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He waited a beat before he went after her, banging on her door until his fists began to ache. She didn’t answer, not that he could hear her if she did with the obnoxious music pounding a beat all around him. “Dammit, Shala!” He pounded on the door some more until his frustration mounted.
“Out! Everyone get out, please! The neighbors have been complaining so let’s take it back to the pool.” He tried to be nice, but the terseness in his voice could not be mistaken. He herded everyone through the doors, waving goodbye to Blondie as she whispered an ‘I’m sorry,” on her way out. He pressed his back against the door when it was shut and slid down to the floor. Sabrina and Blondie were right, he was in love with her. Only he’d figured it out too late and she would probably never speak to him again.
They still had two days in Florence. He would use it to make her remember how much fun they had together. Zadir stood, picked up his phone and began to make plans.
Tomorrow, everything would be different.
* * *
He awoke late the next morning after a fitful sleep and went for a run to clear his head. His dreams had been a combination of erotic images of Shala’s naked body in the most erotic poses he could imagine, and those deep brown eyes filled with tears. It was torture to be so hard and aching and not having the heart to do anything about it. The moment his alarm sounded he popped up, slid into his shoes and running shorts.
After he’d exhausted his mind, if not his body, he made his way back to the suite, determined to talk to Shala. It was time to clear the air…as soon as he had a shower. Things had to be okay with Shala, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Freshly showered and dressed, he knocked on her door and waited but there was no answer. “Dammit, Shala open up!” When she didn’t answer he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Empty. Her bags, her bed, the open drawers and closet door told his eyes what his heart couldn’t consider. Shala was gone.
“Dammit,” he roared into the empty room. She was gone, where, he had no idea, and he still had two days’ worth of business to finish up before he could leave Florence. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he tried to call her but she sent him straight to voicemail. “Shala, please. Call me back, tell me to go to hell but let me know you’re okay. Please. Bye.”
He threw the phone on the sofa and plopped down, running his hands up and down his face. This day was not going how he’d planned.
Not at all.
He would finish up his business today and tomorrow and head home in time for the dinner. Then he would confront Shala.
Ready or not.
Seven
Shala was not ready for tonight, not by a long shot. She’d been home for two full days, back to her old job for one and slowly her life was getting back on track. She sat in her car, waiting in line to enter the palace. The one time she didn’t want to be a part of the extended circle of royal friends, she was invited to the palace for a special dinner celebration. She hadn’t wanted to attend, but her parents had insisted she show her support to their close friends and her bosses.
Shala couldn’t argue with that, so she’d bought a new dress and shoes so she wouldn’t look as awful as she felt. Several fortifying breaths later, she stepped from the open door the valet held open for her and shot him a grateful smile. She’d chosen a wine colored dress that cupped her breasts and fell in silky waves to the floor. It was a pretty dress and she felt as good one would expect.
Her parents had left for the party hours ago to chat with the Alzari family before the dinner began so Shala stood in the front entrance with about two dozen other guests, waiting patiently. The hall and the staircases were decorated in white and gold. It was all very coordinated, and she suspected this was more than the regular dinner party at the palace.
She hadn’t wanted to come at all so the longer she had to wait to get this thing started, the better it was for her. The loud buzz of the crowd died down and Shala looked up to see what had caught everyone’s attention.
“Excuse me, everyone.”
Zadir. She looked at him, looking like he’d stepped right off the pages of a fashion magazine. Why did he have to look so good in that modern, Western tux? She didn’t need to be reminded of his handsome face, that effortless charm or how well his hard body felt under her delicate touch. The only thing she needed to think about was that he didn’t like her and had quickly recovered from the bout of lust that had gripped him in Spain.
“It looks like dinner is going to be postponed by about an hour,” he looked at his watch and flicked his gaze back out to the crowd. “Apparently this friends and family dinner is going to be a reception.” The crowd clapped and the hum picked back up. “But first, you all are invited to the wedding. It will be held in the Petite Ballroom, so follow me.”
Shala lost herself in the crowd, hoping to avoid any personal interaction with Zadir. She took a seat near the back, between two older couples. She shot them each a polite smile and focused her attention on returning emails until she heard the traditional Jovanbar wedding march begin.
Sabrina looked beautiful in her simple lace dress that was a perfect complement to her dark features and pale skin. Her smile was bright and engaging as she stared up into Rashid’s eyes, and the way he looked at her made Shala choke on the tears she tried in vain to suppress. Rashid looked like Sabrina was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Tears trickled down her cheek at the beauty of this special, private moment.
As soon as the bride and groom, and their small wedding party, exited the ballroom, Shala slipped out and went in the opposite direction in search of the valet. If she could get out now, while they were transitioning from wedding ceremony glee to post-ceremony party mode, it would be a clean break. She would get them something nice as a wedding gift since Sabrina was American, mostly, and send her apologies later.
She’d given her ticket to the valet and waited. Come on, come on, come on! She willed the valet to come back before anyone noticed her.
“Leaving so soon?”
She gasped at the sound of Zadir’s deep voice behind her and whirled on him. Her hand covered her thundering heart. “Shouldn’t you be inside, performing best man duties?”
“It will be some time before Rashid and Sabrina are ready for the reception. We have time.”
She nodded and turned. “I don’t. I have to get going.” She walked a few feet away, looking in the distance for her car.
“Running again?”
