Chuckling softly, he moved back around the house, and Poppy stared at his retreating backside. He didn’t even throw the garbage bag away for her. Rudeness!
Shivering, she braced herself again and managed to throw the bag into the bin. Slamming the lid back down, she hurried back inside. As much as she wanted to chastise the deliveryman for not helping her, she had too much on her plate.
As she burst through the door, she breathed in deeply and welcomed the warmth of the kitchen. Emine was nowhere to be found. Pleased that she’d have no interruptions, she hurried to the laundry room only to stop short when she passed the living room. The gorgeous deliveryman was standing next to an even bigger man and they spoke in hushed tones with Emine.
“Poppy,” Emine said suddenly and waved her hands. “Come, come.”
Surprised, Poppy let Emine grab her arm and pull her in. The older woman actually sounded pleasant and professional.
“This is Poppy Milenne. She’s my live-in staff member. If you’ll only allow one of us to stay, she’s your best bet. She’s a proficient cook and housekeeper.”
Proficient? Did Emine just compliment her?
“Poppy. Interesting name,” the deliveryman said slowly.
“I didn’t choose it,” Poppy snapped.
“Poppy!” Emine gasped in horror.
“She’s American?” the other man asked with a frown.
“She’ll do,” the deliveryman said as he nodded approvingly.
“What is going on?” Poppy asked in frustration.
“Poppy,” Emine said nervously. “This is Sheikh Samir Shadid. He’s the youngest son to Crowned Sheikh Jibreel Shadid.”
Sheikh? The deliveryman was the royal VIP member staying at the safe house?
A million thoughts ran through her head. She probably should have lowered her eyes or bowed her head or curtsied. She certainly should apologize.
Instead, she swallowed hard and met his gaze. “Oops.”
2
Oops. Samir couldn’t help but laugh when he thought of the horror-stricken look on the beautiful woman’s face. He’d expected an apology, but she had simply scampered away. The older housekeeper stared in dismay after her, but Melka cleared his throat, and Emine snapped back to attention.
“I’m sorry about that. I’d be more than happy to replace her if you’re not pleased,” she stuttered.
Melka Fehisa, his bodyguard, nodded in agreement, but Samir raised an eyebrow. “No,” he said softly. “I think she’ll do nicely.” He’d been displeased at the thought of spending Christmas isolated and alone, but the gorgeous firecracker promised to make things much more interesting.
“Samir, its best if we only have one staff member stay. I think having someone more familiar with you would be wise,” Melka warned in a low voice.
“Relax,” Samir replied. “Just because she doesn’t kiss the ground I walk on doesn’t mean she’s going to try to kill me.”
“It’s possible that someone does want to kill you,” the bodyguard reminded him.
“It’s also just as possible that someone is just blowing off some steam.” Melka had been his bodyguard since Samir had turned eighteen and while they got along well, the man tended to be a bit dramatic and overprotective. While Samir was on his way to a party, his bodyguard had intercepted a death threat against Samir. Apparently, the Sheikh had slept with someone’s wife, and the husband wasn’t all that happy.
To Samir’s credit, he didn’t deliberately sleep with married women. It wasn’t his fault if his playmates sometimes lied.
Samir had shrugged it off, but Melka was all bu
siness. After contacting Samir’s father, the bodyguard quickly spirited Samir away to the royal safe house. Although, as Samir looked around, he wasn’t even sure if safe house was the right word. It looked suspiciously like a damn shack in the middle of the woods.
Still, if he was going to stay here, he might as well have something pretty to look at.
Melka stiffened. “I’m in charge of you, and I’d feel more comfortable if Emine stayed.”