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A mistress. No, mistresses. She shouldn’t be surprised. Hafiz was incredibly sophisticated and knowledgeable in the bedroom. Yet for some reason she felt as if her role in his life was different from all the other women. That she was somehow special.
Maybe she was special. Maybe... Lacey clenched her hands together under the table. She should stop trying to make her relationship with Hafiz into a fairy tale.
But why had he risked everything again by bringing her to his sultanate? By starting the relationship in the first place? What provoked him to flaunt authority and break the rules again?
Again? There was no indication that he went without a mistress after he lost his right to the throne. Lacey went cold. Was bringing his mistress to the sultanate something he did often? Did he get a new model every year? Lacey slowly closed her eyes. Her jaw trembled as the hot tears stung her eyes.
She needed to figure out what was going on. She wanted to go home, lock herself in her room and curl up in a ball to ward off the anguish that was crashing against her in waves. But first she had to leave the tearoom before she embarrassed herself.
Lacey opened her eyes and kept her head down before anyone saw her distress. “Oh, look at the time!” she said as she barely glanced at her wristwatch. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”
Her movements felt awkward as she rose from the table and said goodbye to her friends. The flurry of hugs and promises did nothing to calm her. Her heart pumped fast as she struggled with the information about Hafiz’s past.
She turned and saw one of the hotel bellmen standing in front of her. His blue uniform was the same color as the mosaic ceiling. “Miss Maxwell? Are you leaving?” the young man asked. “A Mr. Glenn called for you. He says it’s urgent.”
“Oh!” She clumsily patted her purse and realized she didn’t bring her cell phone because it hadn’t been charged due to another power outage. “Is there a phone I can use?”
“Please follow me to one of the conference rooms, and you may contact him in private.”
“Thank you.” She hurried after the bellman, her legs unsteady after the surprise she had received. She felt dizzy, as if her world had been knocked off its axis. Lacey was out of breath by the time she reached the conference room. She managed to give the man a simple nod as he opened the door with a flourish.
She stepped inside the long room and felt the door close behind her. The conference room was intimidating with its heavy furniture and arched ceilings. The thick blue curtains were pulled shut, and the silence was oppressive.
Lacey frowned when she noticed there was no phone on the oversized conference table. She inhaled the familiar scent of sandalwood that never failed to stir a deep craving inside her.
Hafiz.
It was her only warning before her spine was pressed up against the wall.
Strong arms bracketed her head. Hafiz’s broad shoulders were encased in an expensive suit jacket. She wanted to cling on to them. She looked up and saw that Hafiz’s face loomed above hers.
He was just a kiss away. After convincing herself that she would never be able to touch him, having him so close was overwhelming. She leaned forward as her eyelashes drifted shut.
“What the hell are you up to, Lacey?” Hafiz asked through clenched teeth.
CHAPTER SIX
SHE STIFFENED AND her lashes fluttered. Hafiz’s brown eyes shone with cold anger. Lacey’s stomach quavered at his ferocious look. It was not the kind of greeting one lover gave to another.
But then, they weren’t lovers anymore. Any momentary fantasy she harbored broke like crackling ice. They might have been alone in the room, but they were not together. They were acquaintances. Their past was erased as if it never existed. She needed to remember that.
She rested heavily against the wall as if it was the only thing in the room that seemed to be able to support her. She tilted her chin and looked directly at Hafiz. “Good afternoon to you, too, Your Highness,” she replied as tears pushed against the backs of her eyes.
“Lacey,” he bit out. “I want an answer.”
She pressed her lips together and dug her fingers against her purse. Lacey wished she could turn off her emotions with the same effortlessness as Hafiz. She wished his cool treatment didn’t feel like a slap in the face.
