Chapter 13: Charm

After leaving Victoria's Secret, we strolled along the edge of the enormous cavity that made up the food court. Two levels of eateries offered their wares to the masses who sat at literally hundreds of tables that surrounded the near stand-alone feature. It was the hub of the mall and we were just getting to the thickest part of it. The smells of different foods permeated the air and I could pick some tastes out from the collage - Cookies, hamburgers, pizza, and several others touched different parts of my tongue.

Having missed breakfast, I wondered if Renée was hungry.

I was about to make the suggestion when I noticed eyes passing our way. They weren't the eyes of some college guy looking over Renée as I would have expected. Honestly, she was wearing nearly nothing but her outfit covered what decency required. No, that look belonged to another woman, who didn't look away once I realized it was me she was staring at. Laughs, guffaws, and mocking comments I would have expected, but that wasn't a look of cruelty.

I'd seen that look before.

Erin had worn it the night before at my apartment. Nadia had directed it at me at the Olive garden. Renée pulled it out when she and I were writhing against each other, but those were strangers. I looked away, but more eyes met mine. Some just as intent, but others lacked the conviction and looked away when I spotted them.

The thought of food was lost as I began worrying that something may have been wrong. I looked myself over but the only thing out of place was the shorts that I barely noticed anymore. I considered for an instant that they may have been upset with me because of the way Renée was dressed. They might have disapproved, but some of the smiles and glances that were directed at me didn't feel right for women worrying about how Renée was dressed. They were sizing me up - looking at me like I was top sirloin and they were hankering for some steak. I didn't understand what was going on, but something in the back of my brain was trying to explain it to me. I just didn't want to hear it.

After we passed through a small group of girls, one of which whistled, I began to panic. Looking around behind me, I saw more sultry eyes and one girl kissing the air in my direction.

Renée looked as well and smiled at my confusion. "I think you're getting cat-calls."

"I'm getting what?" I didn't understand.

"Think of it as role reversal. You've heard of construction workers calling after some woman walking past their site. Well, here, they're the workers and you, my devilishly handsome friend, are the piece of tail they've noticed."

I just looked at Renée, torn between being thrilled and scared at the same time. I started to shake my head. "No, that couldn't be right. I've never..."

"You're comparing this to high school. Don't. This is the beginning of the real world and yes, you are very much the hunk."

Turning away from the onlookers as Renée guided me up an escalator, I thought about what she had said. Didn't I promise myself not to let opportunities pass me by? I had been hoping to speak with Renée at the time but I had never considered that anyone else would be interested enough in me for the occasion to present itself in any other way. I'd been playing things by ear, making decisions as the need arose.

Suddenly something was arising and I had to either accept the truth of Renée's words or run away screaming. Two days of phenomenal sex with three very hot women, a new apartment, a new wardrobe and so many other very fast changes could only be the mark of fact.

What about the hot little interlude in Victoria's Secret?

Jeri had been very real and she accepted me just as my girls had. What else did I need to prove it? Nothing, but all that attention swimming around me was a little overwhelming, maybe a lot overwhelming.

I looked back to Renée, who'd been patiently waiting for me to reach my conclusion. "Okay, let's say you're right. I don't need this all going to my head. My family was a bunch of conceited bastards and I won't go there."

"That's something I'm certain you'll keep at bay without much help."

We stopped in front of Suncoast Motion Picture Co. Posters for the latest movies were lit up in the display windows.

I let myself be distracted for an instant, "Then how do I deal with this?" I asked.

She wasn't distracted. Her attention was patiently focused on me. "Deal with what? Being good-looking?"

"If you say so, but I'm in no way used to dealing with this kind of attention." I looked to each side of us, finding more eyes gazing our way. None of them were male. "I'm used to people just outright ignoring me," I finished as I looked back at Renée.

Renée took my hand in both of hers, held it to her chest with a light kiss on my knuckles and sought my eyes. "That's something you'll never have to put up with again."

I just looked back at her. She wasn't holding my hand with any sexual intent. It was endearing, like holding the hand of someone you're trying to get through to.

Thinking about her last statement, I realized that I had been putting up with being ignored. I had became accustomed to it and evolved. Now people were responding to me and I didn't know how to react. Maybe it was too much all at once. Maybe I'd been trained not to try anything different. Maybe, maybe, maybe ... I could have gone on for hours on what may have been had things been different in my life. What I needed to do was learn to adapt again and work with the new hand dealt to me. The hand looked exceptionally good so far and I didn't want to waste it by wallowing in self-doubt.

Gently I smiled at Renée, and reached up with the hand she held to stroke her cheek. My life started changing after I had met her. So far, she'd done nothing but guide me through so many good things and it didn't look like it would end soon. I squeezed her hands. "Then there are two ways of handling these cat-calls: ignore them or respond to them."

She nodded, "It's a decision just like any other."

I thought about how I might react if I whistled at some hot babe and she just ignored me. It wouldn't really be good or bad, but I would wonder if she had even noticed. Was it because she had heard too many already or because she didn't think I was worth her time? If she did react to my attention however, I would at least be hopeful. A smile would be good. It would acknowledge that she realized that I had noticed her, but would not really lead to anything. Any more of a response and complications might result. I certainly didn't need any complications from implied actions.

A simple smile: that was how to handle it if it occurred. I'd let that person know that I noticed them and be kind about it with a positive attitude.

I smiled at Renée.

She cocked her head to the side. "What?"

I nodded my head accepting what she was telling me. "You're right. It is a decision."

If it did turn out to be some kind of very deep, very sick joke then ... well, I would deal with it if and/or when necessary.

However, the fact of the matter was Renée saw me as handsome. Erin and Nadia must have as well or else all of the sex wouldn't have gotten very far. Three different sources all agreeing on the same decision must account for truth. I'd always been a believer of getting a second opinion, and I had three confirmations to what Renée had said. Jeri could have been counted as a fourth. All the innumerable looks and even the whistle continued to add to the count.

I pulled Renée to me and kissed her standing in the middle of the busy walkway. It was obvious that I caught her by surprise, but she quickly returned my attention.

After breaking the kiss she asked, "What was that for?" Her smile indicated her approval.

"For being honest and positive with me," I answered.

She looked at me somewhat stunned. "You've never kissed me like that though."

"That's because I was still waiting for the punch line. I think I've finally accepted what you've been telling me and I wanted to thank you."

A smile spread not only across her lovely lips but through her bright blue eyes too. "There are so many ways that you can thank me." She rubbed her body against mine. My physical responses occurred as expected, as did my still-existing bashful side. She eased up. "I don't want to spoil it."

We turned and studied the posters behind the glass. I tried to not overreact too much to the eyes looking my way, but some part of me had become curious as to what the new-found attribute could get me. Curiosity was one thing, but actually finding out would be something else entirely.

Renée didn't help at all as she started pointing out some of the stares directed at me. I thought that smiling at anyone who noticed me would be enough, but it seemed that the attention was coming from more directions than I could fathom. Some women were outright staring, while I noticed others stealing peeks. Once in a while, I noticed obvious attempts to gain my attention and then I felt a distinct hand on my butt. Renée's closest hand was still intertwined with mine, so I knew it wasn't her. I pulled her into the video store.