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She shifted and he must’ve heard the movement, because he wheeled around and spoke. “You’re awake.”
Too late to squeeze her eyelids shut and fake sleep.
“Yes.” She offered him a tremulous smile, and tried to read his expression, but bright light behind him frustrated her attempt.
“Good.”
Was it? She wasn’t so sure. He moved closer and came into focus. The passionate lover from last night’s dark, delicious world had vanished. Replaced by the aloof man she’d met—was it only the evening before?
Tiffany shuddered.
“You’re already dressed.” Did she have to sound so plaintive?
He shrugged. “I have a busy day planned.”
And it was time for her to make herself scarce.
He didn’t need to speak the words out loud. It was painfully obvious.
But she had no intention of getting out of bed with him standing less than three feet away. She was naked under the sheet. And he was impeccably, immaculately dressed. She’d exposed more of herself than she’d ever intended, and she had no one but herself to blame. He would not see another inch of her body. A fresh flush of humiliation scorched her at the memory of what had passed between them last night.
Tiffany raised her chin and bravely met his granite gaze. “So why are you still here?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to awaken.”
The harsh features that had been aflame with desire last night had reverted to keep-out coldness. Any hope that he’d wanted to tell her something momentous withered. Her stomach balled into a tight knot.
“Why?”
He reached into his jacket pocket.
His fist uncurled. A cell phone lay there—slim and silent.
Tiffany frowned, trying to make sense of the tension that vibrated from him. And what it had to do with her. “That’s Renate’s phone. I slipped it into my belt—”
“You took pictures last night.”
Oh. Darn. She’d forgotten all about that. “I meant to delete—”
“Yes.” His mouth curled. It was not a nice smile. “I’m sure you meant to. But you didn’t. And you assured Sir Julian that you already had deleted the images.”
She’d been scared of losing her job—now she’d been caught in a lie. She wriggled under the sheet, trying to think of how to explain. In the end she decided she’d probably be better off remaining silent, before she dug herself into a deeper hole. What a mess.
“Nothing to say?”
“Why do you care?”
“Oh, I care.” He brandished the phone at her. “One of the photos is of me with Sir Julian—and enough of Renate to make sure the viewer knows exactly what kind of relationship she’s contemplating with him.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Of course, you didn’t.” He sneered. “You were very interested in talking about Sir Julian Carling last night, too.”
“I was making conversation.” Tiffany was utterly bewildered by the turn the conversation had taken. “So what?”
His eyes darkened. “So what? That’s all you have to say for yourself?”
Tiffany drew the top sheet more securely around herself. What had possessed her to let this daunting stranger get so close last night?
“You are wise to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” she lied. “I’m confused.”
The silence swelled. Tiffany was growing decidedly nervous. Her gaze flitted toward the door. Even if she made it out the room, she wouldn’t get very far without any clothes. And she doubted she’d have time to scoop up her dress and bag off the floor.
She turned her attention back to him and decided to brazen it out. “Why are you angry?”
His eyebrow shot up. “You expect me to believe you don’t know? Come, come, it’s enough now.”
Tiffany decided it would probably be better to say nothing. It would only enrage him further. So she waited.
“There’s a text message from your friend on her phone asking how your night went.”
The expression of distaste on his face told her that he’d jumped to the conclusion that she’d discussed sleeping with him with Renate.
Damn Renate. “You’re misunderstanding—”
He held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. How much do you want?”
“What?”
“To forget that you ever saw me with Sir Julian.”
Her mouth dropped open. He was delusional. Or paranoid. Or maybe just plain crazy. That was enough to make her say hastily, “Just delete the images—it’s what I meant to do last night. I forgot … and then I forgot to give the phone back to Renate.”
“How convenient.”
Tiffany didn’t like the way he said that.
“When you didn’t respond, your friend’s texts make it clear she’s decided you must’ve stolen her phone.” He smiled, but his eyes still smoldered like hot coals. “That you’re planning to sell the images yourself.”
“I wouldn’t do that!”
He made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. “Sell the images or steal her phone? Since when is there honor among thieves?”
What on earth was he getting at? She gave him a wary glance, and then said, “Just say what you mean.”
“You and your friend intended to blackmail me and Sir Julian. Your friend has decided you’ve decided to proceed alone. I think she’s right.”
“Blackmail?”
He was definitely, certifiably crazy. Her eyes flickered toward the door again. Maybe, just maybe she could get out of here … and if she yanked the sheet along, she’d have cover.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled and sat down on the bed, pinning her under the sheet that she’d been planning to escape in, wrapped around her like a toga.
“I know.” She gazed at him limpidly.
His eyes narrowed to slits. “That look won’t work. I know you’re no innocent.”
If he only knew.
“Uh …” Tiffany’s voice trailed away. No point telling him, he wouldn’t believe her.
“So what were the two of you intending to do with the photos?”
“Nothing.”
He shook his head. “You take me for a fool. Your friend was desperate to know whether you still had the phone and the photos. Someone was ready to buy them. You were in on the deal.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him. Not while he was looming over her, and she wasn’t wearing a stitch under the scanty cover that the hotel’s silk sheet provided. No way was she risking sparking the tension between them into something else … something infinitely more dangerous.
