Sinner's Place {h.s}

sixty-one.

'Meet me under the Eiffel Tower.'

That's what the note said that was left on the bedside table.

I left it there an hour ago for Anna to find when she woke.

There was a red dress that I had laid out for her, one that I had bought prior to this trip. I needed this night to be perfect, so I planned it accordingly. Though, dinner would be light tonight. My nerves were getting the best of me and I couldn't stomach the feeling of anticipation of Anna's arrival.

I couldn't lie that I had a couple flutes of champagne in the time that I had arrived. At first, the giddy feeling was exciting, but after thirty minutes is when I started to feel the nerves. It wasn't everyday that someone rented out Paris' greatest attraction for the night, just for a simple dinner.

The air was cold, my nose was growing red and bitter as I rubbed my arms. In the distance, I could hear the nightlife of Paris. People chatting to their friends, cars making their way to their destination. The lights under the Eiffel Tower were bugging my eyes, maybe because I had been staring at them for too long.

I started to pace, eventually checking the time on my watch with a flick of my wrist. It had been an hour and fifteen minutes. The suit I wore was starting to crinkle under the humidity of the night; one that I had finely pressed before packed. It was specially made. Simple, effective, it was a black suit with my name sewn into the pocket in red. Other than that, there was nothing specifically special about it.

For a moment, I really started to think that Anna wasn't going to wake up. I set an alarm for her, multiple, actually–that would wake her up. If I trusted my instincts enough, I knew that Anna would wake at the first alarm and find me not there; which in hindsight, would make her panic, but I didn't think about that until after I was already out the door.

It was too late. The plan was set in motion and I couldn't just undress and wait for her to wake.

Just as a woman needs her grand entrance, I wanted her to find me dressed up as well. Though, I could promise that I was much more excited to see Anna in the dress I picked out for her.

"Sir? Another?"

I shot my head over to the man who was standing promptly by the table, the one that I still hadn't even found a sit in yet. I was too nervous to sit. My fingers clutched the thin glass flute, my rings tapping against it carefully as I placed it on the table with a nod.

"Please," My voice was strained, brushing my sweaty palms against my jacket, "And another bottle, perhaps?"

"Of course, sir."

My jaw clenched, I had drunk almost half of the bottle at that point. Mentally scolding myself, I picked up the flute that was now refilled. At least it took the edge off, there were multiple times in the hour that I was waiting that I thought I'd up chuck from anxiety.