Tequila Baby

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE 

Mula sa kanyang kinatatayuan ay nahagip niya ang estranghera na nagpakilala bilang sekretarya ng kanyang nakausap sa dating app. That stranger pointed to her a man in a formal suit as ‘RPM123’ sitting on a comfy chair inside a fancy restaurant where they should meet. Iilan lang ang tao kung kaya’t agad niyang natumbok ang itinuturo nito. After that, the woman left her while looking at the guy. Ni hindi man lang siya nito hinatid sa table. Kaya agad niyang iginala ang sarili, pumasok siya sa loob.

It was a restaurant with a marvelous theme design inside. It was one of the famous restaurants in the country. Someone came to her, one of the restaurant staff. Nagtanong ito kung may reservation ba raw siya, o kung ano mang kaek-ekan ng pangmayaman ang kailangan. At nang makuha na nito ang sagot ay saka siya nito iniwan.

Tiningnan niyang muli ang lalaki. His chinky Asian eyes compliments his fair glowing skin. Her brows arched as soon as she caught a glimpse of his hard-frame eyeglasses. 

So, he’s a nerdy? Pero okay na rin at panalo naman sa pangangatawan ang lalaking ito. She started to tease every inch of him in her mind, imagining him marveling his nakedness to hers.

She snapped out of her trance when she saw him raised his hand. Gosh! Nakilala siya nito. She began to approach and joined him on the seat adjacent to him.

“So, 143? Introduce yourself.” He spoke, in serious tone. 143 kasi ang username na ginamit niya sa dating site.

She almost bit her lip upon seeing his moving lips while speaking. Para bang inaakit siya ng labi nito at parang gusto naman niyang tugunan ang imbitasyon nito.

O my gosh! Kalma, Gab! She scolded herself.

“I am Gabriella Tolentino, Gab for short.” She introduced herself, smiling, while raising a hand for a shake. She waited as if she really needed that handshake.

Kinakabahan siya. Pinipilit niyang maging kalmado kahit na ang totoo ay natatakot siya. It was indeed her first time for a blind date, especially to meet a man he hardly knew. Paano pala kung serial killer ito na tulad ng kanyang napapanood? Paano kung itatapon na lang siya nito sa bakanteng lote? Paano kung chop-chop-in siya nito at pagkatapos ay isasako na lang? Maygad!

The dating site guy had a crease on his forehead. Halata sa mukha nito ang pagtataka. Siguro ay dahil sa kanyang galaw.

Was it a turn off? 

Sa kabila no’n ay hindi naman siya nito binigo. He accepted her hand. His big palm was warm. Napalunok na lamang siya at muli ay pinagpantasyahan niya ito. 

Napasinghap na lang siya at agad na binawi ang kanyang kamay. She wasn’t even sure if they’ll give it a go but her mind keeps on playing with her. It’s not her thing to fantasize after all. 

Jeez . . .

Agad siyang nag-iwas ng tingin. From her peripheral sight, she saw his brows creased again. It did subside and he started to show a long brown envelope. He pulled a paper from it and prompted it to her at the table. 

She turned to him.

“Ano ’to?”

“A contract.”

Her brows creased in disbelief. “A contract?” ulit niya.

Natawa na lamang siya nang unti-unti niyang mapagtanto ang salitang contract. “Bakit kailangan pa nito?”

“Aren’t you going to ask for what I need?” His serious face beamed at her.

Hindi niya alam pero bigla na lamang siyang kinabahan. Para bang may kung anong bumabagabag sa kanyang kaloob-looban. Well, inaamin niyang ngayon, gusto niyang mag-backout, pero ang kagwapuhan lang talaga ng isang ’to ang nakakapagpapigil sa kanya. She inhaled a lot of oxygen before she spoke. “So, ano nga ang kailangan mo?”

They looked at each other for long. Medyo pamilyar ang mukha ng binata. She just had a hard time recalling it to when and where. 

“I want a fubu.”

Now, her forehead creased even more. She’s trying to recall but somehow it was not listed in her vocab bank. 

“A-ano’ng ‘fubu’?” 

Napayuko ito at palihim na tumawa.

She felt annoyed at what he did. Pero sa ilang minutong lumipas, ngayon niya lang ito nakitang ngumiti. At least naman nalaman niyang may iba pa itong ekspresyon maliban sa pagiging cold at serious face nito. 

He, then, brought back his sight to her. “Fubu means f**k buddy,” he said, sternly.

Gab’s eyes widened and her jaws dropped in shock. Was she hearing it right? O baka naman pinaglalaruan na naman siya ng kanyang utak?

“H-ha?” was all she could say.

“I know you heard what I said.” He smirked at her. “And that’s also the answer to your question about this contract. I’m a lawyer. What we are actually talking about is something risky that it can ruin my profession in just a snap. I hope you understand that.”

“By the way, I’m Attorney Ralph Molina,” he added.

“Ah . . .” She nodded to her realization, very dumbfounded.

Kung kanina ay sa hitsura lang nito, ngayon ay pati ang pangalan ng lalaking ito ay pamilyar na rin. She knew she really did hear his name somewhere.

Her curiosity fell into another realization.

“Wait! You mean, you’re Attorney Molina? One of the famous lawyer brothers?!”