Lucky Charm

I was on the bus, holding my breath, doing my best not to inhale the noxious exhaust fumes spewing from the tail pipe, as I headed to my fun-filled day job, manning the phones at Nicky's autobody.

Glancing up to the front, I forgot all about the fumes and started smiling as I watched my favorite piece of eye candy stepping aboard. Just like he did every morning, while trying not to be too obvious, he carefully made his way through the throng people standing in the middle to get to the back, so that he could come and stand in front of me.

We'd been silently flirting for a while now, and I've got to say, seeing him every morning has become the highlight of my day.

As I looked up into his big brown eyes, and we exchanged smiles, I could feel a little flutter of awareness flicker through me, because he was just so nice to look at. Tall, dark, buff and ruggedly handsome with the warmest, long-lashed brown eyes, that always made me feel a little giddy whenever he gazed into mine.

Until now, we'd never even said hello. But since I had been trying to think of some different numbers for the lottery, I got up the nerve, looked up at him and asked, "Hey, what day is your birthday?"

For a moment he blinked, looking surprised, I guess because I'd finally opened my mouth and said something to him. But then he broke into a smile, chuckling. "Why, you planning on buying me a birthday cake?"

I laughed and pointed at my phone. "No. I'm just trying to think of some numbers for the lottery. I always play family birthdays, but they've never won me more than a few bucks. Since it's a record jackpot this week, I thought I'd try using other people's birthdays for a change to see if they'd be any luckier."

He shrugged. "Okay, then mine's on the 17

th

." As I was adding his date to my lucky numbers on my phone, he asked, "So, when's your birthday?"

I wrinkled my nose, thinking back to all the birthdays I'd missed out on, since mine was never much of a celebration. "I was born on Christmas Day."

"Aw, that had to suck when you were a kid."

"Tell me about it," I agreed, quietly laughing. "My mom always made sure there was a birthday cake for me after Christmas dinner, but that was about it, and my birthday always blended in with the holiday."

When the man sitting next to me got up and headed to the back doors, I was delighted when hot stuff took his seat, especially when he extended his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Remo, by the way."

I was so busy smiling into his sexy brown eyes, I didn't realize that he was waiting for me to introduce myself. "Oh, and I'm Cait, with a C."

"Nice to meet you, Cait with a C," he said with a playful smirk as we shook hands.

I was thrilled that we'd finally connected, but then my shoulders sagged when I realized that my stop was coming up. Which meant I had to get off and leave him behind, after we'd finally started talking.

I was just getting to my feet, when the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, and almost sent me flying, till Remo caught me and pulled me into his lap.

"You, okay?" he asked as I blew out a breath, feeling a little shaken. But since I was tucked in his lap, I took the opportunity to have a little a whiff of him. And ooh, I liked that he smelled as yummy as he looked.

Realizing what he'd said, I nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay," knowing I would be, once my heart stopped pounding, because how lucky could a girl be? Not only had I finally got up the nerve to exchange a few words with him, but thanks to the idiot who'd cut off the bus, I actually managed to find myself sitting in his lap, wrapped in his big strong arms.

"Thanks," I said as he let go of me, took my hand and helped me back to my feet. "This is my stop," I pointed out as the driver was pulling over.

He smiled as I turned to leave. "Have a good day, Cait. Guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep. See you tomorrow, Remo."

After that fun little exchange, there was a definite bounce in my step, and I couldn't get the smile off my face as I navigated my way through the lot full of banged-up cars, so I could get into the office.

Nicky Jr. had the phone to his ear, but he still waved and flashed me a smile when I walked in. Though he was a nice-looking guy, and always friendly, I wasn't interested, especially since we had to work together. And I needed this job to pay my tuition. Which meant I couldn't risk anything going wrong, now that I almost had enough saved up to get my teaching degree so that I could finally start my dream job working with kids.

Once I got my coat off and stashed my lunch in the fridge, I grabbed a coffee, threw in a little cream and sugar and scurried to my desk. Though I was ten minutes early, we all knew that Nicky Senior wanted us ready to go before he opened the doors at 8:30 sharp.

