Chapter Four: Personal Secretary

[Fia's POV]

HINDI  ko naiwasang e-stalk ang mga social account, at e-g****e ang tungkol kay Kayden ng nagdaang gabi. Sinagad sagad ko na.

Model. Entrepreneur. Singer. Artist. Filmmaker. Ang ilan sa mga nakasulat sa bio niya. Ni hindi ko na matandaan ang iba sa dami.

Seriously?Hindi kapani-paniwala. Natatandaan ko noong highschool e-may banda siya. Pero hindi ko inaasahang aside sa boses niya, na hindi ko naman ipagkakailang maganda ay may iba pa pala siyang talent.

Lalo tuloy akong nanlumo. If ever the video will leak, na sana naman ay hindi, ay siguradong mas pabor iyon kay Kayden. He's quite famous, and publicity, either good or bad could shoot up his popularity rate. Kaya naman pala walang-wala lang sa kanya. Ako talaga ang magiging sobrang kawawa 'pag nagkataon.

Hindi ko narin maibabalik iyong nangyari kahit na ipasalvage ko pa iyong tangang p****k na dumukot sa kanya. Ang tanging concern ko lang ngayon ay makuha ang camera at hindi mai-leak ang video. Mamatay ako sa kahihiyan kapag nalaman ito ng mga kaibigan at ng mommy ko, lalong lalo na si Elj.

"Wait lang po talaga Ma'am, ha? Tinawagan ko na po si Sir Kayden. Pe-ro may bwisita..este.. bisita pa po kasi siya," said Kayden's manager na pinagtanungan ko kanina.

"Okay lang," tipid ko siyang nginitian at bumalik naman agad siya sa counter.

I glanced at my watch. Fifteen minutes nalang at mag-iisang oras na akong nakaupo dito. Hindi pa kasali ang isang oras na traffic at paghahanap ko dito sa restuarant niya.

Talagang nambwibwisit na agad ang isang iyon.I thought to myself.

Napatuwid ako sa pagkakaupo at napainom ng tubig. Inilibot ko ang paningin sa loob ng restaurant. Medyo marami-rami ring taong kumakain since it was nearly lunch time.

Totoo ngang may restaurant si Kayden. He owns a steak house at the ground kung saan ako nakaupo ngayon. And he had a bar situated at the upper deck. All in all two-story siya.

In fairness to him, may taste siya sa style. The resto's ambiance was very welcoming and it's in fact very pleasing in the eyes. Neutral lang ang color ng mga upuan at mga tables na hatalang genuine hardwood. I gazed at the upper deck. The floor-to-ceiling wall from my viewpoint is made of glass. Mukhang pang bar talaga ang style ng ambiance sa loob.

Sabi ng manager niya kanina, itong sa baba lang daw ang nakabukas sa umaga because the upper deck is entended only for night jams. Which according to her, opens at around seven in the evening. Madalang lang rin daw bumibisita si Kayden dito dahil palagi raw itong busy. Kapag may mga okasyon or event na idinadaos sa upper deck lang daw ito naglalagi o kaya ay kapag nagpapatawag ito ng importanteng meeting.

Akalain mo, aside sa pang-aasar sa akin, ay may plano rin pala sa buhay ang isang yun?

Well, hindi naman na nakapagtataka. Kayden came from a well-off family. Mula sa mayamang angkan ang daddy at mommy niya. And besides, their family's into construction business. Malamang, pera ng pamilya niya ang ipinuhunan niya rito.

Nagsalin muli ako ng panibagong baso mula sa pitcher saka uminom. Ano bang plano ng lalaking iyon? Paghintayin ako rito buong araw?

"Ma'am pasok na daw po kayo," sa wakas ay anunsiyo ng manager niya. Isang oras nga akong pinaghintay ng loko.

"Salamat, Aya," sabi kong nakatitig sa nameplate niya.

She smiled and led me to Kayden's office. Nasa likod iyon ng counter. I thanked her again bago siya bumalik sa ginagawa.

Naiwan akong nakatitig sa pinto. Tatlong beses akong nag inhale exhale. I readied a matter-of-fact face and knocked the door thrice.

I immediately heard an odd sound once the door was opened. Agad na umakyat ang dugo ko sa ulo sa nabungarang tagpo. Kayden was sitting at the back of his office table with a woman on his lap. Nakapulupot ang kamay niya sa bewang ng babae habang nakikipaghalikan. I could even hear their tongues and lips locking together.

