Chapter 6

“You can’t be serious.”

Matalim ko siyang tinignan mula sa kabilang side ng office, nakakuyom pa rin ang mga daliri ko sa gilid ng blue file like I might use it as a weapon if he annoyed me one inch more.

Vladimir leaned back against the desk, all white shirt, loosened tie, at nakakairitang kalmadong aura.

“I rarely repeat myself for entertainment,” he said.

Napakurap ako. “You want me to change your bedsheets.”

“Yes.”

I let out a short laugh. “That is so psychotic.”

“One last thing,” he said, “Change my bedsheets. Then wait for me there.”

Saglit na bumaba ang tingin niya sa note sa ibabaw ng desk.

Then back to me.

“And after that,” mahinang sambit niya, “I’ll tell you what you forgot.”

Napatitig ako sa kanya nang isang buong segundo, habang iniisip kung ihahagis ko ba ang note sa mukha niya o ang sarili ko na lang sa pinakamalapit na bintana.

Nilabanan niya ang mga titig ko. Like he already knew I was going to obey and was enjoying the fact far too much.

I folded my arms. “You really know how to make an invitation sound illegal.”

Then, I turned, dinampot ang note, at naglakad papunta sa pinto with as much dignity as a girl in a black maid dress on her way to change a ruthless CEO’s bedsheets could possibly have.

“Selene.”

I stopped pero di ko siya nilingon.

“What?”

His voice came low behind me.

“Do it properly.”

God. That stupid voice. That stupid man.

I walked out without giving him the satisfaction of a reply.

His room was worse at night.

Not scarier. More personal.

The lights were low, warm enough para palambutin ang edges ng lahat without making the room any less him. Dark wood. Clean lines. Isang kama na masyadong malaki para sa isang tao. May relo sa nightstand. May librong nakataob malapit sa lamp like he had tried, at some point in his controlled and insufferable life, to be human and read before sleeping.

Tumayo ako sa dulo ng kama nang isang segundo, hawak ang nakatiklop na note sa isang kamay, trying not to think too hard about what exactly I was doing in here.

I shoved the note into the pocket of my skirt and reached for the blanket first.

The second na hinila ko pabalik ang kumot, agad akong trinaydor ng utak ko.

Dim hotel light.

Warm sheets.

A broad shoulder thrusting on top of me. 

My hand finding my dress on the floor.

No.

I yanked the blanket off harder than necessary.

Then the pillows.

Then the fitted sheet.

Nang matanggal ko ang isang kanto, pabulong na akong nagsasalita sa sarili ko sa sobrang inis.

“This is humiliating. This is degrading. This is upper-body labor. I hate everything.”

A voice from the doorway answered, “You’re doing it wrong.”

I froze.

Mabilis akong napalingon. 

Nakatayo roon si Vladimir, one hand in his pocket, wala pa ring jacket, looking like he had come up from his office just to ruin me more efficiently.

I glared. “You sent me here to change your bedsheets.”

“Yes.”

“You failed to mention it required engineering.”

Ngumisi siya, lumapit sa kama, huminto sa tabi nito, and reached for the corner of the mattress.

“Lift,” he said.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The mattress.”

I sarcastically smiled. “Wow. So now I’m in a team-building exercise.”

“Selene.” His voice was lower. More warning than patience.

Umirap na lang ako. 

Yumuko ako at hinawakan ang kabilang side ng kutson. He lifted first. I followed a second later, and together we pulled the old sheet loose.

I couldn’t understand why it felt intimate for me. 

We worked in silence for a minute after that. He passed me the clean sheet. Inalog ko iyon para bumuka. Sinalo niya ang kabilang dulo. The fabric floated down between us before we pulled it tight over the bed.

His hands.

My hands.

The bed.

The note in my pocket.

My nervous system almost collapsed.

I tucked one corner in and looked up too soon.

He was already watching me.

Not the sheet.

Not the room.

Me.

