Her Secret

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “Okay, so let it out and let us get this over with,” he urged with what he hoped was a soothing tone.

  Talal silently watched her pace back and forth as she tried to regain her composure. He was struck all over again by how powerfully beautiful she was. It wasn’t just her dark hair or her shockingly blue eyes. Nor was it her figure. He’d been with many beautiful women over the years. But there was something unique about Kate. There was an aura about her that drew him like a magnet. Every time he’d seen her in the past, every time he’d watched one of her movies, he’d been struck by that same, powerful urge.

  Eighteen months ago, he’d been mired in political upheaval, trying to hide his father’s illness from the world and his political enemies. After his death thirteen months ago, it had taken all of Talal’s energy to solidify his position as people tried to undermine him at every turn. Even now, there were forces that battled against him, but they were insidious, hiding in the shadows. His advisory council had pleaded with him to marry, to create an heir to further solidify his power, but he’d resisted until he’d seen Kate’s beautiful face on the news and heard she was coming back to Altair.

  Then everything had fallen into place in his mind. Kate was perfect. His people would embrace her. They would have children, lots of children, and she would help him rule Altair.

  It was the perfect plan.

  But first, he had to win her over. Just thinking about making love to her again had his body hard and aching. And it only took one look from Kate to make him hard and ready to carry her off to somewhere private so he could enjoy her body, her soft sighs of pleasure.

  As he watched her sputter, he acknowledged that she had a right to be angry. He should have left a note that night, should have followed her when she fled. That was in the past though. Things were different now and he was more than willing to explain, to give her time to adjust and help her understand.

  And then he could drag her off to bed and spend the next several days making love to her, making up for all the long months he’d endured without her.

  He’d seen her dancing in the morning sunshine, splashing in the ocean waves and that sultry, sleepy, gut-punch smile when she first woke up in the morning in his arms. And yes, there had been flashes of anger when he’d come back to her after days of being apart. But at that time, they’d both been thinking that their time together was only a short fling, an affair that would soon pass.

  Now, things were different. Now he wanted forever.

  Kate stopped pacing and swung around, confronting him with her fury. “You can’t just come back into my life without any explanation and expect me to go along with it!” she declared.

  Talal stepped cautiously closer and cupped her hand in both of his.

  “I’ve hurt you in the past, but I will make it up to you.”

  Those full, kissable lips twisted into a snarl as if he’d just said the most outrageous thing imaginable.

  “Don’t you dare think that you can charm your way out of this!” she growled.

  He moved closer, his eyes heating up with the lust he’d been banking ever since his advisor had mentioned she would be in his country for her next film. “Perhaps I should employ other methods for defusing your anger?” he suggested, leaning in slightly. “I seem to remember some very effective methods....”

  She hissed, her body trembling with…awareness? Possibly. Anger? Likely.

  “Do not!” she snapped, pointing a well-manicured finger up at him. “Don’t you dare belittle or dismiss my feelings about the way you treated me eighteen months ago.”

  “Has it really been only eighteen months?” he commented with hint of surprise. “It seems much longer.” He lifted a hand, intending to brush a finger along her cheek, but she slapped his hand away. He couldn’t hold back the chuckle this time. No one had ever dared to strike him except his military commanders during training. Certainly no female had ever smacked him. Talal was amazed to find he actually respected her more for her bravery.

  “No, it hasn’t been eighteen months.” She lifted a hand in the air, swiping it back and forth. “Seventeen months, two weeks and ten days.”

  “Ah, so you’ve been counting the days, have you? I’ve missed you as well, my dear.”

  Kate wanted to slap him for being so obtuse. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and swallowed her temper. When she felt her calm begin to return, she opened her eyes. “I have to go.” She held up a hand to warn him off when he started to approach. “I understand now. You kept leaving because you have responsibilities.” She glanced around the stunning room, the elaborate décor, and the elegant architecture. “But that doesn’t mean that I need to endure another round of your callous treatment.” Another breath and she backed up, straightened her shoulders and feigned a calm composure that she was not feeling inside. If she could fake charm in interviews, she could fake it now until she could escape, she told herself sternly.

  Once she was back in her suite at the hotel, she’d curl up into a ball and cry her heart out. But until that moment, until she’d reached a safe place where no one would see her crack, especially the man who had shattered her heart, she would remain all smiles, the epitome of a cool, collected actress meeting yet another head of state.

  “Feel better?” he asked and Kate glanced up at him, realizing that he’d been watching her the whole time.

  Polite, smiling mask firming in place, she nodded. “Yes. I apologize for that unwarranted outburst, Your Highness. I apologize profusely for my outrageous temper. It won’t happen again.” Kate felt a burst of pride when she saw the surprise in Talal’s eyes. Oh, he had no idea how good of an actress she was!

  Kate reminded herself that she had wanted a challenge. This role was her dream role. Never in her wildest imagination would she have anticipated meeting Talal once again, not to mention, the shock of realizing that he’d been with a prince eighteen months ago and he was now…well, she couldn’t think about that right now. She felt a crack in her demeanor and rallied, lifting her eyebrows, a trick she’d used many times before to try and lift her spirits. It took a great deal of concentration to lift one’s eyebrows outside of normal emotions. The effort distracted her for a long moment, just enough time to get her façade back in place.

