pulsations to her lower region. Her clit tingled. “My friends insisted I come on this cruise to get over a love affair gone wrong. They encouraged me to meet a load of hot, nice guys.”
“I think that’s what single’s cruises are designed to do.” Poker face looked good on him.
She couldn’t mention the donor project because a woman looking for a baby-daddy was a sensitive issue. Men got all quirky about legalities, financial responsibilities, and even if she had no interest in the man participating in the raising of the child, the guy, if he was high on the donor list of prospects, might feel a need to be involved. Which was why she’d jumped into treatment after Conrad said yes. He’d been okay with the prospect of being a detached father. Of course, she hadn’t known at the time he’d be buying a vacation home with stolen diamonds while she might be rotting in jail.
“I thought maybe we could work together to filter out the people we don’t want to be with.”
“Okay, I’m in research, so I understand your reason to sort information, evaluate your data, and select possible dating material.” He talked like a math person. Statistical analysis was her weak point for sure. “What do you have planned?”
Hot cheeks, raging clit–she had to get cool. Pitch the idea and go get a drink. “Well, I thought we could help each other. More than likely there are twice as many females on this ship as males–”
“Six thousand passengers and three thousand employees. Of the six K probably sixty-two point four percent are female.”
She dropped her hands from pressing against her face. “Okay. So there are more women than men. What I propose is we cover for each other. If an undesirable approaches me, I’ll turn him away by claiming we’re together. You can do the same. At the end of the night, we’ll select our chosen guy or girl and be on our merry way.”
His gaze roamed over her face and focused on her eyes. “What if you’re making a bad decision? Your data may be skewed by alcohol or slick magazine-cover good looks. Do I have the right to tell you?”
“Ah.” She lifted an eyebrow. “How about we test the market and see what happens first?”
His almond shaped eyes widened. “What about a safe word?”
“Pardon?” She crossed her legs and flicked her fingernails.
“Let’s say you’ve chosen your partner and later find out he’s not what you thought. You could give a shout-out…ah… ‘Bang Wang’ and I’ll come running.”
“Bang Wang?” She held in the laughter and was very proud of herself for not even giving way to a smile.
Red appeared on his neck and cheeks. She must not have hid her expression after all. “I’m sorry. I think it’s a perfect shout-out for help.” She nodded.
“First thought that popped into my head,” he said and looked at his shoes.
“We’ll see how tonight goes and then decide. Although, I think you’ll need one, if there is a significant difference in male and female guests. You’re going to be hit on more than me. Toss around a few suggestions for a good code word when the cougars come after you.” She tapped her chin with a finger.
“I won’t need one.” His hand dragged through his short dark hair.
“Oh, why won’t you?”
“Because I’ve a hard shell and keen instincts when it comes to people.” He stood, as if the topic made him nervous.
Diamonds were the hardest everlasting mineral on earth. All women wanted to enhance their beauty by the glittering glow of the sparkles. John would be superlative arm candy for any woman on the cruise. The perfect fit for him. “What do you think of diamonds?”
He jerked as if sucker-punched. “Diamonds?”
“Yes. They’re the hardest jewel on earth, they sparkle and they’re priceless. I’m thinking diamonds is the perfect code for you.” She stood, tugged her vest, and walked around the coffee table. “Ready?”
“Yes, more than you know.” He slowly rose from the sofa.
Chapter 3
John Kajiyama, Special Investigation Agent, wanted to go into his stateroom and immediately erase the interaction from his memory, and the tape before it got admitted into evidence. His colleagues at Atlantic Coast Investigations would tease him endlessly for the Bang Wang comment, if word ever got out. He knew without a doubt the bug he’d hidden while Mary was freshening-up would have caught his surprise at the mention of diamonds.
He shook his head as he followed Mary down the corridor. Bang Wang. His only excuse was her tempting body and quick wit, in addition to being on an adult cruise. She’d think any randy male passenger would hit on her, so he’d played the part. Yes, that’s what he’d tell his colleagues when they were laughing their asses off. He was adapting to the role.
Would she take a partner back to her room each night? He’d have difficulty listening to the bump and grind, knowing she was with someone other than him. According to the patterns forming from the data on the pivot chart, Conrad Peabody would eventually contact her, maybe even on the ship or in one of the ports. One way or another he’d find out if she was part of the robbery.
John’s associate, Debbie Gilbert, would also be searching for Peabody or his partner in crime, Andee Waterman, on the cruise. The thieves were caught on tape for a total of one minute and fifty nine seconds robbing Keefe’s Finest Jewels, enough to show them using a gun and binding Mary’s wrists and blindfolding her. Fortunately her sales clerk had gone to a dental appointment, which made Mary’s role in the heist all the more suspicious.
Waterman had been the one to disable the guard and the camera. The close up indicated he had a tobacco chewing habit. When John and Debbie got past the yellow police tape and into the store, he’d secured a sample of the brown spit and sent the evidence to ACFI’s lab. DNA led them to Waterman, who had priors. A simple match and evidence was logged. The two thieves had laid a clever escape route and immediately gone underground.
John’s gut told him they would appear on the cruise or at one of the ports. Needless to say the passenger manifest didn’t list their given names. Debbie had verified the employees on paper, and during the cruise she’d evaluate the crew with a great deal of care, looking for the two criminals.
Loud blasts of calypso music punctured his eardrums as Mary led him into the pool area. Merry makers were already sipping on straws coming out the top of fake coconut shells. Strong perfume scents rippled through the breeze blowing off the warm ocean water. Many of the colorful sarongs women were wearing wouldn’t be enough material to keep them comfy when the wind took on a chill later in the night. But of course, that could be the very reason they wore the thin, short garments. This was hook-up central.
He had four days to discover if it had all been a con and Mary was in on the game. He’d attach to her like an insect to a fly strip.
She sidled up to the Tiki Station, a bar decorated in palm leaves, fake torches and curved banana-shaped bar stools. The bartender–Ryan according to his tag–offered Mary a tuberose and orchid lei. His hands slid along her breasts as he lowered the ring of flowers. Mary’s bosom lifted and lowered as if she breathed excitedly. The floral scent filtered into John’s nostrils. While he appreciated the simple beauty of the white, lavender and magenta necklace, he didn’t like the interaction between Mary and Ryan.
Across from the Tiki Station, a reggae band ended a song by Bob Marley, and to John’s surprise and pleasure, started Right Time, by The Mighty Diamonds. John took a seat beside Mary and held his palm out as Ryan offered him the lei. Too bad she didn’t offer to lei him.
“Here.” John held out the flowers. She winked and wrapped the delicate blooms around her wrist.
“Tonight’s specials are the Mai Tai and the Zombie. Either of you interested?” Ryan