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Authors: Cindy Kirk

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BOOK: The Tycoon's Son
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He lifted a dark eyebrow, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Do I look like I’m having fun now?”
Trish struggled to keep her eyes riveted to Theo’s face.
“You’re off to a great start,” Trish said, adding a teasing lilt to her voice. “But this is just the beginning. The point is not to only
look
like you’re having fun, but to actually
have
fun. That’s why you need to stay.”
Theo tilted his head, his eyes speculative. “Are you offering to teach me?”
“Me?” Trish gave a little laugh. “I’m not qualified. I’m still learning how to have fun myself.”
“Ah,” he said with an enigmatic smile. “Another novice. Perhaps we could learn together?”
Was it only her imagination or was Theo Catomeris flirting with her? Had she won him over with her brilliant conversational skills or was it her yellow bikini? Actually, she reminded herself, she hadn’t won him over, she’d only bought herself a little time.
She still needed to figure out how to make him stay…and then how to make him sign.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“L
IE BACK
,” Trish said in answer. “Close your eyes. Clear your mind and listen to the music.”

Her voice softened as she continued to speak, her tone taking on an almost-lyrical quality. Theo supposed he could have gotten up, told her he was too busy for such foolishness. But the truth was he had some free time and he was enjoying her company.

He leaned back and out of the corner of his eye saw her do the same. She had a body made for a bikini…slender curves in all the right places. When she’d called his name and he’d turned, a flash of heat had shot straight to his groin. Which was crazy considering the fact that she was a woman who had been inconsequential…until today.
But that wasn’t why he’d followed her. She intrigued him. Which was why he was sitting on this white lounge chair, waiting to see what was going to come out of her mouth.
She was unpredictable. Like when she’d approached the table last night. The conversation had been going smoothly until she’d brought up that blasted contract. He’d be the first to admit that he’d been irritated.
Still, he found himself admiring her tenacity. Though convincing him to do the tours for Liberty was a battle she couldn’t possibly win, she kept coming back for more rejection. He had no doubt as to why he was sitting here. She had some scheme in her head.
But the sun was warm, and in spite of his resolve to keep alert, Theo felt himself begin to relax. The music from the band set up by the bar brought back memories of a trip he and his friend Bruno had taken to Fiji their last year in college. His eyes drifted shut, and like a movie in his mind, he found himself reliving the wild adventures they’d had…
“The first cruise I went on was to Hawaii,” Trish murmured, pulling him from his thoughts. “They played music very much like this on board. Isn’t it funny how sounds can transport you back to another place and time?”
Theo opened his eyes and rolled on his side to face her. “I was just thinking the same thing.” He wondered if he’d be out of line to tell her that her eyes were the color of caramels in the light. “Did you go to Hawaii with a friend?”
“No,” she said, reaching for the sunscreen bottle, her hair dropping down and blocking her eyes from his view. “I was on my honeymoon.”
Theo’s smile froze on his lips. He knew she was a Mrs. not a Miss, but he’d noticed she wasn’t wearing a ring and had assumed she was divorced. “You have a husband?”
“
Had
,” Trish said. “We’ve been divorced for a long time. Close to five years.”
Theo expelled the breath he’d been holding. Of course his relief wasn’t because he was interested in her romantically. He just had a policy against socializing with married women. “Any children?”
A brilliant smile flashed across her face. “One. A daughter. Would you like to see her picture?”
“Sure, that—”
She didn’t even wait for him to finish before she pulled her bag up to her lap and started rummaging through it. Just as he was about to tell her not to bother, she finally pulled out a little leather case that looked like a man’s wallet but contained only pictures. “This is Cassidy at her last birthday party. She’s eight.”
Theo stared dutifully at the photo. The girl’s hair was dark, not red, but her facial features showed a remarkable likeness to her mother. “Cute girl.”
Trish ran a finger across the top of the picture and a look of longing filled her gaze. “She’s also funny and smart and…”
Theo watched in horror as tears filled her eyes. He felt a ridiculous urge to pat her on the shoulder, or even pull her into his arms and comfort her.
Thankfully he didn’t have to act on his impulses. Trish turned away and shoved the small photo album back into her bag. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually so emotional. It’s just that this is the first time we’ve been apart for so long and I find myself missing her terribly.”
“I understand,” Theo said, although he didn’t. He didn’t have any children to miss. “I take it she lives with you?”
“Her father and I share custody,” Trish said.
His face must have shown his surprise because she smiled. “Coordinating her care can be hard but the arrangement is in Cassidy’s best interest. And I’m still the primary custodial parent.”
“That must be hard.” Theo couldn’t imagine how she did it. He knew firsthand the demands of owning a business and the stress she must be under. “Being on your own with a child.”
“I guess I don’t really feel alone,” Trish said, and he was happy to see that all trace of tears had left her eyes. “I have a lot of supportive friends and Steven, my ex-husband, is very involved.”
“Is he watching her while you’re here?”
“He’s out of town on business,” Trish said. “She’s spending the week with my sister and her family in Disney World.”
A sad look crossed her face and for a second he thought she might cry again. Theo shifted uneasily in his seat, wishing he hadn’t asked so many questions. After all, he didn’t want to care about her daughter or her child-care arrangements. Or how his decision not to sign her contract might affect her personal and business life.
“How about you?” she asked. “Do you have a wife? Kids?”
“No,” he said smoothly. “My business doesn’t leave me time for much else. I didn’t feel it would be fair to have a family come in a distant second.”
