Chapter 7
“You are not what, Ms. Downing?”
Amir knew the question she had been asked, because he had heard it as he had entered his ailing father’s sitting room. Neither of them had heard him enter, and the little one was engrossed in coloring something so she missed seeing him as well. He could only imagine how uncomfortable Alexandra must be feeling at such a personal question. And given how they had parted the night before, he knew she would want to distance herself from him for fear of offending his parent.
“Not looking for a man, Your Highness,” she answered, avoiding his gaze.
And before either he or his father could react, she pushed the trolley ahead of her to the door, excusing herself to return it to the kitchen. He let her run away; he knew where she spent all her time, and he would find her when she was free.
“Father, why were you interrogating Ms. Downing?” he asked, sitting across the table from his sire.
“She works for me…” he began, but Amir cut him off.
“Actually, she works for me. But go on.”
“Something tells me she has something she hasn’t told us. Something important. We cannot afford to be lax in our security, Amir.”
“Do you feel threatened by her, Father?” he inquired. “Is she not working to your satisfaction?”
He deplored his father interference, but he didn’t want him to be concerned about the person who had the most intimate and lengthy contact with him. Much as it would pain him to do so, he would release Alexandra and send her back to the States if his father was in any way unhappy with her.
“She is calm and efficient,” the old man said grudgingly.
“Then I would like it if you could let her do her job and not frighten her away with your prodding,” Amir declared. “What could she possibly have to hide that you would care about, anyway?”
“I will never again be caught unprepared, my son,” his father said, and Amir knew at once that he was thinking of the attempts on his son’s life.
“Father, nothing will happen to me, and no one will penetrate our borders. We are safe now. I do not wish for you to worry about our nation’s security, or about mine.”
His father looked him in the eye, and for the first time, Amir saw the emotion he always kept hidden. There was real worry in his eyes.
“You are as yet unmarried, my son,” he said, “and you have no one to call your own. When I pass on, I want to know that you will be well cared for.”
Suddenly, Amir realized where his father’s interrogation had been headed. While it pleased him that his sire was thinking along the same lines as he was, he did not wish the king to interfere in what was to happen between him and Alexandra. This match, like his father’s, would be a love match. He knew that his parents had an arranged marriage to join their two dynasties, but he also knew that they had grown to love each other passionately and completely. He knew his father had adored his mother, and had been lost when she died.
“I will find the one I seek, Father,” he said, not yet willing to share his plans with the older man. “I must go, but I will return this evening to see you.”
He brushed a kiss against the old man’s forehead, and felt his hand squeezed in return. He knew that it had become harder and harder for his father to accept that he was losing ground daily. Now, they no longer spoke openly of it, but Amir had felt his sire drawing closer to him the nearer he got to dying, and it broke his heart. He let none of that emotion show as he walked away, and when he swung the doors open, Alexandra stood there.
“Please forgive my father,” he said. “He worries about me.”
Her brow furrowed, and he longed to reach out and smooth it, but he resisted, saying instead, “I will see you later,” and walking away.
As he expected, one of the first calls that he had to return was to Sheikh Ahmed Mohammed, and the conversation was long and frustrating. Amir knew the older man had no reason for his anger aside from greed, as no agreement had been made between his parents and Amina’s regarding their marriage. As he hung up, he heaved a sigh of relief that his parents had had the foresight to refuse to follow that tradition. He couldn’t imagine marrying Amina now, even had he been so inclined, with Alexandra to show him what real beauty of heart and body were.
Malik brought in the latest agreements that he needed to review before signing, and then he announced that he was going to fetch Simone for her trip to school.
“Finish setting up the afternoon conference calls,” he told him. “I’ll get her.”
He ignored Malik’s knowing smirk, aware that he needed no excuse to do as he pleased in his own house. He saw Alexandra holding her daughter’s hand as they exited the sitting room, and he waited until she saw him before speaking.
“I have come to escort you to the car,” he said simply, and took the little girl’s other hand.
It was soft and warm and so small in his big fist. He felt floored by it, and by the idea that maybe, if he played his cards right, he would one day hold his own child’s hand, a child that Alexandra would bear him. A deep longing to hold her overcame him, and he turned to look at her, taking in her signature ponytail, black scrubs, and unsmiling face. She refused to acknowledge his presence, and after that awkward conversation with his father earlier, he was not surprised. But he had no intention of being ignored by her.
