Hot Target

Chapter 13 - Nasty

Ivanna's lips tasted like sweet wine but not as intoxicating as the vodka he had at the bar. Cupping her face for a deeper kiss, L.J. tried to engage himself to intimacy as her hands slid beneath his shirt, warming his skin. He let her touch his chest, his shoulders down to his abdomen; still no ignition.

What's wrong with him? Clearly L.J. wasn't in the mood.

They were in his bedroom at his condo. With his girlfriend, already half-naked, his king-size bed waited for them.

After dinner at the Clemente's Resto, Ivanna wanted to have a drink and thought of going to a bar next. Agatha had to decline with an excuse, she had laundry waiting for her at the apartment.

Poor angel, he thought, almost smiling. Apparently, Agatha didn't want to stay with them any longer because of Ivanna. His girlfriend may had been terrible while he was gone. L.J. felt guilty of leaving Agatha with her while he was on the phone.

The traffic at Quezon City, can be very bothersome. One reason L.J. was always offering the four-eyed pharmacist a ride for Balic-Balic on the way to his condo at Santa Mesa. Wondering if Agatha got home without any problems, he froze with Ivanna's touch.

"Hmmm... don't you find me attractive anymore?" She teased, biting his earlobe tenderly, as her fingers reached for the bottom lining of his shirt, pulling it off over his head.

Ivanna was only in her white laced undies, her perfect curves specially her size C cup, proud breasts, inviting. They had sex occasionally, at least whenever they meet. But with the COO's hectic schedule, the three-year relationship with her was like only for weeks.

"I'm surprised, you want to do this," he said returning her pleasure.

"I guessed I've missed you." Ivanna whispered.

Removing her lacy brazier, she guided his hand over one of her big breasts. He felt her delicate bud stiffen beneath his palm and she moaned, claiming again his mouth for a fierier kiss.

With her soft body molding with his hardness, L.J.'s mind started to wander again. In his thoughts, he saw Agatha in her flimsy pink nighties, her sweet lips slightly open, her innocent looking eyes fixed in him, wanting him...

Ivanna was groping for his crotch; he managed to grab her hand before she can hold his thing.

"What the fuck!" She glared at him. "You are really not into this, aren't you?"

"I'm occupied -" He wanted to say sorry for thinking another person; he wasn't that of an apologetic type.

"It's that woman, Agatha, isn't it?"

Was he that obvious? He gave her a blank stare as she immediately got herself dressed to leave.

"I can tell." Ivanna sounded hurt but had forced a vain smile on her lips. "You like her."

"But If I do, you would consider her like my other past flings," he said as matter a fact.

"For years, I was inviting you to step into one of your establishments. That woman made you show up, the first time at Buen Farmacia," she stated. "Because of her, you also resolved into making that promise to Rebecca. That promise, that should had been made because of my influence to you! "

With her shoulders straight, Ivanna grabbed her purse and walked for the door. "Don't play with me, Jaycee. You don't know what I'm capable."

Examining his own emotion and actions towards the COO, L.J. found himself thinking about that promise to his grandmother. It was actually the deadline he gave her. To his regret, after the Tan assignment, he will definitely quit his job at the PDEA agency.

---

AGATHA'S week had been a lot better since her dinner with the bosses. She wasn't sure if Ivana's visit had something to do with it. But the following day, the whole staff had started talking to her. Greta even encouraged her to stay at the prescription counter. She was obliged, she was able to read prescriptions, dispense and counsel customers again.

L.J. didn't give her a hard time as well. Her intention to evade him for Ivanna and her job's sake had been unnecessary. Although, she missed the free rides and the agent, himself, Agatha was thankful, he stopped showing up at the drugstore.

Probably busy with an assignment, she thought. But then, she would glance at the people inside the store to check if L.J.'s there, in a disguise.

"Someone's complaining about you, Agatha." Anne, one of the junior pharmacy assistants approached her inside the stock room at the back of the store.

It was a lazy Friday afternoon; she'd offered to make an inventory for Greta. Feeling sleepy at the moment, she was alerted by the pharmacy assistant's worried tone.

"What did I do?" Adjusting her eyeglasses, Agatha followed her to the Rx counter.

She was still holding the inventory index cards, her hands shook as she saw the disappointed look on Greta's face. The resident pharmacist was standing behind the Rx section along with two more female pharmacy assistant who both glimpsed at her in a troubled way.

Gerald, the store's security guard was outside the counter, talking to another man - big and burly. He seemed to be in his forties, older than the guard who was in early thirties. The big man looked angry as he was showing them a piece of white paper. Agatha recognized the man as her customer during the earlier week and the thing he was holding was a prescription.

"There you are." The man gave her an irked expression. "You gave me the wrong medicine. I'm taking you to the police!"

"Hey!" She lost color but was also infuriated. The man wanted her to get arrested? How about her say about it? And really? Agatha thought. She doesn't even know what she did!

"Sir, can you please, tell us what really happened? You can't just take anyone here," Greta said, her head high, as if saying 'I'm in charge'.

A tall, thin woman who had an apple cut hair; the resident pharmacist was in her late thirties. Unlike Agatha and the others who wore the Filipiniana puffed sleeves, Greta had on a white coat, signifying her status to the store.

The customer had looked larger with his small, shaven head. He had on loose grey shirt and pants. Despite of the store's cool temperature, his face was shiny with perspiration. He gave a nasty grunt, like the sound of a strained elephant, restless in its cage.

"I was buying a medicine with this prescription," he barked, glaring at Agatha. "But, instead of giving me, Lopesol, the antibiotic, she gave me loperamide. It's not the same thing... What an idiot!"

"No, you did not!" Agatha smiled at her clearer recollection of the man because of his snobbish, sweaty hawk-like nose.