Chapter Two

Hawk always dreaded the hours when he was at home ever since his mother's marriage to Jon. The Luna Residence, which had become Henriquez-Luna Residence, had been a home and hell—and, well, heaven, for him. He was always aroused and alerted with Jade around.

He would drive his car with erotic images in his head. All featuring Jade. His dreams were always of Jade. He knew he was just tormenting himself but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her. Everything about Jade was perfect. Her breasts, her long legs, her waist, her hips, her face… Just perfect…

He couldn't stop looking at her picture. He was like taking his daily fix. It was the photo taken on his mother's and her father's wedding. She was smiling at the camera mischievously. She was leaning towards him and holding his 'bad' arm carefully.

His favorite fantasy was Jade wearing a gauzy thing. She was dancing slowly while walking towards him. She twirled and put up her arms when she was right in front of him. Her breasts were bra-less and he could see her nipples. Pebble-like and begging to be sucked. Just watching her walked sexily gave him an erection.

She had make-up on her eyelids and lip-gloss on her lips. They turned her eyes into mysterious pools that sucked his soul. Her lips formed an 'o' before pouting as if to kiss him.

At last, she was kneeling in front of him. He was sitting on the bed. Surprised because he was wearing nothing. His clothes had magically melted away.

His hard-on was pointing upwards. Willing her to notice it. Longing to be kissed.

He couldn't explain his feelings when his wish became her command. She was kissing him there. Her eyes, darkened and roiling like a storm-tossed ocean, were staring at him while she swallowed his whole length into her mouth…

He half-closed his eyes when she pulled off the head. Her lips wrapped around the girth before she let go with a pop. Still staring at him, she delicately licked the ridges and the base. She sucked the flesh underneath while her hands cupped the sac. She repeated the action until he could not take anymore.

Jesus!

Hawk always halted his fantasy when the end was near. He was afraid to have a heart attack.

It had been two years but Hawk could still see the scene in his mind. After the photo session, Jade had looked up to him and smiled sweetly. Her eyes, a dark chocolate churned while smoky hot, stared at him. Her luscious lips were half-opened, showing her white pearly teeth. Her body was ripe and slim, poised for his embrace.

But he didn't heed the silent plea in her eyes. His arms felt empty when he turned away. His body was 'shouting' at him…

'I want you, Jade…'

He could smell her long hair. So fragrant. So fresh.

Every time he opened the door, her flowery fragrance welcomed him. Subtly, when she was out. Strongly, when she was in. His nose knew exactly where she was.

The nights were worse. She 'visited' his dreams every night. Even when he was drunk and tired, she tormented him. She would dance in front him. She would be naked, slowly rolling her hips while her hands were touching herself. She would go near him, worship him with kisses, adore him with touching hands…

She rode him. Her hips were soft and smooth to his touch. Her legs were apart and he was lying in between. She was open and he was tempted to feel her honeyed wetness.

She laid down over him. The tips of her breasts touching his chest. He felt the small waves of pleasure on his flesh. He kissed her fragrant neck, her cleavage, her nipples… His erection prodded her belly relentlessly while his mouth suckled at her softness ceaselessly. He was greedily relishing her.

Until he didn't know which was his fantasy and his dream. Until he was silently going crazy…

He had gone abroad because of this wanton creature he had made of Jade. His mind had created a different Jade.

And when both the fantasy and the dream had slowly faded, his mother called him and he was bombarded again with memories. Jade turned eighteen…

Hawk shivered. Excitement rippling all over him. The thought of coming home again was both arousing and agitating. He could already feel the pull of Jade's charms. Without his respect for her father and his mother, he knew he couldn't resist her.

Jonathan Henriquez was not there anymore. His presence was not detrimental anymore. And she was eighteen…

You don't have to rub it in, man! Jade is eighteen years old! So what? God, I must be burning in hell!

In the past, Hawk would daydream about them. He would invite Jade for lunch. He would drop her off to school, then he would pick her up. He was afraid that some man or boy would attract her. That she would be snatched away from him. So why not fence her in and wait for the fruit to ripen?

"Oh, Hawk, I'm so happy! Jade is the daughter that God has given me." His mother gushed to him one day. "Aren't you glad to have a sister like Jade? She's so sweet!" Alicia always referred to Jade as 'your sister' to Hawk. He had remained tight-lipped.

Jade was naturally sweet to everyone. Maybe, Hawk had read something from the attention he received from her. That once he showed his attraction to her, she would be disgusted.

He decided to hide his lust and hoped that it would fade in time. But his feelings for her had evolved. His forbidden desire for her had increased day by day. His wet dreams about Jade became alarmingly aggressive.

In one of his dreams, he had used mild force. Binding her hands behind her body, he kissed her flawless breasts. He shaped the soft mounds into his palms. He watched the pink tips hardened into fuchsia pearls that he would pluck and play with his mouth.

"Hawk!" She was screaming until she became hoarse. "Hawk…"

"Do you want me? Say you want me, too!"

"No…" She moaned helplessly.

"I'll make you want me…"

And proceeded to do again the torture to her body. His mouth tugged at her nipple, tasting the sweetness, sucking at the pebbled hardness, tweaking it with his tongue. She arched her body, giving him access, tilting her head to let him free to do whatever he wanted to do to her.