Panic filled her. “Get off me!”
He didn’t budge. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to delete the images from the phone. Then I’m going to buy you the ticket that you were so desperate for last night. Then I never want to see or hear from you again. Do you understand?”
Tiffany nodded.
He sat back and she breathed again.
“I’m not going to give you the money you so badly want. I’m going to take you to the airport and pay whatever it takes to get that ticket changed—so I hope you really need a flight to Auckland.”
“I do,” she croaked.
He pushed himself away from her. “It will be waiting for you downstairs when you are ready to leave.”
As he rose from the bed, her bravado returned. Her chin lifted. “I don’t need you to take me to the airport—it won’t help. My temporary travel documents will only be ready on Monday. I’ll take a cab back to the hostel.”
“I want you out of Hong Kong.”
“I have no intention of staying a minute more than I have to. Nor will I cause you any grief. I promise.”
He gave her one of those narrow-eyed glances that chilled her to the bone. “If I learn that you have—”
“I’m not going to do anything. I swear. And, believe me, I intend to pay you back,” she said fervently. Tiffany had no intention of being beholden to this man.
He waved a dismissive hand. “Please. Don’t lie.”
“I will repay you. But I’ll need your bank details.”
“To further scam me?” The bark of laughter he gave sounded ugly. His eyes bored into hers. She didn’t look away. The mood changed, becoming hot and oppressive. Something arced between them, an emotion so intense, so powerful that she lost the ability to think.
Without looking away, Rafiq reached into his pocket for his wallet. This time he extracted a small white card. “Here are my details. You can post me a check … but I don’t want to see you again. Ever.”
It stung.
Determined to hurt him, she flung the words back at him. “I have no intention of seeing you again.” Then, for good measure, she added defiantly, “Ever.”
She bit her lip hard to stop it trembling as he swung away, and she watched him head for the door with long, raking strides. When the door thudded shut behind him, she glanced down at the card she held.
Rafiq Al Dhahara. President, Royal Bank of Dhahara.
She should’ve known. He wasn’t any old banker. He was the boss. The man who had showed her a glimpse of heaven would never be an ordinary man.
Four
Rafiq could not settle.
He’d been restless for weeks now. He told himself it was the fierce desert heat of Dhahara that kept him awake deep into the heart of the night. Not even the arctic air-conditioning circulating through the main boardroom of the Royal Bank of Dhahara soothed him.
“Stop pacing,” Shafir said from behind him. “You called us in to talk about the new hotel you’ve financed, but now you wear holes in that kelim. Sit down and talk.” He tapped his gold pen against the legal pad in front of him. “I’m in a hurry.”
Swiveling on his heel, Rafiq put his hands on narrow hips, and scowled down at where his brother lounged in the black leather chair, his white robes cascading about him. “You can wait, Shafir.”
“I might, but Megan won’t. My wife is determined to spend every free minute we have at Qasr Al-Ward.” Shafir flashed him the wicked grin of a man well satisfied by that state of affairs. “Come for the weekend. Celebrate that the contracts for the new Carling Hotel are in place. It’ll give you a chance to shed that suit for a couple of days.”
Shaking his head, Rafiq said, “Too much else to do. I’ll resist the call of the desert.” He envied his brother the bond he had to Qasr Al-Ward, the desert palace that had been in the family for centuries. Since his marriage to Megan, Shafir had made Qasr Al-Ward their home.
“Don’t resist it too long—or you may not find your way back.”
“Why don’t you take our father?” Rafiq wasn’t eager to engage in the kind of analysis that Shafir’s sharp gaze suggested was about to begin. In an effort to distract his brother, he tipped his head to where King Selim was intent on getting his point across to his firstborn son. The words “duty” and “marriage” drifted across the expanse of the boardroom table. “That way Khalid might get some peace, too.”
Shafir chuckled. “Looks like our father is determined not to give him a break.”
“You realize your marriage has only increased the pressure on Khalid?”
Stabbing a finger at his brother’s chest, Shafir chuckled. “And on you. Everyone expected you to marry first, Rafiq. Unlike Khalid, your bride isn’t Father’s choice. And unlike me, women don’t view you as already wed to the desert. You spent years abroad—you’ve had plenty of opportunity to fall in love.”
“It wasn’t so straightforward.” Rafiq realized that was true. “There were no expectations on you, Shafir. No pressure. You’ve always done exactly what you want.”
His brother had spent much of his life growing up in the desert; he’d been allowed rough edges, whereas Rafiq had been groomed for a corporate role. Educated at Eton, followed by degrees at Cambridge and Harvard. There had been pressure to put thought and care into his choice of partner—someone who could bear scrutiny on an international stage. A trophy wife. A powerful trophy wife.
How could he explain how a relationship that started off as something special could deteriorate into nothing more than duty?
“Take it.” His father’s rising voice broke into his thoughts.
Rafiq refocused across the table. His father was trying to press a piece of paper into Khalid’s hand. “All three of these women are suitable. Yasmin is a wealthy young woman who knows what you need in a wife.”
“No!” Khalid’s jaw was like rock.
