Husband for Hire: Lorenzo “Renzo” James Madrigal “The Secret Lover”

Chapter 5 | Buntod

Buntod, Masbate two months ago . . .

After getting wasted from the night before, Architect and Engineer Lorenzo James “Renzo” Madrigal found himself in a floating villa in Buntod Reef Marine Sanctuary and Sandbar sa probinsiya ng Masbate. But he couldn’t remember how he ended up in a floating villa. Maliwanag na sa labas at dinig niya ang pagaspas ng mga alon. Ang pagsayaw ng papag na gawa sa kawayan ay sadyang nakahihilo sa kaniyang pakiramdam.

He was aware that his headache right now was from consumption of too much alcohol the night before. Damn this hangover!  He got up to take a shower and stumble into a ripped cream cover-up dress with a bloodstain. Doon niya lang naalala ang mga nangyari. He woke up and his dizziness faded away nang magising siya sa katarantaduhang nagawa niya kagabi. He touched a woman. This is not in his vocabulary. He is supposed to marry Charlie. Ni hindi niya pa natatagpuan ang dalaga.  Dating lawyer ng kaniyang Lolo Leon ang tatay nito. Ngunit retired na at hindi niya alam kung saang probinsiya na ito naninirahan.

Bumalik siya sa kaniyang ulirat. That’s right!  Ram invited him to join his barkada for a weekend vacation in his father’s hometown in Masbate. Engineer Ramon “Ram” Madrigal Sandoval, one of Renzo’s newly known cousins, would be tying a knot in a month. He wanted to explore life and try outrageous things at least once in his lifetime. He’s one of those bachelors who is arranged to be married with a woman he never met, or rather, a woman he refused to meet. His reason? They would end up getting married anyway. It’s a waste of time getting to know each other. Sa kama lang naman ang ending nila. So, why not have fun on his remaining single days? As per Ram, it’s the only rule he would be breaking as a Sandoval.

Wala ring magagawa si Ram kundi sumunod sa utos ng ama. Dahil takot itong mawalan ng mana. Unlike him who grew up in poverty. Alam ni Renzo kung paano mamuhay nang salat sa lahat dahil minsan na siyang nakitira sa kaibigan at namalimos ng tulong sa mga kamag-anakan. Hindi niya alam na mayaman pala—no, that is not the right word—business tycoon pala ang lolo niya and his father is an heir of Madrigal Empire and Soler Group of Companies. Ngunit pinagkait sa kaniya ng ama ang marangyang buhay. Iniwan siya nito sa kaniyang ina. His mother died when he was three years old. Pinagpasa-pasahan siya ng mga kamag-anak hanggang sa nakitira siya sa kaibigan na si Uno.

Si Juan Miguel “Uno” Benitez, katulad niya, lumaki rin ito sa hirap. Ang pinagkaiba nga lang nila ay nakilala ni Uno at na kasama ang ama nang mas maaga kaysa sa kanya. Marahil ay naging magkaibigan sila dahil sa pagkakapareho ng buhay nila. Uno is now a famous chef who owned Juan Miguel Steakhouse.

Nagkahiwalay sila ng kaibigan nang matunton siya ng kaniyang lolo. Labing-anim na taong gulang siya when Leonardo Madrigal claimed that he was his longlost grandson. Hindi pala ipinaalam ng kaniyang ama ang tungkol sa kaniya. Namatay ang kaniyang ama sa Dubai dahil sa isang aksidente. Dito lang nalaman ng Lolo Leon niya ang tungkol sa kaniya.

Iba ang pakiramdam ng magising na isa ka nang bilyonaryo. Masayang bigkasin ang pangalang ‘Lorenzo James Madrigal’ at ang tawaging ‘Renzo’. Malayo sa hampas lupang si ‘James Madrigal’.

Renzo’s Lolo Leon sent him to Maryland upang mag-aral ng pagiging engineer. Ngunit ang pagiging architect ang pangarap niya. Sinunod niya naman ang kagustuhan ng kaniyang lolo. Hiniling niya na kapag natapos niya ang Civil Engineering degree ay gusto niyang pumunta sa Barcelona upang mag-aral ng Architecture. Hindi naman siya binigo nito.