“Will you be accompanying Simone today?” he asked.
Before she could reply, the little girl piped up. “Mommy says I’m a big girl.”
He smiled. “Yes you are, little one.”
He squeezed her hand gently to reassure her of his pride in her for being so brave when it must be quite stressful for her as well as for her mother to be in a strange new land.
“Your father will sleep for about an hour, so I have time to go with her, Your Highness,” Alex said, answering his question. “But if you need me to remain here, Simone can travel alone.”
She spoke stiffly, and he wondered if she were feeling anger or fear. Either would be understandable.
“I would like you to come and see me in my office before you return to my father,” he replied.
“Very well, Your Highness.”
Still she refused to look at him, and before they stepped into the heat of noontime, he paused, letting go of Simone’s hand so he could lean in and say, for her ears only,
“I will not let you retreat, habibti.”
Then he crouched beside the child and said, “I hope you have a happy day at school, little one.”
The child smiled and nodded, and he rose, and watched them get into the limousine. He went back to his office, where Malik had set up the first afternoon conference call. He walked in as they came online, and in the midst of the discussion, he remembered having told Alexandra to come and see him. A knock on the door told him she had arrived. He excused himself for a moment from the conversation and walked to the door which Malik had open before he could get to it. He stepped out to meet her, and closed the door behind him. Taking her elbow, he walked her across the hall to the small empty conference room and gestured for her to enter. When she did, he closed the door behind him and stood with his back to it.
“I am sorry that we cannot speak now, but I am in the middle of a meeting. However, I did want to see you before you went back to work, to tell you that you will be relieved for dinner, which you will share with me, in my suite.”
“Your Highness…” she began, but he interrupted her.
“Please do not wear your scrubs to dinner,” he added, a smile ghosting over his lips, though his tone remained serious. “And do not bring Simone. Malik will be with her until you return.”
“But…” He could see she was struggling to object, to find a reason to refuse.
“My father can be…abrupt,” he commented, “but his reason for this morning’s drilling matches mine for the dinner invitation.”
Alexandra’s eyes widened, as though she couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“Are you saying that your father has an interest in your desire to get to know me better?” Her tone was as disbelieving as her stare, and Amir chuckled.
“We can discuss all your questions at dinner,” he said. “Wear something pretty.”
Moving suddenly, he pulled her to him, and leaned in to her ear. “When I want something, I pursue it relentlessly until I get it,” he whispered. “And I want you, Alexandra.”
Then he kissed her cheeks tenderly, knowing if he touched her mouth he would miss the rest of his meeting.
“See you at dinner time,” he said, and escorted her out, watching her walk away with a tightness in his chest.
It took him a few moments to gather his thoughts, and then he returned to the meeting, made his excuses and concluded the discussion. Before the next scheduled call, he gave Malik instructions regarding his dinner plans, and sent him off to see to them. Then he worked steadily for the rest of the afternoon, and an hour before dinner, he was striding back to his suite in the opposite wing. He wondered, as he showered and changed, what Alexandra would wear for their first private dinner engagement. He hoped she would wear a dress…he wanted to see those legs of hers uncovered by a uniform or jeans. A discreet knock heralded Malik’s arrival, escorting Alexandra and holding Simone’s hand.
“Say good evening to Prince Amir, Simone,” her mother enjoined her, avoiding his gaze as he took in her simple, white calf-length summer dress and high-heeled thongs.
Simone did not avoid his gaze, but looked him square in the eyes and asked, “Are you a prince?”
Amir smiled. “I am, little one. And you are a little princess.”
She returned his smile, and continued her questions. “Do you have a crown?”
“Not with me, no,” he answered, grinning now.
He crouched beside her and said, “I have another kind of headdress, though, that you might like. I’ll show it to you another day.”
“Promise?” she asked solemnly.
“I promise,” he replied, and gave in to the urge to hug her.
His arms were gentle around her, and when she hugged his neck, he breathed deeply, inhaling her sweet baby scent. Standing with her in his arms, he was rewarded with a squeal of delight before he put her down again.
