Cindy Kirk - The Tycoon's Son

WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

The Daily Cruise Letter/The Daily Cruise News

Captain Pappas reports that it should be fine sailing as we make our way from Corfu to Naples. Since this is our only full day at sea, why not make the most of it?

Start your day off with a light breakfast at the Garden Terrace while you gaze out at the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. Join a spinning class in our fitness centre or “salute to the sun” in a yoga session on the Helios deck. Refresh yourself in the Mermaid Lagoon and Coral Cove, or just lounge poolside with a good book. Our full-time librarian, Ariana Bennett, will be happy to make recommendations.

Don’t forget to check the special offers in our gift shops, then relax to the soothing music of our pianist in the opulent Court of Dreams. Join the captain for a champagne reception at La Belle Epoque, followed by dinner in the Empire Room. It’s baccarat night at Caesar’s Forum, but if gambling’s not your thing, come up to the Starlight Theater at ten o’clock and discover how romantic a movie can be under a glittering night sky.

Mediterranean days and Mediterranean nights.

Yours to experience on Alexandra’s Dream.

learned at an early age the value of having an active imagination. If she didn’t like the ending of a television show or movie, she simply thought of a different one. Or if she had difficulty falling asleep, instead of counting sheep, she made up a story. When she was sixteen she penned these words in her diary, “I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t be a writer.”

But it would be several decades before her dream would become a reality. Now a wife and mother, Cindy is a writer of contemporary romance. She invites you to get to know her by reading her novel and visiting her Web site at www.cindykirk.com.

The Tycoon’s Son

Cindy Kirk

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Dear Reader,

Writing a continuity book was a new experience for me. When I was asked to write The Tycoon’s Son I was thrilled and told editor Marsha Zinberg that she’d picked the perfect book for me. I love all kinds of animals, so Theo’s work to help the wild horses of Kefalonia touched a chord in my heart. Theo and Trish were also such great characters that it was a pleasure helping them find their happy ending.

Getting to know the other authors involved in the MEDITERRANEAN NIGHTS continuity was also a wonderful experience. They are a talented group of women and I can’t wait to read all the other books in this series!

Best,

Cindy Kirk

To author Patt Marr, who seems to know everyone—probably because she is so much fun to be around! I owe Patt a big thanks for introducing me to Greek woman extraordinaire Pam Dokolas, who helped me with all things Greek. Anything Greek I got right in this book is thanks to Pam.

Any errors are strictly my own.

DON’T MISS THE STORIES OF

FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE

Ingrid Weaver

SCENT OF A WOMAN

Joanne Rock

THE TYCOON’S SON

Cindy Kirk

BREAKING ALL THE RULES

Marisa Carroll

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

Karen Kendall

BELOW DECK

Dorien Kelly

A PERFECT MARRIAGE?

Cindi Myers

FULL EXPOSURE

Diana Duncan

CABIN FEVER

Mary Leo

ISLAND HEAT

Sarah Mayberry

STARSTRUCK

Michelle Celmer

THE WAY HE MOVES

Marcia King-Gamble

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

EPILOGUE

TRISH MELROSE FELT like a hooker. Or maybe a college student at the end of a bar crawl…

It wasn’t even one o’clock in the afternoon and here she was sitting in a taverna with a carafe of Greek wine on the table in front of her.

Okay, so maybe she didn’t look like a lady of the evening. Her skirt brushed her knees and the linen shell beneath her suit jacket didn’t show a bit of cleavage. And, as far as the coed thing, the fine lines at the edge of her eyes weren’t usually found on a college girl’s face.

But that didn’t change the fact that for the past thirty minutes she’d been sitting in the small café in Corfu Town, sipping the same glass of wine and plastering a smile on her face whenever the tiny bells above the door jingled a new arrival. With unabashed interest she’d checked out every man who walked through the door.

She only prayed Theo Catomeris wouldn’t keep her waiting much longer.

As the owner of a growing company in Miami that arranged shore excursions for cruise ships, Trish loved everything about her job…except the games.

While arriving late was a common way to show power, in this case it was totally unnecessary. Theo Catomeris had to know that he was the one in control.

If he said yes to her very generous offer, billionaire Elias Stamos would be appeased and Trish would retain her firm’s contract with Liberty Line.

Unfortunately if he said no…

Trish’s fingers tightened around the wineglass. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she failed.

There was so much at stake. If she lost the Liberty contract she’d have to lay off or cut back the hours of at least one of her two employees. Who would it be? Twyla, the single mother who gave 110 percent every day? Or James, whose wife didn’t work and who’d just bought his first house in anticipation of the baby due next month? Her company, Excursion Plus, was more than just a business. She and her employees worked hard but they also had fun. And they all cared about each other. She couldn’t let them down.

Maybe if she groveled…

She stopped the thought before it could go any further, appalled it had even crossed her mind. Trish Melrose didn’t grovel. Had never groveled. Would never grovel.

She would do her best to convince Mr. Catomeris that it would be in his—and his wildlife foundation’s—best interest to continue to do business with Liberty Line. She’d make the points she’d rehearsed calmly and rationally.

The offer she had for him was a win-win. If he renewed his contract with Liberty Line for excursion services—the same services he’d been providing to Liberty passengers prior to the cruise line’s buyout by Argosy Cruises, Trish would make a hefty donation to his pet project, a foundation to help the wild horses of Kefalonia.

In actuality the money for the donation would come from Elias Stamos, the owner of Argosy Cruises and now Liberty Line. But the Greek billionaire insisted she leave his name out of the offer. As far as Theo Catomeris was concerned, Trish’s company would be the one making the donation. She’d asked several times why the subterfuge was necessary but had never gotten a straight answer.