Siren of Julio Santayana: A Dark Revenge Romance ENGLISH

Chapter 3

Siren worked as a waitress in the Playhouse, a high-end, confidential men’s club. The club’s organization also offered an escort, but Miss Katty was always being careful as to whom she should let Siren work with. She once escorted a senator and a town governor. It both went well and the pay for a night in a theater and dinner was not a joke. It literally left Miss Katty salivating and wanting for more. 

Siren was eighteen, then. She is really tall plus the six inches high heels. She has a meek and lovely face, a little magic of work by Miss Katty, and she can be fierce if the client wants to. The dress and accessories will do the rest.

But Miss Katty knew she had to be aware for the sake of her growing business. She has to stop Siren from joining the lists of escorts despite the success of the first two contracts. They only have to wait for a year and they can do it legally.

For now, she can join the customers at their table and sing on the stage, but her primary job is being a waitress. The patrons agreed with it as long as they got to see Siren’s beauty every night. 

Miss Katty will never forget the look on the men’s faces when she first brought Siren to the playhouse. She never imagined rich men would drool like that to the lady shaped up by poverty, no matter how deceiving beauty is. They shoved her with thousands of money bills under her nose just to get Siren to their tables.  

Until her demand price increased abruptly, she nearly had a heart attack. She agreed to let her be an escort, but later on, realized to be discreet and for once don’t let the eagerness for money take over her. At least not for now. She has to be careful about the decision she makes for her favorite girl, who will undoubtedly make her a millionaire. Even a billionaire if they both work smartly.

Siren is indeed a captivating beauty but can be stubborn at times. They both agreed not to let Franco know about her highest bidders. Waiting until she turns twenty-one before taking the world of prostitution and escorts seriously won’t hurt. For now, she’ll be their server; free to sit with them if the customers are decent enough.

By which Siren heard so many stories while working. 

Most of the men are bachelors, burdened by the work they don’t realize how draining until they experience it. Most are fresh-graduates, still trying to survive in the business world. There are politicians and people from social and higher ranks. Siren saw so many high-profile individuals. She hoped she recognized some of them are celebrities with no one informing her. She only hoped she spent her daytime watching television to recognize them. And, yes, there are divorced men or someone in turmoil in their home. 

The brothels are the only place they could act recklessly without the media judging them. She was only working for a month when she asked one man whom she was told is a son of a governor facing a controversial scandal. He demanded her presence at his table. They paid her thousands of bills like they were nothing but coins in a wishing well.

“If you have all this money, why bother yourself to come here? There are many girls outside. You can take them in your car and toss money to keep their lips shut.”

It was only a month, too, when Miss Katty started teaching her with necessary etiquettes. From dressing to the table manner. Unlike the other girls, Miss Katty hired a private teacher solely for her for three months straight. She’s a fast learner and easily gets everything for a month and a half, but Miss Katty wanted her to be perfect. She believed it’s because of Siren's natural beauty and brain. 

No one would believe she’s living in a squatter area. What annoys Miss Katty is how inconsistent Siren is. She would only act decently at work, but after working hours, her posture fell. All the hard-earned, expensive training left her like nothing. But at least she’s doing her job well. Even better than her expectations. Her voice was smooth. A natural seductress. 

“It’s safer and ‘cleaner’ in here, honey. Aren’t you all paid enough to make sure everyone’s clean? We don’t want anyone getting diseases, aight?” His voice was a slur after taking about five glasses of alcohol. But Siren was thankful he’s keeping his hands to himself. 

Diseases. She felt nausea. How easy it is for society to see their job as a producer of diseases. There are surely several sluts working in the clubs, but it’s not like the people who don’t work here are all ‘clean’. 

Again, it’s the matter of closing your eyes and ears from the judgments. I believed people who accepted this kind of living are brave. A statue that is a fruit of judgments. No more hypocrisy. 

