Manuel, Amanda - She's Only Seventeen
Apr. 14th, 2004 07:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsThe Date. Manuel takes Amanda to New York for a night of punk music, drinking and catch-up nookie. Only things don't go entirely to plan... Smut warning.
Wednesday evening couldn't come _fast_ enough, as far as Manuel was concerned. As soon as classes were done, he practically teleported back to his room to get ready. "Crap." he said to himself, studying the contents of his closet. "I couldn't find somebody with _normal_ tastes and who likes _normal_ things. No, I had to go in for the exotics. Let's see here - leather pants, Docs, got those ... wait. This one?" And he pulled a shirt from the _back_ of his closet - a mirror to Amanda's Union Jack shirt, but Spanish, not English. "Yeah, that'll do. It's not like I can just put the suit on and wow her with wealth and taste..." Still muttering to himself, he shed his clothing and hopped into his shower to freshen up.
Things were moving at a far more leisurely pace in Room 201. Not because Amanda wasn't excited about the upcoming evening, or even that she was that oblivious to Manuel's increasing pursuit of her. She simply had no time for the traditional 'nervous girl gets ready for the Big Date' scenario. So instead she was finishing up some work on the project she and Doctor Strange had been working on since her first session with him, the Buzzcocks turned up as loud on her CD player as she could manage without making her ears bleed. She had, at least, laid out her clothes - the leather pants, a Pixies tour t-shirt (white, with the sleeves cut off) and a studded belt.
Manuel, in fine de la Rocha style, very nearly missed his appointed Time To Be Ready. But a final whip of the hairbrush through his hair, a final styling assessment, and he was Out The Door. Only to come back fifteen seconds later, to grab his new Hellfire cellphone and his money clip. Forgetting that would have really sucked, considering. He then rushed back out the door to head downstairs.
It was impossible not to smile at Manuel's headlong descent down the stairs, so that was what Amanda was doing when he finally reached the bottom. "Heya," she said, giving him an approving once-over. "Wow, look at you. All this, for me?"
Manuel grinned, and decided that a little Pop Culture was in order. "Wait until I get going!" he said, clearly quoting. Badly. He the stopped to _look_ at her, Nathan's words ringing in the back of his head. "You look fantastic." he said with a smile. "You really do. All set? Wait - crap. Forgot something. Be right back!" And without drawing another breath, runs back _up_ the stairs.
"Bloody balmy," Amanda said to herself, her tone oddly affectionate as she watched him race back up the stairs. 'Nice arse, too,' her mind added helpfully. 'Especially in the leather.'
Manuel raced back downstairs just a few moments later. "OK, _now_ we can go. After you?" he said with a smirk, bowing like he remembered (vaguely) the servants doing back home in Madrid.
"Only if yer sure you don't wanna go chargin' upstairs again?" she asked teasingly, as she walked past him to the door. "You seemed t' be enjoyin' the exercise."
Manuel rolled his eyes. "I'm positive," he said with a grin, then opened the front door for her to reveal - the jet-black stretched limo out front, the driver already waiting to open the car door. "Your chariot awaits. And there's a bar inside."
"Woah. Consider me suitably impressed. An' a bit daunted." Amanda hesitated. "You pulled out all the stops, didn't you?"
"I try." he said humbly. ~Not even close, chippie.~ he thought in the privacy of his own head. "Go on, get in. Don't want to be late for the show."
Amanda climbed in, giving the driver a nod and a "Cheers, mate" as she did. She had to admit, this was a lot more stylish than the school's minibus.
The driver smiled back charmingly. "Happy birthday, Miss. Champagne's in the bucket, glasses are next to it. Feel free to indulge." he told her in a basso profundo voice before rolling up the privacy screen between driver and passengers. Manuel climbed in after Amanda, grinning at the opulence of the limousine, and spotting the Hellfire logo discreetly embroidered on the seat across from him. Closing the door behind him, he knocked on the screen once to signal the driver to begin. "Nice, eh?" he said to Amanda. "Better than that miserable bus."
"Very," she agreed, trying not to show her nervousness. She raised an eyebrow at the champagne bucket and grinned. "Thought of everythin', didn't you?"
"I do try," he repeated, before pouring two glasses of the bubbly, and passing one to Amanda. "Happy birthday." he said with a smile. "Bottoms up!"
Amanda took the glass and only partially resisted the urge to down it in one gulp, settling for half instead. "Thanks," she said, relaxing back against the seat and trying regain the calm of earlier. "I think this is gunna be one birthday I'm never gunna forget."
"That's the idea." he said with a smirk, before settling back to down his own champagne. "So I understand you've got a new friend. Some human from town? Tell me about her."
"Beth? Shinobi put me onto her. He thought we'd have a bit in common, get on, an' he was right. She's into punk, a bit of a rebel." Amanda's smile turned a little silly. "Cute."
Manuel could see how she feels about her, even as blocked as he is. "How very interesting. I should meet her. Does she like to play?"
"You don't mind?" she asked, not really needing permission, but figuring it made life easier. "An' I dunno 'bout how adventurous she is yet - we're still workin' things out."
Manuel looked surprised. "Why would I? It's perfectly normal - so long as I still get my chances..." he said with a leering grin, running a fingertip along Amanda's forearm. "And she sounds delightful - if it makes you happy, then I approve. You have truly excellent taste." he said.
Amanda shivered a little at the touch of his fingers on her skin. "Not everyone's so understandin'," she said, pulling a face. "An' with that dampener on, I know you ain't mirroring what I feel." She smiled, a little wryly. "'S like I know you, an' at the same time I don't. Not in a bad way, tho'," she added, trying to avert Manuel taking offence.
Manuel kept his fingertip roaming up and down Amanda's forearm, and smiled at her. "I know what you mean. I've had to discover who I am as much as you are. But I know what I like, and I know what I want. And I want you." With that, he leant in for a kiss, if she'd permit it.
She did, although she remembered Nate's warnings about the link enough to keep a tight rein on anything that could be considered a bridge for his power. She'd missed this with Manuel, she had to admit. No matter how bad things had gotten, they'd always worked well together physically.
Manuel leaned forward to kiss Amanda, touching his lips to hers in an almost tentative gesture. Inside his head, his power was starting to go even more berserk, bouncing around from neuron to neuron, throwing itself against the filter. He strained as hard as he could to examine her emotions through the filter, to get that immediate feedback that used to be so effortless to him before.
There was an odd sensation, a... pressure, in her head, in the place she'd come to think of as the link part. Closed off and barricaded by Romany's ritual now, but there was something... Amanda recalled what she'd learned so far in Psionics and pictured a wall between that part and the rest, unwilling to risk another headache like last time. His hesitancy was almost teasing, that gentle touch sending shivers through her skin, and she reached up and pulled him closer, kissing him back more firmly.
Ah, female aggression. The cure for, and cause of, most of man's problems. He let her lead, setting the pace and How She Wanted It. He deepened the kiss, guessing that she'd like that, and danced his fingertips over her skin. She liked that, a part of his memory helpfully supplied before being swamped by his power.
There was something different about the way he was reacting, less sure of himself, but Amanda reminded herself he was doing this without his powers. She flicked her tongue across his lips, smiling for a moment as he jumped, and slung one leg over his.
