LOVE MATCH
Series: LOTHARIO SAGA
BOOK EXCERPT:
KIT DEL BIANCO
by Eve Montelibano
HE WANTED HER.
Kit stared almost unblinkingly at the object of his fascination. All his senses were centered on her.
Series: LOTHARIO SAGA
BOOK EXCERPT:
KIT DEL BIANCO
by Eve Montelibano
HE WANTED HER.
Kit stared almost unblinkingly at the object of his fascination. All his senses were centered on her.
It was her eyes. Tiger eyes, slightly slanting at the corners, bewitching and mesmerizing. Where did he see those eyes? It reminded him of a distant past, a vague memory. Bahagya niyang ipinilig ang ulo. He hadn’t seen this woman before. This was the first time that he ever saw her. She just intrigued the hell out of him and he wondered what was it about her that fascinated him so?
Maybe it was her hair, black as sin, cascading all the way down her back, silky and shiny, devoid of any curl. Every silky strand seemed to promise a man solace and exotic pleasures. Or maybe it was her body. Ah, that was something else. Normally he went for tall, busty but athletically sculpted female bodies. Something he could do a sexual marathon with. But this babe was a pocket Venus, small but perfectly formed. She’d probably come just above his shoulders, but she looked tall in her strappy high-heels. Her legs looked long and shapely, and he had a good view of them from where he was sitting while she chatted a few meters away with Alexis.
Alexis Benedicto, his bossom buddy laughed at something she said and he saw him caress the woman’s shoulder gently.
Kit gritted his teeth. He didn’t want anybody’s hand on her smooth, creamy skin, even if that man was practically his brother!
Then she laughed, the melodic voice wafted in his direction, making his insides knot in a really strange way. He swallowed the telltale lump that formed in his throat. His body had started reacting to her the moment he saw her and he couldn’t stop it.
Yeah, he was hard. Getting harder by the minute as he continued to catalogue the woman’s physical attributes. Her waist was small, he could probably span it with his hands, her hips curvy and her butt, ah, his fingers itched to run all over that delectable part of her anatomy. Shit. He wanted her. Very badly.
Alexis laughed. He recognized that laugh. He had known his friend for so long that all his ways and idiosyncrasies were easy to read. X wanted her, too.
Kit shifted in his seat, digesting that fact with unease. Not once did a woman come in between his long-standing friendship with Alexis and his other closest buddies. Women were dime aplenty. Certainly, they could all enjoy the fairer sex without bashing each other’s heads.
But this woman was different. Instinctively, Kit knew she was different. She affected him in a different level. Something that no woman had ever managed to do to his system. He was a man of the world. He indulged his libido whenever the need arose. He was not the type who would deprive himself of something that he desired. He could damn well afford practically anything he wanted.
And he wanted this woman. Soon. Very soon. It had to be very soon. Alexis wasn’t about to touch her intimately in any way. He won’t allow it. She was his. From the moment he saw her, he had claimed her as his.
He couldn’t wait for later.
INA saw him from the corner of her eye. He was heading in her direction. Her heart began to hammer in her chest like a drum. At last! He was finally making a move.
She had felt his gaze on her all night. But he hadn’t approached her. He just followed her around with his predatory eyes, dark, brooding, as if sizing her up for a meal. She didn’t give any indication that she was aware of his presence. She socialized casually, moving among the crowd composed of Manila’s elite society, smiling at everyone, making small talk.
But she had been covertly watching him too as he lounged there on the sofa indolently like royalty. Yes, he acted the part down pat. The pompous son of a bitch, surveying everyone like his lowly subjects. Money indeed corrupted absolutely, she thought with disgust. The man was a prime example of the degenerate species. He thought he was king of his little kingdom. Maybe he was.
But not for long. Before she finished with him, he would be king no more. He would be nothing. Nothing!
Kristoffer del Bianco owed her.
And he was going to pay very dearly. Soon.
"I’M REALLY impressed with what you’re doing for BW, Betsy. Allow me to thank you tomorrow, over dinner?"
She smiled as she heard the pet name Alexis gave her. He said that it was the name of one of his classic cars, a 1967 Thunderbird. Apparently, this man who had more money than he knew what to do with collected vintage sports cars as a hobby.
