The Seduction Setup, My Pretty Passenger Stole Everything

I had been driving city buses for eight years. On the late-night run at eleven-thirty, my bus was almost always empty. Until last week, when everything changed. A gorgeous young woman started getting on at the first stop, riding all the way to the end of the line. She kept me company, chatted with me, and even brought me snacks. With a beauty like her around, driving the graveyard shift didn't feel tiring at all. On the eighth night, the moment she stepped onto the bus, she collapsed right into my arms. "Driver... I don't have anywhere to go tonight. Can I stay at your place?" My head spun. My mind went completely blank. I was broke, had struck out on countless blind dates, and had stayed single all the way to thirty-five. It had been ages since I was this close to a woman. Instinctively, I held her tight, my hand unconsciously sliding down the curve of her hip and onto her bare leg. The blare of a horn behind me snapped me back to reality. Damn. I was still on the clock. Reluctantly, I pulled my hands back and helped her steady herself. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" I pressed the gas, and the bus pulled away. She took a seat in the very front row. Her eyes were red and watery as she told me her name was Elena. She said she had moved to the city two weeks ago with a distant relative to find work. But they didn't make a dime, and the relative abandoned her. Her rent was due today, she got kicked out, and she was completely stranded. It all made sense now. That was why she spent two bucks every single night just to ride my bus to the end of the line. I stole a glance at her pretty face in the rearview mirror, swallowing hard. A vulnerable, gorgeous girl looking to me for shelter. It felt like winning the jackpot. Still, I knew pretty women could be trouble, so I kept my guard up just a little. "Have you thought about calling the cops? If you can't survive out here, you could get help going back home." Elena shook her head. "I don't want to go back. Both my parents passed away. No one's waiting for me back there." Before I could even process that, her soft, sweet voice drifted over. "Jack, I've been watching you for days. I can tell you're a good man. I knew you'd help me." Our eyes met in the rearview mirror. A surge of heat rushed through my veins. When a stunning woman throws herself at you, only an idiot says no. Traffic was light at this hour. Over the past few days, I had driven deliberately slow just to stretch out my time with her. Tonight, I slammed on the gas. In less than half an hour, I flew through the route and pulled into the terminal. I told Elena to step off and wait for me outside. Then I jogged into the dispatch office to drop off the bus keys. My coworker, Ray, teased me with a grin. "Jack, what's got you grinning like an idiot? Hot date tonight?" I didn't want him getting jealous, so I brushed it off. "Just ready to clock out, man. Hustle up." I signed the logbook and hurried out. Elena was standing in a dim corner, shivering nervously. I wanted to grab her hand, but seeing how tense she looked, I held back. "Have you eaten?" Elena offered an embarrassed little smile. Got it. I took her to a late-night street diner to grab some food. To my surprise, Ray showed up there too. He had only started working here recently, another single guy living on his own, and his eyes practically popped out of his skull the second he saw Elena. While Elena went to the restroom, he nudged my shoulder and leaned in. "Bro, where the hell did you find a smoke show like that?" I smirked, playing it mysterious. "Drive more night shifts, man. Play your cards right, and you might get lucky too." I didn't bother chatting any further. I pulled Elena onto my scooter, twisted the throttle, and sped off. The sudden burst of speed scared her into pressing against my back, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. Holding onto her made me feel ten years younger. My apartment was small and outdated. But Elena had clearly seen rough times; she didn't complain for a second. The moment we walked in, she smoothed out the bed and shyly whispered that she wanted to take a shower. The water hissed against the tiles. Through the frosted glass, I could catch the soft outline of her silhouette. Thinking about what was coming next made my blood rush hot and heavy. I took a step toward the bathroom, but before I could do anything, a sharp scream pierced the air. With a sharp snap, every light in the apartment went out.I jumped. "Elena! What happened?" Her voice trembled with embarrassment from inside. "I think the hair dryer just started smoking..." A short circuit. Just as I was groaning over how to fix it in the middle of the night, Elena emerged, fully dressed. In the pitch-black room, I used my phone's flashlight to inspect the bathroom. Sure enough, the faulty dryer had blown the fuse. Now, our romantic night had turned into an emergency repair mission. Elena reached out, her fingers curling around mine. Her big