Chapter 5: Business meeting

     Nagising ako dahil may yumuyugyog sa aking balikat. Arghh, I needed minutes. I was a sleep-deprived person so I needed to regain energy. Iwinakli ko ang mga kamay na iyon pero palagi pa rin itong bumabalik sa pagyugyog. Hindi ko alam kong nag-iimagine ba ako o mayroon talagang nakamasid sa akin. That's weird. 

     "Ano ba Amanda. Give me more minutes, will you?" Inis kong tanong, pikit-mata pa rin. Just few more minutes and I'm up. Hindi naman siguro iyon masamang hilingin, right?

     "Bestie naman. Your boss just called. May kailangan daw kayong puntahan. Business trip to Siargao," pahayag niya.

     Umupo ako at pilit inaalis ang antok sa aking mga mata. "Kailan ba? Tsaka anong oras na ba?" Binuksan ko ang aking mga mata at inilibot ang aking paningin sa loob ng apartment. That's weird, I thought may nagmamasid sa akin pero wala naman.

     "It's 5:00 in the evening. Pero ang sabi ng boss mo, pupunta na raw kayo sa Siargao. They would be here any minute kasama ng bestfriend niya." 

     "Why in the hell na ngayon? I need to ask my family about it. Alam mo namang hindi ako pumupunta sa malayo, 'di ba?"

     "Yes, alam ko pero ikaw na nga bahalang mag-explain diyan sa boss mo. Hindi kami close," she said at last.

     "Hindi kaya kami close. I'm just a secretary," sabi ko habang inaayos ang higaan.

     "Shhh. Sshh. Tawagan mo na ang pamilya mo at magpaalam ka na. Tsaka magbihis ka na rin kasi any time ay dadating na sila." 

     Muntik ko ng matawagan si Mama nang may natandaan ako. "Hindi ko pala sila pwede ng tawagan, Amanda. Hindi ko pa pala sinasabi sa kanila na nawalan ako ng trabaho sa bakery. Kung magpapaliwanang man ako, gusto kong pumunta sa bahay at personal sila na kausapin," paliwanag ko.

     Mabuti na lang at naintindihan niya ako. Ang sabi niya para malaman niyang safe ako, tatawag siya every now and then. After fixing my bed, Amanda told me to fix myself already. May naihandang damit na pala si Amanda. Ang bilis, ah. Atat lang na makaalis ako.

     After snatching the cloth, I marched my way to the comfort room at doon na nagbihis. Paglabas ko ay nakita ko si Amanda na may pinapanood sa kaniyang cellphone. Tinawag ko siya. "What do you think?" Sumipol ito habang pinakita ang kaniyang 'thumbs up'. 

"Ang galing ko talagang pumili," pagmamalaki nito habang hinawakan ang kaniyang d****b na tila bilib na bilib sa kaniyang pinili.

     "Hindi naman halatang proud ka, ano?" 

     "But seriously though, kahit naman yata plain T-shirt lang ang suotin mo, babagay pa rin sa 'yo. Maganda ka naman bestie eh. Kaya nga nagkagusto si Roger sa 'yo," Seryoso raw pero may hirit pang biro. Binato ko nga ng unan.

     "Gaga," sabi ko at narinig ko siyang humalakhak. Pumunta ako sa salamin para e-check ang suot ko. Not bad. It's a black mini dress with a flower in the center. Nilingon ko si Amanda at nakita siyang nakangiti na para bang kinikilig.

     "Don't ever think of disturbing me. Pinapanood ko pa ang Cha Eun Woo loves ko," banta nito habang hindi pa rin inaalis ang atensyon sa pinapanood niyang kdrama. Adik talaga. 

     Maya-maya ay may narinig kaming katok. Ako na ang magboluntaryong buksan iyon dahil masyadong BUSY kuno si Amanda.

     "Hali ka na, love at hinahanap ka na ni Herrick," bungad ni Andrius. "Hi, Amanda." Anong mayroon sa dalawang ito?

     "Love mo ang mukha mo." Narinig ko ang mahinang tawa ni Andrius. I turn my heel towards the bag I would bring. Nagpaalam na din ako kay Amanda. "Bestie, ikaw na ang bahala rito ha. Just don't forget to lock the door when you leave."

