Delectable Men 1: Zechariah Bourdeux

"I TOLD YOU I'm not a working girl." Katarina Henson shifted on the leather chair and shot the man sitting on the other side of the mahogany desk. Jet-lagged, shaken and as good as naked under the hotel robe she had on, alam ni Katarina na nagmumukha na talaga siyang pokpok sa itsura niya. He didn't reply. The insistent tap of his pen against the desk seemed defeaning in the silence. Tirik na ang araw sa Hawaii na nakikita niya sa pamamagitan ng glass wall ng opisina nito. Ngunit hindi pa rin humaharap sa kanya ang kausap na kanina pang nakatalikod sa kanya, making it impossible to tell his reaction. Oh God, Katarina thought grimly. Matapos itong nakakahiyang experience sa tanang buhay ko, I get interrogated by a hotel owner with a Greek God complex. Bakit ba sa lahat ng tao dito sa mundo, ang hotel owner pa talaga ang gusto niyang makausap? Gaga ka kasi, Katarina. Hayan tuloy napasubo ka na. She felt more intimidated now than before. Halata naman na hindi basta-bastang tao sa Hawaii itong kausap niya ngayon na lalaki. Hotel Magnate nga eh, sa pagkakaalam niya. Gosh! Paano pa niya lulusutan to? "A working girl? You mean a hooker?" His baritone voice rumbled out at last, sending an annoying shiver of awareness on Katarina's spine. "I don't recall saying I thought you were a hooker, honey." "Who gave you permission to call me honey, huh?" turan pa niya. "I don't need permission," sagot nito. "Especially when a lady who's making a scandal in my hotel wearing nothing but a thong." Napalunok si Katarina sa sinabi nito. Hindi niya inasahan na iyon pa ang ipinamukha sa kanya ng lalaki. "Excuse me, it's not a thong. I have proper knickers on." she blurted it out. Tuloy naalala niya ang pagpasok ng lalaki sa suite niya na wala man lang siyang ni anumang saplot na pang-itaas. Grabe talaga ang pagkapahiya niya. The fact na halos hubad pa rin siya. At ngayon pinaalalahanan na naman siya ng kumag. Then the successive taps of his pen interrupted her thoughts. "Proper panties or not, you were causing a disturbance." Tuloy biglang uminit ang magkabilang pisngi ni Katarina sa walang prenong pagkakasabi ng lalaki. Ano bang problema ng kumag na ito? In fact, siya pa nga itong nabastos eh. Kaya't di na niya napigilan pa ang sarili at tinaasan niya ito ng boses. "What are you talking about?" "You know what I mean, because it wasn't your room, right?" He turned around and leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk. Sa wakas malinaw na niyang nakikita ang mukha ng lalaki. Bigla namang bumilis ang t***k ng puso ni Katarina. Green eyes studied her out of a tanned face that was quite dazzling in its masculine beauty. Makakapal na kilay, malalantik na pilik-mata at may maliliit na tumutubong balbas sa panga. At tama nga siya na likod palang pang Greek God na ang dating, how much more na nakaharap na ito sa kanya ngayon. Wala talaga siyang ibang masabi kundi "Delectable" at iyon nga ang swak na deskripsyon niya sa lalaki. From the way he was watching her, she wondered if he was waiting for her to swoon. Kaya nga mas hinigpitan pa niya ang pagkakatali sa roba niya dahil baka panty na niya ang malalaglag. Luckily for her, she was currently immune to the alpha male of the species. Ngunit ng mataman siyang tinitigan ng lalaki, bigla siyang nakaramdam ng pagkailang. All right, maybe she's not completely immune. "You're not registered here." Ngayon naman tinitigan siya nito sa mga mata. "Mr. Castle, who is the registered guest, has made a complaint against you. So, why don't you tell me why I shouldn't just kick you out in your proper panties?" There he go again. Bwesit talaga ang lalaking ito, kotang-kota na nga siya sa pagpapahiya nito. Was he making fun of her? Ang totoo kasi pinangakohan siya ni Mr. Castle na gagawing sikat na international model at tatagpuin nila rito sa hotel yong manager ng modeling agency na hahawak sa pag mo-modeling niya. Ngunit ang hindi niya inasahan na tinakasan pala siya ng baklang iyon at mukhang na scam pa siya rito. Juice colored! "It's not my fault Mr. Castle didn't put my name on the registration card when he checked-in us last night. I thought he'd booked us separate rooms." katwiran pa niya. "And anyway, I don't have to explain myself to you. None of this is any of your business. You're the hotel owner, not my mother." ----- Awtomatikong napataas ng kilay si Zech sa pahayag ng babae. For such a little thing she sure had a big mouth. He didn't consider himself arrogant but women were usually a lot nicer to him. Ngayon lang yata siya naka engkwentro ng babaeng katulad nito. In the normal course of events, he wouldn't even know about this type of minor disturbance, dahil hindi naman talaga siya ang dapat makipag-usap sa mga concern ng guest nila kundi yong hotel manager na itinalaga niya for this kind of matter. Ngunit kasalukuyan itong nagbabakasyon ngayon at may ginawa ring training program ang assistant nito. Wala rin siyang choice dahil sabi ng sekretarya niya na siya raw ang hinahanap ng babaeng guest at kailangan raw niyang agad matugonan ang concern nito dahil between a matter of life and death daw ang sitwasyon nito. Agad naman siyang pumunta sa suite nito dahil ang iniisip niya na baka suicidal ito. Ngunit nang pumasok na siya sa suite ng babaeng guest, nabungaran nalang niya ang halos hubad na katawan nito na wala man lang kahit anong saplot na pang-itaas. Napaatras naman siya sa gulat palabas at agad na inutosan ang kanyang sekretarya na kumuha ng bathrobe, bago pa siya muling pumasok sa loob ng suite. Sinabihan naman niya ang babae na doon nalang sila mag-uusap sa opisina niya. One thing was for sure, the minute this feisty little firecracker had waltzed into his office wrapped in her bathrobe and a very bad attitude, tuloy hindi siya na bored sa araw na yon dahil nga sa talas ng dila ng babaeng kaharap niya. "I don't just manage this hotel," aniya pa. "I own it, and I have all the right to kick you out from here." "Hindi ka lang hambog at antipatiko, signal no. 3 din ang dala mong hangin." sabi nito sa mahinang boses pero dinig na dinig niya at naiintindihan niya. "And anything that happens in my place is my business." pagpatuloy niya at inignora na lamang niya ang parungit sa kanya ng babae. She had caused disturbance and he was intrigued enough to want to know why. "Do I make a point here?" "Maybe you could make a point of getting my clothes back for me, then." she snapped. Zech's lips twitched as she glared at him. With her full lips puckered in a defiant pout and her round eyes bright with temper, she looked cute and mad and sexy as hell. Hindi naman niya mapigilang hindi mapangiti. Nanlaki tuloy ang mga mata ng babae na animo'y parang binu-bully niya ito. "Excuse me, but do you think this is funny?" angil pa nito. Napatikhim muna siya bago nagsalita. "Funny's not the word I'd use." turan niya. Nakita niyang unti-unti namang sumilay ang kulay pula na panty ng babae sa tuwing gumagalaw ito sa kanyang kinaupuan. His eyes rose as he acknowledged the quick punch of lust. "Don't worry Miss, you'll get your clothes back," panigurado niya rito. "But first I want to know how you and Mr. Castle are connected, and why he bring you to this scandal." *****