Darian signaled for the waiter, and the man arrived promptly. Reaching into his pocket, the Sheikh placed a thick pile of cash into the man’s hand.

“Keep the change,” he said, smooth as silk.

The waiter’s eyes were nearly popping out of his head as he stumbled over words of gratitude. Darian held up a hand.

“Really, it’s no trouble. Thank you for providing such excellent service for my friend and me here. Do enjoy your day.”

The man thanked Darian one last time before scurrying back toward the kitchen. Whether he would tell his tale or keep it to himself, Rachelle would never know, because in that moment, she glanced back from the retreating waiter to see Darian’s hand stretched out towards her in invitation.

“What do you say? Spend an afternoon getting the insider’s tour of Tara. Come experience the world, before you bury your head behind a screen again.”

Rachelle’s eyes darted to Darian’s hand, then back to his steady gaze. He was issuing a challenge and an invitation in one fell swoop, and her heart fluttered at the thought of spending a fun afternoon with such a handsome, intriguing man. In all her life, Rachelle had never met anyone like him.

Perhaps that was one of the many benefits of international travel.

Sliding her cool hand into his, he squeezed her palm as he grinned mischievously. He helped her from her seat, not releasing her hand as they made their way back out onto the hot streets of the city.

“Chicago can get pretty warm, but this place takes the cake,” Rachelle said, stripping off her blazer and rolling up her blue sleeves.

Darian did the same, and Rachelle couldn’t help but notice two things: the vacancy she felt when he released her hand, and the way his forearm muscles flexed when he rolled up his own crisp, white sleeves. Rachelle cleared her throat, though it did nothing to clear her thoughts.

“So, where to first, tour guide?”

Darian considered, looking up and down the streets a few times.

“I suppose the first thing we should do is get the view of the whole city, from above.”

Rachelle gulped.

“Heights. Great.”

Darian grinned.

“You’re afraid? And here I thought you were so very tough.”

Rachelle laughed.

“Who said I wasn’t? Let’s see what you’ve got, Sheikh.”

Darian picked a direction and began walking, Rachelle falling in stride next to him. All around them, people were leisurely walking, chatting, and smiling.

“This feels strange for some reason,” Rachelle observed.

Darian quirked an eyebrow as he glanced down at her.

“How so?”

Looking around them again, Rachelle tried to pinpoint it.

“No one is in a rush. In American cities, we are always elbowing past one another in a hurry to get to the next place, accomplish the next thing. Here everyone just seems so…relaxed.”

Darian nodded.

“That is the way of my people. We take our time. We work hard, of course, but if someone is thirty minutes late to a meeting, it’s not the biggest deal. They likely had something important they were dealing with.”

Rachelle scoffed.

“If someone did that at my company, they’d be fired. If you’re early you’re on time, if you’re on time you’re late, and if you’re late, you might as well just call in sick to save your job. Even then, you might not be able to.”

“That sounds stressful.”

Rachelle looked up at him. The man towered above everyone around them, yet somehow still managed to blend in with the crowd. No one seemed to notice as he passed by, or at least, they were pretending very well not to.

Then again, with Darian’s lack of integration in the area, there was a chance they had never seen him before. Rachelle made a mental note to research the man later and see what she could find. Was he someone who made the tabloids here, or was he really only well known to people like her, in their industry?

“I suppose it is,” she hedged, carrying on the conversation as she tried not to stare at his perfectly angular jaw.

A whiff of his cologne travelled into her nostrils on the breeze, and her skin tingled at the scent of it. There was something so masculine about him, so alluring. Rachelle found herself completely uncaring that he was likely a man she would never see again. For once in her life, she opted to live in the moment, even if it meant she would pay for it later. To feel the way she felt, something she had never experienced in her life, somehow seemed worth it.

They walked past a vendor, and Darian stopped, ordering them two cold drinks with what looked like tapioca drops at the bottom.

“Are those bubble teas?” Rachelle asked as he handed her one.

The fluid inside was a creamy brown, almost the color of iced coffee.

“They are not. This is a Zaradi specialty. The balls inside are actually created from one of our local fruits, which has a bit of a citrus flavor. It is wonderfully refreshing. Please, try it.”

