Gambling With the Crown (6 page)

CHAPTER SIX

K
ADIR
CURSED
HIMSELF
as he ran down the crowded street after her. What the hell had he been thinking? Why had he been so needlessly vicious? Emily was his assistant, the closest thing he had to a friend in some respects, and she was doing him a favor.

And he had ripped into her as though she was just another gold-digging social climber. Worse, as though he hated her. He’d shredded her as if it was nothing, and that shamed him. What kind of man was he? What kind of man attacked those weaker than himself?

He couldn’t say why he’d done it, except that he’d been irritated when she’d asked him so plainly why he didn’t just tell his father what he wanted. As if it was that easy. He wasn’t accustomed to explaining himself to anyone, and here she was, making what she thought was a simple suggestion when it was far more difficult than anything she could imagine.

And then she’d thrown Lenore in his face. All right, so he’d mentioned Lenore first—but then she’d kept on going, her contempt so evident. He’d simply had too much. He’d told her something personal, admitted his loneliness to her—and then he’d felt the need to lash out, to make her pay in kind.

He should have stopped much sooner than he did. He should have stopped when she’d gotten the point. But of course he hadn’t. Driven by his need to win, to crush, to control, he’d kept going until he’d hurt her.

And now he was chasing her down the street, angry with himself, and wondering how in the hell such a simple idea had gotten so complicated. She was supposed to be his wife, the woman he couldn’t live without, the woman he would not give up for a throne. It was supposed to be simple.

But it wasn’t.

He thought he might have lost her, but then he saw her as the crowd parted in front of him. She was walking now, her body hunched over as she hugged herself. Her ponytail bounced as she hurried along. She was moving fast, but he was faster. He closed the distance between them until he was right behind her.

She kept walking—and then she seemed to stiffen, as if she sensed a change in the air, before she halted abruptly. He took a step back as she swung around to face him. Her brows were drawn down in a furious expression. Her mascara had run again, and tears streaked her cheeks.

Something twisted inside him.

“Forgive me,” he said simply. It was odd to be apologizing, and yet here he was, doing just that. It wasn’t something he did often and the words were rusty.

She drew in a deep breath and straightened even more. Then she moved into his space. Poked him in the chest. It was not what he expected and he stepped back in surprise.

She closed the distance, poked him again. “Listen to me, you Neanderthal, and listen good. I do not want you. I have never wanted you. You’re a handsome man, and you damn well know it. And you’re used to being irresistible to women. Well, not to me.” She sucked in a breath, her voice quavering as she continued. “I will not be talked to like I’m some kind of whore you pay to grace your bed. I’m your business partner, you hear me? Nothing more, nothing less. You might frighten a CEO into doing things your way, but you would never cross a personal line to do it.”

He felt as if she’d slapped him across the face. Several times. Which, no doubt, he deserved.

“No, I would not. You are correct.”

Her face scrunched up even more. She was, for some reason, attractive as hell when she was angry. He’d never seen Miss Emily Bryant in a fit of temper before. Well, not before today. And not like this.

He was oddly stimulated by her anger. He could feel the air crackle between them and he wondered how it had never happened before. How he’d never felt that subtle shift of electricity, that hum and buzz of ozone. Had she really kept all this under wraps for four years? Or had he never paid attention before?

“I want the money, Kadir. Nothing more. I agreed because of that. Not because of you.”

It was always the money, with any woman in his life. That was a language he understood. Still, he felt a prick of anger in his gut. “The money. Of course.”

She stood there, trembling—and then her hands dropped to her sides and her expression, while still angry, softened into something a notch below cyclone level.

“You really are too full of yourself,” she said. “Not every woman wants a ride on your magic mattress.”

He felt his eyebrows climb his forehead. “Magic mattress?”

She shrugged. A soft flush stained her cheeks. “Whatever you call your love nest, Kadir. Not every woman on this planet wants a turn. It would be healthier for you if you’d stop thinking so.”

