With her hand on her mouth, Stacey stepped back.
Nick dragged Jim by the collar and sinandal nito sa pader na malapit sa women's restroom. He punched the latter's face several times while repeatedly cursing. Paulit-ulit na tinatawag ni Jim ang pagalan ni Nick para awatin habang sinusubukang sanggain ang mga suntok nito.
Kahit takot na takot si Stacey, she tried to stop him by calling him his name too but he kept on smacking his friend's face.
"Sir!" sigaw ni Cherry na lumabas na din ng opisina. Kasunod nito si Heather na nanlaki ang mata when she saw what's happening.
Stacey has her hand on her chest. Ang lakas ng kabog ng dibdib niya. Napasandal na lang siya sa dingding. This is the first time she saw his violent side.
Nick stopped punching Jim's face but encircled his throat with his right hand. "Next time you go near her or worst lay a finger on her, I will fucking throttle you after I beat you!" banta nito sa galit na galit na boses.
He punched him one more time on the abdomen before shoving him to the ground. He then turned around and his eyes searched for her. He saw that she looks scared to death in one corner with her back on the wall. He silently cursed habang palapit sa kanya.
Dahil sa shock, hindi na pumalag si Stacey ng hinila siya ni Nick by holding her hand.
"Lovey!" tawag ni Heather.
"Sir!" Cherry called.
Nick looked sharply at them as if saying not to meddle.
"Tawagan mo ang company doctor to tend to that bastard!" malamig na utos nito kay Cherry.
"Lovey.." Heather began to say something but Nick cut her short.
" Go home!" he said curtly bago tuloy-tuloy na pumasok sa opisina nito while pulling Stacey with him.
Once inside his office, inilock nito ang pintuan. He cupped Stacey's face. She still looks a little pale.
"Honey? Are you okay?"he asked worriedly.
Hinawakan ni Stacey ang mga kamay ni Nick which are on either side of her face. "O-Okay lang ako."mahinang sabi niya.
"I'm sorry you have to see all that. That bastard will never be in the same room with you again! I will make sure na hindi na siya makakalapit ulit sayo! " he said before pulling out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her lips firmly but gently.
She just stood there. She is staring at his tie. Ayaw niyang tignan ang guwapong mukha nito cause she feels that he is absolutely seething .He just doesn't want to scare her more kaya pinipigilan nitong ipakita na galit na galit pa din ito sa ginawa sa kanya ni Jim.
After wiping her lips, he pulled her towards him .He hugged her while his lips kissed her forehead.
She still didn't react. Hinayaan lang niya na yakapin siya nito while her hands are on her side.
Paulit-ulit naglalaro sa isip niya ang sinabi ni Jim.
"Siguro naman just like old times,pag tapos na siya sayo, ipapasa ka na niya sa akin."
"Let go!" buong lakas na itinulak niya ang binata ng naalala na naman niya ang sinabi ng bastos na kaibigan nito.
"Honey?" Nick's eyes are full of questions.
"Don't honey me! Pwede ba Nick? Tama na! I don't want to be your girlfriend ever!" dahil sa selos ,takot, galit at inis naiyak na siya. Gulong-gulo na ang isip niya at halo-halo na ang nararamdaman niya.
She turned away from him to sob. Isinubsob niya ang mukha sa mga palad .
"Don't you dare touch me!" galit na sabi niya when she felt his hand on her back.
Mabilis siyang lumakad papunta sa lamesa niya to sit down and cry. She wants to be far away from him as possible. What she feels for him right now is hate. Sobrang sakit ang sinabi ni Jim. At the back of her mind and somewhere in her heart, umasa siya na kahit papaano espesyal siya kay Nick.
"Fucking hell!" mahina pero malutong na mura ni Nick.
The pain he is feeling is worst than any physical pain he had experienced. Seeing Stacey in such a state is tearing something inside him.
"I will murder that bastard!" his voice sounded like thunder.
"Stop it! Stop pretending that you really care about me!" hiyaw ni Stacey.
Tumayo siya and wiped her face with the back of her hand. Masamang-masama ang titig niya kay Nick.
Kung lalaki din siguro siya malamang bubugbugin niya din ito kagaya ng ginawa nito sa bastos na Jim na yun. Mas masahol pa nga ito. He looks very attractive and distinguished outside but he is a pig dahil sa mga ginagawa nito sa mga babae niya.
