“Then will you marry me?”
He pulled something out of his pocket that made me sob loudly: a small black box. I got up in amazement. How could he do this to me? I am unprepared for this.
He stood up from the bed and kneeled on the floor. My breathing got shallow as my tears fell heavy on my cheeks. I was speechless with wonder. I’m merely gazing at him, yet seeing him kneel before me transports my entire being to outer space. It seemed as if we were not in a room but in a cosmos full of stars, as if it were his backup, and he directed each of them to write and make a ‘would you marry me?’ statement, with meteorites showering us with lovely lights and wishful wishes as if they were fireworks.
He opened the box for me, and what greeted me was a diamond ring. “I’d like to fully take responsibility for you, Jothea, and fulfill every promise I made. Would you accept the honor of being my Mrs. Mondalla?”
My crying caused even more tears to fall. I anticipated it would take a long time. I thought this won’t happen now. I did not expect that it would.
“Yes, my Ismael.”
I approached him and kissed him. I never imagined that this would be the best day for me. I thought this day would end in dread, but here he comes again, wiping it all away.
He put a ring on me. I nearly sobbed again because it was there on my finger.
“Te iubesc,” he muttered, and I just had the opportunity to ask him again. “What does it mean?”
He smiled. “I love you.”
I nodded and caressed his cheek. “I love you, too, Ismael. I promise it will never leave my hand, and I will never take it off.”
“Good girl.” He kissed my cheek and forehead as well. “Clothes are made to be removed, not the ring,” he mumbled, as if indicating something. Although I smiled and lightly struck him on the chest, he continued to speak and writhe.
I just let him chase me. It was fantastic because he let me rest and stopped bothering me.
But when the morning arrived, I was the one in the mood. I instantly felt the desire to have sex with him. I’m in heat. I suddenly regretted Ismael’s and my last day in France, which is why I stopped hanging around. I woke him up at 4:00 a. m.
“Love, wake up,” I whispered, lightly caressing his chest. He sleeps naked, and I can see his body. Who wouldn’t be attracted?
“Hmm?” he grumbled. “What time is it?”
“Four.”
“Four? But our flight leaves at ten,” he remarked sleepily to me. He still closed his eyes and held my hand against his chest, as if pleading with me to let him sleep.
“I’m in the mood,” I said, and he opened his eyes instantly. I almost chuckled as he suddenly stood up.
“You’re in what?” he inquired, as if to ensure that he had heard right.
“I am in the mood. I want to do it.”
His tongue touches his cheek. “You, tiny little thing. You kept rejecting me last night, and now you are going to wake me up at four a. m.?” He talked with a gruff voice.
“Why? Don’t you want to?”
“Have I said anything? Game!” He grabbed my neck and kissed me. “You can wake me up every time you’re in the mood, even if I just close my eyes,” he said.
Despite my amusement, he continued to lick my lips as if he hadn’t felt any sleepiness. I took off my light garments and soon felt his touch on my chest. He softly rubbed it and kissed my neck. His lips slowly landed on my chest.
My hand also slid into the sweatpants he was wearing. I groped his pet, which now belongs to me. It is hard, and his size is evident from the clothes he is wearing. I grinned and inserted my fingers into his underwear.
“You’re becoming wilder than usual, my love,” he muttered before lowering his fingers to my already-kneading pearl. We are now caressing each other, but it does not seem to be enough. I positioned my head in front of his manhood and my lower body in front of his face.
“Woah, you already know this?” he exclaimed in surprise. “Did you know? I was meant to give you a 69 on your grade because you are so fiery.”
“Good thing you didn’t, because you won’t receive a sixty-nine like this,” I said before sucking him whole. I heard him groan, but then I was the one moaning as he explored my entrance with his two fingers. My body trembled quickly, and my knees became weak. I can sense juice gently seeping from the well.
However, I attempted to carry on as before. I’m doing his thing with my hand and mouth, including kissing his balls.
“Ahhh!” I moaned as I felt his tongue against me. Shit. This is driving me insane. I feel like I’m about to reach my limit now. The gentle way he kissed me suggests that he is intimately familiar with my body and knows exactly where to make contact.
Moments later, his explosion and the disgust of my secretions, which he had also ingested, filled my mouth, but I was not finished because my next move provoked him to moan and insult me.
I shifted my hips and fired his erect guy into my warm, glistening pussy. I’m sitting on him with my back to him. I did my best to move and satisfy myself, and because he allowed me to do it, I’m on the verge of insanity. This is freaking delicious. It is fantastic when I am the one working, as I am able to hit myself in every desired location. Soothing.
“Your back is equally seductive in my opinion, my love,” he declared as he prepared to recline against the headboard. I assumed he had provided a seat, so I leaned on him. Then he touched and played with my breasts again. The mere fact that he was pinching them made me nervous.
I turned toward him and kissed him. “Love, I’m cumming,” I said faintly.
“I’ll help you,” he said as he grasped my thighs; it was he who was causing me difficulty, as my thighs were exhausted. I simply held my hand on the back of his head and kissed him relentlessly.
“Yes, Love! That’s right! Deeper!” I whimpered between our intense kisses. My thighs tensed as the heated liquids combined. This is our first time having sex as an engaged couple.
I smiled softly as I leaned on his chest. I want to sleep and rest, but Ismael has not yet been weaned.
He whispered, “One last time, my love,” before laying me down. He also crouched down on me and held my hands. I can feel his forceful thrusting and caressing in my innermost essence. There’s a chill. There’s an emphasis.
