Empire State Of Mind

Even if it ain't all it seems
I got a pocketful of dreams

Alicia Keys
Empire State Of Mind Pt. II

He was standing in a corner wobbling from side to side. Wasted, it must be the kick of the alcohol wearing off his sense of balance. His face was shrouded under a white baseball cap. But his small piercing eyes, his slender high-bridged nose, and his manly allure tempted me to keep looking towards his direction.

Rivals were everywhere and there was an urgency to stake my claim. For he was alone too, and there was a shortage of very straight-acting men that night. Experience cautions to approach with care. he might be the type who responds well to subtle seduction.

I allowed myself to be carried away by the crowd. He was near the bathroom and the transit of people would take me right off his feet. Unfortunately, I was too slow to make a move. Another guy knifed through my diskarte and took his hand like the prospect's merely a random pick-up. This guy thought he gained a point. After all, he was tall and had a lean body, and he shamelessly displayed the fruits of his diet by dancing naked on the ledge.

Preparing to back off and resume my hunt, I noticed that the prospect was rejecting the guy's advances.

"Maangas nga!!" A faint smile reaffirms my first impression. "Lemme check if he would bite my bait."

I held my ground and waited for the aggressor to leave.



I rely on body gestures when playing the game of seduction. In a crowded club, a guy who holds his ground even when you start invading his dance space most likely conveys a warm reception. The gentle brushing of the fingers lead to interlocking of the hands. A guy who craftily rubs his ass against your crotch means he wanted to dance with you. No words are spoken. Not even smiles. Seldom do I trade glances, but when I bust a move in front of another guy, it means I am tempting him to ensnare me.

Except when the guy is my friend.

This method of seduction works best for those who play hard to get. Some guys enjoy the challenge of second guessing before realizing that someone's actually making a pass. I settled scores with masculines this way - and often gets a French kiss as a reward. However, most masculines think I'm too tough for them. (or maybe because there's someone better-looking out there) So in the end, they stay with the effeminate ones. After all, these guys are more approachable and their intentions, more pronounced than the read-between-the-lines I tend to hint.



"Pare may yosi ka?" Finally the prospect was the one who broke our silence.

"Wala eh pero bili ako sa labas." He was sitting just behind the ledge, probably exhausted from the other activities he had before dropping by the club.

Lady Gaga's Bad Romance blares from the huge speakers suspended on walls. But I chose to ignore its infectious beats just to get hold of the one I was eyeing. Between the puffs of Marlboro, he began to open up by introducing himself. His name is Carlo and he found himself in Malate after his another party ended early.

"Saan ka nakatira?" He inquired. I somehow get the subtext of his message.

"Sa Santa Mesa," I nonchalantly replied.

"Ako din tiga dun lang." He answered. "San ka sa Santa Mesa?" Asking for my exact location would not get us anywhere. The last person who probed my location immediately followed his inquiry with a very nifty offering.

"May ibang tao sa place mo?" [Subtext: Hope we could hang out at your place after the party]

Even when he was a crush and I was very tempted to sleep with him, I chose to decline his advances.



Over the years I learned to discern the language of straight-acting men in heat that even the most ambiguous words come out as crystal clear. Any reference to home means hook-up and even a simple coffee date (depending on how long and engaging your conversation was) may lead to something more consummate. An invitation to a fast food chain means a quickie in the bathroom and a movie eyeball, of course, maybe an invitation to a make-out in the dark. Some would see this as a product of a colorful imagination but that's how I am beginning to think. Lately, I've been experimenting with people I meet in the streets. But others, especially the daring ones have gone through that road long before I gave names to my little scorpions.



I was able to hold the prospect long enough to even have an outcome from our little game. He confided to me that he was high on E and wanted to dance until its effects wear off. I encouraged him to mount the ledge. I even took off his shirt for I sense what's underneath would make everyone's eyes (including mine) glued with carnal intentions.

The prospect was a good dancer. His big arms, his broad chest and his seductive body movements would make up for his slightly rounded tummy. How I wished he was open to dancing with me. A lanky kid tried to run his fingers down his torso, but the prospect's hands acted fast before it could reach his navel shaming the kid for ever making such move.



It was almost four in the morning and Akon's Sexy Bitch revs up the crowd once more. I danced alongside the prospect just to make sure he wouldn't be alone on the ledge. At the back of my head, a great debate rages. Would I stay until he tires himself? (hoping to get an invitation to stay in his place) Would I ask for his number? (but what for, all the other guys from the Scorpion days ignored my text messages) Do I have to keep my guard knowing I'm very attracted to the prospect (and I tend to lose myself whenever I am in such predicament)

A conclusion was made after the David Guetta track had ended. I'm going home.

"Carlo mauna na ako."

"Bakit alis ka na?"

"Inaantok na kasi ako eh. Enjoy ka diyan."

"Sige... mamaya pa akong 5 uuwi eh." I never bothered to ask for his number.

Finding K, V and E sitting in a table outside the bar, I bid the clique goodbye and told them I have to pick up someone else. The excuse was for defense. The Empire State, also known as my pride was about to crumble and I have grown too accustomed leaving things hanging rather than end a game of seduction the way

it has always been.