Brandy-coloured eyes gleamed for a moment before his lashes swept his expression away. ‘Not yet. But that is going to change soon, I think.’
For some reason, her breath strangled in her lungs. ‘Even though our association will be strictly professional?’
He stared at her for a moment before his gaze dropped again, and Esme got the uncanny feeling he was keeping something from her. ‘Even so.’
‘Um, okay. Who will take your place?’
‘That is for my attorney general to decide. He will present me with his recommendations at the end of this week.’
Before she could ask further questions, two butlers entered. She remained silent as their plates were whisked away, and just as efficiently dessert platters were set on the table before the servers were dismissed.
The creations were too exquisite to resist, even though Esme doubted she would be able to do them justice. Nevertheless, she helped herself to dates stuffed with goats’ cheese and sprinkled with sugar, butter biscuits topped with Ja’ahrian yoghurt, and sweet dumplings topped with honey and ground pistachios.
‘Touch Global have a base here in Ja’ahr,’ he said without preamble the moment they were alone again.
Her nape tingled in premonition as she sampled a dumpling. ‘I wasn’t aware of that.’
‘They weren’t encouraged in their social work programme in my kingdom until recently,’ he expanded.
He meant until after Khalid Al-Ameen’s death and Zaid’s ascension to the throne. The realisation that the dilapidated state of his kingdom was down to his uncle and not to Zaid hit home with brute force. Everything she’d accused him of during her TV interview came back to bite her hard. The fish had indeed rotted from the head down, but it had been a different head altogether.
‘And that’s what you want in repayment for what you did for my father? For me to work with Touch Global’s branch here in Ja’ahr?’ she asked.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he picked up a stuffed date and popped it into his mouth. The act of watching another person chew shouldn’t have been so engrossing. And yet Esme couldn’t look away from the tight jaw, the shadowed cheek or the sexy mouth that had possessed her own so expertly.
He swallowed and her breathing settled. Until she saw the brooding look in his eyes as he stared at her. ‘No. I have decided to utilise your expertise in another way.’
The tingling on her nape increased. ‘How?’
‘You will be my personal liaison to the organisation.’
She tried not to dwell on the word personal. ‘I... What does that mean?’
‘In the next few weeks I’ll be touring some of the more...out of the way parts of Ja’ahr. Touch Global are getting a handle on which communities are most needy here in Ja’ahr City and the surrounding areas. Much more help is needed in remote areas. You’ll travel with me, assess the needs of the people, then report to Touch. Based on your recommendations, they’ll ensure the necessary infrastructure is put in place.’
As positions went, it was an exciting one, even if a huge leap from what she did back in London. But the prospect of working that closely with Zaid made her go hot. And then cold. When the butterflies in her belly finally settled midway between the two points, she cleared her throat.
‘I’m not sure that I can take the position for the whole length of time it will take for my father’s trial to happen but I’ll request an extension of my leave...’ She trailed to a stop when his brooding eyes narrowed on her.
‘This isn’t a negotiation, Esmeralda. This is where I list my demands and you confirm in the vein of the “I’ll give you whatever you want” you promised to me last week. Unless that was an empty promise?’ he queried, his voice deceptively soft.
Esme had come to realise that was his most deadly tone.
Mouth dry, she hurried to speak. ‘It wasn’t empty, but I still have to ask—’
‘Your employer has agreed to a transfer of your services, effective immediately, for as long as I want you,’ he supplied in an authoritarian voice.
She froze in her chair. ‘What? How...? You had no right to do that!’
‘Why not?’ he demanded haughtily.
‘Because...because...’
‘You wanted to do it in your own precious time?’ he suggested when she sputtered. ‘Did I not tell you I would inform you of the details in due course?’
‘Details of what you wanted from me, not details of how you’d taken over my life!’
‘I had no wish to waste time on unnecessary arguments like the one we’re having right now. Besides, you forget I have experience in the corporate world. Asking your boss for an indefinable amount of leave wouldn’t have gone down well. Not without divulging a more comprehensive reason as to why you were in Ja’ahr in the first place. I take it you didn’t tell him about your father the first time around?’ he asked, although his droll tone suggested he already knew the answer.