Allen Clark might have been trying to flirt with me, and I could have easily ignored it, but I couldn't delay the meeting with Lord Clark. His late-night message seemed off., If I had responded then, he might have used it as an opportunity to make additional demands. Agreeing would have seemed wrong, and disagreeing might have led him to bring up the issue when we met his father., The best option might have been to ignore him like I did the day before., I brought myself back to the conversation with Fanny Willis. I hadn't really been listening, but then I heard her ask,

"So, after you two defined the relationship, that was it? No next steps?

",

"What next steps?

" I was still a bit distracted by Allen's message.,

"What do you think is the next step in a romantic relationship? Obviously, that,

" Fanny said with a mischievous tone., I immediately understood.

"What do you mean by 'that'? Ernest is a gentleman, okay?

",

"Does being a gentleman mean he doesn't have desires? Doesn't contribute to human reproduction?

" Fanny hit me with these questions and then hummed,

"Conrad Wagner is quite the gentleman too.

", I fell silent. Fanny seemed to sense something and explained,

"I don't mean anything by it; I'm just saying that love produces dopamine in men and women, leading to increased adrenaline and stirring desires.'

"Look, if a man really loves you, he'll be driven towards you, wanting to be intimate. If he doesn't, or if he can restrain himself, it's likely because he doesn't love you as much,

" Fanny analyzed the situation with her medical knowledge., Thinking back to the years Conrad and I had been together, seen as fiancés, our most intimate actions were just holding hands, or the occasional close hug., It seemed he never had 'those' thoughts about me., I used to think he was respecting me, a modern-day paragon of virtue, and even if I had doubts, it was only about my own charm., Now, with Fanny's analysis, I realized it wasn't about respect; Conrad just wasn't that into me., Oh, and Conrad also mentioned once he wasn't interested in me because we were too familiar.,

"Felicia, does Ernest not show that kind of interest, or does he cling to you, not wanting to part?

" Fanny asked me., I recalled standing at the door, wrapped in Ernest's arms, neither of us wanting to let go.,

"Yes, of course he does, but it's all within the bounds of propriety,

" I explained.,

"Bull**!

" Fanny swore,

"If a man truly loves you, down to his bones, he'd want to melt into you, become one with you.

", Her words left me a bit dry-throated, so I walked inside and poured myself a glass of water.

"Really? I guess I don't really understand these things. Dr. Wen, you seem to know a lot.

", Fanny detected the teasing in my voice,

"I'm looking out for you; I don't want you to miss out again. Ernest is a principled, tough man, but you can take some initiative.

"

"Cough...

", Fanny's words made me choke. She was encouraging me to be more aggressive, to take what I wanted., I rolled my eyes, speechless.

"Why can't I have a pure and genuine love, why does it have to be about seduction?

",

"That's not it. It's just that a good man like Ernest is hard to come by; if you don't make a move, someone else will.

", Listening to Fanny, I realized how much she 'cared' about my love life.,

"Felicia, there's an old saying, 'A man who wants to sleep with you doesn't necessarily love you, but a man who loves you will definitely want to sleep with you,

" Fanny concluded with a final stroke. After my experience with Conrad, how could I have been so naive about love?,

"True love isn't about desiring someone's body,

" I responded.,

"Food and sex are basic human desires,

" Fanny still tried to enlighten me., I hadn't thought much of it, but Fanny's words made me think back to the several times Ernest and I were alone together, and nothing happened., Here I was, an attractive woman, he was interested, but nothing., Now that I thought about it, it did seem abnormal. Could I have encountered another man who doesn't truly love me?, That would really be unfortunate!, I felt it was time to test the waters with Ernest, but surely not in the way Fanny suggested., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.