Training Tristan Ch. 01

"See, that's what I mean," he replied, gesturing at me with a bare hand.

"And what do you want me to do about it?" I asked, curious, but ready to get out of the cold.

"Help me be the kind of guy you would like... the kind of guy you would want to be with."

"Why me?" I shot back.

He shifted nervously on his feet for a few seconds. "Because... you're hot... you're sexy... you..."

"Nope," I stopped him. "We're done here." I turned around and walked towards my car.

"Wait!" he pleaded, chasing after me.

"It's cold and I don't have time for this," I objected.

"I respect you," he said, almost embarrassed to hear himself confess it. I paused with my hand on the car door. "I... trust you to tell me the truth," he continued. "And to not put up with all the fake stuff."

I stood there thinking. I wondered if this was a stupid idea. Or maybe it was his super-devious way to try to get inside my pants. I guess it had been a minute or two that I stood there considering his request. He looked at me and said, "Please?"

I gave him a stern, no-nonsense look and asked, "What do I get out of it?"

His eyebrows went up and he looked suddenly sheepish. "I hadn't thought about that," he confessed. "This kind of just occurred to me this evening."

I tried to find some way to justify saying yes. I could force him to buy me a few nice meals, take me out to a few nice places. Maybe... just maybe... if there was a decent guy there hiding under layers of bluster, I could find that nice guy and treat myself to his perfect body. But I couldn't let him think that just yet.

"Well," I sighed, "I suppose I could consider this a charity case."

"Charity?"

"My good deed for all the women who would be spared having to encounter the Tristan I've seen so far. Maybe I could get some karmic reward for benefiting women everywhere."

Tristan half-smiled, embarrassed yet finding the humor in what I said. Hey, he could almost laugh at himself! That was a good sign.

"So..." he prompted.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

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