eyes sparkled in the faint light. "Jack, I actually know an electrician. He does late-night house calls." Before I could answer, she pulled out her phone and dialed. "Jack, he said he can be here in thirty minutes." Just like that, what was supposed to be our intimate first night together turned into waiting around for an electrician. With someone coming over, I couldn't walk around shirtless. I pulled on my jacket and sat upright on the couch, waiting until past two in the morning. I yawned endlessly, but the repair guy never showed up. I walked into the bedroom to ask Elena what was going on, only to find her fast asleep. She was curled under the blanket, breathing softly and steadily. No matter how turned on I was, I wasn't a monster. I wasn't going to force myself on a sleeping woman. Besides, exhaustion hit me like a truck. My eyelids felt heavy as lead. Letting out a long, frustrated sigh, I grabbed a throw blanket and crashed on the couch. I fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, the mouthwatering aroma of food woke me up. "Jack, breakfast is ready. Come eat!" I scrambled up from the couch. There she was, wearing an apron, moving around the small kitchen, with fresh pancakes and hot coffee laid out on the table. After so many years alone, for the first time, this place felt like an actual home. A wave of warmth rushed over me. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her slim waist. "Be my girlfriend." Elena blushed, but to my shock, she shook her head. Thinking she looked down on my lifestyle, I quickly blurted, "I can take care of you. You won't have to worry about money." She looked back at me, tears welling in her eyes. "No, Jack. I don't have a job. I'm not good enough for you. If I stay with you like this, I'm just a burden." "You work so hard for your money, and you're not swimming in cash. I can't just freeload off you." Elena said she needed to find work, preferably something that provided room and board. She added that she would always be grateful to me once she was back on her feet. The more she talked, the more panicked I got. If she moved out, how was I supposed to get her into my bed? That was like letting a bird fly right out of the cage. I didn't want her gratitude, and I certainly didn't need her money. I wanted her. Seeing how sensible and humble she was, completely different from the gold-diggers I had met before, the last trace of my suspicion vanished. I pulled out my phone right away to show off. Driving buses didn't pay a fortune, and I hadn't saved much. However, my luck was finally turning around. Just recently, I got official notice that the government was buying out my family's old rural property for a massive highway development project. I had already checked the policy. The compensation payout was going to be several million dollars, scheduled to hit my account any day now. "Once that payout clears, our lives will be completely set. I can easily support you, so don't rush off to find some crappy job." Elena's eyes went wide with shock. She gasped, saying she must be the luckiest girl in the world to have run into me. She threw her arms around my neck and planted a soft, warm kiss on my cheek. Her lips were tender, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my gut. I almost knocked over my mug. Her slender, delicate fingers darted out, catching the cup steadily. She gazed up at me with absolute devotion, looking ready to give me anything I wanted. Morning wood paired with a view like that was an impossible test. I tossed breakfast aside, scooped her into my arms, kicked open the bedroom door, and tumbled onto the bed with her. Elena wrapped her arms around my neck, her breath tickling my ear. "Jack... please be gentle..." Blood roared in my ears. I leaned down, completely ready to lose control. Right before things escalated, my phone buzzed violently on the nightstand. At a moment like this, even if the sky were falling, I wouldn't have cared. Without looking, I reached out and hit decline. A second later, it started ringing again. The buzzing went on and on. Elena's face flushed crimson as she gently tapped my chest. "What if it's an emergency?" Growling under my breath, I glanced at the screen. It was my coworker, Ray, practically screaming through the speaker. "Jack, get over here right now! I'm in deep shit!"I was right at the edge of heaven; the last thing I wanted to do was leave. Elena, ever so considerate, gently pushed me away. "He's your coworker. You guys have to work together every day. If you don't help him, it'll make things awkward at work. Go ahead. I'll wait for you at home." Her soothing voice worked like magic, instantly cooling down my frustration. I pulled on my clothes and rushed over to the bus depot. Ray really had messed up. He had scraped the side of his bus against a barrier. For an experienced driver like me, it was nothing. Call the police for a minor incident report, notify insurance, and file the paperwork with the company. Instead, the kid was crying like a baby, his face soaked in