“You know this is a singles’ cruise, right?” He evidently felt he needed to remind her.
“And?”
“And I think you need to get with the program.”
Get with the program? “The only program I’m interested in is the one I’ve created for myself.”
His shoulders stiffened. “So…you’re not interested then?”
Monica rolled her eyes. Hadn’t she just said that?
Years ago, Hansen had sat her and Kelly down and explained the system that some men—though not all—used to categorize single women.
There were the HS’s—the husband seekers. They would target a man for matrimony, then do anything and everything to lure him to the altar. Then there were the CH’s—or casual hookups. These were the women who didn’t mind being a guy’s, or whatever day of the week he needed a booty call. Those women aimed to please, no matter the day or the hour, and enjoyed sex just as much as men did. They were in it solely for the pleasure.
Hansen had continued their education by warning them about the OD’s and BJ’s. The OD’s were the one and done. They got a man excited, and put out in the bedroom, but one night was all a guy needed to get them out of his system. They never made it to the CH category, because there was something about them that could wiggle its way under a man’s skin if he let it. But he never let it.
The BJ’s—or blow jobbers—were women trained with their mouths to please a man in every way and loved doing it. If they were really good, some of those women might eventually get placed in his CH category.
And last, but not least, were the AK’s—A Keeper. Every once in a while, a man found someone he considered a precious gem. When he met a keeper, a man’s intentions were honorable because he had marriage on his mind.
Monica still couldn’t believe she’d managed to sit through that lesson without laughing. Still, it was worth knowing, even though she’d never fall into any of those categories. Even when she’d been young, she knew she was in a class all her own.
“Are you listening to me, Jill?”
It took her a minute to realize the man was still standing there. She looked up at him. “No, not really.”
She heard the women at the table behind her giggle and knew he’d heard them, too. Obviously embarrassed, Jack suddenly snatched the magazine out of her hand. “Now I have your undivided attention.”
Monica was furious. She couldn’t believe the audacity of the man. “Give me my magazine back.”
He smirked. “Be nice to me and maybe I will.”
“I think she’s made it quite clear she’s not interested, so give her back the magazine and move on.”
Monica’s heart suddenly jumped. She recognized that voice. It couldn’t be him... It just couldn’t be. She lifted her gaze to the man standing by her chair. It was him. Landon Chestnut. Where had he come from?
“Landon?” She had to nearly catch her breath in surprise before saying his name. She then heard the women at the table behind her whisper to each other, “That’s him. Mr. Eye Candy.”
He removed his sunglasses, slid them in the pocket of his shirt and gave her a heart-stopping smile. “Yes. But honestly, we need to stop meeting like this.”
CHAPTER FOUR
LANDON STARED AT THE woman who had been a constant presence in his dreams for the past eight months. The woman whose business card he had worn out from looking at it so often. And the woman who, though it seemed through no fault of her own, was a magnet for assholes.
He turned and glared at the man who had yet to return Monica’s magazine to her. “I said, give it back.”
“And if I don’t?”
It was obvious the man was sizing Landon up. He probably assumed that though they were of the same height, weight and stature, that he could take Landon on with no problem, just because Landon had a good five or six years on the asshole. But that’s where he was wrong. Not only did Landon have a black belt in karate, but he was also well-trained in a number of other martial arts.
“Then I’ll throw your ass overboard,” Landon warned.
Evidently something in Landon’s tone, as well as his expression, made the guy realize he didn’t have an advantage after all. He quickly handed the magazine back to Monica. “Hey, I was just teasing her,” he said, backing up and then quickly turning to walk away.
Landon turned his full attention to Monica, ignoring the clapping and cheers of the women who were sitting at the table behind her. Up close, she was even more beautiful than he’d remembered. She was wearing little, if any makeup, so what he was seeing was her natural beauty. Her cocoa-colored complexion looked even smoother than it had that night, and her dark eyes could still take his breath away. In the daylight, he could clearly see the shape of her sensuous looking mouth. The kind any man would want to devour.
He wondered if that’s what that guy had been thinking earlier. Even if he had, there was no excuse for his entitled attitude. In his book, when a woman refused a man’s advances, he accepted the rejection and moved on. Not that he’d had much practice at that.
“I meant what I said, Monica. We need to stop meeting like this.”
“Seems like you’ve taken the job of being my guardian angel again, Landon,” she said, smiling up at him.
“Your guardian angel?” he said, grinning. He had never been called that before. Besides, it wasn’t true. If he had been an angel, there wouldn’t be so much sexual chemistry flowing between the two of them. And a guardian angel would not have all these improper thoughts floating around in his head. “I must admit it’s beginning to look that way, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Landon was glad that she hadn’t minded his interference. Some women got offended if you treated them as a damsel in distress.
For him, stepping in to help someone in trouble was second nature. That’s the way his parents had raised him. He’d been brought up to believe women were to be respected and protected. Not harassed and threatened.
“Would you like to join me, Landon?” Monica asked, breaking into his thoughts.
He liked the sound of his name on her lips. Why did it have to be so sensual? “Are you sure I won’t be interrupting anything? After all, you are reading your magazine,” he said, letting her know he’d heard that much of her conversation with that guy.
She chuckled. “I’m positive. I just didn’t want Jack’s company. He was acting like an entitled ass.”
Landon totally agreed. “Yes, he was,” he said, sliding into the chair opposite hers. “Are you enjoying the cruise, Monica?”
“It’s work.”
He lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry. I should have said, it’s a working cruise for me. I’m a reporter for the travel section of St. Paul Star Tribune. The owner of this cruise ship is a native of St. Paul and invited the Tribune to send someone to write a review for the newspaper. All the other reporters on my team are married, so I was the lucky one who got the assignment.”
Landon nodded. For some reason, he was glad she wasn’t part of the regular singles’ crowd. “Does that mean you won’t be able to enjoy yourself?”