-boy humor.

And now I have to apologize for said humor today. Nina convinced me to stick it out a bit longer, and Jay basically dared me and said I was a pussy if I quit. So now? Now I'm going to show all three of them that BBB is a joke.

I enter the building and walk to her office, noticing the Christmas tree that's already up in early November. I knock lightly on the door that is halfway open. She doesn't look up but says, "Come in." I'm almost positive if she knew it was me, she'd tell me to go away.

"Am I late for day two?"

She looks up with surprise at my question, but her face instantly returns to passive. "I fired you as a client."

"I want to try again."

"Too late. I already refunded your friends."

"Then take my money. I'm following through." I shove my hands in my pockets quickly, hating that I'm here begging for a second chance.

"Why?" She lets out a sigh, placing her pen down on the desk.

"Because I want to prove your so-called book-boyfriend-building classes don't work."

"Oh, then, by all means, I absolutely want you in my class!" she replies with all the sarcasm.

"I can get a date on my own," I reply with resentment.

"Your friends think otherwise. So tell me, how's the dating scene been working out for you?" Her eyes assess me with a twinkle of amusement, like she is enjoying poking fun at me.

"Pretty well actually."

"And second dates? How do those go?" she asks sarcastically.

Her smart-ass tone makes my dick twitch. This back-and-forth jabbing at each other is actually a turn on right now. "And you? What's your status?"

And just as fast as I had a little movement, the door slammed shut on my dick. "I don't discuss my personal life." She drops her eyes from me and begins writing again.

"So none. Got it." I wait for a response and see her knuckles turn white from gripping the pen.

Good.

"So when does the class start? Are Tom and Jerry here yet, or what?" She looks up again with the most bland expression on her face. I hate that I really can't get a read on her even when she lets little pieces sneak out. Instead, I keep goading her. I whistle. "Damn, girl, you've got RBF down pat."

She watches me for a moment before rising from her chair. The light green, fitted dress she has on makes her eyes sparkle, but the way it accentuates her body makes my dick sparkle. My heart races as she walks closer to me. "Mr. McKinney, do you drive a pickup truck?"

I furrow my brows. "Actually, I do."

Her lips curl into a small smile. "A dually, by chance?"

"The bigger, the better." I puff my chest a bit, rubbing my hand down my shirt.

"I agree. But overcompensating can be such a disappointment." She brushes past me, her shoulder bumping my bicep as she pats the zipper on my jeans twice, thus awakening my dick as she goes. I suck in a sharp breath, my already semi-hard cock at full sensitivity. "Get your act together and meet us in the conference room."

After a quick jerk off session, a wash of my hands, and a restyle of my hair that was suddenly sweaty and out of place, I'm walking into the conference room where shy guy and guy number two are already in place, watching as Bella writes on the board. I notice their trail of vision leads right to her ass, and my hands clench.

"Mr. McKinney. Nice of you to join us. I've removed my stick, and I hope by you returning it means you'll be taking this a little more seriously?"

She turns to look at me, and I'm still so stunned by her unexpected move back in her office, all I can do is salute her.

She places the cap on the marker she was writing with and places her hands on the table in front of us. "Being that yesterday was a little chaotic, I want us to start over. If you don't know, my real name is Ava Costa. I write under the pen name Bella Valentino, a nod to my late grandmother on my dad's side. She was a fiery Italian woman who took no shit and believed love cured everything. Well, love and a shot of sambuca. ‘If your love isn't on fire, then pour a little sambuca and light it up!'"

I roll my eyes at her sugary sweet recollection.

"To make sure you are all invested in being here and doing the right thing, I'm upping the ante on our class. The goal is to get a date which leads to second and third dates. With the holidays upon us, there will be many office gatherings and neighborhood parties celebrating the season. By the end of this course, the man, or men, who earns a New Year's Eve kiss at midnight will have officially passed the class and become one of the first book boyfriends! I'm hoping this will entice you all to take this seriously. Now, if each of you will please tell us your name and your goal for being here."

Shy guy goes first. "My name is Dick Dirk and– "

I bark out a laugh and slap the table. "Come on. Now who isn't taking this seriously?"

The room is completely silent, and Ava is glaring back at me. I cough, clear my throat, and mumble, "Sorry, man. I thought you were joking. That's an awesome name. Please, continue."

The man looks down, and barely above a whisper, he says, "My name is Dick, and I'm hoping to gain a little confidence."

Ava softens her face and stature, leaning her hip against the table. "It's nice to meet you, Dick. Your bio says you're an investment banker?"