Like always, the calls never stopped. Some were so upset they were crying into the phone telling me that they really needed their cars, as I tried to get the details to book their appointments. One loud mouth guy had me holding the phone away from my ear, as he blasted me with a few choice words about the idiot who had side-swiped him, wrecking his brand-new Mercedes. Like somehow, it was

my

fault.

No surprise, my head was throbbing by the time I left to race over to my other job at 5:30. Thankfully, Odyssey Club and Grill was conveniently located in walking distance, just around the corner and up the street.

After leaving Nicky's, I was rushing down the street, almost at the bar, walking past Lucky's convenience store, when I noticed the lotto sign with the jackpot lit up in the window. With only minutes to spare, I popped in. After I said hello to Mrs. Kim behind the counter, I bought a ticket with both my new and old numbers, hoping they'd bring me luck. Then I quickly stashed them in my purse and ran the rest of the way, so I wouldn't be late.

As I walked in, racing to the back to change, I waved to the girls dancing onstage. Though they barely wore enough to cover their essentials, at least they were wearing something. So, it wasn't exactly what anyone would call a strip club. At least that's what I kept telling myself while the girls were up there shaking their money makers.

To keep the customers happy, and the tips rolling in, I was expected to wear sky-high heels, a low-cut, skin-tight crop top, and tiny, black satin booty shorts, that left almost nothing to their imagination.

Though I was showing a lot of skin, I was glad I was mostly covered, especially compared to the dancers. Although the guys still loved to eat me up with their eyes, probably because I was a little on the busty side, with my tiny

'Odyssey'

top stretched across my girls like a second skin. They also seemed to really like my natural long blonde hair, that I usually wore in a flirty pony tail, while waiting tables.

There was a big, brass clock on the back wall, which we all watched like hawks, till it was time for last call. Mostly because our feet were killing us after standing for hours carrying heavy trays laden with drinks.

Tapping my fingers on the bar, waiting for Mickey the bartender to fill up a pitcher of draft, I took a quick look over my shoulder, and I was so relieved to see that there was only an hour left till closing.

At least until a bunch of guys came wandering in laughing, of course, taking a table in

my

section. Heaving a weary sigh, I grabbed a tray and strolled over, hoping they knew we'd be closing soon.

Taking a quick glance around the table, I almost dropped the tray when I saw Remo staring at me wide-eyed in my skimpy costume.

"So... what can I get you guys to drink?" I asked once the shock had worn off, since thankfully Remo hadn't said anything to indicate that he knew me.

Once I got their order, I was a little shaky as I walked back to the bar, since I'd never had the pleasure of seeing him twice in one day. And of course, he'd never seen me in my

Odyssey

get up, until tonight.

Since they'd all asked for beer, it didn't take long to get their drinks. I noticed his friends all had their eyes glued to the girls on stage, while Remo was keeping his eyes on me.

"There you go," I said, setting his beer in front of him.

Flashing a smile, he said, "Thanks," thankfully keeping his eyes trained on my face, and not my twins.

When I leaned in to put his drink down, one of his friends gave a low whistle as he let his eyes slide over me, till his gaze froze on my satin-covered ass. When he grinned and asked, "What's your name, honey?" Even though the lighting was dim, I could see the tic in Remo's jaw as he glared him down.

"Hey, Joey," he said, "you forgetting you're married to my sister?"

Joey laughed with the rest of the guys chuckling around the table. "Lighten up, Remo. I'm just kidding around. There's no harm in admiring a pretty lady, is there, sweet cheeks?" he said, with a wink.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I put down the rest of their drinks, snatched Joey's credit card out of his hand and headed to the bar to ring up their order.

Normally, I never have a problem with fending off pervs, but seeing as Joey was related to Remo, I had to be careful what I said. No way did I want to ruin what little friendship we had, before we even got started.

While the guys enjoyed their frosty mugs of beer, I was leaning against the bar, with one eye on my tables and the other on the girls on stage, thinking they had to be dog tired. Especially considering they'd been on their feet dancing for most of the night.

I knew all their stories, too. A few of them were single moms, just trying to make ends meet. While Tara was trying to save enough to go to nursing school.

Though waiting tables was no picnic, I took solace in the fact that at least I didn't have to dance around in a bra top and G-string to earn the extra money I needed to finish my education. Though I realized what I was wearing was bad enough when I caught Remo eyeing me from across the room. But I felt a little better, when I saw him flash me a smile, just to let me know we were still good.

