CHAPTER 5

DIANTHA

“Ano na naman ang ginagawa mo dito?” Naiinis kong tanong kay Icarus nang muli na naman siyang bumisita sa flower shop ko. And take note, he did not even bother to knock. He just went straight into my office without even bothering to ask for my permission.

Prente siyang umupo sa nag-iisang couch na nasa loob ng aking opisina. He crossed his legs and his arms over his chest as he let his eyes roam around my office.

It's been a week since Ashton left for England, and it's also been three days since Icarus started visiting me in my flower shop. Thankfully, he didn't go as far as going into my place, or else I am really going to get crazy in frustration. But I would still prefer it kung hindi na rin niya ako bibisitahin pa dito sa flower shop ko. Ipinagpapasalamat ko nalang talaga na hindi pa rin naghihinala si Ana sa araw-araw na pagbisita at pagtambay ni Ashton sa opisina ko kahit pa wala naman siyang ibang ginagawa kung hindi ang titigan ako.

“I just wanted to see you,” kaswal na sagot niya sa akin after roaming his eyes around my office. I don't even know why he keeps doing that when it's not even his first time in my office anymore.

I am standing near the closed door and facing him. I raised one of my brows as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Wala ka bang ibang ginagawa? How about your farm? Imbes na bwisitin mo ako araw-araw, bakit hindi mo nalang asikasuhin ang hacienda mo?”

While Ashton is handling their company, the Leventis Corporation, that their father had built from scratch, Icarus is handling the Hacienda Monteverde, na ipinamana sa kanya ng mga yumaong magulang ni Mommy Isabela.

“The hacienda won't wither just because I am not there. Maaasahan ang mga tauhan ko,” puno ng kapositibohang sagot niya sa akin, which only made me roll my eyes.

“Fine. Do whatever the hell you want,” sumusukong saad ko. Kahit ano namang pagtaboy na gawin ko sa kanya ay hindi pa rin siya patitinag. Magsasayang lang ako ng oras at laway kung kakausapin ko pa siya.

Iniligpit ko ang mga papeles na nagkalat sa aking lamesa. After cleaning my table, I grabbed my phone, then headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Icarus asked me, but I paid him no more attention; at nagtuloy-tuloy lang ako sa paglabas ng aking opisina.

Once I am out of my office, I am immediately greeted by Ana's questioning gaze.

“Andyan na naman ba ang brother-in-law mo?” She asked, amusement can be heard in her voice.

Ana is not only my assistant but is also my friend. Kaya naman hindi na bago sa akin ang kaswal na pakikitungo niya sa akin.

Nakanguso akong tumango bilang sagot sa tanong niya, which made her shake her head while smiling.

“Alam mo, kung hindi ko lang alam na magkapatid sila ni Ashton ay iisipin ko na may gusto siya sayo and that he's stalking you,” komento ni Ana, na bahagyang ikinalaki ng mga mata ko. “Thankfully, he is Ashton's brother, which means you're off-limits to him. Kasi sino ba namang matinong tao ang magkakagusto sa fiancé ng kapatid niya, hindi ba?” Dagdag pa niya habang umiiling.

I bit my lower lip.

‘If you only knew,’ I silently thought.

“Anyway, I got a call from Ms. Stevens. Pupunta daw siya dito. Ako ba ang maga-assist sa kanya, or will you do the honors?”

I smiled at her. “Pwede bang ikaw nalang muna? May importante lang akong aasikasuhin. Kabisado mo naman na ang mga gusto niya, hindi ba? I trust you can handle her easily.”

Ana smiled back at me. “Alright. I'll do my best to satisfy her.”

Nakangiti pa rin ako na tumango. “Then, aalis na muna ako. I'll be back later.”

I headed towards the entrance of the flower shop. Akmang bubuksan ko na ang pinto ng bigla na lamang may kamay na dumaan sa harapan ko and pushed the door open for me, surprising the hell out of me. And then the next thing I feel is that familiar presence behind me.

I looked up. Yes, I had to look up since Icarus is 183 centimeters in height, while I am only 158 centimeters, which means he is towering over me. Compared to him, I look like a freaking dwarf.

