Midnight Lullabies

Chapter 15

RIVER

“Uhmm . . . oh . . .” I smirked when the woman moaned as I’m kissing her fervently. From her bare thigh, my hand crawls to her not-so-big breast – but it will do— then palm it alternately, making her moan for who knows how many times already.

This is one of my proudest moments. I may be slow when it comes to some things, but I excel in this department. This is my field. Making women go crazy in pleasure is my freaking field.

“That’s right. Moan for me babe,” I whispered huskily in her ear before my lips feasted on her jaw down to her neck, nipping and sucking it while my hands continued palming her breast like it’s a dough that is in need to be kneaded.

Who cares if someone sees us? Definitely not me. It’s our freaking nightclub. We f*****g owned it. No one can stop me from getting a taste of my favourite food – and that’s women.

I heard someone cleared his throat, making me stop. I looked at him flatly. He gave me warning glares so I sighed and immediately stop the woman’s hand that’s now driving inside my shirt like it’s her neighbourhood.

No one can stop me, yeah. Except for my freaking twin who acts like a big brother when he’s just 2 minutes and 52 seconds older than me for f**k’s sake!

I rolled my eyes to let him know that he’s being annoying right now, and then smiled seductively at the woman beside me.

“Let’s continue later, Vina—“

“My name’s Elena, not Vina,” the woman looked at me irritatingly before standing up then she stormed out of my face.

I shrugged.

“Well, it just sounds the same,” I murmured before something caught my attention. “Where’s Ida, by the way?” Odin looked at me after gripping the butt of the woman who walked past at him. He wanders his eyes around then shrugged at me. I shook my head. He really is a useless.

“We learned na si Tom na raw ang papalit na C.E.O. sa daddy niyo? Ang aga naman yatang bumaba ni Tito,” napatingin kami kay Vander nang itanong niya ‘yon kay Mavi. We became silent as we wait for his reaction as well as his answer.

We were friends since high school and we all knew how distant he is to his older brother, to the point that he literally leaves their house. We do not know the sole reason behind his decision or maybe, it’s just me who has no idea about it. I would not be surprise if Vander and my brother knew about it since they are really the OG friends, same as me and Odin. We just became friends with them since they are also my twin brother’s friends.

Hindi pa man nakakasagot si Mavi ay naagaw na ang atensyon namin ng malakas na hiyawan sa dance floor and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Ida there, doing a body roll as she dances to Pussycat Doll’s song ‘Buttons’, oblivious to the ogling of those men who look like hungry predators in the wild and ready to devour their prey. Kahit si Odin ay nakihiyaw na rin at sumisipol pa. Pinukol ko siya ng masamang tingin pero ang hinayupak ay tinaasan lang ako ng kilay at nagpatuloy sa ginagawang pagsigaw. Nailing na lang ako at ibinalik ang mata roon.

We watch her as she continued dancing like a tipsy woman. Wait—

“Is she drunk?” I murmured wearing my knitted brows.

“Don’t mind her. Just let her enjoy the night,” said by my oh so mighty twin brother.

I looked at him incredulously.

“How could you say that when there’s a possibility that a p*****t would jump at her and snatch her in the corner—“

“You mean, like yourself?” he said sarcastically, cutting me off.

I looked at him flatly then frown.

“I am not. I’m just being extra friendly. And those women who I played with were also willing to play with me. What’s wrong with that?” I reasoned out because that’s the truth.

I would never ever force a woman to have s*x with me. Having a playboy and fuckboy as titles was already enough for me. And I’m proud to walk that talk. I don’t want ‘r****t’ to be part of that because that belongs to those disgusting assholes who deserve to be burned alive in the pit of hell.

I loathe their kind.

I admit that Ida is one hell of a beauty. She really is. Inside and out. But even if I got attracted by her beauty in the first place, it didn’t last that long. It’s kinda one-time thing. Besides, she just looks like me and my twin with her physical appearance so she’s more than a helper to us. She’s like a little sister to me actually. A sister that I always wanted to have. Nakakasawa na rin kasi ang pagmumukha ni Ramses.

“So that makes you a player, bud,” Odin said with a lopsided grin on his face.

I snorted before showing him my middle finger.

“Huwag kang magmalinis, gago. You are the worse.” Natawa lang siya sa sinabi ko at nailing.

Just like what my brother said, hindi kami nakialam at hinayaan lang naming mag-enjoy si Ida habang kami naman ay nagpatuloy lang sa pag-inom at pagkukwentuhan. We greeted Mavi a happy birthday though it’s obvious that he’s not damn happy but hey, it’s his 20th, so it means that we’re friends for over five years now. That thing is one enough reason to celebrate this night.

“He’s not going to be one for that long. Time will come and I’m going to take over his so-called position,” Mavi said confidently, pertaining to his older brother. He drank his tequila straight to his throat with a straight face then heaved a deep sigh as he remains silent for a moment.

