ENTANGLED ECSTASY

LARA let out a deep sigh as she stared at the tombstone of her late mother, Edna.

It's been more than a year since she passed away due to cardiac arrest and until now Lara still can't accept the fact that she's gone.

She never met her father. According to Edna's story when she was still alive she used to be a waitress in a bar. There she met her father who was one of her customers.

Lara asked her mother what her father's name was but the only answer she got was that, given the number of customers Edna had, she couldn't know which of them was her father.

Despite all of that, Lara did not harbor any resentment against her mother.

She did not hide anything like that in her heart because the truth is that, she loves Edna very much and she can tell that up to this day, her mother is still the reason for all her efforts.

Lara was already two years old and her mother stayed at the nightclub to work.

Edna did not leave because she thought her father would return there. But something else happened.

Instead, her mother met her stepfather Rodolfo or better known in their area by the nickname Ompong. He has his own taxi for his livelihood and has his own house that he inherited from his parents.

In other words, her mother and her Papa Ompong started to live together. Her father was kind and treated her like a child of his own.

But as the saying goes, no one is perfect and neither is his father.

Because he likes gambling, that's his vice. That also includes cigarettes and alcohol. And in recent months, since the death of her mother, Lara has also noticed a gradual change in her father's behavior.

He became hot-tempered and often angry and scolded her.

"I-I don't know what I'm going to do with Papa, Ma, he feels so bad about losing you that he probably spends all his time and attention on gambling," she said, unable to stop herself from expressing her resentment.

That's true, Lara loves her acclaimed father very much. And it hurts her when she sees that he seems to be losing hope in life.

"I hope there is a way for me to help him get up from his fall," she continued. "I need to leave Ma, I still have work to do," she said before finally leaving the place.

*****

"COME ON, we rarely do this. One more thing it's free because Boss will pay for everything!" Lara could notice the thrill of extreme excitement that was traced to the tone of her fellow sales clerk Cynthia.

"Thanks but no thanks. I don't want to leave Papa alone at home especially at night. You know he hasn't completely forgotten the loss of Mama that's why he's always sad. I feel sorry for him, I don't even know what to do," Lara said, stopping her from applying lipstick and then sighed.

"Oh my gosh, that's it, you have to stop thinking about problems. It's better if you would come, but if you can't, maybe Boss Randy will understand that," Cynthia said sympathetically and then smiled at her.

Lara just nodded and continued fixing herself in front of the mirror.

She works as a saleslady in that boutique. Lara has been with the company for quite some time and is lucky to be a regular employee so she also considers herself a lucky person.

Why not, in the hardships of life and the hardship of finding a job today, she is really lucky and she has become a permanent employee even though in fact she did not finish her Business Management course.

That was also because of her mother's illness. She had to work right away so that she could help her father to provide for Edna's regular medicines.

"But I also admire your father, he is very loyal to his love for your mother. It's a pity that they separated early, it would have been better if they grew old together," said Cynthia again which in turn caused sadness in her heart.

"Hey, don't make me sad anymore, come on. Miss Monet is probably waiting for us," she said.

She was referring to their Branch Manager. Monet is actually kind but a little strict which she believes is fine.

They just opened so there weren't many people in the mall yet. The first thing they do then is clean and fixing the displays which they also do along with the inventory of the items.

They sell beautiful clothes, bags, wallets, shoes as well as intimate apparel. In fact, their boutique is known throughout the Philippines and many well-known celebrities are their regular customers. So that's how happy she was when she got permanent in that job. In fact, she plans to continue her studies, because that was Monet's advice to her.

According to her manager, once she has a degree, Human Resources can no longer see a reason for her not to promote her.

*****

"ALRIGHT, I'll just wait here," Joaquin shook his head as he followed his current bed-partner Lucille with his gaze.

He didn't know what Lucille was thinking but it was not common for her to enjoy shopping on weekdays especially and she knew he was busy running their business.

They have been together for less than two months and he can say that as of now, everything is still okay. But Joaquin knows that sooner or later he will get tired of everything about them and eventually like what he used to do, he will start making many excuses until the woman finally gets angry with him and decides to break up with him.

Joaquin sighed at his last thought.

Lucille is very beautiful and it's not surprising, she is a beauty queen and her perfect figure is definitely his favorite, in bed.

