CHAPTER 1 DEVLIN ENDS AFFAIR WITH RUSSIAN LOVER, FLIES TO THE PHILIPPINES

     “Dev, darling, come back to bed.” purred Alina, a Russian boutique owner in New York. She had been Devlin’s on-off lover for quite some time now. She was never married despite living with another business tycoon who actually introduced her to Devlin. He told him he did not mind sharing the Russian beauty. At first Devlin was honored and felt lucky but after some time, her allure to Devlin has dimmed. She is beautiful, he can give her that but after meeting his Emirati partner’s PA in the UAE, he wanted no one else but her. He could still remember her jasmine cinnamon scent and that memory caused his shaft to stir after pleasuring Alina mere minutes ago. Unlike before though, his shaft had not sustained its rigidity despite Alina’s exaggerated moans and gasps. During their first time together, Alina indulged his fantasies and he reveled in it. This time though, his interest had waned thanks to that siren he thought. He was frustrated too because after that meeting, the damn woman always made sure he and she won’t encounter each other despite his hanging around in the villa. He couldn’t understand himself, there were many beautiful women around him even in the UAE but only one particular woman seemed to catch his interest. He must be going mad. Alina’s incessant purr brought him to the present though and so just to quiet the greedy woman, he imagined Mabel in the room baring herself to him and just like that, his shaft was brought back to life much to Alina’s obvious delight and satisfaction. She reclined on the bed displaying her bountiful charms and let Devlin come to her. 

     Devlin took her insterposing another face on hers and that made him rougher as he imagined it was Mabel under him writhing and moaning her pleasure. He withdrew just in time and spurt his semen on Alina’s belly. Alina purred like a cat and stretched but Devlin just gave her a bored look. Mabel's Madonna-ish sweet face bordering on a goddess-like quality is far superior from Alina's classic Russian beauty.

     “Wow Dev, that was the best fuck ever!” she said licking lips. 

     Although he was wanting to wipe the satisfied grin on the woman’s face, Devlin didn't say anything and just kept quiet, fetched her clothes and dumped them unceremoniously on the bed. They were in a hotel as Devlin did not want a woman in his house.

     Without paying attention to the still naked and stupefied woman, he proceeded to get into his clothes. When he was fully clothed, he said “We are finished Alina, thank you so much for indulging my fantasies but I think it is unfair to you and me if we continue this farce of an arrangement. Despite your fake groans and moans, I know you are also fucking my assistant and every handsome man you meet. I am just surprised that Carter allows you such freedom. “

     “Hang Carter!” He also fucks every beautiful woman he sees. Ours is only a temporary arrangement until I dump him. I was actually hoping you and I would make a permanent arrangement Dev. You and I match in appetites.”

     Devlin turned to her, “Were you not listening? I said our arrangement is finished, done, kaput! You are beautiful and I know you will not have any difficulty finding my replacement. If you want someone with Irish blood, go find Tiernan O’Malley. I believe he will fuck you senseless.” With that he turned the knob on the door and left with a check on the bedside table.

     Alina frowned at the closed door and at the cheque but when she saw the amount, she grinned. Tiernan O’Malley, eh? She heard things about the Irish mafia boss who ruled the criminal underground but she has yet to meet him. Maybe with this money Devlin left her, she could expand her business underground. If this O’malley guy could fuck as good as women said he can, he may be worth her time. She needed to dump that dumb Carter anyway. His sexual desires already bordered towards the crazed and she can’t stomach it. She was still reeling from the whips the sadistic man gave her. Alina put on her clothes and grinned to herself. Time to go find and conquer another beautiful brute.

     Back in his apartment, Devlin went through his emails and found one from the Sheikh. He was apologizing for the delay in his reply as his PA is currently on leave. He did not specify when she left but he mentioned something about her return to the UAE which was in a month’s time, July to be exact. Well hell, he doesn’t know where Mabel is from and he did not want to ask the Sheikh. He will just have to fly to the Philippines and scour the islands. If all else fails, he could just go to the airport on the appointed day of her return to the UAE. 

     “Damn, is this obsession? Why can’t that woman leave my head. Well, maybe I can forget her once I see more of her beautiful country.”. He searched flights and once he saw one, he booked it immediately. It leaves the next day. He phoned his assistant and informed him of his plans. The assistant was used to his employer’s business travels and he thought it must be another business trip. He mentioned Devlin’s travel to the UAE in the first week of July though. Devlin assured him that he remembers. That is one reason I am flying to the Philippines first, he said aloud to himself. Because he was always travelling, he did not unpack his suitcases, leaving them as is.Only repacking if he runs out of business attire. Since that day he left the filthy shack of Muckie,he promised himself good clothes and a good life. He never fails to send money to his family back home in Ireland though. He also managed to fly there and see them much to his mother’s delight. He went to visit his stepfather’s grave and promised him he’ll better himself like what he always taught them.