Mavi really hated it when the topic of the talk is his brother. I still remember how kind his brother to us, but Mavi always misunderstood it and took it the wrong way. Maybe the reason why still now, they are not in good terms.

If there’s one thing I know about Mavi is that, he do not trust people easily. He always doubt especially if that person is kind towards him. He always has this impression that if a person is kind towards you, it’s either he or she’s using you to gain something in return OR that person wants to befriend you so he could harm you under your nose.

“But you can only do that if you fully obey your parents’ orders,” said Vander, as if reminding him of the most important thing he must do.

Hindi kumibo si Mavi. He seems lost in his thoughts until he stood up to go to the rest room.

“I’ll go too,” paalam ko sa kanila nang makaramdam ng pagkaihi at saka sumunod kay Mavi.

“Pati ba naman pagpuntang banyo, takot kang mag-isa, bud? You’re so gay,” I looked at Odin flatly.

“f**k you,” I hissed before walking away. Rinig ko pa ang paghagalpak niya ng tawa na pumapangibabaw sa tugtugan sa loob. I shook my head and heaved a sigh.

As I walk towards the rest room, I wander my eyes around looking for Ida but she’s nowhere to be found. Napatingin ako sa dance floor that is packed with loud people.

Maybe she’s still dancing there.

Good for her. At least she’s enjoying her first time in here. Lagi na lang kasi siyang nagtatrabaho. Parang hindi man lang nagte-take ng day-off.

“Did you look for her?” tanong ni Mavi nang tumabi ako sa katabing urinal bowl na ginagamit niya.

“Yeah. But I can’t find her.” I answered as I continued peeing.

Maya-maya pa’y napatingin ako sa dalawang bagong dating lalo na nang mapamilyaran ng tenga ko ang binanggit nilang pangalan.

 “Dude, hayop talaga si Nash! May nabingwit na naman!” rinig kong kwentuhan nila.

Napakunot ang noo ko, nagtataka.

Anong ginagawa niya rito? Ngayon na naman lang yata siya napadpad sa nightclub namin.

Nailing na lang ako.

Nash Agravante— the ‘notorious fuckboy’ in town. Compare to me and Odin, I can say that he’s the worst. He’s our rival when it comes to women, but the problem with him is that he do not take no for an answer. Whether the woman wants it or not, he would get her in his bed. By hook or by crook.

That’s why I’m so sick of him. And he knew that very well.

“Damn! Kung hindi lang ako naunahan ni Nash, ako na ang lalapa do’n!” naghagalpakan sila. “Did you see her ass while dancing earlier? f**k! She looks delectable from her f*****g head down to her toe! Nakapantalon at t-shirt pa ‘yon ah? What more if she’s naked?!”

Iritado ko silang nilingon at naabutan silang patapos na.

‘What a filthy mouth!’

Don’t they have mothers and sisters? The f**k?

Patapos na kami nang muling makuha ng kwentuhan nila ang atensyon ko. At sa oras na ‘to ay alam kong ganoon rin si Mavi.

“Ang inosente pa noong babae! And she looks like half with her chestnut brown hair and eyes! Damn! That’s definitely Nash’s type! He’s one hell of a lucky guy tonight! For sure, parking lot pa lang kinakain niya na ‘yon!” matapos magtawanan ay lumabas na sila habang kami naman ni Mavi ay naiwan sa loob.

Chestnut brown hair and eyes.

Kumalabog ng husto ang dibdib ko. Mavi and I looked at each other with only one thing that’s running on our minds.

‘Ida!’

Hindi ko alam kung bakit siya agad ang pumasok sa isip ko gayong marami namang babae ang may ganoong kulay ng mata at buhok. But I trust my instinct! At hindi maganda ang kutob ko sa mga oras na ‘to.

We hurried out of the restroom and tried to look for her around. Naghiwalay kami para mas madali siyang mahanap sa kumpulan ng mga tao pero bigo ako kaya dali-dali akong dumiretso sa puwesto namin ng mga kaibigan ko.

“Hey, what’s with the fuss? Naubusan ka na ba ng condom—“

“Ida! Find Ida! We need to find her!” I said while looking at Vander and Ram, cutting Odin’s nonsense words.

“I said, just let her enjoy—“

“She’s not here! Baka kung ano nang nangyari sa kanya, Ram! Mavi and I can’t find her! She’s probably with Agravante and we all know that she’s not safe with that asshole!”

“What the f**k?”

Halos magkakasabay silang tatlo nang magsitayuan. Nakita ko si Mavi at sinenyasan akong sumama sa kanya palabas.

“Hurry, River!”

“Look around here baka sakaling makita niyo siya. We’re going to look outside.”

After telling the three, Mavi and I quickly headed to the parking lot. Mabilis ang ginawa naming pagtakbo habang sinusuri ang mga nakahilerang sasakyan. Pagdating sa dulong parte kung saan kaunti na lang ang ilaw ay doon na kami natigilan.

There, we saw a man with his back facing us while talking to someone over the phone.