As he watched Lucille walk towards what she said was her favorite boutique Joaquin couldn't help but admire her graceful walking especially her long and perfect legs which became even more tempting in his eyes because of her wearing red high heels.

Lucille was not the first woman in his life to have these qualities.

Many women have gone through his life. There are also many beauty queens, there are famous actresses and models. So maybe he doesn't seem to feel excitement anymore. And maybe that is the reason why everything seems typical or normal to him.

That's what he thought when he caught sight of a saleslady who was assisting Lucille.

His bed partner was a little taller than the saleslady because Lucille was wearing high heels while the woman he was talking to was wearing black flat shoes.

The lady's waist was so small that he thinks could measure with his hand, and her red uniform fits her figure so well that gives a great emphasis on every curve in the woman's body.

Her figure is really attractive. He wanted to see what she looked like since he was really curious but that attempt was stopped when he heard the cellphone in his overcoat's inside pocket rings.

When Joaquin checked his phone, he found out that an important client was calling. He answered that and then walked to get a little farther from that place. It's a bit noisy and he doesn't really understand the person he's talking to on the other line.

Just as his conversation with the client ended, Lucille approached him. Then he glanced at the woman he had seen standing there.

She's gone, someone else is on duty.

The other side of Joaquin's mind.

Whether he admits it or not he really felt regret and then he secretly laughed at himself. He was very affected by that woman with a sexy back that he hadn't seen even a side view of her face.

"What happened? Why haven't you bought anything?" he asked.

Then Lucille clung tightly to his arm. "I didn't like anything, their new designs are supposed to be in a week so I said I'll just come back," she said.

Joaquin nodded then. "Okay, I need to go back to the office," he told Lucille who was obviously disappointed.

TWO DAYS LATER...

"PAPA?" Lara could not understand where the intense fear that she immediately felt came from as soon as she opened the front door of their house and saw Rodolfo whimpering.

"Sweetheart, go hide, they might take you!" Rodolfo pushed her into the house and then pulled her into her room.

Lara's fear intensified because of that. "W-What do you mean? W-Who will take me? " despite all the bad emotions that were at that moment lingering in her chest.

"Don't ask too many questions, just listen to Papa, hurry up!"

Lara could have done nothing but follow through. She hid inside her bedroom, behind an antique closet. But in spite of everything, she could still hear the arguments and all the unkind words that someone said to her father.

"Are you going to pay or will I just kill you?" the man's furious cry.

That was when Lara got up from being hidden in the corner. Her whole body grew cold and she stepped carefully to avoid making any crack on the floor made of large narra planks.

When she reached the closed door of her room she peeked through the small hole. That was when she saw three men surrounding her father. One of them is holding a gun that she thinks is the leader of the group.

"Answer me! Will you pay or will I just kill you? " Lara heard the man furiously asked her father again.

No matter how much her father owed them, maybe that wasn't enough reason to turn his life into debt repayment. But something else happened when she heard the trigger.

Lara hurried out of the room then shouted while crying.

"Stop! Don't kill my Papa! " she said pleading in tears as she ran then hugged Rodolfo who was obviously shocked when she came out.

"Lara! What did you do? Didn't I tell you to hide? " Rodolfo asked her angrily but she ignored him.

"No matter how much my father owes you, I'm willing to pay. If you want, take me with you! Just promise me that you won't bother him anymore," she continued in a pleading tone as her face is wet with tears.

"Lara!" her father.

"That's how it is!" said the man with the gun happily. "Why didn't you tell me right away that you have a very beautiful daughter who can make money, Ompong?" he asked with a demonic grin on his face then held her face tightly.

"Boss, that's fine," said the other man.

"Yes, we can sell her for a large sum of money," it's the third man.

What happened next went unnoticed by Lara. She felt at that moment that she was just having a nightmare as the man with the gun dragged her out of their house while her father Rodolfo was crying following them. Begging.

"Papa, take care of yourself, I promise I'll come back for you," she said before they closed the window of the car where they took her.

*****

THREE DAYS LATER

HOLDING a red lipstick, Lara's hand trembled as she rubbed it on her lips. She didn't think it would all end like this. She did not think that her desire to save her father from certain death would mean that she had fallen into this kind of prostitution.

After the three men took her, they sold her directly to Nati for one hundred thousand pesos. What she knew was that her father owed less than ten thousand pesos to the three demons who took her but they were able to sell her for such a large amount.

