Page 20 of The Sheik's Kiss

From a distance, a dark shadow watched. The exchange between the beautiful accountant and His Highness was…intriguing. Could the illustrious leader be distracted further by a romantic interest in the woman? A distraction could definitely help his cause.

That was something to think about and bring up at the next meeting with his companions. Sheik bin Aristi was a formidable opponent. He and his comrades needed to take advantage of any distraction that would aid their cause.

“Everything go okay?” Raven asked as soon as Mandy stepped into their shared office.

Mandy glanced up and sighed. “Yep. Everything is just peachy.”

“The ladies for tonight’s dinner have already arrived,” Raven announced. “The first five candidates are here and I’m having lunch with them in,” she glanced at the time on her computer monitor, “Thirty minutes. You’re coming with me, right?”

Mandy hesitated, but Raven’s sharp eyes were watching her.

Obviously, Raven thought she needed to tempt Mandy further. So, she added, “Astra mentioned that she requested pasta with a heavy cream sauce and a chocolate cake for dessert.” She let out a sound that was surprisingly close to a giggle, but Mandy couldn’t believe that someone as sophisticated as Raven would giggle.

“That sounds delicious,” Mandy replied, her mouthwatering at the thought. “I love pasta.” She tilted her head slightly. “Why are you so amused by the menu?”

Raven grinned. “Because the five candidates that arrived for the ‘conference’ today are all stick thin.” She ran a hand over her soft curves. “I’m going to be able to watch their expressions as the meal is set in front of them. I’ve even instructed the serving staff to pace the serving in order to give me time to watch each woman’s reaction.” She giggled again. “This is going to be so much fun!”

Mandy laughed, shaking her head. “And I was just starting to think that you were a nice woman!”

Raven’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “What in the world gave you that silly impression?”

Mandy chuckled again, grabbing the first file from the new pile of folders. “What time is lunch served?”

“In thirty minutes,” she explained. “But I wanted to start my interviews right now. The ladies should be in the receiving salon. Are you coming?”

Mandy had just flipped open the first file, but sighed and closed it again. “Yep. I’m coming.” She paused to slide the folders into a desk drawer, then locked the drawer. Raven did the same thing with her stack of folders, then they both pocketed the keys. “Let’s do this,” Mandy announced.

Chapter 6

“I’m claiming my dance,” Zahir whispered softly and his head lowered close to her ear.

Mandy turned, looking up at him as her heartrate accelerated. “Dance?” she whispered back.

Zahir took her hand, closing his fingers around hers. “Yes. You promised me earlier that you would save a dance for me.” He led her towards the other couples on the dance floor. “I won’t assume that you saved all of your dances for me, but you haven’t danced with anyone else tonight.”

She tugged on his hand, pulling him to a stop. Zahir noticed that she glanced nervously at the other dancers, then back to him.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, shifting to stand between her and the crowd, blocking the view of their conversation.

Mandy bit her lip, curling her free hand into a fist and pressing it against her chest. Finally, she looked up into his darkly intense gaze. “I don’t know how to dance, Your…” she stopped, clenched her jaw for a moment, then leaned forward to hiss, “I can’t use your name in public.” She looked around to ensure that no one was listening to their conversation. When she looked up at him, she continued, “It’s not palace protocol.”

Zahir ignored her and, tightening his grip around her fingers, continued to lead her onto the dance floor.

“Forget about palace protocol. I’m in charge and I want you to call me Zahir.”

She laughed and he felt the sound echo all the way to his groin.

“That’s rather arrogant of you, Your Highness,” she observed as he pulled her into his arms.

He didn’t care. “We’re dancing. You’re in my arms, Mandy. Say my name.”

“That’s not going to happen, Your Highness.” She glanced around and he suspected that the other candidates were glaring at her. “And you’re going to behave.”

“Says who?” he demanded, twirling her around so that she couldn’t see the other dancers.

“Says me. You can’t just throw your power around and issue orders.”

“I can’t?” he asked, watching her closely. Was this the clue that he’d been searching for? “Who else threw their power around, Mandy? Is this about your father’s passing?”

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