“Please let him be alone,” Lena whispered, leaning her forehead against the heavy door. “Please, please let him be alone!”
She whispered the chant into the air, her eyes closed and hands clenching tightly around the leather notebook she carried with her at all times. The subtle energy in the air reminded her that she wasn’t alone. Too late, she remembered the bodyguards that always stood sentry right outside this very door. Since she was also outside the door, the guards were most likely entertained witnesses to her desperate pleas. Lena’s eyes popped open and she found herself staring into the assuredly amused eyes of not one, not two, but three big, tall, burly bodyguards. Quickly, she jerked away from the door, glaring at the men, silently telling them that they’d better not laugh.
Darn it! They were always so silent! It was hard to remember their presence sometimes.
Well, to be perfectly honest, it was hard to remember anything when facing the kind of task ahead of her. She might love her job as personal assistant to Sheik Droon El-Hashim, but there were aspects of it that she hated. Waking him up, with the possibility of another woman in his bed, was at the top of the list.
With another glance at the still silent, but obviously amused guards, she knew that this had to be done.
Darn it! What she wouldn’t give to be anywhere but here at this particular moment.
“Right,” she sighed, leaning her head against the heavy wood again to hide her embarrassment at being caught talking to herself. Pushing away from the door, she straightened her shoulders, took another deep, bracing breath, then spun around and pushed her way into the room, pretending like nothing had happened. This was just another ordinary meeting and she wasn’t entering the most gorgeous man’s bedroom where he was most likely naked. And most likely with a naked, beautiful female.
Thankfully, the suite was large enough that she could sneak into the darkened interior a few more steps without being noticed and could make sure that the man in question wasn’t with a…companion.
From her position in the middle of the elegant living room floor, she peered around the bedroom doorway, trying to see if the man was alone or if there were two shapes underneath the silk sheets. She sighed with relief when she saw only one person in the bed and counted herself lucky once again. She’d had to wake him several times the first few months she’d worked here. Thankfully, the past few occasions, he’d been alone.
Straightening again, using her professionalism like a shield, she stepped into the bedroom and knocked on the wall to her right side, not daring to walk fully into the room. “Your Highness,” she called softly.
Nothing.
Clearing her throat, she took several more steps closer to the bed and the sleeping man. “Excuse me, Your Highness, but the Minister of Defense needs to speak to you urgently.”
Still nothing. Not even a twitch.
She came closer still and gasped when she saw the man himself. He was lying on his stomach with the silk sheets barely covering the bottom half of his body. But the upper half was…incredible! The muscles along his spine and shoulders created dents and lines on the broad expanse of his back and his arms which were splayed out on the mattress, bulging with muscles on the biceps and forearms. There wasn’t a spot on the man’s body that wasn’t covered in hard, fascinating muscle. Lina’s mouth went dry as she contemplated all of them, revealed in glorious detail for her visual absorption.
It wasn’t like she’d never seen a man without a shirt on. She’d even seen this particular man before. But every time she saw Droon, those amazing, hard muscles shocked her all over again. No man could compare with Droon El-Hashim, Sheik of Gibain. It wasn’t enough that the man was leader of one of the wealthiest oil producing countries in the world. Why did he also have to be stunningly gorgeous, tall, and…damn it…he was even kind and charming! Okay, so he could be harsh when the circumstances warranted it, but in the year she’d been working for the man, she’d never seen him be unfair about any issue that came across his desk. He worked long, difficult hours running the country. Physically, he trained harder than his military generals and bodyguards in order to set the standard for what he expected of his military personnel, and when the night fell, he could charm diplomats and dictators alike.
It had been a difficult path for him. She admired that he had been born into his role, but hadn’t grown up in the palace. She only knew the rumors, but Lina had heard this magnificent man had grown up in Montana after running away from his life and his family at such a young age. He’d survived, even thrived, and had now returned to fix his country. He wasn’t just an incredibly gorgeous man, he was a leader who had earned his right to rule. The people of Gibain loved him and he’d brought the economy of this country from financial ruin and poverty back to a thriving economy that was now a powerhouse in the world.
It was one of the reasons she’d been so keen to take this position. She wanted to learn from the best. She’d finished college and applied to be the man’s personal assistant, not believing she could ever qualify for such an exalted position. Applying was a fluke; the unobtainable dream job while she applied for other, more practical and achievable roles within the American government. Why he’d chosen her over all the other people that had applied, others who were obviously more experienced and better trained, she had no idea. The interview process had been brutal but when she’d received the job offer, she hadn’t been able to believe her good fortune.