Grabe! I thought he was really busy?! He even made me wait for an hour! Nagpigil akong sipain ang coffee table sa gilid ko. I cleared my throat to get their attention. Bigla naman silang natigilan.

The woman glanced at me and gave me a once over. 

"Who is she?" nakataas pa ang kilay na tanong nito.

"Some applicant," Kayden replied with an impassive tone then squeezed and patted the woman's butt. "Time to work, Ally, babe. I'll just see you soon."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Dios mio! Does this man even got some shame in his bones? At anong sabi niya? Ako applicant?

Napanguso ang babaeng kalat na kalat ang lipstick sa mukha saka tumayo at inayos ang damit nitong hapit na hapit sa katawan. "You'll give me a call, right?" naglalambing nitong tanong.

"Sure, I will."

Malanding ngumiti ang babae saka dumukwang para muling halikan si Kayden sa labi bago ito napahiwalay. "I'll see you, Kayds."

Hinintay ko na makalabas ang babae pero ang antipatika ay napatigil muling binigyan ako ng once over. Tinaasan ko naman siya ng kilay. I was almost tempted to tug her fake blonde hair.

So this was his kind of woman? Fake blonde, fake boobs, fake butt ( not so sure). She was beautiful, alright. The kind that would grace the cover of a magazine pero sobrang un-natural na ng katawan.

"Good luck," she said with a sarcastic tone and headed to the door.

Hindi na ako nakapagtimpi ng tuluyan ng nakalabas ang antipatikang babae."You jerk! Pinaghintay mo ako ng isang oras! Para lang makipag landian?!"

Kayden leaned back from his seat with a grin on his lips and gave me a once over too. I suddenly felt uneasy. Simple lang naman ang suot ko. I pulled out a decent white buttoned-down shirt, peach trousers and paired them with pinkish peach doll shoes. What does he expect? Na magsusuot ako ng revealing na damit kagaya nung babae niya? Well, I do sometimes but not today.

And goodness! Could he at least make himself look decent? Three buttons of his shirt below his neckline were opened at sabog sabog pa ang buhok niya na mukhang katatapos lang talagang makipag...

Ugh! I groaned inwardly

"I didn't ask you to come," he answered after giving me an impassive look. Sa mukha ko na siya nakatingin ngayon.

"Didn't ask me to come? Eh ikaw ngang may gustong puntahan kita. At hilo ka ba? Of course, I am here because you have the camera, you jerk!"

"Ah, the camera," mapanuyang sabi niya."Bakit hindi ka maupo at pagusapan natin ang tungkol sa camera," he motioned the chair in front of his table.

I didn't trust him at some point kaya nanatili akong nakatayo. "Hindi na kailangan. I came here to give you my terms." Dinukot ko ang isang folder sa bag at inilapag sa mesa niya. "Paki basa nalang."

Pero to my frustration, ay hindi niya iyon inabot.

Napataas ang isang kilay niya at bahagyang natawa. "Terms? Bakit ka naman magkakaroon ng terms? Sino ba ang may kailangan sa ating dalawa?"

Nakakainis! Matalino rin ang unggoy na 'to. Attorney Vincent was really right.

"Payag na akong magtrabaho sayo kahit na ayaw ko pero gusto kong magkaroon ng assurance na isusuli mo nga ang camera and you won't leak the video. Hindi naman pwedeng pagtrabahuin mo ako habang buhay, Mister Montero. At isusuli mo lang ang camera kung kailan mo lang trip isuli."

"At kung hindi ako pumayag?" nanghahamon niyang tanong.

"You wouldn't want to subject yourself to shame, do you?" hamon ko rin.

He laughed. "Shame? That's very interesting."

Anytime soon I would combust. I'm barely holding on. Kaunting-kaunti nalang talaga. Why this guy is too much to handle.

"I've always thought how would it feel if I will have myself a video scandal." Bahagya pa nitong menasahe ang baba. "Not that bad."

"You're a monster!" gigil kong sigaw. I nearly kicked his table.

"Believe me, baby. I've been called worst," he grinned sheepishly." So what now, Fia? Are you going to work for me? Or am I going to have the video sold? Hindi na masama, pwede rin yung pagkakitaan."

"How dare you!" Gusto ko nang maiyak sa galit pero nagpigil ako.