     Pushing the painful memories from his mind, he proceeded to finalize some things before he left. His people can be trusted as he hired them himself. They were loyal to him alone. He made sure that they were paid well and treated fairly. Even those working at the very bottom of his company were compensated well enough that they would want nothing. For his married staff, he set up a nursery for their kids in an adjacent property. His kindness and fairness was reciprocated with loyalty and hard work. Nobody complained when they needed to go overtime because aside from the extra pay, they were also compensated with a once a year holiday abroad. With a boss like him, who would dare complain. 

     He went to bed early but he did not have a good night’s sleep. Every night after that brief encounter with Mabel, with her landing and squirming on his lap, his senses went haywire. He always dreamt of her doing more than squirming. 

     “Shit! “ he cursed upon waking up. “This is an obsession and I can’t deal with it.” He busied himself with work and whatever he can’t finish, he can always do it while travelling. Since his flight is at 12 noon, he couldn’t help himself so he started typing Mabel’s name on his personal social media account. He did not know her full name and so he just typed Mabel which gave him a lot. If only he was not impatient, he could have seen Mabel’s face on the lower part of the screen. Frustrated, he snapped his computer shut and stuffed it in his laptop sling bag.

     Not wanting to drive to the airport, he asked Martin, his assistant, to drive him there. He opted for JAL. He will be arriving in Manila in two days but he did not mind. 

     When he got to Manila, he had to stay in a hotel though because he had to close a deal with the Sheikh. It will take them three days. He would have despaired if not for the Sheikh telling him via video call that Mabel will be joining their video conference. All of a sudden staying in a hotel in busy Manila was not a bad thing after all. He would make sure he’ll track where she is calling from. After a couple of tweaks, and while everyone was busy connecting, he was able to track down Mabe’s IP address. Bingo, Baguio City! Ahh, so up north, he thought. That explains her flawless skin. He heard that Baguio City is the summer capital of the Philippines and he intend to find out but he won’t be so dumb as to go sniffing Mabel out. He’s got plenty of time before they reconnect at the airport. His thoughts were broken when Mabel started talking. Her sultry voice aroused his senses. The Sheikh cleared his voice to get his attention and Devlin nearly swore. Varrick, get a hold of yourself! 

     It took them three days to discuss the business but Devlin was not complaining.If it takes a month to watch and hear Mabel, so be it. On the third day though, Devlin was reluctant to end the video conference but he has no choice. He sent Mabel a private message not sure what to tell her though. The Sheikh was unaware of this so he bid them both goodbye. “See you both in a month. Mabel, enjoy your vacation and I apologize for taking three of your days.”

     “No worries, Sir.” See you in a few weeks.” Mabel switched off her video and then was about to switch off her laptop when she saw the American’s message. “What the?” before she knew it she pressed the answer button and cursed herself. 

     “Nice to see you again Lovely.” Devlin greeted. Mabel glared at him.

     “Sir, what is the purpose of this call? The Sheikh already concluded it.”

     “Ohh, I only wanted to ask you if it is possible to send me a copy of the minutes of our meeting? “ Mabel frowned before answering.

     “But sir, I always CC you, don’t I?”

     “Please stop calling me Sir, Mabel. It’s like you’re driving wedges between us. “

     “Mr. Devlin, Sir, you are my employer’s partner so I can’t stop calling you Sir.”

     It grated so Devlin replied. “Fine but do you mind calling me Varrick, when there’s only the two of us? Or Devlin so long as it is not Sir. It feels like you are so far beneath me, although having you beneath me moaning and squirming is not a bad idea” Devlin grinned, liking his joke. To his annoyance, Mabel switched off and then an angry message in caps “YOU SIR, ARE THE VILEST OF THE VILE. HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR WHORES? I ASSURE YOU I AM NOT A SLUT NOR A LOOSE WOMAN.!!!

     Devlin was surprised with the vehemence of her message. Doesn’t the woman recognize a joke? Nevertheless, he felt chastised so he sent her an email of apology. She didn’t reply. Devlin was swearing and he couldn’t understand why she frustrates him so much. He is not a vain person but he knows he is good-looking and he has a beautiful physique thanks to menial jobs which his colleagues thought are beneath him. He only goes to the gym if there is nothing heavy to do like right now. He went to the hotel’s gym working his frustration off. After some rigorous lifting of weights and tiring himself out, he went back to his hotel room. When he checked his emails, there was one from Mabel.

     “Mr. Devlin, please refrain from telling me jokes like that because I do not find it funny. Some women may like it but I am not some women, please leave me be. Thank you and welcome to the Philippines. Enjoy your stay.”

