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She was right.
The sombre thoughts of Ra’if were no longer forefront in his mind. She had done what he’d needed. He placed the tray back down and fixed her with a stare that was far from an ending. “You may go, for now.”
Chapter 2
The ceiling of her hotel room was covered in thirty-seven swirls in the plaster work. Olivia knew because she’d counted them over and over and over again the night before. With each recitation, she’d hoped sleep would claim her before the end.
It hadn’t.
She took a large gulp of her third coffee and straightened her shirt. Beyond her room, the day looked glorious. Christmas was on its way, and back home in Australia, Liv would have been getting around in flimsy cotton dresses and wide-brimmed hats by now. But in Vegas, the weather was finally turning cold and Olivia was relishing it.
She focussed on the weather, and not him.
His eyes had glowed like fire and ash when he’d said goodbye to her the night before.
And she’d sat across from one of the most powerful men in the world and spoken to him as though he was just a random man she’d met in a bar.
Her stomach swirled with regret.
Johnny had trusted her with this job, and she wasn’t completely sure she hadn’t done something ridiculously stupid.
A knock sounded at her door and she almost spilled her coffee down her shirtfront. “Coming,” she called, fixing another pin into her bun. She rarely wore makeup, but the disrupted night had taken its toll on her appearance. She’d smoothed a small bit of concealer beneath her eyes and brushed some bronzing powder across the bridge of her nose to bring some colour back to her complexion.
With butterflies battering her insides, she slipped her shoes on and padded towards the door.
“Good morning, ma’am,” one of the security agents greeted her in heavily accented English. “His highness’s car is ready.”
Olivia was perplexed. “I understood he – his highness – didn’t have plans for several hours.”
The man shrugged and stepped backwards, indicating she should follow him.
“One moment.” She moved back into her room and grabbed her handbag. It was small and she wore it strapped across her chest so that her hands were kept free. Her glasses were a Las Vegas essential, even in winter. She slipped them onto her face, drained her coffee and then moved back to the door.
“Ready,” she smiled tersely, wishing her stomach weren’t squirming with anxious anticipation. So she’d see him again. So what? She worked for the man. She had better get used to the idea of being in his intimate circle.
And then she’d better get used to the fact that she wasn’t.
Because, like all her clients, he would leave and forget all about her. She was a stop-gap measure in his life, as she was in all of their lives. Indispensible – for a time.
The security guard didn’t speak at all. He pressed the button to call the lift, and they rode it to the underground basement in silence.
A small hive of activity awaited them.
And at its centre was Zamir Fayez, tall, confident, regal and commanding. He was casually dressed, in dark denim jeans and a black shirt. He looked every bit as delectable as the Hollywood celebrities she’d handled, if not more so. He spoke with Marook, and though he perhaps knew she’d arrived, he didn’t look in her direction.
“I want only you and her,” he said stiffly, in his own language. To Olivia’s ears, it was an intriguing sound. Deep and husky, with a musical tone.
“Two or three men is the established protocol, sir.”
Zamir shook his head. “One man. The driver. You. Her. That is all.”
Marook nodded. He would have preferred to maintain their usual security standards but the Sheikh was determined to avoid word leaking to the press, and Marook understood that.
“Alisan,” he nodded to the car, and the man beside Olivia moved forward swiftly. “You will accompany us.” Marook’s eyes scanned the crowd. “Miss Henderson.”
And now Zamir did look in her direction. His amber eyes locked to hers for a full three seconds; her stomach knotted and her throat worked overtime to swallow. Their eyes were locked in an electrifying battle; brimming with energy and sparking off one another.
It was over as quickly as it had started. He broke the intense stare, calm and unaffected, as though he hadn’t felt the same bone-weakening throb of awareness.
