Boracay Vows Read online

  Since that incident, his brother often teased him that he planned to delay his “discovery” until Blake had his orgasm, only to realize he didn’t have long to wait. Five-Minute-Blake was his nickname for a while in the Ryan household, much to his dismay.

  It was a lifetime ago, but Blake was grateful to Aidan’s ex for initiating him into the carnal world.

  He loved the feeling of a soft body beneath him; he anticipated hearing the moans from a woman’s throat. The experience of his heartbeat matching the cadence of his thrusts was something he looked forward to. Best of all, he absolutely adored the explosion at the end—hers and his, as their climaxes hit them.

  Since the first fumbling attempt with Summer, he always ensured that his partners found satisfaction before he did. I plain love sex, that’s God’s honest truth.

  Blake moved to recline on a sunbed, sprawling his long body onto it with a contented sigh. One of his many contributions to the resort had been making sure the furniture fit Western dimensions, especially the beds in the cottages. Too many resorts in Asia had undersized furnishings, uncomfortable for a man of his proportions.

  He yawned and recalled Krista’s suggestion of a nap.

  Ah, Krista. She was never far from his thoughts. Since seeing her curvy body revealed, he was even more drawn to her.

  Back in Makati, he had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to discreetly ask her out. He didn’t want to do it while they were at work; it would have seemed unprofessional. He sought a social situation, away from the office, to show his interest in her was purely personal. But they never had any such encounters. They lived in different parts of the city and never bumped into each other. Now he had Krista exactly where he wanted her—beside him and away from the prying eyes of the people in the office.

  God, she was exquisite. He loved how their bodies aligned, how their heights made them fit together just right. It was all he could do to keep his hands still on her waist. His palms itched to cup her curvy ass, plump her luscious breasts even more. He bet they would spill over his hands, the way they did from her bikini top. He longed to divest her of those tiny triangle-shaped bits of cloth and take her hard nipples in his mouth. Blake rubbed his chest, remembering how the stiff peaks had brushed against his body during their kiss.

  Their kiss. Her first kiss. Ever. It was often said that a girl never forgets her first kiss. He knew he would always remember the pure, unadulterated pleasure of their lips touching for the first time.

  He grinned, thinking about the adorable expression on her face when he pulled her closer. She had tightly shut both her eyes and mouth as if she were preparing for a surprise, unsure whether she would like it. The disappointment that crossed her features when he kissed her on the forehead pleased him to no end. So did her body’s response when he finally brought his wandering lips to hers. She might have been an innocent, but she seemed eagerly receptive to the delights of the flesh.

  The fragrant perfume of her skin, her throaty moans, and the way she met his searching tongue with bold forays of her own all inflamed him. Oh yes, that was a kiss to remember for sure.

  His cock definitely had not forgotten. Nearly crazy with the desire to ravish her, he had forced himself to slow down and savor her intoxicating sweetness. Blake grimaced as he adjusted his shorts over his tight and aching member. Not this again. He hoped she wouldn’t make him wait very long, otherwise he would suffer from blue balls. Add that to his carpal tunnel and he’d be crippled before long.

  Well, at least for today, he had only himself to blame for halting their lovemaking. His sudden development of scruples surprised even Blake. Since when did I become a bloody Boy Scout, turning a hot, willing woman away from my bed?

  Blake rose from the sunbed and shrugged his shirt back on. It was time to call the staff, to give them the promised tip.

  On his way into his kubo, he paused to look in the direction of Krista’s cottage. He vowed that when he finally got her to a bed, she would be under him, or on top of him, or beside him for a long, long time. I might let her up for meals, but that’s it. He smirked as he made the ridiculous pledge.

  Chapter Five

  Yehey [ye-hay] int. – an expression of delight, excitement.

  Krista was not at all surprised by the six missed calls on her cellphone. She’d left it in her kubo to regain power, since its battery was drained; she’d forgotten to charge it overnight.