     Then he noticed her signature line, Maeve Blake Abelanco, would you look at that, an Irish name and a very apt name too. It suits her. Maeve the Intoxicating one. Maeve Blake- the dark-haired intoxicating goddess and then an image rose up in his mind, Mabel signing her name as Maeve Blake Devlin and a wedding band on her left finger. Devlin was shaken by the image and laughed. “Fuck, I must be losing my head.” Marry her indeed. She doesn’t even like him and that puzzles him. From the moment she met him, she was like shooting daggers at him. If looks could kill, he could have been dead by now. She seems pleasant to other men especially to some of the male staff of the Al Fahezis and even Mansour, the second son. That thought darkened his mood some more. Being male with a one-track brain, at the moment it is filled with Mabel. He is a businessman for goodness’ sakes. He decided to let go of that particular female and proceeded to book a stay in Boracay. Now that he knows where Mabel is, might as well relax for the rigorous months ahead. If he is bent on having that damned woman, he must prepare himself and get her by hook or by crook. Nothing else seems more important than that. He did not rise to the top if he wasn’t ruthless in his business dealings, what can one woman do that could stop him from taking her. 

     Probably believing what he thought, Devlin went to the airport to catch his flight to Kalibo in Aklan. It took him 6 hours and 8 minutes to reach the island paradise. Since the change in the administration, Boracay was restored to its original beauty. He enjoyed his stay in Boracay and he also explored the nearby tourist attractions. In the third week of May, he decided to fly north. There is now a direct flight from Kalibo to the city of pines up north. Since May is still considered summer in most of the Philippine islands, Devlin was surprised by the weather he arrived to, it was raining in Baguio. Pretty cold too. The foggy city reminded him of the fog in Ireland when he was still a little boy before Muckie mucked it up. Since it is May, the city of Pines is full of tourists. Nobody wants to go about in the rain though, it seems.

     While Devlin was busy getting himself wet touring the city, Mabel was excited because two nights before her flight back to the UAE, her cousin Rain will be holding a bride search party and after becoming close to Ami two years ago after her unfortunate experience, she was hoping her cousins would end up with each other. She has high hopes for them both. If there was something good that harrowing experience gave her, it was the friendship of her cousins. She was happy to be back home after two years in the UAE. After her heartbreak, she fled the city, not even attending the next coronation to hand over the crown. There were speculations and after Rain uncovered the sinister character of the man who used her, nobody dared slander the Abelancos. They were sympathetic towards Mabel but there is just so much her family can do to shield her from wagging tongues. Mabel of course ignored whatever it was that was thrown at her. 

     When Devlin decided to visit one of the museums in Baguio, he discovered a hall dedicated to Baguio’s muses as they were called. He stopped in front of a beautiful portrait, it was that of Mabel with a crown on her head. He sucked in his breath at the beauty of the woman. Whoever captured her must be very good indeed, he read the signature, Jordan Mang-osan. Ahh, the renowned solar artist from the Cordilleras. As he was staring at the painting, someone spoke behind him.

     “Beautiful isn’t she? It is just a shame that she avoided joining pageants again. With a beauty as hers, she could have joined other pageants. Maybe what they said about her is true.

     “And what is that?” Devlin couldn’t help himself asking. The speaker said nonchalantly “That she got impregnated by one of the judges but she had the baby aborted. Who knows, sometimes rumors such as these abound when envious mamas want their children to win.”

     Devlin couldn’t help clenching his fists, that is one malicious rumor if he ever heard one. When he turned around to confront the speaker, he was gone. That rumor though had his mind working, is it true? Is that the reason why she is wary of him?” He’ll get to the bottom of this, he swore. For some reason, something happening to her even if it was the past made his heart hurt. He just couldn’t understand it but if there is one thing he does, he knows once he vows to do something, he’ll do it no matter what.

     That rumor soured his mood that he suddenly hated the rain and went back to his hotel. He ordered for wine and as it was delivered, reviewed the events that led him to come to the Philippines, playing tourist. After a few moments of quiet contemplation, he did not regret it. He found the people friendly and always smiling. He saw the poorest of the poor in Manila, yet they did not seem bothered by it. Weird, he thought. When the wine arrived, he attacked it like a thirst-deprived lunatic. He switched on his laptop and decided to do something he has wanted to do since he saw that reply from Mabel. He opened his Meta social media page and typed Mabel’s full name. He recognized her photo, it was the painting he saw. He quickly sent a friend request. He can’t really see her profile as the settings were probably set to private and only close friends can have access to it. As if waking from a dream, he shook himself and swore. This won’t do, he does not recognize the feeling and he is starting to hate it. He swore off strong emotions a long, long time ago and this obsession with this particular woman is driving him crazy. He checked his email one more time to make sure he did not miss anything business related. Satisfied that he missed nothing, he switched his laptop off and took a swig of the wine without using the glass that came with it. He thought the wine sweet, and took a look, before it registered on his brain, the wine bottle dropped and he was snoring.