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She shrugged. “Believe what you like.” Her eyes scanned over the floor buttons and only one was highlighted. Tenth floor. “Are we both on the same floor?”
“We are.” He said nothing else, but stared at her daring her to say something more. She knew.
“Well give me my key,” she said impatiently. “I don’t want to run around the whole floor because you’re playing games.”
Zadir bit back a laugh at her impatience. “Don’t worry. We’ll stop at your room first, make sure you’re all settled in.”
His words were spoken seductively, like there was a double meaning behind what he said. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m the employee here so you don’t need to worry about my comfort.”
She saw the flash of hurt and disappointment in his eyes, but he quickly erased it. “Okay then. Follow me.” She can’t possibly be for real, can she? He couldn’t believe those words had come from her mouth. “Do you really think that?”
“It’s true, Zadir. It doesn’t matter what I think.”
He scoffed but didn’t pursue the point further. “Right here,” he barked at her. When she walked back to where he stood, Zadir pushed the door open and let her in first. He smiled, watching her body language as she took in two sets of luggage.
Shala turned with wide brown eyes, her plump lips opened in an ‘o’. “Why is your luggage in my room?”
A smug grin curled up one side of his face. “Because it is our room. Well our suite,” he amended when he heard the swift intake of breath.
“What? Th-This isn’t funny, Zadir.” He wouldn’t press the sex issue, would he? He had no need to but she knew it wasn’t always about that. “Why would you do this?”
He shrugged and turned left at the end of the long hall that opened to a large living room with two bedrooms off either end. “I’ll take this room here,” he pointed to the door in front of him. “You take the one at the other end. See? There’s nothing to worry about. Your virtue is safe with me, unless you say otherwise.” He winked and disappeared into his room.
“Cheeky bastard,” she mumbled and grabbed the handle of one of her bags as she marched past. She heard his laughter on the other side of the door and slammed her door. Hard.
He continued to laugh in his bedroom, undressing for a quick shower. Maybe this trip would turn out alright, after all.
* * *
“Shala you look…stunning.”
She warmed down to her bones at his compliment. His green gaze was dark and full of lust as he took in her appearance. “Thanks, Zadir. You clean up pretty well yourself.” More than well, if she were being honest. His newly sculpted physique cut quite a handsome figure in a dark blue suit. The coat draped beautifully on his broad shoulders, tapering in a very distracting way down to his narrow waist and hips. Long legs encased in blue material that was just tight enough make a girl’s imagination go wild.
Zadir had to stifle several groans and put an immediate stop to the images flashing in his mind. The woman wore red like no woman he’d ever seen, on any continent. The red dress she wore clung to her chest, pushing those delectable breasts up and out. The contrast between her chest and her waist had him reciting polo stats just to keep his body under control. The dress stopped a couple inches above her knees and flared out. It was sexy and youthful, sensual and innocent. As much a contradiction as the woman herself. “Let’s go do this, and you stay close. If I have to play nice, I should be rewarded by having a beautiful woman to look at.”
Shala laughed and playfully smacked him in the stomach, instantly regretting her actions when she’d been able to discern two hard hills of abdominal muscle. “Don’t be silly. Everyone knows I work for you.”
“That does not preclude you from also being a beautiful woman.”
It didn’t and she knew that. But she also knew Zadir would never go for a woman like her. Worst of all, she knew everyone else would know it too. “Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.” She walked ahead of him out of their suite, needing a few feet of distance to get her bearings. When Zadir was like this, charming and kind and friendly, and smelling like the best damn thing ever, she wouldn’t be able to resist him. Couldn’t resist him or anything he might offer. She was on dangerous ground tonight and part of her vibrated with anticipation over the possibilities. The other part, the far more cautious part of her, wanted to approach the night with a healthy dose of wariness.
Zadir came up to her, sliding his hand across her lower back. “What’s the matter?”
She smiled up at him and then quickly looked away. There was no need for more temptation, the man was plenty of that without being kind and caring on top of everything else. “Oh nothing. Just mentally preparing for the gathering. Names and positions and things like that, you know?”
He shrugged because he didn’t know. Not really. “Tell me.” He listened as her sultry voice told him of the importance of knowing basic details of the people involved in a deal.
“You want to have those details down because it’s a good icebreaker. Hey Henri, how are the kids? Or Marie, did you enjoy the manta rays on your holiday? It tells people that you listen when they talk and you care about their lives.” She stepped off the elevator with him and stopped. “They smile and open up and just like that, they become more willing to listen to your pitch and consider you for the sale.”
“And you think I should do that tonight?”
She nodded. “I’m here so I’ll help you with names and jobs, but ask about their lives so you have the details you need for the next meeting.”
When she smiled up at him like that, Zadir swore he was the luckiest man to ever have walked the planet. She had so much confidence in him. “You think there will be a next meeting?”
She nodded. “I do. They need to sell or risk ruining the legacy of The Crown Jewels, and you have enough cash to make it worth the sentimental value it has for them.”
Zadir looked at her, shocked at how quickly she’d boiled it all down for him. “That was amazing! Can I keep you?”
