Page 6 of Royally Promoted

‘Patient guy, were such a man to be in your life.’

‘In this day and age, Malik, men don’t decide what women do. It’s all about equal partnership.’ She saw that he was smiling, amused, yet something in her shivered at the thought of this big, powerful man being protective of his woman. ‘What if I choose not to go out there?’

‘Naturally, your job would be safe,’ Malik said briskly. ‘But in all honesty there wouldn’t be much for you to do here, as this is an intense group of people with dedicated PAs. Of course, you could while away the hours sweeping floors, as you say, but actually you would be put on temporary leave of absence until such time as I returned to London. Obviously, after a certain period of time full pay may no longer be appropriate, which we can discuss, but you would still be compensated adequately and your job would be held for you, unless I decide to limit my time in London and take up full residence in Sarastan.’

‘What’s the likelihood of that?’ She paled as a void opened up at her feet.

‘Who knows?’ Malik shrugged. ‘I can speculate but there’s no reliable crystal ball to hand.’

There was an ominous note to that suggestion that sent chills down Lucy’s spine. She knew that she got away with a lot when it came to her brilliant, charismatic boss but the truth was, there was an iron fist concealed within the velvet glove, and she was getting the uneasy impression that there were definite limits to how much he would indulge her.

Theirs was a healthy trade-off. He allowed her outspoken irreverence and, in return, she gave him the benefit of her amazing talent, which involved not only the number-crunching she was exceptionally good at but a real gift at communicating with people, so that he could leave many jobs involving important clients for her to handle at her discretion. She worked very hard, not to mention over and beyond without question.

Trade-offs, however, were not set in stone. And what would she be sacrificing if she accompanied him to his country for a few weeks? Lots of stuff with her family...movies, dinners out and pub lunches now and again with her friends...

‘But where would I stay?’ she asked with genuine curiosity. ‘Would there be some sort of routine there? How would it all work? What would I do in my spare time?’

‘A routine will be established when we get there. On the work front, with some disturbances given the situation, things will mirror what happens here. The scenery might change, Lucy, but the job will remain the same.’ He smiled wryly. ‘Trust me, Sarastan is an extremely wealthy country and I am an extremely wealthy man within it. I’d go so far as to say that my family are...of much elevated status. As such, you will find that your life will lack nothing when it comes to creature comforts.’

‘Much elevated status? What does that mean?’

‘Of royal lineage,’ Malik expanded. ‘On a more practical front, you may have to adapt your dress code to accommodate the heat and...’ he paused ‘...you might find that my family...my parents...are painfully reserved. It may take a while for them to become accustomed to your, er, ebullience...’

Lucy got the message loud and clear and she burst out laughing...because fair was fair.

‘I’ll do my best to curb my enthusiasm.’ She grinned.

‘You can be your usual exuberant self when you’re with me,’ Malik conceded wryly. ‘In fact, it would be odd dealing with a quiet you. So, what’s it to be, Lucy?’

‘Okay. I’ll come. Is that all there is I need to know?’

Now that she had made her decision, she was already thinking ahead to what would be a wonderful adventure, a few weeks away from the pleasant predictability of her life. She wouldn’t start extrapolating to anything beyond that. There was no point trying to cross bridges that weren’t even on the horizon yet.

‘I’ll email you with the details of what you’ll need to know, pack, and expect, for that matter.’ He frowned and then, as he was about to return to the business of work, said, ‘Just one more thing I suppose you should know...’

‘What’s that?’

‘The time has come for me to marry. Finding a wife will probably be something else on the agenda whilst I am over there.’

CHAPTER TWO

WHAT? A WIFE? You’re going to be finding a wife? Wait! What?

In receipt of that shocking postscript casually tacked on to the end of the conversation, Lucy’s jaw dropped to the ground.

She had a million and one questions to ask him but, before she could get the first one out, he held up his hand, turned his attention to his computer and informed her that there was a hell of a lot to get through before he left, and three hours of valuable working time had already been squandered because of her late arrival.

‘Yes, but...’

‘But...?’

‘You have to find a wife, Malik? As in, see what’s available at the nearest department store? Maybe have a look in the cosmetics department? Who does that?’

In response, his eyebrows had shot up and he had said, wryly, ‘Actually, Lucy, that aspect of my trip back to Sarastan will be the one that affects you the least. I only mentioned it because you’ll obviously be around and there’s no point having you indulge in colourful guessing games, should you be confronted with the situation as it unfolds.’

‘The situation as it unfolds? Will you be conducting interviews for the post?’

‘I haven’t given much thought to the how the process will be negotiated. Now...back to those reports on Thompson and the bio-fuel company I have my eyes on...’

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