She glanced around before finally accepting to sit beside the man. Miss Katty patiently waited for her. She promised she made things clear to this man who requested her and that she’s off-limits. They agreed to a casual conversation. 

After receiving that usual answer, she glanced at the other girls who seemed to have a magnet to be automatically connected with the customer. Skin to skin. Sweat by sweat. 

She believed that as long as you showed them you’re not interested in any touching, they would respect it. 

One night, a guy in a business suit, together with his group of friends, is getting wild. They were out of control. He tried forcing Siren for a kiss. Luckily for her, a bouncer that was assigned to guard for her approached them on time. The intoxicated customer punched the bouncer when he pulled Siren on the side. The bouncer didn’t fight back since the other attendants came. 

Instead of helping, the guy’s friends howled with laughter, watching their friend being dragged to the room at the end hall. It’s one of the agreements given before anyone could get an entry here. Inebriate and unruly patrons will have to be locked up in tidy rooms at the back. Their stay will depend on the time they calm themselves. They could ask girls if they wanted to, but they were still needed to be detained until they got a better comprehension of their behaviors and promised not to do it again. Or else, it’d be their last visit to the Playhouse. 

The same guy requested for Siren, but she’s the only one off-limits, so they brought another girl to him instead. The following night, the guy came back with his friends to apologize to Siren and never to do it again. They are true to their words. But Siren, seventeen, was traumatized.

She was eighteen when she joined the group of escorts, and only after it did she allow herself to join the customers on their tables again. 

She learned to drink, but it’s mild. 

“Men are hungry for you. You better take care of yourself.” That was Miss Katty’s words to her before. It halted after a son of a prominent artist was brought to a hospital when he attempted to force her. The last time they heard of him, they scheduled him for an operation to make sure he’ll be able to grow their family tree.

It was a sweet sauce for the media for the entire month, but no one knows what the people in the clubs know. Patrons, at last, learned their lessons. There was no inconvenience after that. The family even paid the club to keep the confidentiality from the public. 

Until now, Siren’s never heard of the man. If he tried making children… or still trying. 

“I’ve been a local here ever since I saw you working here. You’re getting vibrant each night I saw you.” The man’s hooded eyes smiled at her. She watched him bite his wet and red lips. His smile grew wide and chuckled to himself. 

He thought she’s attracted to him. His heart skipped a bit the longer she stared at him. He wanted the woman the moment he first saw her. She smiled and shook her head like he’s nothing but a fool to her eyes. But who’s not? Men in the club think they are being foolish to get the attention of their Siren. 

Her simple smile jerked the bone hidden in his pants. He has to swallow hard to control herself so as not to ruin the mood and get kicked out. A single gesture from the woman and his manhood is almost uncontrollable. Strong lust and burning heat caused the sweat on his forehead. He shakily wiped them off. The fact that he can’t hold her with this proximity is killing him. He’s willing to pay millions to get his fingers to graze the smooth skin of the seductress or his thumb to her luscious lips. 

But doing it will scare her away. Siren is not the owner of the club, but Miss Katty and Kendra treated her like she’s the President’s daughter. It’s because he witnessed the son of a former President but wasn’t treated the way they treat Siren. She’s like an endangered species. A long-hidden treasure. A delicate and priceless artifact in a museum. And a deadly missile bomb that can be activated by noise or wind. 

No one can blame the club organization. Everyone wishes to see a glimpse of her every night. Everyone wishes to be the tray she holds, or the bottle of her alcohol, or the chair she’s seated on. They want to be the cheap shoes she’s wearing. 

They gave her hundred times expensive things but would soon end up with cheap stuff. What they didn’t know, it’ll be sold out before the sunrise with a genuine courtesy to Franco.

Hell! They wanted to be the cheap and thin clothes she wears. They wanted to be the sweat on her forehead, closer to her. Closer to her beauty. Closer to her scent. 