"Thank you, Alex. I’m just doing my job. You don’t need to thank me. Just a check will do," she said, giving him a dazzling smile. The last thing she wanted was to become one of Alexis Benedicto’s rumored amours. They came in hoards, socialites, actresses, models, single or otherwise. Alexis was notorious for having liaisons with married women. And it only seemed to make the man more desired by the female population.
And so was Kit del Bianco. The two were bossom buddies from birth and they moved in the same circles, lived practically the same lives and enjoyed the privileges that came with having illustrious blood and vast wealth.
Kit, like Alexis was born with a silver spoon. Lumaki ito sa layaw at sa pilosopiyang lahat ng bagay ay kayang tapalan ng pera ng makapangyarihang pamilya nito. Na kaya ng pera nito na maipulahin ang batas at buhay ng mga taong walang kakayahang ipagtanggol ang kanilang mga sarili.
Minsan na niyang mararanasan kung paano mapailalaim sa kapangyarihan ng lalaking ito.
He had wronged her in the past. Terribly wronged her.
And he asked his family to clean his shit for him. They paid her not to say a word about it to any soul.
Kahit pira-piraso na ang kanyang pagkatao ng mga sandaling iyon ay hindi siya nakapagsalita man lang ni gaputok. Her fear of him overpowered her hatred, this man who had destroyed her whole being beyond repair.
Kaya tinanggap niya ang pera nito. Kapalit ng kanyang pananahimik. Napakalaking halaga niyon para sa kanya na isang mahirap lamang noon. At napakaliit na halaga bilang kabayaran ng kanyang buong pagkatao.
Isinumpa niyang gagamitin niya ang halagang iyon upang balang-araw ay makaganti kay Kit del Bianco. At sisiguruhin niyang kapag maniningil na siya ay magkakalasog-lasog din ang dignidad ng lalaking ito. It was this vendetta that drove her to the pinnacle of success.
Ngayon ay nasa mundo na siya ng lalaking kanyang kinasusuklaman hanggang impiyerno. Ni hindi siya nakikilala nito. Talaga namang hindi na siya nito makikilala sa bago niyang anyo. She had prepared herself for the moment, when she would see him again face to face.
And that moment was now.
He was so near now. Just a few steps away...and he seemed larger than life...this monster from her past.
Gusto labanan ni Bettina ang damdamin ngunit hindi niya mapigil ang pagsasal ng tibok ng kanyang puso and pagsikip ng kanyang dibdib na parang kakapusin siya ng hininga. Nanlamig ang kanyang mga kamay ngunit naalinsangan siyang hindi niya mawari. Damn him! Hindi siya dapat na naapektuhan nang ganito ng presensiya ng lalaking ito! She should get used to his presence again. He was nothing to her. Just a thing that she would soon destroy.
Nakita ni Alexis ang papalapit na kaibigan. "Kit, pare!"
Masayang nagtapikan ng mga balikat ang dalawa.
"Getting bored?" tanong ni Alexis dito.
Bettina refused to look away when Kit’s smoldering eyes settled on her.
"Apparently, you’re not," anito.
"Who would be bored with such a lovely woman?" nakangising sabi ni Alexis. "Ina, my bossom buddy, Kit. Kit, the woman behind BW’s repackaging, Bettina Palermo." pagpapakilala nito sa kanilang dalawa.
Kit’s lips formed into a breathtaking smile. Muling minura ni Bettina ang lalaki sa kanyang isip. Time had been kind to this monster, she thought with resentment. He was older now but he looked more good-looking than the last time they had spoken to each other more than a decade ago. His former boyish good looks had been replaced by the chiseled, smolderingly sexy countenance of a man every woman would kill for. Well, that was according to the society magazines where he was a frequent topic for gossip. As far as she was concerened, she wouldn’t waste time killing for this asshole. She would like very much to kill him herself!
Pormal niyang iniabot ang kamay upang maki-hand shake dito. He took her hand, tilted it and bent his head slightly to kiss the back. The feel of his soft, firm lips against her skin seemed to travel like live wire throughout her body. Ngani na lamang na hilain niya ang kamay at sampalin ito. But that wouldn’t be good for her plan. She wanted him to come to her, not drive him away.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Palermo." His voice was low and intimate as if they were alone.
