Читать книгу The Sheikh's Baby Scandal - Carol Marinelli - Страница 10
ОглавлениеYOU NEED FELICIA HAMILTON.
Crown Prince Sheikh Kedah of Zazinia had always made sure that he needed no one.
He was reliant only on himself.
That late afternoon he sat in his London office and rolled a rare spherical diamond between the pads of his index finger and thumb as he read a newspaper article on his computer. When there was a knock on the door and he called for Anu to come in he saw that she looked rather tense. He wondered if she had read the article too.
What was being discussed in it would distress her, he knew. She had been a loyal member of his team for a number of years and was also from his homeland. She would understand how damning this article was.
‘Ms Hamilton is here for her interview,’ Anu said, and her lips pursed a little.
‘Send her in, then.’
‘She asked for a few moments to freshen up.’
Oh, Anu tried, but she could not hold her protests in. All the staff who came into contact with Kedah had a preliminary interview with Anu first. Yesterday she had met with Felicia, and found the young woman did not tick any of the usual boxes that might get her through to a second round interview. She lacked hospitality experience—though she made up for it in attitude—and that would never do when working for Kedah. He was not exactly known for consulting with his staff. He had a packed schedule and he expected his team to work quietly and seamlessly in the background—which was something Anu could not see happening with Miss Hamilton.
Anu had reported this to him yesterday, and yet Kedah had told her to call Felicia back and invite her to come in this afternoon.
‘Kedah, I really don’t think that she is suitable to work as your PA.’
‘Anu, I understand that you have concerns, and they have been noted. Can you please alert me when Miss Hamilton decides that she is ready?’
As the door closed behind Anu, Kedah replaced the diamond in the inside pocket of his jacket and returned to the news article that he had been reading.
It was in English. No one from his homeland would dare to publish such a piece. Not yet.
Heir (not so) Apparent!
Beneath the daring title there was a picture of Kedah, wearing a suit and tie and a rich, arrogant smile. It spoke of the recent death of Kedah’s grandfather and how, now that Omar was King, certain difficult topics needed to be raised. It briefly discussed Kedah’s British education and subsequent jet-set lifestyle and playboy reputation. It mentioned how, at thirty, he still showed no sign of settling down.
The article also spoke about his younger brother Mohammed and his wife Kumu and their two sons. Unlike Kedah, Mohammed had been schooled in Zazinia, and there was a considerable faction in the country who considered that, for stability, Mohammed would make a more suitable Crown Prince and subsequent King. The article stated that some of the elders were now calling for the Accession Council to meet and for a final decision to be made.
At the end of the piece there was a photo of Mohammed and Omar, but most damning of all was the caption below: Like Father, Like Son.
Apart from the years that separated them, Mohammed and Omar were identical—not just in looks but in their staid, old-fashioned ways.
The only change that Omar had made while Crown Prince had been an update to the education system. Over the years Kedah had made no progress with his father either. Kedah was a highly skilled architect, yet every design he’d submitted had been rejected and every suggestion he’d made either immediately turned down or later overruled.
He had hoped, now that his grandfather was dead, that things might change, but his latest proposal for a stunning waterfront hotel and shopping complex had been rejected too.
His father had pointed out that the new building would look onto the private royal beach.
‘There are ways around that,’ Kedah had insisted. ‘If you would just let me—’
‘The decision is final, Kedah,’ the King had interrupted. ‘I have discussed it at length with the elders...’
‘And you have discussed it at length with Mohammed,’ Kedah had said. ‘I hear that he was very vocal in his criticism of my plans.’
‘I listen to all sides.’
‘Well, you should listen to me first,’ Kedah had said. ‘Mohammed is not the Crown Prince.’
‘Mohammed is the one who is here.’
‘I have told you—I will not live in Zazinia if I am to be ineffectual.’
Kedah turned off his computer so he did not have to see the offensive article.
Earlier today, when it had first appeared, he had called Vadia, his assistant in Zazinia, and had been assured that it would be pulled down from the internet. There was no denying, though, that things were coming to a head. Even before their grandfather’s death Mohammed had decided that he would make a better Crown Prince and future King. Many of the elders thought the same, and—as the article had stated—there was a strong push for a meeting of the Accession Council to discuss the future of the royal family formally.
His father would have the final say, but rather than declaring outright that he would prefer his younger son to be King one day, Omar seemed to be pushing Kedah into stepping aside.
Kedah refused to.
Instead he was busy making plans.
He had many rich and influential friends, and he knew a lot of bad boys too. Matteo Di Sione was both. He had a reputation that rivalled even Kedah’s.
