He snidely turned to glare down at her. “You can make it to the airport if you hurry. A car should be waiting for you downstairs.” After slamming her, and making sure that other associates overheard his derision, he continued on his way, ignoring the sputtering woman who was trying to figure things out. He definitely wasn’t going to help her. She could figure things out for herself, since she was so damn smart!
Cassy stared after him for a long moment, still not sure what was going on. Refusing to back down, she followed Darren into his office. “Darren, I don’t even have clothes packed. What’s this all about?”
Darren picked up several case files and his jacket, then looked at her with exasperation and impatience. “Look, Cassy. You’re needed in Zurich. Your assistant has all the details. I would be going myself,” he lied and added a bit more bite to his tone, “but I have court in fifteen minutes. So get your ass downstairs and get to the airport. If you have any questions, ask your damn assistant.”
And with that, he walked out the door, leaving Cassy to stare after him with her mouth hanging open. Zurich? A palace? Cassy thought the Queen of England was the only one that owned palaces. But what did she know? She was just a bourgeois lawyer trying to figure out which end was up.
As she left Darren’s office, her assistant, Melanie, rushed up to her. “Finally! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” She shoved a piece of paper in her hand. “I just got an e-mail about something that’s going on in Zurich. Here’s the address where you’ll be staying and the information on your flight.” She handed Cassy a file folder. “Here’s the information on the property. No transfer of funds, it is a gift, but the legal international issues need to be reviewed before the transfer can take place.”
Melanie handed Cassy her coat and her black tote bag. “I’ve rescheduled your meetings so your schedule is clear. I’ll send you more information as soon as I can. But you have to hurry. There’s a car downstairs waiting to take you to the airport. The driver’s name is Tom and he’s going to get you out to the airport on time.”
“But what about my passport?”
Melanie tugged the black bag hanging over Cassy’s shoulder and dropped something inside. “In your bag.”
“And clothes?” she asked, still confused.
“A corporate credit card is in there as well.”
Cassy peeked into her bag while hurrying down the hallway. She’d never seen her passport, never had a need for it before although the law firm required all of its lawyers to have one ready. Obviously for emergencies like this. And a corporate credit card? Weren’t those used for things like office supplies? Surely she wasn’t being given permission to buy clothes and toiletries on a corporate account!
Melanie pressed the button on the elevator while Cassy opened the file explaining the details and pictures of the house…er…palace. She could see why it was considered a palace! The house was incredible! Twelve thousand square feet, indoor pool, ten bedrooms…the list went on and on. “This is gorgeous!” she breathed, flipping through the pictures included in the file.
Melanie sighed. “Tell me about it. My little seven hundred square foot apartment could fit into one of those bathrooms.”
Tom drove through the heavy afternoon traffic, heading west out of the city. Heading west on any highway at the end of the day was asking for a several-hour nightmare. Commuters were jockeying for position, cutting people off, drivers enduring complete stops for several minutes then some magical break occurred in the traffic which allowed everyone to go from a complete standstill to a wondrous five miles per hour, only to come to a standstill again, a half mile later.
Tom seemed to have a secret, mysterious way of getting around traffic. Of course, he avoided all the major highways, using back roads that Cassy had never even heard of before. He drove through neighborhoods with huge houses right next to small homes, then through commercial areas and more residential areas. Thirty five minutes after she stepped into the car, he turned onto the access road that would take them right up to the airport.
Cassy checked the time, shoulders tense as she watched the seconds tick by. “I’m still going to miss the flight, aren’t I?” she asked, sitting on the edge of her seat and glancing through the windows, wondering how he got around the cars so fluidly.
“It won’t leave without you,” Tom assured her.
Cassy wondered how he could possibly know that as he drove past the main terminal and through a guarded gate. “What are you doing?” she asked. “Where are we going?”
Tom drove up to a large, private plane. “Why are we stopping here?” she asked, her nervousness increasing.