Manuel wiggled a little at the contact, liking the feel of her leg against his, and freed up one hand to trace that leg as far north as he could get it. He grinned at Amanda, hoping that he was projecting the lust he was feeling and not the confusion of his power going berserk inside of his head. "I've missed you." he said to her with a grin after coming up for air.
"I noticed," she replied with an answering smile. She was practically in his lap anyway, so she switched leg positions and made 'practically', 'actually', winding her arms around his neck and nuzzling the skin below his ear with her nose. "I missed you too," she murmured, for the moment ignoring any and all misgivings the situation between them had been giving her in favour of her hormones.
Manuel lost himself in the sensations as Amanda nuzzled his neck. "Mmmmm." was about the best he could manage before diving in for another kiss, following this one up with a questing tongue. "So hot," he whispered, once he could reclaim his breath and voice.
"Mmm," she replied, biting his ear gently before turning and reaching for her glass again. Wouldn't do to let the champagne get warm. "'S one of me charms. That an' bein' stubborn." She leaned in and kissed him again, tasting of champagne. "How's... things? You said yer power reacted t' touch, an' well, this is pretty touchy."
"I like touching. I'm OK, really." he said with a confidence and a smile he really didn't feel. To cover himself, he grabbed the bottle of champagne, refilling her glass and taking a pull for himself straight from the bottle. "It's under control." he said, before claiming another smooch and a hand (his free one) worming its way under her shirt.
Amanda knew she was going to regret this in all of about thirty seconds when things turned Difficult, but she wasn't stupid. Something Manuel tended to forget on occasion. She blindly set her glass down somewhere in the vicinity of the floor and used her free hand to halt Manuel's hand in its exploration of her torso. "Manny," she managed, breaking the kiss. "I ain't about t' come over all virginal on you, but this is important. You don't wanna hurt me, I know that, but yer gotta be straight with me about yer control. I know I mess with yer head; are you gunna be able t' hold onto it?"
Manuel stopped his explorations, and looked her directly in the eye. "I've got it covered. Yeah, the power's loud in my head. Yeah, it wants out. But I've got the filter, and I've got some self-control now. I'll be _fine_. Just - no spells, OK? Let's not tempt the Fates any more than we have to. If we don't give it a channel, we'll be fine. Really."
Amanda nodded. "I trust you," she said. "An' no spells." She grinned, suddenly. "Ain't nothin' I could do t' improve things any way." With that, she ran her fingers down the side of his face, before leaning in for another kiss.
Manuel took it with some fire, pressing himself against her hard. His hand, now presumably freed, resumed its explorations, seeking out the sensitive bits on her that he can remember. When he comes up for air, he leaned forward a bit to nibble on her ear. "I would never hurt you deliberately." he whispered into her ear. "Never."
***
"This place reminds me of Brighton," Amanda shouted into Manuel's ear, struggling to be heard above the heavy guitar of some up and coming New York punk band. She looked completely at home in a way Manuel hadn't seen before, having never seen her in Brighton, body moving almost constantly to the music, cheerfully bouncing off the crush of bodies. And the place suited her, too, with its strange mix of techno-shiny and grunge decor, and the mixture of weird and wonderful (or possibly fabulous) people. She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned up again to shout in his ear. "Thanks so much for finding this place! I love it!"
Manuel had his earplugs in, which was Just About what was saving his hearing from the deafening racket that might, charitably, be called music. "You're welcome!" he shouted, grinning at her as he surfed her good feelings. She was happy, truly happy, and that, for some reason, just brought a big ol' smile to his face. "The band _sucks_!" he bellowed at her, trying to be heard over the din.
She laughed. "Yes! Don't they?" But that fact didn't stop her dancing anyway - not the clubbing style of dance he's seen her do before, all fluid sexiness. It's the punk thrash, pretty much a lot of jumping up and down. There was something wildly joyous in her abandon.
Manuel tried to step well away from the flailing limbs and just watch her be happy. The bartender really didn't care about carding or age limits or any of that - and the $50 Manuel slipped him just cemented the deal. So Manuel had a cold beer in one hand - not his usual poison, but in a place like this it was the best he could do. Even the crappy drink menu couldn't keep him from just being - happy. Despite all the pissed-off or drunk or high or some combination thereof people around him. And that, in and of itself, was a salve to his soul.
It was a few hours later that, during a lull in the music, an exhausted but extremely happy witch snuggled most uncharacteristically affectionately under Manuel's arm as he held fast to his place at the bar. "Yer the best," she said, somewhat giddily, snagging a gulp from his beer. "Really. This so ain't yer thing, an' yet you went t' the trouble of findin' it an' bringin' me."
Manuel handed the beer to Amanda, since she was more likely to enjoy it than he was. "Being with you, here, makes me happy. Really. Come on, with all the shit in your life, you deserve a break. Same for me, but my break is doing nice things for you. It is a flaw, I know, but I'll try to keep it under control."
"I don't mind if you don't," she said, grinning mischievously at him. "Less you think you'll spoil me rotten?"
Manuel just grinned at that. "Sounds like a challenge worthy to a de la Rocha." And then he leaned in close to ear, licking her earlobe before saying "So how do you like your spoiling?"
Her reply was to turn and kiss him, hard, making full use of the tongue stud. "I think I can cope all right," she said when she released him, finishing off the slightly-warm beer.
Manuel just grinned, as even as crippled as he was he could see where her feelings just went. "I should be up for that challenge. I think we'll go for double-digits this time. A worthy goal, I think. Bonus for me if you can't walk afterwards. Bonus for you if I can't." he leered.
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Oh, a challenge, is it? All right, then. Just remember later, you asked for it." The arm she had slipped around his waist dropped so her hand rested on his ass, where she squeezed.
Manny wiggled his leather-clad butt into her grope. "And I have the keys to a suite at the Hilton in my pocket. We can leave any time." he grinned at her before scooting around her to massage her shoulders.
"A hotel? How'd you swing that past the jailers?" she asked, pleased. She leaned back into the massage, resting against Manny's still too-skinny body. "Not that I got any objections, mind."
"Emma's a soft touch if you know just how to spin her." he said, still massaging her shoulders and upper back. "And I want some privacy. Not that I'd mind your roomies, really, but my suite doesn't lock, and I'm going to enjoy your screams."
"'S a bit soon t' be showin' off t' Jane," Amanda said, sighing as his hands smoothed the tense muscles of her shoulders. "An' if you keep that up you'll have t' throw me over yer shoulder an' carry me out, since I won't be able t' stand up."
"Standing is not required. Besides, in this place, I don't think anyone would really mind too much if I did drag you out by your hair, or something like that." he grinned, remembering something. "Jane - she's an interesting girl. Nice tits, not at all shy about showin' 'em. Offered to help me with Maths." he laughed.
"Oh, you got the show, did you? She has this problem with clothes - she forgets t' wear 'em. Can't say I mind all that much." She turned around to poke him lightly in the chest. "No breakin' her heart with yer devilish charms, tho'. I don't want t' have t' put her back together. " Her tone was mostly joking, but there was a slight protective note. "I'm done here. Wanna go take advantage of this door with a lock that don't have roomies behind it?"
Manuel looked all wounded and stuff. "Hey, this is me we're talking about. If she can't control herself, who am I to complain? You're not gettin' all jealous on me, are you?" he asks her, echoing her question from earlier. "You cool?"
"Fuck no, I ain't jealous. If she's happy t' play, then be my guest. I just don't want t' have a mess t' clean up."
