Dirty Minds

Emmanuel and Anna

He saw her leaving Victoria's secret looking upset and a little flustered that day. He sat at the food court near by drinking his coffee, black, as always.

Emmanuel watched they way she walked, saw how her shoulders hunched and how she took such small steps. When she made it to the coffee counter, she seemed incapable of making eye contact with the barista as she placed her order. He continued to watch her as she took a seat at he bar, leaving an empty one between herself and him.

And even as the girl sat, her shoulders seemed to close in, almost creating a shield from the outside world on her body. She fiddled with the receipt she'd been given and threw a quick glance around. Her sweet, hazel eyes made brief contact with Manny's dark brown ones before they quickly looked away.

The girl shook her head, and a curtain of long mousy hair covered her face on the side from which Manny sat.

Tapping his fingers on the counter thoughtfully, Manny scooted over a seat closer to her.

"Hi," he said, his voice smooth.

The girl about jumped ten feet in the air, "Oh, hi!" Her voice was high pitched and she cleared her throat to try again, "I mean, uh- uhm, hi."

Emmanuel chuckled I'm a low, but powerful way, "What's your name?"
"A-Annabella," she stuttered out, "What's y-yours?"

"Emmanuel, well- Manny," he studied her as she spoke. The soft curve of her lip that she bit in nervousness and the constant red glow to her cheeks that deepened the more he scrutinized.

"What?" She asked him, flattening her hair.

Manny smiled at the cutesy, non-descript, innocent girl in front of him, "You're beautiful," he said. He meant it, but not romantically.

There was something about this girl, Anna, that he wanted to unwrap, to unfold and disclose to himself. So much that that he wanted her to learn....

"Thank you," she said with a small smile of embarrassment.

Her long eyelashes fell over her eyes every time she blinked, for Manny, it was as if it were in slow motion. He noticed then she wasn't wearing any makeup.

She was perfect.

Her coffee was brought to her and she smiled at the barista with the redness creeping into her cheeks still. She began to gather her things, but Manny had already made up his mind.

"Let me have your cellphone," he said calmly, looking into the wide eyes which she averted quickly. But she complied.

He put in his phone number and called himself and then handed her back her phone, "Naivity is never a good thing, don't hand over your cell phone to someone you've only just met."

She flushed a deep shade of crimson but kept her eyes down. She nodded vigorously.

He pulled her chin up, "Good, girl."

In the forced eye contact, Anna was paralyzed, but redder in her cheeks still.

Manny chuckled darkly again before releasing her chin and grabbing his coffee, turning his back, and beginning to walk away. He heard her let out a breath and walk away quickly.

Smirking, he pulled out his phone and typed to the number that he knew to be Anna's. "Meet me at the Lindell Hotel at 7:00, come alone. Room 467."

After he sent the text he called the hotel, the room was open, they always left it open.

Anna replied, "Why?"
Then, "That's a bit sketchy..."
Then, "I don't think I can make it..."
Then, "I don't even have anything to wear!"
"Hello?"
"What should I bring?"
"I mean, if I WERE to come..."
"What should I wear?"
"...."
"7:00? Okay, I'll be there."