Huwag kang concern. Lalo lang akong nai-in love sa iyo. Get mad at me and call me stupid so I will fight back. Para maging normal ako.
“It would be too much if I will take a day off, Sir.”
“If you are not here tomorrow, it is okay.”
Mukhang wala itong balak na I-open ang topic tungkol sa nangyari sa Santorini. Well, she couldn’t just let it go. Lalo na’t halatang nagkakailangan sila. A part of her wanted to know why he kissed her. Or just assured him that he shouldn’t have kissed her. That way, she could hide what she felt for him.
“Sir, about what happened in Santorini…”
“You mean the kiss?” he asked casually.
Yes! The mind boggling kiss that is the reason why I am not my self today.
“Can we just forget about it?” Ayaw niyang ito pa ang magsabi niyon sa kanya. She would be surely broken. “Let’s pretend that it didn’t happen. After all, you kissed a lot of women and you easily forget about it. Wala sigurong kaibahan kung ganoon din ang gawin natin. Ayokong magkailangan tayo sa trabaho.”
Tumango ito at lumayo sa desk nito. “Yes. Right. It is no big deal. After all, it is just a kiss. I won’t bother you with that kiss anymore.”
Ouch! No big deal. Kung ganoon ay hinalikan lang siya nito sa walang particular na dahilan. Maybe she was so neophyte that her kiss was not worth remembering. Ano ba ang inirereklamo ko? I asked for this, right?
Ano ba ang aasahan niya kay Nikos? Malambot lang ang puso nito sa mga nangangailangan. But when it comes to women, kissing them and making love with them, everything was just casual to him. Enjoy and forget.
“Susubukan ko pa ring pumasok, Sir.” Well, maybe she was not really in love with him. Just like kissing him, maybe she could forget about him. Infatuation lang siguro ito dahil nadala ako ng ganda ng Santorini. O dahil good kisser siya.
Loving him was a suicide. So an infatuation was safer than falling in love. That was what she wanted. A safe emotion. Iyong hindi nakakasira sa trabaho niya. Iyong di nagpapakaba sa kanya. And no more hot kisses please.
“Arize, wait!” Hinabol siya nito nang bubuksan na niya ang pinto. “I think I forgot something.”
“What, Sir?” she asked innocently.
Hinapit siya nito sa baywang habang ang isang kamay nito ay humawak sa likod ng ulo niya. Her body slammed against his as his lips claimed hers. All she could do was open her mouth to accept him.
Pakiramdam niya ay nasabugan siya ng rocket nang magsanib ang labi niya. It was so explosive she felt her world rocking. Ibinuka niya ang labi at ginaya ang bawat galaw nito. She was a neophyte in the art of kissing but she was a fast learner. After a few moment, she was kissing him back expertly.
“Why don’t you fight me like you did before, Arizona?” he asked in a ragged breath while his finger traced the collar of her blouse.
“Maybe I am just too tired to fight.” It was easier to give in. What could she get out of fighting him? Just a salve in her pride. And her pride won’t give her a thrilling sensation like his kisses could.
“Slap me. Push me. Tell me you loathe me. That you hate my kisses and you hate my hands on you,” he said while he trailed her skin with his kiss.
“I would be hypocrite if I would do that.”
Bigla itong natigilan. “You don’t hate me?”
“Do I look like I hate you? I kissed you back, remember? But I would definitely hate you if you stop kissing me.”
She finally crossed the line. Inalis na niya ang harang sa sarili niya. She should have felt so vulnerable. He already overpowered her. But she didn’t care.
For the first time in her life, she let a man dominate her totally. Ngayon lang niya di naisip kung ano ang maaring kahinatnan ng ginagawa niya.
“WOW! May flowers ka na naman galing sa secret admirer mo? Sino ba iyan?” pangungulit ni Mandy nang may dumating na isang basket ng tulip para sa kanya.
“Oo nga. Naiintriga ako,” sabi ni Simone na katatapos lang kausapin si Nikos sa opisina nito. “Walang sender pero may ‘thanks for the lovely evening’.”
“Paano mo naisisingit mag-date sa dami ng trabaho natin? E lagi nga kayong ginagabi ni Sir Nikos sa trabaho. Siguro sumisingit ka ng sa internet, no?”
Kinulbit siya ni Simone. “Dapat doon ko sa sure na guwapo at mayaman, ha?”
“Baka naman nuknukan ng pangit kaya ayaw mong ipakilala sa amin,” nanghahaba ang nguso ni Mandy. “Sayang lang ang ganda mo.”
“Sinong pangit?” tanong ni Nikos nang lumabas ng opisina nito.
“Iyong nagpapadala ng bulaklak kay Arize, Sir,” sabi ni Mandy. “Baka kako pangit na mayaman o kaya DOM kaya ayaw ipakilala ni Arize.”
Tumalikod si Nikos. “Miss Calderon, follow me to my office.”
Nag-alala siya nang tawagin siya nitong Miss Calderon. Mukhang galit ito. But she kept her cool. Wala naman kasi siyang naiisip na pwedeng ikagalit nito.
“Pangit ba ako?” sa gulat niya ay tanong nito pagkasara niya ng pinto. Umiling siya. Madilim ang mukha nito nang lapitan siya. “Mukha rin ba akong DOM?”
Pigil na niya ang ngiti. “Matagal pa bago ka magmukhang DOM.”
Hinapit nito ang baywang niya. “Good. Tell that to those two.”
“Sasabihin ko sa kanila na ikaw, si Nikolos Theron na nagbigay sa akin ng tulip ay hindi pangit at DOM? Are you sure?”
“Yes. And tell them that I kissed you too. Like this.”
He kissed her so slowly she thought he robbed her of her breath. It was a teasing kiss that made her weak thus making Nikos more powerful. His lips were very persuasive. Nakalimutan niyang oras ng trabaho at di siya nito pwedeng halikan kapag office hours-according to her rules.
“Nikos! My lipstick!” She automatically retouched it while he stared at her.
Inagaw nito ang lipstick sa kanya. “You don’t need this. Sabihin mo sa kanila na ako ang nagpadala ng tulip. Are you ashamed that I kissed you?”
“Mr. Theron, nasa oras tayo ng trabaho. Pangalawa, ayokong pag-usapan tayo ng mga tao. You are my boss, in case you forget.”
“Iyan ba ang dahilan kung bakit di ka lumalabas kasama ako maliban na lang kung business meeting?” Ibinalik nito ang lipstick. “Here. I don’t want to tarnish your reputation. You may go now.”