CHAPTER 12.

MY EARS COULD explode from the silence between us. Habang nagbibihis ako, hindi niya na talaga ako pinansin. He was just standing right there, facing the wall as if he was punished for something naughty that he's done. He's that mad at me, I guess, for teasing him. Malay ko bang pikon pala siya, mas pikon pa sa 'kin.

Nang natapos na ako, ako pa mismo ang naunang nagsalita para sabihin sa kaniyang aalis na kami. Hindi niya pa rin ako pinansin, pero lumakad siya papalapit sa kama para pulutin ang mga bags kung saan nakalagay ang maruruming uniforms namin. Binitbit niya 'yon at napasunod na lang ako ng tingin sa kaniya nang nauna na siyang lumakad palabas!

Aba? Attitude? Was my teasing really that big of a deal for him? Kapag ako napikon na rin, makikita niya.

I was frowning, arms crossed over my chest, while I was following him towards the elevator. When we went inside the elevator, I saw both of our frowning faces on the reflection of the door, which made me frown more.

I rolled my eyes and clicked my tongue. I was just joking!? And the hell I care if he got mad. He's not Roa para suyuin ko.

Pagkalabas namin ng hotel, napahinto ako nang makita ang pamilyar na itim na kotse na naka-park sa labas. And my thought was confirmed when the glass window rolled down and it revealed Trisver's frowning face while staring at me as if I did something really bad.

"Teka... Kace..." I held Kace's arm, which made him stop walking and look back at me. "Akin na ang uniform ko. Uuwi na ako. Umuwi ka na rin."

Nagsalubong ang mga kilay niya. "Hindi mo na ako hihilain kung saan?"

Iiling na sana ako, pero nabaling ang paningin ko sa lalaking hindi ko pala namalayang nakalapit na sa amin. Trisver, in his usual med school uniform, stood in front of us. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was eying Kace from head to toe, like a father assessing his daughter's suitor.

"Kyrazene Ellie," mariing tawag ni Trisver sa akin, at sa akin naman nalipat ang paningin niya. "Been looking for you. Nandito ka lang pala."

I glared at him. "I told you to not look for me!"

Mas lalong dumilim ang paningin niya. "How can I when I detected your location inside that damn hotel?! At may kasama ka pang..." He trailed off and gave Kace a side-eye look.

"Wala kaming ginawang kung ano," pag-amin ko kaagad dahil judged na judged na si Kace sa paraan ng pagtitig niya rito.

Kace scoffed. "Over my dead body na hahayaan kong merong mangyari."

I gasped and was really offended with what he said. "Aba!? Asa ka rin namang hahayaan kong galawin mo ako!"

"Asa ka ring gagalawin nga kita!?" He clicked his tongue sarcastically.

He never spoke to me this whole time after that joke but the moment he spoke, insulto ang lumabas sa bibig niya!?

Trisver sighed. "Okay. That's enough, I get it. Walang nangyari. Now, let's go home, Kyrazene Ellie."

Hinawakan ni Trisver ang pulsuhan ko at hinila na ako paalis pero napahinto ulit nang magsalita si Kace.

"Teka..." Humakbang siya papalapit sa amin. Inabot niya ang tatlong bag na hawak sa kaliwang kamay. "Mga damit mo. Ang dumi niyan kaya ibabad mo 'yan ng ilang minuto. Pero mukhang mayaman ka naman, bili ka na lang ng bagong set."

Nang tinanggap ko ang bags, walang sabi-sabing lumakad na siya paalis. Nakakunot ang noong napasunod na lang ako ng tingin sa kaniya.

"Marumi?" tanong ni Trisver kaya napabaling ako ng tingin sa kaniya. "Where have you two been? Bakit marumi ang uniform?"

Napairap na lang ako. "Let's just go."

Nauna na akong lumakad papunta sa kotse. Pagkabukas ko ng pinto sa backseat, nagulat ako nang makitang nakaupo rin pala ro'n si uncle, pero hindi ko pinahalatang nagulat ako at saka ako diretsong umupo sa tabi niya.