  “Shall we join the others for dinner, Your Highness?” she suggested. She should probably extend her hand for him to lead her back into the dining room. But that was going too far. No way could she allow this man to touch her. That simply was beyond even her capabilities!

  “You have permission to call me by my first name, Kate.”

  Her eyebrows went up again, this time in genuine surprise. “That’s very kind of you, Your Highness. But I think it would be more appropriate if we maintained a professional distance going forward. Although,” she managed a patronizing bow, “I am flattered that you would you grant me such an honor.”

  He chuckled softly as he moved closer. Kate wasn’t sure what he intended, but she backed away until she noticed what she was doing. At that point, she stood her ground, refusing to show weakness.

  “Kate, I know what you taste like,” he murmured, leaning down so that his breath caressed her ear. “Do you really expect me to call you Ms. Childress?”

  Kate pulled back, trying to stifle the shiver of intense awareness. She had forgotten how wonderful he smelled. Looking away long enough to straighten her ‘mask’, she smiled carefully. “That’s in the past, Your Highness.”

  With that, she turned and started for the doorway, intent on apologizing to her cast mates and especially her director. She knew the guy in charge, he was ruthless. If the director found out about her relationship with Talal, he would leak every sexy detail he could come up with, real or imagined, in order to publicize his movie’s release. He was brilliant at publicity stunts and one of his actors having a temper tantrum at the palace of a foreign leader’s dinner party would be the perfect start to the titillation.

  She couldn’t allow that. Her privacy was too
important now. She had to protect Jaffri. The pain and rejection she’d endured after Talal’s abrupt departure wasn’t important anymore. Jaffri was her priority now.

  She’d just reached the doorway when she felt his hand on her arm. Swinging her around, he grabbed her upper arms, forcing her to look up at him. His hold was gentle but firm. She felt his power all the way down to her toes. “Kate, this is not over. There are many explanations that I need to give you.”

  “That’s fine,” she muttered distractedly, twisting out of his grasp. “But not right now. Please, let’s just enjoy the evening and we’ll talk another time.”

  Talal released her, cursing under his breath when he saw the red marks he left behind. “I’m so sorry, my dear. I had forgotten how…delicate your skin is.”

  Kate couldn’t stop the blush that turned her ears pink. The first time he’d used his mouth on her body, she’d fought the overwhelming sensations. He’d had to hold her legs wide in order to finish the job. He’d been quite…energetic in his efforts. Looking down, she had to concentrate in order to calm her pulse. “Yes. I do bruise easily. So come up with a reason why my arms are red before we go into the other room. Do NOT allow my director to think up a story on his own, or we’ll both suffer for it.”

  With that, she stalked out the doors. Since Talal had put the marks on her skin, he could deal with the consequences. No one would believe either of them anyway. She’d still have to come up with a viable explanation for why the marks were there. And if there were bruises in the morning, then the makeup artist would need to hide them from the camera.

  Darn it! She should have kept a tighter rein on her temper. Her only defense was that her emotions were already heightened because she was here in Altair after so long.

  Now this. Good grief!

  Thankfully, the rest of the cast members were easily located. Two servants were standing in the hallway and they immediately opened a set of doors to reveal an elaborate banquet. The entire cast, as well as the director and assistant director, were milling about, drinks in hand as they sampled the delicacies being passed around by the various wait staff. All eyes turned to look as the doors opened.

  Unfortunately, Kate wasn’t prepared for Talal’s next move. As she stepped into the room he grabbed her upper arms and swung her around. Then he was kissing her. Really kissing her! Kate had been prepared for a lot of things, but not this open display of affection. Which meant, she wasn’t braced for his sensual assault. Mentally, she wasn’t ready…and wasn’t capable of pushing him away. When he finally lifted his head, she was a trembling mass of awareness, need, and desire. Shaking, she pulled away from him, but was fully aware of his grip. In one sense, she was grateful for his hold. If he hadn’t been gripping her arms, holding her upright, she probably would have melted to the floor in a puddle.

  And she knew that his tactic would do the trick. He held her upper arms, exactly as he had in the private room. As explanations for possible bruising went, this was as good as any.

  But that didn’t mean she had to like it. She didn’t want to feel this way, not towards Talal. Not after everything that had passed eighteen months ago.

  Stepping back, she fought to keep from bursting into overwhelmed tears. That kiss would only bring more media attention to her, which would impact Jaffri.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” she whispered fiercely, before turning to face the crowd. Sure enough, every eye was glued to the spectacle in the doorway. She could also feel the burning questions in the collective weight of the room’s gaze. Each and every person in the room wore the same odd expression, a mixture of shock and burning curiosity.

  Moving to the closest waiter, she accepted a glass of champagne and took a carefully casual sip, then drifted towards the director. Her intent was to act as if nothing had just happened. It wasn’t going to work, but she would try.

  “How is the food?” she asked cheerfully.

