by Penny Jordan
‘It was in a car,’ Hakeem told her solemnly. ‘But not here,’ she assured Sadie hastily. ‘And it was a long time ago.’
‘How dreadful.’ Sadie couldn’t help shivering a little as she contemplated how awful it must have been for Drax and Vere to learn that such a terrible thing had happened to both their parents.
‘It was very sad,’ Hakeem repeated. ‘Everyone loved the Sheikha, even though she was not Dhurahni and, like you, came from a land far away. Ireland.’
Another time it would have made Sadie smile gently to see how carefully Hakeem pronounced the unfamiliar word. But how could she smile when she had just heard about such a tragedy?
‘It is unusual to hear of a Dhurahni prince marrying a European girl,’ she told Hakeem, guessing that she was expected to make some comment on her story.
‘Not so here. Here it is tradition,’ Hakeem corrected her firmly.
Before Sadie could question her any further, she indicated a pair of heavily carved dark, polished doors in front of them, and said, ‘Ahmed will be waiting for you outside the doors to the women’s quarters to escort you to His Highness, sheikha.’ She then salaamed gracefully and backed away from Sadie.
‘Hakeem—’ Sadie began, about to question the maid’s manner of addressing her. But it was too late. The double doors were opening and Ahmed was now salaaming to her.
He led her not back to the room, where she had seen Drax last night, but down a corridor and then through a large room ornately decorated, its furniture heavily gilded and its low sofas piled high with richly jewelled silk cushions.
At one end there was a raised dais with two throne-like chairs on it, and Sadie guessed that the room must be the audience chamber where the brothers held their formal divan—the event at which any subject could present his petition to his rulers and be heard.
However, they still had to negotiate another long corridor before finally Ahmed led her across a square hallway so plain in its architectural design and furnishings that the contrast between it and the rooms she had just seen was like receiving a glass of cold pure water after the stickiness of spiced wine.
The floor of the hallway was tiled with matt black tiles. A stairway led to an upper gallery, its banister carved out of some ebony-coloured wood, the symmetry of its curves so perfect and plain that it made Sadie catch her breath.
After knocking briefly on the closed double doors, and then opening them for her, indicating that she was to step through, Ahmed salaamed again and then backed away.
A little hesitantly, Sadie walked through the doors. The room beyond them was as modern and breathtaking as the hallway, and three times the size. It was a combination of a living area and an office, its furniture made from the same dark wood as the stairs, the seating streamlined and stylish.
A huge plate glass window looked out onto a courtyard, enclosed on three sides by the modern architecture of the building, with a large swimming pool at the far end.
Awed, she stared at the pool—and then realised it was occupied. Her heart thumped heavily into her ribs as she watched Drax place his hands on the walkway, his flesh hard and tanned, the water running off his shoulders and chest, and spring lithely out of the water, completely naked, before turning his back towards her as he reached for the robe on a recliner. Her heart was racing so frantically she had to breathe faster to keep up with it. Had he been naked? Or had she just thought that he was? Had that brief glimpse of male nudity before he turned his back on her been the product of her imagination? Surely he wouldn’t have swum naked knowing that he might be seen? Why not? an inner voice challenged her. He was one of the ruling Princes of a rich Arab kingdom, and so arrogant that he probably did exactly what he felt like when he felt like it. Who was there to stop or question him after all?
He had disappeared out of sight, but her heartbeat still hadn’t returned to normal.
‘You were admiring the view?’
The sound of his voice behind her had her swinging around, her face burning. While she had been staring out into the courtyard like an awestruck virgin, he had entered the room and was now walking towards her, still wearing his robe and making a very subtle and mocking reference to the fact that she had seen him getting out of the pool.
Well, two could play at that game, Sadie decided angrily.
‘It’s a very clever effect,’ she answered him coolly. ‘Very pared down and sparse. I like the clean lines and the sense of space—although of course we all know that it is merely a trick of the design that makes less look more.’