She smiled the smile that she had practiced a thousand times in the mirror. The smile she had mastered only for him. The smile that was guaranteed to reel Kit del Bianco towards her bait. "I hope so, Mr. Del Bianco," she said, her voice husky.
His eyes smoldered with heat. "Do you doubt my pleasure?" he said smoothly, like a predator assessing his prey.
"No. It’s my pleasure that I’m doubting."
"Ah, is that an invitation, Bettina?" he drawled lazily.
She threw back her head and laughed elegantly. Then she looked at him levelly. "Believe me, you won’t mistake my invitation for anything else. If it ever happens, that is. And no, it wasn’t an invitation, Mr. Del Bianco." Hinila niya ang kamay mula sa pagkakahawak nito. Nilingon niya si Alexis na tahimik na nakamasid sa kanila."Didn’t you ask me to dance, Alex?"
Ngumisi si Alexis. "I did?"
Hinawakan niya ang kamay ng lalaki. "Dance with me," aniya at hinila sa dance floor ang lalaki.
SHE DIDN’T even excuse herself. She dismissed him like he was an entity not worth her time. Bitch.
Kit’s eyes bored on the woman dancing the tango with Alexis. She moved sensuously, wrapping her supple body against his friend’s tall frame, molding her curves against Alexis’ masterful maneuvers. He gritted his teeth as redhot possessiveness assaulted him. Damn, she was so damn beautiful, so seductive and she was openly flirting with his best friend!
Short of making a scene that would make them the topic of gossipmongers in the morning, he casually walked towards them on the dancefloor and tapped Alexis’ shoulder. "May I, buddy?"
Ngumisi si Alexis. He reluctantly let go of her. "Sure."
Nakalayo na si Alexis pero hindi pa tumitinag si Ina, nakatingin lang sa kanya. Other women would have been all over him in seconds. Sanay siya sa ganoong klase ng atensiyon mula sa opposite sex. This vixen was haughtily staring him down like a queen. Nakakatawa dahil nakatingala ito sa kanya.
"That was rude, Mr. Del Bianco. You could have waited a few minutes more before butting in."
He took her hand, placed his hand on the curve of her spine. "He is my best friend. He won’t mind."
"But I do. I don’t wanna dance with you."
"And may I ask why?"
"I preffer Alexis as a dance partner."
His eyes ignited like fire. Sa lahat ng ayaw niya ay iyong inukumpara siya sa kahit na kaninong lalaki, lalo na kay Alexis. Strangely, but he wanted this woman to want him above any other man. Nope, he wanted her to want only him. He whirled her around the dancefloor. She followed his moves effortlessly. She was a superb dancer, lithe, graceful and very sexy. His body tensed and got excited even more as he thought of how she would move with him in bed…
He grasped her hips and brought her to rub against his body. She heard her small intake of breath. He smiled. She wasn’t as immune to him as she was pretending to be. Tumingala ito at tinitigan siya sa nagbabagang mga mata.
"Let me go," she hissed at him.
He smiled at her. "Hindi pa tapos ang tugtog."
"You’re harassing me, Mr. Del Bianco."
He didn’t deny it. "I want you."
She looked up at him challengingly. "Really?"
He stopped moving and just held her in place against his hard body. He stared at her beautiful eyes, flashing at him defiantly. He had never been more challeneged by a woman. "I can make you want me."
She laughed, her voice throaty, so sexy. "You seem to have an overblown ego, Mr. Del Bianco. I hate men whose egos are bigger than their talents."
He smiled, amused. "I assure you, you won’t feel shortchanged by my talent or my big…ego."
"Ah, so…How much do you want me… Kit?" she purred, her voice sweet and sultry. Inilapit nito ang mukha sa kanya. Nalanghap niya ang mabangong hininga nito.
He almost grabbed her and kissed her voraciously. The urge was instantaneous. He felt like a starving man, out of control. "I want you very, very much."
"Hmmm." She rubbed her full breasts against him. "That will cost you, dahling."
Fury assaulted him. This woman…this beautiful thing…was a whore?! Every nerve in his body reacted in denial.
He wanted to shake her violently, but he pulled her closer to him instead. "Tell me you’re not for sale," he whispered in her ear. Hell, did he sound pleading? Deep inside he was praying that she was worth more than a quick roll on the hay. Hindi niya alam kung bakit niya naidasal iyon. Ni hindi niya kilala ang babaing ito.