“This is your flight, ma’am,” he explained with a quick glance in his rear-view mirror. As soon as he came to a stop, Tom jumped out of the car and held the back door open for her.
“I’ll take her luggage,” someone called, hurrying up to the town car.
Cassy stepped out and looked around, hoping that she didn’t look like a bumpkin as she stared at the huge plane with a rolling staircase pushed up to the open door. A private plane? A flight to Zurich on a private plane? Was she dreaming? Cassy actually pinched herself, sure that she wasn’t awake.
“Ma’am, do you have any luggage?” a worker in a navy uniform asked politely when she continued to stare at the private plane.
Someone touched her arm and she jumped. “Excuse me?” she asked of the man standing beside her.
“Do you have any luggage? The back of your vehicle was empty.”
Luggage? Did she have luggage? The question pinged around her numb brain for several moments as she tried to process the question. Luggage. Clothes. Stuff she would need!
“No. No luggage,” she explained. “I only learned that I was flying to Zurich less than an hour ago.” She tried to pull herself together, shake herself out of her shock. “I believe this is just a quick trip.” She missed the confusion on the worker’s face as she headed for the stairs. Even as she climbed, Cassy looked around, a surreal sensation surrounding her.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Flemming,” a flight attendant greeted Cassy as she stepped aboard. “We’re ready for takeoff whenever you are.”
Cassy nodded and sat down on one of the luxurious seats, feeling silly and self-conscious. When the flight attendant started to shut the plane door, Cassy sat up a bit, not sure what was going on. “Isn’t anyone else taking this flight?” She’d never been on a private plane before so all of this was all new to her.
The flight attendant smiled and shook her head, carefully locking the door. “No ma’am. You are our only passenger.” The pilot nodded briefly to Cassy after coming out of what was most likely the galley area and then settled into his seat, closing the cockpit door. The next thing she knew, the plane was speeding down the runway.
As soon as they were airborne, she tried to relax into the large, comfortable chair.
As much as she wanted to savor the unanticipated luxury of the flight, less than an hour into it, Cassy fell sound asleep. She hadn’t been sleeping well so it was difficult to keep her eyes open as the airplane swept smoothly over Europe.
By the time the flight attendant gently woke her, the plane was preparing to land and it was close to twilight, Zurich time. Unfortunately, Cassy had only gotten about six hours of sleep over the past three days and she could barely keep her eyes open, even as the plane taxied to a stop. She vaguely remembered walking down the stairs of the plane and stepping into the back seat of another waiting town car, but she’d fallen back asleep snuggled into the soft leather seat.
Chapter 3
The softness of the bed called to her, tempting her to simply bury her face in the extremely soft pillow and ignore the world. She didn’t want to wake up because she was warm, cozy, and felt better than she had in a long, long time. Cassy didn’t want to let go of that feeling. So instead, she snuggled deeper into the blankets.
A knock on the door startled her and she automatically called out, “Come in!”
Sighing, she rolled over in the bed and…wait. Where was she?
Deep, husky laughter startled her awake. “You’re not fully awake yet, are you?”
Her eyes popped open and she looked around, noticing for the first time that this wasn’t her lumpy, ugly bed. The mattress was too soft and the pillows too wonderful. Also, there was no way she’d be able to afford sheets and a comforter of this quality.
Cassy’s gaze landed on the man standing beside the bed. “What are you doing here?” she whispered, feeling disoriented, confused, and bedraggled next to his sophistication. And she wanted a toothbrush! Good grief, why was he in her hotel room?
“You invited me in?” he prompted, a teasing look in his dark, sexy eyes.
She sat up and looked around. This didn’t look like any hotel room she’d ever stayed in, she thought, taking in the beautiful décor, the expensive furniture, and the gorgeous windows. And yellow? She wouldn’t have thought that a hotel would decorate a room in yellow. That seemed very odd. Normally, hotels decorated in more neutral colors. Didn’t they?