Naging abala si Renzo pag-aaral at pagiging dalubhasa sa larangan ng arkitekto. Pagbalik sa Pilipinas ay kaliwa’t kanang projects ang dumagsa sa kaniya. He was a Project Engineer at Madrigal Holdings and Reality. He was at the top of his career at 24.

Sa birthday party ng kaniyang Lolo Leon sa Maynila, doon niya unang nasilayan ang noon ay dalaginding pa lang na si Charlie. He was twenty-four years old back then. Kababalik niya lang noon galing sa Barcelona.

Mula sa kinauupan, pinagmamasdan niya ang pinong galaw nito. Teenager pa lang ito ngunit napakaganda na ng hubog ng katawan. He was smitten by her angelic beauty. Pinagselosan niya pa ang best friend na si Uno not knowing Charlie is Juan Miguels’ half-sister. Kakikilala lamang nito sa kapatid sa ama. Renzo never get the chance to meet Charlie in person. Ipinangako niya sa sarili na hihintayin niyang dumating ito sa tamang gulang. Sigurado siyang si Charlie ang babaeng pakakasalan niya. She’s his self- proclaimed future wife, the only woman in his life.

Isang sikat na commercial model noon si Charlie at inaabangan niya ang bawat endorsement nito. But she suddenly disappeared. Then, Uno also got a job in Canada that left them with no communication for seven years.

Ngunit paano niya pa matutupad ang pangako sa sarili, ang lihim niyang pangako kay Charlie? He ended up having a one-night s*x affair. Pakiramdam niya, he cheated on the woman that he promised to marry. Para siyang inuusig ng konsensiya na hindi naman talaga dapat.  Hindi sana siya nagpauto sa pinsan. But Ram couldn’t do it on his own. Kaya sinama siya nito along with his barkadas. He promised them that they would enjoy and have a blast, not only with the beach in Buntod but also with those gorgeous women that worked at night in the beach bars along the shoreline of Buntod sandbar.

Hindi niya na mapagkakaila o maloloko ang sarili. He surely spent a night with a woman. Renzo was eager to find out everything—anything about that woman. Why does he feel this unexplainable longing for her? Those lips, those sweet seductive kisses. Suddenly, his guilt faded. Pakiramdam niya, he knew that woman whom he shared an exciting lustful wonderful night with.

A virgin woman, meron pa palang natitirang mga birheng babae sa mundo.  Ramon was damn right!  Dito niya sa isla ng Buntod matatagpuan ang babaeng magpapainit ng kaniyang gabi, ang babaeng tutugon sa pangagailangan niya bilang lalaki. Hindi niya kailanman pinagsisihan ang sapilitang pagsama ng pinsan niya rito sa liblib na isla.

Renzo was obsessed and was going crazy for this woman he met and made love with last night. Yes, made love! Dahil unang tingin pa lang niya ay nahulog na ang puso’t kaluluwa niya rito. She was an enchantress. Kung minaligno man siya, sana’y magpakita ulit ang diwata.

Habang naliligo, ramdam niya pa rin ang mga palad nito na humahaplos sa kaniyang matipunong katawan. Her warm touch on his skin aroused him. Hindi niya makalimutan ang reaksiyon ng mukha nito nang makita ang kaniyang matigas at mahabang espada. Naglalaro sa isipan niya ang maamo at mala-anghel na mukha nito, ang perpektong hugis ng katawan, even her breast and her butt are perfect in size. Sakto sa kaniyang mga kamay. Paulit-ulit na nagre-replay sa utak niya kung paano niya hinagkan ang buong katawan ng babae. She was all wet for him. He was craving for more of her.

Sa bawat pikit ng mga mata niya, ang malaabong mata ng dalaga ang kaniyang nakikita. May kapansin-pansin itong balat sa kaliwang dibdib.  Utang na loob Renzo! Pati ba naman ang maliliit na detalye ay nasaulo ng utak mo?

He remembered every detail of her body, but he didn’t even get her name. Kahit numero man lang sana.