"Tate!" She smiled as she tilted her head up to meet his eyes. He had such beautiful eyes, they were of deep brown hue. It lit as he stared at him. She knew those stares well as she'd seen them from the eyes of countless men. She wondered if he'd recognized the same stares in her eyes.
She took in a deep breath and tried to play it cool even though her insides felt like they were turning liquid. Si Tate the Great ang nasa harap niya ngayon. Ang lalaking kinababaliwan ng libu-libong babae sa buong mundo. But she knew better, hindi niya pwedeng ipaalam dito na ganon din ang nararamdaman niya. She had to stand out. Hindi niya pwedeng ipahalata na katulad din siya ng mga babaeng iyon kung hindi mawawalan ng gana sa kanya si Tate. He'd probably seen something in her that he hadn't seen in any girls and she wouldn't let that go. She didn't know what it was yet so she had to be careful. Maybe it was because she kept it cool the first time they met, unlike the other girls's who sees him as a god that had descended from heaven. Siguro nga iyon ang dahilan. Sanay ito na siya ang hinahabol ng babae and then Yuka gave her something to chase after.
"Hey..." He flashed a smile.
Yuka could feel her heart beating loudly in rythm with the loud music. He was even more handsome when he smiles. Sumagi sa isip niya ang isang picture ni Tate sa isang sikat na underwear ad. Him and his grey boxer shorts, it was a huge bulge by the way. She had felt it with her own hand when he spilled the wine on him. Napasinghap siya. She thought she needed another drink.
"It's so nice to see you again. God, you're beautiful." He said, almost breathlessly. Tate hadn't been much into asian-looking chicks. He'd dated women of different ethnicities but he always went for the tall, blonde babes with banging bodies. He never liked things that looked... fragile. He was a big man and he knew he needed big girls who could handle him, not some delicate butterfly he could easily break in half. But then there was Yuka, a petite woman whose height barely reached his shoulders. Hindi niya alam kung bakit parang may kung anong magnet ang babaeng ito na humahatak sa kanya. Hindi katangkaran ang babae, she was the kind of beauty that should come with the label handle with care, para itong babasagin na maynikang nakita niyang naka-display sa lumang cabinet sa ancestral home nila sa St. Tropez. Pero iba ang pinapakita nito sa mga ikinikilos ng babae. She moves and thinks as though the world owes her. She walks like every man should kiss the floor she'd walked on.
"Oh, Tate." Tumawa si Yuka. "Pang-ilang babae na akong sinabihan mo niyan ngayong gabi?"
"Hmm... let's see." He rubbed his chin as if thinking before chuckling. "Come on, do you think I go around telling random women they're beautiful? I tell it to women who deserves to hear them like my Mom and you..."
Nagpakawala ng malawak na ngiti si Yuka. "Football player ka nga talaga. Ang galing mong mangbola."
Kahit malakas ang music sa paligid nila ay parang tawa lang ng lalaki ang naririnig niya. "That's a good one. But this time I'm not playing around, Yuka. Sawa na akong maglaro."
"Ah, so gusto mo nang magretire?" Tumaas ang isang kilay niya.
"Retire from football, no. But playing on a different field, maybe. Who knows?" Kibit-balikat na sabi nito. "May I get you something to drink?"
"Um, a glass of moscow will do." She said.
Lumapit si Tate sa isang bartender sa bar at binulungan ito. Within seconds, he was holding a glass of moscow mule in one hand and a glass of yorsh from himself.
"It's too crowded in here. You wanna go to the VIP?" Tanong ni Tate nang iabot nang lalak sa kanya ang baso.
"Sure!" Yuka answered, almost immediately.
They headed straight to the VIP. It was a private space and there were only the two of them inside. They could still hear the sounds from the raging music of the club outside the private space but it was muffled.
"Thank you for inviting me to your club, Tate."
"I was planning to invite you out for dinner tonight but I thought, you know, with all the paparazzi trying to get scoops, " He said.
"So, tingin mo I'm not good enough to be seen in public with Tate the Great?"
"You got it wrong, buttercup. You're too good for that." He shook his head. "I don't want to share you with the world. I wouldn't want to risk it. Next thing you know, we'd be on some gossip magazine with you being branded as my flavor of the night. Dito sa club ko, I'm in control. This is my kingdom."
"Don't tell me hindi totoo yung mga nababasa ko tungkol sa'yo?" Yuka roled her eyes, smirking.
"Depends on what you've read."
"Hmm... I once read on a gossip site that you had a three-way in a hotel in Mexico with a pair of famous model twins."
