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‘Would you like to know the duration?’
Sensing it held meaning, she nodded. ‘Yes.’
Tahir tapped the first one. ‘This one is forty-five minutes.’ He tapped the next. ‘Fifteen minutes.’ Then the last. ‘Two and a half hours.’
‘What am I supposed to do with them?’
Again, he dragged out his answer, languidly tugging the pouches over each glass before reaching into the tray. The last item was a smaller tray that sat an inch off the table’s surface. Tahir flicked one finger across the smooth surface and the tray slowly spun. Stopping it, he set each hourglass on top, pushed the whole thing towards her then reclined back into his seat, watching the tray until it came to a smooth stop.
‘I was a curious child. Much too inquisitive for my own good, I’m told. Definitely too much for my mother to deal with at times so I was dispatched to my grandfather here in Zinabir during the holidays.’
Part of that tale held not so good memories for him, if the trace of bitterness in his tone was an indication. Searching frantically through her own memories, Lauren recalled he’d never willingly volunteered information about his mother. She’d read between the lines and concluded that mother and son hadn’t been close. His desert-dry tone lent credence to that assessment.
‘I wasn’t a fan of routine or rules in general. And since I was used to a quid pro quo arrangement, my grandfather and I compromised with this.’ He nudged his square chin at the tray.
‘What was the bargain?’ she asked, intrigued despite herself.
‘He would answer my every question for the duration of the time in the hourglass. And I would do as I was instructed for the rest of the day.’
Something far too jumpy leapt in her chest as her gaze dropped to the shrouded hourglasses. ‘Innovative, I guess. What does that have to do with this? And me?’
He arched an eyebrow, his expression so dry she felt it chafe her skin. ‘You want me to spell it out?’
She forced a nod. ‘Yes. Just so I’m clear on the rules.’
He spread his arms across the tops of the thick cushion, resting his ankle on top of his other knee. Lauren didn’t fool herself into thinking he was relaxed. She knew this side of him too well. He was savouring whatever was coming next.
‘To begin the game, you will spin the tray and select one hourglass. Whatever time you have will be yours to use as you please. I live in hope that you’ll use it for one reason but I’m guessing you’ll be using it for another.’ It wasn’t a question but a statement.
‘Reverse psychology? Really?’
He shrugged. ‘Prove me wrong,’ he breathed, his eyes boring deep into hers. ‘Prove that you’re not here solely to serve your own interests.’
There was a biting bitterness to those words that dried her mouth.
He wanted his due pound of flesh but she wasn’t quite ready. Besides, time was running out for Matt. He was why she was here after all.
‘What about the rest of the time?’
‘I’ll have the same allotted time when yours is up. I have a few questions of my own. You will answer my every question without hesitation.’
She could hardly argue since it was far more than she’d expected.
‘So this is like the tale of Scheherazade and theOne Thousand and One Nightsbut on steroids?’
Once upon a time, his lips would’ve twitched at her wry joke, perhaps even prompted one of those deep-throated laughs that made her think she’d won a special prize by drawing such emotion from him.
Tonight, his gaze merely swept down for a contemplative moment before lifting again to spear hers in frank appraisal.
‘That was a fairy tale which supposedly ended in lust and happily ever after. Our story won’t have such an ending. It’ll end with you convincing me that you regret your actions, and a possibility that I’ll come to your brother’s aid. Or you leaving with nothing at all.’
So use your time wisely.
Lauren didn’t need to hear the words echoing ominously between them. Her gaze dropped to the tray, the lingering, unwanted excitement wisely mitigated by trepidation.
Sheshouldn’tbe excited by this. She dealt in the practical. The tangible, not the whimsical. And yet...something about the gauntlet Tahir had thrown sparked something within her.
Something she’d be wise not to give in to.