“Are you okay?” The question was smooth and low as she intended it. The reaction was all normal to her. Smiling to herself, she sipped on her own glass. Her drinks are personally made by Aaron. 

No one can do evil things to her inside the Playhouse, but Kendra wanted to prevent misfortunate events as much as possible. The patrons are all rich, so it's really a struggle to fix all the mess. 

The man closed his parted lips. He blinked several times as if cold water splashed him on his face. Siren wanted to believe she’s familiar with the reaction, but she couldn’t understand why men had all the same reactions towards her. 

Is it because her being ‘off-limits’ was pulling them closer to her? Do they see her as nothing but a challenge they have to compete for? Is it really not enough to merely talk with her? Do they really want more? For her? When they could go with all the women around here, who are always willing and cooperative? 

Whatever she has, the other girls surely have more of it. Way experienced that she is. Have excellent expertise with dos and don’ts. Siren also thought they are more beautiful than her because they are more experienced. 

Men are just… confusing. 

“Y-Yeah, do you want more snacks?” 

The foods here are good. Not way different to an expensive cuisine in a high-end hotel restaurant her two previous escorts brought her to. That’s what she likes in the Playhouse. They have mouth-watering treats. Free throughout the night. Which reminds her of why the girls envied her. She doesn’t gain much body fat no matter the amount of food she takes every night. 

What they didn’t know is she barely had food in the morning. She slept all day at the stream after doing some stretching outside in the morning. Also, she had to walk meters away every day to get to and from Angel’s Night Club. 

“I’m fine, thanks.” She smiled. The man choked. She didn’t mean it, but her hand caressed the man’s back. He nearly fell from his chair for helplessly trying to avoid her touch as its effect roamed his body. Her effect. His mestizo skin made his reddened face too visible despite the dim lights. Alcohol is not the only one to blame for. 

“Woah!” They heard the scream from the other men from the nearby tables. The men with Siren’s table halted, finally letting everyone know they’ve been watching their interaction. She seductively smiled at them and took her hand back as if it’s nothing. Men. 

“Are you okay?” She laughed at the man, who abruptly grabbed his glass and took the drink in one large gulp. Siren flattened her lips. His friends gasped and nodded with compassion. The two girls sitting on their laps, who are a regular in the Playhouse, sneered at her. Siren shrugged her shoulders with the unbothered smile on her face. 

She did it on purpose to end her stay at that table. She wanted to go back to being a waitress again, though she knows it’s only a second before another group requests for her to join them. She stood to excuse herself from the man who paid her more than enough. 

She’s been working here for months and she’s so close to making herself believe men with class and money are more decent and easily follow protocols. She's close to believing it. But as though to end her stupid delusion, life scandalously slapped her.  

Before she could utter her goodbye, her arms were drastically grasped. Shocked, she glared at the men on either side of her. They have the same body built as their bouncers, but they looked foreign with the color of their black skin, together with the black fitted shirts. This is certainly not the first time, especially if they’re new customers, but never with two men grabbing both her arms. 

They were quick. Before the bouncers could help her, they dragged her to the corner of the room for the VVIP seats. 

“It’s her?” 

She heard the harsh tone of the man sitting on the enormous sofa. The lights were dim, but she recognized his foreign features. Tan skin, but not black. Brown, probably, as these men who obviously are his bodyguards are black.

There are five girls with him on the large white U-shaped sofa. Two of his men were on the adjacent sofas with their own share of girls. One of the girls is with Siren, from the Angel’s Night Lab. She rolled her eyes at her in resentment. Siren’s blood boiled by the audacity. Did she honestly desire her situation right now? 

“Excuse me, sir, but she’s off-limits,” the bouncer who followed them butted-in. Fear was crawling on his thick skin. The group is not regular, but he knows them, yet he has to know more about his job.

“Let me go!” Siren protested after seeing another bouncer ready to help her. 