"Then we won't use your bed." he leered. "She's an innocent, and I'm not about to go fuck that up for a night's fun. But if she makes the move, I'm not gonna stop her just to make all of you feel better. That's a promise." He then squeezed her butt, and turns to head for the door. "Hotel. With a lock. And a gigantic bed. And a bar. I might even have those handcuffs somewhere..." he leered.
"That I can deal with." Amanda wrapped her fingers around his, letting him lead her to the door through the crowd. "An' don't you just have all the right things t' say t' a girl?"
"Years of practice." he said, quietly, hoping the crowd noise would eat his words. But he lead her out, where the limo driver is waiting (cleverly signalled by Manuel's new cellphone about fifteen minutes or so ago). "After you, senorita." he said with a smile.
A squeeze of his hand was the only indication that Amanda did hear him, and she climbed into the limo without comment, pulling him in after her and ignoring the amused smirk the driver let slip.
The limo pulled up to the entryway to the Hilton, and the liveried footman opened the door of the limo. "This way, sir." he said with a smile, but for some reason Manuel scowled at him, choosing instead to move so that Amanda could depart first.
Amanda repressed the highly childish urge to poke her tongue out at the footman as she climbed out of the limo, ignoring his reluctantly-offered hand. It was harder to not gawk at the opulence of the hotel, though. "Shiny," she murmured, remembering a line from that 'Firefly' show she'd first watched with Jubilee.
Manuel followed Amanda out of the limo, admiring her posterior accent as he did so. "See you tomorrow." he told the driver before he stepped fully out of the limousine. Taking Amanda's arm to keep her from completely embarrassing him by gawking, he "escorted" her into the posh hotel like he's done it a dozen or so times before.
That 'out of her depth' feeling was returning as they walked into the hotel and to the front desk. And whilst she'd rather be horribly tortured than admit to it, Amanda was very grateful for Manuel's steering hand on her arm. This place was... her mind seemed stuck on 'shiny' as an adjective, and she wasn't about to argue with that.
Manuel handled all the mundane aspects of checking in and getting the card that served as the room key. "This way, my dear." he said as he led her through the cavernous expanse that is the lobby to the Hilton to the bank of elevators. "I don't know about you, but I'll be glad to get upstairs and out of these boots. My feet hurt," he said conversationally to Amanda as they waited for the elevators.
Normality was good. "'S a matter of breakin' 'em in," she said, nudging his foot gently with one of her own extremely battered Docs. "Hurts like buggery t' start with, but once you get past that bit, they're great." She leaned against him a little. "But I will be glad t' get upstairs. I ain't
had so much fun in one day before - it's tirin'."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Have I worn you out already?" he leered at her, as the elevator *dinged* softly, and Manuel waited for the group of Africans in nice suits to disembark before leading Amanda into the elevator. "I'd hate to think that you wouldn't have the energy left for later..." he said before nuzzling her neck.
"There's always energy left for later," she replied, tilting her head so he could run his lips up her neck to her ear. "An' I think it'll be me wearin' you out. Or did you take up marathon runnin' while I was gone?"
"You might be surprised. I've got Sarah and the big blue one helping me get back into something resembling shape." he grinned as he puts some serious effort into nuzzling that ear. "I've got plans for you and that hot little body of yours." he murmured around licks of earlobe.
Amanda shivered at the sensation of him running his tongue around the studs in that ear (only three that side), and ran her hands up his arms and over his shoulders. "Plans, eh?" she murmured, running her nails over his t-shirted back. "Sounds like you've been puttin' some thought into this."
"I've had a lot of time to think about it." he confessed, still teasing the studs in her ear with his tongue. Only the *ding* of the elevator arriving on their floor caused him to break off his attack. Offering his arm to her again, passing a scandalized older couple in evening wear, Manuel laughed as he escorted his "companion" to their designated room. Keying in, he held the door open for her. "The bedchamber awaits." he says mock-formally with a grin.
"Fuck..." Amanda was wide-eyed as she looked around the opulent room. It was bigger than the dorm room she shared with Paige and Jane, and then some. She turned as Manuel followed her in, and wrapped her arms around his neck so she could pull him down for a very enthusiastic kiss. "This is just..." She couldn't think of a word, and instead gave him a wicked grin. "Oh, you are so gettin' a reward for this."
"Only reward I really need is for you to appreciate it. And since you are, I'm happy. Now... you're turnin' all red in the brain, and I _know_ I've seen that color outta you before. So how bad do you want it?" he leered.
Amanda's response was another kiss that ended in a gentle nip at his bottom lip. "'Bout as bad as you do," she said, running her hands down his chest to his belt. She grabbed him by the buckle, dragging him back towards the enormous bed.
Manuel allowed himself to be pulled/led, and collapsed onto the bed with a laugh. "Well well now, my dearest sorgin. See something you want? Or did that drafty old magi-convent in England dry you up completely?" he smirked.
"Not completely, no." Amanda's grin turned particularly naughty as she remembered another hotel room. "I think I remember where all the bits go..." She straddled Manuel as he lay on his back on the bed, running her hand up under his shirt to his chest, where she tweaked at his nipple with her fingertips.
Manuel shivered - partly because of the feelings, partly for effect. "Naughty Amanda." he said, picking up on the shift in her emotional structure. To return the favor, he slid his hands under her shirt, heading for her breasts, even as encumbered as they were with clothing. Inside of his head, his power started to pound again, but for now he tried his very best to ignore it and concentrate on his body's signals, not his power's.
"'S why you like me, remember?" she chuckled, arching back as Manuel's hands ran over the smooth silk of her bra - she was wearing one of Manuel's 'gifts' from before she'd left for England. "An' Nice Amanda ain't nearly so much fun, for either of us." She squeezed his hips with her knees, wriggling a little in his lap.
Manuel bucked back at the wriggle, and grinned as his fingers encountered silk. "Very nice." he murmured. "And no, actually, that's not entirely why I like you. Not at all." he leered. "And Nice Amanda is ... not what I need, not what I want. Not right now." he said, voice starting to get a little thick with all the accumulated lust pooling through his body. His power was screaming at him, but he refused to listen to it, refused to give it any headway.
"I've got a good idea of what you do want right now," Amanda said, pushing back against Manuel's thrust, her face flushing a little with arousal. Impatient as always, she pulled off her t-shirt and leaned forward, rubbing her breasts over the skin exposed by his slightly bunched-up shirt and biting his earlobe not-so-gently.
Manuel stared up at Amanda and then closed his eyes, to not only better feel the sensations but to fight back against the surging in his head, the raging of the caged beast that was his power. Acting on memory and instinct, he bucked hard and rolled, reversing their positions so that she was on her back and he was straddling her above. Still with his eyes closed, he began kissing a trail down her body, from that wonderfully-responsive earlobe, down her neck and to the cleft of her cleavage.
Soft gasps greeted Manuel's efforts as he worked his way down to Amanda's cleavage, and she took advantage of the shift in positions to pull his shirt up further, running her nails lightly along the skin of his back and sides.
Manuel could take a hint (eventually) and stopped just long enough to ditch the shirt entirely before continuing his trail, heading for her belly button and as far south as he could get while the clothes stay on. Then he started his way back upwards, taking a different trail, and when he got back to her breasts he lifted the bra up and away before settling down to nuzzle at her nipples directly.
