She stood up and took a deep breath, trying to calm her fury. “I don’t need a house, and I’m so sorry that you were obviously rushed over here with bad information.” With that apology made, she stormed down the hallway towards the royal offices.
Standing outside of his office, she glared at the man guarding the doorway. “Is there any chance I might speak with the prince?” she asked through gritted teeth.
The man glanced over at one of the bodyguards who nodded his head. “He gave specific orders that you were to meet with him as soon as you finished with the realtor this morning, Ms. Jones,” the assistant explained courteously as he came around his desk. “His Highness is alone at the moment, but he’s about to walk into a press conference. So he doesn’t have much time.”
She smiled, or tried to smile. At the moment, she was too furious to manage a genuinely friendly expression. “I won’t take up much of his time.”
The man opened a heavy wooden door for her, announced her, and stepped back to allow her to walk into the office.
Giselle was so angry, she barely registered the guard closing the door, giving them privacy. All of her attention was on the man sitting behind the desk, his broad shoulders currently encased in an impeccably tailored suit.
“You look exhausted,” he commented, leaning back in his chair as he watched her approach.
“And you’re an arrogant jerk!” she snapped, slapping the house listings down on his desk. “How could you do this to me?”
He looked at the pictures, trying to stifle his amusement at her outburst. No one had ever dared to call him out like that. It was pretty hot, he realized. Especially since it inspired more “lesson” ideas.
“Your apartment is miniscule. You need a bigger place.”
She shook her head. “No! I don’t! My place is more than big enough for me and I can’t afford a house like this! Good grief, the smallest of these houses is five thousand square feet! What am I going to do with that much space?”
He stood up and came around to stand in front of her, smelling the sweet, feminine scent of her. “Your bed is too small, Giselle. And your shower?” He shook his head just thinking about that torture chamber. “No. I don’t ever want to shower there again.”
Giselle rubbed her temples, feeling the exhaustion of the past two nights hit her. “Look, this…thing between us. It just isn’t going to work.”
He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her throat, causing her to shiver. She was so damn responsive! He loved it! “I thought this thing between us worked pretty well last night.”
She groaned as her body betrayed her, trying to pull out of his arms, but he only tightened his arms around her. “You know what I mean.”
“No,” he quickly replied. “I don’t know what you mean. Explain.”
She leaned her forehead against his chest. “Jaffri, you’re a prince. I’m a…I’m a lowly staff member. That’s it. I don’t belong in your world and you,” she bit her lip in an effort to keep herself from bursting into tears. What was it about Jaffri? “You don’t belong in mine.”
She pulled out of his arms, hugging herself now that his body wasn’t warming her any longer. “I’m not even a citizen of your country!”
He shook his head. “Giselle, you are a woman. I’m a man. That’s pretty much the main requirement.”
She heard his words, wishing it was that simple. “No, Jaffri, it isn’t, and you know that I’m right.”
He moved closer, obviously disagreeing with her. “No, Giselle. I don’t know that you’re right. There’s something between us and we can’t ignore it. Tell me that it wouldn’t bother you if we don’t see each other and I let you go.” He paused, letting his words sink in. He saw the truth in her eyes. “Tell me that you don’t feel it too.”
She shook her head, exasperated with him. “Yes! Okay? I agree that there’s something between us. But you’re not buying me a new house!”
“Yes,” he countered, moving closer even as she retreated. “I’m buying you a new house because you don’t like staying here at the palace at night. And after the past two nights, I’m not sleeping without you, Giselle. I want you!”
“NO! You’re not buying me a new house and you’re right, I won’t come here to the palace.”
“Why can’t I buy you a house?” he asked, reaching out to grab her hands and pull her closer, but she moved out of reach more quickly this time, anticipating his moves now. “If I want to buy something, I don’t need permission from you to do it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Jaffri, a meal is one thing. But a house? That’s crazy!”
“Not for me. And if you have a better suggestion, one that doesn’t include that toddler-sized bed you have at your place, then I’m listening. Otherwise, I’m buying you a house.”
She side stepped him again. “Jaffri, stop! You’re not buying me a house.”
He almost laughed at her obstinate expression. Other women would have been thrilled at the offer of a house. But Giselle wasn’t just any woman and he respected her position, even if he didn’t agree with her. “Give me one good reason.”
“Because it would reduce our relationship down to something tawdry and cheap!” she finally explained, jumping backwards again when he reached for her a third time. “I’ll feel like your mistress if you buy a house for me and I don’t want to feel that way.”
With her words, he stopped, not fully understanding. But she was starting to make sense. “So will you come to the palace and stay with me every night?”
She shook her head. “No way.”
That firmed it up in his mind. “Then I’m buying you a house. We’ll stay there.”
She threw up her hands. “Not happening! I don’t care if we have sex hiding in a closet somewhere, but you’re not buying me a house!”
He stopped stalking her as both of them reviewed what she’d just said. As soon as her words sunk into her befuddled head, she burst out laughing. She heard his deep laughter as well and, this time, she allowed him to pull her into his arms. When they both stopped laughing, he looked down at her.
