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'Maybe it will suit you to have a rich father you never knew Maybe it makes you feel better—knowing you were denied access and forced to spend your early life in poverty Though, ironically, that's probably the main factor in your success '
She studied him as dispassionately as was possible 'Maybe you're one of those people who likes going through life with a reason to be angry—thinking it makes their unreasonable behaviour in some way acceptable Well, it doesn't—not in my book'
'How dare you speak to me like this?'
Isn't it time that someone had the courage to?'
'Get out' he flared furiously.
Laura suddenly felt the most delicious and heady sensation of power 'I think you're forgetting yourself, Xavier I don't work for you and therefore I don't take orders from you—and besides, I was leaving anyway, remember? I've got some paperwork to do, and after that I'm going to ask Malik to get me on the next flight out of here'
Feeling his eyes burning into her back, Laura stalked out It was possibly the most stylish exit she had ever made, but the satisfaction of knowing that did nothing to hide the pain she felt inside
CHAPTER TEN
'Do you have any idea how much longer Malik will be?' questioned Laura, trying like mad to hold onto her temper, which was becoming more frayed by the second.
'You will be informed just as soon as he becomes available,' said his secretary smoothly, and Laura stared mutinously at his back as he disappeared through the door of Malik's office.
She had been kept waiting outside the office of the Sheikh's aide for almost forty minutes—growing angrier by the minute She couldn't even go back to her suite—because Xavier was there and, having stormed out of his bedroom, she would look and feel a fool if she had to go crawling back again
Yet neither could she just pack her bags and leave She had flown here by private jet, she was the Sheikh's special guest, and as such it was going to be difficult to make her own travel arrangements and get back again She wasn't even sure if there were any scheduled flights back to the UK—they almost certainly wouldn't be direct
And they were bound to be expensive Having gone to all this trouble earn herself enough money to get herself out of a financial fix, wouldn't it be a bit stupid if she then blew a large chunk of it on a ticket because her pride had been hurt and she felt used?
The sensible thing to do would be to wait and speak to Malik and gently remind him—if it came to it—that he was contractually obliged to pay her and send her home.
The door to Malik's large suite of offices opened and another of the male secretaries appeared, and bowed.
'Miss Cottmgham,' he said, in the now familiar Kharastani accent 'Malik Al-Ahal asks that you meet with him in the Perfumed Garden—will you please follow me?'
Laura frowned Had Malik exited from his offices by a different entrance, or had she been misled into thinking that he had been there all along? Not that she would bother asking his secretary, she thought, as she stepped out into the brilliant Kharastan day. His undoubted loyalty to his boss told her it would be a waste of time.
Instead, Laura forced herself to concentrate on the beauty of the Palace gardens and try to erase the beauty of Xavier's face and body from her mind Because a man could not be said to be beautiful or handsome—not if he had a black soul and a suspicious mind, and would pluck a woman up as if she were a flower to then be crushed underfoot.
But he could only do that if a woman let him.
The torment of her thoughts was momentarily soothed by the sweet scent of the flowers which drifted out from the Perfumed Garden It was intoxicating and evocative, and Laura breathed in deeply as she followed the secretary through an arched arbour, where honeysuckle grew in wild profusion.
And there was Malik—standing with his back to her as he snipped a perfect white rose from its bush.
He must have heard her footstep, for he turned when he heard her and said something rapidly in his native tongue to his secretary, who bowed deeply, then left.
Malik held the rose out towards her 'You will accept this flower?'
Laura's face was grave 'Only if I can be certain it comes without obligation '
Malik raised his eyebrows 'Perhaps you will tell me why you insisted on this meeting?'
'Because I want to finis
h up whatever work is left and go home—to England '
I'm afraid that may not be possible '
Laura's blood ran cold It was worse than her worst fantasies 'What do you mean—not possible? My boss knows I'm out here, and he'll get worried if he doesn't hear—he's expecting me back at work,' she breathed 'So you can't keep me here against my will'
Malik gave a short laugh 'My dear Miss Cottmgham! We do much trade with England, and I do not think that the government of your country would look kindly on us if we started keeping its young women prisoners!'