Now, standing several feet away from the enormous bed of one of the most powerful men in the world, she was shivering with fear and…she couldn’t deny it…desire.
She looked at the bed again and braced herself.
Why couldn’t he wear pajamas to bed? Good grief, the man was naked! How was she supposed to wake him up? She had no clue how to wake up men, never having needed to do so until she took this job. Thankfully, she hadn’t had to do it often. The first few months had been horrible, because there was always a woman in bed with him, also naked. The hurt and jealousy that had hit her during those moments had been painful, but for the last six months, Droon hadn’t really been seeing women much. He’d been painfully busy with all of the new infrastructure projects starting all over the country. He wanted to inspect them all, to ensure that they were being carried out properly.
She bit her lip and stared down at the man in question. She had to hurry, because she knew that the Minister of Defense truly did need to talk to Droon and the problem wasn’t a small issue. The minister needed guidance about a critical issue and she’d been assigned the task of waking the man. Lina wasn’t sure what that issue was, but she also knew that the minister wasn’t one of those frantic people who worried about everything and nothing. If the man was concerned, there was a big problem. If the minister wanted Lina to wake up Droon, it was really bad.
“Your Highness, please wake up,” she begged, taking another step closer. “You’re needed urgently,” she said, her voice rising from a whisper to a normal speaking tone.
She watched in hopeful fascination as he shifted but then settled back to sleep, pulling his pillow closer.
More noise was needed. Stepping closer to the bed, she knocked carefully on his bedside table, but again, nothing happened.
Dire circumstances called for dire action, she told herself. She stepped closer to the bed again and reached out, her finger poking him on the shoulder. She gasped when her finger touched his bare skin, surprised at how hot he felt. “Are you okay, Your Highness?” she asked, stepping backwards quickly when he rolled again.
He slowly opened his eyes and Lina thought she was finally going to be able to escape.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t stepped back quite far enough. One long, muscular arm reached out and circled her wrist like a manacle, pulling her closer to the bed. Lina gripped her leather portfolio with her free hand, gasping with surprise as Droon pulled her closer still. She was almost bending over him when the most shocking thing happened. “Come here,” he growled and a fraction of a second later, he was kissing her.
But this kiss wasn’t anything like what she’d experienced on dates in the past. Those had merely been a tender caress. This was…a possession. Droon’s mouth covered hers, absorbing her gasp of horror, as his other arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into that huge, amazingly comfortable bed.
Of course, she wasn’t particularly comfortable with him kissing her like this. In fact, she was feeling decidedly uncomfortable. A powerful spiral of desire circled up from her stomach, infiltrating every cell in her body. Without conscious direction, her hands dropped her leather portfolio so she could wrap her arms around his neck, her fingers diving into that soft, black hair, enjoying the way it curled around her fingers. Almost like the way her body curled around his harder one. And it was hard! Everywhere! She couldn’t believe how shockingly erotic it felt to have this man’s body pressed against hers, so hard against her softness like this. It wasn’t enough that his arm was pulling her closer. Her legs shifted, wanting to feel that…that part of him…down there!
But then she couldn’t think about that part of him any longer because his rough, gentle hand moved up her waist, underneath her suit jacket and silk blouse to cup her breast, his thumb expertly seeking and finding her already pebbled nipple and flicking it, causing her to cry out, the sound captured by his mouth as he deepened the kiss.
“Your Highness!” she gasped out loud, grabbing his wrist to stop him, but his thumb once again flicked her nipple, her head fell back against the soft pillow and her grip lost strength. When his mouth found her neck, she wasn’t sure what to do, or if she even wanted to stop him.
That thought stiffened her body and she scrambled away from him, her eyes wide, not with the fear of what he was doing, but because she didn’t want him to stop!
“Your Highness,” she cried out when he reached for her again and she scooted even further away on his bed.
“Call me Droon,” he growled, about to reach for her again.
The command, paired with his first name, snapped her senses back to the present and she struggled to remember why she was here. When the reason came back to her, he was already reaching for her, his intent obvious in his dark eyes.
“Minister Sufayed needs you!” she yelped, tucking her now-bare feet underneath her as she held her hands up, palms out, in an effort to hold him off. “I’m not who you think I am!” she gasped when his eyes narrowed. His arms relaxed with those words and she almost cried with her relief. Lina wasn’t sure how much more she could have taken from him before she would have given in.
