THE MAN WHO TEMPT ME (Taglish)

Chapter 17.1 (Promise)

HE INHALED DEEPLY AND THE s****l TENSION he felt was shown in his face and made her want to tease him more.

"You are a man of your word, right?" she asked.

"Yeah..." he said in almost a whisper, "and you are a temptress.”

"Am I?" inosenteng tanong niya rito.

"You are," he emphasized.

"Why?” natatawang tanong niya. “Are you getting hard again?" pabirong dagdag tanong niya rito.

She smiled with her candidness. She's innocent but she was very curious, and the way Brix reacts to her questions made her feel proud of herself that she could bring out those emotions from him.

"Stop that..." saway nito sa panunukso niya.

"I'm just asking," she pouted her lips. Nagtatanong lang naman eh...

At mas okay na ganito tayo kaysa kung anu-ano sinasabi mo na hindi ko ma-gets. O baka naman hindi ko ma-gets kasi ngayon lang ako nagka-jowa. Baka naman normal lang talaga na ini-expect mo na agad na marami tayo pagdadaanan na problema dahil marami ka na experience unlike me.

"You do really love torturing me, don't you?" tanong nito na ikinatingin niya rito nang nakakunot-noo. Nawala na sa isip kung ano ang topic nila.

Torturing? Oh... She exclaimed to herself when she remembered their topic.

He smirked sa nakitang pagtataka sa mukha niya. "You look cute playing dumb."

"Am I cute?" tanong niya.

"You do, but I prefer you to be dumb rather than cute."

"How's that?"

"So you will not know that you look very delicious to me."

It was just a joke but Brix words made her felt sexually aroused. She inhaled deeply to ease what she felt. Siya ang nanunukso kanina pero bakit parang siya naman ang natutukso ngayon. His expert... She reasoned out.

"You plan to have me but do you have any plan to marry me?" she asked, smiling sweetly. She just said that to rebut Brix's statement.

Brix went still with her question. Para itong natanong for a million dollar question na hindi nito masagot agad dahil kailangan muna pag-isipan. Hindi ito umimik and just continue his driving na parang walang narinig na tanong mula sa kaniya. Na parang ayaw nito ang salitang 'marry' na marinig.

Doon siya parang nabuhusan ng malamig na tubig. Realization hits her. He has no plan for serious relationship. He just want to f*ck her. He just want to have a good time.

NATAHIMIK SIYA. Hindi niya alam kung paano sasagutin ang tanong ni Ali. He knew that she was just teasing him but it hits him. He didn't want to give any false hope. He loves her but marriage for him is not a joke. He do believe na dapat iyon ay pinag-iisipan, pinagpaplanuhan.

Naisip niya na naman si Irina dahil doon. How could he answer a question kung alam niyang iyon ang problema talaga na kinakaharap niya. Siguro kung wala si Irina ay pwede niya sabihin kay Ali na pakakasalan niya ito kahit hindi niya pa talaga naisip ang bagay na iyon.

He gave her a glance and he saw that she was hurt by his silence. He touched her hand and held it for a while. She never took her hand from him. She just let him.

Ilang ulit niyang napansin ang pagtaas-baba ng dibdib nito sa paulit-ulit na pagbuntong-hininga.

"I'm just asking, Brix. It's okay if you don't answer. It's much better than telling lies. At least I know where to stand," she smiled after saying that at muli nang tumingin sa kaniya.

Her smile made him want to beat himself. He bit his lip and touched Ali's cheek. Inihinto niya ang sasakyan kahit ilang metro na lang ang layo nila mula sa bahay ng ama. He just can't let Ali to stay sad because of his stupidity. He don't want her to regret her decision to be his girl.

"Sorry..." he said to her.

"For what?"

"For making you feel that. For making you feel bad. I really love you, Ali. I can't just let you feel sad because of me."

"I love you too, Brix..." she said, "I promise I won't ask anymore about marriage, about plans, about goals, about forev–"

"I'll marry you someday... I'll have you someday... But please promise me that you will trust me," trust me for whatever might happen, trust me for whatever you may hear.

"I do trust you."

He smiled lovingly. Inilapit niya ang mukha rito, he gave her a smack on her lips. Nakita niya na nakasimangot ito.

"You are frowning again," he said to her.