As for her, Nati said that a large part of the money she will earn every time someone takes her out will go directly to the woman as her manager.

Her tears flowed immediately.

If only those three men had given her a chance, she would have made way for her father's debt and she wouldn't have had to do this now.

But there was nothing she could do.

She is an honorable woman. Yes her mother was then a waitress but at least once she never failed to remind her. That she should not follow what her life had become. She needed to get better, and that's what Lara was trying to do.

But sometimes no matter how much you avoid sin and temptation, no matter how hard you try not to do wrong, there are really times when the only option you have to solve a problem is to do wrong.

"Hurry up Venus, they are already waiting for you, be great, and don't embarrass me!" the voice of club manager Nati was the one she heard calling to her from outside the dressing room.

When she did not reply, Nati continued.

"Guess what? You are very lucky because your first customer is extremely rich. Aside from that is the fact that he is perfectly handsome, so I can say that your virginity will not be wasted, because it will worth it," Nati said following those words with a loud laugh.

Because of what she heard, Lara stared sadly in the mirror. No matter how angry she felt at that very moment there is nothing she could do. So she decided to keep quiet.

"They actually paid a lot and because of that, you will be receiving a big share. And if he enjoys working with you later, for sure he will definitely give you a great tip. And when he likes you, he might be your regular customer!"

In the way, Nati speaks, it is obvious that she has memorized the ins and outs of that kind of work.

But Lara could feel nothing but anger.

Nati also changed her name because according to her, that is the standard operating procedure in such a line of work. It is up to her if she will give her real name to her future customers.

Lara swallowed consecutively. After that, she then went out the back door of the club, and there she saw a large box that Nati said would be used as props later. Lara laughed softly. She did not think this was true.

Back then it was only on TV that she could see women being put inside the box. Then they would get out there masked while dancing. Later, she would do that. It was as if her heart wanted to tear in pain and resentment.

She is not angry with her father. In fact, she is angry with the three men who took her as payment for her father's debt. She is angry with Nati, that even though it is illegal, she still does this kind of work without thinking about how many families she can destroy.

This will be the first time she would do this and she is really scared. Whatever life waited for her later when she came out of that box, she did not know.

"ARE you nervous, Venus?" Lara was asked by the driver of the van that would take her to the party she was going to.

Delfin is the old club driver who she thinks is the same age as her father. And like her Papa, the old man was soft-spoken. Meaning to say, kindness is evident in the tone of his speech.

She nodded as she glanced at Delfin for a moment, after which she turned her gaze back outside the window.

"I-I don't know if I can do what they will ask me to do," she said in a broken voice but she still held back from crying.

Lara heard the heavy sigh released by the old man. "That's up to you," he said with a meaningful glance as she looked right at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He just shrugged. "Did you know that the police caught the three men who sold you here? Your father immediately reported to the authorities," he said, giving her another meaningful look.

She never spoke again after that. The truth is that she doesn't know what the old man wants to tell her but running away after this is actually included in her plan.

That is despite that Nati has threatened her that there is no place in the world where she can hide when she does that. But Lara still doesn't believe that.

*****

"HEY, dude? What took you so long? We're getting bored here!" from inside the box, that's what Lara heard from the man she knew had paid Nati a large amount of money.

This is the man she knew her manager thought would be her customer, but it was a mistake. The man paid for her as a gift to a friend of his who is actually celebrating his birthday today.

The corners of her eyes quickly warmed up. Until now, she still cannot believe that this is happening to her.

And she doesn't even seem to know herself because until now she still seems to be in a state of shock. Unable to speak or even utter a word and say no.

"All right hurry up and I'm sure you'll like my gift to you!" he even added.

Just a few moments later, Lara was surprised when the top of the box suddenly opened. She winced and then quickly hugged herself.

"Miss, are you really serious about your outfit? Isn't there a sexier replacement for that?" he asked her.

The man looked really rich and educated in the way he speaks. But even so, Lara still couldn't help but feel angry.

He refers to the modern professional women's coat and tie that she is wearing.

The truth is that Nati really advised her to wear sexy clothes. The king that people like her usually wear to work. But her stomach couldn't handle it, so eventually, her manager said ...

"I think that's better, to make it easier to convince him that you're still a virgin. From the look of it, I know he's going to get rid of all that one by one," Nati said.

Lara shook her head.

