CHAPTER 1

I stood frozen in front of the bar for a few minutes, where my friends were waiting for me. It was almost midnight, so the air was a little chilly, especially with the kind of dress they asked me to wear for the night.

The dress left my shoulders bare. Instead, it’s supported around my neck and fell into a lovely square neckline. It’s a tight fit which made the dress seem sleek and sophisticated.  The sleeves started loose and tightened towards the bottom, making a perfect match with the hue of my ivory complexion. The dress' waist was tiny, yet it was a nice fit. It's not ornamented with anything to produce an elegant, flowing effect.

I wore a stiletto because it was a great fit for my attire, and to top it all, I also wore a basic yet fashionable and gorgeous bracelet. Before taking a step forward, I took a deep breath to calm down my nerves. It wasn’t my first time walking into a bar because of my previous job, but it was definitely my first time picking a random man from the bar who could spend the night with me.

“Good evening, Madame,” the bouncer greeted me as soon as he saw me approaching the door, and I just smiled at him.

Then, he immediately closed the door after letting me in. I could smell a mix of various fragrances in the air, and the noise was deafening. I craned my neck to look for my friends, and when I found them, I immediately walked toward their table.

“I thought you would not come, Krystal!”

I snorted at Khloe’s statement and asked, “Why did you think so?”

“Because it’s not your style to sleep with a random man or even a stranger,” Khloe replied.

“I am glad that you are aware of that, Khloe, but isn’t it your idea why I’m here tonight?”

“Yeah, of course. Are you scared? Common, Krystal, you’re already in your twenties, and at your age, you’re still a virgin,” she whispered the last part.

“I know. So, did you find someone cute here?” I asked, and for a moment, they just stared at me as if they couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth.

You still have a chance to back out,” Amelia said before sipping her cocktail drink.

“Look, this is already terrifying, so please stop scaring me, Amelia! You are not helping at all,” I scolded the woman for trying to scare me. “Tonight, I am going to get laid,” I declared, and they all looked at me in amazement.

“I may be out of line, but I am worried about you, Krystal. Are you sure about this?” Khloe asked.

“So, have you found someone to my liking?”

“Over there,” Amelia used her eyes to point to the target. “He’s alone, and he appeared lonely. It’s perfect timing to flirt with him because he’s feeling down.”

“I am also not in the right mood tonight, Khloe. I already told you what happened,” I reminded them. “Are you sure he’s good-looking?” I asked both Khloe and Amelia.

“Shhhh, he is looking this way,” Amelia whispered, and I took it as a chance to have a glimpse of him.

I glanced at the target, and to be honest, he seemed to be in good shape and was really handsome. The guy was tall, and his long hair was tied in an untidy bun. Since I always had a thing for men with long hair, I was immediately drawn to him.

“Oh God,” I exclaimed when he caught me staring at him. “He has a beautiful set of eyes!”

“I think he has a foreign blood in him, just like you, Krystal,” Khloe pointed out something obvious.

Just like most maidens in the South, my mother fell in love with a tourist with blue eyes. After flirting for a couple of hours, they decided to make love under the moonlight, and nine months later, I was born into the world, but the man with blue eyes bailed on my mother and abandoned us. It was not easy for her, but she did a good job in raising me before my father showed up again to marry my mother.

“He’s attractive, isn’t he? Just look at his tanned skin, and those eyes could surely melt the ice in your heart, Krystal.”

“Khloe, I am not an ice princess or whatever you imagined me to be. If I remained a virgin until now, it was my choice. Do you think he is good in bed?”

“If I’ll be able to take that man into my bed, then it will never be a single session, Krystal. It’s going to be a night of endless pleasure,” Khloe said dreamily, and I could shake my head in disbelief that she had been fantasizing about the man who was going to be my lover.

When I gazed at him for a second time, I caught him staring as well. As soon as possible, I shifted my focus to the cocktail drink that my friends had ordered for me and sipped it quickly. It was bitter, and I cursed out loud before glaring at Khloe and Amelia. They just laughed at my expense, so I frowned at them.

“Go!” Amelia said, and Khloe seconded it.

“Right now?”

“Yes. Go now before that bitch could steal him from you,” they whispered, and when I glanced in his direction, I saw a woman who was smiling seductively while trying to get his attention.

“Is that the only man you found for me?”

“There are several others, but he stood out, so please, Krystal, don’t waste your chance tonight. Go and secure the target,” they suggested with a wicked smile.

The bar was located on the thirty-seventh floor of the hotel owned by Salcedo Group, and my friends reserved a room where I could spend the night on the tenth floor.