"If you are going to kiss me then kiss me properly, kiss me longer like how you used to, hindi gan'yan," inis na sabi nito at natawa siya dahil doon.

"I really wanna kiss you 'properly' right now pero ilang bahay na lang ang lalampasan natin at makakarating na tayo sa bahay ni papa. Should I kiss you or continue driving?"

"Let's continue driving but promise me you will kiss me more later."

"Promise."

"Okay, tara na!"

"Are you ready to meet my father?"

"I am more than ready."

Wala na silang imikan hanggang nakarating sa bahay ng ama. He pulled over and open his car's door at lumabas na. Agad naman siyang umikot para pagbuksan ng pinto si Ali. Inalalayan pa niya ang dalaga sa paglabas ng kotse.

Naglalakad sila sa driveway papunta sa bahay ng ama nang matanaw niya ito na lumabas mula sa loob ng bahay at masayang nakatingin sa kanila.

"You really brought her..." his father said nang nakangiti. Masayang pinaglipat-lipat ang tingin sa kanilang dalawa ni Ali.

"Of course, 'Pa," sabi niya at tuluyan nang lumapit sa ama. Niyakap niya ang ama kagaya ng nakaugalian niya mula pa noon at naramdaman niya ang pagtapik nito sa likuran niya.

"Tama na 'yan at baka ma-discourage ang magandang kasama mo. Ayoko isipin niya na ang kasintahan niya ay isang papa's boy."

He moved away from his father and he heard Ali's giggle. Tiningnan niya ito at hinawakan ang kamay.

"Hello po..." she said sweetly. May pinong ngiti rin ito sa mga labi na nakatingin sa kaniyang ama.

"Ali, this is my father, Michael Romero Silva," pagpapakilala niya sa ama rito.

She smiled widely at nasa mga mata nito ang excitement habang nakatingin sa papa niya. She was obviously mesmerized with his father's handsome aura.

Michael Silva even at 59 was oozing with sensuality. Makikita sa itsura nito kung bakit nahumaling ang isang Svetlana Petrov dito. Ang isang dalaga na mula sa maimpluwensyang pamilya ay nahumaling sa ama niya because of his father's looks and wits.

His father was just an ordinary mechanical engineer who worked in a cargo vessel that accidentally saw a young beautiful Russian woman who wanted to throw herself out from the ship where he worked. He saved her and that's the start of their wonderful story that ends sadly when he was twelve.

"Hello, hija... Brix is right. You're exquisite."

Ali turned red after the compliment she received from Michael.

"Gusto niyo ba kumain na o magpahinga muna?" Michael asked them.

Tiningnan niya ang oras mula sa suot na relo, malapit na ang tanghali. He look at Ali, waiting for her to decide.

She gave him a smile, then asked shyly, "can I go to the room first?"

"Yes, of course," sabi ni Michael na nakangiti at tinawag ang isang may edad na rin na kasambahay. "Berna, pakisamahan muna si Ali sa kwarto nila."

He saw Ali's eyes unsettledness dahil sa sinabi ng ama na plural term para sa gagamiting kwarto. Hindi naman ito nagtanong pa at sumunod na rin kay Berna. Nilingon pa siya ulit nito and he just nodded at her for assurance that it would be okay.

"I like her, son."

"I hope Svetlana would say the same."

"Don't call your mother by her name," Michael said in his reprimanding tone.

"I'm sorry, 'Pa. I forgot that you're still in love with her," he said boringly.

"She's your mother, Brix. Even though she had chose not to be with me, I still love her and she's still your mother," sabi nito sa tono ng boses na hindi ito papayag na pagsalitaan niya ng hindi maganda ang ina. Na kahit ano ang sama ng loob niya sa mga plano ng ina ay dapat respetuhin niya pa rin ito.

"She didn't choose you because she loves herself and her clan more than you, more than our family."

"No matter what you say... Svetlana is everything for me. He gave me Hail and you."

"And your Hail doesn't care about you."

"He do. He kept calling," pagtatanggol nito kay Hail.

"Really? Never knew that he could be thoughtful," pang-aasar naman niya sa ama.

"Enough with your mother and Hail. Let's go to my office at para mapag-usapan na natin ang totoong dahilan kung bakit ka narito at kung ang magandang kasama mo ba ang magbibigay na sa akin ng apo.”