My height is one of my insecurities. I hate that I am not tall, and it sometimes makes me feel ashamed whenever I am walking with Ashton. But for some damn reason, I don't feel such a thing with Icarus. Instead of feeling ashamed, my thoughts would be filled with dirty thoughts—thoughts such as how I looked so petite that he could do whatever he wanted to do with me or that I am so small he could maneuver my body in any way he wanted to. And those are what I am exactly thinking about right now, which makes me want to slam my head on the glass door.

God, being near this man is really dangerous! This is why I don't want Ashton to be far from me!

Wanting my dirty thoughts to disappear, I took a couple of steps away from him as I fully faced him with a scowl. Thankfully, I am getting good at masking my feelings.

“What is it this time, Icarus? Huwag mong sabihin na balak mo na naman akong sundan,” I said through gritted teeth.

Icarus grinned. “You really have gotten to know me better. Because how did you know what I had in mind?”

I gave him my usual sharp stare. “Stop pestering me, Icarus. Kung gusto mo lang naman na may mabwisit, then go find someone else, because I am done fucking entertaining you,” puno ng kaseryosohan na sagot ko sa kanya.

In a split second, the grin on Icarus's face disappeared. He turned serious as he let go of the door and took a couple of steps to be close to me again. And when there is only one step of distance between us, only then does he stop.

His eyes were fixed on me, and it made my heart beat loud and fast.

“But I don't want any other girls, Diantha. I only want you,” Icarus said seriously and dangerously.

Icarus is looking straight into my eyes; the intensity and heat in them are so strong they make me feel like I am going to melt, while my heart continues to beat abnormally.

Wala sa sariling nalunok ko ang sarili kong laway. I can’t stare at him for too long, as it feels like I am going to drown in the intensity of it. I can’t look at him. I need to avert my eyes. But before I could even put my thoughts into action, Icarus is already speaking again.

“Are you getting scared?” tanong niya sa akin na tila nanunukso. Sinabayan pa iyon ng muli niyang pagngisi. He then added, asking, “What are you scared of, Diantha? And who are you getting scared of? Is it me? Or is it yourself?”

Muli akong napalunok. The way he looked at me and those words that came out of his mouth were suggesting that he knew what I was thinking and feeling. It’s like he already knew what I truly wanted, and I hated that. I don’t want him to see me. I don’t want to give him the privilege again to see what kind of woman I really am.

So I tried it again—fighting my own demons.

Gathering all the strength that I have, I did not avert my gaze from Icarus, and with the little resolve that I was able to find in myself, I told him, “I don’t know what you’re up to, but whatever it is, you need to stop it now, Icarus. You know it won’t end well. Please… just please forget about it. Let it go, Icarus. Just let me go.” Unsurprisingly, my voice was shaky because of all the nerves. Even though I wanted to sound firm, I still ended up sounding like I was asking, even to the borderline of already begging. But I am already way past caring about that.

Dahil hindi ko siya nadadaan sa pagmamaldita ko at sa pag-iwas ko, then baka madala ko siya sa pakiusap. Baka kapag nagmakaawa ako sa kanya, baka sakali pa na makinig siya sa akin and rethink his decisions. Isa pa, ang totoo ay napapagod na din ako sa ganitong setup. Ashton and I are getting married, and we can't go on like this forever. We need to settle this so we can start burying in the dirt the gravest mistake they both had made towards Ashton.

“Please, Icarus—”

“You fucking sound incredible when you're begging,” said Icarus, cutting off my sentence.

He is grinning as he crosses another distance between us again, leaving only a couple of inches to separate our bodies.

My eyes widened, and I started panicking.

I immediately looked behind him, where I could see Ana. Thankfully, nakatalikod siya sa amin and is busy with arranging the flowers kung kaya't hindi niya kami napapansin.

My stare at Ana did not last though when Icarus held my chin and forcefully made me look at him again.

Once again, my eyes widened as I realized that our faces are closer than I thought. One wrong move, and our lips will end up crashing against one another.

Lalong bumilis at lumakas ang tibok ng aking puso.

I gulped before speaking, wanting to sound firm again, but ended up stammering. “L-let go of me, Icarus.”

But as always, Icarus did not listen to me, and he widened his grin instead. “What if I don't? What are you going to do? Magmamakaawa ka ba ulit? And what's with you, calling me by my name? Shouldn't you be calling me kuya?” He clicked his tongue repeatedly while shaking his head as if he was disappointed in me. “That’s not nice, Diantha. You can't be disrespectful towards me. You need to be punished for that. Do you want me to punish you? Like I did the last time?”