It was a momentary relief. Unlike the bouncers, she doesn’t know the men. When she struggled, the men shoved her to the man in the middle. Has to be the leader. The culprit. Her hands landed on his shoulders for balance. She smelt the scent of his rich perfumes, as well as the alcohol on his breath. A glimpse of a gold necklace beneath the button-down black long sleeves. A huge hand snaked on her waist. An expensive watch wrapped on his wrist. 

At the unwelcomed contact, Siren glowered at him. She spat on the man’s face, snatched the glass of alcohol from his left hand, and smashed it across his head. The girls screamed and scurried away. She doesn’t have to move away because they dragged her from behind. 

She thought it was the bouncers, but she felt the throbbing pain the moment someone backhanded her. She only got to see who it was when she fell on the floor. Her arms slide across the table, causing the bottles and glasses to shatter. She gaped at one of the black men who backhanded her. She tried to help herself and was ready to scream at the bouncers with frustration when her vision of them was blocked. 

She didn’t get to glance at the man dragging him away from the scene, but she heard the familiar voice of Aaron and Maureen. But their voices were indistinct through the crowd’s raging noise. Most of the customers purposely made a riot to help her out. Before she could see where they planned to take her, they shoved her into the darkness behind the building. 

She gasped as the stiff wind of the night raked her body. She shivered and started caressing her arm, but winced at the pain of her wounds. She was ready to go back and face the assailant when Aaron stepped out with her. Fear and uneasiness were written all over his face. Questions were stuck in her throat. She gaped at him. 

“You’re in serious trouble!” he announced in one breath. “Those men are dangerous. Go to Kendra. Miss Katty’s on her way here. Once you get there, Kendra will go here.”

“W-What…? What’s happening?”

“What, Siren. Maureen and I will take it from here. Those men surely have men guarding outside and they’ll look for you. Hide there for a while.” He jerked his head to the dark alley. Little lights from the nearby clubs are giving little lights to the pathway. 

She threw him one last glare and although utterly confused; she ran on the corner, to the dark alley, and to the gay pub. Fear crawled on her skin. The chilly wind and her throbbing wounds felt nothing. 

This is certainly the biggest scene that ever happened for her to hide. She should be thankful to the customers for helping her out. She admitted she’s at fault for reacting violently, but the group’s impertinence surprised her. The question of who they are is hanging in her head. 

They were not introduced to her as new customers or VVIP. Are they really new to the Playhouse? What?

She used the back door of the gay’s club. A handsome white man accepted her and offered her cold water. A bulge of muscle underneath his plain white shirt and brown apron. He combed his hair with his fingers and smiled at her. Her expression remained perplexed. For she doesn’t know him. 

He left her in the storage room. The door is not locked. But she followed him by instinct. She met another handsome face, waiting for the first guy. Also, with a nice body built that could easily get a contract for modeling. 

He swallowed hard as he snaked his arm around the first man. He whispered something sensual in his ear. Then he directly looked at her, but she didn’t look away. Siren is yet to know how to take her eyes off to the things that caught her attention. 

He whispered to the guy again, and they both turned to her. They gave her genuine smiles but said nothing and left. 

She stayed in the storage and lost counting the time. The longer she stayed idle, the worse the fear clung to her. She heard the noise of the club. But it feels unfamiliar now that she’s not in the Playhouse. She’s only familiar with the ambiance of the Playhouse and Angel’s Night Lab. Not a gay pub. 

She failed to count the times. The first man came back to offer her some food, but she had to refuse. She’s not hungry and can never eat in that situation. She sat back in the chair, her shoulders falling.  

Another hour passed before the man came back. He smiled at her. She noticed how his apron was missing, as well as the three buttons of his shirt. 

“You’re ready to go, missy.”

They went out of the storage room. He led him out of the building. 

“You can use this.” He reached for the jacket hanging behind the door. Siren whiffed her head in a worry of Franco selling it. The guy kindly nodded and let her out of the dark. 