He didn’t know who was more surprised by the last statement, him or her. Normally he just said he was too busy and let it go at that. But over the last few years he’d come to realize his decision to avoid serious relationships went beyond a hectic work schedule.
His mother had spent most of his growing-up years focused on her career, leaving him feeling more like an inconvenience than anything else. He refused to subject a wife or children to that experience.
“Good for you.” Trish nodded. “I firmly believe family should come before a career. Unfortunately I’ve been forced to balance work and home. But I make a conscious effort to put Cassidy’s needs first.”
“Which means your needs come last?” Theo said.
Trish shrugged. “That’s okay. There’ll be plenty of time for my needs once she’s grown.”
Theo couldn’t help it. The more she talked, the more he found himself admiring…even liking this woman. She’d not only chosen to devote the best years of her life to focus on her daughter, she did so willingly, even cheerfully.
“So this cruise is a vacation for you.”
“I’m here because of business,” Trish said pointedly. “I’m here to convince you to sign the contract.”
“I already told you no,” he said.
Trish lifted her chin. “The party’s not over until the fat lady sings.”
It was an American colloquialism, but he understood what she was trying to say, and once again he had to admire her determination. Unfortunately, if she remained so focused on this unattainable goal, she wasn’t going to be able to enjoy the cruise, which could be her only time for herself for the next few years. Unless…
“Tomorrow we’ll be in Naples,” Theo said. “Do you have plans?”
Trish looked puzzled. “Why do you ask?”
“I thought I might call up an old friend who lives there to show me the city,” Theo said. “And I wondered if you’d like to come along?”
“D
ID HE SAY ANYTHING
more about this friend?” Sally asked, slathering antiaging cream onto her face in front of the bathroom mirror.
Trish thought for a moment. “He said ‘old friend’ but I don’t think it’s a grandfather kind of guy. I got the impression he was Theo’s age.”
A doubtful look crossed Sally’s face. “I suppose it will be okay.”
Trish resisted the urge to wrap her fingers around Sally’s neck. Didn’t her friend realize that spending the day with Theo was Trish’s dream come true? Now she wouldn’t have to scout him out on deck and try to engage him in conversation; she’d have access to him the whole day. Hopefully there would be many, many opportunities to bring up the contract, subtly of course.
“Naples is such a romantic city,” Sally said. “I know it may seem like a girlish dream, but I had this vision of you and me sitting in some outdoor eating area, chatting with handsome Italian men.”
“We don’t speak Italian,” Trish reminded her friend even as her heart twisted. Sometimes it was easy to forget that this was Sally’s vacation, too.
A dreamy look crossed Sally’s face. “Don’t they say that the language of love knows no boundaries?”
It was the first time Trish had heard the expression but she got the drift. Sally was a romantic and far be it from Trish to dash her friend’s hopes. “Okay, how about this…we go with Theo and meet his friend. If it’s not working out, we make some excuse and split?”
Sally added a little extra cream to the barely perceptible lines next to her mouth. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.”
“It’s a plan,” Trish said, then flipped open her phone and hit the speed dial for the Orlando hotel. If Cassidy asked her tonight if the man had signed yet, she’d have to say no, but the way it was going she might have some good news to report very, very soon.
T
HE
G
ARDEN
T
ERRACE
on deck eleven was clearly the place to be on this beautiful summer morning. After working out in the fitness center one deck above, Trish had decided to swing by the buffet.
She grabbed a yogurt and a cup of coffee and was headed toward the exit when she spotted Ariana Bennett. The ship’s librarian—and fellow American—was seated by herself at a small table by the window.
Though Ariana appeared lost in her own thoughts, Trish decided it would be rude to walk by without saying hello. She got all the way to the table before Ariana looked up.
“Good morning.” Trish smiled. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
A guilty look skittered across the librarian’s face. “I know I shouldn’t be eating in a public dining area while I’m on duty but—”
“I didn’t mean that,” Trish said hurriedly, appalled Ariana thought she could be such a snob. “I just thought you’d be in the library. It seems you’re always there.”
The tense set of Ariana’s shoulders eased. “Once the call to disembark goes out, I’m off duty. I’ll be heading off the ship with the passengers.”
“I take it no afternoon talks with Father Connelly today?” Though Trish hadn’t made any of them so far, she’d heard the informal “chats” in the library had been immensely popular.
Father Patrick Connelly, a priest with vast knowledge of Greek and Roman culture, had been specifically brought on board to share his knowledge with interested passengers. And he used his collection of reproductions of Greek and Roman antiquities, which were displayed in the library, to illustrate his lectures.
Despite the good things Trish had heard about the talks, she didn’t plan to attend any. Maybe it was sacrilegious but the man…well, he creeped her out.
She’d run across the middle-aged priest her first day on the ship. Father Connelly had been on the upper deck, ogling the bathing beauties with a decidedly lecherous gleam in his eye.
“No lecture today,” Ariana said. “Most of the passengers will be onshore so it didn’t make sense to have one.”
Trish smiled her agreement, placed her yogurt parfait and spoon on the table and took a sip of her rapidly cooling coffee.
“Oh my goodness,” Ariana said. “Where are my manners? Please sit down.”
Trish had planned to head straight back to the room but it was early enough that Sally was probably still sleeping. She decided to take Ariana up on her offer. Pulling out a chair, Trish took a seat next to the large window.
“What were we talking about?” Trish asked, sipping her coffee, reveling in the feel of the sun against her cheek.
Ariana made a face. “Father Connelly.”
“Everyone says he knows his stuff.” Trish chose her words carefully, trying not to let her distaste of the man show.
BOOK: The Tycoon's Son
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