Nakabalik na pala siya from his business meeting in Hong Kong. That was faster than I thought.

"Having fun, aren't we?" tanong niya pagkaupo ko. "Any progress with what you're supposed to do?"

Umuga ang kotse nang sumakay si Trisver. Ilang minuto lang, pinaandar na ni Henry ang kotse at umusad na ito.

I sighed to release the air that was building up in my chest. "Don't pressure me. Let me work in my own pace."

He chuckled, but there wasn't humor in there. "That's Roa Luciano's friend, isn't he? Why were you with him? Nagkamabutihan na ba kayo?"

I gritted my teeth. "Whatever I do is none of your business, uncle."

"It is, Quincy. I am your uncle, and I am your underboss. Also, I am part of this plan, so I have every rights to know." He smiled. "It's taking longer than how you usually work. Should I lend you a hand?"

I shot a glare at him. "I told you, let me work in my own pace. And as you've said, you're my underboss. As far as I remember, I did not give you any rights to question my decisions and how I work, Mr. Azarcon."

And that shut him up. Napatitig siya sa akin, kalaunan ay tumawa pero halatang hindi natutuwa sa inasta ko. He just nodded and leaned his back on the backrest, before he crossed his legs and arms.

"My bad, Ms. Quincy Deanne Azarcon."

Hindi ko na siya pinansin at tinuon na lang ang atensyon sa labas ng bintana. I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. Henry and Trisver were just silently listening to us, but I could see Trisver frequently at me through the mirror.

It's true, though, na mas mabagal itong tinatrabaho ko ngayon kesa sa dati. But this one's different, dahil kukunin ko ang loob ng isang taong hindi naman nadadaan sa seduction. Roa's the innocent type, and the way to get his trust is to literally make him grow fond of me slowly. It wasn't that easy, lalo pa't may epal na Kace.

The thought of Kace and how he behaved earlier made me roll my eyes in annoyance. Walang araw talagang hindi nakukuha ng isang 'yon ang inis ko.

Pagkarating namin sa mansyon, kaming dalawa lang ni Trisver ang bumaba dahil si Uncle, sa kompanya na didiretso dahil marami pa siyang aasikasuhinh paper works at ibang trabaho sa Azarcon Empire.

Napagalitan pa ako ni Trisver nang makita niyang sobrang dumi ng damit ko. Inamin ko sa kaniya kung bakit nagkaganoon ang uniform ko, and it was another cause for him to nag at me but in the end he bought me another set of uniform.

Kinagabihan, naisipan kong bumalik sa club dahil marami akong iniisip na gusto kong matanggal sa utak ko.

I was wearing a black silk dress na hanggang gitna ng hita ko. It was spaghetti strap and medyo lawlaw ang collar, kaya kitang-kita ang cleavage ko. Nakalugay lang din ang hanggang dibdib kong buhok.

I flipped my hair as I entered the club. And as usual, the moment I entered, everyone instantly recognized me. Beso roon, beso rito. Kwentuhan doon, kwentuhan dito. And because of that, my purpose why I was here was slowly achieved.

Nasa bar counter ako ngayon at hinihintay ang order kong martini, nang may tumabi sa akin na hindi ko kilala at sa hitsura niya pa lang, halatang hindi ko na siya gustong kilalanin pa.

"Hi," bati niya sabay ngiti, at bumungad sa akin ang ngipin niyang halos mangitim na dahil sa pagiging adik sa drugs. He had a lot of piercings on both of his ears, and he had no eyebrows. He called the bartender and ordered whiskey. "Why are you here all alone, gorgeous?"

Napairap kaagad ako dahil sa tinanong niya. "Leave me alone before I slit your throat," banta ko sa kaniya.

He just chuckled in a flirty way, which made my brows furrowed. "Feisty. I like that."

Tapos na ang order kong martini at inabot na 'yon sa akin ng bartender na babae. I just smiled at her before I took a sip from my glass.

"You, ignoring me, just made me want to tame you more," he said and his voice became raspy.

I was still sipping from my glass, and I bit the glass in an attempt to grit my teeth in so much annoyance. "Leave me the fuck alone, or else..."

