Royal Seduction by Donna Clayton Page A

time.”
    â€œIf you want to be noticed—and you deserve to be, Faye—then you’ll start taking the time. Besides, you don’t need a lot,” Catherine assured her. “It’s all in the technique. And believe me when I tell you that there was a time when technique was all I had going for me.”
    â€œOh, stop.” Faye smiled, and when Catherine didn’t return it, she looked askance. “You are kidding, right?”
    Catherine shook her head. “I was a real ugly duckling all through my teens. But I like to think I’ve conquered most of my problems.”
    â€œBut…I don’t understand. You’re gorgeous.”
    Laughter was Catherine’s best defense against her dark past. “Yeah, well, I’m obviously not gorgeous enough for some people.”
    Luckily, Faye was astute enough to pick up the particular person to whom Catherine was alluding.
    â€œListen, I shouldn’t say too much. Riley is my boss and all that.” Faye’s voice lowered as she said, “But I think we should talk about…you know…what you can do.”
    â€œI wish I knew what to do. I can’t even seem to capture his attention. Mmm, maybe if I walked into the clinic stark naked…?”
    Faye laughed. “No, please. We don’t want the police involved. But what I was thinking was a lure of some kind.”
    Intrigued, Catherine slowed her steps, not wanting to miss a single word.
    â€œI know that Riley’s a sports buff,” Faye continued. “I see him reading the sports pages. He particularly likes basketball, but the Trail Blazers don’t start playing until the end of October.” Faye paused, then said, “How about tickets to an air show? There’s one going on just outside Portland this weekend. Airplanes are big and loud. And these do fancy spins and loops and other death-defying stunts.”
    â€œI agree that would be very much a man-thing.”
    â€œAnd they sell hot dogs, too.”
    â€œHot dogs? You mean like sausages?”
    â€œSort of. They’re a foot long, served on warm toasted buns and smothered in mustard.”
    â€œAnd American men like these foot-long hot dogs?”
    â€œThey love them!”
    â€œSo, trick planes and hot dogs? Why, you wicked woman.” Catherine chuckled. “I think I love you! How and where do I get tickets?”
    A smile flashed across Faye’s face. “We can ride out to Hillsboro Airport this afternoon and pick up tickets for tomorrow’s show.”
    â€œOkay, but I still have a bit of a problem. If I buy tickets for tomorrow, how do I reach Riley to invite him? He’s gotten awfully good at evading me. “
    â€œI know the man’s schedule like the back of my hand,” Faye bragged. “And he’s fairly consistent. He doesn’t actually work Saturdays and Sundays, but he always shows his face at the clinic, walks around greeting everyone, checking things out. I know exactly where he’ll be tomorrow morning at nine. If we coordinate this right, he’ll be trapped.” Her eyes glittered as only a cunning woman’s could. “He’ll be ours.” Murmuring, she quickly corrected, “Or rather, yours.”
    A bold and daring thrill shot through Catherine clean to the tips of her toes. “Air-show tickets, foot-long hot dogs and a fiendish plan of attack. I’d say Riley is one man who is pretty much done for, wouldn’t you?”
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    Catherine stood at the end of the long corridor, her heart in her throat. What if, she wondered, Riley turned her down after she’d gone to all this trouble?
    All this trouble?
    The only trouble she’d gone to was to conspire with Faye in order to be alone with Riley. Scheming and conniving were so out of the realm of normal for a von Husden. Catherine knew her father would be appalled. She also knew she should feel wretched about cornering Riley like