She was quick—and clever, Drax acknowledged. He had embarrassed her, he knew that, but she still had the wit to parry words with him. But how long would she be able to keep it up? Drax decided to put her to the test.
‘And, like most of your sex, you always opt for more—is that it?’
She was getting into deep water now, Sadie admitted uncomfortably, all too aware of the double meaning behind the mocking words.
‘It surprised me to see such modern architecture…’ She had meant to bring the subtle double entendre element to their conversation to an end with her reply, but when she saw the way he was looking at her, her expression gave her away. ‘I mean, all of this…’ she amended hastily, waving her hand in the direction of the entire room. ‘It is lovely but…not what I expected.’
‘So that is twice this morning you have witnessed something you weren’t expecting, then?’
Sadie opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her whole body was burning now.
‘Such embarrassment—and all over a glimpse of a naked male body,’ he taunted her softly. ‘You surprise me, Sadie. I had thought you would be rather more sophisticated.’ He gave a dismissive shrug. ‘I’m sorry if you were embarrassed, but I didn’t realise Ahmed had shown you in here until it was too late.’
Inwardly Drax was thinking that Vere would be pleased that she was so easily embarrassed. It pointed to a genuine lack of experience that would please his fastidious brother. As it pleased him? He frowned. Why should he have any personal opinions on the matter of her experience or lack of it?
‘He did knock on the door.’ Sadie didn’t want him thinking she had come in of her own accord, or that she had wanted to catch sight of him levering himself out of the pool.
Drax gave another small shrug. ‘It isn’t important. As I’ve already said, I’m sorry you were embarrassed. Now, I shall ring for Ahmed to bring you some coffee, and I’ll go and get dressed. I want to show you the building we intend to use as the headquarters for our new financial sector. We’ve put aside a hundred acres of land which will be used exclusively to house the financial business sector. The main building has already been constructed and is finished, ready for use.’ And, as Vere had already said, they would be left with it on their hands if their meetings failed and they did not get approval to go ahead.
Although Drax was covered from his throat to below his knees by his robe, Sadie was acutely aware that beneath it he was naked—and male. Very male indeed, if her brief glimpse of him had been accurate. Not that she had seen enough nude men in the flesh to compare. But it had been obvious to her that Drax was boldly ‘endowed’, as the saying went.
Drax knew that he was embarrassing her, Sadie recognised.
‘I hadn’t expected that the palace would look so modern,’ she confessed, determined to change the subject before it got too out of hand.
Was he actually giving her a small smile—too mocking and knowing for her peace of mind—or was she just imagining it?
‘Not all of it does. Only this new wing, which I have had added as my own private quarters. My brother is a traditionalist at heart, and he prefers the design and décor of our forebears. He did not altogether approve initially when I told him what I planned to do.’
‘But it looks wonderful,’ Sadie assured him quickly, and then, worried that she might have sounded horribly sycophantic, added lamely, ‘I’ve always preferred modern architecture and design.’
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�It has its benefits,’ Drax agreed.
For some reason she was thinking about the swimming pool and his naked body again, Sadie realised guiltily, and rushed to ask, ‘As I won’t be meeting your brother, presumably I don’t have to wear the Chanel suit today?’
‘Not whilst you are alone with me, no,’ Drax allowed.
What was it about those words ‘alone’ and ‘with me’ that set her heart rocketing into her chest wall? Did she really need to ask herself that question? Wasn’t the answer openly obvious in the way her body was reacting? And did that small smile Drax was giving her mean that he had guessed what she was thinking? Oh, please not, Sadie prayed inwardly. The last thing she wanted was for this arrogant and sexually potent man to know that she had unconsciously filed the mental image she had of his powerful male physique to review again when she was on her own. Heavens, it shocked her enough to have to admit to herself what she had done, never mind have him know about it as well.
