Meeting His Match

Chapter 1-3

When Natalie and Jillian returned home hours later, Nat felt somewhat better. She still questioned if she should’ve gone home with Doug to take the remaining edge off. Jilly probably wouldn’t have minded—not too much anyway. But it wasn’t cool to leave a friend unless that was the plan.

As they kicked off their heels in the living room, she looked at Jillian. “Thanks for making me go out. It was worth it.”

“Really?” Jillian asked. “If the guy was all that, why are you here with me?”

“I didn’t say he was perfection. Probably not worth abandoning my friend in a bar.” She sighed. “He was a pretty good kisser though.”

“Then what was the problem?”

“His personality. He was boring. Very pretty to look at, though. I kissed him to shut him up.”

Jillian laughed. “You’re terrible. I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow.”

“Uh-huh.” Natalie went to her laptop and booted it up. She hadn’t done a video for Gem in a while. She’d thought about tabling the videos and maybe even her blog for now, but without a job, what else did she have to look forward to? Recalling her night with Doug, she’d considered what to talk about.

Tonight, it was all about the touch. After freshening her make up, she opened her video program and started.

“Hi, everyone. I know it’s been much too long since we’ve had a chat and I apologize. Sometimes silly things like life get in the way of my dating habits, but I’m baaaack.” She smiled and winked at the camera.

“So here’s today’s Dating Gem. You know how I always say no matter how bad things are, you need to move forward? Today I needed that reminder and I’m glad my bestie was here to give it to me. I had a horrible day and after she plied me with ice cream, she dragged me out to a club.”

She laughed a little. “I know, can you believe it? She had to drag me? Anyway, she got me dancing and drinking which loosened me up a bit. I felt myself open to possibilities. My body language immediately adapted and within minutes, I met a guy.”

Natalie smiled again and licked her lips. “I saw him at the bar and he was good looking, cute in his sweater and Dockers. As a side note, let me just say I can’t wait for summer to get here so guys will go back to wearing short sleeves to show off some arm. Anyway, I introduced myself and we started to chat. That’s where he almost lost me.

“Something pick-up artists pay close attention to, besides the obvious body language, is touch. Now ladies, I’ll tell you, guys who’ve studied the art of pick up have a whole routine about how and where and when to touch you. If they’re doing it right, it won’t make your skin crawl, but it’ll lead you where they want to go. But regular guys? They kind of suck at it. The ones who are good touch everyone all the time, so it’s a little more natural for them. But most guys are afraid. They don’t want to turn you off or scare you away.”

Natalie leaned forward like she was ready to spill a secret. “So it’s up to you, ladies. You need to give them permission to touch you appropriately without saying anything. If you come right out and say, ‘Touch me,’ it’s gonna get messy. Wrong kind of invitation. However, if you touch his arm lightly when he tells you a joke, you’re closing the distance and letting him know it’s okay to be in your space.

“Maybe reach around him to grab something instead of asking him to pass it. Let your arm, your shoulder—hell, your boob if he’s cute enough—brush against him to show you’re open to his touch. Unless he’s a total dolt, he’ll get the hint and make his move.”

She settled back in her chair again. “As for Doug? He definitely took the hint. I almost went home with him. But at this point, I think you all know my rules. If you go out with a girlfriend, unless you’re both out to pick up guys, you go home with your girlfriend.”

Natalie firmly believed you shouldn’t dump your friends for a guy. She’d learned her lesson about that long ago. “Doug didn’t turn out to be much of a conversationalist, but he was one hell of a kisser. We exchanged numbers, so options are open. And next time, he’ll be comfortable enough to start touching right away. Like fore-foreplay. Until next time.”

Natalie clicked off and then spent a while editing and adding in her opening with logo. What had started as a personal experiment had developed into quite the little venture. Gem had a following. People actually listened to her advice. Natalie felt better knowing she spread some good in the world.