Page 4 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

“Hello there.”

Nina glanced at the newcomer, who had now turned his intense gaze on her. She felt a pleasant shiver down her spine, something she hadn’t experienced in a few years. That was the main reason it was better not to get involved with a guy like this: he was just her type.

“Hi.” She concentrated on her drink. “Are you new here?”

“I am.” He held out a hand. “I’m Rashad Al-Zayed.”

“Nice to meet you.” Nina took his hand, which was warm and firm without lingering too long. “I’m Nina Kendrick. Are you here today as an investor?”

“No.” Rashad accepted his whiskey from the bartender. “Actually, Nina, I’m here to talk to you.”

Immediately, alarm bells went off in Nina’s head. Something about this handsome man was just a little off — he was too smooth, too self-assured. It was as though he simply had to wait for whatever he wanted to fall into his lap, and Nina wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he was waiting for now. Perhaps there was more reason to stay away from him than just ill-fated attraction on her part.

“Is that so?” She raised her eyebrows.

“It is. Your app, Heartbeat, is very impressive. I’d love to pick your brain about it.”

“Hmm.” Nina leaned back against the bar and took another sip of her cola. “Then why approach me at the event, instead of making an appointment with me?”

“What can I say? When I realized we were both attending tonight, it felt like kismet.” Rashad winked, and Nina heard another chorus of alarm bells. If she had to guess, it seemed as though Rashad had approached her here instead of setting up an appointment because he had reason to believe that she wouldn’t want to meet with him. His flirtatious sidestep just reaffirmed her suspicion.

“Well, I’m certainly happy to help.” There was no reason to be hostile, even if she was unsure about Rashad’s intentions. “If you tell me more about yourself and your company, perhaps I can offer some helpful advice.”

“Oh, come now. Why would I want to talk about myself when I’m in the presence of such a successful and lovely woman?”

It was another flirtatious sidestep and another piece of evidence for Nina’s growing suspicions.

“All right. What exactly would you like to know?”

“Everything.” Rashad leaned closer and Nina caught the scent of a smokey aftershave. She appreciated men who made the effort to smell good but, like Rashad’s flirtations and his attractiveness, the good scent wouldn’t distract her. “How do you attract your customers? What does your turnover look like? Who’s on your team?”

“Essentially, you’d like my secret to success. Is that it?”

“That’s exactly it.”

“Well.” Nina folded her arms and met Rashad’s dark eyes. He had surprisingly long eyelashes for a man. “There are only a few reasons you’d want to know that. You could be a journalist looking for an exclusive scoop — but based on your appearance and lack of recording device, I would guess that isn’t it. Perhaps you want to invest in my company, but then there’s no reason you wouldn’t tell me that up front — you’d get a better sales pitch if you did. So, I have to assume that you represent a rival company and that you want information from me, either to make me an offer or to try to steal my customers. Does that sound about right?”

“Nina.” Rashad pressed a hand to his chest. “What if I’m genuinely interested in getting to know you better?”

“Then I’d tell you that I’m not looking for love tonight.” Nina flipped her hair over her shoulder. “So, Rashad, tell me. What is it that you want?”

“A gentleman never tells, not right away. Let me buy you a drink first. Let’s talk a little before we jump to any conclusions.”

“My drink is almost full.” Nina held up her glass. “And I’m more and more certain that I’ve come to the right conclusion about you. I have a lot to do this evening, so if you’ll excuse me, I’d better be on my way.”

She nodded at Rashad politely and stepped away, only to feel his hand on her arm. She raised her eyebrows and looked down at his hand until he removed it.

“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.” Rashad held out a business card. “My yacht will be docked in the marina all weekend. Come. We’ll talk.”

“I have a busy weekend.” Nina wasn’t going to commit to anything. “I don’t have much time for trips to the marina.”

“I’ll take you on a sail.” Rashad smiled. “Trust me, you’ll be glad you talked to me.” He didn’t seem at all fazed by her hesitation, and, once again, Nina got the impression that this was a man who always got what he wanted. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t get what he wanted from her.

“Thank you for your card. Good night, Rashad.” Nina tucked the card into her purse and made a beeline for a group of investors with whom she’d spoken before. This wasn’t the first time she’d met someone who asked about her company with ulterior motives, and it wouldn’t be the last. Nina simply needed to put Rashad out of her mind and focus on the evening at hand.

Later that night, tired and footsore from an evening of socializing, Nina returned home. She paid Amanda and sent her home, checked on her sleeping twins, then took a quick shower and got into bed with her laptop. There, she fished Rashad’s business card out of her purse and typed his name into the search bar of her computer. It was time to find out why he’d been so shifty.

The answer became almost instantly clear — Nina had been right. Rashad Al-Zayed was a sheikh from Al Soub, the younger brother of the next in line to rule. He was also the CEO of a health and wellness company called Health Trackr, which explained his interest in Nina’s company.

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