For a writer suffering from Shaggy Dog Syndrome, it’s no wonder I dreamed up an entire cruise ship for the setting of my erotic romance series. I’m not sure the world is ready for a ship like the Lothario (think The Love Boat on Viagra), but it’s a fun concept, and one I’m having a blast writing. The series begins with the two co-owners of the ship ““ Ryan Callahan and Richard Wolfe. They’re a couple of twenty-somethings who struck it rich with a dating website they launched when they were in college. Richard and Ryan come up with the idea of a cruise ship where they can still live the playboy lifestyle, but the women only have a shelf life of one week ““ unless they buy another ticket!

The first book in the series, THE LUST BOAT, is Ryan’s story. Ryan looked forward to the launch of the Lothario, but it didn’t take long for him to see that he wanted more out of life than a series of one-week stands. Two years after the Lothario set sail, Ryan has earned the nickname Monk for his recluse ways, but Ryan knows what he wants ““ a woman who sees him for the man he is, not for his money. He’s looking for a woman to settle down with, but finding someone who fits the bill on the Lothario is like looking for a virgin in a harem ““ until Candace Williams comes aboard.

Here’s an excerpt from THE LUST BOAT where Ryan sees Candace for the first time.

Ryan watched the monitor as the last few passengers came aboard. His friend and business partner, Richard Wolfe, greeted each one in person. Ryan left the task to Richard, preferring to run the business end of the cruise from his forward suite, one deck above the Bridge. He rarely left the luxury suite, preferring solitude to the bacchanal atmosphere of the lower decks.

Richard, however, loved the party scene. As acting Cruise Director he had his finger, or to be more accurate, his penis, in every aspect of the cruise. The crew and staff were well trained, leaving Richard plenty of time to screw his way through the clientele. Such behavior would be frowned upon on any other cruise ship, but aboard the Lothario it was considered good customer service, and by all accounts, Richard was up to the challenge. In the two years they had been in business, not one complaint had been lodged about the quality of Richard’s customer service.

“Hard to argue with success,” Ryan mumbled.

“What did you say?” Richard said into his headset.

“Nothing, just talking to myself,” Ryan answered. “How can we have over 2,500 guests and not an interesting one in the bunch?”

“You, my friend, need to get out of that tower of yours and walk among the living. We have 1,257 gorgeous women aboard this ship. And here comes number 1,258. Hello! Would you look at that?” His voice trailed off as Richard shifted his attention to the last passenger. Ryan glanced at the monitor. His head spun like a compass in the Bermuda Triangle. Botticelli would have loved those generous curves, the kind a man could hold onto, sink into. Soft auburn curls bounced over her shoulders and framed the face of an angel, a nervous angel, he surmised by the way she bit her lower lip and glanced over her shoulder as if contemplating her escape.

“Who is that?” he asked.

Richard took the angel’s hand and drew her closer to the security camera. “Hello. Welcome aboard the Lothario. I’m Richard, your Cruise Director. And you would be”¦?”

“Candace Williams.” She tugged on her hand, but Richard held fast.

“First names only, please. That is our one and only privacy rule onboard.”

“Oookaaay.” She looked like a rabbit caught in a trap as she once again tried to free her hand.

“Get your slimy hands off of her, Richard. You can have all the others,” Ryan growled into Richard’s ear. “This one is mine.”

Richard gave no indication he’d heard a word his partner had said. Instead, he drew Candace further on deck and tucked her hand up against his bare chest. “Anything you need just let me know. I am your servant to command,” he purred. Candace glanced over her shoulder again as the crew disassembled the gangway and stowed it for sailing. When she turned back to Richard and the camera above his shoulder, her full lips were drawn together in a thin line, her eyes wide, and her magnificent chest heaved. Nerves; maybe a touch of panic.

Ryan knew Richard was trying to annoy him. For two years, he’d tried every trick in the book to get him to take advantage of the veritable feast of female flesh offered up to them on every cruise. His first mistake had been showing interest in this one. He might as well have waved a red flag in front of a charging bull. By playing up to her, Richard insured Ryan would have no choice but to come down and rescue her from the clutches of his reprobate partner.

“May I see you to your cabin?”

Miss Candace Williams tugged on her hand again and this time Richard let it go. “No, thank you. I’m sure I can find it on my own.”

Her perfect ass wiggled out of sight, and Richard swung the security camera around to his face. “She’s a skittish thing; didn’t even want me to hold her hand. I might have to give her special attention, if you know what I mean. Bring her out of her shell so she can enjoy all the amenities onboard.”

“Stay the hell away from her.” Ryan broke the connection while his fingers flew across the keyboard. In a matter of seconds, he had Candace Williams’ information in front of him. She had a single cabin on the Aegean deck, forward. Age twenty-seven, five-six, heterosexual and she’d never been married. She’d booked her single ticket at the last minute, unusual, but not unheard of. A few more keystrokes brought her photo up on the big screen. He couldn’t say what it was about her; only that she wasn’t like their usual passengers. If he had to put a label on it, he would say she looked fresh, innocent perhaps.

He wondered if she knew what type of entertainment they offered on this cruise, or if she’d needed a place to go on the spur of the moment, and booked the Lothario without checking into the details. Whatever it was, Ryan was going to make it his job to find out. He needed to find a way to show her the various delights the ship had to offer without her knowing who he was. He knew from experience how his name and bank balance could change everything.

He took another look at the photo of Candace Williams. This woman was different. He knew it to the depths of his soul. Anticipation built inside him, and he smiled as he began to formulate a plan.

Visit my website www.rozlee.net for more about the Lothario series.