“I have to attend this thing,” he explained softly. “How about if we talk about this later? Tonight? Dinner here and we’ll figure out a game plan. Okay?”
She smiled up at him, feeling the tension leave her shoulders with his agreement. “Fine. Dinner here.” She turned around to leave, feeling giddy and bubbly inside. Never would she have imagined that Jaffri would be so accommodating. He just didn’t look like the accommodating type. Then flashes of the previous night hit her and she almost laughed out loud. Okay, so he wasn’t accommodating all the time, she thought with a shiver of excitement.
Something occurred to her and she spun around. “I’m not spending the night though.”
He didn’t answer for a moment but she felt his eyes move up and down her figure, a visual caress that told her exactly what he was thinking. Hmm…maybe not exactly.
“We’ll see,” he replied.
Giselle opened her mouth to argue, but a knock sounded on the door, quickly followed by someone opening the door and stepping inside. She was relieved that she was several feet away from Jaffri instead of still in his arms. Goodness, that would have been embarrassing! How tacky to be caught in the boss’s arms? And trite!
Nope, she didn’t want to be caught in such a compromising position. She hadn’t been working at the palace long enough. She had her reputation to think of. Being the prince’s mistress would ruin her reputation, not just in Altair, but in the whole event planning industry! The connections Stephen had in the world of event planning were amazing! He knew everyone and everything. He was a genius!
“I apologize for interrupting, Your Highness,” the man said, glancing curiously at Giselle and she immediately had the impression that he wasn’t sorry at all. The horrible man had been trying to catch her in Jaffri’s arms! “But the press conference is about to start. Your father asked me to remind you of the time.”
Jaffri nodded curtl
y. “I’ll be there in a moment.” Walking over to Giselle, he touched her shoulder. “We’ll continue this discussion. Remind me of the details in our next meeting.” A moment later, he left the office and Giselle breathed a sigh of relief. Jaffri recognized what that man had been trying to do as well and had stopped the rumors with a simple sentence!
Walking out of his office, she didn’t realize that she had a silly grin on her face, which completely ruined Jaffri’s efforts to tamp down on the palace gossip. Too many people had seen her walking into his office with a furious expression and now those same people were peeking around corners, noticing the way she bounced down the hallway, her dark curls dancing around her glowing features.
Giselle was just about to head back to her office when Stephen hurriedly approached her. “Come with me, missy,” he whispered with an urgent hiss.
She turned around, trying to keep up with him. He was skinny, but he had long legs and he could move! “What’s going on?” she demanded, rushing to keep up with him.
“A press conference!” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders to lead her into the back of the packed press room. The seats were already filled and the back of the room was crammed with photographers, all with huge lenses on their cameras. The crowd was mumbling about something but Stephen was pushing her towards the center of the crowd. Finally, he found a space where both of them could see the podium.
Giselle wasn’t sure what the big deal was. “Okay, so they are having a press conference. Why is this important to us?” She thought back to the aide who had interrupted her discussion with Jaffri. He’d mentioned this press conference so she knew that Jaffri was here. If it were up to her, she’d be hiding back in her office. But Stephen was her direct supervisor so if he wanted her here, she was here to stay. Maybe if she hid behind one of the photographers, she could listen in without being so obvious about her presence here.
Stephen rolled his eyes at her question. “Honey, think about it. If something big is in the works, we need to know about it as soon as possible. Event planning is all about being the first to know so that we can be the first to plan!” He shook his head as if she should already know this. “Politics and event planning go hand in hand in this world.”
She knew that and was actually ashamed that she hadn’t realized what he was doing when they’d walked in here. Giselle accepted that her mind had still been back in Jaffri’s office instead of where it should be, on her job. Stephen was right, being able to anticipate the social calendar of the royal family was her job. Focus on the issues, she admonished herself. And stop focusing on one big, huge, fascinating man!
Looking around, she still wasn’t sure what was going on. Sheik Talal was there with his beautiful wife, her dark hair styled into a sophisticated twist and Giselle loved the lemon yellow suit she wore. Yellow was a difficult color to pull off, but it looked smashing on the woman who still looked to be about twenty years younger than she actually was. How Queen Katherine looked to be in her thirties when she was actually in her sixties was beyond Giselle’s understanding.
Queen Katherine was actually one of the reasons she’d worked so hard to earn this job. Giselle knew that Queen Katherine was a woman with the integrity to get things done for the people of Altair, and the tenacity to not give up. She was determined to make things better. Schools were stronger now because she made education a higher priority for the government. The health policy in Altair was completely revamped, giving everyone universal health care. Yes, taxes were higher, but so was income because people were able to achieve higher standards in their jobs and they weren’t spending more than half of their income on medical bills, or dying because medical help was out of reach. Some wives of world leaders were nothing more than a pretty face and a lovely figure, which showcased the latest designer dresses. Queen Katherine definitely wasn’t one of those. She was strong, intelligent, and a role model for young women around the world.
Just looking at Queen Katherine caused Giselle to straighten her posture, smooth the silk of her slacks down so she looked less rumpled and came across as more professional.