  After listening to her voice mail, she sent a text message to her siblings to tell them not to worry. She was still alive. She also texted her friends a short note—Vid call in 5. Everyone had a smartphone, so they could all accept a video call at a moment’s notice, unless they were driving. All replied with an ok. She looked forward to chatting with her friends and sharing her plans. Or, my agreement with theirs.

  Krista set her laptop on top of the desk in the bedroom and connected to the resort’s Wi-Fi. She opened the video conferencing application and started a M’amie group call.

  Maddie, Jenny, Lisa, Sheila, Angela, and Krista met when they took French as their language elective at the University of the Philippines. They came together as a team for a class presentation and used the group name M’amie—short for mon amie, a French endearment, which literally meant “my female friend” but also stood for “my dear” or “my love.”

  Years after their graduation from college and still close friends, they kept the group name. It didn’t matter that only Maddie and Angela continued with their study of the romantic language. Sheila’s death and their agreed-upon vow only strengthened their bond and made them hold on to one another that much tighter.

  In marked contrast with her high school years when she was called a “half-breed,” her time spent in college were some of the best of her life. It was in the university, in the company of M’amie, that she found acceptance for who she was. Their lack of judgment was one of the reasons these women would be her friends forever.

  Krista stayed out of the webcam’s range until all the girls showed up on-screen, observing them as they appeared and marveling at how such a disparate group of women had become friends. The always restless Angela was first as usual, followed by the exuberant Jenny, Zen Lisa, and finally, also as usual, the sophisticated Maddie.

  Krista grinned when Jenny grumbled, “Where the hell is she?”

  “Ta da!” Krista jumped in front of the camera, showing off her sarong-clad body. The girls shrieked in surprise and dissolved into boisterous laughter when they saw her preening and doing jazz hands.

  “Take it off! Take it off!” Lisa chanted, egging her on to remove her cover-up. When she reached for the tie of the sarong at the back of her neck, Jenny started singing to the beat of the stripper song. “Tana-nanana. Tan-tana. Tan-tana!” Krista kicked her legs in the air, mimicking the can-can dance as she took off the improvised dress.

  “Woot-woot!” The girls let out catcalls when she revealed the skimpy black bikini underneath. Their hilarity continued as dainty-looking Angela Lim put her fingers in her mouth and let out a couple of wolf-whistles.

  “Guys, tama na! Stop. I’m going to pee in my pants if we keep laughing our heads off.” Retying her sarong, Krista shushed the girls and pulled up a chair to sit in front of the computer.

  “So, you’re not mad at us for packing your suitcase with sexy stuff?” Angela queried.

  “I was this morning when I saw them, but since I have nothing else to wear, I decided there’s no use getting angry over something I can’t change,” Krista replied. “I mean, I could hardly wear my soiled clothes every day, could I? Or go naked. I don’t think Perlas is that kind of resort,” she added with a snort. “Plus, I know they are outrageously expensive, so I can’t throw them away. Sayang. That would be a waste.” She had always been frugal and practical; needed to be for so long.

  “Wow! Who are you and what did you do with our friend Manang Krista?” Lisa joked, referring to the nickname they had given her ultra-conservative and prim self.

  Krist
a laughed. “She’s gone. Erase her from your memory, ladies, because I’m turning over a new leaf. I have finally decided to fulfill my Turning-Thirty Vow. I’m going to copy Gie,” she pointed to Angela, “and take carpe diem as my new motto. At long last, I’m going to abide by our promise to Sheila to live our lives to the fullest, each and every day.” Raising her arms in the air she declared, “Life begins at thirty!”

  “All right!” Angela cheered.

  “Yehey!” Jenny and Lisa echoed.

  “Alléluia!” Maddie responded with an exaggerated eye roll. “And when will this new beginning start? Your birthday isn’t until Wednesday. That’s four more days,” she pressed, raising a perfectly-groomed eyebrow.

  Color bloomed in Krista’s cheeks, and her lips tingled as the feeling of Blake’s kiss came back to her. “Actually, life began today already.” She touched her lips with a finger before admitting, “I had my first kiss this afternoon.”