“Ex-girlfriend mo ‘to, dude? Damn! Bakit mo hiniwalayan eh ang ganda-ganda?” tatawa-tawang sabi nito habang nakapa-maywang.

My jaw tightened when I recognized his f*****g voice. Nang makita ko ang tinatanaw niya sa back seat ng kanyang kotse ay mas lalong nagdilim ang paningin ko. Medyo madilim sa parteng ‘to pero dahil sa liwanag na nagmumula sa iilang poste ay nagawa naming maaninag kung ano iyon. Kung sino ‘yon.

From there, a topless woman wearing only her brassiere and pants is lying unconsciously. Nakasayad ang kalahati ng katawan nito sa sahig at halatang kahihiga pa lang sa kanya roon.

And that woman is none other than Ida.

I can feel my blood rushing to my head. My knuckles fisted and my teeth gritted in rage.

I looked at Mavi whose expression is now darker than mine. He looked at me and I nodded at him then hurriedly walk straight to that fucker’s direction with an unwavering plan on my mind.

And that is to kill this bastard!

“Basta, tirhan mo ako ha? Nice! Ilang araw akong nagtiis para mauto lang ‘yang— f**k!“

He fell on the floor with his face facing the dirt when my foot landed on his back with raging force. Ang kaninang hawak na telepono ay nabitawan niya at tumalsik sa kung saan.

“What the hell!” his voice boomed in the place but his lips hang open and his eyes grew bigger upon seeing me.

I smirked devilishly.

“Yeah, you’re going to hell!” I whispered shakily. In rage.

Hindi pa siya nakakatayo ay nauna nang dumapo ang kamao ko sa kanya at pinaulanan siya ng suntok.

“What did you do to her, huh?!!” I growled. I punched him again and gripped the collar of his shirt to pull him to his feet. “You drugged her like what you did to those women before, didn’t you?!”

“Get off me—“

“f**k you!!!”

I didn’t let him finish and just continued on punching him. There’s a reason why I’m so sick of this asshole! And that’s because he always gets away with his bullshit! Lagi na lang siyang nakakawala sa mga kababuyan niya! Nang una ay sa mismong nightclub pa namin niya iyon ginagawa pero nang maging mainit ang mata namin sa kanya ay pinili niyang sa labas gawin ang mga demonyo niyang plano. Wala ring ebidensya ang nagtuturo sa kanya at wala ring nagtangkang magreklamo kaya wala rin kaming magawa. Ngayon na naman lang naulit ang mga nangyari noon at ang mas masaklap pa ay kay Ida niya pa ginawa iyon!

He will pay for this bigtime!

I was about to punch him again when a set of arms wound around my torso and pulled me away from the bastard who’s now captive by our bouncers.

“Get your hands off me!” nanggagalaiti kong sigaw habang nagpupumiglas sa kung sino man ‘tong pumipigil sa ‘kin.

“Calm down, bud! Calm down!” I heard Odin and realized that he’s the one holding me.

“How can I calm down?! Let me go so I could kill this motherfucker— hold that asshole!!!” sigaw ko sa mga bouncer na may hawak sa hayop na ‘to. Nagpupumiglas pa siya pero mabuti na lang dahil hindi siya pinapakawalan ng mga ito. I would not hesitate to fire them if they do let him escape!

“What happened?!” napatingin ako kay Vander na kararating pa lang kasama si Ramses. My glares turned to them then I pointed on the asshole who’s still struggling to escape the two bouncer’s hold.

“That! That bastard happened! He drugged Ida and he’s planning something again like what he did to his past victims!” I bellowed. Nag-iinit lalo ang ulo ko sa tuwing naiisip ang posibleng kahinatnan ni Ida kung nahuli kami ng dating.

Hinanap ng mga mata nila si Ida and as if on cue, Mavi walks towards us with an unconscious Ida on his arms. He’s carrying her bridal style and thankfully that she’s now fully clothed and with Mavi’s jacket covering her.

“Bring him to the basement.” I heard my twin brother’s authoritative voice giving an order to the bouncers.

Humahangos kong sinundan ng tingin ang papaalis na likod ng mga ito habang hawak pa rin ang nag-iingay at nagpupumiglas na hayop na ‘yon. Hindi pa man sila tuluyang nakakalayo ay natigil na silang muli nang humabol ng malakas na suntok si Vander, dahilan para magkandahilo-hilo ang gago. Serves him right. Kulang pa ‘yan sa mga ginawa niya kay Ida.

When they vanished on our sight ay saka lamang ako pinakawalan ni Odin. I was heaving deep breaths as I’m massaging my temple. That bastard should be thankful that my friends came, because if not, I swear to whoever god he’s praying that I will kill him!

I blew a loud breath, trying to calm myself.

Ida may be our helper but she’s a little sister to me. As long as she’s here with us, she’s our responsibility. She’s already part of our family.

And no one hurts my sister like that and gets away with it unscathed.