Umangat ang mga mata nito. She traced his lips with her fingers. "I’m not for sale. I don’t want your money."
"Then what do you want? Tell me."
"I want to be your wife."
Hindi siya nakaimik. What she said immobilized him. On another occasion, he would have laughed out loud. Women knew him to be an asshole when it came to talks of matrimony. So they never dared or bothered to bring up the topic in his presence. This babe needed to get to know him better.
Maybe it was her hair, black as sin, cascading all the way down her back, silky and shiny, devoid of any curl. Every silky strand seemed to promise a man solace and exotic pleasures. Or maybe it was her body. Ah, that was something else. Normally he went for tall, busty but athletically sculpted female bodies. Something he could do a sexual marathon with. But this babe was a pocket Venus, small but perfectly formed. She’d probably come just above his shoulders, but she looked tall in her strappy high-heels. Her legs looked long and shapely, and he had a good view of them from where he was sitting while she chatted a few meters away with Alexis.
Alexis Benedicto, his bossom buddy laughed at something she said and he saw him caress the woman’s shoulder gently.
Kit gritted his teeth. He didn’t want anybody’s hand on her smooth, creamy skin, even if that man was practically his brother!
Then she laughed, the melodic voice wafted in his direction, making his insides knot in a really strange way. He swallowed the telltale lump that formed in his throat. His body had started reacting to her the moment he saw her and he couldn’t stop it.
Yeah, he was hard. Getting harder by the minute as he continued to catalogue the woman’s physical attributes. Her waist was small, he could probably span it with his hands, her hips curvy and her butt, ah, his fingers itched to run all over that delectable part of her anatomy. Shit. He wanted her. Very badly.
Alexis laughed. He recognized that laugh. He had known his friend for so long that all his ways and idiosyncrasies were easy to read. X wanted her, too.
Kit shifted in his seat, digesting that fact with unease. Not once did a woman come in between his long-standing friendship with Alexis and his other closest buddies. Women were dime aplenty. Certainly, they could all enjoy the fairer sex without bashing each other’s heads.
But this woman was different. Instinctively, Kit knew she was different. She affected him in a different level. Something that no woman had ever managed to do to his system. He was a man of the world. He indulged his libido whenever the need arose. He was not the type who would deprive himself of something that he desired. He could damn well afford practically anything he wanted.
And he wanted this woman. Soon. Very soon. It had to be very soon. Alexis wasn’t about to touch her intimately in any way. He won’t allow it. She was his. From the moment he saw her, he had claimed her as his.
He couldn’t wait for later.
INA saw him from the corner of her eye. He was heading in her direction. Her heart began to hammer in her chest like a drum. At last! He was finally making a move.
She had felt his gaze on her all night. But he hadn’t approached her. He just followed her around with his predatory eyes, dark, brooding, as if sizing her up for a meal. She didn’t give any indication that she was aware of his presence. She socialized casually, moving among the crowd composed of Manila’s elite society, smiling at everyone, making small talk.
But she had been covertly watching him too as he lounged there on the sofa indolently like royalty. Yes, he acted the part down pat. The pompous son of a bitch, surveying everyone like his lowly subjects. Money indeed corrupted absolutely, she thought with disgust. The man was a prime example of the degenerate species. He thought he was king of his little kingdom. Maybe he was.
But not for long. Before she finished with him, he would be king no more. He would be nothing. Nothing!
Kristoffer del Bianco owed her.
And he was going to pay very dearly. Soon.
"I’M REALLY impressed with what you’re doing for BW, Betsy. Allow me to thank you tomorrow, over dinner?"
She smiled as she heard the pet name Alexis gave her. He said that it was the name of one of his classic cars, a 1967 Thunderbird. Apparently, this man who had more money than he knew what to do with collected vintage sports cars as a hobby.
"Thank you, Alex. I’m just doing my job. You don’t need to thank me. Just a check will do," she said, giving him a dazzling smile. The last thing she wanted was to become one of Alexis Benedicto’s rumored amours. They came in hoards, socialites, actresses, models, single or otherwise. Alexis was notorious for having liaisons with married women. And it only seemed to make the man more desired by the female population.
And so was Kit del Bianco. The two were bossom buddies from birth and they moved in the same circles, lived practically the same lives and enjoyed the privileges that came with having illustrious blood and vast wealth.
