The Royal Contract

Chapter 1 - Out For A Hunt

The brown liquid traveled down her throat. Closing her eyes, she savored the sensation it was creating in her body. It finally gave her the right amount of courage to jumpstart her plans for this night. Her eyes traveled around the room, searching for no one in particular.

The bartender suddenly placed another drink in front of her. "Courtesy of that guy." Pointing to a man on the far end of the bar.

With her one-sleeve tight-hugging blue ensemble and four inches heels, which made her looked much taller, she suddenly felt so much confidence.

She looked at him, eyeing his features and liking them. He was handsome, well built with dark brown hair. He seemed to be the perfect fit for what she intended to do tonight.

She was about to raise her glass to him when someone blocked her view of the man. She quickly shifted her gaze to the newcomer, who took a seat at the vacant stool beside her.

"I suggest you be careful with the likes of him." He warned as he called the attention of the man behind the counter.

He typically did not care about other people's affairs, but with this particular instance, instinct took over. He could not, in sound mind, allowed this seemingly innocent girl to fall prey to a man known to charm girls to his bed and left after he was through with them.

His seemingly unusual advice caught her interest. "Why?" She raised her eyes to him amused, creasing her brows in question when he seemed to ignore her.

Playing with the free drink in her hand, she contemplated whether if she should drink it or not. Eventually, deciding that there was no harm if she had a taste.

"Because I know him as trouble." He stated as he ordered a drink for himself while watching her take a sip of the free drinks. "It is up to you if you would like to listen."

After receiving his scotch neat, he remained silent. He believed that he had done his deed. He was not responsible for what this girl's next move would be.

"What about you?" She asked playfully. "Should I stay away from you?" She observed the man sitting just about two feet away from her, waiting for his reply.

Upon scrutiny, she found him more attractive than the other man on the other side of the bar, which was still looking in her direction. This man was taller with dark hair and tan skin. His body might not be as big as the other man was, but it was built enough in the right places.

"Yeah! I think you should." He said as he took a large gulp of his drink. He was not interested in her as his tone implied, giving her the impression that the conversation was over.

She found herself staring at him, more intrigued by his cold attitude. The way his adam's apple bobbed up and down when he swallowed his drink, the way he closed his eyes as he felt the kicked the liquid provided. She found herself fascinated with this man beside her.

"Can I buy you another drink?" She boldly asked, observing that his glass was almost empty. She turned to him, showing off her beautiful slender legs along the short hem of her dress.

He turned to her and stared at her with those beautiful gray eyes. He was studying her, figuring out what was going on in that beautiful pretty little head of hers. Well, he had to admit, this woman was stunning. Only a blind man would not notice.

She was a gorgeous redhead with very fair skin, high cheekbones, red, thin lips, and a smile, highlighting her beautiful face. However, in her eyes, they were telling him a different story.

"No." He curtly said, dismissing her by looking away from her, putting his concentration back on the glass in his hands. He needed to restraint himself, or else he might go deeper than he would like.

She could not believe it. "Why not?" A bit disappointed that this man would ignore her offer. It would seem that he was also immune to her charm.

After a moment of silence, he chugged the remaining of his drink. He was there to drink alone and drown his sorrow, not to add another complication to his life.

"Because I don't take advantage of an innocent young lady." He said as he ordered another drink for himself, making sure to avoid looking at her.

"But you're not taking advantage of me, and I'm not that innocent." She protested, putting her hands on his biceps. The feel of that tight muscle as he moved his arms sent a different kind of thrill in her.

He just shook his head at her, dismissing her advances. He had no time for silly games, reminding himself.

She always blamed her features on her genes. She did look younger than her actual age. It always put her at a disadvantage when people always mistook her as a child. Not to be taken seriously.

"This is on me as a thank you for the warning." She took out a bill and handed it to the tattooed man on the other side of the counter as he handed them both a drink.

"In that case, you're welcome. Now, I want to go back to drinking in peace." He said, raising his glass while glancing briefly at her face before putting his gaze away from her.

He rejected her outright so that she would leave him alone, but the way her soft hands felt in his skin was evoking something inside of him that he chose to disregard than gave a second thought.

She turned to her drink and took a sip of its delicious sweetness. However, she needed something else, and the effect of the alcohol was not enough to quench what she was craving intensely.

It was only a means to an end. Its effect should cloud this girl's judgment and gave her the fake bravery she badly needed. What mattered to her was to accomplish her goal for tonight.

At this moment, she already made up her mind that she wanted him to be the one to help her. There was just one problem with her plan. He did not want to cooperate with her. She had to convince him that she was worth his time. She was out for a hunt, and he was her target.