“What’s going on?” She realized she was practically naked. She was still wearing her underwear and bra, but nothing else. Then she remembered being led up into this room by a smiling woman who had asked if she needed anything. Cassy had assured the woman, whoever she was, that she was fine. As soon as she’d been alone, Cassy had simply pulled off her clothes and gotten into bed, falling instantly into a dreamless sleep.
Nasir’s dark eyes watched her as he leaned a muscular shoulder against the wall. When he spoke, she could tell that he was trying hard not to laugh. “You arrived at my home last night. My housekeeper told me this morning that you were beyond exhausted last night.”
“Yes, but…” she pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Why am I here?”
He laughed softly. “I need your legal expertise. You’re here to help me transfer my house as a gift to Mikal.”
She blinked, her hand clutching the sheet to her chest. His presence, those bulging biceps in his arms and his long legs…they weren’t helping her thinking process. “Who is Mikal?”
Nasir stepped closer, seeing small glimpses of her plain, cotton underthings and the idea that this beautiful woman wore only serviceable items seemed…well, that was an issue for later, he told himself.
Obviously, she’d been working too hard, pushing herself to exhaustion. Otherwise, she never would have taken her clothes off last night and simply dumped them beside the bed.
As she shifted on the bed, his eyes noticed something horrific. The woman wore a sports bra! It was such a crime to contain those beautiful breasts in a sports bra. As a man, he was offended. As her future lover, he was determined. A sports bra? Underneath a business suit? That could not be allowed. She should be draped in beautiful things, lacy intimates, as well as silks and satins.
And yet, Nasir couldn’t seem to pull his fascinated gaze away from her delectable body. He wouldn’t touch her at the moment, but she was delectably tempting with her cheeks still rosy from sleep. But Nasir preferred his lovers awake and participative versus barely conscious.
Still, he wasn’t blind! And the image of those serviceable, practical underthings just…he was offended on her behalf.
“Why do you wear a sports bra under your suits?” he asked, reaching out to push a lock of dark hair out of her eyes. She looked soft, warm, and incredibly inviting just now. It was taking all of his control to not pull that sheet back and make love to her. The spark that he’d noticed in the meeting had only grown stronger, but instead of fanning the flames of that spark, Nasir resisted, wanting…more. He wanted to…understand her. Which was completely out of character for him. Usually, he preferred his mistresses uncomplicated. So what was the allure Cassandra held for him?
Cassy bit her lower lip, trying to remain sophisticated but feeling completely inadequate. Tucking her legs up underneath her, even though the fluffy comforter was still covering her, she looked around. “Um…where are my clothes?”
“My housekeeper picked them up earlier this morning when she tried to wake you up.” He moved over to the wall where apparently a coffee service had been rolled in. “Cream, no sugar, right?” he asked, looking at her over his shoulder.
Cassy pushed her hair out of her eyes, hoping to look presentable but she suspected that she had mascara smudges under her eyes, no doubt her lipstick was completely gone, and her hair probably resembled a rat’s nest at this point. Traveling was not kind to one’s appearance, even in a private plane.
That’s when her eyes and brain surged into action, registering the delicate china cup in his hands. Coffee! Goodness, the moment she realized it was here, the fabulous scent hit her and she nodded eagerly. “Yes. Thank you.” Why was she being so polite? Shouldn’t she be screaming and demanding answers? And dressing?!
She felt completely off kilter and he was acting as if everything going on, including her being almost naked, were completely normal events in the course of his day. “Um…where did she take them?”
Why did his lack of concern for her near-naked state irritate her? He was almost blasé about her lack of clothing. She shouldn’t care that this man was used to naked women lounging around. It shouldn’t bother her because it was none of her business. He was a business client. Nothing else.
Okay, so her gaze roamed up and down his legs…uh, okay, honestly…she was looking at his tight butt. She shouldn’t be looking at a client’s butt. She shouldn’t even be thinking about a client’s butt, much less admiring said client’s butt while telling herself that he had a nice butt. Nope, butt admiration was not part of her law firm’s services!