"Or else, what?" hamon niya. He leaned on the counter and eye-raped me. "You're gonna--"

Hindi na ako nakapagtimpi. I slammed my glass on the counter, at nagsigawan at singhapan ang mga nasa paligid ko nang nabasag 'yon.

Hawak ko pa rin ang glass, kaya itinutok ko ang matulis na dulo sa leeg niya, dahilan para mamilog ang mga mata niya.

"Or else your blood will cover the floor and this counter," I said. "I'm not in the mood, so leave me the fuck alone."

Pagkasabi ko no'n, umalis na kaagad ako ro'n at bumalik sa table ng mga kakilala ko. They asked me what happened and I just shrugged their questions at nagpatuloy na kami sa pag-iinuman.

Wala nang ibang nagtangkang lapitan pa ako pagkatapos no'n, kaya na-enjoy ko ang sarili ko. I was dancing and drinking that I lost track with the time and how many drinks I had. Basta ang alam ko lang, hilong-hilo na ako at gumegewang na ang paligid.

I suddenly had the urge to pee, kaya lumakad na ako papuntang restroom. It took me a lot of time to get there dahil sa sobrang kalasingan. I had a high alcohol tolerance, pero dahil puro hard ng ininom namin sa table, ilang oras lang lasing na kaagad ako.

Nakaihi na ako, pero halos antukin naman ako habang nakaupo sa cubicle dahil sa sobrang lasing. When I went out of the restroom, I bumped into a large figure and I was about to shout at who it was, but he looked familiar.

"Wait... do I know you?" Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya, at saka siya hinagod ng tingin mula ulo hanggang paa. It was dark, and my head was spinning, kaya hindi ko maklaro masyado ang mukha niya. "Have we met before?"

He chuckled, his deep and husky voice was like music to my ears. "You also said that the first time you bumped into me, in this exact same place."

"Ah!" I raised my finger to point at him. "You were that dude I bumped into before! Lasing din ako no'n, but that doesn't mean I could forget."

"You're too drunk. Will your boyfriend pick you up again tonight like last time?"

Nagsalubong ang mga kilay ko sa tanong niya. "Boyfriend? You mean, si Trisver? Psh!" I laughed. "He's like a brother and a father to me."

"Mh-hmm."

I tilted my head to the side, and stared at him even though I couldn't get a clear vision of how he looked like. "I like your voice. I'm sure you're handsome. Should we go somewhere?" Then I smiled at him before I leaned my head on the restroom's doorframe.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you inviting me to do it with you right now?"

I chuckled. "Why not? You look hot. Feel ko type kita."

Napailing siya. "You're drunk. Call your boyfriend or whoever that guy is to you."

Napasimangot ako. Kahit nanghihina na, humakbang ako papalapit sa kaniya at saka hinawakan ang necktie niya para hilain niya at kaagad na dinampi ang mga labi ko sa labi niya. He was taller than me, kaya nang mahila ko siya at nagsalubong ang mga mukha namin, napaatras ako at napasandal kaagad sa pader.

I didn't let go of his necktie, and I didn't stop kissing him. I deepened the kiss to stop him from escaping, and when I inserted my tongue inside his mouth, he groaned. It made me smile.

When I stopped kissing him and pushed him a bit, we were both panting and catching our breathes. I bit my lower lip, my smile still not fading. "So? Still not gonna do it with me?"

He chuckled. "If you're sober, I might," aniya dahilan para mapasimangot ako. Lumuwag ang pagkakahawak ko sa necktie niya kaya umatras na siya kaagad. "Ganito ka pala kaagresibo kapag lasing. Good thing you ran into me in this state. You should go home."

Nakasimangot na napasunod na lang ako ng tingin sa kaniya nang lumakad na siya paalis. Napadausdos na ako sa pader at napaupo sa sahig. Nilabas ko ang cellphone ko at kaagad tinawagan si Trisver.

"What?" His voice was raspy, and it looked like I disturbed his sleep.

"Pick me up, please," ang tanging nasabi ko bago ako bumagsak sa sahig sa sobrang kalasingan.