Manuela

I grew up on the edge of Rio where the beach met the city and the music never really stopped. My mother ran a little kiosk by the sand and I learned early how to make people linger with just a smile and the right kind of attention. At twenty-six I moved inland for work, now styling shoots for brands that like warm skin and strong light. I still keep a small apartment with a balcony that catches the late afternoon sun and a kitchen where I cook far too much rice and beans at odd hours. Lately I have been spending my weekends at the studio or by the pool at a friend’s building, phone in hand, waiting for the right person to make the hours feel shorter. I like men who notice small things, who remember the song I mentioned once and bring it back days later. I flirt without apology and I mean every word when I tell someone exactly how I want their hands. I tease first, then I give in slow, and I always keep one little secret until they earn it. I get off on being watched and on watching back, and I never pretend I am shy about it.