"I don't kiss and tell." Ngumisi ito.
"Your ex said in a tell-all that you're like a jackhammer in bed." Yuka could't stiffle her giggle.
"Mukhang marami ka nang alam tungkol sa akin." His eyes squinted, smirk tugging on one corner of his mouth. "Why don't you tell me somthing about yourself then?"
"Ano bang gusto mong malaman?"
"I want to know if you're dating someone right now. May magagalit ba pag may nakaalam na magkasama tayo?"
"Yung mga kaibigan ko siguro, it would probably blow their minds off when they find out about me being here nang hindi kinakailangan maghintay ng buwan sa waiting list at lalo silang mababaliw pag nalaman nilang kasama kita ngayon. They are crazy for you!" She laughed and shook her head. "Pero other than that, wala naman magagalit. I am so single."
"What about that guy you were with? May kasama ka daw lalaki sabi ni Yvo." He said.
"Oh, si Peter? He's just a suitor." She answered. "What about you?"
"I'm as single as can be. I haven't been in a relationship for quite awhile now."
"Bakit?"
"I don't know. I'm very picky with the women I date."
"Picky? Hindi yan ang nababasa ko tungkol sa'yo, Tate, and I can't blame you. You're like the Brad Pitt of football."
"I've only had 3 serious relationships in the past, Buttercup." He said with a proud snide.
"Nagbibiro ka ba?" Tumawa si Yuka.
"No, I'm not. I swear. I wouldn't lie to you, would I? I've only been into 3 serious relationships and the rest were flings. It's hard to commit to people you don't see a future with. Someday I want a family like the one I grew up in. I'd have a wife as wonderful as my Mom and like my Dad, I'd give her everything I could ever offer in this life. The woman I'm going to marry someday would have the world if she asks for it." He let out a dreamy sugh before taking a sip from his glass.
Yuka smiled to herself. He was her ideal man. He was the one she'd been looking for all her life. She had hit a gold mine. Saan ka makakakita ng gwapong lalaki na ibibigay sa'yo ang mundo? She thought she'd end up with some desperate rich man but here was Tate, a famous and attractive football player who has a networth of small island country. And she was genuinely attracted to him. Hindi na siya mahihirapan magkunwari.
"Do you think you've met her?" Tinignan niya ang lalaki ng diretso sa mata.
"Maybe." He said as he stared back to her as if their eyes were glued to each other. "I like you, Yuka. I know we've only been texting and talking over the phone for a week but there's just something about you..."
"I like you too, Tate." Parang gustong sumabog ng dibdib niya sa kilig pero pilit niyang kinakalma ang sarili niya. There was just something raw and umpretentious about him that she liked even more. He wasn't full of himself. He wasn't egoistic just as she expected a famous NFL superstar would be. He didn't like talking about the women he'd been in the past even when they were practically selling him out in the gossip magazine. He'd always speak of them with respect, even his flings. And she fell for him even more when he talked about how he'd treat his future wife. Hindi katulad ni Josh na ex niya na ngayon ay sikat na varsity player, tuwing dadaan ito sa harap niya pakiramdam niya may dumadaan ipo-ipo sa harap niya sa sobrang hangin ng lalaki. Buti na lang at naupakan iyon ni Tate at ng bartender niya nang matauhan naman. Sana nga ay tuluyan na siyang tantanan ng lakaking iyon.
"You do?" Lumawak ang ngiti nito sa mga labi.
"Alam ko naman na alam mong hindi ka mahirap magustuhan. Tate, I like you but I want to get to know you more. I want to get to know the Tate sa labas ng public image mo."
"I'd be happy to introduce myself to you." He gladly said before getting to his feet. "Come on, let's get out of here."
"Teka, saan tayo pupunta?" Tanong ni Yuka nang hawakan siya ng lalaki sa kamay at hatakin. They made their way put of the lounge through the crowd and to the parking lot. They stopped in front of a blue Bugatti Chiron, it was the coolest car Yuka had seen. Nobody in the Cordova drove an exotic car. She knew the cars they have were expensive but not like this. The Cordovas were never loud about their wealth, they were subtle. Typical na ugali ng mga old rich. Yuka thought they were wasting it by not rubbing it around everybody's face. If she were rich, she wouldn't be subtle about it. Everyone would know and they would envy her just like how she envies the rich now.
"Sa'yo yan?" She said after her eyes admired the beauty in front of her.
"Who else would it belong to?" Tumawa ng mahina si Tate at pinindot ang remote key na ngayon ay nasa kamay nito. The car made a sound that indicated that it was unlocked.