  Almost in unison, her friends gasped. “Oh. My. Gawd! Uuuuyyy! Ikaw na! Who?”

  “Blake Ryan,” Krista mumbled. Warmth suffused her again.

  “Sino?” Jenny couldn’t hear.

  “Her boss, the Hunk of Global City, Mr. Blake Ryan,” Maddie told the others.

  Blake received the moniker when he gained front cover exposure in a local magazine early this year. Maddie had come up with the title. Krista bought two copies like a teenaged fangirl. She had wrapped one in a protective plastic cover and the other she read, dog-earing the pages of his interview.

  “He’s so yummy!” Jenny gushed. At Lisa’s reminder that she was a married woman, Jenny shot back, “True, but I’m not blind. I can look, right?” Slyly she added, “Krista can do the touching for me.”

  “So, how was it?” Lisa pressed.

  Looking up at the ceiling, Krista leaned back in her chair and searched for the right words to describe such a life-altering event. “It was spicy … but sweet … hot and cold … soft and tender, but also hard and firm. It seemed like it took hours, but it was mere seconds …” Her gaze went back to meet her friends’ quiet regard. “Unforgettable. It was a kiss to remember forever.” She offered a weak smile, suddenly craving to be alone with her thoughts.

  Angela cleared her throat. “Well, congratulations! It seems well worth the wait. Kudos for getting Superman to give you your first kiss.” She looked at Krista searchingly as if gauging her mood then started excusing herself. “Gotta go, bitches! I have a flight to Bangkok tonight then Koh Samui after that.” She blew Krista a kiss and admonished, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, m’amie. Love you, babe. Advance happy birthday!”

  “Thanks, Gie. That’s a short list, though. Is there even anything you wouldn’t do?” Krista teased. “Seriously guys, thank you for your birthday gift. You’re so incredibly generous. This place is really private. It’s peak season, and yet I haven’t seen anyone but Blake and the staff. Not even the people who were on the same flight with me.”

  “You’re welcome,” Lisa replied. “Hey, I have to go, too. See you on November 8 for Sheila’s memorial.”

  Jenny chimed in, “You deserve it, girlie. You’ve done without luxuries all your life. Enjoy yourself. Like our motto says—seize the day!” She added cheekily, “Oh, and seize the Blake.”

  After a chorus of “happy birthday,” the three women signed off. Only Maddie remained online.

  Of the five in the group, Krista considered Maddie her best friend. They had been roommates at the all-girls dormitory on the university campus. Both had the same zodiac sign—Scorpio—being born a week apart. Both had foreign fathers, Filipina mothers.

  She had always thought of Maddie as her mirror image—the thinner, more confident version of herself. Krista arrived in college extremely overweight, with food her solace throughout her torturous high school years. Maddie, on the other hand, was almost emaciated. Her modeling career had pushed her into eating disorders to keep up with the competition for top jobs. Their mutual support in developing strong and healthy bodies reinforced the ties that bound their friendship.

  Right now, however, her friend’s pursed lips indicated something like worry. It made Krista uneasy. “Mads, tell me what you’re thinking,” she implored. “It isn’t like you to be quiet. Aren’t you happy for me?”

  “Oh, Krissy,” Maddie cried out, shaking her head vehemently. “Don’t ever think that. I am incredibly happy for you. I’ve wanted you to break out of your shell for ages. I love that you’ve finally decided to focus on yourself instead of always putting others first.”

  “But …” Krista prompted. Maddie’s words didn’t match the skeptical expression on her face.

  “But,” Maddie exhaled. “I want you to be careful. I want you to protect your heart. Blake has the potential of being able to break it.”

  “Mads, it was just a kiss,” Krista protested half-heartedly.

  “Krissy, we both know it wasn’t just a kiss,” Maddie chided her. “Let’s not pretend you’re not already feeling so much more for Blake than you’ve ever felt for any guy who ever tried to court you.” As usual, Maddie hit it right on the head.

  “As if there were so many of those,” Krista scoffed. “You can count on one hand the number of guys who as much as attempted to talk to me.”

