Entangled

6

Naghintay si Deniah kung ano ang sasabihin ni Arkel ng sabihin niyang pumapayag na siya sa deal nila. Ngunit hindi ito umimik at nakatitig lang sa kanya.

"Anything else?" Sa wakas ay tanong nito sa huli.

"Sa tingin okay na lahat."

"Not quite." Biglang sambit ng lalaki at bahagyang napatigil na tila ba tinitimbang kung anong sunod na sasabihin.

Humugot ng hininga si Deniah at bumalik sa kinauupuan niya kanina habang kinokombinsi ang sarili na kumalma kahit ano man ang susunod nitong sasabihin. Two could play this game. She'd be an ice queen, even if he verbally tortured her.

Pinagdaop ng lalaki ang dalawang kamay at sumeryoso ang mukha. "I want to talk to you about sex."

“s*x?” The word dropped from her lips and fired into the air like a gunshot. Napakurap siya at pinigilan ang sarili na magpakita ng anumang emosyon.

Tumayo ang lalaki mula sa kinauupuan at siya naman ang pumalit sa ginawa niya kanina, naglakad-lakad ito sa kaniyang yayamaning burgundy carpet. “See, we need to be extremely discreet with, uh, our extracurricular activities.”

"Discreet?"

“Yes. I deal with some very high-end clients, and I have a reputation to protect. Let alone the terms of the agreement would be broken if our marriage was questioned. I think it best if you agreed to remain celibate for the year. It's doable, don't you think?”

Napakurap lang si Deniah sa sinambit ng lalaki at nakanganga pa siyang nakatitig dito.

Nang makitang wala siyang masabi ay tumawa ito na halata namang pekeng tawa. She wondered if she caught a gleam of sweat on his forehead or if it was just a trick of the light.

Tumigil ito sa paglalakad at tumingin sa kanya.

At bumalik sa utak niya ang sinabi ng lalaki kanina at nakuha kung anong gusto nitong mangyari. Arkel wanted her to be the perfect wife, which included holding a chaste marriage bed under their ruse.

Pero hindi nito sinali ang sarili pagdating sa 'celibacy'. Nasambit na sa kanya ni Alana ang tungkol kay Sabrina, kaya alam niyang nasa relasyon si Arkel. At hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit hindi ito ang papakasalan niya, pero nevermind wala naman siyang pakialam sa desisyon nito sa buhay. All she cared about was the chauvinistic, male pig before her and her desire to call the whole deal off.

Almost.

She shook with anger but kept her face serene. Dark Arkel wanted to cut deals. Fine. Because when she walked out this door, Golden Boy would sign the deal of a lifetime.

Ngumiti siya, "okay. I understand."

Nagliwang ang buong mukha nito. "You do?"

“Of course. If the marriage is supposed to be real, how would it look to find your wife the gossip of an affair so soon after the wedding?”

“Exactly.”

“And you shouldn't have to deal with humiliating questions regarding your manhood. If your wife is sleeping around, it's obvious what the problem is. She wasn't getting it good enough at home.”

He shifted his weight. His nod was half-hearted. “I guess.”

"So, pano na si Sabrina kung magpapakasal tayo?"

"Pano mo nalaman ang tungkol kay Sabrina?"

"Sino pa ba edi ang kapatid mo."

"Huwag mo nang alalahanin si Sabrina, ako nang bahala sa kanya."

“Are you sleeping with her?”

He flinched, pero nagkunwari itong walang pakialam. "Does it matter?"

She lifted her hands in defense. “May gusto lang akonh linawin about diyan sa s*x issue. At least I’ve filled the number one and two spot. I sure as hell don't love you, and we're not attracted to one another. You're saying if I want to have a rollicking one night stand, I can't go for it. So, what are the rules for you?"

Ngumuso si Deniah, napaisip kung ano ang irarason ng lalaki sa bagong hukay nitong libingan.

..............

Tinitigan ni Arkel ang nakaupong babae sa harap niya at lumunok. Ang kanyang nangaakit na boses ay nangaakit din ng mga imahe nitong hubad sa kanyang utak. Napamura siya ng bahagya at inabot ang baso ng kape sa kanyang mesa, trying to buy some time. Her whole demeanor screamed s*x. The innocence of youth had burned off and left behind a pure-blooded woman with pure-blooded needs. He wondered what kind of man satisfied those needs. He wondered how ripe her breasts would feel in his hands, or how her lips would taste under his. He wondered what she wore under the clinging red dress.

"Dark?"

There. Tinawag na naman siya nito sa kanyang first name. "Hmm."

"Narinig mo ba yong sinabi ko?"

"Yeah. s*x. I promise you'll never find yourself in an awkward situation.”

"So, ang sanasabi mo you will still intend to sleep with Sabrina?"

"Sabrina and I are involved in a relationship."

"But you won't marry her."

Tension snapped the air around them. Humakbang siya palayo sa kay Deniah , desperate for some distance. “It's not that kind of relationship.”

“Hmmm, interesting. So, you're saying I can't screw around because I don't have anybody steady to screw around with.”

If ice cubes were available he would have sucked them down one by one. Her accusation made a strange heat rise to his skin. Her tone was mild. Her smile seemed easy and genuine. Arkel felt poised on the edge of some female power trip, and he recognized he was on losing ground. He rallied for the upper hand.

“Kung meron ka mang ka relasyon ngayon, we'd work out the situation. But strangers are too dangerous. I can guarantee Sabrina knows how to keep a secret.”

Ngiti lang ang isinagot ng dalaga. A delicious, feminine smile that promised delights beyond imagination and promised it all to him. His heart stopped, paused, then went on beating. Fascinated, he waited for her next words.

“No way, baby.”

He fought for concentration as her refusal slipped from that luscious mouth. “Pardon?”

“No s*x for me. No s*x for you. Wala akong pakialam kung si Sabrina man yan o stripper o yung love of your life. If I don't have any fun, you don't. You'll just have to get your kicks out of this very proper business marriage and build your buildings.” Tumigil ito.“Get it?”

He got it. Pero hindi niya tatanggapin. Na realize niyang isa itong laro, set and match, at kailangan niyang manalo.

"Deniah, naintindihan kong parang hindi ito fair. But a man is different. Sabrina has a reputation to uphold, also, so you’ll never be put in a bad position. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’ll agree to the terms?”

“No.”

Damned this hardheaded woman. She was the one in dire need of money, yet she tried to wiggle her way in changing his terms.

Gosh, naiinis na siya sa paguugali nito kagaya nong mga bata pa sila. Ayaw nitong magpatalo. Hinilot niya ang kaniyang sentido bago umupo at tumikhim. “We’ve been able to agree on everything else. We’ve compromised. It’s only one year, and then you can walk away and have a damn orgy for all I care.”

Deniah stared back at him with sheer stubbornness and steely determination. “If you get to have your orgies, I get mine. If you want to be celibate, so will I. I don’t care about your crap regarding men and women and their differences. If I have to go to bed alone for three hundred sixty-four nights, then so will you. And if you want action, you’ll have to turn to your own wife.”