One Step Away (A Bedford Falls Novel Book 1) by Sydney Bristow Page B

spontaneous and likes
taking risks. Where do these characteristics spring from?”
    “Being wild?”
    “Close. He’s unpredictable. Remember that.
We’ll come back to it later. What’s important right now is a side
effect of being unpredictable. If you act that way, you take
charge, you take the lead...in your own way. Let’s look at Marisa’s
lifestyle. She’s a manager, right? All day, she’s making decisions
and delegating work. So when she gets home…”
    “She wants someone else to take charge,”
Alexander said, pushing aside his confusion. It explained why she
had called Brad. Whenever they went out, Brad most likely made
plans and took her out, not the other way around. And when she and
Alexander went out, he always found himself taken along for the
ride because he hadn’t considered what they’d do.
    “I know what you’re thinking,” Damon said.
“But you’re wrong. She may want to do certain things sometimes, but
not all the time. Most women want their men to have a plan. They
want them to take charge. They feel cared for that way. It goes
back to the caveman days. It’s instinctual. Guys who don’t follow
up with that unspoken promise end up acting like they’re looking
for approval. Bottom line: you’re a man. Act like one.”
    “Make plans and don’t always say yes to
everything. Got it.”
    Damon shook his head. “What, are you taking
mental notes? This isn’t a quiz. You have to know it. And feel it.
It’s not something you get tested on.” He cocked his head to the
side. “Well, you do, but not in the way you think. Doesn’t matter
now; we’ll get to that later. Let’s go back to Bond. He walks into
a room, all eyes go toward him, wondering what he’s going to do,
what he’s going to say. He’s unpredictable. But they’re looking
because he’s in total control of himself and his surroundings. This
extends to the women he’s with.
    “Don’t get me wrong: he’s not controlling.
He knows what he wants and he goes after it. There’s no
uncertainty, no discussion. It simply is. When someone throws him a
curveball, he rolls with the punches. When a villain threatens him,
Bond doesn’t sit down and wonder what he’s going to do. He reacts.
But he takes his time while doing it. Why? Because he’s in
control. People wait for him, not the other way around. That’s what
I’m talking about. That’s what you have to work on.”
    “How can I possibly know what I’m going to
do in any situation?”
    “You won’t, but that doesn’t mean you have
to know instantly. Give yourself some time. Don’t just make a
decision. If you pause to decide, you’re building tension. The
woman you’re with is left in suspense, wondering what you’ll do or
say. They love that. Because they have no idea what’s going on in
our heads, and they’re always trying to find out. They’re not used
to it because so many guys are boring.
    “All right, it’s taken you twenty-eight
years to get to this point. And if you ever hope to be with any woman in the future, you’ve got to make a change.”
    “That’s a little melodramatic, don’t you
think?”
    “Are you kidding?” Damon asked with a
serious expression. “If Marisa thought you needed confidence
before—and she was completely right—by the way, how is she going to
think about you now, after watching Brad daring you to throw a
punch while you just stood there doing nothing?”
    “I would have gotten thrown out, and Marisa
would think I’m a monster. A smart man knows when to walk
away.”
    “Oh, I see. Walking away from a dude she
likes makes you more attractive?”
    Alexander knew now that no matter how he
responded to that situation, he couldn’t win; even when he thought
the encounter ended in a draw, he still lost.
    “And do not place any of this on
Marisa. Since she has a special place in her heart for you, she
probably isn’t being as tough on you as I am.”
    Irritation ignited inside Alexander. “You’re
not being