She scrambled to the other side of the bed as quickly as she could, re-buttoning her silk blouse and her suit jacket before clearing her throat. She had to blink several times before she could focus enough through the desire that was still boiled almost painfully hot in her belly.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn’t have woken you in that manner.” She pushed her hair back, tucking the loose strands behind her ears. “That was completely my fault. I…” she looked around, found her leather binder on the floor and inched closer carefully to pick it up. She found her shoes and was grateful for the darkness so the man shifting in the bed couldn’t see her cheeks flame with color.
With a sigh of resignation, Droon leaned back against the pillows, frustration eating at him as the dark haired beauty pulled back once again. Always business, Lina hid her desires behind a façade of professionalism and he was sick of it. His body was throbbing, needing to continue making love to the woman who obviously felt exactly the same way he did.
She was such a delicate, vibrant woman, he thought. And he just couldn’t hurt her, couldn’t push her. Not if their mutual desire for each other still made her nervous.
“What’s going on with Minister Sufayed?” Droon asked, looking at the blushing woman with irritation. He wished she’d just come right back here and let him finish what they’d started. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to regain control of himself. She was off-limits, he knew, but that didn’t stop the ache in his body, the need to ignore her exclamations and convince her to come back to his bed. Damn, he’d wanted her for so long! And she’d been so close, so warm and soft and willing! But now she was all stiffness and protocol once again.
She looked at the picture across the room, the elaborate light fixture or even the closed drapes, that blocked out the watery light of the morning sun starting to rise over the horizon. She kept her eyes anywhere but on the man. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t get the details. I simply hurried here to wake you so the minister could explain the situation. He seemed quite upset about it.”
Droon realized that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted this morning. Work, he thought with irritation. She was always about the work. “Fine,” he said, and flung the sheet off. He had to chuckle when she spun around, but not before he caught the fire that bloomed in her pale cheeks. “I’ll shower. Tell the minister I’ll be with him in a few minutes.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Lina replied as she almost ran out of the bedroom, closing the doors behind her in the process.
Outside the bedroom, she pressed her lips together, trying to get the taste of him out of her mind. Unfortunately, her hands were shaking too badly and her knees could barely hold her up. But she forced her feet to walk her across the rest of the suite. She had to get out of here. Fast! The man was already in the shower and he would be exiting that bathroom any moment now.
As soon as the doors to his suite were firmly closed, she leaned against them for support, her head falling back to thud against the thick wood. She dropped her pen as she leaned against the doors, trying to get herself back under control. At the moment, she couldn’t even bend down to pick up her pen, needing the support of the door or she’d fall on her face.
Covering her face with her free hand, Lina gave herself a pep talk, forcing her mind to put the man’s drug-like kiss out of her mind. “It didn’t happen,” she whispered to herself with her eyes closed. “Nothing happened, everything is completely normal.” She took several deep breaths, forcing a calm to come over herself.
A tiny sound to her right caught her attention and she froze again, her heart stopping for a fraction of a second and she slapped a hand over her mouth. Glancing to the right and left, she groaned as she saw the two bulky men peering down at her as if she’d done something crazy.
Which, of course, she had and she was.
And then things got worse! The doors opened behind her and she started to tumble backwards, her notebook fell out of her hands and she grabbed helplessly at the air.
She wasn’t sure if she was thankful when two strong hands caught her bottom to steady her, or if she would have preferred that Droon just let her hit the floor. Either way, the indignity of the moment caused her face to flame into high color. Again!
“Your Highness!” she gasped and spun around, trying desperately to grab onto any vestige of dignity that could be salvaged after her latest debacle while trying to regain her balance. “I’m so sorry!”
“What’s going on?” he asked, in that deep, sexy voice that never failed to cause her stomach to tighten with anticipation. She no longer needed to do crunches during her workouts because of that man’s voice.
“Nothing!” she said quickly, grabbing her notebook and pen from the floor. It took her several tries, but she finally got hold of both and pressed them against her chest, standing up and trying to fix her appearance one more time. She had no idea if she looked professional any longer. She’d left her apartment this morning feeling confident and professional, but after the last half hour, her standards were much lower. Her goal at the moment was to not look like a flustered idiot.
Droon smiled down into her soft, blue eyes, amused and curious about this woman and the frazzled look about her. “If nothing is going on, why were you leaning against my door?”
She bowed her head even while she was shaking it. “I didn’t think you would be coming out so soon.”
Droon could tell that was only part of the story and he looked to his bodyguards for more information.