Amanda's back arched, her hips pushing against Manuel's straddling legs, and she dug her nails into the muscles of his shoulders as he teased her nipples with his lips and tongue. There was definitely something different about his touch - less confident, somehow? - but there were still plenty of good feelings to go round.
Manuel, for his part, was less confident, less sure of himself. Before, he could always, without fail, guarantee that whoever was with had the absolute time of their lives. Now, having to do it the hard way, he couldn't help but feel - resentful. Still, he could See enough to know that what he was doing was appreciated, so until he Saw otherwise he'd keep doing it. He brought his hands into the act, one keeping the nipple he wasn't tasting busy, the other stroking her side with just fingernails.
Amanda squirmed beneath him, his touch sending all sorts of hot and bothered signals to certain areas, but unable to take advantage of their positions to act on them. Nor could she do much more than run her hands over his back, stretching to reach at least the tops of his pants, but unable to. Not that she minded what he was doing, no, not at all.
Manny grinned as an idea, spurred by a memory, came to him. He snagged one of her hands, and then the other one, holding them pinned loosely above her head with a fiendish grin. "Nice." he murmured, before setting-to on her breasts again with a vengeance. A moan escaped her as his tongue flicked across her nipple again, and she strained lightly against his pinioning hand, not seriously trying to break his grip. She raised one knee, running down the inside of his leg, unwilling to let him have all the fun.
Manuel took his sweet old time about things, but eventually even he reached his limit. "You are wearing too many clothes. Fix it." he said with a laugh, freeing her hands and rolling on the bed so that he was laying next to her.
"I was thinkin' much the same thing 'bout you," she replied, already bending over the untie the laces of her boots and loosen them enough so she could toe them off, along with her socks. She unhooked the yanked-up bra, tossing it in Manuel's face, before undoing her belt and pants and attempting to wriggle out of them without getting up, without much success. "Y'know, this is much quicker with two..."
Manuel removed the bra from his face, theatrically holding it under his nose and inhaling deeply. Tossing it aside, he grinned at Amanda. "So it does." he said before aiding her out of her leathers. To keep things fair, he ditched his own boots and socks, cringing at the blisters and hamburger-like look of his feet. "That's so gonna hurt tomorrow."
She winced, looking at the mess. "An' I can't exactly help with that without fryin' both our brains..."
"Don't worry about it. A small price to pay, I think." he said, then undid his own belt and looked over at Amanda. Mimicking her Brighton accent, he said "Y'know, this is much quicker with two..."
She swatted him lightly. "So it does," she replied, making a fair job of copying his own accent, scooting around to help pull his pants off. "There, much less clothes."
"So there are." he said sagely, before collapsing with a case of the giggles.
Amanda took advantage of his momentary helplessness to pounce on him again, pinning his hands above his head with her own. Smiling at him wickedly, she leaned down and kissed him, long and lingering, at the same time sliding down his body until she was sitting on his groin. A small frown creased her forehead as things were definitely not as they should have been.
Manuel could see that confusion, and propped his head up to examine what she was so puzzled out. What it was became real obvious, real fast. "Now that's irritating." he said out loud, before letting his head fall back to the bed. Inside his head, his power screamed and shook the bars of its cage. ~Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up~ he muttered to himself in Castillian. ~Why won't you let me do this?~
"Irritatin' is a bit of an understatement," Amanda muttered. "Are you... all right?" she asked, hesitatingly. Obviously she'd come across this sort of problem before, but usually in more... professional situations, when she'd been offered money by some older man too drunk to barely stand. And this had never happened with Manuel before... She moved off him, laying beside him and running her hand up his leg to stroke the troublesome party.
Manuel closed his eyes again, to see if he could yoke his unruly power. But the excitement of the situation and the hot desire that still shot through him made his efforts at self-control fruitless. "Goddammit." he growled, the anger and pain in his voice fairly obvious. Then he rolled onto his stomach, and rolled Amanda onto her back. "I will _not_ let you go unsatisfied." he growled, before sliding her underwear down her body.
"Manny? Care t' tell me what's..." Amanda lost the rest of what she was about to say as Manuel, making good his promise, ran his tongue down the skin of her thigh before making up for his 'failure' with lips and tongue. Rational thought went away for a good while.
Manuel was merciless. He was determined to get Amanda off as many times, and in as many different ways as he possibly could, to compensate for the shame of his power unmanning him. Fingers, lips, tongue, whatever it took for as long as it took. The sole goal of the exercise was her pleasure.
Once Amanda had finally had enough and collapsed into a deep slumber, Manuel leaned back against the bed, still nude, and thought. Why had this happened to him? He'd been far drunker before and had no problems. He'd been with Amanda before and had no problems. So why now, why this? Such things were for lesser men, not for a de la Rocha. He let his eyes drift closed, focusing his attentions inward, trying very hard to remember the lessons that Marie had given him. When the answer came to him, he swore a mighty oath in his head, curled into a ball, and wept.
***
Amanda woke, or at least stopped being completely asleep - she was warm and comfortable and there was a naked Spaniard in the rather large bed with her. She snuggled closer into his back, one arm draped over his waist, and prepared to return to Happy Fuzzy Land.
Manuel's rest, on the other hand, was anything but restful. He twitched, thrashed a bit from side to side, and looked to be in the throes of a Grand Mal nightmare.
Eventually - because it's impossible to snuggle when doing so risks an elbow in the face - Amanda pulled herself awake enough to prop herself up on her elbow and shake his shoulder gently. "Hey."
Manuel screamed, and curled into a fetal ball before he fully came back into this world from his nightmare. "Hey." he said sheepishly, looking over at the naked scarred witch in his bed. "Did I wake you?"
"Yeah. 'S all right. Nightmare?" she asked quietly, stroking his bare shoulder.
"Yeah." he admitted tiredly. "Same old, same old. I'll get by." he says, streeeeeeeeeetching out his lanky frame. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her, then at his own feet. "I'm sorry about earlier," he said in a low voice. "I am ashamed."
"No need t' be," she said. "Happens, sometimes." She pressed a kiss onto his shoulder. " It weren't nothin' I done, was it?"
"No, no, of course not! Not at all. Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to be inside of you right now. But I can't," he said, hands balling into fists. "The stupid power won't shut up."
"Hey, calm down. We'll sort it out." Amanda wasn't sure if projecting calm would work with the dampener, but she did it
anyway. She continued stroking his shoulder and chest, in a
manner more soothing than sexy. "Yer learnin' 'bout yer power, you'll learn t' shut it up."
Manuel slowly unclenched his fists. "I know that. But I wanted to do this. I wanted it very, very badly. But it doesn't matter what I want, only what it wants. Dammit."
"Then we'll teach it who's boss," Amanda said, with a small smile. "An' if it means havin' t' practice a lot, well, we'll just have to." She rested her chin on his shoulder. "We'll sort it out," she repeated.
"Will you be patient with me, if I can't please you the way a man should?" he asked, voice very nearly breaking with barely-suppressed feelings. "Is this enough for you?"
"Manny, you ain't got nothin' t' worry about as far as I'm concerned," Amanda said, her voice a mixture of soothing and amusement. "'S long as you don't explode or nothin' out of frustration, we'll manage. Or d' you think I was fakin' last night?"