I was even more pleased after they left, when I saw that Joey had left me a very generous tip, I guess to make up for his teasing.

Next morning, was a little uncomfortable. When he got on the bus and noticed there was an empty seat beside me, Remo came and sat down, and turned to face me. "Morning, Cait."

I managed an awkward smile. "Morning, Remo." Then I held my breath and waited for him to mention where he'd seen me last night.

"You must work really long hours," he finally remarked, thankfully without sounding judgy.

Hoping he'd understand, I looked into his eyes and told him the truth. "I actually work two jobs. The bar is just my night job, since I'm saving up for school."

He just nodded and said, "You must be dead tired by the time you get home, then."

I almost laughed when he said that, as I thought about my none-too-sexy evening ritual; when I'd soak my poor aching feet in a pan of warm water with Epsom salts, like my grandmother used to do, after waiting tables all day at the family diner. "Yeah, I'm usually pretty beat."

"Well, I want to apologize for my brother-in-law. He was way out line hitting on you like that."

"It's okay, Remo, it happens," I said with a shrug.

He still didn't look too pleased. I guess imagining that I must get hit on a lot, which I did.

While he was mulling that over, I couldn't help but notice how sexy his mouth was up close; so lush and full, and ooh so kissable. No getting around it, he really was gorgeous; nothing but a wall of muscle with a nice firm jaw, and thick dark hair, that I'd love to run my fingers through, while attacking those lips.

When he cleared his throat, I kind of jumped, making him laugh, since he'd obviously caught me ogling him. But how could I help it, when all I could think of was stripping him out of his work clothes and getting busy with him.

It had been so long since I'd been on a date, I could barely remember what it felt like to share a kiss. So, no wonder I was practically drooling at the thought of seeing him in his birthday suit.

Letting my gaze drop to his hands resting on his thickly muscled thighs, I imagined he worked at some type of manual labor, like construction, since they looked a little calloused. But I liked that about him. I'd encountered plenty of suits in both jobs, and a lot of them seemed fairly privileged and often quite demanding.

Sadly, before I knew it, we'd reached my stop. I smiled into his eyes as he took my hand this time, and helped to my feet so I wouldn't fall, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. "See you later, Cait," he said with a teasing smile, as I left.

Waving back, I breathlessly murmured, "Bye for now, Remo."

Once I got to work, I didn't have time to think about Remo, or those big, brown eyes. Barely able to catch my breath, fielding one call after another, I was so glad it was almost Friday, since on weekends I only had to work nights at the bar. And thankfully it closed early on Sundays, giving me a little extra time to study.

More than that, I was looking forward to Monday, when I'd be off for two whole weeks, using my holidays to work as a student teacher. I'd already done a few stints, and I just loved working with the kids, especially the adorable kindergarteners. They were just so cute and so eager to learn, I could hardly wait to finish my degree, so I could have a classroom of my own, where I could really start teaching.

For now, though, I had to train Nicky's timid little niece Marina, so she could handle the phones while I was away. I felt kind of sorry for her, since she looked a little rattled by the time we were leaving.

Giving her an encouraging pat on the back, I told her, "I'm sure you'll do fine, Marina. Just don't let them get to you."

She managed a weak smile, but didn't look convinced when she nodded and said, "Okay."

As I was walking out the door, I was really looking forward to working at the school. And after tomorrow, I could put my two jobs behind me, at least for the next few weeks.

Only sad thing was, I wouldn't be seeing Remo on the bus every morning, since I'd be heading south to the school, instead of north to the industrial area where I normally worked.

Next morning, I told Remo I was going on holiday for two weeks, so he wouldn't wonder what happened to me.

"You going alone?" he asked, I guess wondering if I was heading somewhere warm and sunny with a boyfriend.

I laughed. "I'm not going on vacation. I have to do some interning stints to earn my degree."

"Well, good luck then," he said, sounding relieved. "Guess I'll see you when you get back."

I gave him a wave as I left the bus. And though we were just friends, I knew I was going to miss him.