  “Precisely my point!” Maddie bit out. “Because they don’t matter. They haven’t gotten through your protective walls. Blake breached them in such a short time. You only arrived there in Boracay this morning, and by the middle of the day he already kissed you. Whoa! That’s fast, even for me.”

  “Madeleine! That’s not fair. I’ve known him since May. It isn’t as if we met today.” She was getting steamed now. “Wasn’t it you who arranged for me to be in this resort? Is Blake a part-owner here? If he is and you knew he was going to be here, why would you put me in his vicinity if you’re so against him?”

  Maddie had the grace to look a little shamefaced. “Yes, Blake is a partner there. He isn’t advertising the fact, so don’t tell anybody. When we had a meeting a couple of weeks ago, he told me in passing he was going to be in Boracay this coming week. It’s truly a fabulous place, and I thought you could use the pampering, so I suggested it to the group. Plus, he gave me a good deal. That’s why we chose Perlas.” She paused for a moment. “I am not anti-Blake at all. As a matter of fact, I like him very much. I consider him a friend. You know me; I don’t make male friends easily. They are either lovers or enemies.”

  “Well, then, you should explain your lack of enthusiasm about us, because I truly don’t understand,” Krista said testily. “Unless … you think I’m not good enough for him. Do you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Maddie exploded, then subsided just as fast. “You are the finest person I’ve ever known. It’s Blake who’s not nearly good enough for you. He’s an experienced seducer, Krissy. A player. He eats little innocents like you for breakfast,” she explained earnestly.

  The heavy weight on Krista’s heart lifted upon hearing the love and caring in her best friend’s voice.

  “He claimed he eats them for dinner, not lunch. He might also mean breakfast, huh?” she joked, happy to end their quarrel. She smiled in relief when Maddie let out a laugh. Taking a deep breath, she admitted, “Mads, what I didn’t tell the others is that I’ve decided to give up my virginity. I’ve chosen Blake to help me with that.”

  Maddie nodded, seeming unsurprised with this revelation. “Yeah, I suspected. All your romance novel readings must have finally taken root.” Leaning forward, she prodded some more. “Are you really, really sure you want to do this, m’amie? Once torn, your hymen won’t grow back. I’m sorry for being crude, but are you certain you don’t want to wait until you’re married and give yourself to your husband?”

  Krista let out a weary sigh. “When will that be, Mads? There are so many things happening in the world that scare me. Life is too short.”

  Wide-eyed, she continued to rationalize. “This morning when I had the brainstorm to adapt a new attitud
e in life, I thought to myself what if the plane crashed? What if I go out in a boat tomorrow and there’s a typhoon, and I drown like Sheila did? There are a million things I haven’t done yet. I don’t want to have regrets when I die. I saw Blake here, and I felt the sparks we strike off each other. I’ve never felt this way with anyone. What guarantee is there that I’ll have this kind of attraction with someone else ever again?”

  Maddie was quick to offer encouragement. “I understand, sweetie. I do have the same fears as you. If you’re sure, then you have my complete support. And if it makes you feel better, I think you made an excellent choice of a partner in this cherry-popping activity. Blake is quite sexy. And, he truly is interested in you. He’s been grilling me about you ever since you joined his company.” Maddie pouted, as if momentarily insulted that a man would prefer to talk about another woman in her presence.

  “I have no personal knowledge of this since we only went out for drinks, but I’ve heard whispers about his excellent bedroom skills. Apparently, going to bed with him is a momentous occasion. Speaking of which, when will you be doing the bedroom tango?” She wiggled her eyebrows at her friend.

  Krista burst out laughing. “Hey! I’m not so much of an obsessive-compulsive that I’d schedule sex on my calendar.” While miming a writing action, she sing-songed, “Deflowering–Wednesday—November 2nd—nine pm.” They both broke into giggles.

  “Good luck on making him wait that long. Knowing his type, I’ll bet he’s planning to get you into his bed as early as tonight,” Maddie declared. “I’m shocked you’re not there already.”