They had met up in New York a couple of weeks ago—and not by chance. Kedah hadn’t told Matteo the issue, just that he was expecting turbulent times ahead and needed someone tough who could handle things. Matteo had made some discreet enquiries on his friend’s behalf and had come back to Kedah with his findings.
You need Felicia Hamilton.
Kedah glanced at the time. Usually a potential employee who arrived late for an interview and then asked for time to freshen up wouldn’t even make it through the door of his office.
What the hell was she doing? he wondered.
* * *
She was reading.
Felicia hadn’t actually intended to keep Sheikh Kedah waiting for quite so long. The West End was gridlocked—thanks to a red carpet awards show taking place tonight, the taxi driver had told her. So Felicia, sitting in the back and doing some final research on Kedah on her way to the interview, had decided to walk the last couple of blocks. But then a very interesting article had turned up on her tablet and, after arriving at his impressive office, she’d wanted a few more moments to go through it.
Now perhaps she understood why she had been called back after that disastrous interview yesterday. Anu had spoken to her as if Felicia wanted to work for Kedah—a real job, so to speak—and after an awkward twenty minutes, during which it had become increasingly clear that Felicia was not the type Sheikh Kedah employed, the two women had parted ways.
Still, her phone had rung this morning and Felicia had smiled to herself when she had been invited to return and meet with the man himself. Of course Kedah didn’t want a PA—it was her troubleshooting skills he required.
Now she knew why!
It would seem that Crown Prince Sheikh Kedah of Zazinia was fighting for the throne—and Felicia was now sure he wanted to commence the clean-up of his reputation.
From what she knew of him, it would take more than industrial strength bleach!
If there was a scale for playboys, then Kedah was at the extreme top. In fact his partying ways were legendary.
How the mighty fell!
Today this oh, so arrogant man would reveal his troubles to Felicia. Of course she would look suitably unshocked as he did so, and assure him that whatever trouble he was in she could sort it.
Felicia was very good at her job because she had been doing it all her life.
She had been taught to smile for the cameras alongside Susannah, her long-suffering mother, long before she could even walk. She had on many occasions sat in the family lounge with spin doctors and PR people as they had debated how her father’s multiple affairs and the trashy headlines and exposés should best be dealt with.
There had even been times when they had come to her school. Felicia could remember sitting in the headmaster’s office with her parents, being reminded that cameras would be on them when they left. She had been told what to do as they walked, as a family, to the waiting car.
‘Remember to smile, Felicia.’
‘Susannah, hold his hand as you walk to the car and don’t forget to laugh when he whispers to you.’
And her mother had done as she was told. Susannah had done everything that had been asked of her. But in the end it had all been to no avail. When Felicia was fourteen her father had decided to update to a younger model and had walked out on them.
A legal wrangle had ensued.
The lovely private boarding school that had been such a haven for her had disappeared when the school fees hadn’t been paid, and with it had gone Felicia’s friends and her beloved pony.
Susannah had fallen apart, and it had been up to her daughter to be strong. They had rented a small house while waiting for the money to be sorted out and Felicia had enrolled in the local school—but she hadn’t fit in. Her dreams of being a vet had long gone by then, and she’d left school at sixteen. She had taken an office job to help with the rent.
Those days were gone now.
Felicia was highly sought-after, and her troubleshooting talents were coveted by the rich and famous. Her mother lived in a house that Felicia had bought and paid for, and Felicia owned her own flat.
Some questioned how she could defend these men—but, really, Felicia was just doing what she’d been taught.
The only difference was that now she was paid.
And paid handsomely.
She ran a comb through her dark blonde hair, touched up her lip gloss and added a slick of mascara to bring out the green of her eyes. As she headed out Anu told her to take a seat. Guessing the newspaper article would soon be taken down, she took a few quick screenshots on her phone as Sheikh Kedah now kept her waiting.
Oh, well! She had done the same to him.
Working with this type of man, Felicia had found that it was terribly important to establish early on that his ego had to be put aside and that from this point on she ran the show. It was even more vital to establish that they weren’t suddenly best friends and, given the reputations of the men she dealt with, to make it clear they would never be lovers.
Felicia would be very nice at first, of course, while he told her what was going on, but then her smile would fade and she’d tell him what had to be done if he wanted to come out of this intact.
The truth was that Felicia despised these men.
She just knew, from wretched experience, how to deal with them.
‘You might want to put your phone away,’ Anu suggested.
Felicia was about to decline politely when a rich, deep and heavily accented voice spoke for her.
‘I’m sure Ms Hamilton is just keeping up to date with the news.’
She looked up.
