The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy novel Chapter 629

“All by yourself tonight?” A man says, coming over to my table and plopping himself down on a stool. I watch him with interest, noting his jeans and his button-down shirt, his reddish-blonde beard that’s slightly stained at the corners of his mouth.

I do my best to avoid a grimace and instead go even more vacant and bubbly.

“What?” I ask, blinking at him.

He smiles at me, pleased. “Are you here by yourself tonight, pretty lady?”

“Oh!” I say, beaming, and then I laugh like it’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard – something else Faiza recommended when talking to men. “Yeah, I’m here all on my own. Just thought I’d, you know,” I shrug. “Check it out.”

“New to town,” the man says, giving me a satisfied smirk and lifting his chin towards my beer. “What are you drinking?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I say, looking down at my beer and giving another tinkly laugh. “I just…told the bartender to get me whatever. I don’t know a lot about beer. Um, do you?” I look at him with a great deal of hope in my eyes, worrying that I’m overdoing it.

But the way the man leans forward, desperately pleased to share his beer knowledge, lets me know that he’s bought my act hook, line, and sinker.

Over the next few minutes I use all of the tricks Faiza taught me – asking lots of questions, answering his own questions about me vaguely and always with a laugh, always turning the conversation back to him like I don’t have an interesting thought in my head and everything he says is fascinating.

It only takes us about half a beer for him to make his move. “Listen,” the guy says, leaning forward towards me. “You want another drink? Then maybe we can…get out of here?”

“Oh, um,” I say, biting my lip and giving a delicate shrug. “I would but…” I gesture over my shoulder towards Luca. “I’m actually here with my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend?” the man asks, raising an eyebrow as his face falls. He looks where I’m gesturing and, to my surprise, his lips turn up in a smirk. “If that’s your boyfriend, missy…I’m not sure he’s treating you too good.”