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She wasn’t used to having a man in what was essentially her bedroom. His presence there was making her feel both acutely gauche and even more conscious of him, in a way that somehow caused her thoughts to slip sideways to a place that had her recklessly wondering if he would be watching television whilst he waited for her, if they were lovers who had just spent the night together.
Now her imagination was conjuring up images that made her hands shake, and she felt very glad indeed that he wasn’t looking at her. He would sleep naked—but would he hold his lover in his arms after the act of possessing her, keeping her close as he slept? Would she wake to the intimate drift of his hands on her skin and his kiss on her lips? He would be a passionate lover, but would he also possess a tender side?
She would never know, because she would never know any man’s passion or tenderness. The starkness of the feeling of loss that descended on her shocked her. She looked at the back of Jay’s head, willing the unwanted feeling to disappear.
As she reached for her laptop and put it into the basket, Jay switched off the TV and stood up for all the world as though he had been able to see everything she had done and felt, even though he had had his back to her. It was an unnerving thought.
Five minutes later he was driving them out of the hotel grounds in a sturdy four-by-four, his eyes shaded from the sharp sunlight by a pair of Raybans that made him look even more intimidating than ever.
They turned off the new road that ran from the equally new airport past the old city to the hotel complex onto a rough track, sending up clouds of dust as they went along that made Keira glad of the four-by-four’s air-conditioning and comfortable seats.
‘How far advanced is the building work?’ Keira asked Jay.
‘We’re pretty close to completion and ahead of schedule at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we can afford to relax. We’re planning to launch the development well before the monsoon arrives, with TV and other media coverage in Mumbai, and a big event in the hotel, followed up by free look-and-see flights out for prospective buyers. That’s why I’ve stipulated in your contract that I want you based out here, where I can keep a day-to-day overview of your progress and your exclusive services until your contract with us is complete.’
Keira tensed in shock.
‘You want me based out here? I can’t do that. My office is in London and—’
She gasped as the front wheels of the four-by-four hit a rut, throwing her painfully against her seat belt.
‘I’m afraid that you are going to have to be. The contract makes our terms clear. Didn’t you read it?’
‘I must have missed that bit,’ Keira fibbed. She could see from the look he gave her that he didn’t believe her. It simply hadn’t occurred to her that he would want to oversee her work. If it had…if she had thought for one minute that she would be working closely with him on a day-to-day basis…she would have…She would have what? Refused the contract? She couldn’t afford to financially. But could she afford the emotional cost of the effect he might have on her?
‘I’m going to have to go back to London if only to source things,’ she told him.
He was looking really angry now.
‘It is my express wish that all materials used in the interior design of this development are sourced as locally as possible. That is a key requirement of the contract and a key feature of the project. We have been extremely fortunate in securing both the land and the planning agreement for this project from my brother, the Maharaja, and his granting of that permission was conditional upon us meeting certain set targets with regard to benefits from the project for local people. It is his desire and mine that as a second stage in the redevelopment of Ralapur, the old city itself will become the favoured destination of wealthy cosmopolitan travellers. In order for it to have that appeal it is essential that its unique living history is preserved. Surely Sayeed told you all of this, and informed you that we are working very closely with the Maharaja and his advisers to ensure that his conditions are met? Conditions which, as it happens, I totally support.’
Well, of course he would, seeing as the Maharaja was his brother. He himself was every bit the royal prince, all arrogance and aristocratic pride. No doubt he was used to having his way whenever he wanted it and however he wanted it, with women as well as in business. Well, he wasn’t going to have his way with her!