Jaffri’s brother, Prince Tavor, entered next and Giselle tilted her head as she took in his appearance. He was just as tall as Jaffri, but…different. He still had that handsome, powerful aura around him, that sense that he knew women and would torment any woman in his arms with pleasure. But…that intense attraction wasn’t there for her. It was startling to realize that it wasn’t just Jaffri’s handsome face that attracted her. He was right. There was chemistry between them that was difficult to resist.
Giselle smiled faintly, thinking of last night and how she’d finally decided to stop protesting. She’d be hurt when this affair was over, but she knew that she was risking everything to be with him. Even her heart.
When Jaffri entered the room, she lowered her head. She knew the instant he spotted her in the audience, could feel his eyes on her, his gaze curious.
Thankfully, Sheik Talal stepped up to the podium and all the reporters went crazy, diverting Jaffri’s attention from her to his father.
“Oh, this is going to be good!” Stephen whispered excitedly in her ear.
Giselle looked up at her boss, saw the excitement in his eyes, noticed him rubbing his hands together, but then her gaze returned to Jaffri.
The other man who walked in looked official, but she didn’t recognize him. He puffed up as if he knew something. She couldn’t really put her finger on it, but that man had a secret. His smile, the way his eyes darted to Jaffri…yes, he was definitely doing something strange.
A beautiful woman with long, silky dark hair and dark, sultry eyes walked onto the stage as well, lowering her head to whisper something into the shorter man’s ear. She was gorgeous, Giselle thought, immediately jealous of her creamy complexion and how it made her long, black hair and dark eyes seem more exotic somehow. Giselle tucked her own disobedient curls behind an ear, feeling pale and somehow anemic compared to that woman’s lustrous beauty.
As soon as the stunning beauty turned and glanced at Prince Tavon…Giselle sensed tension. Was she imagining that? Was she only hoping that the woman was more interested in Prince Tavon than Prince Jaffri? Prince Tavon was handsome in a lithe, urbane sort of way. But the look in his eyes was…scary. Cold. The man seemed unfeeling, she thought as she watched him glance at the sultry woman. Calculating.
Giselle shivered and pulled back slightly. Glancing at Jaffri, she felt the warmth of his look and smiled, thinking he was so much more handsome than his brother. Well, no, that wasn’t quite right. Neither man was handsome. They were attractive. Appealing. Well, Jaffri was. Giselle supposed that some women might think the icy demeanor of Prince Tavon was appealing, but she definitely preferred the heat of Jaffri to the ice of his brother.
Not that their relationship would go anywhere. She had to keep reminding herself of that particular fact. This was only a temporary affair.
Goodness, her heart was going to be trampled on when this was all over. This…thing she had going with Jaffri, and she didn’t want to define whatever “this” was, would eventually fade away. The man was a prince, next in line to rule Altair. She was…nobody. She was just a foreigner who could throw a good party.
But for now, she was taking “this” one day at a time. It would be a story she could tell to her grandkids one day, about how she’d had an affair with a royal prince. A handsome, wonderful, gentle, amazing, and devastatingly sensual prince.
Yes, that would be her story. That was how she should approach this affair with Jaffri.
Chapter 7
“Good morning, everyone,” the sheik’s press secretary greeted the crowd milling about in the briefing room. All the reporters quickly found their seats and an excited hush fell over the room, broken only by the almost constant clicking of cameras as the photographers took what seemed like hundreds of pictures of the group gathered on the stage.
“Today marks the beginning of a new trade agreement between Altair and
Sidoon.” The murmur of the reporters broke through the camera clicking. Even Giselle was shocked by this news. The two countries barely had a relationship with one another! Sidoon had been poking the countries along its borders for the past ten years, but they didn’t have the military might to do serious damage.
Working out a trade agreement with a country as powerful as Altair would…wow! It was monumental! It was a major step in redefining the entire political atmosphere in the region!
Sheik Talal looked…pleased! And the other man, the shorter one, looked as if he was about to burst with pride. Giselle’s eyes moved to the woman slightly behind the short man and, instinctively, she knew that the beautiful woman was the reason this agreement had taken place. It was possible that she would never get credit for her efforts, but the look of sheer pride and jubilation, not to mention the way she was almost hugging herself even though her hands were tightly clasped around a black, leather notebook, told Giselle that she was the one who had created this. It was her effort.
Giselle’s jealousy evaporated over the woman’s beauty and, in its place, was admiration. Soaring admiration that the woman had accomplished such a major feat. It was huge. It was amazing!
Even more astonishing, they’d done it all in secret! No one had heard even a peep about something this huge in the works! That was most likely because an agreement of this magnitude would have caused tensions with other countries. Now that it was done, the papers signed, the rest of the countries would simply have to get in line and figure out how to catch up.
Impressive!
She was so astonished by the news, she hadn’t heard the rest of the announcement. The short man, who Giselle realized was the King of Sidoon, was still talking. My goodness, she should have recognized him, but she’d been a bit too focused on memorizing the faces of Altair’s major political allies lately.
The Desert Prince's Bride (The Sheiks of Altair Book 2) Page 8