Lina knew exactly what was going to be revealed and she sprinted forward, reaching up on her tiptoes to cover the first guard’s mouth with her hand. “Not a word and I’ll make you banana bread!” she bribed, right in front of their boss. She didn’t care at this point. She was already humiliated, it was just a matter of how much humiliation she’d have to endure. And if one of Droon’s bodyguards told him what she’d been whispering after leaving his room, it would be complete. If Droon was ever told what she’d been muttering or how flustered she’d been several moments ago, she’d have to hide under a rock somewhere until the universe stopped being so cruel.
The bodyguard’s eyebrows went up but she could feel his smile and her eyes narrowed. He reached up and lifted her hand away. “Put icing on it, and you have yourself a deal,” he bargained.
Lina agreed at once, unconcerned about the blackmail if it kept her secret from her boss. “Agreed.” With that, she turned around, tugged her jacket back in place, tucked her hair back behind her ears and nodded as if that were the end of the conversation. When she felt adequately pulled together, she lifted her gaze up to Droon’s dark eyes, her chin jutting out as if the world was back in order once again. “Okay. Are we ready to go chat with the minister?” she asked Droon.
Droon stood there, watching the whole interaction with fascination. “So, you’re going to bake banana bread as a bribe, so that Yousef won’t tell me what you were doing leaning against my door?”
Lina blinked, the only indication that she was even slightly off-kilter. “Never happened,” she chirped, with an overly bright smile and waved her hand so that Droon could precede her down the long, elegant hallway. “The minister did say it was urgent, Your Highness.”
Droon chuckled, impressed with her spunk, if not her covert abilities. He’d get to the bottom of the situation. The palms of his hands were still sizzling where he’d gotten to feel her soft, round bottom when he’d caught her.
Between kissing her while holding her earlier in his bed and then catching her lush body, he was definitely going to be distracted today. Why couldn’t the woman just give in to the need they were both obviously feeling? It was ridiculous how she kept herself distant from him, when they could be enjoying a very satisfying, very hot and heavy relationship that had nothing to do with schedules, polling techniques, and public policy statements.
But instead of saying any of that to her, he followed her down the hallway, barely conscious of the guards falling into position around him. The day had begun and he doubted he’d have any spare time in between meetings to question his little lady further.
The day dragged on with his mind persistently dwelling on the sexy woman who was constantly by his side. Normally, they would talk about things as they moved from one meeting to the next during the day. Droon loved her dry humor and she found the strangest things funny. Too often, her quips would catch him off guard. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d been walking into a meeting with a chuckle because of something she’d said moments before.
He also appreciated bouncing ideas off of her. He was too isolated about some issues, whereas Lina had an innate sense of human nature that was invaluable. He enjoyed talking to her about how one decision or another might impact the country, how certain things could be perceived. She was a down-to-earth woman, with a knockout figure and an irreverent sense of humor that startled him at times.
She was perfect.
And perfectly distracting today. After that kiss this morning, he was ready to move forward. He wanted her. He wanted her with an intensity that knocked him sideways.
Instead of listening to the pompous, self-righteous speakers in the seemingly endless stream of meetings today, he watched Lina’s long, slender legs. When he was supposed to be reviewing plans for a new hospital, he remembered the fullness of her breasts. When he should be contemplating upgrades to the school system, he was contemplating her round bottom and how perfect it had felt in his hands. And the whole day, he wondered constantly just what she’d been doing outside of his doorway moments before he opened it and she fell into his arms.
She’d fascinated him from the moment he’d interviewed her. He’d known his attraction towards her would be a problem, but thought he would be able to figure a way around her shyness. Over the months, he’d realized that her sense of propriety was even stronger than he’d originally suspected. So here he was, a year later and still aching to have her. But now that he’d tasted her, felt her come alive in his arms, he was determined to have her. No more of this dancing around each other any longer.
Droon walked into the conference room later that afternoon and stopped in his tracks. He watched for that inevitable moment when she realized he was there and he wasn’t disappointed. As soon as she turned her head and caught his eye, the blush glowed on those lovely, pale cheeks. He almost chuckled to himself, but he was too delighted by her reaction, both now and earlier this morning.
Once he had seen her response, he felt better, more centered. Now he could move on to business. Looking at the crowded room, he noticed several men, his older, more seasoned advisors, who were also smiling benignly at his prey. Normally, that would irritate him, but since most of the men in this room were old enough to be his grandfather, he knew they were just responding to her wit and charm, nothing more.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” he greeted the group. All of his twelve advisors were roaming around the room, most of them fluttering about Lina who, he knew, could and did charm just about everyone. She was sweet, kind, and knew everyone’s wife and children. What’s more, when she inquired about their health and recent activities, she genuinely cared about each of the people. She wasn’t just asking to make conversation, which made all of her inquiries even more sincere.