“Enjoy your dinner with Mr. Faisal,” he said, smiling as she took his assistant’s hand again.
“Is he your friend?” she wanted to know, and Amir looked over at the man who had been more than friend to him.
“Yes, he is, little one,” he told her.
Malik bent and whispered in her ear, and she giggled and said “Okay,” before turning to her mother.
“Mommy, can I go see the horseys with Mr. Fice after dinner?”
Malik hastened to explain. “I promised her I would let her visit the stables if she would come with me now. I think our prince would like his dinner.”
This last comment was made with a sly twinkle in his eye as he glanced at Amir, though the words were addressed to Alexandra.
“Thank you, Malik. Will it be okay for him to take her after she has eaten? She will be perfectly safe. Malik will protect her.” Amir turned his eyes to the woman who had yet to speak to him, and waited.
“Of course, Your Highness,” she said quietly, and they both watched Malik lead the little girl out of the room.
“Please, come with me,” he said, and led her out to the glassed-in balcony where he often had his meals.
She followed him silently, and sat where he indicated, and Amir felt her resistance beating against him. She was very aware of her place in his household, and he wanted her to forget it, and to think only of him and what he wanted to explore with her.
“Alexandra,” he began when she was seated, “look at me.”
His tone was commanding, leaving her no room to disobey, and when she did, he continued.
“I know that you feel the spark that has ignited between us. I want you to tell me your concerns. Tell me why you are not doing as so many of your countrywomen would already have done, had they been in your place, and shared what we have done. Why do you still resist?”
He saw a flame light in her eyes and his body hardened. He had no idea what he had said to upset her, but he waited eagerly for her response. Anything to break the ice she had encased herself in was more than welcome. He could turn her fury into a different kind of heat.
“How am I to answer the man who has just insulted all the women in my country? And how do I answer without fear of losing my job?”
Her cheeks were suffused with angry color, and Amir found himself fighting to stay on his side of the table which had been laid for two. Her full lips were trembling slightly, and he wanted to taste them again, and to slip his tongue between them to taste hers.
“I need you to care for my father, Alexandra. I will not lightly discharge you. You may speak freely,” he reassured her.
Her response was immediate. “It is inappropriate for employees to interact with their employers in any other than a professional capacity,” she said primly, almost as though she were reciting from a manual for employee conduct. She looked him in the eye for a second, then looked away and added, “Any contact of a personal or sexual nature may be construed as harassment when initiated by either party.”
He chuckled, and she glared at him. “Is that part of the manual for the nursing home in which you worked before coming here, Alexandra? Because you should know, I don’t care for rules that make little sense out of context.” He sighed. “What do you feel, Alexandra, when you are with me, whether we are alone, as now, or in company?”
She hesitated, and then forged ahead. “Confused,” she admitted.
“Is that all, habibti?”
She shook her head, and Amir had mercy on her. He stood up, and was about to pull her out of her seat when a discreet knock heralded the arrival of dinner. Swearing silently, he moved to accommodate the servers who came in at his command, and set the food on chafing dishes on the sideboard. He dismissed them when they hovered to serve him.
“I will call for you when we are through,” he told them, and waited until the door was closed again behind them before going to pull her out of her chair.
“Do you regret the kiss we shared, Alexandra?” he asked. “I do not. I enjoyed it. And I want to do it again and again with you.”
He could tell that he had caught her off balance with his candor, and he watched as her eyes heated with arousal and embarrassment.
“Don’t be shy with me, habibti,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms. “Tell me if you regret our kiss.”
He tilted her chin so she was forced to look him in the eye, and when she whispered “No”, he pressed his lips to hers softly, not asking for more. It was an affirmation of their shared attraction, and a promise of more and better kisses.
“Come, let us eat while the food is hot,” he said. “There will be time enough for talking after dinner.”
He settled her into her seat again, and when she said, “Thank you, Your Highness,” he bent and kissed the lobe of her ear, whispering,
“Call me Amir when we are alone with each other, habibti.”
He loved the pretty blush that spread across her cheeks as he sat across from her and asked what she would like to try. He had never felt more anticipation surging in his blood than now, as he forced himself to chew and swallow. He knew he could have the woman sitting across from him, if he would just be patient.