Kit, like Alexis was born with a silver spoon. Lumaki ito sa layaw at sa pilosopiyang lahat ng bagay ay kayang tapalan ng pera ng makapangyarihang pamilya nito. Na kaya ng pera nito na maipulahin ang batas at buhay ng mga taong walang kakayahang ipagtanggol ang kanilang mga sarili.
Minsan na niyang mararanasan kung paano mapailalaim sa kapangyarihan ng lalaking ito.
He had wronged her in the past. Terribly wronged her.
And he asked his family to clean his shit for him. They paid her not to say a word about it to any soul.
Kahit pira-piraso na ang kanyang pagkatao ng mga sandaling iyon ay hindi siya nakapagsalita man lang ni gaputok. Her fear of him overpowered her hatred, this man who had destroyed her whole being beyond repair.
Kaya tinanggap niya ang pera nito. Kapalit ng kanyang pananahimik. Napakalaking halaga niyon para sa kanya na isang mahirap lamang noon. At napakaliit na halaga bilang kabayaran ng kanyang buong pagkatao.
Isinumpa niyang gagamitin niya ang halagang iyon upang balang-araw ay makaganti kay Kit del Bianco. At sisiguruhin niyang kapag maniningil na siya ay magkakalasog-lasog din ang dignidad ng lalaking ito. It was this vendetta that drove her to the pinnacle of success.
Ngayon ay nasa mundo na siya ng lalaking kanyang kinasusuklaman hanggang impiyerno. Ni hindi siya nakikilala nito. Talaga namang hindi na siya nito makikilala sa bago niyang anyo. She had prepared herself for the moment, when she would see him again face to face.
And that moment was now.
He was so near now. Just a few steps away...and he seemed larger than life...this monster from her past.
Gusto labanan ni Bettina ang damdamin ngunit hindi niya mapigil ang pagsasal ng tibok ng kanyang puso and pagsikip ng kanyang dibdib na parang kakapusin siya ng hininga. Nanlamig ang kanyang mga kamay ngunit naalinsangan siyang hindi niya mawari. Damn him! Hindi siya dapat na naapektuhan nang ganito ng presensiya ng lalaking ito! She should get used to his presence again. He was nothing to her. Just a thing that she would soon destroy.
Nakita ni Alexis ang papalapit na kaibigan. "Kit, pare!"
Masayang nagtapikan ng mga balikat ang dalawa.
"Getting bored?" tanong ni Alexis dito.
Bettina refused to look away when Kit’s smoldering eyes settled on her.
"Apparently, you’re not," anito.
"Who would be bored with such a lovely woman?" nakangising sabi ni Alexis. "Ina, my bossom buddy, Kit. Kit, the woman behind BW’s repackaging, Bettina Palermo." pagpapakilala nito sa kanilang dalawa.
Kit’s lips formed into a breathtaking smile. Muling minura ni Bettina ang lalaki sa kanyang isip. Time had been kind to this monster, she thought with resentment. He was older now but he looked more good-looking than the last time they had spoken to each other more than a decade ago. His former boyish good looks had been replaced by the chiseled, smolderingly sexy countenance of a man every woman would kill for. Well, that was according to the society magazines where he was a frequent topic for gossip. As far as she was concerened, she wouldn’t waste time killing for this asshole. She would like very much to kill him herself!
Pormal niyang iniabot ang kamay upang maki-hand shake dito. He took her hand, tilted it and bent his head slightly to kiss the back. The feel of his soft, firm lips against her skin seemed to travel like live wire throughout her body. Ngani na lamang na hilain niya ang kamay at sampalin ito. But that wouldn’t be good for her plan. She wanted him to come to her, not drive him away.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Palermo." His voice was low and intimate as if they were alone.
She smiled the smile that she had practiced a thousand times in the mirror. The smile she had mastered only for him. The smile that was guaranteed to reel Kit del Bianco towards her bait. "I hope so, Mr. Del Bianco," she said, her voice husky.
His eyes smoldered with heat. "Do you doubt my pleasure?" he said smoothly, like a predator assessing his prey.
"No. It’s my pleasure that I’m doubting."
"Ah, is that an invitation, Bettina?" he drawled lazily.