     "Roger that Ma'am," sagot niya sabay kindat. Pumunta na kaming dalawa ni Amrius sa sasakyan ni Herrick. Nakita ko siyang nasa likod. Nagdadalawang-isip ako kung sa tabi ni Herrick ako uupo nang magsalita siya ng hindi lumilingon sa akin. "Sit beside me," he ordered.

 

     "Ahh, Sir. I was just wondering, mag-eeroplano po ba tayo?" Tanong ko.

     "No, stupid. We'll be riding my personal helicopter. It's in another building of mine," litanya nito. Bahagya siyang lumingon sa direksyon ko. Kinabahan naman ako. I am not used to him being this close kahit sa totoo'y may ilang pulgadang pagitan kaming dalawa. 

     "Love, nagdala ka naman siguro ng mga necessities mo diyan, 'di ba? Mahirap na kung doon ka pa bibili sa Siargao." I don't know if I was just imagining but I think I saw Herrick sending glares to the back of Andrius.

     "Name's Lorraine. Ang layo ng love sa Lorraine," pambabara ko sa kaniya. "And yes, syempre, nagdala ako."

     There was silence after that and not long after,  nakarating din kami sa other building ng Garrison. This one is smaller compared to the major building. I estimated it to be 15 floors. It was close to other staffs but the owner is obviously an exemption. We made our way to the rooftop where his helicopter is waiting. Hindi ako sanay sa ganito.

     We settled inside the helicopter. The pilot uttered words I can't quite understand. Bakit kaya pinili ni Herrick ang mag-helicopter instead of private jets?

     I felt a hand passing my belly to my right. As I turn my attention to the owner, I was surprise to see Herrick's face almost close to mine. I can see his perfect nose and curl of eyelashes  even with little light of the surroundings.  His minty breath was few inches from my face.

     "Seatbelts are to keep you from losing control if turbulence happens to throw you against the ceiling or knock you out," he explained without glancing at me then I heard a click presumably from the seatbelt. 

     Narinig kong tumikhim si Andrius at may ibinulong. The helicopter started taking off. 

     "Uhm, Sir. Ano pa lang gagawin sa Siargao?" I asked between the loud noise outside.

     "Business trip. We'll going to have a deal with another businessman. I'll talk more about it when we reach the hotel." It was the last he said before I decided to rest.

     Nagising ako nang may yumugyog sa aking balikat. It was Andrius. Sinabihan niya akong nasa Siargao na kami at buti pa raw ako naka-idlip. Sabay kaming bumaba. Ang sabi ni Andrius ay nasa taas kami ng hotel na pagmamay-ari ng pamilyang Lacrosta. Nang makarating kami sa room where we would be staying for days ay namangha ako. Hindi naman kasi ito basta basta. The view outside is beyond beautiful. The moon is casting its spell on the water. There were few trees outside. Another door leads to another room. Ang laki naman nito pagtutuluyan namin.

     "You would be staying there." Tinuro ni Andrius and pintuan sa kaliwa. There was another door left ajar after it. Kay Herrick siguro. Pumunta na si Andrius sa kaniyang kwarto which is 'yung nasa kanan.

     I unpacked my bag and took out what I need. Kailangan kong maghalfbath at magbihis.

     Maganda ang hotel. The bed was covered with white sheets and there is an extravagant view outside. The only thing is, iisa lamang ang comfort room. I made my way to it at nilock iyon after kong makapasok. There was drip of water. I turn to see it.

     I saw Herrick's naked body as he showered himself. The water is making its way to make him more attractive and handsome. It's as if the water is also glorifying the beautiful human. Maya-maya ay nagregister sa akin ang aking nakita. Sisigaw na sana ako nang una niya akong makita at tinakbo ang pagitan namin. He hugged me while covering my mouth. What the hell is he doing?

     "Don't scream. You might get Andrius into thinking of silly things," he said as my muffled screams were partially stopped by his hands. Trust me, I am trying my best para hindi sumigaw but I feel something poking me and I don't have a good feeling about this. Slowly, I tried to calm myself. Herrick on the other hand is taking his hands away from my mouth.

