First Star I See Tonight (Chicago Stars #8) - Susan Elizabeth Phillips Page 0,85
cologne.
He greeted Coop effusively, which could mean either that he hadn’t yet figured out Coop had dumped a fake ring on him or that he was simply a good actor. Coop slapped him on the back a tad too hard but offset it with a cornpone grin and an Oklahoma drawl. “It sure is good to see you again, Yer Highness. This is a real nice dinghy you got.”
The prince regarded him through creepy glasses tinted at the top but clear at the bottom. “As you can see, it’s no longer new.”
“Sure looks good to me.”
“You could not bring your friends with you?”
“Naw. Robillard’s just had another kid, and Tucker’s off doing something with his wife.” Coop’s derisive tone telegraphed his disgust for any man who’d put a woman’s needs ahead of his own.
“Unforgivable.” And then the prince chuckled. “Tell me, my friend. How did you find that little gift I gave you? Was she as sweet as you hoped?”
It took Coop a moment to understand what he meant, and then his jaw set in a most unpleasant way. She shot forward before he erupted. “Your Highness,” she gushed. “I’m so honored to meet you.” She fingered her zebra-striped sarong in a semicurtsy that would almost surely have amused Coop if he weren’t so pissed off.
The prince addressed her with a degree of arrogance that signaled he was doing her a favor by speaking to her at all. “Madam. I hope you’re finding my ship comfortable.”
“Oh, yes. It’s really, really super awesome.”
He returned his attention to Coop, already forgetting her existence. “Coop, sit with me. Our last visit was too short. Do you remember the Titans game where you fumbled on third-and-four? I was looking at the film, and it’s clear to me what you did wrong.”
Piper wanted to take his head off, but her iron-willed lover had himself back under control, so she went over to join the girl-women.
They were all legs and breasts, lithe and perfect, even without their heavy eye makeup, belly chains, and the elaborate manicures that left their hands as useless as the feet of aristocratic women had once been in China. They didn’t seem interested in talking to each other, but they responded to Piper’s conversational gambits.
Two were from Miami and the third was Puerto Rican. One had recently graduated from high school, another was working on her GED, and the third had dropped out of college freshman year. They hadn’t known each other until three days ago, when one of the prince’s aides had spotted them on the beach and invited them to be the prince’s “guests” for the week, promising them each a thousand dollars a day for their time. All three cast envious gazes toward Coop. She could see their curiosity about how someone who was neither lithe nor perfect had managed to attract his attention.
“We both like sports,” Piper said, as if that explained it.
“I like sports,” the one named Cierra offered wistfully.
“I thought it would be exciting being with a real prince,” the Puerto Rican beauty said, “but it’s kind of boring.”
“He can’t get it up without porn,” the recent high school graduate and only brunette whispered.
Piper didn’t want to hear the details of the odious prince’s sex life, and she decided to test the waters. “Coop seems to like him,” she lied. “He even gave him his Super Bowl ring.”
The recent high school graduate rolled her eyes. “We know. He brags about it.”
“Really?” Did that mean he hadn’t yet discovered it was a fake? Piper pretended to adjust her sunglasses. “He’s not wearing it. I guess it’s too heavy.”
The girl shrugged.
“He’s got small hands,” Cierra said.
“Small everything,” the other blonde said.
They laughed, as worldly wise as the most practiced courtesans.
“He put it on my big toe,” Cierra announced. “Last night.”
“I’ll bet it fit better than on his skinny finger,” the brunette said.
“He told me he’s going to have it sized.” Cierra yawned. “Like I care.”
Piper pretended to adjust her swimsuit straps. So, the Prince didn’t know it wasn’t the real thing. But the jeweler would as soon as he saw it, and he would certainly pass on that information.
The girls had fallen silent again, and Piper tried to sort out her thoughts. If the prince thought the ring was genuine, he couldn’t be the person threatening Coop. But the fake ring was still a ticking time bomb. Coop should have bribed the guy some other way, but no. Coop believed he was invincible.