Sweet Downfall (23 page)

“My goodness, Jaq! It’s been awhile since I last saw you!” Darry’s full attention was now on Jaq. “You look great! Wow, look at you!”

“Yeah, I missed you too, gorgeous. How’re your parents?”

“Oh, they’re fine. Dad’s busy with the ad firm. You know Mom, I’m sure you bump into each other every now and then.”

“The last time I saw them together was mid-last year at the Cannes. I went to see their gala screening. Was invited along with other directors to tag along with Steven who was jury president last year.”

“Wow. I can only dream of being on first name basis with the Almighty Steven.”

“He’s the coolest guy, when not working, that is. Your Mom’s Cannes entry rocked. I heard Ang Lee raving about it.”

Darry laughed. “She never gets tired telling everyone that.”

“I wouldn’t, too. Anyway, after that, I got really busy with my film. I miss hanging out with your folks, though.”

“I’ll tell Mom you said hi. She’d surely invite you to visit them soon. And maybe work with us, too.”

“Why not? I’ve been thinking of a project which your Dad might be interested to produce with me. By the way, congratulations. I heard your firm got the McDonald’s account this year. That’s huge.”

“I did the copy,” Darry happily informed him.

“I know. You scored a home run there. Way to go, Darry.”

Angie clenched her jaw to suppress her jealousy as Darry and Jaq chatted with the familiarity of old friends. Darry had shared a part of Jaq’s life that she’d never had the chance to share with him. She felt cheated of that privilege by circumstances.

Jaq finally addressed her. “Hi.”

“Hi.” The simple word almost didn’t leave her throat. The whole room was abuzz with activities and yet she felt alone with him, the sounds muted, the rest of the world in black and white and only Jaq and her in vivid colors. She should say something. To be polite. Small, pleasant talk was always
de rigueur
in affairs like this even when dealing with the enemy. She had mastered the art, too, being who she was and being the head of Empress’ PR team, but she didn’t know what to say to him, not even a lame comment about his rockin’ outfit.

There were so many unspoken words between her and this man, so much history. They had this invisible bond that refused to get severed no matter the time and distance that stretched between them. And this bond should not even exist anymore. It should have been destroyed long ago. They had separate lives now. But it was still there, locking them in an impossible situation.

“So when will your movie get shown, Jaq?” Darry was saying.

“In the summer. My studio always releases my movies during summer and December. Have you seen my latest film?”

“Of course! Went to see it with Mom and Dad. It was breathtaking! How was it working with The Rock? Is he nasty or nice?”

“Dwayne is a gentle giant. Nicest guy on the planet.”

“Oh I love Dwayne Johnson!” Darry gushed.

“He’s in this new movie I’m shooting, too. I’ll have an Asian premiere in Singapore. I’d like to invite you two to come see it with me as my guests. I’ll shoulder everything, of course. Dwayne will be there.”

Darry practically jumped in delight. “Oh, we’d love to! Right, Ange?”

Angie inwardly cringed. “Uhm…we’ll see. I’m quite busy at the hotel.”

“Yeah, I know how busy you are,” he agreed, his eyes speaking volumes. “Very busy shuffling from one hotel to another. Must be really hard work. Aren’t you confused?”

She raised her chin, goaded by the double entender. “The two of us in your movie premiere? What are you thinking? Scandal Part Two? Get real, okay?”

“Scandal Part Two and Three are done. But they hadn’t been leaked on the internet yet. Shall we work on four?”

Her embarrassment was trumped by alarm at his implication. “You didn’t…?” Oh God! Could he have filmed their recent encounters, too? With a camera freak like Jaq, everything was possible!

“You’ll never know. I’ve discovered it’s quite lucrative. What do you say? We can split the profits.”

“You’re the lowest of the low, you know that?” she hissed, seething. How easily this man could incite her into committing murder in public!

“And you’re the biggest phony.”

Darry coughed nervously. “Yoohoo, guys, guys, it’s a new year! Let’s forgive and forget?”

She looked at Darry. There were a few times when she badly wanted to throttle her BFF. This was one of them. “Forgive and forget? When China surrenders their share of the Spratly Islands to the Philippines maybe.”

Fuming, she walked out on them. Alexis’ parties were always swarming with gossip-mongers disguised as legit media people. That man himself was always the toast of scandaldom. She could sense people staring at her. Jaq was not discreet. Maybe he deliberately approached her to drag her in the mud again. Bastard.

God, why was she here in the first place? Her plan of breaking up with Jordan didn’t happen. He’d been very busy the past days and they hadn’t seen each other. They’d talked on the phone but she couldn’t break up with her fiancé on the damn phone.

When he did show up at their mansion, he was closeted for the most part in the study with her father and he didn’t even give her time. In fact, this party was the only time they’d been together the past week.

She looked for Jordan in the crowd. He was busy talking to the president of the republic and his fellow businessmen. Bowing her head, she made a beeline for one of the doors, avoiding him. He might call her and she’d be forced to play gracious fiancée for those powerful men. The thought was nauseating.

She wanted to go home. When Jaq arrived, she felt stalked by a predator. She was too aware of him. Strange but the vast atrium seemed to suffocate her now. Everything was suffocating the life out of her.

She discreetly exited one of the atrium doors.

Fresh air greeted her. She inhaled deeply, feeling relieved.

She could stay here for awhile and pass the time.

Someone grabbed her from behind.

She yelped. A hand covered her mouth. “Shhh.”

