Chapter 5

I arrived at the rendezvous point twenty minutes earlier to inspect the area, wearing a red off-shoulders top and a pair of black jeans. In case anyone asked if I was old enough to drink, I had a fake ID in my pocket to show anytime.

The bar was teeming with people; men and women alike. Some were chatting and laughing boisterously, some playing cards while others just sat alone leisurely. It was like the entire town was gathered here.

I was more than surprised to find out that the bar had three floors, the latter two having the eagle's viewpoint of the ground floor.

I went directly to the bar and sat on a stool, running my eyes over to the entire crowd. The bar was pretty decent than I had expected. With a crowd like this every night, how much revenue would the owner gather within a month? Profit would likely be skyrocketing.

“Howdy!” a voice suddenly said from behind me.

I turned swiftly to face the stranger and came face-to-face with Pamela Lincoln. “What can I do for you?” she asked in her South American accent. Her hair looked like a deep shade of red under the club's dim lighting, and with a shade of rogue lipstick to match.

"One glass of Bloody Mary please." I beamed a smile at her which she returned with her own seductive one.

"You're new here, aren't you, pumpkin?" She let her elbow rest on the countertop, cupping her cheek with her hand.

I nodded, lying swiftly like an expert, "Yup. Just got here in town yesterday, hoping to have a good summer vacation and see Sylvan's famous tourist spots!"

"Why don't I show you around some time? Give you a good time."

"Sure, why not?" I shrugged offhandedly.

"And for that, I'll serve you your Bloody Mary for free. My treat." She winked.

Nice! A free drink and an appointment.

Pamela then quickly mixed my drink like the professional that she is, then poured it on a clear glass.

"Here's your drink madame. For one."

"Next time it should be for two," I joked to which she laughed at.

"Next time then, we should have a drink at my house."

Ohhh... did my ears deceive me? Did Pamela just invite me, a stranger, to her house for a drink?

"Of course. Why not?"

"Hey! Stop flirting, more serving!" a masculine voice interrupted us over the background music.

I glanced over to the owner of the voice and got a good look at Pamela's twin brother at the other end of the spacious bar.

Pamela flipped her hair as she rolled her eyes. "It's my brother. He's too much of a workaholic, I tell you. He seriously can't give me a break."

"Pam!" her brother called again, his voice laced with fury.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Pamela quickly shouted back before turning to me again. "Gotta go, pumpkin. Talk to you later alright?"

"Sure. Don't let me keep you."

"Oh, but I wished you could," she purred seductively. I choked on my drink, feeling conscious of how she responded so flirtatiously. I just hoped she was only joking around.

"Pamela!!!" Taylor's voice, Pamela's twin brother, repeated warningly.

Pamela rolled her eyes again and left after casting me an appreciative look. I watched her move away from my area and tend to the other customers. It looks like she'd be preoccupied for now.

I grasped my drink with one hand began to look for a table around. My eyes quickly zeroed in on a circular table for six, and just as I was headed toward it, the men from beside me suddenly burst into a laughing fit.

"You ain't gonna win against me pal! I bet no one ever will," a tall greasley man in a black polo shirt laughed loudly.

"Yeah. Yeah. Just you see Shawn, someone will show ya' one day," another man responded.

Their table was surrounded by men of all ages; fits of laughing, boasting and praising coming from their large circle.

The man whom I supposed was named Shawn stood up and spread both arms wide to everyone. "Who among you here have the nerve to challenge me?"

I raised a brow at his proud challenge.

Seriously?

Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward. "Why don't I give it a try?"

Shawn turned toward my direction, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You?" he asked, running his eyes up and down my body as if he could gauge my chances of defeating him through my appearance. "But you're just a girl."

Some of the men behind him scoffed and chortled, as though being challenged by a young woman was a joke.

Confidently, I walked over to the gathered men. "Don't be scared. I'll take it easy on you." I beamed at him, garnering a burst of laughter from Shawn's friends.

"Shawn, you got what ya' want: a challenger. Take it." It was the man Shawn previously played with, his eyes shining in amusement. He then stood up and sacrificed his chair for me like a gentleman.

I placed my drink on the table. Turning the chair so that the back of it was leaning against the table, I sat down and propped my arms over the back part of my seat. "So, how about it?"

Due to the peer pressure and my "gender," Shawn couldn't resist taking up my challenge. He instantly caved in, thinking he had the upper hand, but I knew exactly how to defeat men like him.

Pride was their weakness, because men like him only play in order not to lose. But I, on the other hand, will be playing in order to win.

