Omar felt the urge to interject, but Marian could handle it—he already sensed it. Yet another way she and Anahita were nothing alike. Anahita had been timid and quiet, almost to the point of irritating him. Marian’s boldness was a breath of fresh air.
You need to stop comparing her to your dead wife.
He blinked, realizing he’d drifted off again, missing their spat entirely. Marian glared at Kelly, who was ordering another whiskey.
“I am so sorry for his…belligerence,” Marian said, snagging Omar’s gaze with wide, imploring eyes, exactly the color of honeyed chocolate.
“I am not being belligerent,” Kelly huffed. “You’re too goddamn sensitive. Exactly why I told Bob I didn’t need him sending a woman with me on this trip.”
Omar watched Kelly a moment, unsure if he’d heard him correctly. Marian’s jaw dropped, and she shook her head.
“There’s no need for that—” Omar began.
“You need a woman more than you can even possibly understand,” Marian spat. “You are a selfish brute and completely unaware of how big of an asshole you are.” She stood up from her seat, the chair nearly toppling behind her. She looked at Omar with fiery eyes, and he shrank back a bit.
“I think I’ll have dinner in my room,” she said, offering a hand to Omar. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Omar took her hand and glanced between Marian and Kelly. It felt as if an explosive might detonate if they remained in the same room. Kelly snorted in derision, and Marian stomped off without another word, leaving her half-drunk martini behind.
Omar shot to his feet and took off after her. The professional side of him advised him to let her go, but something else wanted her to stay.
“Marian, wait.” He jogged across the brilliant tiles of the foyer as she stormed to the elevators. She didn’t seem to hear him, so he moved faster, reaching for her shoulder.
She gasped and turned to him. “What?”
“You shouldn’t have to leave.”
Her plump lips turned into a frightening thin line. “I know. But my job here is to help broker this deal. I’ll be there tomorrow, but I won’t spend another second of my time around that pompous pig.”
Marian brushed her curly hair behind her ear, revealing a pair of dangling earrings. Omar’s gaze fastened onto them, admiring the sheen of blue and silver. Butterflies. His belly twisted violently. Anahita had a flight of blue and silver butterflies tattooed across her left shoulder.
His mouth parted, but he didn’t have words.
“Just go back there and wine and dine the asshole,” she said finally. “It’s fine.”
She turned to leave but he reached for her arm, stilling her again.
“What?” she asked again. She looked at the end of her rope, and he couldn’t blame her.
“I, uh…” He cleared his throat, forcing his gaze off her earrings. “I just wanted to say that I’d much rather be dining with you.”
Marian grinned, that same rosy flush appearing in her cheek. “Yeah, well…It would be nice, wouldn’t it?” A moment of awkward silence passed, and then she started again. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Omar let her go this time, let himself be captivated by her petite, curvy figure as he watched her walk toward the elevators.
She was the only one he wanted to have dinner with tonight. And for reasons that had nothing to do with business.
3
The next morning, Marian woke up early to get herself centered. She’d spent the majority of her first night in Minarak bitching to Annabelle about Kelly’s intolerable comments and gorging on decadent hotel food, so today needed to be a clean slate.
Today she was going to do her actual job, clean up the project, and get on her way to never seeing Kelly again.
She reviewed the files she’d brought for the presentation, even though Kelly was in charge of handling it and would never let her get a word in edgewise. She’d come so prepared that she could actually do Kelly’s job. In fact, she would do it a million ti
mes better, given his inherent aversion to sensitivity and diplomacy.
If she liked her job less she might have found the sinking ship of Kelly more entertaining. But really, it just stung. He was ruining their good name and burning bridges around the world. Annabelle was equally aghast at his behavior, but her only warning last night for the presentation was: be prepared to assert yourself.