Читать книгу The Chatsfield: Series 2 - Эбби Грин, Кейт Хьюит - Страница 15
ОглавлениеZAYN WAS UNPREPARED for the sight that greeted him when he entered the dining room that night. Sophie was already there, seated next to the head of the table.
She was a far cry from the woman he had found crouched behind trash cans in the alley. Certainly, it had been apparent she was beautiful even then, but just now she was somewhere beyond beautiful.
Radiant was one word that could be used to describe her. If he was given to such flights of fancy, and he was not.
Her golden hair was piled on top of her head, giving the impression of a halo, which was laughable all things considered.
Her face was made up, but done so in a very subtle way. Her cheeks glowed, an iridescent shimmer around her eyes brightening the green of them. Her lips were slick with some kind of pale pink gloss.
But it was the dress that she wore that made him want to call his sister’s personal shopper and fire her on the spot. Not because it wasn’t perfect, but because it was too perfect.
The burnished orange fabric molded itself to her skin, the structured bodice cupping her breasts, drawing his eyes to them. It was the dress, and not him, and certainly not her. Because he had been celibate for nearly three years now, ever since his engagement had been made official. And in all that time, he had never had any trouble keeping his eyes where they ought to be. He respected women, he did not see them as tools for his personal pleasure, or visual enjoyment. He did not leer at them when he invited them to join him for dinner.
That meant the only answer was that the dress was sincerely inappropriate. Because he was most certainly not. He had been nothing but appropriate for a great many years now. And he was hardly going to start changing his ways now.
“I did not expect you to be here already.” He strode past her, and took his seat at the head of the table.
“I thought I would spend some time taking in the sights. Getting oriented. I made it to the dining room a little quicker than anticipated.”
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“I trust a member of staff has already been by to collect your drink order?”
She smiled, her lush lips curving upward. “I have been expertly cared for, thank you.”
“Good,” he said, his eyes fixed on her.
Last night there had been no time to notice just how beautiful she was, because he had been too busy trying to figure out what he was going to do with her.
Now suddenly he had noticed, and his body had a whole different idea as to what one might do with her.
No question, his captive was lovely. It was a shame he didn’t trust her. It was a shame that her loveliness simply couldn’t come into play. He was not in that place in his life. And even if he was, she would be the last person on earth he would ever touch.
She was privy to pieces of information that, were they ever connected, would bring press attention he did not need. Or want.
“I suppose I shouldn’t have expected you to serve my drink when we were here in the palace. But I got used to my royal treatment on the plane.” She sounded sincere enough, but he wasn’t fooled. She was angry with him. And he knew she had every right to be. But it did not mean he felt any remorse over his actions.
He’d had to act, there was no question about that. And her staying in the Surhaadi palace for a while would hardly damage her.
There was the slight issue of the fact that he would not be giving her any additional information on the Chatsfields, if for no other reason than he didn’t have any. But she didn’t need to know that. He simply needed to keep her here until the wedding.
By then, Leila would’ve made a decision, by then the media would be distracted with the proceedings. Yes, he needed to keep her here for three weeks, and then things would take care of themselves. She would return to New York with the story that her boss wanted, and his family would be safe.
He could not subject them to the kind of firestorm that had happened when Jasmine, his other sister, had died. That had been his fault, a failure on his part to protect her, and this with Leila was no different. He would handle it better.
Because he was not the same stupid boy he had been. He did not only care for himself and his pleasure; to the contrary, his pleasure took a backseat to everything else. He had a duty to fulfill, both to his country, and his family. He would never fail in that, never again.
He would be damned if he allowed a media firestorm to force Leila’s hand. That meant as far as Sophie was concerned, he had to keep his wits about him. There was no time for him to allow her dress to distract him.
It was everything. It was the essence of who he was.
“I think I will allow the staff to serve us both tonight.”
As if on cue a member of staff appeared not only with her drink, but with his. She had ordered wine, and they had brought one for him, as well. He was not a devout man, his faith left crumbled and scattered somewhere in his debauched past, and he did often drink a glass of wine with dinner. However, given the fact that his control seemed to be closer to the edge than usual, he was wondering if it was a wise decision.
