his face told her that he genuinely liked the meal and she relaxed into the velvet chair, taking a bite herself.
“This is incredibly good,” he said and took another bite.
“Thank you.”
He asked her about her parents and she told him funny stories about Christmases and Halloweens from her past. She then got him to open up about his parents and she felt sad that he seemed to have such a lonely childhood, filled with tutors and trainers, but not very many hugs and kisses while he grew up. He had funny stories to tell of some of the servants and before she knew it, she’d finished off most of her plate and he was completely done. He kept pouring her wine and she relaxed even more as she sank into the chair, slipping her shoes off and tucking her feet underneath her.
They talked until well into the night and Dana had never realized what a funny man Hassan could be. It was like he was a different person when he was outside of the office and as she looked across at him, after her third glass of wine, she thought she must really be falling hard for this guy.
With that thought came a horrifying realization. There was no way she could fall for Hassan. She was on the run and had to find a new place to hide out. Hassan was off limits.
Good grief, even if she wasn’t trying to hide away from people attempting to kill her, she still shouldn’t fall for a man like Hassan. He was a sheik! He ruled a country while she was a lowly secretary with no family and no ties to anyone who could help him.
She sat up straight and looked at her watch. “Goodness, it’s after ten o’clock. I really need to be going home. I work for a horrible man who won’t allow any slackers in his midst.”
He laughed at the joke but shook his head. “You can’t drive home tonight,” he said and took her glass of wine, setting it on the table beside her. He took her hand and pulled her out of the chair. “You’ll stay here tonight,” he said softly and put an arm around her shoulder. “I know your employer wouldn’t like you driving home after all the wine you’ve consumed.”
“I’ll catch a cab,” she argued. Even sleeping here in the palace was too close to Hassan. The idea just seemed too intimate. Besides, what would the others in the palace say tomorrow when they heard Hassan had been cooking with her in the kitchens, then they disappeared into his private domain only for her to have to spend the night in the palace? Not to mention she didn’t have any other clothes here to change into for tomorrow’s work day.
But he was already shaking his head, denying the possibility. “A cab wouldn’t be allowed into the compound. You’ll stay here.”
She thought frantically, really not wanting to stay here tonight. Her own bed would be much better. Much more appropriate. “Couldn’t one of your security guys drive me home?”
“They’re all asleep by now,” he lied. “You’ll sleep in one of the guest suites and I won’t hear any more arguments.”
“But how will I get a change of clothes for tomorrow?”
“I’ll have one of the guards head over to your house and pack you a bag,” he explained, completely refuting his claim that the guards were all asleep by this point in the evening.
Dana tried to concentrate, but his arm was around her waist and she was being led to the next room where a large, beautiful bed was waiting for her. “I don’t have anything to sleep in,” she said lamely.
Hassan instantly pictured her sleeping in the nude and his body was not impressed with the torture it was going through. “You’ll find everything you need in the bathroom. Just relax and get a good night’s sleep.”
He closed the door and Dana sighed as she sank down onto the soft bed. She was asleep before she could tell him she had a second thought.
Chapter 3
The following day, things were their usual crazy pace. She scurried to keep up with Hassan’s work schedule, completing all the issues as quickly and efficiently as possible while still following behind him so she could sit in on his meetings and take notes. She didn’t want him to think she was taking advantage of last night’s dinner conversation by slacking off now so she worked extra hard to make sure things