"P-Please, listen to me, this is not really my job, please allow me to go home," she begged, her voice slightly broken.

She saw the corner of the man's lip rise. "Miss," he said. "I mean, Venus, right? You know what? That line is very common. Then another thing, I paid a huge amount of money to your manager, so you just have to do your job," he said as he also returned the cover of the box.

From what she heard, Lara burst into tears.

She was not prepared for this and not in this way she wanted her to lose her virginity which should have been only for the man she would marry. But what exactly should she do? Just in the case will she be able to escape?

That's when she wore the black eye mask that Nati had given her earlier. Only now did she feel sorry for herself.

My God, I hope that man is kind. I hope he agrees not to touch me and not to do bad things to me!

But she knew that was impossible.

She knew it was unlikely that she could leave this place without that man getting what he wanted from her.

The pounding in Lara's chest intensified when she heard a loud noise outside the box. What those men were waiting for had come, and it was the end of everything for her. The eventual destruction of her whole being that she had long kept.

"Joaquin, happy birthday dude!" the familiar voice of the man speaking to her earlier.

Lara's tears flowed unceasingly at that very moment.

What will she do?

Will she dance in front of these men and take off her body covering one by one? She is masked yes and the newcomer will not recognize her face but what about the others? As well as the man who paid Nati and ---

It was then that everything that was playing in her mind was cut off when suddenly...

"Hey! What are you doing? Get to work! Don't forget, I paid your boss the exact amount of money that she wants!" the man growled at her.

She shook her head consecutively and then cried even louder. "I-I can't, please, leave me alone," she pleaded.

Lara saw in the man's face the reflection of intense hate, but despite what she saw, she was still surprised when he grabbed her arm tightly and then forced her to stand up. That was the time the box completely collapsed.

"Dance! You were told to dance!" the man scolded her.

Only then did everything become clear to her.

She was right, only men were in the room. They are all in business suits and are obviously rich and came from respective families.

But out of her sight, they were no different from any man she had seen going in and out of nightclubs. No matter how well-dressed they were, it still wouldn't change the beast she knew was lying on their bodies.

"Dance!" the man shouted at her again and then tightened his grip on her arm.

But she really can't. Her muscles trembled as she cried harder and then shook her head one after another.

"I-I'm really sorry sir, I'm not what you think I am, please don't force me. Please have mercy on me," she begged to try to pull her arm back from the man.

"Stop the drama! How are you going to pay me? Huh? Will you give me back my money ---," then the man didn't finish the other thing he wanted to say when the other man she thought had a birthday approached them.

"That's enough, can't you see? She's so scared of you?" he even reprimanded his friend.

"She's getting on my nerve!" he said. "Why? Are you still a virgin?" suddenly the man turned on her.

From what she heard the man say, Lara's patience finally reached its peak. And perhaps that included her mixed resentment and anger for the three men who took her and also for Nati, she had enough reason to slap his cheek with her free hand.

"How dare you! Pig! You don't know me so don't talk to me like that! Why? Do you have any idea what they did to me, huh? You're an animal!" her furious cry.

When the man who was going to slap her was ready, the man who had just arrived earlier intervened.

"That's enough, I'll be the one to talk to her," he said, hugging her to make sure that his companion wouldn't hurt her. "Come on, let's go in there, let's go inside the room," then he turned to her.

For some inexplicable reason, Lara's feet moved spontaneously and they seemed to have a mind of their own that followed the direction in which the man guided her.

"T-Thank you, y-you're so kind, s-sir," she said after the man sat her at the foot of the bed and then handed her a glass of water.

He just nodded. "Do you want to eat? Are you hungry?" he asked her.

Her stomach churned quickly at what she heard. But was it right for her to receive anything from him?

"Don't worry I won't put anything on the food and drink that I will give you," he said as if guessing the reason for her silence.

Lara did not speak and remained silent while staring at the man. She just followed him with her gaze until he came out of the room. Not long after, he returned with food and drink that he had placed on the small table in the room.

"Just eat, I'll leave you first, okay? Don't worry, you're safe as long as I'm here," he said in a tone that she felt she could rely on.

When the man came out Lara stared at the food on the plate once again. She hadn't eaten yet so her stomach made another noise. Then she thought, maybe she can eat that without falling into a deep sleep. Because she thinks that man is the knight in shining armor sent by heaven to rescue her.

Because other than her father he is the kindest man she had ever met.