I was working my last shift at Odyssey, counting down the minutes till closing time, and I broke into a smile when I spotted a familiar face. I couldn't believe he was here by himself.

When I walked up to his table, Remo instantly flashed me a smile, and pulled out a chair. Though we weren't supposed to sit down while we were working, I looked around, and since no one was watching, I took a seat on the fake leather chair, glad to take a load off my feet.

"I'm surprised to see you here on your own," I said, glancing around at the packed tables.

"I know you're probably tired after working all day. But since you'll be gone for a couple of weeks, I was hoping we could maybe go for a bite to eat after you're done here tonight."

Thrilled that he'd finally asked me out, grinning from ear to ear, I squeezed his hand. "I'd like that. I haven't eaten anything since lunch, so I'm starved."

He chuckled. "Then I guess I'd better feed you."

After the bar closed up, I was surprised when Remo led me out to his car in the parking lot; an older black Toyota Camry, that was still in pretty good shape. When he noticed I looked confused, he explained, "I take the bus every day, 'cause where I work, there's hardly any parking. And there's so many trucks coming and going, I'd hate to lose my car if one of them hit me."

That made perfect sense to me, since I'd never had the money for a car, I know I'd be super careful if I ever had my own ride.

We kept smiling across at each other as he drove us downtown to a tiny hole in the wall trattoria, that I was happy to discover made the best spaghetti and meat balls I'd ever tasted.

"Wow, is this ever good," I said, as he passed me a basket of fresh, crusty bread.

Remo glanced around at the faded walls and shrugged. "I know it's not much to look at, but I love this place. They make real Italian food like my nonna used to make, when the whole family would gather at her place for Sunday lunch."

"I'm guessing you must have a big family," I said, dabbing at my lips with a napkin.

He chuckled. "Yeah, there's quite a few of us Montones running around. And we're all pretty close, too."

"Well, I've only got a sister, and she lives in Japan with her husband and two kids. So, unfortunately, I don't see them very often."

He quirked an eyebrow. "So, you're on your own, then?"

I sighed, thinking about my folks. "Pretty much. My dad died in a car accident driving home from work when I was still in high school. And my mother passed away three years ago from heart failure, when she was only fifty. She was never the same after we lost my dad, and we think she died of a broken heart."

"I'm really sorry to hear that."

I just nodded, because there wasn't much more to say. Though, I was on my own now, I wasn't helpless. I had a goal in mind that kept me going. Once I finished college, I'd finally be working at something I cared about. Which meant I wouldn't have to serve drinks to horny drunks anymore, or have to listen to people moaning and yelling about their cars all day.

"But I share a house with three other girls," I explained. "Two of them I've known since high school, so they're kind of like family."

He smiled, looking pleased. "Well, I'm glad you've got some good friends."

The most delicious little shiver skittered through me as Remo reached across the table and covered my hand with his, stroking his thumb into my palm. When I noticed the heat in his eyes, I was glad that he saw me as more than just a friend, since I was getting damp down below just imagining what a big, strong guy like him would be like, if we ever got naked together.

Not that I was planning to hop between the sheets with him any time soon, but at least I knew he was interested.

We finished off dinner with bowls of tangy lemon gelato and homemade biscotti, that was to die for, it was all so good. Of course, he laughed while I moaned over every spoonful.

When I pulled out my wallet to help pay the bill, he shook his head and gestured for me to put it back into my purse, reminding me, "Hey, I invited you out, remember?"

"Okay." I nodded. "Next time is on me, though."

Flashing me a smile, he winked. "I'm just glad there'll be a next time."

When he drove me home after dinner, I liked that he was polite, and he walked around the car and opened my door for me, since the few guys I'd dated, had no idea about manners.

Glancing across the well-maintained lawn, he smiled, nodding at our tidy four-bedroom rental. "Nice house."

"Well, with four of us sharing, it's affordable. And thankfully it's got four bathrooms, so it's a pretty good fit for a houseful of women."

I could feel my pulse beginning to race as I watched him take a step closer. Gently pulling me against him, he wrapped me in his arms and brushed a soft little kiss to my forehead.

"I would really love to kiss you," he whispered into my hair.

Smiling against his big, broad chest, I whispered back, "Well that's a good thing, since I'd really like you to kiss me."