Page 4 of His Impossible Heir

Chapter 2

“How the hell are you?” Rayed demanded as his friend and university co-conspirator walked into the small salon of his Paris home.

Crown Prince Daniesh from Hadair laughed as he approached Rayed. The two men hugged vigorously, slapping each other on the back with enough force to knock down an average sized person. But these two were taller than average, Daniesh perhaps a smidge taller than Rayed. Their brawn was roughly equal and they measured each other up, anticipating a battle on the exercise mats at some point during their visit.

“I’m doing great,” Daniesh replied. When they pulled back, each man looked carefully at the other. Their features were dramatically different from each other. Rayed had a rather hawk-like nose and a square jawline. Daniesh was more classically handsome, with sharp, intelligent eyes that saw more than anyone realized. “When I heard you were already here in Paris, I came right over. I can’t wait to meet this woman you can’t stop talking about!” He paused, looking pointedly around. “So, where is this beautiful and incredible wife of yours?”

Rayed threw back his head laughing, then clapped his friend’s shoulders playfully. “She is truly extraordinary.”

Daniesh chuckled at his long-time friend’s pride. “She’d have to be if she’s able to put up with you,” Daniesh teased, laughing as Rayed opened a cabinet and pulled out two crystal glasses and a bottle of scotch. “So, where is your lovely wife?”

Rayed poured two generous portions of the scotch, handing one to Daniesh. “She’s out shopping with her best friend. Emma’s friend will be at the dinner thing tonight. You’ll get to meet both of them.”

Daniesh accepted the glass of scotch happily, but eyed his friend warily “Tonight isn’t a setup…is it?”

Rayed chuckled, gesturing to the other sofa, offering Daniesh a seat. “Not a chance. There’s no way that I’m letting you get involved with Amanda. Emma would kill me, which means I’d then have to kill you.” He took a sip of his scotch, shooting his friend a considering look. “You’ve always been a bit of a playboy, my friend.” They sat down and toasted. “However, something odd has been happening lately. You’ve been rumored to have dated no less than fourteen different women over the past ten months. And none of them seriously.” He angled his head slightly. “What gives?”

Daniesh wasn’t ready to share the news of his latest medical tests. The fact that he was unable to produce a child was still a fresh and bitter reality that he wasn’t ready to face just yet.

“It’s nothing,” he assured Rayed. “Just flirtations. Not real dating and the ladies know it.”

Rayed wasn’t convinced. “That’s not what they’re saying. I read about the fight between Octavia Moreno and Rhonda Slavenko.” He winced theatrically. “I didn’t know that Ms. Slavenko had enough power in her skinny arms to throw a punch like what I saw online last week.”

Daniesh had been irritated by the two women fighting, ostensibly over him. “That wasn’t actually about me, though.”

Rayed tilted his head slightly, then took a sip of his scotch. “That’s not what the reporters are saying.”

Daniesh snorted. “And when have you ever believed anything the paparazzi reports?”

Rayed lifted his glass. “Touché.”

Daniesh paused for a moment, then shook his head. “They were actually fighting about a dress. Apparently, there was some magnificent dress that they had both been promised for the Paris fashion show. The designer was playing the two models off each other, for the extra publicity.”

Rayed rolled his eyes in disgust. “Well, that certainly backfired! There was no mention of a dress or fashion show in the reports.”

“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that the paparazzi assumed that Octavia and Rhonda were fighting over me. It just excites me to no end!” His sarcasm earned a knowing chuckle from Rayed, who nodded his head.

“Does throw a wrench into the acquisition of a new lover, eh?”

Daniesh snorted. “I don’t need another lover,” he asserted firmly. “I have enough on my plate already. I’ll be focusing on the economic growth of Hadair going forward.” He grinned. “In fact, I had a meeting earlier today with Sincorp. They’ve signed a contract with a leasing company in Campour for their next office site.”

“The hell you say!” Rayed snapped, his glass frozen halfway to his mouth. “I was romancing Sincorp for Farhe, you old bastard!”

Daniesh chuckled and downed the last bit of his scotch. “The better man won.”

Rayed chuckled and they moved on to other economic issues. Neither man was truly upset about the competition between their countries. It was all done in good spirits.

By the time Daniesh rose to leave, they had made plans for new economic cooperation between their countries, maybe even a few investments together. They’d worked together in the past and the results had been profitable for both countries.

“I’ll see you tonight, then,” Rayed replied, walking Daniesh to the front door. “Where are you staying?”

“Last year, I bought a place a couple blocks away,” Daniesh replied, giving him the name of the neighborhood.

“That’s close to where Emma’s friend is staying. She’s attending some sort of book conference over the weekend. She’s speaking at some point, but I’m not sure what time or for what purpose.”

Daniesh ignored the comments about this mysterious “friend”, not sure why it mattered. “I’ll see you tonight, but I won’t be around this weekend. I’m flying to Rome on Friday to potentially invest in a new vineyard. The owner bought up a bunch of land and swears his new way of processing the grapes will revolutionize the wine industry.”

The two spoke about the vineyard opportunity as Daniesh walked to the door. When he left the house, he was eagerly looking forward to the evening. Rayed was a good friend and the awards dinner would be an excellent opportunity to get to know his wife a bit better.

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