tears and snot. He clutched my arm and wouldn't let go, begging me to stay through the entire police statement. "Bro, if you leave, I won't know what to say to the cops!" He was a sobbing mess. I never realized he was this spineless. Maybe it was just because he was new to the job. Feeling bad for him, I stayed and helped him sort through the mess. By the time everything was handled, most of the day was gone. Today was supposed to be my day off. All I wanted was to hurry home to Elena and finish what we started. Ray grabbed my sleeve again. "Bro... my hands are shaking so bad. I can't drive my shift tonight." I looked down. His hands really were trembling, his knees knocking. Sending him out on the road like this was practically asking for a fatal accident. I had no choice. I pulled out my phone and texted Elena. She replied immediately, sweet and understanding. "Don't worry about me, Jack. Go do your job. I'll clean the apartment and wait for you to come home whenever you're done." Seeing how sweet she was, I grinned from ear to ear. Ray leaned over to peek at my screen, but I shoved him back. Jealousy dripped from his face. "Damn, bro... texting your gorgeous girl?" He practically had drool hanging from his mouth. Seeing another guy drool over my woman rubbed me the wrong way. I brushed him off and told him to go home and sleep it off. Ray, trying to be polite, transferred some money to my account, saying it was compensation for covering his shift. With millions on the way, I didn't care about a couple of bucks. When I unlocked my phone, though, my eyes nearly popped out. He had sent a thousand dollars. That was enough to cover five straight days of shifts. Did this idiot really expect me to drive for five straight days? That meant five days and five nights away from home! If I were still single, fine. But I finally had a gorgeous girl waiting in my bed. Leaving her alone in an empty apartment for nearly a week was suicide. I called after Ray. "If you're taking five days off, you better find someone else. Even with the cash, I'm not covering that much. I've got a life." The kid wanted to use this as an excuse to slack off, and I wasn't about to sacrifice my personal happiness for his lazy ass. I tapped my screen and sent the money straight back. To my shock, Ray immediately blocked me on SnapChat and refused to take it, pleading with me on the spot. "I've got driving PTSD from the crash, Jack! I need a few days off!" "That's between you and management. Talk to the boss." Thinking of Elena's soft, warm curves, I hardened my heart, snatched Ray's phone right out of his hand, and opened his banking app. If he blocked me on social media, I'd send it via bank transfer. I wired back six hundred. Ray tried wrestling his phone back, but I stood my ground. Three days of coverage was more than generous. That was my absolute limit. For three days and three nights, I drove non-stop. Aside from short fifteen-minute breaks at the depot, I ate and slept at the bus station. By day three, my head was spinning from exhaustion. The only silver lining was my notifications. Elena texted me during meals and before bed, keeping me company. Still, she never showed up on my late-night bus again. Just as I was about to text her and ask what she was up to, my phone buzzed. A text alert from my bank. A grin spread across my face. Counting the days, the compensation payout was supposed to land right about now. I opened the notification, eager to take a screenshot and share the good news with Elena. The moment my eyes landed on the balance line, my vision went completely black. Right there, in bold, mocking digits: "$0.00." I frantically called the land registry office back in my hometown. The payout had been processed the morning after I brought Elena home. Over the next few days, massive transfers were made one after another. By this morning, every single penny was gone. I barely interacted with anyone outside of work. The only person who had access to my phone was Elena. Thinking back to her weird behavior over the past few days, my brain felt like it was going to explode. I abandoned everything and raced home. The apartment was dead silent. Empty. Her clothes, her shoes—everything was gone. That bitch stole every cent I had! Furious, I dialed 911 on the spot. The officers took my statement and told me to go home and wait for updates. I had blisters forming on my lips from pure stress, but life had to go on. If that money was gone forever, I needed to work even harder just to survive. Two days later, I went back to my shifts, driving with a heavy foot and a short temper. Another late-night run. Looking ahead at an empty stop, I prepared to blow right past it without stopping. Suddenly, a woman stepped out from behind the shelter, waving frantically. Elena! She had the nerve to show her face on my bus?! I slammed on the brakes and hit the door switch. The moment she stepped inside, she looked pale and terrified. Just like the first night we met, she collapsed into my chest, shaking violently. "Jack, save me!"