Daig pa niya ang sinampal ng sampung beses sa sakit ng nararamdaman niya. Kung kailan pa naman na inamin na niya sa sarili niya na mahal na niya ito, dun naman lumabas ang mga kababuyan na ginagagawa nito . Anong karapatan nito na gawin sa kanya ang lahat ng ito para lang sa huli igaya siya sa iba?How dare he break her heart? She tried hard to suppress her feelings but wala ring nangyari. The ugly truth is, no woman can resist him, including her.
In between sobs ,she asked angrily," Ganyan ka ba talaga kasama? Papaibigin mo ang babae tapos bababuyin mo lang?"
Naningkit ang mata ni Nick."WHAT?!"
"You are really something else! You really went to great lengths like pretending to want to woo me! For what? So you can fuck me once? Tapos ipapasa mo ako sa kaibigan mo? YOU PIG!!" she yelled.
She was shocked to see his expression transform from astounded to murderous. Instinctively napaatras siya.
Slowly, Nick came forward towards her. "Who told you that fucking lie?" he asked furiously. " SI JIM???!" sigaw nito.
"How could you be so cruel?" garalgal na tanong niya. "Bakit pati ako? Hindi ba sinabi ko sayo na I am not like your women?" tanong niya na puno ng hinanakit.
When he was a few inches away from her, he stopped moving. His eyes are directly looking at hers.
"Ganyan ba talaga kababa ang tingin mo sa akin? Buti pa naman ang mga kriminal, they are considered innocent until proven guilty. I don't know what came over Jim at sinabi niya sayo ang malaking kasinungalingan na yan! Itinapon niya lahat ang pinagsamahan namin para lang sirain ako sayo." He said with a hint of bitterness.
"He told me na nilipat mo siya sa ibang branch para bakuran ako!" she accused.
"Partly oo! But ginawa ko yun to protect you from him! I should not be saying this because itinuring ko siyang kaibigan! But since siya din naman ang sumira ng lahat, then I might as well tell you the truth!" galit na sabi nito. He paused and gritted his teeth before continuing.
"Ilang beses ko na siyang tinulungang ayusin ang mga sabit niya cause his mother begged me to! She is also the reason kung bakit tinanggap ko si Jim sa kompanya ko! Kahit kaibigan ko ang gagong yun, I never approved of his behavior pagdating sa babae! Some of the women I was once with, filed charges against him! And you know what charges?" he asked.His lips in a thin line.
"What?" mahinang tanong niya although she already has an idea kung ano.
"Sexual harassment! Buti napakiusapan namin sila na huwag ng ituloy ang demanda." he said flatly.
Napakurap si Stacey.
GOSH! What have I done? Bakit ako agad naniwala sa bastos na lalaking yun? She asked herself.
"I made it clear to women kung ano ang gusto ko .Lahat sila nasa tamang idad at pag-iisip when they agreed to do it with me. Alam nila na for me, no strings attached. Just sex. I am a man with a healthy sexual appetite. If I slept with women before, wala naman akong tinapakan as far as I know dahil wala akong nobya or asawa. Hindi ko na kasalanan kung may mga nagsinungaling sa kanila about their status." sabi pa ni Nick.
The only time that I became an asshole with a woman is when I took your innocence by mistake dahil sa maling akala ko about you. At yun ang pinaka-malaking kagagaguhang nagawa ko na pinagsisisihan ko hanggang ngayon. I hope that you will forgive me once you learn the truth... cause at this point, I will move heaven and earth just to make you mine! He thought.
Stacey closed her eyes for a few seconds. Pagdilat niya she almost cried again sa nakita niyang emosyon sa mga mata ni Nick na titig na titig sa kanya.
"I hinted before na ikaw lang ang gusto kong maging girfriend. Sabi ko sayo wala pa akong niligawan. I have never told any woman all the things I told you. Lalo namang hindi ko pa ginawa sa kahit sinong babae ang mga bagay na ginawa at ginagawa ko ngayon with you and for you." he poured out.
"Nick.." she uttered his name and her voice sounds sorry.
Nagiguilty talaga siya. Nagpadala siya sa emosyon niya. Dapat kinlaro niya muna ng maayos kay Nick hindi yung inakusahan niya agad ito.
"It takes a real man to admit how he really feels about a woman. Remember what I told you? Don't judge me base on what you see outside. Mas pinaniwalaan mo pa si Jim. I guess wala talagang kwenta sayo ang lahat ng sinabi ko at ang mga nangyari sa atin ." he sadly said bago tumalikod and lumabas.
Stacey's tears fell down kasabay ng pagsarado ng pintuan.