Opportunity Knocked Read online

  Opportunity Knocked

  By K.S. Martin

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Epilogue

  Text copyright pending © 2013 K. S. Martin

  All Rights Reserved

  Chapter 1

  “Stupid, piece of shit car.” I banged the steering wheel with my palms. “Ugh.” I dropped my chin to my chest and exhaled a long low hissing noise similar to the noise coming from under the hood. I looked up to find a curious pair of bright green eyes watching me through a plate glass window inside what looked an old fashioned diner. It was wide with a lot of large windows. I could see the turquoise vinyl booths lined up along the window with stools at a counter behind them from where I sat still behind the wheel of the piece of shit car. It wasn’t really, it was only experiencing temporary difficulties, actually it was only a couple of years old and was still really nice. It wasn’t something that I would buy, but I can’t complain, it’s free for me to use while I travel from client to client. The company paid for it, so they could choose what they liked or more likely what was the best bargain. I didn’t get into that. My job was to present them in the best possible light to potential customers. I smiled slightly up at the green eyed woman that now seemed more interested in her customers and unfastened my seatbelt. I climbed out of the company car and slammed the door angrily then walked into the diner and took a seat in one of the booths with the turquoise vinyl seats. Green eyes hurried right over with a glass of water and a menu.

  “I will be back in a sec to take your order, but we are out of fried chicken just so you know.” The woman touched my shoulder and hurried away to another booth. I fished my smart phone from my oversized patent leather shoulder bag. It was dead. I’d forgotten to charge it, again.

  “Damn it.” I spat. “This day just keeps getting worse.” I tried touching the power button several times a little harder than necessary and I even shook it, hoping that it might stir any juice left in the battery. No luck.

  “It’s not that bad.” A deep voice chided me gently now. Strange shivers worked their way through me making my womb contract. Odd reaction to a voice, I thought.

  “How do you know?” I growled as I looked up not understanding my reaction. Mesmerizing green eyes held my gaze. His mouth curled up at one corner. His pencil was poised over an order pad. Wow! My mind screamed, God could he be any sexier? Maybe this day was improving. Tall, broad, and hot! Really hot.

  “What you need is nice piece of pie,” He was saying, I watched his mouth move. The way his lips curled, his straight white teeth, I imagined his tongue on me. “We have cherry, apple, blueberry or Lemon Chess?” He is so beautiful, except for the worn clothes he belonged in a magazine.

  “No, th-th-thank you, I stammered,” sugar went straight to my ass. “I, uh, just need change and a pay phone, my car broke down.” He was making me so nervous, my knees were shaking under the table, and they hadn’t done that since eleventh grade when Tommy Flanagan and I had lain down on the couch half naked in his basement.

  “I know. Bernie over there is going to look at it as soon as he finishes his pie.” He pointed to a tall skinny black man in greasy coveralls sitting at the end of the counter. The man held up a fork full of blueberry pie and smiled with purple teeth as he nodded at me.

  “Thanks, that’s really nice.” I felt myself relax, my shoulders softening noticeably, but his close proximity still shook my knees.

  “Mean while you should choose a pie, I have other customers to wait on.” I heard a throaty laugh behind me but I ignored it. Sooty lashes defined his green eyes, dark tousled hair covered his head and he seemed a little too tan to be a diner waiter. His chest was broad, I could see the outline of the pectoral muscles and strong defined shoulders through fitted tee shirt and I admired his worn and torn jeans that hung low on perfect slim hips. My heart thumped wildly in my chest for some reason I did not understand. What in the hell was wrong with me?

  “Y-You said Lemon Chess? That sounds like heaven.” I finally gave in, “and I would like to pay for Bernie’s pie as well.” I would say anything to get him to leave my personal space, if he hung around much longer with those strong thighs, I might explode or jump him right here. I needed a minute to catch my breath and slow my out of control heart. God but he was gorgeous, too gorgeous, dangerous to the decision making center in my brain.

  “Sure thing, coming right up.” He winked at me before he left my table and I watched him walk away, fully appreciating the muscular backside encased in the soft faded denim. I breathed heavily.

  “Do you like that?” The original waitress stopped by and filled my water glass. She was older with long movie star blonde hair. Her name tag said “Dotty.”

  “Um, sorry. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” I turned quickly and looked out the window at my car.

