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Ahmed squinted at her. "You are? Really? Why is that?" he asked abruptly.
Ahmed was teasing her. Gemma knew it now, for sure.
Rashid reacted immediately to the change in Ahmed's tone. "Gemma is going to be a great asset to my company."
Gemma bristled at that comment, a defensive one on Rashid's part, but also one that hinted at something more, something she wasn't completely comfortable with.
They were both talking about her as if she was some kind of property to be exploited. Surely they could tell how uncomfortable this conversation was making her feel. Had she misjudged this whole situation?
She looked at the two men and could see the barely disguised antipathy lurking behind the smiles. It was true. She had placed herself right in the middle of a rivalry that she'd had no idea had existed before getting off the plane.
Rashid leaned his face closer to Gemma's. She squinted at him, and then she saw he wanted to say something quietly into her ear.
She leaned closer and felt his breath against her skin. That produced a shiver throughout her body, but she felt obliged to humor Rashid. He whispered into her ear. "Ahmed is simply jealous."
Once again, Gemma's eyes narrowed when there was a flash of light. Another photograph had been taken. She was used to that. There had been photos taken all night.
Gemma leaned away from Rashid and saw his conspiratorial grin. She smiled wanly back at him and then turned to Ahmed. "Did you say you are in the same business as Rashid?" she asked.
Ahmed narrowed his gaze. "I'm not sure," he replied, turning to Rashid. "Are we in the same business, Rashid?" Ahmed asked sarcastically.
"Perhaps not for much longer," Rashid answered back with a sudden hard, even edge to his voice.
Ahmed seemed to shrug off that reply. Gemma thought that, of the two men, it was Ahmed who was doing a better job keeping cool.
"Anyway, I just wanted to say how nice it is to welcome you to our beautiful country, Miss Ellon," Ahmed said. His gaze steadied for a brief moment.
Once again she felt a flicker of emotion that reminded her of the way his gaze had made her feel out in the garden.
"Thank you," she replied and took a sip of her champagne.
Ahmed peered for a long moment at Rashid. "I'll wish you goodnight," he said. He gazed around the room and then back at Rashid. "It has been most interesting." With one look at Gemma he concluded: "And enlightening."
Ahmed smiled at her, a devastatingly handsome smile that touched her to the core.
Gemma felt her throat tighten and she forced herself to nod. "Nice to meet you."
"Perhaps we'll meet again," Ahmed said. Then he did something which truly shocked her.
He reached down and took her hand gently in his, lifting it to his lips. She did not resist. She just watched as he drew her hand to his lips and kissed it on the back.
She felt a tingle of sensation ripple up the length of her arm. Beside her, she heard Rashid draw in a sharp breath. This was the ultimate provocation, Gemma told herself. Ahmed had done this simply to annoy Rashid. There couldn't be any other explanation, could there?
Ahmed released her hand and gazed into her eyes. "Miss Ellon?" he said. Her name sounded heavy on his lips, his accent adding an exotic quality.
Ahmed nodded wordlessly to Rashid and then moved off into the crowd of guests. Gemma watched Ahmed weave his way between the guests.
In spite of everything she'd been telling herself, she couldn't help feeling a slight disappointment that he was leaving so soon. Then again, things between him and Rashid might have become ugly if they had been allowed to continue.
"Well, that was quite normal for the sheikh," Rashid observed.
Gemma drew herself back to the moment and looked at Rashid. "What do you mean?"
"He has a reputation with women that is not quite savory," Rashid explained.
"In what way?" Gemma asked, feeling a sudden uncertainty.
"People say he treats them unkindly. That he is even quite unpleasant to them," Rashid said.
