Fool Me Once (First Wives #1)

Her cheeks warmed. “Are you a salesman, Mr. Single?”

“I can be.”

She looked him up and down, made sure he knew she was sizing him up this time. “Personal trainer?”

“Every day but Sunday.” He met her eyes with a full kilowatt of charm.

He was joking, but she liked the flirty banter. “What’s wrong with working out on Sunday?”

“Nothing. I prefer to take my workouts outside of the gym on Sunday.” He had a decent tan, so she assumed that meant the beach, or maybe a hiking trip. “What about you? Professional model?”

Lori rolled her eyes. “Really? Your lines were better a minute ago.”

“You’re right. You seem much too put together for such a flighty profession. Doctor?”

Lori played along, mainly to avoid him asking the next question and suggesting lawyer. Because for some strange reason, announcing she was a divorce attorney while on the cruise with three of her female clients didn’t feel right. Besides, the less this stranger knew about her, the better. “You guessed it. Doctor.”

“Of?” He didn’t believe her.

“Anthropology.”

He snickered.

“What, I could be. Especially in a bar on a cruise ship sailing the Mediterranean. Lots of great people to study here.”

“That would make me an anthropologist in training, since watching people is my greatest strength.”

The bartender walked by and Lori shouted out the need for her check.

“Body language is important when selling used cars.”

His smile slid, but his eyes did that twinkle thing. He sized her up slowly. “I bet you’re into yoga?”

“Only on Sunday,” she said with a laugh.

“Why only Sunday?”

“Because the rest of the week I’m shimmying up a pole and collecting one-dollar bills all night.”

If she had to guess, the way he shifted his hips meant her comment made his mind go there.

“Now that I’d like to see.”

The bartender handed her the bill and walked away. She wrote her room number and scribbled a signature.

“Next time you’re in Vegas, let me know. I’ll hook you up.”

Mr. Single leaned back as their flirting came to a close. “A pole dancing stripper needs to work a lot of hours to afford a cruise like this.”

“Nawh, she just needs a sugar daddy, now if you’ll excuse me, my friends are waiting.”

He turned as she walked away. “Until next time, Miss Single.”

She lifted her hands. “I’m here all week.”

“Lucky me.”

Lori laughed as she walked away, ignoring the heat of his stare on her ass.





Chapter Four




Sugar daddy. Reed couldn’t help but wonder if Miss Single had one of those, past or present. He enjoyed the view as she sashayed away. Honey blonde hair, a sparkle in her blue eyes that wasn’t flighty like her overly animated friend’s. There had been a smirk behind her serious expression, and when she had started on the pole dancing line. She had curves, and that ass . . . yeah, a week on the open sea pursuing that one was a challenge he happily accepted. His eyes landed on the bill, which had her room number on it. One of the penthouse suites. He wasn’t surprised. This woman, and those she surrounded herself with, dripped with sophistication and money.

He took a pull on his longneck beer and opened the daily itinerary the ship provided. He reached for the pen left behind by Miss Single and circled a singles mixer dance party for later that night. None of the women Miss Single was with wore wedding rings, so it was safe to say he’d find them among the unattached on the ship.

His phone buzzed. A number from the States displayed without a name.

“Reed,” he answered, 99 percent sure who the caller was.

“How is Spain?” the female voice asked.

“Balmy.”

“I trust your accommodations are satisfactory.”

He glanced around the deck. “They’ll work,” he said without humor.

“Anything to report?”

“I’ve located my target.”

“Well, I hope so. That suite didn’t come cheap.”

Reed looked around the Haven’s private accommodations and was glad he wasn’t paying the bill.

“She’s traveling with friends.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know yet, I’ve been on board less than an hour.”

She muttered something crass. “I will call you in Rome.”

“Until Rome.” He hung up and signaled the bartender for his bill.




“Don’t look.”

Funny how when someone tells you not to look, that’s exactly what you want to do. Lori found her eyes drifting from the spinning ball on the roulette table.

Shannon elbowed her gently.

Lori snapped her attention away from the table.

“He cannot take his eyes off you.”

“Who?”

The croupier called out the number, placed his marker on the board, and paid out the winners. Sadly, Lori wasn’t one of them.

She took the moment to pick up her drink and briefly scan the room.

Sure enough, Mr. Single stood on the opposing side of the craps table, watching her.

Instead of pretending she didn’t notice him, she lifted her glass in salute and smiled. It felt good to flirt, even though it was against her better judgment.

His answering grin was mixed with mischief.

“That’s the guy you were telling us about, isn’t it?” Shannon asked.

“Sure is.”

“Wow, he is something to look at.”

Lori hummed.

“Needs a haircut, though.”

Lori broke eye contact with him and turned to Shannon. “I know, right?” She set her chips on the table and stood back.

“Place your bets,” the croupier told them. Shannon leaned across Lori to reach the higher numbers.

When Lori looked back up, Mr. Single was gone. A hair of disappointment wiggled up her spine.

“Thirty-one black.”

Shannon high-fived Lori. “Whoop, whoop!”

Her five-dollar chip sat on the line between thirty-one and twenty-eight.

“Next round is on you,” Lori teased.

Shannon collected her money and generously placed her bets. She glanced up. “Where did he go?”

“Who knows?” Lori looked at her hand of dwindling chips, promising to walk away if she didn’t win on the next turn of the wheel. Just then her skin prickled and her palms started to itch.

“Red.” His voice came from behind her, his lips close to her ear.

She forced herself not to smile. “You’re sure?” she asked.

The croupier spun the wheel and released the ball.

“Forty-eight percent sure.”

She looked up and down the table, remembered the green zero and double zeros. She put twenty on red and scattered another twenty bucks on various red numbers.

“No more bets.”

The ball started to bounce.

Lori held her breath.

“Fourteen, red.”

“Okay, then. I guess I owe you a drink,” Lori said as she peeked over her shoulder to find Mr. Single staring.

“Hello.” Shannon peered from Lori’s other side.

“Hello,” he replied, then narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you—”

Lori panicked and lifted a finger to his lips as if she had a right.

His amused eyes widened as he reached to touch her hand.

“My friend is on vacation.” Lori hoped her words kept him from bringing unwanted attention to Shannon. “Far away from home.”