  “Honey, I wasn’t trying to discourage you, I was just asking a question. So, do you like it?” I looked up with my crimson face at the older waitress, noticing the same green eyes.

  “Oh.” My mouth fell open when I figured it out. “You’re his mom? Or maybe you are an older sister?” Dotty winked at me. I was mortified at being caught and by his mom no less. The day is still worsening, one step forward six steps back.

  “I’m his Mom. I think he’s handsome, but I have to, it’s a rule.” She winked at me again and walked to another table.

  I sat there for a long few minutes looking out at the street waiting for the blush and heat to leave my cheeks. A blue sedan passed by slowly with the oldest people on the planet in the front seats and then a kid on a bicycle with flaming red hair curling out from under a pink helmet. Things seemed to move a lot slower here. Bernie was at my car now popping the hood. He poked around under there for a few minutes then turned around to face me through the window holding something black and dirty. Regrettably, I only know where the gas and the blue stuff go. It was a shame but it was the truth. There was a whole maintenance division at work to care for company cars and all I had ever needed to know was where to put the gas and the blue stuff, until now. He stuck his head in the door and spoke to me.

  “This part may take as long as two or three days to get. I don’t have one at the garage.” I nodded. He went back out and slammed the hood.

  “Of course it will. Shit.” I muttered. I have a presentation to give tomorrow with a particularly uptight client. He may not even let me reschedule or worse he may waste my time. What can I do about it? Send Jameson Bradley extraordinaire? No, that pompous ass would definitely lose the sale.

  “So, you’re staying in town then huh?” He set my pie down in front of me startling me from my thoughts, his fingers brushed mine creating a tingling sensation in my hand. I jerked it away, embarrassed. It was like an electric current.

  “I’m not really sure what I am doing just yet. Do you have any recommendations?” I smiled up at him. His eyes were intense, spring green with a blue halo around them, incredibly luminous inviting pools. He was gorgeous and yummy.

  “A few.” He eased down next to me on the vinyl seat and I scooted over a bit to give him room to sit. He smiled knowingly. “First, how’s the pie?” He leaned on one elbow to look at me. A lock of hair fell across his forehead and I had to clench my fist to keep from reaching for it. I wondered how soft it would feel in my fingers.

  “Fantastic.” I put another bite in my mouth. He watched intensely. The green gaze taking me all in, he made me nervous and jittery. My body was responding to his closeness with heat and dampness.

  “So um, suggestions?” He watched my mouth while he spoke. “Check in over there at Miss Ruby’s, she will take really good
care of you, but she won't bug you. You could grab a cab and go out to the Holiday Inn on the interstate, but it’s a long way and your car is going right over there to get fixed so, I suggest staying local.” He pointed at Bernie’s Garage across the street. He had great hands. There were tiny white scars maybe from a fight? His fingers were long and his nails neat. They were very expressive and moved when he talked. I wanted them on me, in me, all over me. The attraction and sexual energy were palpable. “We have a great western omelet for breakfast, they will give you a donut and burned coffee, and of course we have better more attractive service.” He gazed deeply into my eyes making me shift in my seat. My panties dampened more because of his attentive gaze. My stomach was doing an irritating tumble or flutter every time he spoke. His voice sung along my nerves and disturbed my equilibrium. No man had ever affected me this way before and I didn’t understand why this one did now.

  “Wow, breakfast. Is this dinner then?” I put another bite in my mouth.

  “Nah, I thought I would take you over to Willie's Pizza for dinner. I thought that you would check in with Miss Ruby, shower, change, make yourself date ready and I will be over to get you in say an hour and a half.” He dabbed the corner of my mouth with a paper napkin. I let the long fingers tend to me. A little thrill joining the singing along my nerves, they were wrestling somewhere deep in my belly and calling for attention on a primal level.

  “You thought that did you?” I laid the fork down beside my plate. “I wonder what makes you think that all that is going to happen for you tonight cowboy?” I asked stiffly, my alarm bells were going off, I was not sure if I could trust him yet and I learned long ago that a girl needed to be very careful with gorgeous arrogant nerve tingling men.

