CHAPTER 6 : Naughty Girl

"Mga bakla, makinig kayo!" sigaw ni Miss A habang nakapameywang sa harap namin.

"Saturday ngayon kaya puno ang VIP section! Kaya galingan niyo magbenta! Show those legs to attract customers and use your charm!" dagdag pa niya .

Tumango kami. Paglabas namin sa van, naghiwa-hiwalay agad kami para maghanap ng mga posibleng bibili.

"Good luck, Alessa. Galingan mo para marami kang mabenta tonight," bulong ni Cassie bago siya lumiko patungo sa kaliwang banda ng bar.

Sobrang ingay at siksikan sa loob ng Obsidian, the go-to hotspot for elite partygoers . Nakasuot ako ng itim at maikling fitted dress habang hawak ang isang tray na puno ng mga premium cigars.

Naglakad-lakad ako habang maingat na iniiwasan ang mga drunk customers. I already managed to visit a few tables and sold a couple of cigarette packs when someone suddenly called me from a large table near the center stage.

"Miss, dito!" tawag ng isang lalaki na may hawak na baso ng whiskey.

"Good evening, Sir! Cigar for the table?" nakangiting alok ko sa lalaking tumawag sa akin.

"Nice, kumpleto ah," sabi ng lalaki habang tinititigan ang tray ko. Lumingon siya sa mga kasama niya sa table.

"Bro, look at this. May Davidoff at Cohiba sila."

Isang lalaking nakapolo na itim ang sumandal sa sofa at tinignan ako mula ulo hanggang paa bago ngumiti nang bahagya. "How much for the Cohiba, Miss?"

Sinabi ko ang price list then in the side of my eyes I have glimpse of someone familiar, at first I didn't notice him right away because the club was dimly lit, but as my eyes adjusted, doon ko siya nakita. Nakaupo si Zhean sa may bandang dulo, partially hidden in the dark corner of the VIP section.

Pilit ko na lang inayos ang posture ko at humarap ulit sa customer. "It’s ₱2,500 per piece, Sir. But if you get the box, I can give it to you for a better bundle deal," sagot ko habang ipinapakita ang kahoy na lalagyan ng tabako.

"I’ll take two pieces of Cohiba then. Tapos bigyan mo rin kami ng dalawang pack ng Marlboro Red."

"Is that all for tonight, Sir?" tanong ko habang maingat na kinukuha ang mga order nila mula sa tray.

Inabot ng lalaking nakapolo ang credit card niya sa akin. "Make it three cigars. Tapos you can keep the tip if you give me your number."

Natawa nang malakas ang mga kasama niya sa table habang tinutukso pa siya.Bago pa man ako makapagsalita, biglang sumingit si Zhean.

"Greg, stop it."

Biglang natigilan si Greg at nagtaas ng dalawang kamay. "Okay, bro, I'm just joking," depensa niya habang tumatawa pa rin.

"Sir, cigar lang po ang binebenta ko ," nakangiting sagot ko nang walang alinlangan habang pino-process ang payment sa portable terminal.

"Here’s your receipt and your cigars, Sir. Enjoy your night!"

Mabilis akong tumalikod, eager to escape his presence. My heart was beating faster as I tried to blend back into the crowded floor.Pagliko ko pabalik sa may VIP hallway, nakasalubong ko si Cassie.

"Gurl, tapos ka na diyan?" tanong ni Cassie habang inaayos ang tray niya.

"Oo, nakabenta rin," sagot ko habang humihinga nang malalim.

"Wait lang, restroom muna ako." paalam ko kay Cassie.

"Sige, gurl. Bilisan mo ha, dami pang tao oh," Cassie reminded me while fixing her hair in front of the mirror.

I gave her a quick nod and headed straight to the restroom. But the moment I stepped back outside, my heart almost dropped. Standing right there, leaning against the wall, was Zhean.

"Anong ginagawa mo rito?" tanong ko agad.

"Are you done with your job?" he asked in his usual tone.

Napatitig ako sa kaniya, utterly disbelieving his audacity. Sabado pa man din ngayon wala man lang ba akong karapatang magpahinga?

“Zhean, please—" I started to complain, my voice laced with exhaustion.

"I'll wait," he cut me off before I could even finish my sentence then he turned and walked away before I could utter another word.

By the time our shift ended, we had to move to another venue. It was our seven bar for the night, and my entire body was aching from all the running around. After wrapping everything up, Miss A gathered us to distribute our cut for the night.

"Ayan, Alessa, pagbutihan mo ulit next time, ha?" she said, handing over my share.

"Salamat po, Miss A," I replied with a smile.

Habang inaabot ko ang bahagi ko, narinig kong nagbubulung-bulungan ang iba naming kasama.

“Lakas makabenta, nakatsamba lang naman sa VIP table," bulong ni Erika isa din sa mga kasamahan namin.

"Baka kamo pinakitaan ng legs," side comment pa ng isa habang nag-i-irapan sila.

Bago pa man ako makapagsalita, agad na lumapit sina Cassie at Karen sa tabi ko.