"I'm crippled, not dead." he retorted with a wan smirk. "I don't think you could fake it and not have me know." He then smiled more honestly, draping his arm around Amanda. "C'mere, you. It's cold in here."
Wednesday evening couldn't come _fast_ enough, as far as Manuel was concerned. As soon as classes were done, he practically teleported back to his room to get ready. "Crap." he said to himself, studying the contents of his closet. "I couldn't find somebody with _normal_ tastes and who likes _normal_ things. No, I had to go in for the exotics. Let's see here - leather pants, Docs, got those ... wait. This one?" And he pulled a shirt from the _back_ of his closet - a mirror to Amanda's Union Jack shirt, but Spanish, not English. "Yeah, that'll do. It's not like I can just put the suit on and wow her with wealth and taste..." Still muttering to himself, he shed his clothing and hopped into his shower to freshen up.
Things were moving at a far more leisurely pace in Room 201. Not because Amanda wasn't excited about the upcoming evening, or even that she was that oblivious to Manuel's increasing pursuit of her. She simply had no time for the traditional 'nervous girl gets ready for the Big Date' scenario. So instead she was finishing up some work on the project she and Doctor Strange had been working on since her first session with him, the Buzzcocks turned up as loud on her CD player as she could manage without making her ears bleed. She had, at least, laid out her clothes - the leather pants, a Pixies tour t-shirt (white, with the sleeves cut off) and a studded belt.
Manuel, in fine de la Rocha style, very nearly missed his appointed Time To Be Ready. But a final whip of the hairbrush through his hair, a final styling assessment, and he was Out The Door. Only to come back fifteen seconds later, to grab his new Hellfire cellphone and his money clip. Forgetting that would have really sucked, considering. He then rushed back out the door to head downstairs.
It was impossible not to smile at Manuel's headlong descent down the stairs, so that was what Amanda was doing when he finally reached the bottom. "Heya," she said, giving him an approving once-over. "Wow, look at you. All this, for me?"
Manuel grinned, and decided that a little Pop Culture was in order. "Wait until I get going!" he said, clearly quoting. Badly. He the stopped to _look_ at her, Nathan's words ringing in the back of his head. "You look fantastic." he said with a smile. "You really do. All set? Wait - crap. Forgot something. Be right back!" And without drawing another breath, runs back _up_ the stairs.
"Bloody balmy," Amanda said to herself, her tone oddly affectionate as she watched him race back up the stairs. 'Nice arse, too,' her mind added helpfully. 'Especially in the leather.'
Manuel raced back downstairs just a few moments later. "OK, _now_ we can go. After you?" he said with a smirk, bowing like he remembered (vaguely) the servants doing back home in Madrid.
"Only if yer sure you don't wanna go chargin' upstairs again?" she asked teasingly, as she walked past him to the door. "You seemed t' be enjoyin' the exercise."
Manuel rolled his eyes. "I'm positive," he said with a grin, then opened the front door for her to reveal - the jet-black stretched limo out front, the driver already waiting to open the car door. "Your chariot awaits. And there's a bar inside."
"Woah. Consider me suitably impressed. An' a bit daunted." Amanda hesitated. "You pulled out all the stops, didn't you?"
"I try." he said humbly. ~Not even close, chippie.~ he thought in the privacy of his own head. "Go on, get in. Don't want to be late for the show."
Amanda climbed in, giving the driver a nod and a "Cheers, mate" as she did. She had to admit, this was a lot more stylish than the school's minibus.
The driver smiled back charmingly. "Happy birthday, Miss. Champagne's in the bucket, glasses are next to it. Feel free to indulge." he told her in a basso profundo voice before rolling up the privacy screen between driver and passengers. Manuel climbed in after Amanda, grinning at the opulence of the limousine, and spotting the Hellfire logo discreetly embroidered on the seat across from him. Closing the door behind him, he knocked on the screen once to signal the driver to begin. "Nice, eh?" he said to Amanda. "Better than that miserable bus."
"Very," she agreed, trying not to show her nervousness. She raised an eyebrow at the champagne bucket and grinned. "Thought of everythin', didn't you?"
"I do try," he repeated, before pouring two glasses of the bubbly, and passing one to Amanda. "Happy birthday." he said with a smile. "Bottoms up!"
Amanda took the glass and only partially resisted the urge to down it in one gulp, settling for half instead. "Thanks," she said, relaxing back against the seat and trying regain the calm of earlier. "I think this is gunna be one birthday I'm never gunna forget."
"That's the idea." he said with a smirk, before settling back to down his own champagne. "So I understand you've got a new friend. Some human from town? Tell me about her."
"Beth? Shinobi put me onto her. He thought we'd have a bit in common, get on, an' he was right. She's into punk, a bit of a rebel." Amanda's smile turned a little silly. "Cute."
Manuel could see how she feels about her, even as blocked as he is. "How very interesting. I should meet her. Does she like to play?"
"You don't mind?" she asked, not really needing permission, but figuring it made life easier. "An' I dunno 'bout how adventurous she is yet - we're still workin' things out."
Manuel looked surprised. "Why would I? It's perfectly normal - so long as I still get my chances..." he said with a leering grin, running a fingertip along Amanda's forearm. "And she sounds delightful - if it makes you happy, then I approve. You have truly excellent taste." he said.
Amanda shivered a little at the touch of his fingers on her skin. "Not everyone's so understandin'," she said, pulling a face. "An' with that dampener on, I know you ain't mirroring what I feel." She smiled, a little wryly. "'S like I know you, an' at the same time I don't. Not in a bad way, tho'," she added, trying to avert Manuel taking offence.
Manuel kept his fingertip roaming up and down Amanda's forearm, and smiled at her. "I know what you mean. I've had to discover who I am as much as you are. But I know what I like, and I know what I want. And I want you." With that, he leant in for a kiss, if she'd permit it.
She did, although she remembered Nate's warnings about the link enough to keep a tight rein on anything that could be considered a bridge for his power. She'd missed this with Manuel, she had to admit. No matter how bad things had gotten, they'd always worked well together physically.
Manuel leaned forward to kiss Amanda, touching his lips to hers in an almost tentative gesture. Inside his head, his power was starting to go even more berserk, bouncing around from neuron to neuron, throwing itself against the filter. He strained as hard as he could to examine her emotions through the filter, to get that immediate feedback that used to be so effortless to him before.
There was an odd sensation, a... pressure, in her head, in the place she'd come to think of as the link part. Closed off and barricaded by Romany's ritual now, but there was something... Amanda recalled what she'd learned so far in Psionics and pictured a wall between that part and the rest, unwilling to risk another headache like last time. His hesitancy was almost teasing, that gentle touch sending shivers through her skin, and she reached up and pulled him closer, kissing him back more firmly.
Ah, female aggression. The cure for, and cause of, most of man's problems. He let her lead, setting the pace and How She Wanted It. He deepened the kiss, guessing that she'd like that, and danced his fingertips over her skin. She liked that, a part of his memory helpfully supplied before being swamped by his power.
There was something different about the way he was reacting, less sure of himself, but Amanda reminded herself he was doing this without his powers. She flicked her tongue across his lips, smiling for a moment as he jumped, and slung one leg over his.
Manuel wiggled a little at the contact, liking the feel of her leg against his, and freed up one hand to trace that leg as far north as he could get it. He grinned at Amanda, hoping that he was projecting the lust he was feeling and not the confusion of his power going berserk inside of his head. "I've missed you." he said to her with a grin after coming up for air.