I cursed inwardly again as I felt my body reacting to what he said and to the sound of his sexy voice.

I reprimanded myself first before I glanced at Ana again. She is still not looking at us, but that was still not enough to not make me nervous. People can see us from the outside, for goodness sake!

And so, gathering my remaining strength once more, I put my two hands on Icarus's chest and then pushed him away with all my might. And I succeeded. I was able to put a good enough distance between us again.

Hindi ko napigilan na mapahawak sa aking dibdib upang damhin ang abnormal pa rin na pagtibok ng aking puso. I know I need to calm it down, but I also know that as long as Icarus and I are in the same space, that won't happen.

Muling napunta ang tingin ko kay Ana, at ganoon na lamang ang panlalaki ng aking mga mata nang makita ko na nakatingin na siya sa amin at nakakunot ang kanyang noo. Nagpalipat-lipat din ang tingin niya sa aming dalawa ni Icarus as if she was trying to decipher what's going on between me and my future brother-in-law.

Hanggang sa hindi na siya nakatiis at lumapit na siya sa amin, then went on asking, “Is everything okay?”

“...”

Lalong kumunot ang noo ni Ana. “What's going on…”

“Everything's fine. Right, Diantha?” Nakangisi pa rin na sagot ni Icarus without even looking at Ana as his eyes remained focused on me.

I know that this will lead to so many questions from Ana, but pretending that we're okay is something I can't do at the moment. And so, with my fists clenched and my eyes as deadly as a sharp knife, I spouted in pure anger, “Fuck you!” Then, without allowing Icarus or Ana to say something, I marched towards my office, completely forgetting that I should be going out.

Malakas kong isinarado ang pinto ng aking opisina. And since I am still so pissed and the only thought I have in my brain was cursing Icarus to death, I have forgotten to lock the door. Kaya naman, kakaupo ko pa lamang ay bumukas na naman muli ang pinto ng aking opisina.

I am hoping and praying that this time, it will be Ana. But my prayer seemed to have been denied, as it was Icarus I saw the moment I raised my gaze.

I gritted my teeth in frustration. But Icarus doesn't give a shit about what I am feeling.

“Running away again, huh?” He said in a serious tone.

“Get the fuck out of here, Icarus. You've already caused me enough trouble, so please, just leave me the fuck alone!”

But Icarus, being the hardheaded that he is, did not listen to my pleas; instead of getting out of my office, he closed the door and locked it, making my eyes widen once more.

“Icarus—”

“You're not running away from me again, my little slut,” pagputol niya sa aking sasabihin before making his way towards me.

Mabilis akong tumayo ng malapit na siya sa akin, not wanting to give him the chance to be close to me again. But because his legs are so fucking long that my three steps only equal one step to him, I no longer have any hope of getting away from him.

He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards him.

“Bitawan mo—hmf!”

Once again, my words are cut off. But it's not through words anymore. This time, my words are cut off by Icarus roughly crashing his lips against mine.

With my eyes still widening, sinubukan ko siyang itulak at suntukin ng paulit-ulit ang dibdib niya, wanting to get away from him. But I failed. He did not let go of me, and he did not separate his lips from mine, and instead, he made me gasp by biting my lower lip. And once my lips are open, he quickly takes that chance to slide his tongue in my mouth.

After that, ay tila bumilis na ang mga pangyayari. Ang isang braso niya ay nakayakap sa aking bewang, while his other hand went inside my flare pants and caressed my womanhood, which made me groan.

Despite my pussy still being covered with my panty, kanya pa rin itong dinama. And I don't know how he did it, but despite my pants being tight, ay nagawa pa rin niya na hawiin ang panty ko at dinamang muli ang hubad ko ng pagkababae.

Isa na namang ungol ang lumabas sa aking bibig nang magsimula siyang haplusin pababa at pataas ang aking hiwa. Nanginig ang aking mga tuhod; kung iyon ay dahil sa takot ko na magkasalang muli o dahil sa sarap na dulot ng ginagawa ni Icarus sa pagkababae ko, ay hindi ako sigurado.