All the while, she was screaming his name. "Hawk! Oh, Hawk! I want you! I want you! Take me! Take me!"

He awoke sweaty and breathless. Her throaty cries still echoing in his mind. He was sick with himself.

'God! What kind of a man was I who treated a woman like that? Jade is your stepsister, for chrissake! She deserves your respect, Hawk!'

He flagellated himself all the way to the shower. He stayed under the cold spray of water the longest time. He was trying to cleanse his mind of dirty thoughts.

The opening of a job contract in the Middle East was like manna from the above. He grabbed the opportunity. The management asked him if he could leave at once. He said yes.

His mother was shocked but nothing could stop him. He was turning into a monster. A maniac monster.

If he stayed, he wouldn't be responsible to anything he would do to Jade. His dreams had the terrifying realistic quality. His craziness might snap and he would make his erotic illusion a reality.

Now, he was getting ready to face his nightmare. Predictably, his dreams about Jade would resume night after night but what can he do to stop it…?

'God help me, but Jade, you're still in my blood!'

Hawk needed a smokescreen. He called Dinah. She was a woman working in an office by day, and as an escort by night. She had a family to support back home so she had to work double.

He met her when he was homesick and she had been there at the bar, waiting for men like him. She had enjoyed playing the role of 'Jade' in his fantasies without her knowing it. He disliked his character more.

"I'm sorry, Hawk. I have a prior appointment. If you like, I could refer a different girl for you. Feeling lonely tonight, huh?"

"No, I have to go home. I just called if you like to go with me. It's for one night only."

"Oh, I can't marry you, lover boy. I have a husband and kids."

Hawk ran his fingers to his hair. Dinah jumped to wrong conclusion.

"Dinah, I just need a companion. But if you're not available, it's okay. Goodbye."

Hawk felt relief. He should not see Jade through Dinah. He must wipe out this insanity. He should let go of this craziness. He closed his eyes. He shouldn't be scared. It was only Jade…

*****

Jade was on tenterhooks while Mommy Alice talked on the phone. As promised, the older woman spoke to her son.

She was standing a few meters away but her ears were listening intently. Jade was not interested to hear the words. Just a positive response would suffice.

'Oh, God, please lead Hawk home," she prayed silently.

"Bye, son." Alicia was sniffling but she was smiling. She nodded when Jade looked at her questioningly.

That was all she needed. "Excuse me…" Then she ran to go to her room.

Her arms went around her body. She was trembling. Why did she react like this to the thought of seeing Hawk again?

It had been six months when her father died. She had no time to mourn for long because she had to go back to school. She only insisted to summon Hawk to her birthday party for the sake of Mommy Alice. The older woman favored black dresses for too long. It was time the son visited his mother. Jade's love was not enough.

Jade had been fascinated with the tall and quiet man from the first moment she saw him. Hawk was like no other men, or boys, that she had met. He was mysterious. He changed colors just like a kaleidoscope. His moods were hard to pin.

Nonetheless, she followed him like a loyal puppy dog when he was home. She ignored his smoldering silence. She was content to watch him gnash his teeth with impatience before he spoke. Maybe, he was getting old and he got no patience to a younger sister.

It had been over a month when he suddenly announced that he was being transferred to the Middle East. It was so sudden. She had no time to unravel the layers that he used to protect himself.

And she had no chance to discover the root of her fascination for him. Jade didn't know if she had a crush on him or she was just plain happy to have a new family.

Jade felt gutted when he was gone.

Her late father tried to comfort her when she could not shake off the disappointment.

"Jade, I don't like seeing you sad-faced. Where's my sweetly smiling daughter? Your Mommy Alice was wondering if I was just lying about your bubbly personality." Her dad sounded worried. It had been one week when Hawk went away and she was still moping around the house.

"I'm here," Jade smiled wanly. "I just missed Hawk so much. I wanted a brother and my wish had been granted for just a short time."

"Well, you've got a mother now. And Alice wants a daughter—you," Jonathan said cajolingly.

"Oh, please say sorry to Mommy Alice!" She bounced from the bed.

"Much better to say it yourself." Her dad replied smilingly. "Alice dear, come here. Jade has something to say to you."

"I'm sorry, Mommy Alice," Jade mumbled. "I promise I'll be the best daughter for you!"

"For me, you're the best daughter in the world," Alicia responded fondly.

Alicia and Jade embraced each other. Starting that day, a strong relationship developed between the two women. She learned from Alice all the things a mother could teach a beloved daughter. The loneliness that Hawk's departure created faded each day.

Mommy Alice showered love and affection for her.

Jade had transferred school. She met a lot of boys and girls her age. At home, Mommy Alice was always there to greet father and daughter. Jonathan had been renting an apartment so when he and Alicia married, the couple decided to live at the Luna Residence.

"Hawk told us to live here. I said yes because it was Alice's birth home. Her parents lived here and several generations before them." Her father had explained to Jade shortly.

The house was old. It had three storeys. The third was an attic, turned into a bedroom. Hawk's room. It had a workroom, where his projects were strewn all around.

