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“I’m having a party,” she retorted. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m helping.”
“The relief agencies have plans for these kinds of things.” He walked over and inspected a pile of first aid kits. “Pretty sure they can handle it.”
“This is the easy work—the stuff anyone can do. If I’m doing it, that frees up someone more qualified to handle other tasks. What’s wrong with that?”
“There’s nothing wrong with gathering supplies and using your name recognition to increase donations—as long as you do it from a safe place. But you’re being targeted, remember? You can’t put yourself in additional jeopardy.”
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Ayaan said from the doorway. “The delivery drivers are downstairs.”
“Thank you,” Toni said. “Please let them know I’ll be down momentarily to supervise.”
“Wrong.” Spencer walked over. “Tell the delivery drivers to wait by the freight elevator.I’llbe down to take care of things. No one comes or goes here without my express approval. Got it?”
The butler looked from Spencer to Toni, then back again. Finally, the man bowed and backed away. “As you wish, sir.”
“Perfect.” She gave Spencer an exasperated look. “I’ve volunteered after hurricanes and earthquakes. I know exactly what needs to be done and when. Do you even know anything about coordinating a disaster relief effort?”
“I’ve helped out in more than my share of war-torn areas. Now sit down and make yourself comfy, because you won’t be leaving here again until I say so. Understand? And stay away from the windows.” With that, he walked out.
Much as she hated to admit it, it was impressive—and more than a little bit of a turn-on—seeing him in full-on alpha-male guardian mode, even if his overbearing ways chafed. And yeah, maybe he was right about her safety and security. That didn’t mean she had to like being a prisoner in her own suite.
She spent the next few hours trying to stay distracted, busying herself with finalizing the inventory rosters for the disaster relief drivers. Keeping a record of the aid distributed could be important later for those who had donated, as she knew from her own foundation. Then there was the final run-through for her speech at the PR event the next day.
By the time everything was done, it was well into the evening. While Spencer took a shower, she went over her presentation several times, then ordered dinner for them before changing into her pj’s for the night. She plugged her phone in on her nightstand and jumped when the device buzzed unexpectedly in her hand. The screen displayed another text from none other than her illustrious father. Two in one day—this was a record. Her heart fluttered, then pinched at his rare show of concern.
Be careful
Nothing more. Toni blinked away the sudden sting of tears and shut off the device. She had no reason to get emotional about anything from her father. Knowing him, there was an ulterior motive to his concern. The guy never did anything without some kind of expected return on his investment.
She glanced up to see Spencer watching her from the doorway to her bedroom. Toni didn’t meet his eyes as she sidled around him and went back out into the hallway. “I ordered dinner,” she said. “Should be here soon.”
“Is everything all right?” he asked, walking beside her. He smelled of soap and clean, warm male, and she wanted nothing more than to snuggle against him and let go of her stresses and concerns for a little while. He took her arm. “I can’t protect you if you don’t tell me what’s going on, Toni.”
“I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” She pulled free and went into the sitting room, where she flopped down on the pillow-covered sofa. “Don’t worry about me.”
“It’s my job to worry about you.” His green eyes narrowed. “I don’t want things to be weird between us because of what happened earlier.”
Her mind flooded with images of them making love. She shoved the thoughts away. “No.” She focused on the throw pillow at her side and not him. Definitely not him. “Of course not. We’re good.”
“Really?” He moved closer, his warmth intoxicating as he took a seat beside her. “Toni, I—”
The ding of the elevator had her jumping off the couch before he could finish whatever he’d been about to say. “That’s our food. I’ll get it.”
She was nearly out of the room when he called out from behind her. “Toni?”
“Yes?” She halted, not turning around.
“We will finish this conversation.”
She didn’t respond, just headed for the elevator.
9
The dress rehearsal for her big presentation was more crowded than Toni had anticipated. Sheik Saaed had apparently told all his contacts who hadn’t been lucky enough to score tickets to the main event to come today. Plus, there was an influx of interest from the press due to reporting of her relief efforts for the attacked village. The citizens of Jubail were showing their gratitude, and though she hadn’t been looking for praise or recognition, that’s exactly what she got. In fact, the response had been so overwhelming, it had taken over a half hour to make it from the entrance to the ballroom to the stage where her table and podium were set up, what with all the handshakes and hugs and gifts.
Spencer had thankfully kept the crowds at bay for the last twenty minutes or so, giving her a chance to make sure all the technology was working properly for her slide deck. He’d even insisted on running to the A/V booth in the corner to double-check the USB connections for her so she could stay on stage and focus on her upcoming speech rather than having to worry over technical details. She was just about to check the microphone at the podium when someone grabbed her arm from behind.
“Where is your father, Toni?” a harsh voice asked.