She threw back her head and laughed elegantly. Then she looked at him levelly. "Believe me, you won’t mistake my invitation for anything else. If it ever happens, that is. And no, it wasn’t an invitation, Mr. Del Bianco." Hinila niya ang kamay mula sa pagkakahawak nito. Nilingon niya si Alexis na tahimik na nakamasid sa kanila."Didn’t you ask me to dance, Alex?"
Ngumisi si Alexis. "I did?"
Hinawakan niya ang kamay ng lalaki. "Dance with me," aniya at hinila sa dance floor ang lalaki.
SHE DIDN’T even excuse herself. She dismissed him like he was an entity not worth her time. Bitch.
Kit’s eyes bored on the woman dancing the tango with Alexis. She moved sensuously, wrapping her supple body against his friend’s tall frame, molding her curves against Alexis’ masterful maneuvers. He gritted his teeth as redhot possessiveness assaulted him. Damn, she was so damn beautiful, so seductive and she was openly flirting with his best friend!
Short of making a scene that would make them the topic of gossipmongers in the morning, he casually walked towards them on the dancefloor and tapped Alexis’ shoulder. "May I, buddy?"
Ngumisi si Alexis. He reluctantly let go of her. "Sure."
Nakalayo na si Alexis pero hindi pa tumitinag si Ina, nakatingin lang sa kanya. Other women would have been all over him in seconds. Sanay siya sa ganoong klase ng atensiyon mula sa opposite sex. This vixen was haughtily staring him down like a queen. Nakakatawa dahil nakatingala ito sa kanya.
"That was rude, Mr. Del Bianco. You could have waited a few minutes more before butting in."
He took her hand, placed his hand on the curve of her spine. "He is my best friend. He won’t mind."
"But I do. I don’t wanna dance with you."
"And may I ask why?"
"I preffer Alexis as a dance partner."
His eyes ignited like fire. Sa lahat ng ayaw niya ay iyong inukumpara siya sa kahit na kaninong lalaki, lalo na kay Alexis. Strangely, but he wanted this woman to want him above any other man. Nope, he wanted her to want only him. He whirled her around the dancefloor. She followed his moves effortlessly. She was a superb dancer, lithe, graceful and very sexy. His body tensed and got excited even more as he thought of how she would move with him in bed…
He grasped her hips and brought her to rub against his body. She heard her small intake of breath. He smiled. She wasn’t as immune to him as she was pretending to be. Tumingala ito at tinitigan siya sa nagbabagang mga mata.
"Let me go," she hissed at him.
He smiled at her. "Hindi pa tapos ang tugtog."
"You’re harassing me, Mr. Del Bianco."
He didn’t deny it. "I want you."
She looked up at him challengingly. "Really?"
He stopped moving and just held her in place against his hard body. He stared at her beautiful eyes, flashing at him defiantly. He had never been more challeneged by a woman. "I can make you want me."
She laughed, her voice throaty, so sexy. "You seem to have an overblown ego, Mr. Del Bianco. I hate men whose egos are bigger than their talents."
He smiled, amused. "I assure you, you won’t feel shortchanged by my talent or my big…ego."
"Ah, so…How much do you want me… Kit?" she purred, her voice sweet and sultry. Inilapit nito ang mukha sa kanya. Nalanghap niya ang mabangong hininga nito.
He almost grabbed her and kissed her voraciously. The urge was instantaneous. He felt like a starving man, out of control. "I want you very, very much."
"Hmmm." She rubbed her full breasts against him. "That will cost you, dahling."
Fury assaulted him. This woman…this beautiful thing…was a whore?! Every nerve in his body reacted in denial.
He wanted to shake her violently, but he pulled her closer to him instead. "Tell me you’re not for sale," he whispered in her ear. Hell, did he sound pleading? Deep inside he was praying that she was worth more than a quick roll on the hay. Hindi niya alam kung bakit niya naidasal iyon. Ni hindi niya kilala ang babaing ito.
Umangat ang mga mata nito. She traced his lips with her fingers. "I’m not for sale. I don’t want your money."
"Then what do you want? Tell me."
"I want to be your wife."
Hindi siya nakaimik. What she said immobilized him. On another occasion, he would have laughed out loud. Women knew him to be an asshole when it came to talks of matrimony. So they never dared or bothered to bring up the topic in his presence. This babe needed to get to know him better.