Hooked Read Online Free PDF

God, I'm glad it's the last for a while. I am so sick of South Florida."
    "You won't miss all the South Beach beauties?"
    "I've had my fill for a while. I'm looking forward to some intelligent company--like fish."
    "Lara assured me she'd have the galley ready to roll tomorrow."
    "Good. I want to shove off as soon as possible. We can easily make Paradise by dark if we leave by noon. If we have to go later, I'll take the chance on a couple hours of night cruising."
    "You know that's a bad idea," Richard said over his shoulder as he went to get the drinks. He came back with a healthy measure of Grey Goose for me and a lite beer for himself. We sat on the aft deck and watched Mrs. Dalloway dart around the rigging.
    "Why'd you pick her?" I asked at length.
    Richard knew who the 'her' was of course. "Truthfully?"
    I nodded.
    "She seemed the most easy-going one who knew her stuff. She's well trained, she's got a solid year under her belt at a major player in the South Florida restaurant scene and, well…I thought it might be fun to have a woman around for a change." I already didn't like the way Richard thought Lara would be 'fun'.
    "Easy going, huh?"
    "Boss. You've run the last three-- three --chefs off this boat. Good cooks are notorious for having big egos and bad tempers. I just figured maybe somebody softer, younger and less . . . I don't know . . . testosterone driven, would work better."
    "Well, she's certainly that."
    "Easy on the eyes, too."
    I felt my hackles rise. "I hadn't noticed," I lied.
    "Well, take a look tomorrow. I sure wouldn't kick her out of my bed."
    "For the sake of our crew's harmony, I'll trust you not to pursue that." I said it with an edge that brought a strange look to Richard's face. He immediately recognized my 'danger zone' but clearly didn't expect it in this circumstance. Frankly, neither did I. I surprised myself.
    "Sure, Boss. I didn't know we had a no fraternization rule."
    "We do now." I knew I was being a dick.
    I stood up and went over to the transom. A long, hard pull on my vodka sent a shiver through my gullet. The sunset strollers made their way up and down the pier enjoying the breeze that had kicked up over the water. Richard propped his legs up on an opposite seat and stayed quiet. He knew when to shut up around me.
    "Can you rustle up something to eat, Captain?"
    "There's not much here. Rodrigo was due to provision us before we sailed and Lara's not back from her shopping. We didn't have a lot when we went on the shakedown cruise and when you decided to stay and gamble on Paradise Island two extra days . . ."
    I cut him off. "Just order something, will you?"
    "Sure. Cool. You don't have to bark at me. What do you feel like eating?"
    "Chrissakes, Richard. Just get something edible."
    Richard nodded and escaped into the salon just as my phone rang.
    "Shit. It was fucking Phoebe. What the hell did my cousin want now?" I cursed into the setting sun.
    "Hi, Cuz!" Phoebe said in her nasally voice.
    "What's up, Phebes?"
    "Aren't you, like, taking off for the Bahamas tomorrow?"
    "That's the plan," I sighed.
    "Do you mind a few stowaways?"
    "Fuck me ," I groaned inside. "We're not coming back to Lauderdale this trip. We're heading to London right after a short stop."
    "That's cool. The girls and I will fly back. We just want a little break."
    I couldn't say no. I wanted to, but I couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse not to let my cousin and her friends hitch a ride.
    "Okay. We shove off as close to noon as I can get. Be here by lunch. I've got a new chef. I'll have some sandwiches for you."
    "Oh dear God, Morgan. Not sandwiches. Carbs, darling. Just a salad for us. You know the drill."
    Did I ever. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen a woman eat a roll or a baked potato. "Sure thing. Salad it is."
    "Awesome, see you on deck then, sailor!"
    "Right. Bye." I sighed as I hung up the phone. It looked like I'd have to put up with South Florida for yet another day. Phoebe and the 'girls'