Page 9 of Her Prince in Disguise
Andi hurried up the stairs and into the plane, trying to appear casual but interested in her new surroundings as everyone settled into huge, leather seats for takeoff.
Surreptitiously, Andi looked around, but Laith had disappeared through one of the doors leading to the back of the plane. Andi had no idea what was back there, but she imagined that it was just as decadent as this area.
Pastries and coffee were offered by a flight attendant. The others selected a pastry, but Andi declined, preferring just coffee. Laith returned and sat down, his sharp eyes taking in every detail. “Does anyone have questions about what we’ll be doing once we land?” he asked.
They all had questions and Laith patiently answered every one of them. Andi sat back, listening to the deep timbre of his voice. Did the man have any idea how attractive he was? Andi tried to concentrate on the conversation, reminding herself of her role.
After an hour, Laith retreated to the back of the plane again, only to return when lunch was served. Various salads and drinks were laid out, buffet style. Andi was hungry, since she’d been too nervous to eat earlier. So, she eagerly grabbed a plate and joined the line.
“Are you actually going to eat this time?” Laith asked her, coming up to stand beside her as they surveyed the lunch options.
“Excuse me?” she asked, startled by his unexpected question.
He looked down at her. “You didn’t eat breakfast,” he pointed out. “Do you just not like pastries?” His eyes moved over her face, as if he were trying to memorize her.
“I do…like pastries,” she replied, licking her lips. Did his eyes move lower?
“You didn’t have one this morning. Nor did you take one during the meeting last week.”
She blinked, her body trembling with her need to move closer to him. But that was bad. This was her boss! Holding the plate against her chest like a shield, she shrugged. “I guess I don’t like sugary stuff in the morning.”
He nodded slowly. “Blood sugar issues?”
“Yeah.” Was it though? Or was it because this man was so tall and so…intense?
“Protein,” he muttered and looked away. Moments later, the plate was plucked from her grip. Then she watched him pile her plate high with seafood salad and some sort of chicken dish. It looked cheesy and delicious, but Andi wasn’t sure she could eat all that. Before she could protest, he handed the plate back to her.
“Eat,” he ordered, then took another plate and filled it with twice that amount. Before Andi could speak, he vanished into the back of the plane again.
Andi stood there, staring at the closed door, not sure what to think. Was the man actually trying to take care of her? Andi felt almost charmed by his efforts.
Then she snorted and turned away from the buffet. He was just being nice, she told herself and sat back down in her chair.
After a twenty-two hour flight, they checked into their rooms for the night. “Be ready in the morning,” Laith explained. “Take the rest of today to get acclimated. Drink lots of water. My assistant texted everyone the address to the Singapore offices.”
And then he disappeared again. But not before glancing in her direction. Instantly, the exhaustion dissipated, replaced with that mysterious spark of something that made every inch of her body come to life. When he was gone, Andi sighed…and the exhaustion came rushing back. Chuckling, she mentally shook her head, wondering if she was going insane.
Even though they’d done nothing for the past twenty-two hours except sit on a plane, eat delicious foods provided by the flight attendants, talk with each other, brainstorming about how to proceed as a team, or read silently when the conversation tapered off, everyone agreed that they needed a break.
So, when Andi stepped into her hotel room, she barely paused to take her suit off before falling into bed.
By the following morning, Andi felt refreshed and eager to get started. Diving into the financial details of the Singapore office was initially a nightmare. But eventually, Andi and the others figured out the local contacts they needed to get the information for their analysis.
Unfortunately, the other three team members were usually out of the office. The team had taken over the largest conference room for their visit. But most of the time, Andi was there by herself.
However, every morning, Laith required a team meeting to discuss the business from the previous day, plus each persons’ plans for the current day. There was always coffee, tea, pastries, and…yogurt in a bowl of ice as well as protein bars. The first morning, Andi had eyed the additional two options, a lump growing in her throat. Just last Friday, she’d thought of Laith as a jerk.
When she glanced at him, he stared back, a dark eyebrow raised as if to ask, “What?” With trembling fingers, she grabbed a container of yogurt and some coffee, then moved to the other side of the table to sit down.
On the evening of the third day, Andi was the last one still working in the conference room. It was hot outside, but the air conditioner kept the office chilly.
“I know you’re here!” she whispered. “I’m going to find you!” She paused, reviewed a column of numbers, then sighed and hit the print button. A moment later, she jumped up to get the print out. Then, she noticed Laith standing in the doorway.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, moving into the room.
Andi sighed, pushing her hair back with one hand while she frowned at the report. “I’m trying to understand these production trends,” she explained. “I spoke with Jenny earlier and she mentioned one of the assembly lines had a break in it, but the other line should be functioning at expected levels.But…” she ran a finger down over a column of numbers and sighed.
“But you can’t figure out what month the slowdown occurred?” he asked.