He suddenly wanted to laugh. And tug her into his arms so he could feel that bright fire radiating from her as it sizzled into his pores. It was a shock to realize that he wanted her. That he actually wanted to see what her mouth felt like beneath his. To peel away her staid suit and bare her lithe body for his eyes only. He wanted to run his fingers over her skin, wanted to see if she was as soft as he thought. As responsive.

He stood there in the hot sunshine and stared down at his former PA, now his wife, and felt the shift of his axis.

In the space of a few hours, he’d become utterly intrigued. For four years, he’d never noticed her as a woman—well, not often, anyway—but now he couldn’t seem to shove her back into the box she belonged in. It didn’t matter that she was wearing her conservative suit and ugly shoes, that her hair was pulled back or that tiny black rivulets stained her cheeks.

There was a commotion in the crowd and Kadir turned. His bodyguards were making their way toward him. Irritation flashed into him, not because they were doing their jobs, but because they were drawing attention to him and Emily.

People stopped to look—and then someone whipped out a cell phone and began to snap photos.

“We need to go,” he told Emily. “We are being noticed.”

She started to turn, but he grabbed her hand and tugged her into the curve of his body. She didn’t pull away when he put his arm around her and started down the sidewalk in the direction they had come. She was so small in his grip, so warm. It was a shock to feel so much of her against him. Heat surged into him.

And confusion.

He hurried her toward a shop as his bodyguards took care of crowd control. Another moment and they were inside the couture house he’d been bringing her to in the first place.

“Your Highness,” a man said as he came forward. “We are so glad you have come to us. Everything is ready.”

“She must be glamorous and insanely beautiful,” Kadir said, dragging his attention back to the matter at hand. He could not afford to feel softness for her right now. “Make her clothing tasteful but sexy.”

Emily gasped. “I will not—”

“It is not up for discussion, Emily. You have agreed to it.”

Her jaw worked and her eyes flashed cold fury. “You have no idea how much I’m beginning to regret that.”

He only stared at her. “Too late,
habibti.
You are mine now.”

He whirled and stalked out of the shop before she could say another word. And before he could drag her into his arms and silence her rebellious mouth with his own.

* * *

Emily could have chewed nails and spit fire. She was horribly, incredibly angry. With Kadir. With herself. But she had agreed to this insane scheme and now she had no choice but to endure the transformation currently taking place.

She looked at herself in the mirror, at her sleek hair, cut and styled and looking like mahogany silk. Her eyes were rimmed in dark eyeliner and there was a smudge of shadow in the crease. Her lashes had been curled and lengthened with mascara, her lips were a sultry red pout, and her dress was the most gorgeous shade of purple jersey that clung to all her curves. On her feet were tall snakeskin Louboutins with the signature red heel.

She’d endured endless fittings, the mechanical snick-snick-snick of sewing machines as seamstresses worked frantically to tailor the clothing and the ministrations of a makeup artist and hairstylist until finally Guido stood back and pronounced her fit for public viewing.

“His Most Exalted Highness is waiting in the outer room,” Guido said.

“Wonderful.” Emily gritted her teeth. She was going to have to practice being happy with her arrogant boss-turned-temporary-husband. No better time than the present.

Just thinking of Kadir caused her insides to clench. He made her so angry. He also made her itch to slide her palms over his chest while arching her body into his. That was a new development and one she did not appreciate whatsoever.

“You are a perfect princess, Your Highness,” Guido said, smiling and bowing as she picked up the buttery-soft leather handbag he’d selected to go with her outfit. Emily wanted to tell him not to bow, but she stopped herself. This was a performance, and she most definitely was a princess. For now.

She glanced at herself again and swallowed. Her mother stared back at her from beneath the sultry makeup and curve-hugging clothing and Emily wanted to scream. She’d worked too hard to bury that sensual creature that lurked inside her and now it was staring back at her, mocking her.

Just because I look like you,
she wanted to say,
doesn’t mean I
am
you.