His silver rings on three consecutive fingers, his large cigar, his gold chain necklace. They were all superficial, just for show. A faux display of money and power and whatnot.

I could see right through him.

*****

Ten minutes after the game started, Shawn was already sweating profusely. His brows were furrowed in extreme concentration as I stared at him through my ace cards.

Everyone seemed to hold their breaths as they waited for Shawn's next move... his last one.

I made sure no one else could see my cards though. He could try to cheat through one of his friends all along. I'd be stupid not to be wary of that possibility.

Finally, as he huffed out a huge breath, he splayed all his cards on the table. Shawn watched my blank expression the entire time, his adam's apple bobbing up and down when he gulped.

Slowly, I allowed corner of my lips to rise before revealing my own aces.

"I win."

There were a collective mixture of gasps, woah's and applauses from our spectators as I triumphantly pocketed Shawn's chips from all his winnings.

"Ha! See ya' finally met your match!" Shawn's previous opponent clapped him behind his back as he was stunned into silence.

The man then turned to me with a toothy smile, his yellow teeth and chipped tooth reminding me strangely of a pirate. "Name's Fred, dearie."

"Milady," I responded, trying to show him how preoccupied my hands were with my winnings and drink. Judging by his unhygienic appearance, who knows where his hands had gone off to?

While some were trying to congratulate me, I briefly checked my watch to see it was already 6:59. It was almost time for them to arrive. But there were so many people here. How would they find me quickly then?

I had Kassy and Van's numbers, but that was just a way too boring way of finding each other in this crowd.

'I'm wearing red. And you?'

'To the right side of the bar.'

'Try your other right.'

'Blah blah blah. Yada yada yada.'

Ehk! That would just suck. I had a better idea though.

I saw a DJ on the corner of the stage, playing different kinds of weird jazz music blasting through the speakers. But the stage itself was devoid of any performers right now and there was a mic there, just waiting, tempting, and mocking me. So why not...

Turning to the men, I shouted over the music, "Drinks on me guys!" They all erupted into cheers as I dropped all my winnings for their drinking expenses.

I belt down the remaining contents of my drink before strolling up to the raised platform. On cue, the DJ looked at me in confusion. I signaled him to decrease the volume and grasped the microphone close to my mouth.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I am Milady. And tonight I'd like to dedicate a special song to everyone out there who's been in a toxic relationship before. Cheers to all such lovers."

Everyone seemed to quiet down at my words and turned to look at me, even the ones on the top floors. I glanced at the DJ and mouthed for him to just follow my lead.

Then, I sang.

Let me be honest with you, I had a perfectly good voice and could have gone well off with a career as a singer. But that's not really my thing.

I'm just glad to be able to put my "angelic" voice—so they say— to good use though.

I did some creative belting, freestyle rapping and added a high falsetto that stupefied the audience. I wasn't done just yet thought, I lilted a few repetitive chromatic scales with twelve pitches, each a semitone above or below its adjacent pitches. At the last part, I whistled a high note.

The crowd grew wild to the fireworks of sounds assaulting their eardrums. That DJ was good. He knew how to keep up with me.

After the song ended, I was rewarded with a standing ovation and a round of applause from my audience. I bowed gracefully like how a magician would after a good magic show.

Glancing at my watch, I found it was already 7:03 o'clock. I hope they're not late though.

I flashed the crowd a grateful smile. "Thank you for listening. Good night."

When I came down the steps, I was immediately greeted by Pamela. Her bright smile reached her eyes, making their corners crinkle slightly.

"Didn't know you had such an amazing voice pumpkin. Your phone?" she asked, holding a hand out, palm upward.

My brows raised in surprise, but I took my phone out obligingly to see what she would do next. I unlocked it first using the fingerprint biometric.

I was right-handed, so it was my left pinky fingerprint I had saved there.

Pamela then started typing something in my phone without my permission, took a selfie then went on typing away again. I heard the familiar notification bell from my phone which I easily recognized as the message sent tone.

"Thanks pumpkin." She winked before returning my gadget. "Now, we can call each other anytime."

Without even checking, I knew she's already saved her number on my contacts and sent herself a message through my phone.

"Oh and by the way," she paused, pointing a manicured finger toward a certain direction. "Our friends are waiting for you at that table."

"Thanks."

"My pleasure. See you around."

Pamela turned on her heel like a how a beauty queen would, her hips swayed left and right as she did. Men followed her with their gaze like hungry wolves.

Well, well. Why am I so lucky today?