Rachelle eyed the drink warily for a moment. For something that looked like a combination of coffee and tea to taste like citrus sounded a bit wacky, but as she took her first sip, she bit into one of the fruits, and an explosion of cool, crisp flavor enveloped her senses.

“Wow!” she said, taking another sip. “That’s so cool!”

Darian chuckled, taking his own sip as they strolled on.

“And to think, you would have never known such a specialty had you stayed in the conference center.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I need to let loose a little. You happen to be suited up yourself, you know.”

Darian laughed, and it was a rich sound. It danced along the gentle breeze, catching the glances of a pair of women passing them by in the other direction. One of them looked at Rachelle with jealousy in her eyes, and Rachelle bit back a smile. What a feeling it was to be treated to a tour by a prince in a foreign land!

“Yes, I’m just giving you a hard time. The truth is, I could do with getting out a bit more myself. Ah, here we are.”

They had reached an entryway that appeared to be the opening to a small amusement park. A towering Ferris wheel circled before them, slowly turning as people got on and off again, smiling as they headed back out toward the city.

“Shall we?” Darian invited again, holding out his arm.

She grinned up at him, not hesitating for a moment as she wrapped her arm around his, happy to have her hand touching his warm skin once again. Before they got in line for the wheel, Darian bought them two cones filled with a cream-colored, sticky-looking dessert.

“And what is this delicacy?” Rachelle asked, excited to try more local cuisine.

If it was anything like the drink she had just imbibed, then it would be one of the most delicious treats in the world.

“It’s a combination of coconut, honey, and almonds, all wrapped together. It can be a bit sticky,” he said, grabbing a few napkins as he led the way to the Ferris wheel.

When the attendant saw Darian’s face, he gave a subtle bow before releasing the barrier chain and letting them in without a fee.

“What was that about?” Rachelle asked.

Darian shrugged.

“All members of the royal family get free entry to all of our public attractions. Employees are given our images to memorize, so that they won’t be embarrassed when we arrive.”

“Well, that’s a nice perk.”

“You’ll find there are many perks to being with a sheikh in Zaradi,” he said, helping her into the wobbling car.

Rachelle planted her feet as she struggled to keep balanced, sliding quickly into the seat. The cars were enclosed, and it felt strangely intimate as Darian slid in beside her, holding out the cone of sticky treats for her to sample.

She took one carefully between her finger and thumb and popped it into her mouth. The taste of coconut erupted along her taste buds, and as she crunched on the almond, she smiled at Darian.

“Delicious,” she confirmed.

He nodded his head approvingly.

“Of course they are. What is it that you like to snack on, where you’re from?”

Rachelle was about to answer when the wheel began to move, and she jumped, grasping onto Darian’s arm, hugging it tight and closing her eyes.

“You really are afraid of heights, aren’t you?”

Realizing what she had just done, Rachelle cracked open an eyelid and blushed.

“Slightly.”

“You’ve nothing to fear; we’re perfectly safe, though if you’d like to continue to use me as an anchor, I certainly won’t object.”

She grinned up at him.

“How gallant of you.”

“I’m nothing if not a total gentleman. Now, perhaps answering my question will distract you?”

Rachelle wracked her brain to remember what he had been asking her. Right. Food.

“We’re actually pretty renowned for our food, particularly Chicago-style hot dogs.”

“And what would I find on one of those?”

Rachelle’s smile broadened.

“Pretty much every savory topping or condiment in the world, except for ketchup.”

“That is quite curious. And are there little things that you snack on, without piling them a mile high?”

“Ice cream? Though I can’t really say that. We love to pile that up, too.”

“That does sound pretty good right about now. Hey, what’s that?”

Rachelle glanced out of the car, the entire city on display beneath them. She gasped.

“That is stunning and terrifying all at once.”

“You are being silly. There is no need to feel afraid!”

“Hey, just because I have a healthy sense of my own mortality doesn’t make me weird. We are in a tiny metal box hanging far above the ground. One mishap and we’re going down!”

“And that is why safety regulations exist. Now, Rachelle, look at me.”

Her eyes were glued to the landscape, but at his request, she met his chocolate brown gaze and held onto it. He cradled her elbow in his palm, forcing her to face him.

