Page 191 of Modern Romance March 2025 (5-8)

“He wants to keep you safe,” Desmond said, soothingly.

Hind snorted. “Youwouldtake his side. I’m going to freshen up,” she announced, and clattered off for the toilets before either of them could answer. Val was left with Desmond, her stomach curling into an impossible knot. The corners of his mouth tipped upward, although he wasn’t actually smiling. His face screamed irritation.

“Are you her…nursemaid, or something?” he asked. She could hear the tints of London in the rich baritone of his voice, and something else, something reminiscent of the Gulf. She ignored the sarcasm and replied in the dulcet tones she always adopted at work with the standard answer.

“I am Sheikha Al-Bahri’s companion and personal assistant. I…travel with her.”

“Because she’s not married.”

So Desmond Tesfay was familiar with the country’s upper-class culture, then. Valentina compressed her lips, tasting the waxy lipstick she’d worn that morning. It served as a distraction only for a moment.

“Do you have a name?”

A flush rose under her skin. “Of course I do.”Whyhad her voice risen three octaves?

He waited patiently.

“Val Montgomery,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Miss Montgomery,” he said softly, as if committing it to memory. Her stomach roiled with the unexpected intimacy of it. She took a breath, craning her neck to peer up at the air-conditioning vent—was the thing even working? “Did you come from an agency, or are you on a free visa?”

Thatwas unexpected. Val was able to look him directly in the face for the first time. She registered his utter handsomeness, of course, but then the small details you couldn’t get from a distance began to seep through. It was a kind face, and its businesslike sternness contrasted with eyes that looked almost…amused. It was the face of someone who’d never been bothered with the sort of burdens she carried. And he was…young.

Too young for her skin to be as hot as it was now, and much too inappropriate.

Pull yourself together!

Val lifted her chin. Her hands immediately went to smooth the creases in her tailored wool dress. The shapewear she wore beneath—and which felt like a steel cage—was specifically designed to banish even thesuggestionof unsightly lumps and bumps. She straightened her spine until it no longer pinched, and she felt in control again.

She was human, after all—occasionally her body reminded her that desire existed—but her brain and sensibility would always prevail. She would make sure of that.

“I’m afraid I cannot divulge the specifics of my employment with His Highness—”

His heavy black brows jumped upward. “You’re American,” he stated. “Or Canadian?”

“American, but—”

“How on earth did you end up in Bahr Al-Dahab, of all places, and babysittingher?”

“I’m not babysitting.” Though some days it felt like she was. Irritation yanked her chin up another fraction of an inch. “I suggest,” she added haughtily, “that we limit our conversation to business matters.”

“Fine.” The insufferable man leaned back with a glint in his eye that made him even more absurdly good-looking. Really, he was almost a caricature of a book billionaire at this point. There was an ease to his manner, too, that for some reason she didn’t believe. He smiled, but the lightness wasn’t quite convincing; his eyes were darting around as if she wereboringhim. “Tell me how I can get on well with Sheikh Rashid, then. I want his business.”

“How you canget on wellwith—” Val was at a loss for words.

“I want his business,” he repeated.

“And you’re asking me?”

“Why not?” Desmond flashed her a smile, one that transformed his face from being ridiculously attractive to being devastatingly handsome. It was no closer to changing that odd detachment in his eyes, however. “Let’s not dissemble, Miss Montgomery. You’re as much an outsider to Bahr Al-Dahab as I am, and you know as well as I do that connections and personal relations are more important than profit.”

So he knew that much, at least. Val’s estimation of him rose a bit; she’d seen many expats with their heads far enough up their own asses that they didn’t even realize when they’d blown it with her volatile boss. “I—”

“I take any advantage where I find it.” He tilted his dark head. “You understand.”

“What makes you think I have an advantage?” Val countered. “I justbabysithis daughter, as you said.”

“Fair enough.” Desmond laughed, but it was a hollow sound. “But I’m going to count the fact that he sent her to me today as a good sign.”

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