She stopped struggling in an instant. The hand freed her mouth.

“Let me go, Jaq.”

Instead of doing so, he dragged her further out into the vast balcony that seemed to wrap around the entire floor.

“Where are we going?”

“Do you want your fiance to see us together?”

The mention of her fiance made her dug in her heels, but it was hard to do in her 5-inch Manolos. “Jaq, please, let me go.”

He stopped walking and let her go.

Suddenly free of his touch, she felt the cool wind on her skin. She saw the city lights below.

The scenario took her back in time to that fire exit. They used to gaze at the twinkling lights at night, holding hands, kissing in between their quiet conversations, singing their love song.

She slowly walked towards the railing. She used to be afraid of heights but Jaq had cured her of that.

He joined her on the railing. They stood side by side in contemplative silence, looking out into the endless darkness dotted with a million blinking lights.

“There weren’t as many lights eight years back. I like it better back then.”

His low voice was as soft as the breeze kissing her face. No trace of intimidation. She relaxed a little. Maybe he just came for a little chat.

“You’ve been living in LA for almost a decade and you like less lights at night. Funny, that.”

“LA is like a hungry beast at night. The people there are its willing dinner, endlessly satisfying its insatiable need for worldly pleasures.”

“And you think this city is different?”

“Manila is a labyrinth. It hides its hunger like a mystery. You have to look harder for places to satisfy your hunger. But it’s always worth it.”

She looked away, not wanting to read between the lines. His eyes glittered with meaning when he said “hunger.” She should leave. The best way to avoid trouble with this man was simple to walk away from him. But a stronger part of her wanted to prolong their conversation. “So you don’t like light in the dark?”

He inhaled air deeply into his lungs. “I want just the right light to illuminate the night, but I wish nights would be nights in the true sense and days will be days in the true sense. I want honesty in my night and day.”

She glanced at him again. “Is that part of a movie script you’re writing? Or a new song?” she asked him teasingly.

He smiled at her. It warmed her like sun in the morning. That smile. Pure and true. She’d missed that so much. God, she should really leave.

“You find that cheesy?”

“Oh no. Not at all.”

“What then?”

She shrugged. “Well, I just don’t peg you as the….”

“What?”

“The simple and uncomplicated type.”

He fully faced her. “How do you peg me then?”

“Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

“You are…a labyrinth in the night.”

He stared at her. “Is that bad?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“If the person loves labyrinths.”

He slightly nodded. “So how do you peg your boyfriend?”

There was an edge to his voice now. She knew their casual conversation just ended. “My fiance,” she corrected him, “is far from a labyrinth. He is a manual. I always know where I stand with him.”

He smirked. “How boring.”

She should have known politeness between them would only last a few minutes. “I should go.”

“Running away?”

She bristled. “No.”

“Then stay.”

“Why?”

He faced the vista before them again. “I missed this.”

Her throat constricted in bittersweet pain. How she missed it, too.

“Don’t you miss it?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. It was so long ago.”

“Yes, but I remember everything. Don’t you?”

“I remember some...vaguely.”

“Indeed, it’s too much to ask for honesty in my night.”

She sighed. “What do you want from me, Jaq?”

He faced her again. “Isn’t it obvious? I want you.”

She willed her stare not to waver and give him a glimpse of the chaos inside her. “What happened, happened. It was just sex. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

The corner of his lips lifted in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not making a big deal out of it. I’m just obeying some good ol’ instinct.”

“I think your erstwhile inflated rock star ego is still stuck in your head. But I’m not one of your groupies who’d jump in your bed at the crook of your finger.”

“I see. Then what did you do at my house and at my office? Ah yes, we didn’t use the bed for the most part. Just my sofa, my wall and my table.”

His conceit was just too much, but she remained calm. She gave him a casual once over. “You’re just a man, Jaq. I can have anybody I want. If I want to,” she said flippantly.

“Sure you can. But isn’t it too late for such attitude, sweetheart? We already had two encores.”

“I could have had that with other men. You just happened to be there.”

He sneered. “I wonder what your fiance will say about that.”

“Jordan and I have an arrangement,” she fabricated, not wanting to lose this round to him.

“Wow. A swinging couple and not even married. Who knew?”

She smiled all too sweetly and shrugged. God, the whole conversation was so weird she felt strange being part of it. “Life in the new millennium. But we’re going exclusive once we’re married.”

“But in the meantime…”

He moved closer to her.

She took a step back. “No.”

There was an unholy glint in his eyes. “Keep saying that.”

He advanced. She retreated. “Back off, Jaq!” she hissed.

He backed her against the railing.

“I said no! When a woman says no, believe it!” she snarled as she felt her body betraying her again.

“How can you say no when you’re wet?”

She flushed. “I’m not…!”

“Prove it.”

Of course, she couldn’t! She glared at him. Hating him. Longing for him.

He smiled knowingly. “I knew you were lying.”

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his groin. She gasped. His arousal throbbed, hot, hard and huge. Her nipples tightened.

“Feel that? It’s for you. All for you. You can have it anytime, right this minute. Say no to that.”

His vulgar words made her cringe but a part of her was wildly titillated.

He pushed her palm harder on his bulging crotch. “I know you want it. Come on, say it.”

The fire between her legs blazed, her juices seeping to soak her panties, but she kept her mouth tightly shut.

He guided her palm to rub him. “Say yes and it will be yours.”

She shook her head repeatedly. “No. No.”