“You can take risks and not die. You can soar high above the world in a little metal box, and instead of shaking in fear, you can laugh and feel alive. I formally give you permission to allow yourself to do those things. Do you think you can accept it?”

She stared into the depths of his eyes, seeing confidence and assurance and some other emotions she dared not name in that moment. Her eyes darted down to his lips, so close and yet so far, before she thought better of it. There was no point. Instead, she heeded his words and allowed herself to see the city for the beauty it held, rather than the terror of her perch.

“It really is a stunning place,” she said, casting her gaze beyond the skyscrapers and back out toward the sea of desert sand that surrounded them from all sides. It truly was a fascinating and unique city.

Darian agreed, handing her another coconut treat, which she ate with gusto. She listened as Darian launched into tour guide mode, detailing the history of the city and pointing out specific landmarks that were important.

“That’s our palace, there along the outer edge,” he said, pointing to an enormous, glittering structure.

“When you say ‘our’ palace, you don’t mean…?”

“That I take up residence there? I do, actually.”

“So, when you said that you had room in your house for a home office, you simply meant an entire office building’s worth of space?”

“Maybe not that much space, but it is quite roomy.”

“I imagine so,” she said with a chuckle.

Seeing the palace, she craved to look inside and peek into Darian’s shimmering world. This place was so far away from the bucolic forest of Michigan, but on some level, it felt perfectly right to her. How could one feel so at home so far away?

The car finally swept back down toward the ground.

“I imagine you don’t want to take another turn?” Darian asked with a smirk.

Rachelle shook her head with gusto.

“I’m all set. Solid ground sounds like just the thing.”

Darian let out a low chuckle, and he stepped out of the wobbling contraption first, holding out a hand for her to keep her balance as she disembarked.

“You know, we have something like this in Chicago, too.”

“I take it you’ve never been on it?”

“Nope. Not once.”

“Perhaps now you’ll find the courage to do so, when you return.”

“Perhaps,” she agreed with a small smile.

They made their way out of the amusement park area and back into the city.

“Well, that was quite the start. What’s next?” Rachelle asked, eager to continue her adventure with the handsome sheikh.

Darian glanced around a bit, as he had earlier, before he reached down and took her hand in his.

“I’m feeling a bit warm, aren’t you?”

Rachelle laughed, her hand fitting perfectly in his as they began walking once again.

“I’m always feeling a bit warm. We’re in a scorching desert.”

“Yes, well. You might have noticed, or perhaps you haven’t, that we have a distinct lack of grass parks in this part of the world.”

“It came to my attention, yes,” she agreed.

As they walked, they made their way through a smattering of buildings before coming out into an open space. There, a park with concrete ground was spitting up fountains of water. Children ran in between the spouts, chasing one another and pushing each other into water, which quickly dried in the heat.

When Darian glanced down at Rachelle, there was mischief in his eyes.

“I think it’s about time I helped you cool off, Miss Smith. Don’t you?”

Rachelle released her grip on his hand, stepping back with her hands up, laughing.

“Don’t you dare,” she warned, grinning as he approached her, catlike, as though stalking his prey.

In that moment, Rachelle thought there could be worse fates than falling prey to the likes of Darian Al-Adain. Seeing his intentions, she backed up slowly toward one of the fountain spouts, preparing her defense.

“Just so you know, I’ve never lost a water fight,” she warned. “You don’t know what you’re getting into, here.”

Darian grinned at her, and her stomach did backflips. Ignoring the sensation, she smacked a hand across the fountain, splashing him with a stream of water. He closed his eyes, then opened them, and made chase.

Squealing, she bolted around the water spouts as he managed to spray her entire body. It felt outstandingly refreshing after walking around in such heat, and together they laughed alongside the children as they all splashed and sprayed one another.

“Caught you!” Darian said, encasing Rachelle in his arms.

She was instantly met with another, entirely different kind of heat. Gazing up into his eyes, she wondered if he was going to kiss her then. Instead, he backed away, releasing her.

“Do you concede?” he asked.

Rachelle narrowed her eyes.

“Never.”

He laughed.

“I thought as much. We shall call it a tie, once again. Now, I have to say I’m already quite famished. Shall we head to dinner?”