Page 7 of Lady Luck's Kiss
Blinking, she quickly looked away and felt a flush creep up her neck. She wanted to melt into the floor in embarrassment and pretended to drop something. Kneeling down, just to get out of his view, she cursed the fact that she didn’t bother to really dress up nice.
First impressions were everything but, then again, would she even see the guy again?
She wished she had taken a moment to curl her hair or put it in any style other than the two French braids she currently wore. Her hair was split down the middle and braided tightly simply to keep it from being a mess.
She never wore makeup, except lipstick.
Cherry red lipstick was her weakness. She had tubes of the stuff everywhere: the empty ashtray of her car, the bolt bin of her tool box, a junk drawer in her apartment. And above all, she had a variety of tubes of retro red lipstick displayed on a small mirror on her dresser. She loved red and the classic look it gave. Thankfully, her coloring could pull it off.
Hesitating, she heard Beth squealing and glanced up into the bluest set of eyes she had ever seen.
“Hi,” she whispered, staring at him.
She was struck by the lopsided grin he gave her. She was fascinated by the way his tanned skin crinkled at the corners of his eyes when he smiled. His sculpted lips looked likesomething an underwear model would be wearing in one of those magazines.
“I’m Jack!” he hollered, holding out a hand. The other hand was holding on to the steel rail that surrounded the arena. His boots were perched on a rail and his eyes kept darting to the side as if he was expecting something.
“I’m Charlie!” she yelled back and awkwardly shook his hand, chagrinned that she had almost as many calluses as he had. It was hard to keep a good manicure when you were constantly tearing up your fingers on engines.
“Nice to meet you, Charlie!” His smile got even wider suddenly. “Got a little token of good luck for me?”
At that moment, she pictured a medieval knight at a joust asking for a ribbon from his lady. She wasn’t his lady, nor was he in a suit of armor. Blinking, she stared at him as she continued to hold his hand. A token? Crap! She didn’t have anything on her! No ribbon, no belt, no handkerchief or flower. She had on her a bare minimum to keep her day easy! A dress, the boots, her wallet and beer mug.
“No!” she yelled, completely chagrined and dismayed. Then it hit her. This was her win, this was her change of luck and her moment. “Wait! I have something!” Blushing, she took the hand she still held and left a perfect red kiss on the back of his knuckles.
The crowd around them roared in approval. Jack must have been surprised as well, because he pulled her forward and pointed at his cheek. Beth, who was screaming hysterically in excitement the entire time beside her began chanting:
Kiss him!
Kiss him!
Kiss him!
Others began to chant it and the announcer even mentioned it. Charlie felt herself blushing at the attention and knew that shewas put on the spot by him. He was extremely handsome. Would it be so bad to kiss a stranger? Leaning into it, she saw the exact moment that his smile increased.
“Now, onlygoodluck, Miss Charlie!” he encouraged loudly towards her.
“Maybe someone else should kiss you then. I’m not exactly good luck…” she laughed and saw he did as well.
The roar around them buzzed in her ears and her heartbeat pounded as she smelled his cologne. She had yet to smell horse sweat, but whatever he was wearing made her knees weak.
Closing her eyes, she leaned forward and felt the heat of his cheek near her skin. Modestly pressing her lips on his cheek to leave a red mark, she heard him let out his breath in a whoosh the moment they connected. Like blowing out candles on a birthday cake, she made a wish for him not to get injured. It might not do any good, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt!
Opening her eyes, she saw a glimmer of interest in his just seconds before he leapt away into action. She stood there, like a princess peering over a parapet of a castle at the scene.
Jack had one boot straddling each side of the pen and the door had opened behind him. He raised two fingers up and tipped his hat towards her as one of the news anchors shoved a microphone towards him.
“Jack Seguin! Jack! Tell the crowd what bull you are riding tonight!”
“Tonight, I will be riding Vamp. And when they yank that gate, I’ll be on for eight.”
Charlie watched,horrified, as the large, black, angry bull with the deadly name was led into the pen just within reach of Jack.He zipped up a thick, padded jacket that was emblazoned with all sorts of patches showing sponsorship and gave a cold look ahead, waiting.
Jack lowered himself onto the bull slowly, clutching the sides of the chute. He adjusted the rope and she watched as the bull began to dance under him. He put in a mouthpiece and adjusted himself again, shaking a large bell down under the bull’s neck. A glove flexed as he placed his hand under the rope. He gave a nod as he rolled his hand under the rope again to get a tighter grip.
The smile was gone, and icy resolve was reflected in his face.
This was business.
