Page 79 of Boyfriend of the Hour

THINGS A GOOD BOYFRIEND SHOULD DO

I looked up. “Really? This is only going to be for me, though. Everyone’s different. My best advice is to treat every girl you date like a puzzle. Figure her out, and you’ll be a good boyfriend.”

Nathan swallowed but didn’t look away. “Consider it a case study, then. I think it will help. Please.”

I sighed. “All right.”

THINGS A GOOD BOYFRIEND SHOULD DO

1. Let her pick the music and TV shows as much as u

2. Notise things about her nobody else does + listen to everything she sez. Even if you dont think it matters.

3. If you see something u like about her, tell her. Every time.

4. Always kiss her like its the 1st time.

I tapped the pen to my mouth, debating over one other item that had just occurred to me. Knowing Nathan, he’d probably take one look and leave. But in the end, I decided it was for the best. One day, some lucky girl was going to nab herself a surgeon who looked like Superman, and she deserved to get off too. Most men thought clits operated like start buttons, if they could find them at all. The fuck if my student here wouldn’t at least know to figure it out.

5. Figure out how she likes to be touched. Its diffrent for everyone. And dont be stingey with your tung ether.

I passed the book across the bar to him. He read through it and looked up without a shred of embarrassment. Or, to my relief, criticism of what I was sure was atrocious spelling.

Now, I was the one who was impressed.

“I expected there to be more,” he said when he was done.

I shrugged. “I’m not that complicated. And I didn’t think I had to write down the Ten Commandments. Do you need to be reminded to be nice, not cheat, and not lie?”

Nathan shook his head solemnly. “No, I do not need to learn tenets of basic respect and honesty.”

It was a joke, but he wasn’t treating it like one. Ilikedthat he wasn’t treating it like one. That determined expression reminded me of the fact that most of my boyfriends had not learned this particular lesson ever.

He studied the list, and I had a flash of what he must have looked like in school, cooped up at a library, studying for his exams. And yeah, I won’t lie. The image seriously did it for me. Especially when I could just as easily imagine myself pouncing on him in the back of a lonely, isolated library stack.

Stop it, Joni. He is your roommate and fake boyfriend. Emphasis onfake.

“As a doctor, I’m also very familiar with the female anatomy,” he continued like I wasn’t combusting in front of him. “And I make it a point to make sure my partners receive as much pleasure as I do from our sexual encounters. Anything less would be unethical, don’t you think?”

His brown eyes met mine, and for a split second, the noise in the bar faded away, and once again, I found it hard to breathe.

“I—definitely not,” I managed without a stutter. Just barely.

“It’s also just enjoyable,” he added.

“Oh?” Why did my voice sound so breathy?

“Yes. Every body is different, whether it’s one of my patient’s or belongs to someone I’m seeing. They all respond differently to various stimuli or treatments. Figuring out which ones and how is like a puzzle. I’ve always liked puzzles. I’m good at them.” He seemed to refocus on my face again. “Are you all right? You don’t look like you’re breathing properly.”

That’s because I’m imaginingexactlywhat you do during your “sexual encounters,” Dr. Hunt. Or how you would solvemypuzzle.

My God, he had said it just like that without the slightest suggestion or game at all. Like he didn’t know the way it would make my thighs squeeze or my nipples poke through my shirt.

“I’m fine,” I managed. “I—I’m glad we’re on the same page, I suppose. Less, um, to teach you.”

Nathan looked down at said page, then back to me. “Well, you’re a good teacher. I appreciate it.”

I focused back on the lemons, willing my cheeks to return to a normal temperature.