She handed one of the men his cup of coffee, with cream and sugar, exactly how he preferred it.
“Do you have some for me?” he asked softly, stepping close to her so he could smell that soft, feminine scent that never failed to make him a little crazy. He wanted this woman. Had wanted her ever since she’d interviewed for the position, but he hadn’t acknowledged the emotion as lust. He avoided relationships with employees at all costs. At the time, he’d thought she was just a nice woman who was fascinating to look at. She wasn’t anything like the women he normally ‘dated’, if that’s what one could call what he did. He hadn’t truly dated any woman since he’d come back from Montana, where he’d grown up, a semi-adopted son of Samantha and Charlie DeBron.
In the past, he’d always thought of women as sweet and nice, as long as they knew they were temporary in his life. The moment they started making demands, he moved on to the next one, not wanting any sort of commitment.
Until that fateful night he’d been almost smacked in the head with Lina’s sweetness. His desire for her had struck him during a late night work session when she’d leaned over the table to hand him something and he’d realized that he was trying to see down her shirt. And when he’d caught a glimpse of her pretty lace bra, he’d wanted more. So much more. That had been several months ago and he’d been working hard to figure out how to get her into his bed. He didn’t want to sound vain, but women generally found him attractive. He’d never had problems getting women into his bed before, but Lina was proving to be a more complicated person than he’d thought. She was calm and cool, sophisticated and intelligent. She had interesting insights into the problems he faced as a ruler and understood his schedule, never complaining about the sometimes ridiculously long hours, plus, she added that touch of humor that he loved and was starting to crave. He compensated her well financially, but he wanted so much more.
All this time, she’d been cool and composed. But now, seeing the flustered expression in her beautiful, blue eyes and remembering the way she’d kissed him back this morning, he knew that there were other, deeper, feelings underneath her pretty sophistication. And he was going to explore those feelings and act upon them. She might be trying to appear uninterested, but after this morning, Droon knew that she was hiding her interest. He had plans for her. Big plans!
With all of his advisors here in the room together, he realized that it was now time for him to put those plans into action.
As the palace waiter pushed the coffee table over to a corner of the room, Droon pulled her aside. “I think I’ve got this meeting covered,” he told her.
She looked up at him, her pretty blue eyes hurt since she understood that he was asking her to leave the room. “You don’t need me to take notes?” she asked. This was a first, he always wanted her in meetings to take notes and pull up facts when an argument came up.
He saw the worried look in her eyes and his tone gentled. “I can handle this one.” He wanted to lift his hand up and caress her cheek, but he dared not do that in front of these men for fear of embarrassing her.
He understood needing respect. He’d had to run away as a child because his aunts were trying to kill him so that their children could gain power. With the help of his trusted advisors, some that were in this very room even, he’d run away, hidden himself in the wilds of Montana. He’d grown up with his adoptive parents, Samantha and Charlie, along with two brothers and two sisters, some of which had been born to his adopted parents, and some, like him, who had come into Samantha and Charlie’s lives through violence and chance.
When he’d come of age, he’d returned to Gibain, determined to take his rightful place as ruler. But it had been a hard battle, fighting for control, imprisoning the women who had tried to have him assassinated. Seeing that battle for control in her eyes, knowing how hard it was to achieve and maintain the respect of one’s peers, he couldn’t put her down in any way in front of these men.
“I need you to pull those files for me,” he continued, using a look that didn’t spell out anything, but conveyed the message regardless. He was trying to imply that there were things that the two of them had discussed, but he didn’t want the men in this room to be privy to those details.
She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. “I’ll review the contracts for your next meeting, flag anything that might be an issue,” she told him, but he could see the confusion in her pretty blue eyes.
“That would be helpful,” he replied, still wanting to pull her into his arms, soothe her hurt feelings. But he also needed to get this private conversation out of the way. His advisors needed to know his plans. Better to get things underway now rather than create confusion later.
He watched her walk out, thinking about his hands on her pert bottom this morning.
Soon, he thought to himself. Very soon, he was going to feel her bottom once again, but this time, there would be no material to hinder his enjoyment of that delightful region of her anatomy.
The meeting started as soon as Droon moved to the head of the table. The other members of his council immediately moved to take their seats. He pushed the agenda aside for the moment, wanting to get the most important issue out of the way. “Gentlemen, I know I’ve been resistant to heed your advice to marry but I think the time has finally come. I have chosen a bride.”