I took a deep breath before pressing the button going down to the tenth floor when the door opened, and he entered. My eyes widened in surprise upon seeing him again. I could have done it earlier, but flirting with a man was more complex than managing a business! I had a chance with him before I decided to cancel my plan.

“Hi,” he smiled as he said it.

It was just a simple greeting, but the prospect of being confined in a tiny area made me excited for something I couldn’t describe. “Hello. Going down?”

“Yes,’ he replied, and as he checked the numbers, he just grinned at me. “So, we are going to the same floor,” he added.

“Oh really? Whoa, what a coincidence,” I said while trying to compose myself because my heart was overwhelmed by his attractive smile and cute dimples.

I was on the verge of collapsing to the floor when he grinned at me. Earlier, I couldn’t flirt with him as planned because I was scared at the way he stared into my eyes.

“Are you with someone tonight?” He asked.

“N-no, I am alone,” I said after shaking my head. “Why do you ask?”

“Hmmm, I caught you staring earlier, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you are interested in being with me tonight.”

I smiled at his bluntness and narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m sorry if you caught me gazing at you earlier. It was my bad,” I said, to which he responded with a nod. Then, the elevator stopped, and some women entered, so I didn’t have a chance to explain further. The next stop was on the tenth floor, and we smiled at each other as we got out of the elevator.

“Is your boyfriend waiting inside the hotel room?” He dared to ask, and I looked at him with disgust because he had no business asking about my personal life.

“Is it necessary to have a man in a hotel?” I responded with a question that caused him to raise his eyebrows.

“Not really, but it’s unusual,” he replied with a smirk on his face.

“It might be unusual, but I would usually book a room for a staycation whenever I have a free time,” I lied.

“I see,” he said while nodding his head. “My name is Logan. What’s yours?” He inquired when I almost reached my destination.

“Krystal Miranda,” I replied because I didn’t see any harm in giving him my name.

“Good night, Krystal.”

“Good night,” I said, and when he went to the door next to mine, I was astonished.

“So, we’re neighbors,” he said before waving a hand, and then he was gone.

I chuckled at the turn of events before opening the door of my room. As soon as I got inside, I decided to check my phone, and as expected, I received several text messages from Khloe and Amelia. I took a deep breath before calling both of them. It’s a conference call, and they were mad when I just left them at the bar.

“I don’t think I can do it,” I told them after pacifying their anger.

“Of course, you can do it, Krystal,” Khloe said on the other line.

“Khloe is right. Now, get back here, and let’s find another man to your liking,” Amelia added.

I bit my bottom lip when I decided to lie to them. “I am with a man right now, so please, leave me alone for a moment.”

Both girls on the other line chuckled when I informed them that I had got a man in my room. It was a lie, of course.

Then, an idea popped up in my head!

There was no more hesitation on my part for a moment, unlike what happened in the bar.

What if he would say no?

Time was running fast, and I had to make a move as soon as possible! But how?

While thinking about my possible options, I rushed to take a quick shower to freshen up. It took me at least five minutes to finish the shower, and then I proceeded to my skin regimen. Another deep sigh escaped from my lips before I retrieved my purse and strolled towards the door. I convinced myself that I could do it, and he would probably be pleased with my initiative.

As I knocked outside his door, my hands trembled nonstop while waiting for him to open it. At the same time, I was worried that he could have been already sleeping and wouldn’t notice someone outside his door.

I was about to leave when I heard the doorknob click from inside, and I quickly turned around to wait. He snapped his brows together upon seeing me, but before he could tell me to leave, I rushed towards the opening of the door and invited myself in. It was a bold move and embarrassing too, but I had to do it for my goal.

“W-what are you doing here, woman?” He glared at me as if he hadn’t met me before, or maybe he was only pretending. Whatever his reasons were, it was not important to me.

In response, I just smiled at him, but the man seemed to be displeased. “I thought you also wanted me tonight,” I told him before taking a step towards him.

He didn’t move an inch to avoid me, so I thought it was safe, even if he looked bewildered while staring at me.

His eyes were drawn to the white ceiling and the chandelier. He groaned and clenched his jaw. “Look, I am busy tonight, Madame. So, I will gladly appreciate it if you will just leave.”

“But I am already here!” I insisted, and he arched his brows in response. The man must have assumed that I was crazy. Nevertheless, I didn’t have a plan to leave without accomplishing my objective.

“So, what do you want? If you don’t mind, it’s rude to visit someone’s room at this hour,” he complained.

“I thought we agreed to have a good time tonight when you winked at me earlier,” I lied, but I hoped he was too intoxicated to remember everything we had talked about earlier.

For a moment, he was speechless and just stared at me. Then, he asked, “You want to do it with me right now? Are you serious?”