Anna will bring me coffee in the morning and that way I can avoid him at breakfast. Once he leaves Thursday night, Anna is coming over for the weekend and we are going to have a woman's sex Ed class all for me.
We head back to work; I’m worried and happy at the same time. Because if anyone can help me through these sexual waters, it’s Anna. I head over to my desk and on top of it is my Harry Rules to-go mug with a single white rose and a note.
Isabella,
You left this in the car in your rush to leave my side this morning.
I brought you a fresh cup, two sugars, and one cream. Enjoy the rest of your day.
See you at five.
A.
Anna grabs the note and reads it. She points to my face.
“Stay strong Padawan. The force is strong with him and you are weak and untrained in the ways of men.”
She tosses the note on the table and grabs the rose away from my nose. “Work,” she points at the wall, shoving my shoulder in that direction.
I laugh at her. “I did work this morning, all morning actually. You listened while I worked and talked. It’s not my fault I can multitask.”
“Whatever!”
We fall into our usual pattern of ease; Anna has her earbuds back in, humming to a song, while I work in silence, completing the dress on the lady on the bench. It’s more than I could hope for.
I exposed her dress and moved past her shoulder, revealing part of an intricate necklace around her throat. One more day and I should be able to see her face for the first time. I step back to admire my work and the painting as a whole. It’s going to look amazing once we finish.
“It’s well past five. We have been waiting in the car for the last half hour.” Alexander’s voice growl’s across the room.
I cringe and hunch my shoulders; I turn my head and see Alex, arms crossed, legs spread wide, glaring at us. Carlos stands just behind him, hands claps in front of him, a glum expression on his face.
Just then, Anna belts out at the top of her lungs, arms stretched out to her side, shaking her butt back and forth, “Myyyyyymilkshakes brings all the boys to the yard! And they’re like…”
She points at me to take over in my usual part of the song.
I stand there frozen wide-eyed and give her a slight nod towards the door.
“Izzy… Go! And they’re like…” She shakes her boobs in my face mamba style.
I use my eyes to look over again at the two men who are watching her performance.
She still hasn’t taken her earbuds out, louder than she needs to be. She yells, “Oh right, he broke your boob, don’t shake them, shake your ass instead.”
Anna shimmies across the walkway towards me, basically twerking over to me using the railing as a guide, she grabs my waist and starts grinding on my leg.
“Damn right, it’s better than yours. I could teach you… but I’d have to charge!” She belts out again.
I can’t take the embarrassment any longer and I pop out one of her earbuds.
“What the hell, Izz? I was just getting going. And why are you not shaking your ass? When have you EVER not joined me in this song?” She stands up, popping out her other earbud, and looks at me, confused.
“Yes, please show us your moves, Isabella. I’d like nothing more than to see your milkshake shake.” Alexander says with a smirk on his face.
Anna jumps and turns to look at them, a huge smile bursting over her face.
“Well hey there boys, you got here just in time for the show.” She nudges me.
I don’t say a thing. I’m mortified. I can’t even move. Anna starts to back down the ladder, takes off her goggles, and tosses them on her desk, snapping her gloves off like a burlesque dancer, as she tosses them in the nearby trash can and heads over to them. She passes right by Alex and walks up to Carlos. He is a giant compared to her. His 6’5 frame compared to her 5’ makes her look like a child.
