The Gangster and The Socialite {PUBLISHED)

Almost Killed

Maine carefully stepped over a puddle of water as she walked towards the waiting shed to flag a taxi. It's almost midnight and the heavy rain hasn't stopped since early this evening. The wet streets of BGC are half asleep with just a handful of people and vehicles going to and fro. Normally, she'd relish the rain as she is a pluviophile, but not when she's all dressed up in a yellow and black sequined cocktail off-shoulder dress and stilleto heels, having come from a charity event hosted by a friend. She hugged her beige overcoat to her body with one hand as the other steadied the tiny umbrella, borrowed from the hotel, over her head. Her french bun is still in place although some wisps of hair managed to escape from both sides of her head. Her feet are wet now, and if not for the thick overcoat, she would have been drenched.

"Why oh why did I allow Manong Fred to take the car?" she muttered, reprimanding herself. But she knew her driver needed it more than her when she saw how worried he was, getting a call for help from his cancer-stricken wife in Cavite. Her heart went out to him and his family who had been struggling with the sickness for almost a year now. That's why even though Manong Fred didn't want to leave her in the middle of the night at the charity event, it was she who insisted him to go and take her car so he can be with his wife as soon as possible, assuring him that there are many taxis in the vicinity. Besides, it's not as if she'd drive a car. Oh, she does know how to drive, but after the accident...she just hadn't found the nerve to do so.

Arriving at the waiting shed, she saw she's all alone and she felt a cold chill. It's been a long time since she had walked alone, and at midnight at that! Suddenly, she heard a loud noise behind her and as she turned around to look at it, a big splash of muddy water struck her face and knocked her off-balance, causing her to slump down on the sidewalk, butt first.

"Ouch! My God!" Letting out a scream, she looked up to see a tall man walking towards her ominously, evidently coming from the motorcycle which skidded in front of her. She couldn't see clearly because of the heavy rain, her umbrella thrown aside by the impact of her fall. The man, wearing a black helmet, held her down by both arms.

Panicking, she screamed, "No, no, please! Don't! Please don't!" Hastily, she tried to get up but her feet are slippery wet on her stilletos and the added weight of the man's hands caused her to slump back again, this time taking the man with her, his body covering hers.

Maine started to scream, but the man swiftly put his left hand over her mouth and said, "Miss, Miss, stop! Wala akong ginagawa sa iyo! Maeeskandalo tayo dito!"

She mumbled from under his hand, which she felt was soft and smelling faintly of Bvlgari. Warily, the man removed his hand to let her speak. Big mistake.

"Rapist ka! Rapist! Saklolo! Tulungan nyo akoooo!"

Putting back his hand on her mouth, he told her in an irritated voice, looking directly at her big, brown, frightened eyes from behind the black helmet he's wearing, "Hindi ako rapist, Miss! Magso-sorry nga ako at tutulungan sana kitang tumayo dahil muntik na kita masagasaan nang madulas ang motor ko. Ikaw naman, nag-panic ka agad, natumba tuloy tayong dalawa, tapos kung anu-ano agad iniisip mo!"

Maine again mumbled her retort but the man did not remove his hand this time. He said in a firm voice, "Hindi ako rapist, Miss. Pero hindi ko aalisin kamay ko hangga't hindi ka magpa-promise na hindi ka na sisigaw. Ano, tango ka kung hindi ka na sisigaw."

Seeing that there are still no people around them, and she wanted to get away as far as possible from under his warm body whose effect on her she cannot understand, she slowly nodded her wet head. The man promptly took his hand away... but not without noticing her red, full mouth.

With all her might, Maine pushed the man away from her body, leaving him slumped in a puddle of water as she quickly stood up and placed a safe distance away from him. "Bakit kasi ang bilis bilis mo magpatakbo ng motor! Tingnan mo, basang-basa na tuloy ako! Wala kang ingat! Nakakainis ka!"

"Miss, hindi ako mabilis magpatakbo, madulas lang ang kalsada dahil sa ulan. At saka ikaw nga, hatinggabi nasa kalsada pa, naka-gown pa at takong sa ganitong ulan? Saang party ka ba galing?" He got up and now they are both drenched in the rain, facing each other, but him still with his helmet on.

"Hindi ito gown, cocktail dress ito! At wala kang pake! Ikaw na nga nakadisgrasya, ikaw pa may ganang manita!" Tatay ba kita?" This man is so infuriating! Never had she felt so angry at anyone like this, especially when she saw his lips curl, seeming to be delighted at her reaction. Vaguely, at the back of her angry mind, she noticed his left dimple indent his left cheek at his action.

"Eh bakit ka nga pagala-gala pa, hatinggabi na? Naghahanap ka ba ng customer?" He's enjoying this! Richard hasn't felt this exhilarated annoying someone for a long time, getting on her nerves, seeing her in shambles, her mascara staining her pinkish cheeks, her face, hair and dress all wet, her fists clenched and eyes wide as she spat angry words at him.

"How dare you! Hindi ako prostitute! Puwede kitang idemanda! Idedemanda kita! Bastos! Walang modo!" She's now screaming at the top of her lungs amid the heavy rain, frustrated over her appearance and angry at the man now openly smiling at her distress.

All of a sudden, she heard the loud roar of another motorcycle as it stopped just a few feet beside her. Turning, she saw two men riding on it. The man at the back turned to her and calmly put out a gun.

Maine found herself looking directly at the black barrel of a gun aimed directly at her forehead.