Prologue
He wasn’t sure why he always chose this diner. It was a risky thing to do. If any of the waitresses slipped up and mentioned something about all of his dates here, it could ruin everything. All he knew was that he liked this diner: it was low-key, comfortable, and relaxing. It allowed him to entertain the girls without feeling any pressure. They were all beautiful women, and he was able to get what he wanted from them easily. They were everything he wanted and nothing he needed. If he was honest with himself, he knew that he liked it this way. He wasn’t going to allow a woman to get under his skin. He was never going to change his mind about falling in love. Not for anyone, and certainly not for a brunette named Lucky who he barely knew. He had to be focused on the plan at hand, and he couldn't allow for emotions to get in the way of what he needed to do.
Chapter 1
“Can you believe that this guy is in here again with another girl?” Shayla peered out into the dining room and shook her head. “Are these girls stupid?”
“Maybe they don’t care?” I shrugged, indifferent to how many different dates Mr. Big Tipper brought to the restaurant every Friday night.
“Or they don’t know.” She rolled her eyes as she prepared two garden salads for her latest customer. “But really, how can they not know? One look at him tells you that he’s a guy that’s not going to be faithful.”
“Shayla,” I laughed as I sorted mountains of silverware and folded sets of them into napkins. “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“So you would go on a date with him if he asked you?”
“Oh, hell no.” I laughed and looked out at the tall, handsome jock sitting at one of my tables. His name was Zane Beaumont, and he had been frequenting Lou’s Burger Joint every Friday night for the last three months with a different girl each time. This week’s date seemed as vapid as all the other girls he had previously brought into the diner. But I was no longer surprised—not like Shayla was—every time he walked in with a new girl. In fact, I would have been more surprised if he came in with the same girl, two weeks in a row.
“You don’t think he’s hot?” Shayla turned to me and wriggled her eyebrows before heading off to deliver her salads.
“Oh, he’s hot all right.” I laughed again and stared at him, studying his face clinically. “But he must be the biggest player in Miami.” Zane Beaumont was everything I wanted to avoid in a guy. He was too handsome to be a good guy, with his light blue eyes and dark brown, slightly too long hair. His hair was always perfectly spiked with a wisp in his face that he combed through with his fingers to give it a tousled look. His face was chiseled and classically handsome, and he always had a slightly smug and superior look on it. There was something about his persona that I was instinctively attracted to. But I knew there was no way I would ever act on the attraction I felt—not that he would ever be interested in me anyway.
“You should go for it, girl.” Maria, the other waitress working that evening, wriggled her eyebrows at me as she finished counting out her tips. “He always sits at your table. I bet he has a crush on you, chica.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Maria, but I doubt it.” I laughed easily while a warm flush ran through my body. “Even if he was interested, which he isn’t, I would never date someone like him. There is no way that he would fit my rules.”
“Ay dios mio.” Maria rolled her eyes. “You talking about those rules again? Forget the rules. Just go with the flow.”
“You know I can’t do that, Maria.” I sighed. “I created the rules for a reason. I don’t want to just be some guy’s bed buddy anymore. I’m saving myself for the real deal.”
“If you say so.” She stuffed her thick wad of cash into her handbag and jumped up. “But I’m sure he would be dy***ite in the sack if you were to change your mind.” She laughed, and I had to nod in agreement. There was something in the way that Zane Beaumont moved that was rhythmic and sexy. Plus, his hands were large, warm, and manly. I flushed as I remembered the shock of electricity I felt each time our fingers touched when I took his payments.
“Bye, Maria. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“No chica, me and Pedro are going salsa dancing.” She grinned, and did a couple of steps in the kitchen.
“Oh, that should be fun.” I smiled at her, slightly envious. I wish I could afford to take Saturday nights off. Not that it actually mattered anyway. I didn’t have a boyfriend, and my two best friends were coupled up. So when I did have the night off, I was usually at home by myself, watching crappy movies with a large tub of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream.
“You should come with us one night, girl. Pedro’s cousin just moved here from New York, his name’s Armando. I think you’d like him.”
“That’s okay. Thanks, Maria.” I laughed and quickly made my way into the dining hall as a new couple was seated at my table. I sighed as they got into the booth on the same side. They were obviously a new couple, trying to cozy up together as much as possible. It was hard working at the diner on Friday and Saturday nights because they were usually date nights. But, they were also the best nights for tips. Zane Beaumont always tipped me at least 50%—what girl could say no to that?
“Hi, I’m Lucky, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with any drinks?” I kept the smile plastered on my face, even though the couple paid no attention to me. They were too busy kissing each other. “Or maybe I’ll give you a few minutes.” I walked away from the table as they continued to ignore me and went to check up on Zane and his date.
“Hi, is everything going okay?” I smiled pleasantly, trying to ignore the excitement in my stomach as Zane stared up at me attentively with a sexy smile.
“Is this Diet Coke?” The beautiful brunette asked me with an attitude. “I asked for Diet Coke and this tastes like regular Coke.”
“I can assure you that this is Diet Coke ma’am.” I tried to make sure I didn’t roll my eyes. “I personally filled your drink order, and I made sure to hit the Diet Coke button.”
“Well, are you sure? Because it doesn’t taste like Diet Coke.” She glared at me, and I turned to Zane. “Is there anything else you need, Mr. Beaumont?”
“I told you to call me Zane.” He laughed. “And no, we’re good here. Thank you, Lucky.”