"I noticed," she replied with an answering smile. She was practically in his lap anyway, so she switched leg positions and made 'practically', 'actually', winding her arms around his neck and nuzzling the skin below his ear with her nose. "I missed you too," she murmured, for the moment ignoring any and all misgivings the situation between them had been giving her in favour of her hormones.
Manuel lost himself in the sensations as Amanda nuzzled his neck. "Mmmmm." was about the best he could manage before diving in for another kiss, following this one up with a questing tongue. "So hot," he whispered, once he could reclaim his breath and voice.
"Mmm," she replied, biting his ear gently before turning and reaching for her glass again. Wouldn't do to let the champagne get warm. "'S one of me charms. That an' bein' stubborn." She leaned in and kissed him again, tasting of champagne. "How's... things? You said yer power reacted t' touch, an' well, this is pretty touchy."
"I like touching. I'm OK, really." he said with a confidence and a smile he really didn't feel. To cover himself, he grabbed the bottle of champagne, refilling her glass and taking a pull for himself straight from the bottle. "It's under control." he said, before claiming another smooch and a hand (his free one) worming its way under her shirt.
Amanda knew she was going to regret this in all of about thirty seconds when things turned Difficult, but she wasn't stupid. Something Manuel tended to forget on occasion. She blindly set her glass down somewhere in the vicinity of the floor and used her free hand to halt Manuel's hand in its exploration of her torso. "Manny," she managed, breaking the kiss. "I ain't about t' come over all virginal on you, but this is important. You don't wanna hurt me, I know that, but yer gotta be straight with me about yer control. I know I mess with yer head; are you gunna be able t' hold onto it?"
Manuel stopped his explorations, and looked her directly in the eye. "I've got it covered. Yeah, the power's loud in my head. Yeah, it wants out. But I've got the filter, and I've got some self-control now. I'll be _fine_. Just - no spells, OK? Let's not tempt the Fates any more than we have to. If we don't give it a channel, we'll be fine. Really."
Amanda nodded. "I trust you," she said. "An' no spells." She grinned, suddenly. "Ain't nothin' I could do t' improve things any way." With that, she ran her fingers down the side of his face, before leaning in for another kiss.
Manuel took it with some fire, pressing himself against her hard. His hand, now presumably freed, resumed its explorations, seeking out the sensitive bits on her that he can remember. When he comes up for air, he leaned forward a bit to nibble on her ear. "I would never hurt you deliberately." he whispered into her ear. "Never."
***
"This place reminds me of Brighton," Amanda shouted into Manuel's ear, struggling to be heard above the heavy guitar of some up and coming New York punk band. She looked completely at home in a way Manuel hadn't seen before, having never seen her in Brighton, body moving almost constantly to the music, cheerfully bouncing off the crush of bodies. And the place suited her, too, with its strange mix of techno-shiny and grunge decor, and the mixture of weird and wonderful (or possibly fabulous) people. She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned up again to shout in his ear. "Thanks so much for finding this place! I love it!"
Manuel had his earplugs in, which was Just About what was saving his hearing from the deafening racket that might, charitably, be called music. "You're welcome!" he shouted, grinning at her as he surfed her good feelings. She was happy, truly happy, and that, for some reason, just brought a big ol' smile to his face. "The band _sucks_!" he bellowed at her, trying to be heard over the din.
She laughed. "Yes! Don't they?" But that fact didn't stop her dancing anyway - not the clubbing style of dance he's seen her do before, all fluid sexiness. It's the punk thrash, pretty much a lot of jumping up and down. There was something wildly joyous in her abandon.
Manuel tried to step well away from the flailing limbs and just watch her be happy. The bartender really didn't care about carding or age limits or any of that - and the $50 Manuel slipped him just cemented the deal. So Manuel had a cold beer in one hand - not his usual poison, but in a place like this it was the best he could do. Even the crappy drink menu couldn't keep him from just being - happy. Despite all the pissed-off or drunk or high or some combination thereof people around him. And that, in and of itself, was a salve to his soul.
It was a few hours later that, during a lull in the music, an exhausted but extremely happy witch snuggled most uncharacteristically affectionately under Manuel's arm as he held fast to his place at the bar. "Yer the best," she said, somewhat giddily, snagging a gulp from his beer. "Really. This so ain't yer thing, an' yet you went t' the trouble of findin' it an' bringin' me."
Manuel handed the beer to Amanda, since she was more likely to enjoy it than he was. "Being with you, here, makes me happy. Really. Come on, with all the shit in your life, you deserve a break. Same for me, but my break is doing nice things for you. It is a flaw, I know, but I'll try to keep it under control."
"I don't mind if you don't," she said, grinning mischievously at him. "Less you think you'll spoil me rotten?"
Manuel just grinned at that. "Sounds like a challenge worthy to a de la Rocha." And then he leaned in close to ear, licking her earlobe before saying "So how do you like your spoiling?"
Her reply was to turn and kiss him, hard, making full use of the tongue stud. "I think I can cope all right," she said when she released him, finishing off the slightly-warm beer.
Manuel just grinned, as even as crippled as he was he could see where her feelings just went. "I should be up for that challenge. I think we'll go for double-digits this time. A worthy goal, I think. Bonus for me if you can't walk afterwards. Bonus for you if I can't." he leered.
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Oh, a challenge, is it? All right, then. Just remember later, you asked for it." The arm she had slipped around his waist dropped so her hand rested on his ass, where she squeezed.
Manny wiggled his leather-clad butt into her grope. "And I have the keys to a suite at the Hilton in my pocket. We can leave any time." he grinned at her before scooting around her to massage her shoulders.
"A hotel? How'd you swing that past the jailers?" she asked, pleased. She leaned back into the massage, resting against Manny's still too-skinny body. "Not that I got any objections, mind."
"Emma's a soft touch if you know just how to spin her." he said, still massaging her shoulders and upper back. "And I want some privacy. Not that I'd mind your roomies, really, but my suite doesn't lock, and I'm going to enjoy your screams."
"'S a bit soon t' be showin' off t' Jane," Amanda said, sighing as his hands smoothed the tense muscles of her shoulders. "An' if you keep that up you'll have t' throw me over yer shoulder an' carry me out, since I won't be able t' stand up."
"Standing is not required. Besides, in this place, I don't think anyone would really mind too much if I did drag you out by your hair, or something like that." he grinned, remembering something. "Jane - she's an interesting girl. Nice tits, not at all shy about showin' 'em. Offered to help me with Maths." he laughed.
"Oh, you got the show, did you? She has this problem with clothes - she forgets t' wear 'em. Can't say I mind all that much." She turned around to poke him lightly in the chest. "No breakin' her heart with yer devilish charms, tho'. I don't want t' have t' put her back together. " Her tone was mostly joking, but there was a slight protective note. "I'm done here. Wanna go take advantage of this door with a lock that don't have roomies behind it?"
Manuel looked all wounded and stuff. "Hey, this is me we're talking about. If she can't control herself, who am I to complain? You're not gettin' all jealous on me, are you?" he asks her, echoing her question from earlier. "You cool?"
"Fuck no, I ain't jealous. If she's happy t' play, then be my guest. I just don't want t' have a mess t' clean up."