"Hayaan mo na ang mga inggitera, Alessa. Effort mo naman 'yan," bulong ni Cassie.

"True, wag mo na lang pansinin," dagdag naman ni Karen.

I nodded then one by one, everyone started saying their goodbyes. Paalis na rin sana ako at handa nang umuwi nang mapansin ko ang isang familiar, sleek SUV parked near the entrance. The driver-side door opened, and Zhean stepped out.

"Are you done?" he asked.

I approached him "Ganyan ba katindi ang pangangailangan mo sa kataw—"

“ Get in," he interrupted, pulling the passenger door open for me.

I glared at him and raised an eyebrow but he merely rounded the car and climbed into the driver's seat. I let out a heavy sigh and got inside. As he pulled out into the main road, I stared out the window and quickly realized we weren't taking the route to his penthouse.

"Zhean, where are we going?" I asked, turning to face him.

"What do you want to eat?" he replied without taking his eyes off the road.

The next thing I knew nasa McDonald's drive-thru na kami at siya na din ang nagorder after that we parked sa parking lot.

"Really, Zhean? Kailangan mo lang pala ng kasamang kumain?" tanong ko habang napapailag-iling.

"Just eat," he murmured sabay abot sa akin ng isang paper bag .

Tumahimik na lang ako at nagsimulang kumain ng burger at fries. We were silently eating inside the car nang magpasya kung basagin ang katahimikan.

"So, Zhean... if you don't mind me asking, how long do you plan to keep this situation between us?"

He stopped eating and stared right at me. "Why do you ask? Are you getting bored already?" he teasingly said, raising a brow.

"Or do you have a boyfriend now?"

Tiningnan ko rin siya meeting his gaze. "So... if I say yes, will our contract be over?" bawi kong pang-aasar sa kaniya.

Natigilan siya sa sinabi ko. Uminom muna ako ng Coke bago muling nagtanong. "How about your relationship with Bianca? Hindi ka ba niya nasasatisfy kaya gumagamit ka ng—"

"Alessa, watch your words," he interrupted sternly, hindi na ako pinatapos before I could even defend myself, he suddenly stuffed my mouth with fries.

"There," he said satisfyingly.

I chewed angrily habang nakatitig sa kaniya, but he just leaned back against his seat.

"Why do you need to work part-time?" Zhean asked out of nowhere.

"Is your salary from my company not enough? Plus the payment I give you?"

Natigilan ako sa tanong niya. Dahan-dahan kong ibinaba ang burger na hawak ko at tinignan siya.

"Well, I'm not like you who was born with a silver spoon," I retorted coldly.

"Kaya kailangan kong magsumikap at magtrabaho ng doble."

Tumango lang siya as if processing my words, before speaking again.

"Can you quit that part-time job? I'll increase your salary." straight niyang sabi.

"Mr. Valeriano," I stopped him right away, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you think you're interfering with my personal life a bit too much? Even if the offer is tempting, may kapal pa naman ako ng mukha."

He simply nodded but then, his gaze darkened as he looked at my fitted dress. "I really hate it when other men are looking at your body,"

A playful smirk crept onto my lips. "Tell me, are you jealous, Mr. Valeriano?" I whispered, my fingers slowly reaching out to trail along his necktie.

He let out a low laugh, shaking his head. "What are you saying, Ms. Salesa?"

Instead of answering I softly pressed my lips against his. Pulling back slightly, I looked at him testing his control before leaning back in to kiss him deeper.

Dahan-dahan siyang nag-respond sa halik ko, his hands finding their way to my waist as he pulled me closer, completely surrendering to the heat between us.

"Is this what you want?" I teasingly asked against his lips. Without waiting for an answer, I shifted and sat comfortably on his lap inside the tight space of the car.

With a sly grin, kinuha ko ang tub ng ranch dipping sauce , I dipped the tip of my finger at dahan-dahan kong idinikit ang daliri ko sa ibabang bahagi ng leeg niya, leaving a small trace of ranch right above his collarbone.

"Alessa, did you drink?” tanong ni Zhean habang pinapasadahan ng tingin ang mukha ko.

"Shh..." I murmured.

I started unbuttoning his shirt as I slowly licked the remaining sauce off his neck. I unbuttoned another one but his large hand gently gripped my wrist. He gave me a slight push back, creating just enough distance between us.

"You need to go home," he said quietly.

Tinitigan ko siya nang ilang sandali. I finally let out a soft sigh and gave in, stepping off his lap and returning to the passenger seat. He adjusted his shirt, buttoning it back up without another word. He turned the key in the ignition at nag-drive palabas ng parking lot para ihatid ako pauwi.

"Don't worry, naughty girl... next time, I won't be this gentle," he whispered.

"And I certainly won't let you off the hook that easily."

Nang nakarting na kami sa apartment ko ay pinagmasdan ko lang ang pag-alis ng sasakyan niya hanggang sa mawala ito sa dulo ng kanto. Softly sighing to myself, pumasok na ako sa loob ng apartment, knowing that whatever game we were playing was far from over.