     "Something is poking me," I whispered. 

     I notice him looking below and return looking to me. He flash a cheeky grin. "Do you wanna meet him?" Tumaas-baba ang kaniyang kilay. I swallowed hard while backing away from him. He locked the door and followed my steps. Uh-oh, this ain't getting good. I swear. One moment, he is bossy. The next, this unexpected perverted side of him appears. Anong pinaplano nito?

     "I'm telling you, stop right there before I shout," nagbabanta kong sabi sa kaniya. Hindi man lang siya natinag.

     "What if I don't?" He is getting so close to me. I can feel the wall behind me. He pinned me to the wall. "What if I want you?" His voice was husky and his lips were almost brushing against mine. I close my eyes, praying. Narinig ko siyang tumawa. "Look at your face. Do you simply think I would go for a girl like you? Don't be stupid. Women." Humalakhak siya. I opened my eyes and delivered a straight punch to his face. That won't hurt naman. 

     I heard him groan. "What the fuck? Come back here lest I'll fire you." Huli kong narinig bago ako kumaripas ng takbo. Bahala kang blue-eyed human ka.

     Napasalampak ako sa couch. Buti na lang at hindi pa ako naghubad kun'di pareha kami ng damuhong iyon. I scanned the place. Mukhang wala naman si Andrius. I did not see any signs of him being around. Kinalikot ko muna ang aking cellphone and sent a message to Amanda saying we arrived in Siargao thirty minutes ago. She replied shortly afterwards (Enjoy your stat there. Take care of yourself at huwag kang magpapa-uto sa dalawang iyan.) I replied;Okay po, salamat.

     Hindi rin nagtagal ay lumabas na si Herrick na sapo pa rin ang kaniyang mukha. Hindi ko naman nilakasan iyon, ah. He is wearing a towel underneath. Salamat naman. When he saw me, he sent glares. If looks could kill. 

     My first decision is to ignore him but much to my brain's surprise that my body didn't obey its command, I found myself looking for the first aid kit. Inilagay ko iyon sa table at hinila si Herrick. Noong una ay nagpumiglas siya pero napilit ko rin.

     "Ano ba kasi? Kaya ko na ang sarili ko. I'm not a boss for nothing." When I heard what he said, it's my turn para humalakhak. Paano ba naman kasi, may accent ang pagkakatagalog niya. "Stop laughing and treat my would already. This is your fault," he ordered.

     "Sorry, Sir. Your speaking in Tagalg was quite amusing. Anow-ba-kasi." Panggagaya ko sa kaniya habang tumatawa.

     Hinila niya ang aking kamay na may cotton at iginiya iyon sa kaniyang mukha. "Just do what you are suppose to do. That's it." His face suggests annoyance.

 

     At last, I manage to put the cotton with betadine to his wound. Maliit lang naman, eh. The other problem is it is swollen. I looked for a cold compress in the hotel. Nagbabakasaling mayroon. Thankfully, I found one. I march my way to the living room. Buti naman at hindi nabagot si Sir Herrick sa paghihintay.

     Idinakma ko ang cold compress sa kaniyang mukha kung saan ko sinuntok kanina. Ikaw ba naman kasi ang paglaruan. I heard him groan. "Just stay still, will you?" Inis kong sabi sa kaniya.

     "Huwag mo kasing lakasan." And just like that, I became distracted again. Patuloy kong nilalagay ang cold compress habang tumatawa. Ayan tuloy, lalong sumigaw si Herrick. "Aww. The hell. Take it easy, woman. Jesus." 

     Hindi ko namalayang nalakasan ko ang pagkakalagay nang hinila ni Herrick ang aking kamay at napakandong ako sa kaniya. "I told you to take it easy." Lumalabas na ang usok sa kaniyang ilong pero hindi roon nakapokus ang aking atensyon, nasa position namin. I bite my lips in nervous and he traveled his gaze to it. Carefully watching my lips. 

     "What the hell? Get a room, you two. You are ruining my eyes." Boses ni Andrius ang nakapagbalik sa aking senses. Dali-dali akong tumayo at umaktong walang nangyari.