Page 28 of His Impossible Heir

She sighed, wishing that she had her computer. Amanda’s outlet was to lose herself in the plot of a book. Words were wonderful. They made sense and she could manipulate her imaginary world however she wanted. In other words, she was in control. Which was the complete opposite of her life at the moment.

And now Daniesh wanted her to eat? She was too overwhelmed to eat right now. “Just coffee, thank you.”

The waiter standing by the dining room table hesitated, looking questioningly over at Daniesh. “We’ll have eggs and fruit along with a side of,” he hesitated, glanced at Amanda, then said, “I’m not sure what kind of breakfast meat Ms. Thomas would prefer, but I would like some bacon.”

Amanda tried to hide the eagerness in her eyes, but she must have failed because Daniesh, the bastard, noticed and nodded in satisfaction. “Ms. Thomas will have bacon as well.”

He held her chair out for her, waiting until she sat down before walking to the other side of the pretty table. “You like bacon?” he asked.

She sighed, shaking her head slightly. “I love bacon. However, I know that it’s not a particularly healthy option.” She laid the linen napkin over her lap. “There’s this tofu bacon that I buy at the grocery store whenever I’m in the mood. I’m sure that it’s filled with chemicals that aren’t any better for one’s body than the saturated fat in bacon. But it makes me feel a bit more virtuous and that helps.”

“Fake food helps with…?” he prompted, fighting not to laugh at her.

“It makes me feel as if I’m doing something good and healthy, okay?” she admitted, laughingly lifting her hands into the air.

Before he could reply to that, the big guard named Tito stepped into the dining room and laid a plastic rectangle beside Daniesh’s plate. “Thank you,” he replied, nodding to the guard who quickly stepped out of the room.

“What’s that?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee as she eyed the piece of plastic curiously. Then the rich flavors of the coffee washed over her and she groaned with pleasure. Oh my, that was good! She usually bought the cheap stuff, because she drank so much coffee throughout the day, and sometimes even at night. But this…! This was excellent. This made the coffee she prepared at home taste like sewer sludge!

He glanced down at the card and then passed it over to her. It was just a white, plastic card without any indication of what it might be.

“That’s the key card to Mr. Burrow’s hotel room.”

She flipped it over, blinking. “It is?”

“According to Tito, yes.”

She flipped it again, and then blinked at him. “He just…created a key for you?”

“For us, and yes.”

“How?”

He shrugged and leaned back as a servant came in with their breakfast. “I don’t know. I don’t ask questions. My entire staff is efficient and capable.” He paused and smiled at the waiter. “Thank you, this looks delicious.”

The man bowed and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Amanda tilted her head slightly, staring at the now-closed door. “You’re not the typical rich guy, Daniesh.”

He’d already picked up his knife and fork, prepared to cut into the omelet. “I’m not? How am I different?”

“You acknowledge your staff. You treat them like human beings. You care about their pride and thank them for their service.”

“That’s not typical?”

She shrugged and picked up her fork. She didn’t need the knife for her eggs. “It’s different. In college, I worked as a waitress at a high-end country club in the outskirts of Philadelphia. The houses in the area there are huge and the egos of their owners were even bigger.” She used the side of her fork to cut a bite of her omelet, sighing with contentment when cheese oozed out. “At the best of times, my fellow wait staff and I were invisible to the patrons. At worst, some of them were abused.”

“Abused how?” he demanded.

She lifted an eyebrow, silently telling him that he didn’t want to know. “Suffice it to say, there was high turnover at the club. Especially with the female staff.”

While they finished their breakfast, Daniesh peppered her with questions about the other jobs she’d held over the years. She told him stories about working in the country club, at a fast food restaurant, and an ice cream shop.

By the time the servant arrived to clear their plates away, Amanda felt much more comfortable with him. No, that wasn’t true. She didn’t feel comfortable, exactly. She still felt the zing of awareness every time their eyes met. But there was an informal, relaxed flavor to their conversation now that felt…good! Like he was her friend!

Nope. Not a friend either. No way could Amanda ever think of Daniesh as a friend. She watched him quietly while he spoke to another staff member in Arabic, giving him instructions on whatever urgent matter had come up now.

“Are you ready?” he asked, standing up and extending his hand.

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