Damon: I'll bet you'll get up to some trouble in Cabo.

I smirked at the text that flashed up on our chat-log from the computer screen. He was always teasing me.

Ashleigh: No trouble. At least not the good kind of trouble. I'm going with my boyfriend don't forget.

There was a pause, and while I anticipated his next words, I took a sip of the vodka soda I was prone to drinking while I spent my online hours chatting with my favorite virtual stranger, DamonX. I leaned back in my computer chair and surveyed the mess of clothing on my bed. I still hadn't packed, and my flight was leaving in the morning.

Damon: It's not a real vacation without the good kind of trouble. Besides, I thought you were breaking up with him.

I frowned. I had shared a lot with this faceless stranger. Damon and I had connected online several months earlier on a social networking site over a shared love of writing and dirty martinis. He preferred to maintain a sense of mystery about himself, whereas I had bubbled over, sharing all kinds of personal details about myself. I'd even sent him the link to my Facebook page, but he hadn't added me yet. It was something that had irked me somewhat at the time, but I assumed he had his reasons for wanting to maintain his anonymity. Besides, this was technically supposed to be escape, not reality.

Ashleigh: This is my last attempt at working things out. It's been five years. It's like an investment at this point. I just want to make sure there's nothing there left to salvage.

Damon: Haha... sounds incredibly romantic when you put it that way. I still think you should have left him at home and used the trip to figure out if you'd miss him if he weren't there. Instead you'll probably find that you don't miss him, even while he IS there.

Ashleigh: Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Damon: I think I know you by now, that's all. And I think you'll have a few dirty confessions for me by the time you get back.

Ashleigh: Not going to happen.

Damon: Wanna bet?

I laughed out loud, taking another sip of my drink while I considered my response. He had to know I wouldn't be able to resist such a lure. I began to reluctantly type back.

Ashleigh: OK, what's the bet?

Damon: If you do hook up with someone other than your boyfriend, then you have to book yourself on a flight and come here and visit me. And I get to do anything I want to you.

I paused for a moment, a half-smile frozen on my face.

Ashleigh: And what if I win? What do I get?

Damon: You'll get to hear me say that I'm wrong.

Ashleigh: Ah, well we all know that you're never wrong.

Damon: See there might be a first time for everything. Think of the satisfaction.

Ashleigh: I'm thinking.

I paused for a moment to take another long sip of my vodka soda.

Damon: Good. I'm already thinking of my own satisfaction after I pick you up from the airport.

Ashleigh: Hah! You're so sure of winning! Fine, I'm going to call your bluff on this one. But if I win, I want more than that. You have to send me a real picture of yourself. No more of this dark, grainy avatar that I've been staring at for the past three months.

Damon: Deal. But you'd better log-on from the hotel. I want updates so I know how much lube I need to buy this month.

Ashleigh: I can't believe you!

Damon: It's ok, you will when I win... :)

I logged off, shaking my head, although I was secretly amused by our conversation. Damon had a way of getting under my skin, even from day one. We had logged endless hours of bantering and flirting, and this kind of teasing bet was certainly not out of character. Although, in reality there had never been any question in my mind that I'd win. My relationship may not have been on entirely solid ground, but I did still love my boyfriend Scott. And I certainly wasn't going to cheat on him while we were on a couple's vacation together! In fact I had been hoping that Cabo would be just the kind of distraction from life that we needed to reconnect again. Work had been dragging our relationship down for quite some time. His long hours at the law firm, combined with my messy and erratic schedule with dance rehearsals had left us with very little combined time together. Quite often, I was at home, entertaining myself online with Damon while watching the clock. Sometimes I would already be asleep by the time Scott got home at night. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest place we had ever been in, but whose relationship was perfect?

Scott and I arrived in Cabo San Lucas on the kind of day that the Baja peninsula was famous for, sunny with endless blue skies. The dry desert heat warmed my skin immediately, and the first few days of our vacation was spent relaxing by the pool at the Melia Me Resort. It felt so luxurious to be laying on one of those white cabana loungers, listening to the DJ spinning trance tunes nearby while I sipped margaritas. I busied myself reading magazines and people watching behind my oversized sunglasses, trying to ignore the fact that Scott had been typing away on his laptop for the better part of the afternoon.

