Speculo

II

Elis was in a bad situation. Fuck. She was in a horrible situation. To be specific she was in a broom closet. And if anyone found her there was a good chance she'd be dead. Or worse. She held her breathe. Hushed voices whispered past her door and she pressed her back deeper into the closet. Ha. She was in the closet. Not a time for jokes Elissandra. The voice was soft, and lilted. Persuasive. Elis herself used that voice often. She knew it was trying to pull someone of the edge of anger. the fear added a pitch she was all too familiar with. Her lungs threatened to explode. She stuffed her face into a dusty coat and took a muffled breathe. It tasted like mildew and she cringed. For such a fancy place they could due to clean their closets. She had no idea how she had wound up here. Actually, that's a lie. It all started that morning. With a double shot ice mocha espresso.

       " yeah gimme a number three hold the caramel" Elis picked the red paint off her chipping nails.
"I know your coffee order Elis" her brother Sean moved around behind the coffee counter in his fancy Starbucks uniform. His hair laid flat for once and she didn't like it. It wasn't like her brother to be well kept.
"what if I decided to change it to attract the interest of the hot guy seated By the electrical plug?" she threw a glance over her shoulder at said guy and caught his stare. He looked back at his coffee. Elis's stomach tugged with a familiar grey feeling.
"he's been looking at you for ten minutes already"
"his coffees probably cold I'll have to buy him a new one" sean shakes his head. The truth was, Elis was used to the stares. She was hot to men. It couldn't have been her appearance or her "personality" but it worked to her advantage most if the time. Until it didn't.
"what is it?"
"one shot espresso, two caramel shots with extra whip cream. Iced" Sean shakes his head and chuckles. On the outside, Elis Quinn was a bombshell. On the inside? She felt more like the aftermath. She needed to not feel like her for a bit. Isn't that always the problem? maybe she could feel like less of a trainwreck for an hour or so but then she'd go home and remember who she really was. She accepted the two coffees from her brother before sauntering over to the table where the person of interest lounged. Smile. Move your hips. Act beautifully and blissfully unstable. You are a carefree and utterly loveable goddess. She flashed her teeth when he looked up at her. His hair was dark and combed like Leonardo decaprios in the Titanic. The smile he wore screamed of lazy sun and lemonade. She threw herself into the chair across from him, bending exactly right and rolling into it like it was her favorite couch.
"Hello," the man looked at her from beneath dark eyelashes and thick, perceptive brows.
"you looked low" she pushed the coffee to his side of the table, letting his fingers brush hers when he took it. His hands were softer than she had imagined for his appearance. She wondered if he always carried lotion on his person. She wondered it out loud.
"as a habit, I do not, but I go to school for a living so I don't do much handy work" he sipped the coffee and managed not to look surprised at the fact she had gotten his order perfect. "Thank you" he indicated the cup.
"and what do you go to school for?" She knew she had been rude. she traced the edge of the counter lazily with her nail. "Mr...?" he flashed her a set of perfectly straight teeth and shifted his toned shoulders to put both tan elbows on the table.
"Mr. Roscoe Edwards" Roscoe, she let it roll on her mind for a second. Unique, sexy.
"Mr. Roscoe, may I call you Ross?"
"I haven't decided yet Mrs...?" he raised one of his straight black eyebrows.
" Miss. Elissandra Quinn" she extended her hand and he took it gently and gave it a squeeze instead of a shake. She smiled as slyly as she could without looking devious. She was in fact quite devious but she didn't need the whole Starbucks to know that.
" Elissandra"
"you may call me Elis" she smiled again as he took another sip of his coffee.
"Elissandra Quinn do you have any plans this afternoon?"
"I believe I do. I think I'll have you get me out of here Mr. Roscoe" she knew before he answered that he would say yes. She had known when he had stared at her the whole tome she ordered. A small five second conversation is all it takes to get what you want. Her mother liked to say all you had to do was say please. Elis never did. Roscoe smiled. He picked up his drink and stood, extending a hand like a invitation.
"splendid, shall we?"