"Yes. I started with the company right out of college and have been there for four years now. I was just named rookie investor of the year, so my client portfolio has doubled since then. It's hard to find the time to meet someone new and also someone who will respect my drive for hard work."

"Congratulations! And yes, balancing work and relationships is a hard thing, but if both parties are willing to make it work, it can be great." She looks to the next guy. "Go ahead," she encourages him.

"My name is Alistair Dankworth, and I am a market analyst for medical device sales."

Ava's eyes light up. "I do marketing as well! I'm more involved in the behind-the-scenes side. I specialize in communications and developing strategies for new sales campaigns."

These two guys are boring as fuck. What were their parents thinking? No wonder they can't get a date. Between their names and their jobs, any girl in her right mind would be running far away after the first four minutes of talking to these two.

But Ava seems to enjoy this type of guy, and it's just one more box to check on her unlikability scale. I work hard all day long, probably harder than these two, and make decent money. So many women I've come across think the blue-collar guy is a nobody. When I graduated from high school, my best friend was dating the girl he thought he'd marry. But when she realized he was going to take over the family business and not move her to the city like she wanted, she broke up with him in public to embarrass him.

I've learned to be wary of the women who are too put together and those who fawn over the white-collar men. Most of those types are dirtbags, and anyone that glorifies that life has nothing to offer me. I've got a ton to offer, and I know my worth, but a gold digger will always be a gold digger.

I'm totally right when I say first impressions are for show. It's not until you get them talking that you realize they are nothing but a pretty face.

I realize she's looking at me now, and the two men are also staring at me. I must have missed that whole last bit of conversation. "I'm Maverick McKinney. I'm twenty-nine years old, and I live in Magnolia Point. My house has a kitchen, but I've never used it. I enjoy ordering take out and yelling at the TV."

"That sounds delightful. What do you do for a living?" she says frigidly.

"I'm an HVAC repairman."

Silence.

"That's wonderful. I bet you're a pro at working with pipes. So our first official class is going to kick off right now!" I watch as Ava moves away from the table and points back to the board she was writing on. If I thought she was just being a tease, I would have jumped all over the pipe comment. But old habits die hard, and I have a feeling I got the brush off for being a blue-collar guy. I've been out with her type a few times before, and now I'm convinced she wants a rundown of what we do for a living so she can change the lowly guys into something more enticing. And now I'm more annoyed that I came back to this shitty class with a prima donna for a teacher.

I take out my cell and shoot a text to Jay.

Me: You owe me.

Jay: What now?

Me: Your favorite author is a stuck up princess.

Jay:

Me: I'm serious. These are not my people, and I'm pissed off at you for putting me here.

Jay: I thought you quit yesterday. I didn't think you'd take my dare seriously. Why are you there?

Me: Because I want to prove her theories wrong.

Jay: You have to win at everything you do, don't you?

Me: You're goddamn right I do.

Jay: Just don't fall in love.

Me: Hard pass.

"Ladies! Come on in!" I pocket my phone upon hearing her voice and sit up straighter in my seat as four gorgeous women enter and take spots next to Ava at the front of the room.

"I'd like you all to meet Maria." She puts her arm around a beautiful woman with similar traits to Ava's. Dark hair, same height, amazing curves. "This is my cousin, and she and her friends have graciously offered to assist me in making you all book boyfriends!"

I glance at the two guys next to me and want to offer them towels. Their mouths are hanging open as they take in each of the ladies.

Amateurs.

"We're going to go to Tipsy Tavern, and you're going to spend some time with these women. Introduce yourself, buy them a drink, and put your best foot forward."

"Wait! How do we know what to do?" Dick asks .

"You won't. And that's the point. This first night is just an icebreaker. I want you to act how you usually do when you meet someone so I can see where you all need the most help. But I will tell you, the first step to being a good book boyfriend is confidence. A confident man will spot someone he's attracted to, he'll introduce himself, be charming and sweet, and ask her questions. Those questions will help you determine if there is a reason to move from the bar to a table."

"What if we ask, and they don't want to talk to us?" Alistair asks.

"Then you need to reassess what you did and try again. Keep going. The goal is not to score each time, it's to not quit when something doesn't go the way you planned."

I roll my eyes as these two jamokes nod in agreement to every word the princess says.

"Mr. McKinney? Can you handle this little field trip?"

I stand and make a show of adjusting myself. She knows what she felt earlier, but I want to remind her once again. "I think you know I can." I clap my hands. "Let's go, fellas."