This guy's really good in pricking my feelings. Wala talaga siyang awa.

"Bakit mo ba 'to ginawa? I just want the video. Kung pera rin lang ang gusto mo then I would pay you. Magkano ba ang gusto mo?" muntik nang pumiyok ang boses ko.

"Do you think it's the money that I care about, Fia? Were you even aware of how grave that was? To try to snatch an engaged man from his fiancee?"

That pricked my gut even more.

Alam ko kung gaano ka istupida yung ginawa ko hayup ka! Huwag mo nang ipamukha sa'kin...

"Ano ba talagang gusto mong palabasin?!" I said as I blinked my eyes, trying to keep my tears at bay. Sumikisip na ang dibdib ko sa sama ng loob.

"Let's say. I want you to learn your lesson."

Napalunok ako, pigil na pigil muli ang pagtulo ng luha. "At kailan ko naman aasahang isusuli mo nga ang camera?"

"When you have already learned your lesson."

[Kayden's POV]

I KNEW I push too hard. But damn, I woke up with a pounding headache this morning because of nursing another f*cking blue balls last night. All because of her.

What the hell was wrong with me? I'm sure as hell that my buddy's never picky with what holes to enter. Big or small. Black or white. Used or unused. So as it's a hole. Muntik na akong mapahiya kay Ally. She had already orgasms twice and I was still stuck with the upland stage, not nearly close to the peak.

I've thought that having another woman could get Fia off of my head but it only got worst. And the poor thing was, I had to imagine her face and what happened that night to get me off the hook.

Hell. She's my brother's ex for goodness sake. Natutuwa akong tinutukso siya pero wala sa plano kong isama siya sa isa sa mga listahan ng mga babaeng ikinakama ko. She's a looker alright, but there's a bunch of women that is a lot more good looking than her. Natural na natayuan ako noong huling pagkikita namin dahil halos hubot h***d na siyang bumungad sa'kin. It's a man's thing. Every man could have the same reaction.

So why can't you keep her off your head? said my conscience.

Hell, I don't know. I battled against my will. It was only a head. I admit it was good, the best I've ever had so far. But I could still get that same thing with other women.

I swallowed hard and tried to get my thoughts out of my head. I felt a tinge of guilt trek down my gut. Ramdam kong pinipigilan lang ni Fia ang maiyak. I've really pushed her too hard today. Sobrang sama lang kasi talaga ng gising ko. I was just a little frustrated and she was the reason. Maybe I could make it up a little by treating her for lunch. After all, matagal din kaming hindi nagkita.

Her mother, Tita Mandy, also asked my help. We've talked a lot last time. Lahat ng napag-usapan namin ay tungkol kay Fia. Kasali na doon ang kagustuhan niyang turuan ko si Fia ng SOP sa pagpapatakbo ng negosyo. I guess, I couldn't turn down the old woman. And I have yet to give her a little spanking for doing that stupid charade. Siguro ay makabubuti naring pagtrabahuin ko siya sa'kin. That way, she can divert her attention away from my brother. At siguro, mawawala rin itong libog ko kapag lagi ko siyang nakikita. It would be a win win situation for me. And another good thing is, lagi ko na siyang ma-aasar na sobra ko talagang na miss.

I heaved a sigh and stood up. "Kumain kana ba?"

"Why the hell would you care?" her almond-shaped eyes grew into a thin line.

"Gutom na ako. Let's eat. I'll just give a rundown of your terms later."

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya, mukhang hindi makapaniwala.

"Don't expect too much though," I said before she could rant her words and pulled her out with me outside the office.

[Fia's POV]

I DID the standard hand washing technique na natutunan ko nung high school. Fingers interlock, interlace, palm to palm, dorsum to dorsum, rotational rubbing of each finger, and so on.

This jerk had the audacity to hold my hand habang nakipag landian siya sa babae niya. Who knows kung saan-saan parte ng katawan nila napadaan iyang kamay niya.

I pulled out a piece of wet wipes from my bag to back at him. Pinakita ko talaga sa kanya kung pa'no kong pinunasan ang kamay ko pero tinawanan lang ako ng walanghiya.

He cocked an eyebrow."Didn't you wash your hands?"

"I did, pero sinisigurado ko lang na natanggal ko na talaga lahat ng germs."

"You could have kept it. Masarap ang germs na galing sa'kin," ngiti niya.

"Yuck! I could probably get some STD virus from you," nakasimangot kong sagot.

