Chapter 1: Eight years later

Damn! What the heck did I get myself into?

Of course, her friends would do this to her. "Oh, why did I even say yes?" She chastised herself for being a pushover as tiny beads of sweat broke out of her skin.

A bet, really, Sky? Are you twelve? What am I thinking?

But she loved her two adorable friends despite their overbearing behaviors. She could never say no to them. Besides, they promised her something she could not refuse if she won.

Hence, her current situation.

"Well, I will just have to win." She silently pepped herself up while taking a stool by the bar, "Hey, there," calling the man in a black shirt with black ink tattoos covering his arms.

"Can I have a dry martini?" She ordered, clearing her throat to sound more confident and sophisticated. But truthfully, she was far from feeling any of that.

At that moment, she preferred to be home, cuddling with her adorable son, reading a book, or watching a movie rather than sit and drink in the smoke-filled air of the bar.

However, she could not decline her friends's request for a night out. After all, they rarely went out these past months since she had to juggle between her son and her busy work schedule.

"Better get this bet over with." It was silly as she thought about the challenge. But a bet was a bet.

"I swear if I only looked like that." Sasha pointed at her curvy figure. "Damn, I would use and abuse that body to my advantage," her gay friend said a few minutes earlier as they sat at a table in the dark corner of the club, away from the prying eyes of the other patrons.

"I would never choose to hide that ass." Her friend wanted her to wear something more tight fitting, but she chose a more comfortable dress. "But I guess this works much better on you."

"There is nothing wrong with my dress." She said, defending her outfit choice.

She always considered herself as plainly simple. She was not ugly, but she was not Miss Universe material either. Nonetheless, her friend insisted that she had the face of an angel but the body of a temptress.

"Don't mind her, Sky. Sasha is just jealous of your sweet, innocent, virgin look that seems to drive men insane." Judith, her other friend, commented.

Of course, she thought that was a complete nonsense. However, by some damn luck, she could not deny that she had never lacked men who tried to pursue her.

"Stop it, guys. I'm not like that." She was not sweet and innocent. She was a single mother, for God's sake. She was, without a doubt, not a virgin.

"But you are, Skyler." Sasha insisted, highlighting her innocent and naive appeal. "I swear. You can pick any guy in this bar, make him fall on his knees, and beg for your attention."

"No, I can't." She countered as she grabbed her drink and emptied the glass.

"Sorry, Sky, but yeah, you can. I have to agree with Sasha." Judith seconded their friend. "You have this damsel in distress vibe that appeared to lure men like a moth to a flame."

Am I really that appealing and charming?

"Whatever!" Skyler shook her head and gave up. She knew she would not win against her friends. Still, she denied that she exuded such a vibe.

"Ok." Sasha tapped on his chin as if thinking. Then, he excitedly gasped as if a light bulb flickered above his head. "I want you to do a dare to prove my point."

Now, she sat alone in the bar, agreeing to test her friend's theory. But, of course, she still found it ridiculous, wishing to prove him wrong.

"Can I buy you a drink?" A man approached her by the bar before she could finish her first sip.

Damn! That was fast.

But at least he was someone else and not the target.

"I don't think so." She immediately declined. "As you can see, I can buy my drink." Driving the man away as fast as he came.

Her friends predicted that in just fifteen minutes of sitting alone in a bar, she would have men lining at her feet, trying to get into her pants.

Of course, it is simply outrageous.

"Please, I will give you twenty dollars if you stop bringing me free drinks." She offered to bribe the bartender after his third try of handing her another drink on the house, courtesy of some gentleman.

"Three minutes to go..." She tapped on her watch, willing the time to go faster.

But she could not help but wonder if her friends were correct about their premise. Did men think that she was a virgin or something like that just by looking at her?

Did men only want her because they saw her as a conquest?

Well, damn! That is depressing.

She wished to find someone who would love her for her qualities, not just her appearance.

"But does such a man still exist?" She was beginning to doubt it.

Truthfully, she had already given up on finding the right man. After her tragic breakup, she swore she would only focus on her son and career.

She just wanted to bury and forget Jonathan, a lying, cheating manwhore who did not deserve her.

Could you blame her after she caught her boyfriend in bed with one of their models?

That prick even had the nerve to call her prude and uninteresting.

"Great! It's almost time." She could not wait to call the whole thing over after two men offered to take her home and four free drinks later.

Luckily, those men did not count. Yeah, she was about to win the bet.

"It looks like you just won the bet." A man unexpectedly said as he joined her, raising his hand to the bartender and asking for his regular drink.

"Excuse me?" Of course, she was surprised by the remark. How did he know about their bet?

She turned to look at him, curious if she might know the nosy stranger.

Crap!

She immediately recognized him as the man her friend was eyeing earlier. He was sitting on the other table, sandwiched between two lovely models.

"I overheard your friends talking about it." He discreetly pointed to her best friends, silently watching them in the corner.

"Oh! It is nothing but just some silly game." She quickly dismissed him, not wanting to talk to him.

"But you see, your friends were right." He grabbed his glass and dumped half of its content into his mouth. "You're like a sheep amidst a pack of wolves."

"A temptation that could drive a man to do crazy things." He played with his whiskey, swirling it around until the ice melted. "Now, what would you like to drink?"

"What makes you think I will accept a drink from you?" She finally turned to get a good look at him.

Big mistake!

Suddenly, something about him unnerved her.

"Because I'm not like these other men. And honestly, you look like you need one." He nonchalantly stated without even giving her a single glance.

"A piece of advice..." He smiled as if he had found something funny. "...wear a ring." He raised his glass at her but still refused to look at her.

"A ring, ha?" Yeah, she guessed that would drive away all these unnecessary male advances. "It sounds like a practical advice."

"Ok. I'll have what you are having." She could not help but be curious about the man beside her as she dared a closer look at him.

Damn, the bet!

Suddenly, she could not care less about losing.

"I bet that man..." Sasha pointed to this gentleman earlier. "... could never resist your allure. Eventually, she would dump those side pieces and go after you. I bet on it."

Of course, she laughed at her friend, believing he was talking rubbish. How could a man like that dumped those beautiful ladies for her?

But now, she could not help but wonder. What was this man doing sitting right next to her? Was he interested in her? Or was he just full of crap?

"That's more like it." He quickly ordered her a drink, which she accepted without hesitation.

Oddly enough, she believed something about his face screamed familiarity. But she swore she had never seen him before.

When he finally turned to look at her, she thought the world had stopped spinning, and time stood still. In an instant, they were the only two people in the room.

Those eyes.

She believed his eyes spoke to her. It seemed ludicrous. But she felt like when he looked into her eyes. As in, he saw her.

Did he know her?

Unlikely.

"Who are you?"