  “Well, I happen to know that the pie won’t hold you all night and that the cable is out over at the motel, all over town in fact. So, you don’t have a lot to do anyway. You will need some entertainment this evening. Besides I know you were appreciating my back side a few minutes ago,” He hiked a thumb at the long mirror that I hadn't noticed till now, it was behind the counter and stretched from one end of the counter to the other and set at an angle that perfectly reflected my every movement, and my face turned puce. “So, I am pretty certain that after the pizza you would love to hang out for a little while and maybe take a turn or two on Willie’s dance floor with me.” A muscle twitched in his jaw and a smile played about his mouth, God he was sure of himself. I wasn’t sure yet if he was one of those cocky guys that you avoid at all costs or if it were just a natural arrogance from being very good at everything he did. Only time would tell that tale.

  “So maybe I’ll just catch a cab to the Holiday on the interstate, they have cable, a restaurant and a bar.”

  “No cable, it’s out all over town right now like I said, a construction crew cut through the power line at the cable office. You can get a beer at Willie’s and the food out at the Holiday is overpriced and not nearly as good as my omelet will be in the morning. I promise.” He was playing every card he had to sucker me in and I decided that maybe I should play it safe, or hard to get anyway.

  “Well, hot rod, I don’t think so. I think I am exhausted and I think that I have two presentations to get together as well as a video conference to get to. I appreciate the offer and the suggestions but I don’t need a date.” I lied.

  “Bull shit.” His eyebrows rose as he stretched the word bull out to boool.

  “Excuse me?” I felt my eyes widened surprised, I shifted in my seat uneasily now. A guy had never just called me out like that.

  “Tell yourself whatever you like, but don’t bother lying to me darling. If you don’t want to go, or you're afraid to go, just say so, but don’t lie.” He swung out of the seat and disappeared. I was suddenly very disappointed and felt like I had just deflated. I knew in the pit of my stomach that I was wrong and that I had just slammed the door in opportunity’s face, again. Oh I shouldn’t have sent him away, that was a mistake, a huge mistake. Why did I always screw up with guys? I really need to listen to my gut more and less to what my head told me, it was wrong more often than not.

  “Megan you are a stupid girl.” I muttered leaving money on the table. I hurried out of the diner, I stumbled over the threshold. “He could’ve been very entertaining later this evening and now you’ve blown it. He’s pissed and gone, way to go.” Jeez Megan, you met him five seconds ago and you’re already considering sleeping with him? I chided myself in the internal war I was now having. But that ass, God did you see that ass? Holy shit it was perfect, just imagine it bare and…. I sucked air deeply into my lungs once outside in the hot afternoon sun. It had been so very long since a man had…entertained me, and it was never one with an ass like that. My internal monologue read me the riot act as it usually did when I obviously made a very poor decision. I hefted my suitcase, carryon bag and laptop out of the trunk and slammed it shut. When I looked up Bernie and several other guys in greasy coveralls similar to Bernie’s had surrounded my car.

  “I need the keys ma’am. We’re going to push her over there to the garage. Do you need help with your bags?” Bernie asked gently. I handed the keys over and shook my head. “Alright then, are you checking in at Miss Ruby’s?” I nodded. "Fill this paper out for me and we will get started." I filled in the blanks with my name, address, cell number and Visa card number and I handed it back to him. “I’ll let you know when it’s ready, thanks again for the pie.” He tipped his head at me and smiled with a mouthful of beautiful white teeth, the evidence of his blueberry pie long gone.

  “You’re very welcome, thanks for the help.” He waved and hopped in the driver’s seat. The others pushed the car backwards then ran around to the back of it and pushed it forward to cross the street. I put the carry on and my purse over my shoulder then wrestled with the lap top case and large suitcase. I really needed luggage that had wheels. A strong warm hand closed over mine and took the suitcase and laptop bag. Green eyes lifted them easily and carried them the half a block across the parking lot with the faded yellow lines to the motel office, his long strides leaving me quickly. “Thanks.” I said when I caught up with him running on my toes in the four inch pumps that I unfortunately chose this morning. “Listen, I was a little harsh earlier. If you still want to, I would love to go to dinner with you.” He seemed a lot bigger on his feet than he had sitting next to me earlier. He filled the small empty office once we got there.

  “Fess up to the lie.” I chewed my bottom lip and looked away. “Sorry, I don’t date liars. Have a good one.” He started out the door.