He accepted the glass, a feeling of determination blooming in his chest and spreading outward. He would not allow her to control the situation. Not in regards to what he drank, or ate, or did. He was not a slave to his body, or her dress.
He leaned back in the chair, keeping his eyes on her, on the way her fingertips slid uneasily along the stem of her wineglass. It was a small display of nerves, but he would take it. Would take it as a sign that he was very much in control.
“I do hope you don’t have any particular dietary restrictions.” He regarded her closely.
“Such as?”
“Vegetarian, gluten-free.”
“I don’t. But thank you for asking.”
“Well, don’t thank me prematurely. I was about to tell you that if you do I will not be able to accommodate you tonight, but tomorrow and the evenings thereafter we would have.”
“Thankfully, there is nothing to accommodate. So, I thank you again, for your thoughtfulness.”
“Have you poisoned my wine?”
“Why would you ask such a thing?” Her green eyes were wide, the essence of wounded innocence. He didn’t buy it for a moment.
“You are being awfully nice considering your current situation. Much nicer than you were only hours ago.”
“I’m being professional. This is a professional meal, isn’t it?”
He lifted his wineglass to his lips. “I see.”
“Do you? What is it you see, exactly?”
“I see that you are ready to play the game.”
“This is the game, this is my career. And beyond that, this is a friend’s livelihood at stake.”
“Interesting. What does your friend’s livelihood have to do with any of this?” She looked away from him, biting her lip. “I see, you have given away more than you intended to. This is very interesting.”
“The only thing you need to know is that we have a common enemy,” she said, looking up, her eyes blazing now. “I don’t think either of us are James Chatsfield’s biggest fan. As far as I can see, that’s all either of us need to know. For now.”
“For now.”
The double doors to the dining room opened again, and more staff entered, with platters laden with food. They set them down in the center of the table, they did not speak, as the palace staff here in Surhaadi were trained to do. In his own quarters, he treated staff differently. When he had lived predominantly in the other palace, things had been structured differently. But this was the way his father had run things, and the way his mother preferred to run things, as well. And while they were no longer in residence here, the established protocol remained the same.
They were served in silence, and both he and Sophie let the silence rest. Once their plates were filled, and the staff had filed back out again, she turned her sharp green eyes to him. “You promised me an interview. You promised me a scandal. I would like to collect on that now.”
“During dinner? I do not conduct business during dinner.” That was a lie, he had conducted business during dinner plenty of times, but he did not like her dictating the terms. And he also needed to figure out how to keep her interested for the next few weeks. There was also the small matter of what he was going to tell her.
The simple fact was, he had no information on James Chatsfield he was willing to share. That was the sort of scandal she was after, and it was not one he could give. Which meant he was going to have to lead her on a journey that would not end where she expected..
He just hadn’t decided where yet.
“It is a very good dinner. But I did anticipate getting down to things. We traveled quite a lot, and I am feeling tired.”
“Do you want your story? Or not?”
“Obviously I do.”
“Then you will wait and you will hear it on my terms.”
He could read the annoyance plainly on her face, and he found it perversely enjoyable. Yet another point in his win column. Yet more evidence that he was still in command, no matter how well fitted her dress was.
“Tell me, then,” she said, looking back up at him, attempting to look friendly, but still looking like she would rather sink her teeth into his neck. Unfortunately, something about that image sent a sharp jolt of heat straight to his gut. He ignored it.
She cleared her throat. “Which topics are on the table for dinner? So that I know for future evenings.”
“We may discuss the weather, though, invariably it is hot.”
“The weather is hot, there we have covered that.”
“Very well done.” He took a bite of couscous, and let the conversation rest until he was finished. “We may also discuss issues of the day. I see no reason why we ought not to occasionally discuss politics, or even religion. Seeing as I doubt either of us are worried about offending each other.”
“True, after you take control of someone’s person and force them to come back to their country with you, you have sort of made it clear that you don’t care whether or not you offend them. But I do wonder if discussing politics might get dicey, as the fact remains that if we discuss politics in Surhaadi, we will be discussing you.”
“Then we can stick to American politics.”
She laughed, a short, one-note sound. “No, that’s something I can’t discuss while eating, for fear I will be sick,” she said, her tone dry.