She had prepared thoroughly for this moment—determined not to let such a superfluous thing as his stunning looks sideswipe her. She had examined many photos to render herself immune to him. Only no photograph could fully capture the beauty of Sheikh Kedah in the flesh.
He was wearing an exquisitely cut dark suit and tie, but they were mere details for she had little interest in his attire. And it was not the caramel of his skin against his white shirt or his thick glossy black hair that forced her to try to remember to breathe. Nor was it cheekbones that looked as if Michelangelo himself had spent a couple of days sculpting them to perfection. Even sulky full lips that did not smile hardly mattered, for Felicia was caught in the trap of his eyes.
They were thickly lashed and a rich shade of chocolate-brown with golden flecks and—unlike most of her clients—he met her gaze steadily.
Oh, she was extremely good at her job. For, despite the jolt to her senses, Felicia did not let her reaction reveal itself to him and instead stood up, utterly composed.
‘Come through,’ he said.
And she smiled.
Widely.
She had a smile that took men’s breath away. It was a smile so seemingly open that hardened reporters would thrust their microphones a little closer and their lenses would zoom in, so certain were they that it would waver.
It never did.
And long ago she had trained herself not to blush.
‘I’m sorry I’m late,’ Felicia said as she walked towards him. ‘The traffic was terrible.’
He almost forgave her, for in turn Felicia was not what Kedah had been expecting. He had thought, given she had been invited for a formal second interview, that she would be in a suit, but Felicia looked rather more like a lady who lunched and was wearing a pretty off-white dress.
It was fitted enough that it showed her slender frame and pert bust, while short enough to reveal her toned legs. She was wearing high-heeled strappy sandals and looked nothing like the hard-nosed woman he had been prepared for. In fact she was as delicate-looking as she was pretty. She was so soft and smiling that Kedah was quite sure Matteo had got it all wrong.
Felicia Hamilton was the very last person he needed. Moreover, she was exactly the soft and submissive type he desired!
Naturally he had looked her up and had seen a picture of her in a boxy suit with her hair worn up. She had been coming out of court, with a terribly famous and thoroughly disgraced sportsman by her side. She had spoken for him and her voice had been crisp and to the point.
Today Kedah had expected brittle, and yet there was a softness to her that confused him. Her hair was long and layered and framed a heart-shaped face, and her fragrance was light and floral, meeting his nostrils as he held the door open for her and she passed him.
‘Please...’ Kedah gestured. ‘Take a seat.’
Felicia did so, placing her bag by her side and crossing her legs at the ankles. Though he seemed utterly composed, Felicia was prepared for anything. Often the door had barely closed before her future client broke down. ‘For God’s sake, Felicia, you have to help me!’ they all too often begged. ‘You have to stop this from getting out!’
Yes—client.
Oh, she might call them her boss when she was in front of the camera lens but, as Kedah would soon find out, it was Felicia who was in charge.
Yet instead of begging for her help Kedah calmly offered refreshments.
‘No, thank you.’
‘You’re sure?’ he checked.
‘Quite sure. I had a late lunch.’
And his troubles would be a very sweet dessert!
He walked around the desk and took his place and Felicia ran a tongue over her glossed lips as she waited for him to reveal the salacious truth.
‘You come highly recommended.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Ms Hamilton?’ he checked. ‘Or can I call you Felicia?’
‘Felicia’s fine,’ she offered. ‘How would you like me to address you?’
‘Kedah.’
She nodded.
They went through the formalities. He told her he was an esteemed architect, which of course she already knew.
‘I used to sell them off, but now once I design a hotel I tend to hold on to it,’ Kedah explained needlessly.
She just wished he’d get to the point.
‘So I have a fleet of hotels across the world, which in turn means I have a lot of staff...’
Felicia nodded and wished they could lose the charade and get to the good bit.
‘Do you have much experience in the hospitality industry?’ he asked.
Felicia frowned. She’d expected a confessional—to sit, seemingly non-judgmental, as he poured out his past—yet he seemed to be actually interviewing her.
‘Not really. Though of course I’ve stayed in an awful lot of hotels!’
Oh, she had. And if Kedah was going on word of mouth then he’d know that she worked for just a few weeks a year.
He didn’t even deign to smile at her small joke.
‘As I hope Anu explained, the role would involve extensive travel. If you work for me the hours will be very long. Sometimes there are eighteen-hour days. If we are away you would also work weekends. Do you have other commitments?’
‘My current employer is my only commitment,’ Felicia answered. It was the truth—whatever his crisis, it would have her full attention.
‘Good.’ Kedah nodded. ‘How soon would you be able to start?’
‘As soon as the contract is signed.’ Felicia smiled. ‘I trust Anu gave you my terms?’