  “Wait.” I took a step toward him and touched his arm. He looked down at my hand as it rested there like he could feel the electricity dancing over his skin that I felt in my fingertips. I wondered if he could really feel the same electric tingles that I felt when we touched, did he feel that pull? “Okay, I apologize for the lie, it’s just that I don’t know you and well, a girl can never be too careful.” I couldn’t let him go again, not before my fingertips had a chance to trace the taut belly that I could see when his tee shirt stretched just right.

  “You don’t have to worry, I’m an honorable guy. I won’t hurt you and I will take good care of you, I promise.” He said and I nodded. He reached over and rang a bell on the counter then ducked out of the office door.

  “Hi there sweetie, do you need a room for one? How long will you be with me?” An ancient woman with unnaturally red dyed hair that looked almost burgundy asked as she came out of a back room. She had deep wrinkles filled with makeup and bright blue eye shadow that sparkled over green rheumy eyes. Her polyester pantsuit was the same color as the pea green carpet and probably as old. A cloud of stale cigarette smoke and Estee perfume surrounded her. I recognized the scent that my grandma wore every day of her life. She pointed to a book for me to fill out while she swiped my credit card. Ruby took a key off the hook and led me out of the office door and down the side walk.

  “I’ll be here as long as it takes to get my c
ar fixed.” I offered.

  “Not a problem sweetie. I’ll put you down there toward the end to give you some privacy.” I looked across the parking lot to the diner realizing I never asked him his name. I couldn’t call him green eyes could I?

  “Miss Ruby, do you know the young man that works in the diner? He has dark hair. He’s tall, and has green eyes.” Miss Ruby grumbled something under her breath that sounded like he was back again.

  “Is that him in the back there?” She pointed to the back of the building. He was carrying boxes inside from a small box truck. “Dotty’s kid?”

  “Yes, that is him.” I watched the muscles in his arms and back flex, ripple and bunch. I couldn’t help but wonder what they would feel like under my finger tips as muscles deep in my belly clenched with longing.

  “That’s Nicky. He’s bad news sweetie, he kills people for the government. You can’t trust the government you know. Every one of them is,” She paused searching for the word. “Unscrupulous. Nicky is a nice enough kid but since he started working for them, I’ve been keeping my eye on him grandson or not. Those government types are suspect, I was around when they were accusing regular people of being commies. I haven’t forgotten what they did. You would do well to stay away from him.” She opened the door to my room and stepped inside. “Now, the cable channels are on the list next to the television but the cable is out today a serviceman is supposed to come by soon. The air conditioner will take a few minutes to get going but if you’re not careful it will freeze you to death, and the bathroom is through there. The ice machine is at the end of the sidewalk and to the right with a soda machine and vending machine. The man came just yesterday and refilled it so there is plenty to choose from. Here is your key, if you need towels or your room freshened up, just push the nine on the phone, and please enjoy your stay.” Miss Ruby put the key in my hand and shut the door behind her. He kills people for the government? What the hell did that mean? The big shoulders and pecks, washboard belly and leanness suddenly made sense. Nicky was military, the tousled hair didn’t fit into that picture though. All of the soldiers that I ever saw sported a buzz cut like my father had for most of my life. Hopefully, he’s been discharged for his sake anyway. I surveyed the room. A queen sized bed covered with a blue and yellow flowered duvet stood in the center of the room. A small round white table with two swivel chairs sat in front of the window. There was a microwave on a cart near the bathroom. It wasn’t five stars but it was clean. I opened my laptop on the small table and plugged my cell in to charge. I opened my suitcase and surveyed my clothing selection. Not much to pick from for pizza and dancing but I pulled out a pair of gray summer weight slacks and an emerald short sleeved blouse. I toed my shoes off and went to the bathroom to run a shower. I stepped in and let the water run over my tired flesh. I shampooed my hair with complimentary shampoo and washed with the tiny bar of soap. I felt better when I stepped out and wrapped my head in one of the towels. My makeup bag was well stocked and I applied it sparingly after brushing my teeth. I smoothed a little blush on my cheeks and clear lip balm on my mouth, then dried my hair quickly. I pulled my favorite black thong up and put on the matching lacy bra. I completed my outfit with a pair of black strappy sandals. I zipped the suitcase closed and put it on the dresser. I went to the laptop and turned it on. Once the air card brought the internet up, I logged into my video conference and looked into a room full of executives around a long table.