All-Time Favorite: El Paraiso

Chapter Fifteen

NAGPUPUYOS pa rin ang loob ni Adrian habang nagmamaneho pauwi. Kung kanino ay hindi niya alam. Kung kay Michelle, o sa ex-boyfriend nito, o sa sarili. Inaamin niyang totoong malakas ang atraksiyon ni Michelle sa kanya. Idagdag pang sa dadalawang pagkikita'y nahuhulog ang loob ni Catherine dito.

What a strange woman she was. She was cheeky one moment and all-serious as could be the next. She was polite and well-mannered. She didn't cuss, and as the song went—three times a lady. And yet she admitted being an easy lay.

She might not be as stunning as Norien and Beverly but she was every man's wet dream in the sack. He was surprised with himself that Michelle had the capacity to turn him on in a way that no woman ever did.

Her sensuality was toned down and he'd bet his last coin that she didn't even know it. But he could feel the passion beneath the calm exterior. She was a nuclear. Sinong babae ang umaamin na ganoon sila kadaling hilahin sa kama? Ilang lalaki na ba ang napaugnay dito kung ganoon ito kadaling lokohin?

Aren't you the hypocrite she was referring you about? Since you are the "take 'em and leave 'em type"?

That was another matter, pangangatwiran niya sa sarili. Wala siyang dinayang babae. Alam ng mga ito ang score simula pa lang. He never made any promises. Hindi siya nagbibitiw ng matatamis na salita para lang akitin ang isang babae. Kapag pinatulan siya ng babae ay alam nito ang katutunguhan ng relasyon nila.

Tulad ni Beverly. Ang huling babaeng napaugnay sa kanya at ang pinakamatagal—tatlong taon. Nakilala niya ito nang maisip niyang kumuha ng Architecture two years ago. She was a woman of the world. She knew the score. And he didn't care if she had another man on the side. Na lantaran naman nitong sinasabi sa kanya upang marahil ay pagselosin siya.

They were good together and he used protection. Oh, well, most of the time. At iyong panahong nakaligtaan niyang gumamit ng proteksiyon ay ang dahilan ng paglitaw ni Catherine sa mundong ibabaw. He hadn't regretted that. He loved her daughter to distraction. Pinangakuan niya si Beverly ng malaking halaga upang ituloy nito ang pagdadalang-tao. Pumayag ito.

At marahil, ipinagtaka nito kung saan niya kinukuha ang ganoon kalaking halaga, lalo na at nang manga-nganak na ito ay sa isang mamahaling ospital niya ipinasok.

Isang araw ay dumating ito sa El Paraiso kasama ang barkada. Nagtanung-tanong ito at natuklasan nitong pag-aari niya ang bagong hotel at ang commercial building sa Pasig, gayundin ang asyendang dalawang doble ang lawak sa pag-aari ng mga de Alegre.

So she started using Catherine against him. Minsan ay dumarating siya sa Maynila na wala ang bata at si Beverly. Hindi na niya gustong maulit iyon kaya binigyan niya ito ng ultimatum. Kukunin niya ang bata rito at ibibigay ng korte ang karapatan sa kanya dahil mas may kakayahan siyang buhayin ang bata.

Bev had changed tactics. Simula noon ay walang buwang hindi ito nagtungo sa hotel o sa cottage at nananatili nang matagal bago muling babalik sa Maynila. That would have been to his favor because of Catherine. But she had started to become a nuisance. She had started telling people about them. Na magkasintahan sila at magpapakasal.

"Tigilan mo ang kalokohang ito, Bev," he had told her. "You are making a fool of yourself."

"Oh, but I love you, Adrian. Alam mo iyan. Matagal na rin naman tayong magkasintahan at kilala na natin ang isa't isa. Ano pa ba ang hadlang para magpakasal tayo? Para din naman iyon kay Catherine. Gusto mo bang tawagin siyang anak sa pagkakasala?"

He sighed in pure boredom. "It won't do, Bev. You know the score. Hindi ako naniniwala sa kasal."

Mula sa likod ay niyakap siya nito. Her thirty-eight, cup B breasts brushed his back and her hands went around him and cupped his sex. Bahagya lang na tumugon ang katawan niya. He even wondered if there was something wrong with him. Sa mga huling pagtatalik nila ay kailangan munang ilabas ni Bev ang kakayahan nito bago tuluyang tumugon ang katawan niya. But she was patient. Too patient. At mapamaraan.