"Too bad, you've already tasted me. Nilunok mo pa nga. Baka may virus kana ngayon."

Ngali nalang na inabot ko ang tubig at sinaboy sa bastos niyang mukha pero hindi ko nagawa dahil dumating si Aya dala ang order namin. I had my steak well done, kay Kayden naman rare. Kasing rare ng ugali niya. Hindi ko matimpla ang mood niya ngayon. Sobrang demonyo siya ng pumasok ako sa office niya kanina. Muntik na nga akong maiyak sa sama ng loob. Tapos ngayon...ewan basta. Demonyo parin naman siya pero medyo na tamed lang ng kaunti. Kaunting kaunti lang naman.

"Thanks, Aye," he gave Aya a wink nang inilapag nito ang steak sa harap niya.

Pinamulahan naman ang probreng manager niya. " Wel-come po, Sir."

"Thanks, Aya," tipid ko siyang nginitian nang milapag rin niya iyong sa'kin. Ngumiti rin siya ng tipid sa'kin bago nagpa-alam, namumula parin ang mukha.

I felt that she was managing to keep her shrill excitement when Kayden gave her that wink. Mukhang crush niya si Kayden. I could tell kasi babae ako. Kaya pala disgusted ang mukha niya ng sinabi niya kaninang may 'bwisita' pa ang amo niya.

Sinamaan ko naman ng tingin si Kayden na ngayon ay nilalantakan na ang inorder na steak.

"What?" He was playing that innocent look again. Naningkit lalo ang tsinito niyang mga mata. "Kumain kana. Manlalamig ang steak mo."

Inirapan ko lang siya at hindi na sinagot. Gutom narin kasi ako. Hindi ako nakapag breakfast dahil sa kakaisip kung anong ipangbabato ko sa kanya kung sakaling kwestiyonin man niya ang mga terms ko. Pero mukhang nagsayang lang pala ako ng oras.

Don't expect too much. I should keep that in mind.

I took my first bite of the steak at sandaling kinalimutan ang inis ko kay Kayden. Infairness, as in talaga, masarap. It was one of the best steak that I've tasted so far. Kaya pala ang daming mga parokyanong kumakain. Kanino kayang original formulation ang timpla nito? I guess, Kayden's resto was authentic. Hindi siya franchise dahil kahit kailan ay hindi ko pa narinig ang pangalang Rilassato Steak House. Even the steak's sidings na mashed potato at mixed vegetables ay sobrang sarap at napaka orihinal ng lasa. Not bad at all.

"Masarap?" he asked nang maisubo ko na ang panghuli kong slice ng steak.

Kahit na hindi ko gustong aminin ay nakuha ko nalang na tumango. I wanted to give justice to the crew who made the sumptuous steak.

He grinned meaningfully. "Gusto mo pa?"

"I'm okay." Hindi dapat pagkatiwalaan ang taong 'to lalo na at nagpapakita ng kabaitan.

"Dapat sa babae medyo malaman. Sobrang payat mo parin. Hanggang ngayon, tinitipid mo parin ang sarili mo sa pagkain."

See? That's exactly him. Jerk.

"Pake mo kung payat ako. I like it this way." Kumakain naman ako ng tama. Hindi lang talaga ako tabain.

"You have to eat, babe, more than you think you can dahil magtatrabaho ka sa'kin. I will need you twenty-four seven."

Muntik ko nang maibuga sa mukha niya ang ininom kong red wine. "Anong sabi mo?!" nanlalaki ang mga mata kong tanong.

"You heard it right," he answered with a smirk and playfully wiggled his eyebrows. "Your mom told me about your work in the States."

"At ano namang kinalaman ng trabaho ko, aber?!" pakiramdam ko magha-hyperventilate na muli ako anumang oras.

"Since you're currently un-employed. I'll be your new boss and you'll be my..." sabi niyang

asadyang ibinitin pa ang sasabihin. "Personal secretary."

Gigil kong nakuyom ang mga kamay ko. Ang kapal ng mukha niya. Ako personal secretary? Over his dead body! I couldn't even stand a minute with him. Ngayon lang, dahil wala akong ka choice choice.

"A-at kung hindi ako pumayag?"

Nakakaloko siyang tumawa at napasandig sa upuan. "Then you know what will happen."

Ugh! Kung sana lang ay hindi kasalanan ang pumatay ng tao.