For several seconds, Patrick seemed to sputter like a fish out of water. Then, abruptly, he shoved his chair back from the table and stood.

“Just who do you think you are?” he demanded.

“Mr.—” Masoud tried to interject.

“You may be royalty in this country, buddy, but in America, we don’t put up with that kind of thing. Hard work is what gets us where we go in life, not some entitlement by birthright.”

This was going south in a hurry. Not only was Patrick insulting the very man he hoped to strike a deal with, he was also revealing his ignorance of Khan Capital’s company history. Eloise knew from her research that Masoud, and his father before him, had grown the business through years of hard work, but Patrick was behaving as though it had been gifted to them by their royal connections.

“I am familiar with the traditions of your country,” Masoud said. His tone had chilled considerably. “May I suggest that you acquaint yourself with mine?”

“And why should I do that?”

“If you wish to do business with me, and with Khan Capital—”

“You should be considering yourself lucky I want to work with you,” Patrick snapped. “Do you think I fly out to meet with every potential investor? Most people have to come to me, son.”

Eloise cringed.

Masoud looked irritated. “I am not your son, sir.”

“And thank God for that! If any son of mine behaved the way you are to a guest of his, I’d give him a piece of my mind. You should really learn some respect for your elders.”

“Respect must be earned,” Masoud said calmly.

“Yeah, well, so is the freedom to do what I want without being hassled by some kid with an attitude.” Patrick pointed a finger in Masoud’s face. “You don’t tell me how to conduct my business. I’ve been the head of this company since you were in diapers. And you don’t tell me how to conduct my personal life, either. After all my years of hard work, I’d say I’ve earned the right to do what I want, and no self-important boy-king is going to tell me different. Understand?”

Masoud straightened his papers. “Oh, yes. In that case, I think we’re done here.”

Patrick gaped. Eloise knew exactly what was going through his mind. He was unused to hearing the word no, and she was fairly certain he’d been bluffing, trying to show Masoud that he wouldn’t cave to demands. He hadn’t been prepared for Masoud’s resolve.

Now, the younger man was getting to his feet, and it was clear that this was no bluff—he was finished with the meeting. They had, in the end, flown halfway around the world for nothing.

Masoud extended his hand to Patrick. “It was nice to meet you,” he said, though Eloise suspected he didn’t mean it.

Patrick scoffed and turned away, gathering his things in his arms. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers about the cost of that plane ticket,” he said. “This could have been handled easily over the phone.”

“If that is your wish.”

Patrick made an outraged sound. Eloise knew he had no intention of pursuing this issue with lawyers; he’d been thoroughly embarrassed here, and he’d be ready to let the whole thing drop the moment they returned home. But it must have chafed at him that Masoud seemed so unfazed by everything he did. Patrick was not accustomed to feeling inconsequential.

Having collected his laptop and folders, Patrick stormed toward the door. Eloise scrambled to get out of his way, but the chair she had been sitting in was still behind her and she wasn’t able to move fast enough. He clipped her with one shoulder as he moved past her, and sent Eloise tripping backward.

She stumbled against the base of the chair and it rolled out from under her, sending her sprawling. Patrick didn’t even look back.

“Oh my goodness.” Masoud dropped to his knees beside her. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Her hands went to her skirt, ensuring that it hadn’t ridden up during her fall. Much to her relief, she was still covered. She accepted Masoud’s hand and he pulled her up to sit upright.

“Take a minute,” he said, his arm finding its way behind her back, supporting her. “You went down rather hard.”

“I really am okay.”

But she was in no hurry to extricate herself from his arms. Up close, it was even more apparent how attractive he was. Concern shone from his warm brown eyes, and his hand rubbed slow circles on her back. Eloise barely registered as the members of the board awkwardly excused themselves on their way out the door.

“Does that happen often?” Masoud asked.

“Does what happen?”

“Him pushing you like that?”

“Oh. No. It wasn’t like that. He didn’t…push me. It was an accident.”

“And that excuses it? Such accidents are not acceptable. If a man is conducting himself in such a way that it causes women to fall to the floor, deliberately or not, his behavior is a problem.”

“I don’t…I don’t want you to withhold your business because I fell down.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Masoud said, his kind face suddenly hardening. “I made that decision before he rose from his chair. And I’m sorry to say it, because I know MAFA is your company as well. I hope my decision has no ill effect on your livelihood.”

“No,” Eloise reassured him. “It won’t really affect me. Except that Patrick will be mad for a while.”

“Are you okay to stand?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He was making a bigger deal of this than it was, but she found she liked it a little bit. She was so accustomed to the way Patrick treated her, as if she didn’t matter and was only there to serve him, that it was nice to have someone worry so much about her well-being.

Masoud helped her to her feet and then eased her into a chair. He pulled out the neighboring chair and sat beside her.

“You know,” he said, tracing his fingertips in absent circles on the boardroom table. “I’ve met several men like Mr. Gainsborough in my time at Khan Capital.”

“I’ve met plenty of them myself,” Eloise said. The finance industry seemed top-heavy with self-important blowhards like Patrick, many of whom were rumored to be engaged in similar playboy antics, all of whom were likely to storm out of a meeting that wasn’t going their way. The surprise today, she thought, hadn’t been Patrick’s behavior. It had been Masoud’s. She was unused to seeing a man in a meeting who conducted himself with such decency.

“That was why it was important for me to meet him in person,” Masoud said. “I didn’t want to write him off based on the things I’d heard and the similar people I’ve met. This was really about giving him a chance.”

“I don’t think he’s actually going to sue you,” Eloise said. “That was just talk.”

“I’m not concerned about that. I just want you to know that I didn’t set out to manipulate your associate. Lots of men come around when confronted with their past behavior and agree to live a virtuous life. I sincerely hoped he would be one of them.” Masoud sighed. “I suppose I still do. It would be mutually beneficial for our companies to work together.”

“It would,” Eloise agreed. “Are you sure we can’t?”

Wouldn’t it be something if she was able to close this deal on her own, without the help of Patrick or his presentation? Wouldn’t it be satisfying to come back to the hotel tonight, knock on Patrick’s door, and announce that the Khan Capital deal had been finalized?

But Masoud was shaking his head. “Not without the morality clause, I’m afraid. I can’t make an exception. Your boss is a liability, and associating with him has the potential to be extremely bad for business. Until I know I can count on him to not attract bad press, he’s not someone I can enter into business with.”

Eloise sighed. “I get it.”

“It was lovely to meet you, though.” He rested a hand over hers, and her skin tingled where they touched. “I must say, I’m glad you made the trip, even if nothing else comes of it.”

“I am, too,” Eloise said, and found she meant it.

She was reluctant to get to her feet—Masoud was surprisingly nice to talk to, and the spark between them was undeniable. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have asked a man for his number at this stage, but what was the point? Masoud was a member of the royal family, and he lived on the opposite side of the world from her. It wasn’t as if anything long-term could happen.

So, she summoned her willpower and stood.

“Thank you. It was so nice to meet you.”

Then, she stepped out into the lobby and discovered that Patrick had taken the car and left without her.