All twelve men perked up, every one of them eagerly looking towards him for more details. “Who would this woman be?” his Minister of Defense asked, eager to hear the news. Everyone had been waiting for Droon to choose a woman to marry. This should have been done more than ten years ago and all were worried about the future of the kingdom without an heir. Droon was now thirty-six years old, well past the and when he should have married and started a family that would ensure the monarchy.
They’d given him leeway over the years, putting his hesitation to marry down to the fact that he had been raised outside of the country. Since they hadn’t been able to protect him here in Gibain, they knew they’d have to be patient.
“And how soon can you announce this? The sooner, the better.” All twelve of his advisors agreed by nodding their heads.
“You’ve already met her,” Droon said mysteriously. “I’m presenting Lina Thomson for your approval. She’s already gone through the background check, I know she’s not dating anyone seriously, and her work thus far has proven she is not only a reliable person to help with the state issues, but she is charming and sophisticated, can be relied upon to be a wonderful representative of Gibain.”
After dropping that statement on them, he sat back and waited for their opinions. Not that he would care one way or another what they thought. He acted on his own, taking their advice into consideration, but making the final decision on all issues. He’d proven to all of them that he could handle his position, but valued their advice. He’d gone against it enough times and was proven right.
The men all looked at each other, eagerness and excitement on their faces. “Will she agree?” one of them asked.
Droon looked at the man as if he were crazy and all twelve of them laughed in reaction.
When the amusement died down, they turned their attention towards more legitimate questions. “When will we be able to announce the engagement? Everyone will want to learn who she is.”
“It will be a huge boost to the economy.”
“The economy is doing extremely well already. We don’t need a wedding to make it any better. What we need is an heir!”
“Couldn’t hurt,” another one agreed.
“We will need to get events planned out,” one of them spoke up.
Droon listened as all of them worked out a grand engagement with lots of parties and parades, an elaborate wedding with all of the bells and whistles. He’d have to tell them eventually that he wasn’t going to wait several months to marry Lina, but he’d let them be excited for a while. He’d been waiting for that woman too long already. And if her reaction this morning was any indication, he wouldn’t be able to wait several months to make her his.
Hell, he might not even be able to wait until tonight. For the past few months, every time she’d walked past him, his body had reacted to her slender figure. He wanted to possess her like no other woman he’d ever known. And he wanted all her smiles and laughter to be because he’d made her laugh or smile. He was a selfish man and he wanted all of her for himself. He’d be hard pressed to let his country have the small part of her that he knew they would want, but press interviews before the wedding would be the limit, he thought.
Conversation was swirling all around him and he needed to get the woman to agree before they started all the plans. “Gentlemen, I need your confidentiality about this. I can’t have this news leaking out to anyone before Lina agrees. It would be very embarrassing to her if something like this leaked to the press and she had no knowledge of it.”
He also needed to call his parents. Samantha and Charlie will be thrilled to find out that he’d finally decided to marry. His brothers and sisters could finally stop giving him a hard time about his single status and what his sisters called his ‘womanizing ways’. He snorted at the term, as if Vince and Joe were any better. Joe had been a hound dog before meeting his lovely wife Kelsie and Vince…well, he still was.
He also knew that his whole family would drop everything to be here for the celebration. The idea of seeing his parents, his brothers and sisters made him smile. He knew that they’d all love Lina and she was going to love them as well. Okay, so both had found their wives. Hell, even Hunter was crazy in love with Fleur. He was momentarily distracted at the thought of Hunter, the huge rancher, and his dainty sister. Shaking his head, he vowed that he would kick Hunter’s ass if he didn’t continue to make Fleur happy.
Halley…an image of Mike, the town’s sheriff…and the way he’d looked at Halley- then the look she returned. Damn…where they…?
Oh hell!
With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck and focused back on the discussion. He noticed that several of the men at the table chuckled at the need for secrecy, but they all agreed with Droon. It was extremely rare that news from these meetings leaked. There were very strict confidentiality rules about his council meetings. But he could imagine one of these men telling his wife and she might not think it was as important to keep things quiet. “Don’t tell any family members. I must have absolute secrecy,” he commanded of each of them sternly, looking into each of their faces to reinforce his message.
They all agreed that this would be a high priority state secret but every one of them felt better for having the issue of Droon’s marriage almost resolved. None were more eager than Droon though. He proceeded with the agenda items after that and the meeting was productive with everyone in a good mood.