I am torn. I don't know what to do. A part of me is telling me that I don't want it, that I hate it, but another part of me is telling me that I should stop pretending not to want it. And my body seemed to be siding on the latter one also, as I could feel my womanhood starting to get wet while Icarus continued to caress my slit. Hanggang sa hindi ko na namamalayan na ang mga kamay ko na kanina lamang ay tumutulak kay Icarus ay napapahawak na sa balikat niya.

His lips went down to my neck and started leaving hickeys there, making me groan again.

“No. Icarus, no,” I whispered through heavy breathing.

I am well aware that the reaction of my body and the sound of my voice do not match my words at all. I tried, though. I tried to strengthen my rationality, but as always, when it comes to Icarus, I fail. I keep failing.

Hanggang sa maramdaman ko na ang unti-unting pagpasok ng isang daliri ni Icarus sa pagkababae ko, at doon ay tuluyan ng bumigay ang isip ko. As for my body, well, it had already surrendered to Icarus the moment he touched me.

“You keep saying no, and yet you're already so wet,” bulong niya ng bahagyang tumaas ang mga labi niya upang kagatin ang aking tainga.

I said nothing. I did not respond to him and just bit my lower lip. And when his finger started moving in and out of my pussy, I closed my eyes tightly.

Humigpit ang hawak ko sa mga balikat niya at dumiin ang pagkakakagat ko sa aking ibabang-labi when his thumb started rubbing my clit while still finger-fucking my wet and dripping pussy.

“Shit!” Hindi ko napigilang mura nang bumilis ang galaw ng kanyang mga daliri.

Tuluyan na akong nilamon ng sarap at libog. Tuluyan ko ng nakalimutan na mali ang ginagawa naming dalawa. Tuluyan ko ng nakalimutan ang dahilan kung bakit pilit kong iniiwasan si Icarus.

The reason why I keep on avoiding him is this: dahil alam ko na kapag hinayaan ko na naman siyang makalapit sa akin ay muli na naman akong makakalimot, at muli na naman akong magkakasala. The sexual tension between us is too much for me to handle. And now, I'm losing it again. My rationality and my ability to think are losing out to lust once again. Lust is slowly eating me whole again, just like our first night together.

Icarus pulled my hair down dahilan upang maibukas ko ang aking mga mata.

Our gazes meet right away. His eyes are on fire with the same intensity he had that night; the same intensity that weakened my defenses and the same intensity that made me lose my rationality.

"Icarus..." I called his name while breathing heavily.

Icarus gritted his teeth. “Damn woman. You don't know how long I've waited for this,” nanggigigil niyang sabi bago niya sinakop muli ang aking mga labi.

Imbis na manlaban, which I should be rationally doing, ay sinuklian ko ang mga halik niya, letting my tongue play against his. And while we were kissing, I unconsciously wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me as my body wanted his heat. I now want him to be as close to me as possible.

Nagsisimula na akong pawisan. Nanginginig na ang aking mga binti at hindi na rin ako mapakali.

I can feel it—that familiar feeling. I am close to orgasming.

Hanggang sa hindi nagtagal ay tuluyan ko na nga narating ang ika-pitong langit with my loud moans not being able to escape as Icarus is still kissing me. But even when I am already cumming, Icarus's finger did not stop going in and out of my pussy, and the pleasure brought by it was too much for me na kinailangan ko ng ipitin ang kamay niya na nasa pagitan ng mga hita ko.

I can't take any more than this. If Icarus continues to fingerfuck me, I'd probably end up going crazy.

Gratefully, he understood my predicament; at tumigil na sa paggalaw ang daliri niya.

Nang maghiwalay ang aming mga labi ay pinagdikit ni Icarus ang aming mga noo habang pareho kaming naghahabol ng hininga.

Our eyes met again at pakiramdam ko ay malulunod ako sa mga napakalalim na titig na ibinibigay niya sa akin.

My breathing hasn't gone back to normal yet when Icarus bites my lower lip and then says, “Stop running away, Diantha. Stop running away and be with me. And even if you do start to run away again, I'll come and chase you again. Wala akong pakialam kahit sarili ko pang kapatid ang mabangga ko. I always get what I want, my dear slut. And you,” mahigpit niya akong hinawakan sa batok, “are not an exception to that. I will have you, my dear slut, no matter what it takes and in any way I can.”