“Fair enough. Perhaps I will take this opportunity to ask you about you.” He didn’t really care about his beautiful captive, neither should he. She was a liability, and she needed to be minimized. That was what one did when something was a liability. It did not matter where she came from, or who her friend was that she seemed to be intent on protecting. It did not matter if she had a lover, or if she did not.
All that mattered was protecting Leila.
“And what is it exactly you want to know about me?” she asked.
“Whatever it is you would like to tell me.”
“I’m not sure how it would make any difference to you.”
“Why wouldn’t it make a difference to me?”
“We seem to have these kind of circular conversations, and I find them quite annoying.”
“Indulge me,” he said.
“Fine. I don’t see why you would care because you’re a sheikh. Because you’re important. Because you have money and that means other people rarely matter in a sincere way.”
“Is that what you think? It seems a very cynical way to view the world.”
Her cheeks colored, her mouth pulled into a tightly drawn line. “Hey, I’ve earned my worldview, on that you can trust me. I wasn’t from a family with a name anyone recognized. That made me lesser. So you can see why I feel a little bit surprised that someone like you would care to hear about me.”
He was happy to use this moment to keep the microscope on her. To keep her in the iron sights of this conversation rather than submitting himself to an examination. “Your surprise is misplaced. Now that you’ve said all that, I find I’m even more curious.” What she was talking about was something that was far outside his experience in many ways. People had always treated him with a certain amount of deference because he was a ruler. Because he had power and, as she had mentioned before, money. However, he also knew far too well that it did not erase all of one’s problems.
“There isn’t much to be curious about. I grew up in your standard low-end neighborhood. On a small street, with smaller houses. I had a single mother who worked quite a bit, so I was left on my own a lot. But it didn’t bother me. It gave me time to study. I decided from a really early age that I wasn’t going to settle for the kind of life my mother had.”
“It sounds to me like your mother was admirable. Working to keep you fed.”
“I don’t disrespect that. But my mother had an unhealthy attachment to my father. And I watched it destroy her. I watched it kill any chance she might have had at happiness. She didn’t ever want to move because he had bought the house for us. She didn’t want to go where he could not easily come and visit. She didn’t want to get too invested in a job, because she needed to be able to drop it at a moment’s notice if he came for her. He rarely did. And as I got older he stopped coming at all. I swore I would never be that way. I swore that I would be independent. And I knew that the only way I would manage that was by getting an education, and getting a job that could support me. So here I am.”
“That is very admirable indeed.”
“You don’t have to sound so dry about it. It actually is admirable. I worked hard. I’m still working hard.”
“I didn’t mean for it to sound dry.” He knew how hard it was to change yourself, how hard it was to break patterns of behavior. He had done it with himself. Though he had not had the type of obstacles she’d had. In fact, all of his obstacles had been self-built. But in the end he knew the sort of thing she was talking about was no simple task.
“Well, then your sincerity is unexpected, and appreciated.”
“Very good.” They finished their meal, and when they were done he stood. “Would you like to accompany me to my study?”
“I assume there you will discuss business.”
“You assume correctly. You answered my questions. Now, I will answer some of yours.” He extended his arm, and she looked at it as though he was offering her a lizard. “I will not bite you. I am simply being chivalrous.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I missed it somehow. You know, considering our history together.”
“Fair enough.” But he kept his arm extended.
She took a step toward him and curled her slender arm through his elbow, her body sliding close to his. And in that moment he knew he had vastly underestimated the dress. Because the moment she touched him he burned. The moment she touched him he thought of nothing but pressing her up against the nearest wall and bringing his mouth down on hers.
It was a wild and errant fantasy. The kind he had not had in more years than he could count.
While he had not given up sex entirely until his engagement had become official, he had given up this. This kind of intense heat. The driving sort of need that transcended everything. From duty and honor to decorum and appropriate behavior for the public. Because once he had her against that wall, once his mouth touched hers, he would be hard-pressed to stop.
He shut down that line of thinking. It would not happen. He would not touch her.
His engagement to Christine would be honored. Though he and his fiancée did not have a physical relationship, they had made an agreement. And he would respect that.