“Hmmm… Ahh… Ahh!” Every time he made an advance, I hissed angrily. I feel like I’ve grown closer to him. And I was right; I learned a lot from him throughout our one-week stay here. This trip has been more remarkable because we are returning to the Philippines already engaged.
*****
I envisioned myself standing in front of a place where I had no intention of returning. I need to do this so I can help Ismael understand Raviel and why he wanted to kill me.
I entered the Golden Red Casino to meet Mr. Vargas. Fortunately, today is my day off from Safira, so I can work a part-time job tonight. This is it. There’s no turning back. I need to know everything about Raviel.
“Hello, Miss Alvandra! It’s nice to see you here! You’re on time; one of my dealers told me she couldn’t make it tonight,” Mr. Vargas said, greeting me when I entered his office. “I was planning to call you anyhow, so hold on. I need to attend a meeting. I will leave you here. Help our guests, huh?” He said farewell, which is excellent.
He finally exited the office and left me. I had an opportunity to check around his office, including the permits. Savannah was correct; they were named for Raviel G. Zarate, the owner of the Golden Red Casino.
“Miss Alvandra, why are you still here?” questioned Mr. Vargas, surprising me. I tried to be calm so I could lie.
“Nothing, Mr. Vargas. I was just amazed that my classmate owns this casino,” I added, pointing to the permits on the wall.
“Oh, you have worked it out? Raviel asked me to keep it a secret from you, but he is the owner of this casino. Bequeathed to him by his adopted parents.”
My forehead twitched as I watched Mr. Vargas return to his table to seek something. He seemed to have forgotten something, so he returned.
“Adopted parents?”
“Yes, Miss Alvandra. Raviel is the adopted child of Mr. and Mrs. Zarate, a wealthy family with numerous businesses in the country, who died one day as a result of a fire in their home. Fortunately, Raviel was the lone survivor. That’s not a mystery to many people because there were many stories published back then because the Zarate family was also well-known,” he said, pulling a handkerchief from his bag.
“I’ll say goodbye; you’ll take care of it, huh?” He stated this before discreetly inserting something in my hand.
My brow furrowed as I watched Mr. Vargas walk out of his office. I’m not sure why I felt nervous in my chest. I suppressed my nervousness and decided to go to the dressing room to change clothes.
I stared at the object in my hand: my promise ring. How did it get into the hands of Mr. Vargas?
My chest tightens with fear. What the hell is going on?
“Have you noticed? Something appears to have changed with Mr. Vargas.” I heard a whisper from one of the dealers, who was currently in the cubicle conversing with our other colleagues.
“I knew it! I thought I was the only person who noticed! However, his behavior, as well as his fragrance, are distinct. He smells like a young man!”
“No, way. Is Mr. Vargas having an affair?”
I was surprised right away. Something is strange, and I feel as if I have been tricked. I’m not sure, but my instincts are telling me. Something’s going on. Something horrible is going to happen.
The gambling hall was filled with thick smoke when I returned. Although I am coughing because I am no longer accustomed to smoking, it is something I must endure. I must maintain my masquerade in exchange for the information I obtained about Raviel earlier with the assistance of Mr. Vargas. I’m not sure why I’m feeling negative thoughts about that man’s character and the deaths of the parents who stood up for him. Also, why hasn’t Raviel included Roxsielle in the Zarate family?
Hmm…
“Hit,” the player said to me, as if he had been waiting for some time. His expression shows a hint of displeasure. “I said hit! What? Are you not listening? What kind of dealer are you?” he barked at me. “I’m losing because of you! Come on, fix your work, bitch!”
“I apologize, sir,” I assured. A trader who I had been seeing around for a while approached me.
“I will take care of it. Your phone has been ringing in the dressing room; go there first. It seems like an emergency.”
I frowned. “Emergency?”
“I do not know. I was so annoyed by it that I checked. You received numerous missed calls from the professor. Are you still a student?”
I got up from my seat and didn’t respond to her because I was rushing to the dressing room, where my belongings were. Oh, fuck. I forgot to notify him that I wouldn’t be coming home tonight. Shit.
I instantly took up my phone and was astonished to see four-six missed calls. Since when did he begin calling me? I was startled when it rang unexpectedly. God, Ismael has called again.
“Love?” I greeted him when I answered the phone.
“Oh my God! Thanks for responding! I suspected something had happened to you. Where exactly are you?”
“Huh? Um, at the casino.” I could not lie to him. I felt immediately guilty. This morning, because I woke up at noon, it was too late for me to make him a coffee. I didn’t even get him to work. I assumed we’d go to bed together also tonight, but he has work-at his own company-so I decided to go out also because I don’t want to be alone and took this moment to research Raviel. Ismael is so dedicated, even to his own company.
“Casino? You mean the Golden Red Casino? What are you doing there?” I noticed his tone of voice shift.
“Just-”
“Get out of that place,” he said sharply.
“Huh? But why? I am still-”
“Please listen to me, Jothea. Do it now!”
My breathing became hard as I heard him yell at me. While I had experienced his yelling at me before, that particular instance caused my heart to ache. Despite my heart, I followed him. I grabbed my luggage before exiting the changing room.
I was in the lobby when I noticed Ismael looking for me. His expression indicated worry. He covers his nose due to cigarette smoke. What’s he doing here? Why did he follow me so quickly? Is he here to get me?
I’m not sure why my irritation with him subsided at that time. I was going to call him when a handkerchief covered my mouth. And then everything turned black, but before the ashes totally obscured my vision, I noticed how the casino exploded in fire.
No, this can’t be.
Ismael was there.