Margot Robbie sat at the bar, her loosely tied blonde hair pulled back, a simple white shirt, and ripped jeans giving her the look of a rugged cowgirl. With a cowboy hat, she would look the part. Even without much dressing up, she was the most striking person there, and in just under ten minutes at the bar, several men had already come up to hit on her.
After sending yet another guy away with a few biting words, she took a large sip from her glass, feeling the sting of the liquor slide down her throat, making her frown slightly. She wondered if agreeing to meet at the bar was a mistake—or if coming here at all had been.
Her thoughts were interrupted by yet another man approaching.
Just as she noticed the newcomer, she also caught sight of Matthew making his way toward the bar.
"Finally," she muttered under her breath.
"Hi, good evening," said the man, his short-cropped hair giving him a sharp look. He looked to be about thirty. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Margot set her glass down and turned to him. Maybe the constant string of unwelcome approaches had frayed her patience, but she didn't hold back, saying to the overly confident man, "Buy me a drink? Do you think one drink will make you handsome or more attractive?"
Her voice was loud enough that Matthew could hear as he approached. Same blunt, straightforward Margot.
The man was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a response.
Margot's gaze slid to his hand, and she added, "Or maybe this drink will make you single?"
The man looked thoroughly thrown off. He stammered, "I'm not...I don't…"
"Is that right?" Margot pointed to the ring mark on his finger and continued, "I saw you take off your wedding ring just now!"
The man instinctively looked down at his left hand, where the indentation from his ring was clearly visible.
Standing just behind them, Matthew could see it too. This woman didn't miss a thing.
Tilting her head, Margot added, "Stop being a cheating scumbag and go home."
The man's face turned bright red. Unable to respond, he nodded stiffly and turned away from the bar.
Matthew took the now-vacant spot next to Margot and nodded to the bartender. "Peter, a whiskey, same as usual."
Though Johnny Depp had sold his shares in Black Mamba, the staff remained mostly unchanged.
As he waited for his drink, Matthew turned to Margot and said, "Nice attention to detail."
Margot smiled. "I was bluffing." She saw the bartender hand Matthew his drink, raised her glass in a casual salute, and said, "A pretty woman has to know how to look out for herself."
Matthew took a sip of his drink. "And you're quite confident."
Margot kept smiling, "I know I'm pretty. No reason to deny it."
"Fair point," Matthew nodded. "Just like I tell everyone I'm incredibly handsome."
Margot didn't follow up on that, instead asking, "Are all men like this?"
"Like what?" Matthew looked puzzled.
"Have a couple of drinks, and suddenly they're...single?" Margot asked, getting straight to the point. "The sight of a pretty woman makes them forget everything else."
Matthew raised his glass and said, "Lucky for me, I haven't even finished one drink yet."
Margot eyed him directly. "Does that really make a difference?"
"Of course," Matthew replied coolly. "The biggest difference is that I actually am single, unlike those guys pretending to be."
Margot nodded in agreement. "Yes, quite a difference." She set down her glass and looked at him thoughtfully. "Are you really single?"
Matthew understood her implication and shrugged. "I suppose so."
Margot scratched her chin. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
"I thought you say whatever's on your mind?" Matthew replied playfully.
"Oh, please. We're not kids." Margot held her forehead, as if dealing with a headache. "I like to be direct, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I wouldn't risk asking something that might offend a Hollywood big shot like you."
Matthew shook his head. "Go ahead, ask."
With that permission, Margot didn't hesitate. "How many women are you currently involved with?" She quickly clarified, "I mean, how many have you been frequently involved with over the past few months?"
Matthew didn't respond immediately, instead considering the question. It wasn't an easy one, especially since he was interested in Margot.
"No worries," Margot said with a casual wave. "If it's hard to answer, forget it."
She moved on quickly. "I'll ask something else then."
Matthew held back a smirk. "Do you have a lot of questions?"
"Yep," she nodded. "If someone's trying to pursue me, I want to know who they are."
Matthew looked at her curiously. "Did I say I was pursuing you?"
Margot shook her head, her self-assurance on full display. "You didn't have to. Your words and actions make it more than obvious."
Matthew couldn't help but laugh.
Raising her glass, Margot clinked it with his and remarked, "When a man invites a woman out this late, it's usually not to discuss life goals."
Matthew clinked his glass with hers. "Since you figured that out, does that mean you're ready for me to pursue you?"
"Not sure," she replied immediately.
Matthew looked puzzled. "Not sure?"
Margot shrugged lightly. "I'm looking for a boyfriend, someone who can offer a stable relationship, not just a one-night fling." Then, catching herself, she quickly added, "Or a fling lasting only a few nights."
As always, Margot's straightforward, cowgirl-like personality showed through.
Matthew glanced at the bottle beside her. "I'll answer, but…"
Margot caught on quickly and grabbed the bottle, pouring herself another drink. "One question, one drink."
"You'll get drunk," Matthew warned.
"You underestimate my drinking ability." She downed her drink in one go. "Now, answer."
Matthew chuckled and shook his head, then finally replied, "Hold on, let me count."
"You need to count?" Margot's eyes widened. "Seems like there's quite a few."
Matthew thought back: Nina Dobrev had recently shown him some gymnastics moves, and he had played some rather daring games with Jennifer Lawrence and Amber Heard, but aside from them...was there anyone else?
"Three or four, I guess," he said honestly.
"That few?" Margot sounded surprised. "I thought it'd be over ten."
Matthew spread his hands. "Everyone has their own life."
These relationships were short-lived and could be ended at any time by either party.
Margot poured herself another drink. "So, are you pursuing me for a similar relationship or something different?"
"You're direct," Matthew said thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'm not sure."
"Really?" Margot sounded skeptical.
Matthew explained simply, "I've always thought you were different from them."
Margot guessed, "Because I saved you?"
"No," Matthew shook his head firmly. "It's because, in such a dangerous situation, you chose to help me instead of running away."
Margot took another sip and said, "Your life may look sunny, but it's full of shadows."
Matthew didn't deny it. "That's why I long for the sunshine."
"I'm not 'sunshine,'" Margot replied, pouring another drink. "What would you have done if you were in my shoes?"
Matthew half-joked, "Run away immediately—nothing's more important than survival."
Margot lifted her glass and said before drinking, "Self-centered."
Matthew reached out to stop her. "You don't really have to drink the whole glass."
She gently pushed his hand away. "It's fine; this much doesn't bother me."
Then she downed it, refilled her glass, and asked, "Didn't you go to the Oscars? Why call me up?"
"Something happened," Matthew admitted, taking a sip. "One of the people there reminded me of you."
Margot drank her drink again and nodded, "A woman, right?"
Before he could answer, she poured another drink and downed it straight away.
Matthew glanced at her. Despite all she'd drunk, her face remained composed, as if she had only been drinking water.
But her speech was starting to slur slightly, a sign she was feeling the effects.
"Let's just say," Matthew finally decided to be more open, "I ran into someone at the after-party. The youngest Olsen sister…"
He recounted the incident from the Oscars after-party in brief.
Margot nodded as she listened, but then let out a small hiccup, saying, "So you called me because I'm different from her."
Matthew didn't deny it. "You're different from most Hollywood actresses."
"Oh, I get it," Margot wiped the corner of her mouth, now a little tipsy, and hiccuped again. "So, someone like me has to settle for some self-absorbed, entitled guy who thinks he can do whatever he wants?"
Matthew looked at her carefully and replied, "You're drunk, Margot."
Margot waved him off. "You know, you're not the first person to call me a 'bad girl,' just like people call you a 'bad guy.' But why should a 'bad girl' have to settle for a 'bad guy'?"
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