  As soon as she spoke, the spell was broken and everyone burst into conversation. Kate knew most of them were discussing the kiss among themselves, trying to decide what was going on between their leading lady and their host.

  “Care to talk about it?” her director asked as he smoothly stepped up beside her, chuckling as he gulped the last of his sparkling wine and grabbed another from a passing waiter.

  “Nope,” Kate replied flatly, tipping her glass up and draining it. She set it on the waiter’s tray and grabbed another.

  Her director laughed softly. “Fair enough. But you know…”

  Kate turned to him, looking him directly in the eye with a cheerful smile. “Jim, if you exploit anything you just saw for the benefit of this movie, I will never work with you again.” She waited for the threat to register. When his eyes widened, she knew that she’d gotten through. “Are we clear?”

  Kate kept the sweet smile to her features. If anyone was watching, and presumably the entire cast, as well as Talal’s staff, was watching, they would only see her smiling and laughing. It would seem as if they were having a friendly conversation.

  “You’re secret is safe with me,” Jim replied, downing another glass of champagne.

  “Slow down on the alcohol, Jim. You know you’re a sloppy drunk and we have an early start tomorrow.”

  He chuckled, adding to the impression that they were having a jovial conversation. “You come across as sweet and gentle, but you’re kind of a bitch, aren’t you?”

  Kate brightened her smile. “If I were a man, you’d say I was tough, firm, or assertive. But because I’m a woman, you call me a name.” She tsked. “It is interesting that the traits you so admire in a man are the same characteristics that you deride in a woman. Very petty and sexist of you, Jim.”

  Kate looked away from the man, disgusted with the surprise in his eyes – surprise that morphed into admiration. Or lust? It wasn’t that he truly admired her. Rumor had it that he had an affair with every one of his leading ladies. Kate didn’t doubt it. She suspected that he was only waiting for the right moment before he made a move at her.

  Turning, she looked around the room, trying to figure out how soon she could escape. But as soon as her blue gaze landed on Talal, she knew that it wouldn’t be soon. He clearly had a goal in mind for the evening.

  “I guess I’m out of the running, aren’t I?” Jim sighed.

  Kate giggled up at him, acting as if he’d just said something hilarious. “What do you mean?’

  “I mean,” he replied snidely, “that your Lothario there has a bit more weight to his offer than I do.”

  She laughed again, shaking her head. “Jim, I really don’t know what you mean.”

  Jim tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he frowned thoughtfully at her. But Kate knew that he wasn’t really looking at her, he was thinking….

  “You know, that man reminds me of someone. I can’t figure out who.”

  Kate froze, paralyzed for a long moment. He couldn’t see the similarities to Jaffri, could he? Jim had a gift for looking at people and knowing their intent. That’s what he did for a living, after all. He sat behind a camera and analyzed an actor or actresses’ facial expressions and body language, ensuring that their non-verbal signals were what he was looking for, wanting to convey a certain message through his films.

  Before she could reassure herself that Jim hadn’t figured out the relationship between Jaffri and Talal, the man in question approached, keeping her off balance.

  Talal wasn’t one to stay back when he wanted something. She felt his approach even before she heard him say something. “Tell me about the film you are doing.”

  She almost laughed at the way he ordered instead of simply requesting the information. But since he had distracted Jim from his contemplation of Talal’s features, she didn’t mind. Kate wasn’t going to let him get away with that arrogant tone though. “Yes, I’m doing very well, thank you for asking,” she said primly, glaring up at him but pretending to smile again. She continued the expression even though her cheeks
were aching with the effort. She felt Jim slink away, correctly interpreting the tension between his leading lady and their powerful host.

  Talal laughed even as he took her hand and led her further away from the other guests. “You are stunning,” he commented. “Every man in this room wants you.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that’s a compliment, but try a bit harder.”

  He looked down at her and Kate’s breath froze in her lungs. “Okay, I want you.”

  She shivered, trying to hide it, but the tightening of his fingers on her own told her that he’d absorbed and understood her trembling. “Not good enough.”

  “I need you.”

  Kate looked away, shocked that he’d said those particular words. Need. So powerful and very close to what she wanted him to say. But she also knew that his words weren’t completely honest. “You need me in your bed?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She noted that the assistant director and the director were whispering in the corner. Not good, she thought. Turning away, knowing she’d have to deal with whatever machinations they were planning, she turned back on Talal. “Do you need me outside of your bed?”

  His soft laugh was both arousing and depressing. The sound brought back so many memories. Talal was an incredible lover and had enjoyed teaching her all about lovemaking. He’d made that sound whenever he’d taught her something new, something she was embarrassed to enjoy even as she’d been unable to hide her enjoyment. It was a special sound, different from his regular laugh. She remembered thinking that he didn’t laugh enough. The first time she’d heard it, it had come across as rough, raw, like he hadn’t had a reason to laugh enough in his life.

  “I need a wife, Kate,” he murmured and reached out to her.

  Backing up quickly, Kate avoided his touch. She was still trembling to his kiss! “Don’t!” she gasped, worried about her reaction to him a second time. She only had a limited amount of willpower and their first confrontation had drained a good portion of it already.