For Lina, more meetings followed, more problems resolved. Lunch and dinner were brought to her desk, but she didn’t have time to eat either of them. She nibbled on a protein bar around eight o’clock, but it wasn’t enough to ease the ache in her stomach. By the end of the evening, Lina felt like she was about to drop from exhaustion.
“Lina,” he called out to her as she was about to leave his office after dropping off some files.
She turned on her heel, her face inquiring, but he didn’t say anything. He moved closer to her, gazing down into her soft, blue eyes. When his hand came up to her neck, he felt her shiver. “Should I apologize for anything that happened this morning?” he asked gently.
Her eyes widened and the silly, school-girl trembling that always occurred whenever he got this close, increased at the thought of him touching her as he had earlier. The only good thing she could gather regarding that humiliating event was that he obviously didn’t remember what he’d done. He must have been more asleep than she’d thought. She breathed a sigh of relief that her secret was safe and quickly shook her head, relaxing for the first time today. “Nothing happened,” she assured him, moving to take a step back but his hand stopped her, grabbing her wrist and holding her right where he wanted her.
His black eyebrows went up with her denial. “Then would you explain how this appeared on your neck today?” he asked softly, his finger gently touching her neck where a dark spot had appeared. He knew that he’d done this to her, remembered the way she’d shivered in his arms at the time. She’d liked that, had even pushed her head back slightly to give him better access.
Her hand quickly went up to her neck, her face flaming up as she remembered the exact moment that the mark had been given to her.
Stepping back out of his hypnotic closeness, she almost stumbled over her own feet. “Um…no, that isn’t….” She ran out of his office, but Droon wasn’t letting her get away from him this time. He followed her, watching with fascination as she rushed around her desk, rummaging in her drawer for something. She pulled out a mirror and looked at her neck. When she saw the dark spot, she just about dropped the mirror. “Goodness!” she snapped, as if the word were a curse. With shaking fingers, she grabbed a scarf that, for some reason, she kept in her desk. The scarf was black and red but her suit was navy blue so it didn’t match, but apparently she preferred an un-matching scarf and suit combination to others seeing a hickey on her neck.
“I’m sure that’s much better,” he said with amusement, leaning a muscular shoulder on the wall beside her desk while he watched her hands fluttering around her desk. Obviously, she didn’t realize that she’d been walking around all day with that mark on her neck. His mark, he thought, his body hardening with that realization.
She flushed but looked down at her notebook. “Tomorrow you have a busy day,” she began, struggling to focus her eyes. “There’s the morning meeting with the minister of energy and…” she went on and on about his schedule for the next day, trying to divert his attention. It wasn’t working.
When she was finally quiet, he filled the silence by saying, “I like your suit today, by the way.”
Lina looked down at her suit then back up at him, confused. “My suit?”
He smiled slightly as his eyes traveled down her soft, lush figure. “Yes. It’s very…feminine,” he replied. He paused for a beat, his eyes moving up and down her slender body appreciatively. “You’ve moved away from those suits that didn’t fit you as well. I like these. They make you look soft and incredibly attractive.”
Lina looked down at her suit, a warmth spreading through her as she watched him walk back towards his office for his next meeting.
“Go home, Lina. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he called back over his shoulder.
He liked her suits? She blushed even though no one was around. She hadn’t had much money when she’d first started out working here. It had taken all of her savings just to fly over. After her first paycheck, she’d spent almost all of it on new clothes.
Her ringing phone pulled her out of the giddy daydream that she’d conjured up. “Lina Thompson,” she answered automatically, her eyes sharpening on her computer screen.
“Lina?” a familiar voice called out. “Darling, is that you? You sound so far away!”
Lina’s whole body cringed and she sat down in her chair. “Hello, Mother. How are you?”
“I’m doing great, honey! How are you?”
Lina rested her forehead on the open palm of her hand. “I’m okay. What’s going on? Isn’t it early morning for you?” she asked as she checked her watch, calculating the time in Florida.
“Yes! It is,” she giggled, then her voice lowered. “I should move into another room.”
Lina closed her eyes, her mind instantly calculating the date. Three weeks. It had been three weeks since her mother’s last call. Three weeks since Amy Thompson had called, sobbing out her heartache because her latest and greatest boyfriend had just taken off. Again. The details of the man didn’t matter. It was the same every time.
Her mother needed to be loved. Amy was just a glutton for love and affection. In return, she smothered the men in her life with the love she desperately needed to share. Lina’s mother would turn herself inside out and upside down to please a man.
“What’s his name?” Lina asked, not really caring. She loved her mother, but Lina had moved halfway across the earth to be her own woman, to not fall into the same patterns as her mother. Lina wanted a man’s respect. She didn’t need his affection.
