Page 38 of The Sheik's Kiss

However, she couldn’t shake the sensation that something was wrong. Why hadn’t Zahir fired that Hasan guy yet? What was he waiting for? Mandy had heard about palace politics before, but this was the first time she’d had a front row seat to the phenomenon.

Memories of conversations with the police after her father’s death haunted Mandy now. Was Zahir just going to ignore the evidence? Was he looking the other way for a political reason?

Mandy let out an unconscious hiss of frustration and slapped a file onto her desk. She needed to find the co-conspirators for Zahir and not obsess about Hasan. It was none of her business how Zahir managed his staff, she reminded herself.

“Something is obviously wrong,” Raven countered. She tilted her head slightly. “If you want someone to talk to, I’m here for ya. No matter what the issue.”

Mandy desperately wanted to share, to ask Raven’s advice. The woman understood human nature better than anyone! Raven would be the perfect person to confide in and ask advice.

She’d just opened her mouth to say something when Astra walked in, carrying a large tray. “Sorry to interrupt ladies, but I need your opinion about tomorrow’s menu.”

Astra set the tray down on Raven’s desk. “Try these and tell me what you think.” Then she handed Mandy and Raven a napkin filled with small, dark cookies.

Raven popped one into her mouth, but Mandy was a bit slower. So she had a bit of warning when Raven’s beautiful features morphed into horror.

“Ugh!” she groaned, turning her head and grabbing another napkin to spit out the cookie. “What’s in this?”

“That bad?” Astra asked, her lovely features crumpling from hope to disappointment. The events coordinator stared down at the tray with the remaining cookies, her shoulders slumped.

“What’s in them?” Raven asked, glaring at Mandy who set the cookies carefully down on her desk, as if they might explode.

“Dates,” Astra told her. She picked up the dark cookie, tilting it from side to side. “It was my first attempt at baking. Chef Henri looked horrified when he watched me, but he never said anything. Nor would he taste the cookie.”

Raven and Astra both turned expectantly to Mandy. Her first response was to laugh and shake her head. But Astra looked so hopeful. So instead of ignoring the cookie, she took a small bite.

And tried not to gag.

It really was that bad! But she struggled to swallow the vile bite of…of…ickiness!

“That bad, huh?” Astra sighed, staring down at the blackish-brown blobs. “Well, I’m not giving up. I want to learn to bake.”

“What’s wrong with sugar?” Raven asked, wiping her tongue with another napkin to get rid of the foul taste.

Astra chuckled. “I’m trying to be healthier. If I use dates to sweeten the cookies, there’s more fiber and nutrients.”

Raven laughed, shaking her head. “Honey, no one will get more nutrients from those cookies. I think you’re amazing, but those cookies are inedible.”

Astra grimaced, then lifted the tray and started to turn around. “Like I said, I’m not giving up!” she told both of them and the hope was back in her eyes. Hope and determination. “Maybe I’ll ask Henri for some tips.”

Mandy snorted. “I doubt it. He went to the top cooking school in Paris and he’s a bit of a snob about the way he cooks.”

“He might.”

Mandy shook her head. “I have a good friend who went to the Culinary Institute of America. She makes the best muffins you’ll ever taste. She loves to experiment with cooking and flavors, but just like Henri, my friend is a stickler for the science behind cooking.”

“Science?” a new voice interrupted. All three women turned to watch several large men step into the room.

“Guys!” Mandy gasped, jumping up and rushing over to hug Levi, Matteo, and Sean. When she peered around her three friends, she found two other handsome guys, along with Zahir, who was behind them.

Zahir immediately moved to put an arm around Mandy’s waist, pulling her against his side.

Mandy heard someone whisper, “I knew it!” but when she glanced over at Raven and Astra, both of her new friends were valiantly attempting to appear innocent.

Tim was next, his eyes moving from Mandy to Zahir, narrowing with a trace of anger. “Are you two…?” he asked, gesturing to the arm Zahir had around her waist.

Mandy wasn’t sure if Tim was in favor of the match between herself and Zahir. Not by any twitch of his eyes or facial muscles did he reveal an emotion.

“She wants me, but she has some concerns,” Zahir answered for her.

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