She couldn’t get it in her to ask the man what happened. How can she ask the man when she’s the one who came from the Playhouse? She only knew they were only ordered to keep her here. They’re much more clueless than her.

She followed the trail back to the Playhouse anxiously. She was so edgy she thought she’s being followed in the dark, so she quickened her pace. Turning a corner, she gets closer to the club. But the feeling of someone watching her was palpable. 

Confirming her suspicion, she heard the faint footsteps behind. Her chest hammered. The sweat on her nape felt cold. She stopped to make sure the noise wasn’t from her own heels. But the footsteps behind her continued. It became urgent and closer to Siren’s horror. 

Grinding her teeth, she was ready to run when she was pushed hard against the wall. Her scream of surprise and fear. A strong, huge palm muffled her scream of surprise and fear. She could barely get the smell of smoke because of the constricting grip. 

With eyes wide, she stared at the tall man inches away from her. He’s with a black jacket, the hoods covering the bangs of his hair and part of his eyes and thick eyebrows. Crook nose. His lips were in a thin line. A little light from the sky revealed fair skin.

Siren pushed his chiseled body, but to no avail. She tried to kick where he should be kicked. She was seconds away from making the man invalid, if only he didn’t inch closer to her. She wished the wall behind her absorbed her. She could feel every inch of the man’s warm body against her soft frame.

The danger announced itself to her the moment she notices she’s being followed. But it felt death was trapping her now. 

She felt the vibration from the man’s rigid body. Using his free hand, he pulled a phone from his back pocket and answered the call. 

“I found her,” he simply said and ended it. The expensive phone which looked small in his hand was back in the pocket.

Siren’s eyes were ridiculously wide. 

Is he one of the men of that man in their club? She struggled in fear and for air. The man waited for more seconds before letting go of poor Siren’s mouth. 

She glared at him, but it was only for a second. He noticed the defiant and bold stare while she took a large intake of air. Or that’s what he thought. A scream was about to erupt from her slender throat, so he hastened to cover her mouth again. This time, with force and without mercy. His hands turned red from the pressure. She could kill her in a snap, but the girl's daring eyes never changed into a pitiful gaze.

He watched her tiny frame struggle, her eyes popping out, her cheeks were turning white despite the thick make-up. He patiently waited for the plea in her defiant eyes before letting go.

Siren desperately gasped for air. The manly scent suffocated her. She’s never smelt that kind of men’s perfume. So strong and addicting. Natural scent. 

She pushed the man who willingly stepped away. Her hands on her knees and throat while gasping for air. In her line of work, things like this are bound to happen, but never once did she get physically abused this way. 

She glared at the man’s pair of dark blue boots. She was having an internal debate to herself as to how she should run and get away from the man when a huge black bag was thrown at her feet. Puzzled, she made a gentle kick on it to feel its content. It’s soft when she’s expecting it to be hard. Might be a bomb if this man’s here to kill her. But it felt like... papers. 

“Take it and never show your face around here again.” He jerked his chin to the bag. 

The man’s eyes demanded her to check it. She knelt on the bag in confusion. Her bare knees falling directly on the ground when she glimpsed the surprise. 

These are hundreds of thousand peso bills!

She looked up at the man, but he’s already walking into the dark. 

“W-Wait―What is this?”

He halted. His broad back was a lot more mysterious than his hood. “You heard me.”

“But what’s with the money?” she asked again before he could take another step. She’s frantic. What the hell is she going to do with the money?!

He clenched his hands in the pocket of his jacket. His face contorted in disgust. The smell of the woman lingered on him. He tapped the invisible dirt off his shirt with his palm and walked away without answering her. 

Siren could only watch the mysterious man fade in the dark. The moment he’s out of her sight, the cool wind blows again. In the same direction the man disappeared, two silhouettes came running towards her. 

When she heard the frantic voice of Miss Katty, she weakly let herself fall on the ground. Her hands were gripping the bag of charity.