Her heart raced. She hated the feeling of being unprepared, but Issam’s eyes beckoned her. His voice was hard to resist.
She sat.
* * *
The first meeting, as it turned out, was with Adira and Daya, who swept into the dining room after Mackenzie and Issam had been eating for twenty minutes, filling the space with laughter and enthusiasm.
“Another wedding,” joked Adira. “When will we ever be able to stop planning?”
Her mother nudged her with an elbow. “When you find a suitable partner.”
“I’m not in any rush,” Adira answered primly.
“Mackenzie.” Daya greeted her warmly, kissing her on both cheeks and taking the seat next to her. Issam pressed his lips to Mackenzie’s temple and disappeared into the hallway. “We’ll do our best not to overwhelm you.”
“Oh, please don’t. I’d love to be overwhelmed by this,” said Mackenzie, and both the other women laughed. It was true. If she couldn’t be at the negotiating table, she’d rather be consumed by another project, like the wedding. She had switched naturally to the local dialect, and it immediately made the conversation more comfortable.
“Then we’ll begin with the venue.” Daya launched into a long and complicated list of decisions about the wedding, each affecting the other. “So,” she said at last. “Would you prefer the ceremony to be indoors or in the rose garden?”
Mackenzie thought for a moment. “Wherever my mother-in-law loves best.”
Daya laughed heartily. “Oh, I like you,” she said. “You’re my kind of woman.”
8
Issam had thought the day before that nothing could possibly top Mackenzie’s navy-blue suit. The way she moved in it was intoxicating, as if she was ready to throw open any door that dared close itself against her. He had been surprised that she didn’t fight her way into his meeting rooms, security clearance or not. That would have been quite disastrous—she couldn’t be privy to those meetings, as much as he wanted her energy in the rooms. The longer his team delayed processing her application and completing her background check the better.
He had been wrong, however, about the suit.
In an effort to distract her from her obsession with the negotiations, Issam had invited Mackenzie to accompany him to a morning workout in his private training center. It was across the palace compound, and he spent time every morning there with his top brass. Today, he’d sent his men on a cross-country run so he could have the gym—and Mackenzie—to himself. Staying in shape was essential, and so were the bonds he formed with his men. But they could survive a day apart.
That had all fallen by the wayside when Mackenzie stepped through the door, her curious gaze flitting back and forth across the state-of-the-art gym and training center.
Her workout gear was on another level.
He had ordered it purchased himself but had left the details up to one of his assistants. He’d have to give her a raise, because though she’d chosen classic gear—black capris and a pink tank—they both looked as if they’d been made for Mackenzie. Her breasts peeked out from the tank just enough to make his mouth water.
She surveyed all the equipment and the room’s setup. On one end of the massive room, there were three rows of cardio machines. In the center was a large open area with jump boxes, ropes, and tires, and more equipment lined the walls. Issam relished the thought of explaining it all to her. Of course, in teaching her how to use the equipment, he’d get to touch her...
“The way we’ve set things up,” he began, going to stand next to her, “is something you might recognize from America and Europe. The style is—”
“CrossFit,” Mackenzie said. “This is how I prefer to work out at home. Have you looked up the workout of the day?”
“I—” Issam was taken aback. The men he worked with loved the military style workouts and the adrenaline rush they provided. His sister Adira, o
n the other hand, had never expressed the slightest interest in it. “I’m surprised.”
“At the workout of the day?” Mackenzie shrugged. “It doesn’t seem so bad. Maybe a little challenging. Push-ups aren’t my forte, but it’s not like I can’t do them. How do you like to warm up? I usually run outside first, but those treadmills are calling my name.”
She jogged over to them, leaving Issam behind.
He watched her firm ass in those snug capri pants and instantly had to adjust himself beneath his shorts. Mackenzie doing CrossFit? They hadn’t even started the workout and he was turned on by the idea.
So turned on.
He took the treadmill next to hers and settled into an easy jog. “So,” he said, and for the first time it felt like they might actually be...dating. And not deeply into a diplomatic arrangement. “What do you like about CrossFit?”
Mackenzie glanced over at him, her ponytail bouncing at the back of her head. “What do you like about it?”