"Hey, beautiful! Care for a drink?"
A glass filled with red liquid was pushed in front of her.
As always, the bar was abuzz with the throng of customers, their bodies writhing beneath the flashing lights and heady drum beats. More than once a stray glance grazed at her exposed thigh, their wolfish eyes burning with undisguised excitement.
"Oh?"
Olivia Ellis answered, lounging on the countertop, her fair complexion and bright sparkling eyes on display. Like a skilled actress, her mild look of disgust vanished into a playful smile.
"My husband will be here soon. If you're not afraid of death, let's have some fun, shall we?"
Her voice was a lilting, seductive purr as her eyes locked with his.
The young man smiled in reply. What luck for him to meet such a stunner tonight.
"Surely you jest. You look barely more than twenty. And that outfit... huh, I'm finding it hard to believe that someone over forty is willing to be caught dead in that."
His smile grew wider, bolder, a clear sign of disbelief at her statement.
He was used to this game, this coquettish play at demure rejection.
Her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings against her half-lidded eyes. She idly swirled the glass, its contents dyeing her skin a stained-glass red.
It had been three years since then.
Even seeing him through the wine glass, separated by the silhouettes of countless dancing bodies, she still recognized him.
He was wearing a tailored cyan suit that fitted his athletic, muscular figure. His amber hair had been neatly brushed back, framing his deep brown eyes.
The flashing disco lights cast shadows beneath his intense gaze. Her heart fluttered at the sight.
It was the advent of Adonis, a proud, lone figure casting his shadow in the bar doorway.
Of course, no woman would be safe from the temptations of such a man.
They soon surrounded him, like bees to honey and moths to a flame.
Olivia idly traced the rim of her glass, gazing at the reflection of this man on the smooth surface of the wine. As of the moment, a curvaceous lady entwined around his body.
She flicked back a stray curl of her hair, a coy look in her eyes.
"Hey handsome, care for a date tonight?"
Unfazed, the man signaled towards a burly bodyguard behind him.
Immediately, the bodyguard sprang to life and swiftly pulled the lady aside, pushing her back towards the dance floor. Pouting in disappointment, she walked away.
Olivia sighed, idly twirling her glass until her gaze fell upon the would-be-pervert sitting next to her.
Her eyes narrowed, an idea forming in her mind.
Her lips slowly lifted into a coy smile as she raised her glass at him.
"Shall we gamble?"
Their glasses clinked, and he downed his wine in one gulp. Step one, piquing his interest, check.
"What are we betting on?"
"I bet that my husband will show up within the next minute."
Olivia took a lazy sip, giving him a cheeky wink. "If you win, then I'm yours for tonight."
Her eyes drifted to the spectacle on the stage showered with catcalls and whistles. "If I win, you'll go up there and do a pole dance for me."
Find a husband within a minute.
This woman was probably nuts.
The man set down his wine glass, his eyes hungry as a wolf's.
"Deal."
At that moment, Olivia caught another glimpse of the mysterious newcomer. He was still frozen in place, slowly scanning the bar with his intense brown eyes like a lion surveying the Serengeti.
Then, his eyes stilled, locking with hers through the reflection in the wine glass.
Slowly, but surely, he started walking towards her.
At that moment, Olivia felt goosebumps break out all over her skin, her heart speeding up in her chest.
Her emotions were thrown into turmoil, yet she couldn't pull away.
She could only stare at him through the reflection as he moved closer and closer.
His steps were driven, focused, cutting through the crowd like a warrior returning to claim his prize.
Still, Olivia remained where she was.
She didn't dare to turn... to meet with those deep, abyssal eyes.
Until finally, he stood behind her. His regal figure casting a shadow on the wine glass as he moved in front of her, his brown eyes fixed upon her face.