She often went up here to be near him when she missed him.

One day, she had a strange dream about him. She had taken to cleaning his room when she was missing him. She must have fallen asleep on his bed when she saw Hawk coming out of the shower. She felt like a voyeur but she couldn't help but stare in her dream.

Hawk's face was hard and all angles. He was unsmiling. He was looking at a distance. Seemingly not seeing her lying there on the bed. He had a towel wrapped around his lean hips. He was tall even on barefoot. His feet were narrow and the toes well-shaped. He hadn't an ounce of fat to his trim body. His chest was wide and his abdomen had ripples of firm flesh. His arms were muscular, borne due to hard work. His strength was not the product of gym. His buttocks were tight and curvy.

She felt turned on by a man's body. By Hawk's body.

She shook her head. He was her stepbrother!

She fled the attic room. She felt Hawk's mocking laughter echoing behind her. She stopped going there for a month. Shivering whenever she remembered the incident.

The second floor had four bedrooms and four en suites. The toilets and bathrooms were the latest additions. The largest room, which was the master's bedroom, was occupied by Alicia and Jonathan. Jade had chosen the farthest because its balcony had a winding staircase towards the back garden.

She had a childhood fantasy. She was a wood nymph then, playing and dancing in the woods in her imagination. Now, she could make her fantasy come true. As a child, she had a penchant of burying things under the ground and hoping that they would be unearthed someday.

And she did just that in the overgrown garden of the Luna Residence. She turned all her energies to the little paradise.

Mommy Alice discovered her 'hobby'.

"Jade, there might be snakes and all kinds of insects there!" The older woman exclaimed.

"I don't mind them, Mommy Alice," she replied happily. "Come and see my little kingdom!"

The older woman was reluctant but when she saw what Jade had done, her eyes widened.

"You did this?"

'This' was a small clearing inside the garden. Jade clipped the tall grass around the old, concrete bench. She planted several wild flowers on the surrounding perimeter. The shade was provided by a large mango tree.

"So, this is where you disappear when you're not in your room." Mommy Alice still sounded awed but pleasantly surprised. "You like gardening?"

"I love it!" she replied enthusiastically.

The next day an elderly man appeared and started to clear the wilderness.

"He is Manong Steve, our part-time gardener. He is recommended by our neighbor, Mrs. Conchita."

Jade clapped her hands. "I can plant the whole garden!" she exclaimed.

"We will plant vegetables and flowers," Mommy Alice corrected her gently.

Gradually, she adapted to her new life. She even met Mrs. Conchita's son, Alfonso. They were of the same age and with the same interest, literally.

"Hi, Jade. You can call me 'Ponz'," the tall and lanky sixteen-year-old boy said. "We're neighbors."

"I don't have a nickname." She sounded timid, at first. Something was not right with her newly acquired friend. She couldn't help but stare. Maybe, he was wearing an eyeliner. Maybe, he had got lipstick on his lips…

"I'm gay," he whispered to her left ear. "But that's our secret. Mom doesn't know… yet." Then, he winked at her.

"Oh… of course!" Jade smiled, relieved. Her naturally affectionate-self emerged once again. She embraced him and kissed him on both cheeks.

"Welcome… sister," she whispered back, giggling.

They became very close friends from then on. They were inseparable until they entered college. Jade took culinary arts while Ponz got enchanted with fashion design. They still went out with their common friends whenever they had time, which was often during semester break.

Ponz was three months older than Jade. They celebrated his birthday secretly. His mother didn't know yet his true gender. And Mrs. Conchita was very much taken with Jade. She had mistakenly assumed that Ponz and Jade were an item.

"Ma has a heart problem. I don't want to give her a heart attack," Ponz explained once and Jade didn't say a pip.

Presently, Jade called Ponz.

"Friend, my stepbrother is coming to my birthday party. You will meet him again."

Ponz had seen a glimpse of Hawk while growing up. He had a crush on him.

"Your stepbrother was aloof as a teenager. He was always alone. He was serious and brooding yet already a lady-killer, according to my mother," Ponz recounted. "Then, we went to the States for a year. And when I came back, he was more manly and very yummy. Unfortunately, he had eyes on women only." The way Ponz had said his observation was both comical and mournful, Jade couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"And I don't know if Hawk could remember meeting me at the mini-park. I was very thin and asthmatic then. But I'm very excited on seeing him now. I bet, he looks hungry and ferocious. Grawr!" Ponz growled playfully at Jade.

"Oh!" Jade felt a ripple of excitement along her spine. She was a little bit disturbed after that conversation. Her awareness for Hawk had intensified.

And that night, she dreamed of him again. When she saw him coming out of the shower again, she was with him. She could see his face up close. She could touch his lips if she wanted.

But he had changed. He was harder and more morose than before.

Hawk was even more puzzling now. Was there a woman? Jade didn't understand why she was hurt. Of course, there was a woman. He was twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Was he serious and the woman was just playing around? Oh, why couldn't you wait for me?

Jade was shocked. She woke up sweating and breathing fast. She rolled around and buried her burning face against the pillow. She shouldn't feel like this to Hawk. He was her stepbrother…