"I'VE been telling you since day one, Amanda, I don't trust that man," Mariel said, shaking her head in disappointment. She was talking to Amanda who was already on her fifth shot of vodka. 

The three of us were in a bar in Makati tonight. It was Saturday night. Mariel and I were having dinner in her condo when Amanda dragged us to come with her. She said she wanted to get drunk because she found out the guy she was dating cheated on her. 

"Yeah. I should've listened to you," Almira said as she filled up her empty glass before drinking it straight. 

"Fuck that asshole. I hope he rot in hell together with his bimbo." Almira turned to me and pushed a glass of vodka. 

"Come on Charity, drink."

Even though I was more of a wine person, I picked the glass up and emptied it. 

I winced when I tasted the bitter taste in my tongue. Mariel laughed at my reaction. 

Almira turned to me, now with a wide grin on her lips. Damn. She was already drunk. "So, how's working as Sir Xander's secretary? How does it feel spending time with your long-time crush?" She wiggled her eyebrows. 

My cheeks flushed. 

Mariel rolled her eyes. "Can you not talk about guys for now?" 

Almira looked at her and laughed. "Fine. You man hater! Let's just dance, instead."

Almira grabbed Mariel in the arm. "Come on, Mariel. Stop being so stiff."

Mariel grunted. "Alright. I'll join you. Let me just go to the bathroom first."

Mariel stood up from the couch. I watched her as she disappeared from the group of people dancing in front of us. 

"Come on, Charity." Amanda held my hand and motioned for me to stand up. "Let's not wait for Mariel."

I pursed my lips and let her drag me to the dance floor. I pulled down the skirt of my dress. I was wearing a black spaghetti strap dress and black heels. 

Amanda, already tipsy that she was, started dancing at me. I stilled when I noticed a familiar man on the corner of the bar. It was Xander. Despite the dim lights of the dance floor I was sure it was him. He was seated on the couch with a glass of alcohol in his hand. Beside him was Austin who was talking to a girl seated beside him. 

My eyes focused on Xander. He was wearing black polo shirt and maong pants. 

I continued to watch him as he sipped from the glass of alcohol he was holding. Shit. He looked so hot with his hair kind of disheveled and his legs slightly spread on the wide couch. I wondered if he'd regularly go to this bar during the weekend. 

Then I saw a woman go to him and greet Xander. He looked up to him and smiled. His dimple showed up. 

My eyes went to the woman as she sat in the empty space beside Xander. She was tall and model-like. Just like his type. Was she another fling? 

I felt something pinched my insides as I watched them whisper something to each other. Her hands settled on his legs. 

Damn. I shouldn't be feeling this way, alright. 

Remember your place, Charity. 

I looked away, and found out Amanda was no longer in front of me. I was about to find her when a stranger appeared in my sight. 

"Hi, Miss," he greeted, as he tried to dance at me. 

I looked at the man in front of me. He was tall and good looking, wearing a white v neck shirt and dark maong pants. 

"Are you new here?" he asked me. "It's the first time I see you here." He flashed his smile. 

Fine. He's good looking and smelled nice, but I wasn't interested in him. I wasn't really interested in dancing here at all. Amanda just dragged me here. 

Speaking of her, I looked around but I didn't find her. Just where did she go? 

"What's your name, Miss?" 

My eyes went back to the man in front of me. 

"Charity," I said. Well, this was not the first time a man tried to hit on me in a bar. I winced when the loud music blasted on the speaker. "But I'm sorry, I'm not interested." 

I was about to leave the dancefloor when I felt her hand on my waist. "Not so fast, Miss. Come on, let's dance first." He grinned at me. "You wearing contacts? Damn, your eyes are pretty."

"I'm sorry," I repeated, my voice louder this time. "I need to go. I need to find my friend." I tried to remove his hand from my waist but he didn't bulge. 

"What were you saying? I didn't hear you." He leaned in to me. My hands pushed away his chest, uncomfortable with the move he made on me. 

I didn't know if he didn't really hear what I said or he's just really a pushover. 

"I said I don't want to dance with you." I almost shouted annoyed. "And stop touching me." I frowned. 

The man laughed as he touched me again in the waist. "Come on, stop playing hard to get."

Before I could push him again, a strong held my arm and pulled me away. I realized it was Xander when his familiar scent hit my nose. 

"Sir Xander?" I said, looking up to him. 

"Hey, what's happening?" Xander turned to me. His eyes scanned me with concern. "Are you, okay?" 

I nodded at him, still distracted to see him this close to me. 

But then my eyes widened in shock when a punch suddenly landed on Xander's face.

"That's what you get for getting on other people's business." 

The man who was trying to dance at me earlier angrily spat at Xander. Some people near us stopped and looked at us. I even heard some women scream. 

I looked at Xander and gasped when I saw the cut on the corner of his lips. "Xander… your lips…" I managed to utter before I turned to face the man who did that to him. "What the hell's your problem? I already said, I didn't want to dance with you."

Xander held my arm and put me behind him, shielding me from the view of the man. 

"Apparently, anything that concerns this woman is my business." Xander said, his voice cold and threatening, chills almost ran on my back.