‘However,’ Drax continued, forcing her to abandon her frantic inner thoughts and listen, ‘Dhurahn is a very small state. It will soon become common knowledge why you are here. There are already several independent European financial services people resident in Dhurahn city. They refer to themselves as entrepreneurs—although I am aware that the financial press often prefer to refer to them as predators.’
‘You invited them here?’ Sadie asked.
‘No, they are not here at our invitation. These are not the sort of people we would want.’ His mouth curled in disdainful dislike. ‘They are vultures. Like all their kind, they possess an early-warning system that alerts them to the scent of fresh blood. However, you may rest assured that they will not be allowed to get rich on the backs of citizens of this country. I must warn you that everything that is discussed between us is privileged and confidential information, and must remain as such.’
‘Are you saying that my contract of employment will contain penalty clauses for breach of confidence?’
Drax eyed her thoughtfully. She had, of course, no idea what her ultimate ‘employment’ was going to be, nor how apt her question was. Certainly when Vere married her she would be signing a pre-nuptial agreement. It was a great pity that Vere couldn’t see her now. The top she was wearing hinted at the softness of her breasts, her skin showed the beginnings of a faint tan, and Drax was pleased to see that she was wearing only minimal make-up. It had amused him earlier to see the shocked expression on her face when he had leapt naked out of the pool, but his amusement had rebounded on him when his body had reacted to the knowledge that she was watching him. He had had to turn his back on her very quickly to conceal his reaction from her. He should not, of course, have allowed such a situation to arise at all. Arise being the operative word, he admitted grimly. Because he certainly had been aroused. Extremely aroused. So much so that even now…
She was going to marry his brother, he reminded himself. He was determined about that. So determined that he had already given the household a subtle indication of her future role as a Royal wife by installing her in the Royal suite of the women’s quarters.
‘Your quarters are satisfactory?’ he asked her now, remembering his duties as a host. ‘You have everything you need?’
‘The suite is magnificent,’ Sadie answered him truthfully. ‘But…’
‘But?’ Drax demanded.
‘Hakeem, the little maid, keeps addressing me as sheikha, even though I have tried to tell her that I do not hold such a title.’
Drax tensed momentarily. It would not do for Sadie to get wind of what he was planning before she had had the chance to meet Vere and he had put his plan into action by encouraging her to fall for him.
He gave a deliberately dismissive shrug. ‘It is merely a formal mode of address. She no doubt means simply to be polite to you. However, if you would rather have someone else to attend you…?’
‘No…no. She is lovely. She…she has been telling me about the palace and your family, and—’ Sadie could see him tensing and stopped, but it was too late.
‘And?’ he probed.
‘She also told me about your parents,’ Sadie admitted, adding quietly, ‘What a dreadful thing to have happened.’
‘Yes, it was.’ Drax’s answer was so terse that Sadie wished she hadn’t said anything. Had she inadvertently touched a still raw wound? Didn’t it make sense that the loss of one’s parents in such a horrific accident would always leave a raw wound?
She had been tactless, she decided guiltily. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.’
Both her guilt and her apology were so genuine that they made Drax frown. He wasn’t used to people treating him as though he was vulnerable and could be emotionally hurt. To be aware of her compassion touched a nerve within him that produced the echo of an old and deep pain.
‘My mother didn’t have to go that day. But she always went everywhere with my father. Theirs was a true love match. She used to say that I had inherited personality traits from her side of the family—she was Irish.’
‘Yes, Hakeem told me. That explains why you have green eyes, of course—’ Sadie stopped speaking abruptly, and put her hand to her lips in consternation.
‘Yes, Vere and I share her eyes. But Vere inherited the preferences of our paternal ancestors. It is traditional for scholarly men to take an interest in our literature and to write classical poetry; it is as much a part of being a Dhurahni prince as is the love of falconry and the desert, and Vere has already won renown for his skill in the writing of poetic verse. I, on the other hand, while I too love the desert and honour our traditions, have inherited my mother’s grandfather’s love of architecture and design. Our parents valued both aspects of our dual inheritance because they reflected what they each saw and loved in each other.’