Umayos ako nang tayo. “You know, normal people hire staff for this and then leave.”

“You are staff.”

Pinanliitan ko siya ng mata. “You are enjoying this far too much.”

Bumaba ang tingin niya sa labi ko for one brief second.

Then back up.

“Yes.”

At least he was honest.

Umiwas ako nang tingin. Isinuksok ko ang isang unan sa malinis na punda at ibinato iyon sa kama nang mas malakas kaysa kinakailangan.

Then I turned to him and folded my arms.

“It’s done.”

Tinignan niya iyong kama bago bumalik ang mga mata sa ‘kin. 

“Almost.”

Bahagya akong napanganga. “What now?”

Lumamig pa ang titig niya sa ‘kin. Then at the pocket of my skirt.

At sa hindi ko maipaliwanag na dahilan, kahit iyong munting sulyap lang na iyon, nagpahigpit na agad sa sikmura ko.

Lumunok ako nang malalim and folded my arms tighter. “Say something.”

He didn’t.

Hindi siya nagsalita. He just stepped closer.

One step.

Then another.

Too close.

I held my ground.

Minsan pang bumaba ang tingin niya sa gilid ng skirt ko kung saan nakatago ang note, saka dahan-dahang bumalik sa mukha ko. Parang sinasadya niyang bagalan. Like he knew exactly what waiting did to me.

“Vladimir.”

Still nothing.

Then he reached out.

Not for my face.

For my waist.

My whole body locked.

Dumapo roon ang kamay niya, mababa at panatag, mainit sa ilalim ng manipis na tela ng blouse ko, at sa mismong segundo na iyon, sumabit ang hininga ko.

That exact spot.

That exact hand.

May nag-flashback na naman sa utak ko. Malabo na parang unti-unting lumilinaw. 

The problem was, I had never really seen the man from that night.

Not properly.

Madilim ang bar. Dim lang din ang ilaw sa hotel room. At nang magising ako kinabukasan, sobrang hungover ko, sobrang nahihiya, and too desperate to erase the whole thing to even look at him.

So all I really had were pieces.

A low voice at my ear.

Isang kamay na dumausdos paikot sa baywang ko.

Warm sheets.

His shirt half-open under my fingers.

At ang mabagal na pagdampi ng bibig niya sa balat ko that made everything inside me go soft, reckless, and completely useless. 

Kahit ngayon, parang umiinit pa rin ang balat ko just remembering it.

Walang mukha.

Walang pangalan.

Just heat.

Just the memory of wanting more kahit alam kong hindi dapat.

Nabalik ako sa reyalidad when his thumb moved slowly once against my side.

“There,” he said quietly.

I stared up at him. “What?”

“That look.” His gaze held mine. “You remember something.”

I shook my head once, but the motion was weak enough to embarrass me.

Lumapit pa siya hanggang halos wala nang matirang space sa pagitan namin.

His scent. 

Clean. Subtle. Expensive in the most unfair way. Hindi iyong pabibong amoy na nauuna pa sa tao. Sa kanya, it stayed close, low, and dangerously good. The kind of scent na mapapalingon ka talaga pag dumaan siya, then mapapaisip ka na lang kung bakit gusto mong lumapit one more inch. The same scent that had been haunting the edge of my memory all day.

My throat went dry.

Iniangat niya ang malaya niyang kamay at dinala iyon sa strap ng blouse ko malapit sa balikat. Hindi niya iyon hinila. Bahagya lang niyang dinaanan ng mga daliri.

And another flash hit.

Dumaan ang mga daliri niya sa hubad kong balat like he already knew exactly what they were doing to me.

Na-unhook ang bra ko sa ilalim ng mga kamay niya

His body was all hard lines and heat, broad chest, strong arms, at iyong built na sobrang unfair tingnan sa lapit.

Dumapo ang bibig niya sa leeg ko, mabagal at mainit, na parang nasa kanya ang buong oras sa mundo para sirain ako at wala siyang balak magpigil.