When he turned around, one dark eyebrow went up and she knew it was because her cheeks were turning red. Cassy tried to play it off, pretend she was sophisticated and all of this…craziness…was totally normal. But it was hard because…well, he was gorgeous and scary and terrifying and had muscles that she’d like to…!
Nope! Client, she reminded herself firmly. And a client who was in her bedroom and…! Not good! Cassy should not be thinking of stripping Nasir naked! Clients and clothes-taking-off were a bad combination, one that could potentially get her fired, even if the idea sent a delicious shiver through her.
He brought a cup of coffee to her and Cassy carefully accepted it, holding the sheet in front of her with her other hand.
“Your business suit was sent to the dry cleaners. And I’ll probably have a tailor fix it. The cut and style are completely wrong for you.”
Cassy had just taken a sip of her coffee but his words made her choke.
He waited patiently until she’d gotten her breath back. “Wrong cut?” She frowned up at him for a moment, not really understanding. Her suit was a good suit! She’d gotten it on sale at one of the better department stores, so she knew there wasn’t anything wrong with it. Still, she couldn’t stop the question, “What do you mean?”
He sat down in a chair beside the bed, his own cup of coffee in his hands. “Which statement confused you?”
Cassy stared down at the comforter, not sure which question needed an answer more quickly. “I guess I’d like to know why you took my clothes to the dry cleaners without permission. I wasn’t told about this trip until literally the last minute, so I wasn’t given time to head home and pack.” she explained. Then looked up at him, pleading for understanding. “I don’t have anything else to wear!”
Instead of reacting to her indignant answer, his eyes heated up. Previously, his gaze had focused on her face but with her question, his eyes traveled downward, noticing the curves under the covers. “I think I’m in a better position than I thought earlier today.”
Oh goodness, his voice had become deeper. Sexier! Cassy felt her toes curl with excitement!
“Because I don’t have any clothes?” she asked, stunned, furious, and trying to ignore that anticipation curling inside of her.
“Exactly.” When his eyes moved back to hers, she stopped breathing for a moment.
> Clearing her throat and pushing those delicious thoughts away, Cassy reminded herself that she was his lawyer. “This isn’t appropriate at all, Your Highness.”
That irritating amusement was back in his dark, enigmatic eyes. “Since I am going to make love to you by the end of the day, perhaps it would be more appropriate for you to call me Nasir.”
For a long moment, she stared up at him, her mind filled with images of his big hands against her skin, his mouth kissing hers, and all sorts of erotic, wonderful and…Cassy sputtered, shocked both by her imagination as well his arrogance. “I’m not…!” She tried to finish the sentence but it was lost with the horror, and secret excitement, of what he was suggesting. “We’re not…”
“I assure you, we are.”
Unfortunately, a different pair of eyes popped into her mind. Eyes that weren’t promising heaven – but had thrown her into a daily hell. A hell she hadn’t thought about in a long time. The memory caused her to shrink, cringing with long-dormant pain.
Those memories were exactly what she needed to get her mind back on track.
With a defiant lift of her chin, Cassy shook her head adamantly. “You don’t understand. Both scenarios are impossible.” She shifted on the bed, setting the coffee cup on the table beside her, trying to appear professional, but that was difficult to pull off when she was nearly naked. “Now, if you would just give me back my clothes, I’ll do the work you hired my firm to do, and will be out of your way.”
Nasir waited until she’d set her coffee cup back down before he touched her. With a gentleness that was startling in such a large man, he loomed over her, his hands moving softly over her face before sliding down her arm to send tingles of pleasure through her body. The sensation was so startling, she shifted uncomfortably on the bed.
But she didn’t try to get away from his touch. In fact, her arms shifted slightly, inadvertently asking for more. It was so staggering, the way this simple touch made her feel, that she looked down at his hand, then back up to his eyes. All memories of that malicious memory of so long ago vanished from her mind as his fingers tenderly stroked her skin, sending shivers of fire down her spine.
Unexpectedly Expecting the Sheik's Baby (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 6) Page 4