If Samson had had the foresight to stay away from Delilah, he would’ve been spared quite a bit of trouble. Zayn intended to spare himself the trouble. He would not touch Sophie.
He adjusted his hold on her, disengaging his arm from hers and placing his hand on her lower back. The gesture was provocative, more intimate than the previous one. He was doing it to test himself. Doing it to prove to himself that he was not a slave.
She tensed beneath his touch, but did not look at him. She didn’t stop. Perhaps she was testing herself, too.
No, he would not think of that. That way lay madness.
They walked from the dining room, and down the corridor that led to his quarters.
The study was different to the rest of the palace. Most of this portion of it was. Zayn had never moved quarters when his parents had left. Instead choosing to stay in the rooms he had called home from the time he was a child. He had remodeled them as an adult. The study had a more European feel to it. Dark wood bookcases, large windows that overlooked the gardens outside. And armchairs. Places for him to read. When he had given up partying, when he’d given up womanizing, he’d had to find a hobby. Reading seemed as good as any.
“Well, this is different than what I imagined.”
“What is it you imagined?” he asked.
“Well, not this.”
“I am gratified that I was able to surprise you.” He released his hold on her and gestured to one of the velvet armchairs. “Please have a seat.”
He took a seat across from her, a healthy amount of space between them. “Would you like something to drink?”
“I feel a brandy is in order.”
He chuckled. “A brandy. Yes, naturally.” He stood again and made his way over to the bar in the corner of the room, picking up a decanter and pouring both of them a healthy portion of amber liquid. He made his way back over to the chairs, handing her a glass, careful to ensure that his fingers did not brush hers.
He took a seat across from her again.
“Thank you.” She swirled the liquid, lifting it to her lips, blinking when it touched her tongue.
“Strong?”
“No. Not strong at all.”
“We wouldn’t want it going to your head. You have an interview to conduct.”
She cleared her throat and straightened, setting the glass on the rich wood side table. “Yes, so...about the Chatsfields.”
He waved his hand, silencing her. “No, that is not how we are doing this.”
“What?”
“If you want to interview me, it will be on my terms. We will do this my way, or we will not do it at all. We will go back to talking about the very hot weather.”
“That isn’t how an interview works. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had one conducted?”
“It is how an interview works with me. If you don’t like it, spend the remainder of your time here in your room, and get nothing from me.”
“You know, you really are a demanding bastard.”
“I have never claimed to be anything else.”
“Fair point,” she said, her tone dry.
“Your boss wants an article on the wedding. And I think in order for you to get a good picture of the wedding, you need to understand some things about the circumstances my country is in.”
“Okay,” she answered slowly.
“In order to understand why the marriage is important, you must understand the monarchy.”
“I was always a very good study in world history. I do know some things about Surhaadi.”
He leaned back in his chair, a smile curving his lips. “Really? Do enlighten me on all of your knowledge of my country.”
“I didn’t mean to sound all arrogant about it. It’s only that I am somewhat familiar.”
“Yes, well, you may be somewhat familiar, but it is in my blood. The history of Surhaadi is a part of me, like flesh over bone.”
She reached down and picked up her purse, pulling out a small black device. “Tape recorder.”
He inclined his head. “Of course.”
It stood to reason that she would be recording their interactions, for ease when she compiled the conversations into an article. But it also made him conscious of the fact that he would have to be very careful in what he told her. She would have his words recorded, and she would be able to play them back, turn them over. Dissect them for meaning.
He continued. “But, of course, before you can understand the monarchy, you must understand how it was founded.”
“If you insist.”
He could tell that she was quite annoyed with him. Quite annoyed at being subjected to a history lesson rather than simply being handed the information she was after. But he had to keep her here, and he was busily trying to construct a way to do that. To keep her hanging out for information that he did not have, so that she would remain of her own accord. There was little honor in this kind of behavior, but he had given up any chances of being truly honorable years ago. He could hardly grieve the loss of it now. He could only afford it where the treatment of his family was concerned. And nowhere else.
