“I’m used to men like that,” she said coolly. “I’m not used to the rich foods and the alcohol.”
“My sister has a way of making a spectacle of everything.”
Katie shrugged. “I think your sister is brilliant. Liyah and Mila have been welcoming simply because of their connection with Sahaar, but your sister didn’t even bat an eye. She threw this whole dinner together just so I could expand my contacts in the art world, and we barely know each other.”
“Yes. That sounds like Amira.”
After a moment of silence, she realized that he wasn’t going to bring up their interview from earlier. Obviously, he didn’t plan to offer a job, and he apparently didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it.
“From what I can tell, your brothers are in competition with each other about who can outdo the other in the business world. But you chose to open a gallery?”
“I didn’t give a damn about business,” he said quietly. The smoke from his cigar curled upward in the air. “I would have been happy to paint for the rest of my life, but my father demanded more from me. The gallery was our way of compromising. I saw it as a way to help others who are passionate about their artwork and still make my father happy.”
There was no inflection in his voice, but from the intensity of his gaze, she could see the passion there. She was nearly taken aback by it. It sounded almost like he was sharing something personal with her.
“Do you still paint?”
The cigar tip brightened as he took a puff, and then he said abruptly, “Why are you here?”
Katie blinked. “Amira invited me.”
“Not here at the palace. Here in Dubai. Why come here for a job?”
“That’s a personal question.” Swallowing hard, she reached out and gripped the railing. There was a shift in the atmosphere, and she could feel his full attention on her. It wasn’t the same lustful gaze that she experienced from most men.
His expression remained unreadable. “So is asking me if I still paint.”
Nodding, she pushed away from the railing, squared her shoulders, and faced him. “For most people, it isn’t a personal question. Asking you what you paint or why you paint might be personal, but not if you paint.”
“And asking you why you moved halfway across the world for a job is also not a personal question. At least, not for most people.”
Jutting out her chin, she crossed her arms. “Maybe we’re just at the point in our relationship where all questions simply seem too personal.”
Khalid raised an eyebrow. “Relationship?”
“Yes. Relationship. In which two people are connected. Are you familiar with the term?”
“I am familiar with the term.” He walked slowly toward her and pulled the cigar away from his mouth. “Since we barely know each other, I think association might be the more correct term. Relationship usually implies intimacy. Did you mean to imply intimacy, Katie?”
She didn’t back down. “No. Intimacy implies passion. You seem fairly devoid of that. I appreciate you keeping me company, but if you’ll excuse me, I have some connections that I need to secure.”
As she walked past him, he reached out and grabbed her arm. “They’re interested in two things. Getting in Amira’s pants, and getting in yours. They don’t see your intellect. They only see your beauty. But you’re used to that, aren’t you?”
“If you’re asking me if I’m used to turning heads, the answer is yes. If you’re suggesting that I use it as a weapon to get what I want, you’re sorely mistaken. Let go of my arm.”
He immediately released her, and she walked inside alone. The conversation at the table was lively as everyone stood to move to the personal theater in the palace. Khalid joined them a few minutes later, but he escorted his two dates and sat in the row behind Katie.
Katie paid no attention to the movie. In the dark, she could practically feel his gaze searing into the back of her head. A room full of people, and she was only aware of him. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears, and her breathing was heavy. Desperately, she wanted to turn her head and look at him, watch him, study him, but she kept her back straight and pretended to be enthralled in the movie.
At the end, when Liyah and Amira hugged her goodbye, she finally caught sight of him again. He openly studied her and nodded his head.
That moment haunted her thoughts half the night as she tossed and turned in her bed.
5
“You and Katie disappeared together at dinner,” Amira said, trailing her fingers along his kitchen table.
Khalid unbuttoned his shirt and glared at his sister. “I don’t recall inviting you in here,” he growled.