His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 101: Chick, Chicken, Chickadee

Chapter 101: Chick, Chicken, Chickadee

** Harper **

The group reservation was in the stadium’s Champions Lounge, a luxurious club right behind the home plate. The game was yet to start in about another hour, though the pre-game party was already set up with a full bar and music and plenty of table entertainment. The crowd was just starting to gather as Chelsea led the way straight through the lounge and ordered their drinks familiarly with the bartender.

"You vibe like this is your home," Harper commented with an impressed smile.

"It would be amazing if this is my home, I’ll totally live here," Chelsea declared. "You know this is the main perk that lured me to accept the job offer from Voyage Bank, right? Nothing compares to watching the whole game fifty feet from the home plate. I can never go back to those cheap seats in the far back that we used to get in college anymore!"

"You two went to college together?" Eli asked, catching on the backstory.

"Oh, right, Chelsea and I were roommates for our junior and senior years," Harper explained before turning back to Chelsea. "Eli went to Davenshire University too. A couple of years above us."

"Really? It’s an alumni reunion right here then." Chelsea gestured in the general direction of the crowd slowly growing denser in the club. "So many of us are from DU — our company loves local hires. It’s kind of awkwardly funny how I keep running into college acquaintances that I don’t remember the names of anymore at almost every work party ... So don’t be surprised if you see some familiar faces too once everyone gets here."

Harper was idly wondering who they might run into today when their drinks arrived. The bartender flashed Chelsea a flirty look, though herself and Eli received a separate "welcome to the club" smile. "First time at our lounge?" The guy pointed at a far corner of the room. "You should check out our new facepainting station and photo booth over there. A special addition for the team spirit this weekend."

"Oooo, facepainting station? I’d love that." Harper was fully in game mode now, and her interest was immediately piqued. "It’s been so long since I did silly drawings. Who wants to try it?"

She grabbed her drink and hopped off the seat, not needing to look back to know that Eli was trailing right behind as she reseated herself at the entertainment booth. Chelsea might still be flirting with the bartender though.

For a simple pre-game warmup, the booth was impressively equipped. There were powders and creams of dozens of colors, paired with brushes and pencils and even pictures of suggested designs. Harper scrolled through the options on the display tablet curiously, only to be dissuaded by a meaningful look Eli darted at her.

"Your imagination is better than these stock pictures, Harper." He plucked the tablet out of her hand and replaced it with a palette instead. "Draw something that comes from that brilliant mind of yours. I want to see it."

It never ceased to amaze her how unconditionally confident Eli was in everything she did. But ... "Um, is it really a good idea to paint some unintelligible doodle on my face and go walk around with it?" She chuckled sheepishly. "Chickadees are not that easy of a bird to draw. I’m not quite sure if I’m brave enough to—"

"Then do it on me." Eli didn’t even think twice before picking up a brush and handing it to her as well. "I shaved just before leaving. Should be smooth enough of a canvas for you?" He turned one side of his cheek toward her with a wide grin.

Harper blinked.

She was so used to seeing Eli’s face at this point. Most of the time with an incredibly tempting five-o’clock shadow that gave off just the right vibe of handsome manliness. But when the said handsome face was shaved so smoothly and held up in front of her as a painting canvas ...

She blinked again, shaking away that impulse reaction to kiss it, to truly test the smoothness of its texture with her lips. "You sure?" she asked. "This face seems too goodlooking to be getting completely ruined by my craftless drawing in like, two minutes."

"Do your worst." Eli only fixed her with an expectant look.

... If only she could even focus, with those stunning blue eyes staring right into hers and gleaming brightly as he waited for her to bestow that personal touch.

Harper took a deep breath and nodded, getting to work. She had zero talent in drawing, to be honest, but she gave it a serious attempt as she experimented, using the logo on Eli’s shirt as a reference guide. Brown wings, a puffy cream and white belly, black outlines for the head ...

Carefully, she swirled the brush in the white paint and started from there, drawing a small oval over the hollow of Eli’s cheek. Then she dabbed some yellow-orange powder with her fingertip, lightly rubbing it into the white. The color blended in nicely, soft and fluffy just like a bird’s down feathers. The shape looked good too. But ...

Was she supposed to be so distracted instead by how warm and smooth his skin was under her touch? Or how intently his eyes were still focused on her, at such a close distance that she could see her own reflection in the crystalline blue?

"I think we should try this more often, Harper." A corner of his lips curved up when he caught her gaze. "The way you’re tickling me with the paintbrush while looking at me like that is growing on me."

"..." Harper’s hands suddenly grew a bit weak, and her stroke slipped a little.

"Oh my goodness gracious. What are you two doing?" The shimmering atmosphere was interrupted by Chelsea’s horrified voice. "Harper, why are you drawing ... a chicken on his face?"

Snapping out of her bewitched trance, Harper pulled back."What? That’s a chickadee I’m drawing!" she protested.

"No, that’s totally a chicken. You should’ve followed one of those templates!"

"I like her version better." Eli glanced in the mirror, appraising the said chicken fondly. "And definitely not a chicken," — he pointed to a squiggly line of brown barely visible above the creamy white — "it’s got real wings, and it’s cute. Keep going, Harper, I love it."

"... You guys are such kids." Chelsea shook her head incredulously. "Though I suppose it makes some sense, since you’ve known each other as kids for so long." She turned to Eli, the look on her face taking on a slightly different air. "Harper said you met in middle school, right?"

Harper paused with her newly raised brush. Ah, the overprotective mom had just found her chance to begin the interview.