He had booked us at a trendy hotel, and at first, I'd thought it was more out of a desire to kick things up and have the kind of fun we used to have back when we'd first met. I was beginning to realize that the brochure boasting "wireless by the pool" might have been his real incentive. As it turned out, there was very little difference between Scott at home versus Scott on vacation. He'd been furiously typing emails and doing conference calls on his cell phone since the moment we'd arrived. I was hoping that he'd relax enough to start enjoying our time there, but several days later it was obvious that we were on two different schedules. I began to wonder why we'd even bothered.

As it turned out, I was beginning to feel like I was on vacation by myself. I had already perfected my tan, read two beach novels, and had drank enough to fill several vacation's worth of umbrella drinks. That day, Scott had balked at my suggestion to use a stronger SPF, and had ended up with a superficial sunburn, making him extra cranky though dinner. I convinced him to have drinks at the Nikki Beach Club bar at our resort so that we could watch the famous Saturday night fire-show, and he had reluctantly agreed. Unfortunately he spent the entire time complaining about the noise and had camped himself out on one of the lounge sofas, completely disinterested in venturing onto the dance floor.

"You're not being very much fun," I'd quipped. I frowned and looked out at the other vacation goers, laughing and drinking and enjoying the party. "You know how much I love this music."

"I thought we were past this whole scene, Ashleigh," he sighed. "You know I'm trying to make partner at the firm. I told you this was going to be a challenging year. I thought you were on board. I'm doing this for us... for our future. You know... to get you that diamond ring you've been eyeing."

I rolled my eyes. It was typical of Scott to lord the whole concept of an engagement over me to get out of doing something that he didn't want to do. Any immediate relationship demands I had were to be shelved for the greater good of getting one step closer to a marriage I wasn't even sure I wanted anymore. Not when it meant a lifetime of this.

"I'm going to get a drink," I said finally. "Do you want me to bring you one back?"

He leaned back against the lounger and half closed his eyes. "Nope."

Incensed by his attitude, I sauntered towards the long bar, noticing that I was getting appreciative stares from all the people I passed, except from the one that I had come with. Two days in the sun had left my skin golden and sun-kissed, making my long blonde hair seem brighter as it bounced around my bare shoulders. I was wearing a short white strapless beach dress that hugged my tight little curves in all the right places, and I had barely registered more than a passing compliment from Scott all evening.

I slammed my purse down against the bar in frustration and immediately caught the attention of the bartender.

"Another margarita por favor, and please make it a double".

As I rummaged in my purse for a $20 bill, I sensed someone lean in behind me. I felt warm breath against the skin of my neck and a voice near my ear. "You're doing that all wrong, you know."

I turned to look to my side and caught a flash of a mischievous smile and startling green eyes as the man beside me took a seat at the barstool beside me. For a moment, I was caught off guard.

"Excuse me?"

He turned from me and signaled the bartender. "Two shots of Petrone," he ordered brazenly, and then turned to me to me and winked. "Double margaritas will have you water logged before you'll ever catch the buzz you're after."

"And what makes you think I'm looking to catch a buzz," I asked, still unnerved by the way he was looking at me.

"Well, you're in a beautiful vacation spot, and your eyes are like razor blades. No offense, but you look pretty pissed off. A double margarita is an admirable attempt at escape, but I think I can put a smile on your face a little faster."

I couldn't help but laugh at his audacity, but something about him had me disarmed almost immediately. I studied his features. He had the kind of eyes that I just couldn't seem to turn away from. They were lively and playful and I sensed a quick intelligence about him that had me intrigued. His smile was confident, if just a little bit devious, and he had dark brown hair and a golden tan that let me know he'd already been in Cabo for at least a few days. My eyes quickly flicked downward and I noticed his lean muscular frame, the definition of his physique still obvious beneath his white shirt and dark jeans.

"So am I right?" he asked when I hadn't said anything yet.

"About?".... My voice trailed off, and I realized he had me noticeably distracted already.

He had an easy laugh in response, and I realized with a flush that my attraction to him was probably already apparent.