In actuality, he had no intention of throwing her in a dungeon. And were she to escape the palace there was a limit to what he could do. Certainly, he was the sheikh, but he could hardly have a woman going to the media and claiming he had kidnapped her, and was holding her in the palace. Which meant that if she escaped he could not go after her. In which case she would simply be written off as a spurned lover. Or a woman who had been spurned in an attempt to be his lover.
That his reputation could transcend. The kidnapping very likely not.
“I do insist.”
“Okay, then let’s start at the beginning.” She leaned back in her chair, her hand poised on the record button.
“My family has been in Surhaadi for at least a thousand years. Of course, at the time it was not one unified kingdom. Rather, it was a territory populated by a series of independently ruled tribes.” This was like reciting remedial history, and he’d never paid much attention to history in school, but as an adult he had started to appreciate his country’s past. Had started investigating it on his own.
Another hobby he’d started after giving up partying.
“The desert is large, and so there is ample access to territory, but what there is not ample access to is water. The need for water, the need for plants to graze animals, the need for food, occasionally caused battles to break out among the tribes. As the landscape changed, water became more scarce. And it came to a point where a specific tribe refused to move away from an oasis. Refused to allow others passage to water. That was when my people knew changes had to be made. There was a call for unification. If only temporarily so that the people could have food. Could have the water they needed. So that they could band together and deal with the threat facing their lives.”
“When was this?”
“About three hundred years ago. As kingdoms go we aren’t an old one.” He could see that in spite of herself she was interested. He found it gratifying that she might be. Because for all that he had scorned the traditions of his country in his youth, as a man the pulse of the desert ran through his blood. It was a part of him, as was each and every soul that populated the kingdom. “The tribes banded together, and due to their increase in number they not only successfully regained control of the oasis, they were able to do so without starting a war. This led to the desire for further change. Concern over outside threats brought a call for more permanent unity.”
“So they decided to form one nation?”
“Eventually. Even though there were, of course, some issues. And the tribe that was defeated at the oasis declined to join.”
“And now? Have they moved? Have they joined?”
“They still live in Surhaadi. And they still claim independence from the monarchy. Though we do have some hand in their lives. They have the option to partake in various government programs, though for the most part they decline. They are broken into several different groups now, and live most of the year away from the city deep in the desert.”
“And you don’t have any issues with them?”
“Not as such. Though the leaders are not overly friendly. They see me as a challenge to their authority, and my authority is not readily recognized within the borders of their territory.”
“But you aren’t afraid of them? You haven’t seen the need to draw them into the fold, so to speak.”
“I see no need to destroy centuries worth of culture in a power grab. A treaty was signed long ago between their family and mine. As long as we do not interfere with them to their detriment, they will not interfere with us. And if we are in need, we are allowed use of any oasis we might find in their territory.”
“That seems fair enough. But how did your family find itself being selected as the ruling family?”
He placed his glass back down on the table. “That, I think, is a story for another night.”
“You seem to fundamentally misunderstand your function in an interview.”
“It seems to me that you should be exhausted from the trip.”
“I slept on the plane.”
“Hours ago. And if you do not get on schedule here in Surhaadi as quickly as possible, your jet lag will be fierce.”
“I’ve never been in a position where I might be jet-lagged. So I have no idea what it’s like.”
“It’s a bit like being hungover.”
She blinked. “Well, I’ve never been hungover before, either.”
“How is that possible?”
“You aren’t the only person who prizes a bit of control.”
Suddenly, she seemed even more intriguing than she had before. “You must have quite a bit of control in your possession, then.”
“People like me do not have power bestowed upon them from birth. We have to find it in ourselves. We have to take it where we can. In my case, that meant seizing control over my own life. Over my own behavior. It never mattered to me what my contemporaries did. It only ever mattered what I did.”
“Admirable.”
“I don’t know if it’s admirable. I don’t particularly care if it’s admirable. But it has worked for me. At least up until the moment when I got pulled out of an alleyway in New York City.”
“Yes, I would apologize for that, but I’m not sorry.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
“I appreciate the exchange of information—” he inclined his head “—it has been very informative.”
Her cheeks blushed rose. “Is that what we’re doing? Exchanging information?”
“It seems fair, doesn’t it?”
“Not particularly. I didn’t think that was part of our deal. I interview you, you tell me about the Chatsfields.”