"Then we won't use your bed." he leered. "She's an innocent, and I'm not about to go fuck that up for a night's fun. But if she makes the move, I'm not gonna stop her just to make all of you feel better. That's a promise." He then squeezed her butt, and turns to head for the door. "Hotel. With a lock. And a gigantic bed. And a bar. I might even have those handcuffs somewhere..." he leered.
"That I can deal with." Amanda wrapped her fingers around his, letting him lead her to the door through the crowd. "An' don't you just have all the right things t' say t' a girl?"
"Years of practice." he said, quietly, hoping the crowd noise would eat his words. But he lead her out, where the limo driver is waiting (cleverly signalled by Manuel's new cellphone about fifteen minutes or so ago). "After you, senorita." he said with a smile.
A squeeze of his hand was the only indication that Amanda did hear him, and she climbed into the limo without comment, pulling him in after her and ignoring the amused smirk the driver let slip.
The limo pulled up to the entryway to the Hilton, and the liveried footman opened the door of the limo. "This way, sir." he said with a smile, but for some reason Manuel scowled at him, choosing instead to move so that Amanda could depart first.
Amanda repressed the highly childish urge to poke her tongue out at the footman as she climbed out of the limo, ignoring his reluctantly-offered hand. It was harder to not gawk at the opulence of the hotel, though. "Shiny," she murmured, remembering a line from that 'Firefly' show she'd first watched with Jubilee.
Manuel followed Amanda out of the limo, admiring her posterior accent as he did so. "See you tomorrow." he told the driver before he stepped fully out of the limousine. Taking Amanda's arm to keep her from completely embarrassing him by gawking, he "escorted" her into the posh hotel like he's done it a dozen or so times before.
That 'out of her depth' feeling was returning as they walked into the hotel and to the front desk. And whilst she'd rather be horribly tortured than admit to it, Amanda was very grateful for Manuel's steering hand on her arm. This place was... her mind seemed stuck on 'shiny' as an adjective, and she wasn't about to argue with that.
Manuel handled all the mundane aspects of checking in and getting the card that served as the room key. "This way, my dear." he said as he led her through the cavernous expanse that is the lobby to the Hilton to the bank of elevators. "I don't know about you, but I'll be glad to get upstairs and out of these boots. My feet hurt," he said conversationally to Amanda as they waited for the elevators.
Normality was good. "'S a matter of breakin' 'em in," she said, nudging his foot gently with one of her own extremely battered Docs. "Hurts like buggery t' start with, but once you get past that bit, they're great." She leaned against him a little. "But I will be glad t' get upstairs. I ain't
had so much fun in one day before - it's tirin'."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Have I worn you out already?" he leered at her, as the elevator *dinged* softly, and Manuel waited for the group of Africans in nice suits to disembark before leading Amanda into the elevator. "I'd hate to think that you wouldn't have the energy left for later..." he said before nuzzling her neck.
"There's always energy left for later," she replied, tilting her head so he could run his lips up her neck to her ear. "An' I think it'll be me wearin' you out. Or did you take up marathon runnin' while I was gone?"
"You might be surprised. I've got Sarah and the big blue one helping me get back into something resembling shape." he grinned as he puts some serious effort into nuzzling that ear. "I've got plans for you and that hot little body of yours." he murmured around licks of earlobe.
Amanda shivered at the sensation of him running his tongue around the studs in that ear (only three that side), and ran her hands up his arms and over his shoulders. "Plans, eh?" she murmured, running her nails over his t-shirted back. "Sounds like you've been puttin' some thought into this."
"I've had a lot of time to think about it." he confessed, still teasing the studs in her ear with his tongue. Only the *ding* of the elevator arriving on their floor caused him to break off his attack. Offering his arm to her again, passing a scandalized older couple in evening wear, Manuel laughed as he escorted his "companion" to their designated room. Keying in, he held the door open for her. "The bedchamber awaits." he says mock-formally with a grin.
"Fuck..." Amanda was wide-eyed as she looked around the opulent room. It was bigger than the dorm room she shared with Paige and Jane, and then some. She turned as Manuel followed her in, and wrapped her arms around his neck so she could pull him down for a very enthusiastic kiss. "This is just..." She couldn't think of a word, and instead gave him a wicked grin. "Oh, you are so gettin' a reward for this."
"Only reward I really need is for you to appreciate it. And since you are, I'm happy. Now... you're turnin' all red in the brain, and I _know_ I've seen that color outta you before. So how bad do you want it?" he leered.
Amanda's response was another kiss that ended in a gentle nip at his bottom lip. "'Bout as bad as you do," she said, running her hands down his chest to his belt. She grabbed him by the buckle, dragging him back towards the enormous bed.
Manuel allowed himself to be pulled/led, and collapsed onto the bed with a laugh. "Well well now, my dearest sorgin. See something you want? Or did that drafty old magi-convent in England dry you up completely?" he smirked.
"Not completely, no." Amanda's grin turned particularly naughty as she remembered another hotel room. "I think I remember where all the bits go..." She straddled Manuel as he lay on his back on the bed, running her hand up under his shirt to his chest, where she tweaked at his nipple with her fingertips.
Manuel shivered - partly because of the feelings, partly for effect. "Naughty Amanda." he said, picking up on the shift in her emotional structure. To return the favor, he slid his hands under her shirt, heading for her breasts, even as encumbered as they were with clothing. Inside of his head, his power started to pound again, but for now he tried his very best to ignore it and concentrate on his body's signals, not his power's.
"'S why you like me, remember?" she chuckled, arching back as Manuel's hands ran over the smooth silk of her bra - she was wearing one of Manuel's 'gifts' from before she'd left for England. "An' Nice Amanda ain't nearly so much fun, for either of us." She squeezed his hips with her knees, wriggling a little in his lap.
Manuel bucked back at the wriggle, and grinned as his fingers encountered silk. "Very nice." he murmured. "And no, actually, that's not entirely why I like you. Not at all." he leered. "And Nice Amanda is ... not what I need, not what I want. Not right now." he said, voice starting to get a little thick with all the accumulated lust pooling through his body. His power was screaming at him, but he refused to listen to it, refused to give it any headway.
"I've got a good idea of what you do want right now," Amanda said, pushing back against Manuel's thrust, her face flushing a little with arousal. Impatient as always, she pulled off her t-shirt and leaned forward, rubbing her breasts over the skin exposed by his slightly bunched-up shirt and biting his earlobe not-so-gently.
Manuel stared up at Amanda and then closed his eyes, to not only better feel the sensations but to fight back against the surging in his head, the raging of the caged beast that was his power. Acting on memory and instinct, he bucked hard and rolled, reversing their positions so that she was on her back and he was straddling her above. Still with his eyes closed, he began kissing a trail down her body, from that wonderfully-responsive earlobe, down her neck and to the cleft of her cleavage.
Soft gasps greeted Manuel's efforts as he worked his way down to Amanda's cleavage, and she took advantage of the shift in positions to pull his shirt up further, running her nails lightly along the skin of his back and sides.
Manuel could take a hint (eventually) and stopped just long enough to ditch the shirt entirely before continuing his trail, heading for her belly button and as far south as he could get while the clothes stay on. Then he started his way back upwards, taking a different trail, and when he got back to her breasts he lifted the bra up and away before settling down to nuzzle at her nipples directly.