My whole body went soft, hot, and recklessly willing, because I had been too hurt, too undone, and too far gone to care what happened next as long as he didn’t stop.

Oh.

No.

Napatingin ako sa kanya, hindi makapaniwala, habang sumabit ang hininga ko sa lalamunan ko.

I swallowed hard. “It was you.” 

He didn’t dodge.

Didn’t deflect.

Didn’t hide behind one of his impossible answers.

“Yes.”

Tumitig lang ako sa kanya bago napatawa nang mahina sa ilalim ng hininga ko.

Bahagya ko siyang tinulak sa dibdib, pero hindi siya gumalaw.

Napatawa ako nang maikli, pero manipis at hingal ang lumabas na tunog. “No.”

His gaze stayed on mine. “Selene.”

“No.” I shook my head harder this time. “No, because that doesn’t make sense.”

“It does.”

“It really doesn’t.” I took a step back. “You expect me to believe that out of all the bars in all the cities and all the men I could’ve met that night, it was you?”

Bahagyang gumalaw ang panga niya. “Yes.”

Idiniin ko ang palad ko sa dibdib ko na parang may maitutulong iyon para pakalmahin ang tanga kong pusong sobrang lakas ng kabog. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked at me for one long second. “You were already overwhelmed.”

I actually laughed this time. A mean laugh.

“Oh, wow. How thoughtful of you.”

“Selene.”

“No, don’t.” I stepped back again. “Don’t say my name like that right now.”

Something changed in his face.

“Do you have any idea how insane this is?” tanong ko. “You blackmailed me into moving into your house while knowing I had already slept with you.”

The words hung between us.

Dumilig ang titig niya, but his voice stayed controlled. “You make it sound like I planned that.”

“Didn’t you?”

Silence.

My stomach dropped.

“Oh my God.”

“No.”

“No?” I repeated. “Because that was not a convincing no.”

Bumuntong hininga siya. “I did not plan that night.”

“But you remembered it.”

“Yes.” The answer came too quickly.

I stared at him. “And when you saw me again?”

His expression went still. “I recognized you immediately.”

Parang natapilok ang tibok ng pulso ko.

“Of course you did.” 

I meant for it to sound sarcastic.

It came out hurt.

Because now I could feel it. Every weird look. Every loaded pause.

He knew from the start.

And I had been standing there during the conference meeting, fighting for my life, while he looked at me with the memory of my body already in his head.

Uminit lalo ang mukha ko. 

Humiliation and anger are such a disgusting combination.

“You should have told me,” I said quietly.

Hindi agad siya sumagot. 

Then, “Would it have changed anything?”

I looked at him, honestly offended. “Yes.”

“How?”

Napabuga ako ng hangin nang hindi makapaniwala. “I don’t know, Vladimir, maybe I would’ve hated you sooner?”

Kitang-kita ko ang pagpigil niyang mapangiti.

I hated that I noticed it.

“Cute,” malamig kong sambit. “Really.”

The room went quiet after that.

I looked at his watch on the side table because it was easier than looking at him.

Sobrang nakakabingi ang katahimikan until he finally said something.

“Do you want me to tell you what else you forgot?” Lumapit na naman siya sa ‘kin. 

My brows crossed habang kabog pa rin nang kabog ang dibdib ko. 

I opened my mouth.

Then shut it. Pakiramdam ko manginginig lang ang boses ko pag nagsalita pa ako. 

Nangatog ang mga tuhod ko kasabay nang pagbaba ng tingin niya sa labi ko. 

Then back to my eyes.

At nang iangat niya ang kamay niya, huminto ang mga daliri niya ilang pulgada bago ang panga ko.

Not touching.

Waiting.

Lumapit ang mukha niya sa akin, dumaan sa gilid ng pisngi ko hanggang sa maramdaman ko ang hininga niya mismo sa tainga ko.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered.