Dirk Pitt 1 - Pacific Vortex Read Online Free PDF Page A

them away. “You should find yourself a new hobby. At the rate you indulge your fantasies, I'm surprised you haven't been sold for scrap by now.”
    “That's an interesting thought,” she smiled at him. “I could always use the money. I wonder what I'd bring.”
    “Probably the price of a well-used Edsel.”
    She thrust out her chest and faked a pout. “You only hurt the one you love, so I'm told.”
    Considering the exhaustive pace of her nightlife, Pitt thought she was still a damn good-looking woman. He remembered the soft feel of her body when he last made love to her. He also remembered that no matter how relentless his attack, nor how expert his technique he could never satisfy her.
    “Not to change the subject of our stimulating conversation,” he said, “but I met your father for the first time today.”
    He waited for a hint of surprise. There was none.
    She seemed quite unconcerned. “Really? What did old Lord Nelson have to talk about?”
    “For one thing, he didn't care for the way I was dressed.”
    “Don't feel badly. He doesn't care for the way I dress either.”
    He took a sip from his Scotch and gazed at her over the top of the glass. “In your case, I can't blame him. No man likes to see his daughter come off like a back alley hooker.”
    She ignored his last remark; that her father had come face-to-face with but one of her many lovers, didn't interest her at all. She wiggled onto the next bar stool and gazed at him with a seductive look burning in her eyes, the effect heightened by the long black hair winding around one shoulder. Her skin glowed like polished bronze under the dim lights of the cocktail lounge.
    She whispered, “How about that drink?”
    Pitt nodded at the bartender. “A Brandy Alexander for the... ah, lady.”
    She scowled a little and then smiled. “Don't you know that being referred to as a lady is very old-fashioned?”
    “An old carry-over. All men want a girl, just like the girl, that married dear old Dad.”
    “Mom was a drag,” she said, her voice elaborately casual.
    “How about Dad?”
    “Dad was a will-o'-the-wisp. He was never home, always chasing after some smelly old derelict barge or a forgotten shipwreck. He loved the ocean more than he loved his own family. The night I was born, he was rescuing the crew of a sinking oil tanker in the mid-Pacific. When I graduated from high school, he was at sea searching for a missing aircraft. And when Mother died, our dear admiral was charting icebergs off Greenland with some long-haired freaks from the Eaton School of Oceanography.” Her eyes shifted just enough to let Pitt know he was onto her sore spot. “So don't bother shedding tears over this father-daughter relationship. The admiral and I tolerate each other purely out of social convenience.”
    Pitt stared down at her. “You're all grown up now; why don't you leave home?”
    The bartender brought her drink and she sipped it. “What better deal can a girl find? I'm continually surrounded by handsome males in uniform. Look at the odds; thousands of men and no competition. Why should I leave the old homestead and scrounge for leftovers? No, the admiral needs the image of a family man, and I need old Dad for the fringe benefits that come with being an admiral's daughter.” Then she looked at him, faking a shy and bashful expression. “My apartment? Shall we?”
    “You'll have to take a raincheck, Miss Hunter,” said a delicate voice behind them. “The captain is waiting for me.”
    Adrian and Pitt both turned in unison. There stood the most exotic-looking woman Pitt had ever seen. She possessed eyes so gray, they defied reality, and her hair fell in an enchanting cascade of red, presenting a vibrant contrast against the green, Oriental sheath dress that adhered to her curvaceous body.
    Pitt quickly searched his memory, but with no success. He was certain he had never laid eyes on this beauty before. When he rose off the bar stool, he was pleasingly