And if her eyes glanced towards the open doorway where a certain tall, gorgeous man had exited several minutes ago, she pulled her eyes away quickly.
Her mother went on and on, talking about her latest beau. He was a paramedic or something like that. They talked for a few more minutes, but then a deep voice sounded from the background and her mother giggled. “I have to go, sweetie! Talk to you soon!”
Lina smiled weakly as she hung up, wishing that she could somehow get through to her mother. She needed therapy, not another man in her life. Her mother’s life followed the same pattern: meet a man, fall under his spell, smother him with her love, then call crying out her heart because he left.
Pushing her mother’s call out of her mind, she pulled her tote bag higher up onto her shoulder, stuffing a few items into the bag that she could work on from her apartment. As she walked out that night, waving to the guards and smiling at the cleaning staff that were beginning to filter into the various offices, she felt wonderful, happy. All because Droon said that he liked the way she was dressing now.
The thought struck her suddenly that these suits looked similar to the suits his lady-friends normally wore.
She stopped in the middle of the hallway, contemplating that thought. He liked her suits…did that mean he thought she was…that she might be…
Oh goodness, did he think she was trying to entice him?! Was she acting like her mother?
That thought didn’t sit well with her. She didn’t like to think that she’d been trying to imitate the women who briefly passed through Droon’s bed. A couple of the guards looked at her strangely so she smiled, then forced her feet to move forward. Lina passed by a window on her way out that night and something struck her as she saw her reflection in the glass. Had she tried to look like the other women in order to get Droon’s attention? Had she done something stupid? Led him on inappropriately?
She hated the idea that he might think she was less professional now. He’d used the terms ‘pretty’ and ‘feminine’ to describe her clothes. Was that good or bad? She bit her lip as she walked down the hallway towards her apartment.
She stopped and stared when she reached the glass doors that led to the employee quarters. Surveying her appearance, she was struck by how...sexy…her suit looked. The shorter than normal skirt, tight around the hips and butt, the classic jacket that fit snuggly around her waist and hugged her breasts. Even her hair was down around her shoulders. She stared at her image, horror rushing through her as she realized that she had become one of those women! She looked like one of those many women who came into Droon’s life and were quickly discarded to make room for the next.
Lina didn’t want to be one of those women. She’d fought hard to avoid her mother’s pitfalls but...was she falling anyway?
She wanted to be a professional, above all the craziness of life. Lina had dealt with her mother’s foolishness and chaotic lifestyle throughout her childhood and now she’d separated herself. Or had she?
Lina had watched her mother put on makeup, nervously tousle her hair, starve herself to be thin, and go to extreme measures to please whatever man happened to be in her life at that moment. The men never lasted very long. None wanted to deal with the clinging desperation of her mother’s frantic “love”. Lina refused to become ‘that’ woman. She refused to become a woman who needed a man’s attention, who needed his approval.
This job meant everything to her! She couldn’t lose it simply because she’d started dressing inappropriately. Lina hurried down the hallway to the private quarters that she’d been assigned as part of this job, poured herself a glass of white wine, mixing in a bit of lemon flavored soda, and went into her closet. Staring at her clothes, she realized that there was a definite ‘before’ side of her closet that contained cheaper and less well-constructed clothes and, on the other side, a group of suits that were well made, expensive, but probably too sexy for the workplace. She didn’t like the older clothes, but if they made her appear more professional and less….she struggled to figure out a word, settling on promiscuous…she would wear them.
She pulled out a long, black suit for tomorrow and matched it with a cream, silk blouse that was of better quality than the polyester shirts she used to wear. She loved the feeling of silk against her skin, but she wanted to be thought of as intelligent and professional.
She slipped off her pumps, enjoying the way her toes were cushioned by the soft carpeting. The employee apartments had been nicely decorated, but nothing elaborate, which suited her just fine since she was rarely here anyway. It was already nine o’clock and she was exhausted. She padded barefoot through her apartment, thought about reading something, but knew she was too tired. She had a few frozen meals in her freezer, but nothing appealed to her. The protein bar was long gone, but she couldn’t work up the desire for anything else at the moment. Sipping her wine, she peeled off her clothes, leaving a trail behind her as she got ready for bed. She wasn’t the neatest person in the word, but she was far from the messiest. She’d grab her clothes in the morning and put them in the hamper. For now, she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and grabbed a tee-shirt, pulling it over her head before slipping into her bed.
Her last thought before exhaustion took over was how much softer Droon’s bed had been this morning.