Guido escorted Emily to the outer room, where Kadir was waiting. He looked up when she entered. His eyes seemed to widen and she told herself not to be pleased at that. The flare of feminine vanity she felt was not welcome. Oh, how she used to preen when a man looked at her with appreciation. She would not do so now.

Kadir’s gaze skimmed over her slowly. And then his mouth curved in a smile that made her heart skip a beat. “You look amazing, Emily.”

Heat seared into her. “Thank you.” Because what else did you say to something like that?

She felt self-conscious more than anything, because now everyone was looking at her in ways they never had before. She’d found it easier to blend into the background, to be unobtrusive. Her job required that of her.

Guido snapped his fingers and a pair of smartly dressed saleswomen appeared with boxes and bags.

“These will see her through the first couple of days,” he told Kadir. “The rest will be delivered to Kyr immediately upon completion.”

“Grazie,”
Kadir said. “As always, you have pleased me greatly.”

A sharp feeling sliced into her then. She remembered now why Guido’s name was familiar to her. She’d been so distracted by everything today that she hadn’t dwelled too much on why. But she had seen his name on bills. For shoes, clothing, jewels, handbags and silk scarves.

Of course she had. She wanted to put her hand to her temple and rub, but she didn’t. What did she care if Kadir was buying her clothing at the same place he had bought things for his lovers?

Kadir might be a player of the worst sort, but one of the things he had never done was make Emily buy gifts for his ladies. He took care of that himself—and now she knew how. He picked up the phone and called Guido.

Emily smiled and thanked Guido and his staff personally, and then Kadir ushered her out the door and into the waiting limousine while a man in a dark suit and headset stood beside the car door, looking quietly lethal.

Once they were inside, the bodyguards seated in this car and the one following, the driver pulled into traffic and began the return trip to the airport.

Emily fixed her gaze on the passing city and tried not to look at Kadir. But she knew he was looking at her. In fact, he hadn’t stopped since they’d gotten into the car. Her skin prickled with awareness that she tried to squash down again.

She did not need to be aware of Kadir. Not like that.

Finally, when her nerves were stretched to the breaking point, she whipped her gaze to his. “Is something wrong? Am I not being unsuitable enough for you?”

Kadir looked all dark and handsome and broody in his corner. He somehow managed to appear supremely relaxed and completely tense all at once. The tension was in his eyes rather than in his body.

“You are perfectly unsuitable. I am quite pleased thus far.”

She ran her fingers over the fabric of her dress and stomped on the tendril of panic unwinding in her belly. “Well, that’s a relief.”

She couldn’t help the bite of temper in her voice. Or the sarcasm.

“You have changed, Emily.”

“You aren’t used to seeing me with my hair down.” She waved a hand over her body. “Or dressed like this.”

“That is not what I’m talking about.”

She looked at him, her pulse thrumming, her ears growing warm. “Isn’t it?”

He shook his head slowly. “Not at all.” His eyes narrowed. “I am not quite accustomed to this side of you. The side that—how do you say it?—sasses me.”

She sniffed. “You wanted a wife, not an employee. A wife would not, I hope, take your pronouncements as law. She would state her opinions, even were they contrary to yours.”

“And you have done a fine job of this. Even when there were no witnesses and therefore no need.”

“No need? Kadir, you’d mow a girl down if she didn’t let you know she wasn’t going to take it.”

One eyebrow lifted imperiously. “Surely I am not so callous as all that.”

Emily leaned back on the seat and tried to appear casual. Was he really that clueless about his tendencies to overwhelm?

“You’re intense, Kadir. You take over a room when you walk into it. You pull people to you, and you get what you want from them. I’ve seen it again and again. And the women you seduce? They don’t stand a chance.”

“Are you certain? You are speaking from observation, not experience.”

Her mouth went dry. She licked her lips nervously. It was as if he were offering to show her, though he had not said any such thing. “I don’t see how that changes anything.”

His gaze was hooded and her heart performed a slow
thump-thump-thump.

“Perhaps it does. Perhaps, if I were to seduce you, you would get what
you
want, Emily. Perhaps it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement instead of the one-sided venture you envision it to be.”