‘Indeed she did.’
Felicia Hamilton commanded quite a fee.
‘What about your personal life?’ he asked.
‘That’s not your concern,’ Felicia answered.
‘Be sure to keep it that way,’ Kedah said. ‘I don’t want to hear that your boyfriend is upset because you missed his birthday, or that your mother-in-law has surgery next week and you need some time off. Care factor? Zero.’
Felicia’s response was to laugh, and for once it was genuine. Honesty had been somewhat lacking in her life, and she would far prefer the truth than a dressed-up lie.
And now she waited—how she waited—for that cool facade to crack and for Kedah to admit that he had royally stuffed up and needed his past to disappear. But instead he spoke of hotels and designs, and she stifled a yawn as he told her about Hussain, a graphic designer he regularly used.
‘He’s excellent. He actually studied with my father many years ago. We have worked on many designs together—mainly in the UAE.’
Felicia stifled another yawn.
‘Why don’t I show you some examples of my work—as well as a few of the hotels we shall be visiting in the coming weeks?’ Kedah said, and then dimmed the lights.
Felicia wondered for a brief second if refreshments might be in order after all. Was she about to get a private screening of the trouble Sheikh Kedah was in? A steamy sex tape? The Crown Prince bound and gagged in a seedy encounter, perhaps?
Kedah watched that tongue pop out and moisten those lovely lips as she sat straight in the chair, giving him her full attention.
Then he smiled unseen as her shoulders slumped and she sat through the forty-minute presentation that took her through some of his luxury hotels. She fought to keep her eyes from crossing as she watched it.
What the hell...?
‘Do you have any questions?’ Kedah invited as he flicked on the lights.
No! She just wanted him to cut to the chase and reveal the truth. ‘Not at this stage,’ she said.
‘There must be things that you want to ask me?’ he invited. ‘Surely you have come prepared? You will have looked me up?’
‘Of course I have.’
‘What do you think your role might entail?’ he asked as he went through her file.
Maybe he was shy, Felicia thought. Though that made no sense. He looked far from shy. But perhaps he needed a little help revealing his dark truths, so she decided to broach things gently. ‘I would guess, from my research, that I’ll be running a dating agency with only one man on the books,’ Felicia said, and watched him closely for a reaction.
Kedah merely looked up from the papers and stared back at her as she continued.
‘Though of course rather more discreetly than my predecessors.’
‘Discreetly?’ Kedah frowned.
‘You tend to hit the glossies rather a lot.’
‘That’s hardly my staff’s fault.’
‘Well, they should monitor what’s said. If a woman’s upset...’
‘As far as my sex life goes, you would just have to deal with the bookings and the brochure, Felicia...’
‘Brochure?
He didn’t enlighten her. ‘What I am saying is that you do not police comments or apologise on my behalf. I am quite grateful for “the glossies”, as you call them, for if women expect anything more from me than a night in bed, possibly two, then that is their own foolish mistake. They cannot say they haven’t been duly warned.’
No, not shy, Felicia decided as he continued to speak.
‘But I do expect discretion from all who work for me. Naturally you will have to sign a confidentiality agreement.’
‘I told Anu yesterday that I shan’t.’
Kedah, who had gone back to going through the papers, glanced up.
‘Nobody would employ a PA without one.’
‘If you look through my references you’ll see that they do.’ She gave him a smile, as if she was asking if he took sugar with his coffee—one lump or two? ‘You either trust me or you don’t.’
‘I don’t,’ he responded. ‘Though please don’t take it personally. I don’t trust anyone.’
‘Good, because neither do I.’
Kedah was fast realising there was nothing apart from her appearance that was delicate. She was actually rather fascinating, and any doubts he might have had about her being up to the job were starting to fade.
He had no intention of telling her his situation just yet, of course, but he had decided that he wanted her onside. ‘We can’t go any further without you signing one.’
‘Well, we can’t go any further, then,’ she said, and reached for her bag.
He didn’t halt her.
‘Thank you for wasting my time,’ she added, and gave him another flash of that stunning smile.
Kedah noted that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. They were a dazzling emerald-green—a shade that was one of a forest reflected on a lake...emerald, yet glacial.
He watched, quietly amused, as she began to flounce off.
‘Sit down, Felicia.’
There was such command to his tone that it stopped her.
His voice wasn’t remotely raised. If anything his words were delivered with an almost bored calm. But he might as well have reached for a lasso, for it was as if something had just wrapped around her. Oh, Felicia heard his words—yet she felt them at the base of her spine, and it tingled as he continued speaking.
‘I haven’t finished with you yet.’