Amanda's back arched, her hips pushing against Manuel's straddling legs, and she dug her nails into the muscles of his shoulders as he teased her nipples with his lips and tongue. There was definitely something different about his touch - less confident, somehow? - but there were still plenty of good feelings to go round.
Manuel, for his part, was less confident, less sure of himself. Before, he could always, without fail, guarantee that whoever was with had the absolute time of their lives. Now, having to do it the hard way, he couldn't help but feel - resentful. Still, he could See enough to know that what he was doing was appreciated, so until he Saw otherwise he'd keep doing it. He brought his hands into the act, one keeping the nipple he wasn't tasting busy, the other stroking her side with just fingernails.
Amanda squirmed beneath him, his touch sending all sorts of hot and bothered signals to certain areas, but unable to take advantage of their positions to act on them. Nor could she do much more than run her hands over his back, stretching to reach at least the tops of his pants, but unable to. Not that she minded what he was doing, no, not at all.
Manny grinned as an idea, spurred by a memory, came to him. He snagged one of her hands, and then the other one, holding them pinned loosely above her head with a fiendish grin. "Nice." he murmured, before setting-to on her breasts again with a vengeance. A moan escaped her as his tongue flicked across her nipple again, and she strained lightly against his pinioning hand, not seriously trying to break his grip. She raised one knee, running down the inside of his leg, unwilling to let him have all the fun.
Manuel took his sweet old time about things, but eventually even he reached his limit. "You are wearing too many clothes. Fix it." he said with a laugh, freeing her hands and rolling on the bed so that he was laying next to her.
"I was thinkin' much the same thing 'bout you," she replied, already bending over the untie the laces of her boots and loosen them enough so she could toe them off, along with her socks. She unhooked the yanked-up bra, tossing it in Manuel's face, before undoing her belt and pants and attempting to wriggle out of them without getting up, without much success. "Y'know, this is much quicker with two..."
Manuel removed the bra from his face, theatrically holding it under his nose and inhaling deeply. Tossing it aside, he grinned at Amanda. "So it does." he said before aiding her out of her leathers. To keep things fair, he ditched his own boots and socks, cringing at the blisters and hamburger-like look of his feet. "That's so gonna hurt tomorrow."
She winced, looking at the mess. "An' I can't exactly help with that without fryin' both our brains..."
"Don't worry about it. A small price to pay, I think." he said, then undid his own belt and looked over at Amanda. Mimicking her Brighton accent, he said "Y'know, this is much quicker with two..."
She swatted him lightly. "So it does," she replied, making a fair job of copying his own accent, scooting around to help pull his pants off. "There, much less clothes."
"So there are." he said sagely, before collapsing with a case of the giggles.
Amanda took advantage of his momentary helplessness to pounce on him again, pinning his hands above his head with her own. Smiling at him wickedly, she leaned down and kissed him, long and lingering, at the same time sliding down his body until she was sitting on his groin. A small frown creased her forehead as things were definitely not as they should have been.
Manuel could see that confusion, and propped his head up to examine what she was so puzzled out. What it was became real obvious, real fast. "Now that's irritating." he said out loud, before letting his head fall back to the bed. Inside his head, his power screamed and shook the bars of its cage. ~Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up~ he muttered to himself in Castillian. ~Why won't you let me do this?~
"Irritatin' is a bit of an understatement," Amanda muttered. "Are you... all right?" she asked, hesitatingly. Obviously she'd come across this sort of problem before, but usually in more... professional situations, when she'd been offered money by some older man too drunk to barely stand. And this had never happened with Manuel before... She moved off him, laying beside him and running her hand up his leg to stroke the troublesome party.
Manuel closed his eyes again, to see if he could yoke his unruly power. But the excitement of the situation and the hot desire that still shot through him made his efforts at self-control fruitless. "Goddammit." he growled, the anger and pain in his voice fairly obvious. Then he rolled onto his stomach, and rolled Amanda onto her back. "I will _not_ let you go unsatisfied." he growled, before sliding her underwear down her body.
"Manny? Care t' tell me what's..." Amanda lost the rest of what she was about to say as Manuel, making good his promise, ran his tongue down the skin of her thigh before making up for his 'failure' with lips and tongue. Rational thought went away for a good while.
Manuel was merciless. He was determined to get Amanda off as many times, and in as many different ways as he possibly could, to compensate for the shame of his power unmanning him. Fingers, lips, tongue, whatever it took for as long as it took. The sole goal of the exercise was her pleasure.
Once Amanda had finally had enough and collapsed into a deep slumber, Manuel leaned back against the bed, still nude, and thought. Why had this happened to him? He'd been far drunker before and had no problems. He'd been with Amanda before and had no problems. So why now, why this? Such things were for lesser men, not for a de la Rocha. He let his eyes drift closed, focusing his attentions inward, trying very hard to remember the lessons that Marie had given him. When the answer came to him, he swore a mighty oath in his head, curled into a ball, and wept.
***
Amanda woke, or at least stopped being completely asleep - she was warm and comfortable and there was a naked Spaniard in the rather large bed with her. She snuggled closer into his back, one arm draped over his waist, and prepared to return to Happy Fuzzy Land.
Manuel's rest, on the other hand, was anything but restful. He twitched, thrashed a bit from side to side, and looked to be in the throes of a Grand Mal nightmare.
Eventually - because it's impossible to snuggle when doing so risks an elbow in the face - Amanda pulled herself awake enough to prop herself up on her elbow and shake his shoulder gently. "Hey."
Manuel screamed, and curled into a fetal ball before he fully came back into this world from his nightmare. "Hey." he said sheepishly, looking over at the naked scarred witch in his bed. "Did I wake you?"
"Yeah. 'S all right. Nightmare?" she asked quietly, stroking his bare shoulder.
"Yeah." he admitted tiredly. "Same old, same old. I'll get by." he says, streeeeeeeeeetching out his lanky frame. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her, then at his own feet. "I'm sorry about earlier," he said in a low voice. "I am ashamed."
"No need t' be," she said. "Happens, sometimes." She pressed a kiss onto his shoulder. " It weren't nothin' I done, was it?"
"No, no, of course not! Not at all. Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to be inside of you right now. But I can't," he said, hands balling into fists. "The stupid power won't shut up."
"Hey, calm down. We'll sort it out." Amanda wasn't sure if projecting calm would work with the dampener, but she did it
anyway. She continued stroking his shoulder and chest, in a
manner more soothing than sexy. "Yer learnin' 'bout yer power, you'll learn t' shut it up."
Manuel slowly unclenched his fists. "I know that. But I wanted to do this. I wanted it very, very badly. But it doesn't matter what I want, only what it wants. Dammit."
"Then we'll teach it who's boss," Amanda said, with a small smile. "An' if it means havin' t' practice a lot, well, we'll just have to." She rested her chin on his shoulder. "We'll sort it out," she repeated.
"Will you be patient with me, if I can't please you the way a man should?" he asked, voice very nearly breaking with barely-suppressed feelings. "Is this enough for you?"
"Manny, you ain't got nothin' t' worry about as far as I'm concerned," Amanda said, her voice a mixture of soothing and amusement. "'S long as you don't explode or nothin' out of frustration, we'll manage. Or d' you think I was fakin' last night?"
"I'm crippled, not dead." he retorted with a wan smirk. "I don't think you could fake it and not have me know." He then smiled more honestly, draping his arm around Amanda. "C'mere, you. It's cold in here."