Pumunta si Tate sa passenger's side at binuksan ang pinto nito. "After you."
Pumasok naman si Yuka sa passenger's seat at isinara na nito ang pinto. The car smelled good. It had a very manly scent to it that wasn't too strong. It was just the right amount with a hint of mint. Sumakay si Tate sa driver's side at sinimulan na ang makina ng kotse.
"Tate, this is so nice." She excitedly said.
"She is, isn't she?" He chuckled and patted the steering wheel. "Yuka, I'd like you to meet my baby, Sonic."
"I'm very glad to meet her." A smile spread across her face.
Tate drove off and they were having a good conversation while on the road that she didn't even notice that the car had already stopped. She was having such a good time she didn't even care where they were heading to.
"Tate, nasaan tayo?" Tanong ni Yuka at luminga sa paligid nila. It was dark where they were.
Lumingon lang sa kanya si Tate at ngumiti. Pagkatapos ay lumabas ito mula sa kotse at kunot ang noo ni Yuka habanag pinanonood itong tumakbo papunta sa side niya. He opened the door for her and offered her hand. She took it and they went out. She gasped when she saw the sight below them. It was the city. The buildings, the light, eveything felt like they under her feet. The world was under her feet at that moment, shining for her. It was beautiful.
"Tate, it's beautiful here." Mahinang sabi niya.
"Yes, it is..." Tate uttered his eyes fixed on her. She had very smooth skin with milky complexion. He saw how her almond eyes twinkled as she stared at the view, the wind blowing her dark hair to her face. She was indeed beautiful and he could feel himself falling for her.
They leaned against the hood of his car while Yuka stared at the view.
"Ang liit nilang tignan from here." She spoke after a few moments of silence.
"What?" He asked, his eyes still on her. "What do you mean?"
"Everything I've ever wanted looks so little from here." She laughed and let her body fall to the hood of the car. Then she looked at the stars and thought the city was a better view so she sat right up. "So, why did you bring me here?"
"I'm not sure why. But I like the view here." Tate took in a deep breath of fresh air. "We own this property, you know?"
"Why am I not surpised? Oh, right because you're rich!" Tumawa ulit si Yuka.
"Ito ang isa sa mga unang binili ni Dad nang magkapera siya. You want to know why?"
"Humor me."
"Right here, on this very same spot, someone saw him and Mom making out when they were teenagers. Pinaalis sila ng guard nang mahuli sila. Dad bought this place out of spite." Humalakhak si Tate and Yuka watched him in fascination. He looked even more beautiful as his eyes were laughing as well. "Alam mo ba, the first tine my Dad told me the story about this place I didn't know if I should find it sweet or gross."
Yuka held his face and turned it to face her. Then she kissed him. He was so beautiful she just had to kiss him. Hindi tumutol ang lalaki. Hinalikan din siya nito. His lips were more passionate than hers, his tongue delving inside of her mouth. She welcomed his tongue with hers. God! He was such a good kisser, Yuka felt like she would lose her mind. She had never lost her mind over a kiss before, usually it was the other way around.
Naramdam niya ang katawan nitong dumagan sa ibabaw niya habang unti-unti siyang napalahiga sa hood ng kotse ng lalaki. Then he felt his hands over her tummy, slowly sliding inside her body hugging tee.
Inside his office, Yvo lifted his damaged glasses that had been sitting on top of his desk for a week now. The lenses were still cracked and the hinge was still put together with a transparent tape around it. Tate had gone on a date with Yuka tonight. He wondered if it was a mistake to give him her number. Yuka had already caused them enough trouble.
The woman was up to no good. He didn't think she was good for Tate. She seemed shallow and materialistic and Tate couldn't see it because he was too busy being attracted to her. No matter what he'd warned him about Yuka, Tate would counter it with something positive.
The halo effect is when a person perceives one trait as positive and therefore associate other traits related to it as being positive. It's a cognitive bias that influence the perception of others based on the first impression of them. Yuka was an attractive woman, he couldn't deny it. And she excudes a charming aura, like most sociopaths would. Yvo shook his head in disappoint to his friend even though he wasn't here with him. Tate really did took a seriously liking to that woman and he'd hate to see him being made a fool.
He didn't like Yuka for his friend, not one bit, and he had a hundred good reason not to. He wasn't even sure if he liked her as a person. She was a gold digging opportunity grabbing woman who had not an ounce of care for others need but hers. Ang babae mismo ang umamin sa kanya. She made it clear that she was after any rich man who was desperate enough to have her. He thought Tate could do better than her.