What was happening to him? Drax challenged himself angrily. He couldn’t believe he had just spoken so intimately to Sadie. He never talked about his parents to anyone other than Vere. He comforted himself that at least their conversation had given him an opportunity to bring Vere’s virtues to her attention. If his brother wasn’t here to encourage Sadie to fall in love with him then he would just have to do his best to help her to do so in his absence. The fact that earlier she had aroused him meant nothing, less than nothing, he assured himself, and if it did happen again…If it did? It wouldn’t. He intended to make sure of that.
‘To lose them both must have been unbearable,’ he could hear Sadie saying.
Was she right in thinking that his words of praise for his brother masked an unacknowledged feeling that his brother had been their parents’ favourite because he was the elder son? Sadie wondered compassionately. If so, how foolish of his parents not to value him as he so obviously deserved to be valued.
Sadie felt angrily protective on his behalf. Was the arrogance she had seen in him simply a means of protecting himself? Like these rooms, pared down and clinically bare of any softening personal things? Her compassion for him grew, startling her when she realised that it was making her feel almost tenderly protective of him. What on earth was happening to her? He was her employer. That was all. She had no need to feel protective of him and he was hardly likely to want it.
Without Vere, the loss of their parents would have been unbearable, Drax admitted to himself. But he had no intention of telling Sadie that. Instead, he said distantly, ‘It had to be borne. That was our duty to Dhurahn and to them.’
His cold sharpness speedily dissipated Sadie’s compassionate concern. She was a fool to feel sorry for him—a fool to feel anything for him, she warned herself firmly, as Ahmed arrived with the coffee.
To Sadie’s relief, if the manservant thought it oddly intimate that his master should be talking to his new employee dressed only in a towelling robe he was too tactful to betray it, simply obeying Drax’s instruction to pour Sadie a cup of coffee while Drax went to get dressed.
As soon as she had emptied the small cup Ahmed lifted the coffee pot to refill it, but Sadie shook her head
and hastily covered her empty cup with her hand, to indicate to him that she didn’t want any more. If she kept on drinking such a strong brew she would be on a caffeine-induced high for the rest of the day. But at least thinking about how dreadful it must have been for Drax and his brother to cope with the deaths of their parents gave her something to help her stop focusing on the memory of his nakedness. She was not the kind of woman who wasted her time mentally dwelling on naked male flesh. Or was she? Wouldn’t it be more honest to admit that she hadn’t previously been that kind of woman?
She was aware, so much aware, that those tiny tingling shudders of ‘being aware’ were still pulsing dangerously inside her—like a kettle simmering just off the boil, just waiting for that touch to turn up the heat, and then…She could feel the beading of sweat breaking out at her hairline.
This was crazy. She couldn’t be obsessing sexually about a man she had only just met. A man who spoke so glowingly to her about his brother that she could be forgiven for thinking that he was actually trying encourage her to fall for him, if such a scenario wasn’t totally unlikely. A man more unlikely to become her lover it was possible to imagine.
Her lover? She was crazy. She had to be. Who had said anything about her wanting a lover? She didn’t do lovers. She never had. And she certainly didn’t go around fantasising about arrogant ruling princes taking her to bed and making love to her. But just thinking about Drax’s tanned, naked body spread against the whiteness of her sheets set her mind racing. What would it feel like to straddle him and keep him there on her bed while she slowly explored the muscular contours of his shoulders and torso? Would he allow her to dominate him like that and take her visual pleasure of him without seeking to master her? Would he let her slowly stroke her way along the byways of his body?
She made a small choking sound of rejection and disbelief in her throat as she tried to disown her thoughts.
‘You would perhaps like water?’ Ahmed offered her solicitously.
‘What? No. Oh, yes, please,’ Sadie answered with a quick smile. Perhaps a glass of water might cool her overheated thoughts as it soothed her throat.