Technically, he had not said that. Technically, all he had promised her was a scandal. But he would not correct her, not now. “Instant gratification can be damaging. I believe in working for what you want.”
“That’s rich coming from a man who was undoubtedly born with a golden scepter in his hand.”
She was not wrong, for many things in his life had been delivered to him at the snap of his fingers. But that had been a contributing factor in forming the man he had become. And the man he had been was not one he could be proud of. It had taken hardship to change him.
“It’s true. I cannot deny it. I have also suffered. And no amount of money could insulate me from that suffering. I’ve learned that sometimes you simply have no choice but to walk through the fire. And if you come out the other side, then the reward is great.”
“Are you my trial by fire?” she asked.
“Perhaps one of them. I wouldn’t presume to know if you’d had others or not.”
“I appreciate that. I’m sure you’ve suffered greatly here in your palace. But I am no stranger to suffering. I’m also no stranger to hard work, so trust me when I tell you you’re preaching to the choir. Though, also, forgive me for saying I’m a bit jaded to the concept that hard work somehow makes something more rewarding. I’ve put in more hard work to get where I am than many people ever will. I find it more exhausting than rewarding. There were some times when I would’ve simply rather had the playing field even, rather than subjecting myself to character-building exercises. It is easy to romanticize what we’ve never had to endure.”
He almost laughed at the irony of the statement. He looked around the ornate room. “Indeed.”
“I suppose I should take my leave. I might need a map of this place, if you have one handy, otherwise I fear I will spend a good portion of my time wandering around feeling lost.”
“I have a feeling it would be best for me if you felt a little bit lost. In which case, you would cause me less trouble.”
“Don’t bet on that. I imagine I will contrive new ways to cause you trouble daily. Until I get what I want.”
“What is it you want?” he asked, knowing what her answer would be.
“What is it you’re hiding?” she asked.
The question took him off guard. Perhaps because she had grazed far too close to the bone.
Not just in terms of Leila.
“Nothing but the usual skeletons,” he managed, knowing his voice sounded strangled, affected.
“I look forward to seeing them,” she said.
He gritted his teeth. “I am not James Chatsfield.” Neither did he actually have any information on Chatsfield he could share.
“I know,” she said, nodding once.
If he had thought he’d understood her, he’d been wrong. Bitterly so. She’d put him on his back foot, and he didn’t like it. For one thing, she was far too beautiful. For another, she was unpredictable. “Excellent. And on that note, I bid you good-night. My quarters are just here, so you will forgive me if I do not walk you back to yours. It is quite a trek.” And he had a feeling, that were he to accompany her in dark corridors, his control would be tested in ways he did not want to think of.
“I shall manage. Though if I end up in a royal vault and decide to abscond with the crown jewels, you will have no one to blame but yourself.”
“It is a risk I shall have to take.”
“Clearly you’re a man who lives on the edge.”
Her words brought them up short. “On that score you would be wrong.” He nodded firmly, turning away from her, breaking the connection between them. The sooner he got rid of her, the better. “Good night.”
Behind him he heard her voice, slightly shaken, confused. He did not care, or rather, he should not. “Good night.”
Her tone of voice made him want to speak again. Made him want to say something kinder, something not quite so short and harsh.
“Later this week I shall take you to see the desert...”
He did not know why he was offering this, except that it was a chance to show the world what Surhaadi was, who they were. And she had seemed interested.
Moreover, he needed to keep her busy. He could not have her wandering about the palace appearing to be a lover, or a captive. Not considering the fact that media attention would be on them very soon for the wedding, not considering that he had a fiancée he had made certain he was faithful to.
If he had a story to give his staff, things would be better. Yes, she was a reporter covering the wedding and the history of Surhaadi.
Yes, getting her out of the palace for the day would be the best course of action. Taking her out to see the Bedouin tribe would be good, seeing as it would give her something to focus on that had nothing to do with Leila or James Chatsfield.
“And after that?” She was fishing for the scandal, still. She was right, she was rather stubborn.
“After that we will continue the interview.”
“And I will have my scandal?”
“You will have your scandal.”
And with that, he strode from the room, without looking back.
