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- Herausgeber: Dreamspinner Press
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
Ricky's a consummate professional on the prowl, and he's got his sights set on a lady with a ton of money to drop in his direction. But while stringing her along on the transatlantic cruise, he runs into the gorgeous and enigmatic Tony – a fellow conman looking for a way to pass the time until the fish bite.
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Seitenzahl: 45
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2008
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Hook, Line, and Sinker
by Catt Ford
Ricky's a consummate professional on the prowl, and he's got his sights set on a lady with a ton of money to drop in his direction. But while stringing her along on a transatlantic cruise, he runs into the gorgeous and enigmatic Tony — a fellow conman looking for a way to pass the time until the fish bite.
RICKY SMOOTHED back his already sleek dark hair with both hands, gave his bow tie one final tweak to ensure it was perfectly straight.He smiled at himself in the mirror, all the while admiring his white teeth, bright in his tanned face and the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. He adjusted his cuffs, enjoying the flash of emerald cufflinks, a parting token from his last conquest. The expensive tux set off his broad shoulders and toned physique beautifully. He was handsome. He was charming.
He was ready for business.
He locked his stateroom behind him and strolled down the broad hallway, stopping at the door of a suite three rooms from his. He knocked, casting a roguish glance at a tall, slender woman, some years older than he, who was looking appraisingly at him as she floated down the hallway. He turned away, knowing that the lure had been cast.
The door opened. “Dear boy, right on time, as always. I’m afraid Marie isn’t quite ready yet. May I offer you a drink while we wait?”
“Don’t trouble to play the posh gent with me, Edmund. I’ve known you too long,” Ricky said, with a genuine smile.
His mentor was equally tall, elegant and silver haired, with an air of distinction like a diplomat, which had served him well during his long career. Edmund laughed and moved to the bar. “Scotch?”
“Rocks, splash of soda,” Ricky said unnecessarily. “How’s married life?”
“Wonderful, you should really give it a try,” Edmund said. “If I’d known how fulfilling it would be, I’d have given up the racket a long time ago.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. Tell me that you didn’t enjoy the thrill of landing a big one,” Ricky chuckled. He took a modest sip of his drink and sighed in satisfaction.
“I did, I did,” Edmund admitted, with a mournful sigh even though his eyes were twinkling. “But then I met Marie, and I couldn’t let her get away.”
Ricky’s face twisted a little at that; he had watched as his friend Edmund, who had taught him everything he knew about the con game, had lost his heart to Marie Sodercamp, as she was then known. Edmund had left the cruise ship to pursue her to Paris and eventually ended up marrying her.
Of course, they’d had to wait until after her rich, elderly husband had kicked the bucket, but luckily he’d been obliging about it, whisking himself off to nirvana or whatever paradise awaited extremely wealthy industrial robber-barons without an ounce of social conscience.
The late Mr. Sodercamp had also been accommodating enough to leave one half of his fortune to Marie, enabling her to convince Edmund to retire to the life he’d been practicing for throughout his career.
The bedroom door opened and Marie sailed majestically into the room. She was tall, fashionably thin and her hair was silver as well.
Together she and Edmund made a regal couple. Her face was as intelligent as it was beautiful, and the signs of aging somehow made her all the more beautiful.
If she hadn’t been married to his best friend, Ricky thought appreciatively, he might have made a play for her himself.
“Richard, darling,” she drawled in her best society manner. “So lovely of you to join us. After tonight we shan’t see much of you, shall we?”
“Not if I net a big one,” Ricky answered.He went to her and they exchanged air kisses.
“I suppose we should count ourselves lucky to have the most eligible bachelor on board sit at our table for even one night,” Marie said, with a twinkle in her eyes. She knew perfectly well what Ricky was up to. In fact, she’d been quite aware of Edmund’s profession when she met him on her first cruise. “I enjoy being taken to the cleaners, when the man does it so charmingly,” she’d confided to friends who had experienced his wiles before she had, and warned her that he was a con man.
She went to her husband and laid her hand on his arm. He covered it with his and bent to kiss her. “Shall we?” she asked.
Ricky watched them, not acknowledging the little tug of envy eating at his heart. He wondered if he would ever be so lucky to find the right one. If he did, he vowed, he wouldn’t let her get away either.
He followed Edmund and Marie to the first class dining room. In 1957, the Apollonion was not the largest ship, but surely the most luxurious one that traveled between Europe and America. Crystal chandeliers sparkled like diamonds, the table linen was white and crisp, and the crowd was dressed to the hilt. There were plenty of fish in the sea, both above and below the decks.
