His Irresistible Darling - Sarah Randall Page 0,38
Kahlid. “Luck has nothing to do with it, as you well know. My company had the finest proposal and will provide your country with the most robust, forceful military ships available in the world—” he drank from his own glass and nodded “—and you know it. Why are you smiling at me?” he asked, confused.
“I’m not talking about the contract, Aldabbagh.”
He sighed heavily. “Then what?” He was getting annoyed at the continued riddle.
Kahlid continued to smile and nodded towards the far side of the large dining room.
Jumal followed his gaze until it landed again on Pippa, who was now engaged in an animated conversation with a group of captivated government officials who all but surrounded her, observing her every move and hand gesture. He was sure if he looked close enough that he’d see tongues hanging out and drool. Jumal returned to glare at the man, but managed to loosen his tight grip on the stem of his glass before it shattered.
“Your fiancée, of course,” Kahlid explained.
“She is not my fiancée,” Jumal corrected, unwilling to dwell on the ache that statement caused. “She is my assistant.” And general pain in my arse, loins and heart…
Jumal regarded Kahlid as his lips thinned and he responded, “Huh,” before taking another drink from his glass, apparently shocked by the revelation.
“What does that mean?” Jumal pressed, shaking his head, confused by the response.
“Oh nothing,” Kahlid countered quickly. “I knew you were recently engaged and I just assumed, what with the way you are with her. Hey, my mistake,” he quickly added, holding his glass up. “So, is she single?” he asked, raising a brow.
Jumal wanted to punch the man. “No,” he responded curtly, glancing back over to the woman in question. “She is not.”
Pip was pleasantly surprised that she was enjoying the predinner conversations with the various government representatives she’d met earlier in the day. They made her feel welcome and involved in their conversations and treated her like a lady, an adult. She took a sip from her glass of champagne and tried to steal a glance at Jumal, who appeared deep in conversation with Kahlid, but quickly turned her eyes away when she saw Kahlid nod his head towards her. However, she was not quick enough to avoid catching sight of Jumal’s icy stare. Clearly he wasn’t happy about something she’d done. Shocker.
She fidgeted, feeling his dark eyes glowering at her. Had she committed some breach of custom or etiquette by drinking the champagne or talking to the men? She took a deep breath and decided to try to ignore the man. If he had a problem with her, he’d just have to tell her.
As dinner was announced, she thanked the gentlemen for their company and started to make her way towards the large dinner table, but her confident stride was hijacked after only a couple of steps as Jumal took hold of her elbow to guide her to the room. He bent towards her and whispered in her ear, “What the hell are you wearing, Pippa? I said conservative.”
“What?” she growled back through gritted teeth, trying to keep a smile on her face, “This is conservative. It’s a cocktail dress for God’s sake, designed by the one and only Alix Anderson. You’ve met him, right? International fashion designer, best friend of my sister-in-law? So what is your problem?” she asked, smiling at the fellow attendees and trying to pull her arm away from Jumal’s tight grip.
“The problem,” he said, clearing his throat, “is that it is almost transparent and it looks like something you should be wearing under a dress.”
“No it isn’t,” she replied, glancing down. “It’s a black lace overlay and my arms and knees are covered, so it is completely conservative.”
Kahlid interrupted their debate. “I believe we are to be dinner companions, Miss Darling,” he said partially bowing, his eyes not leaving her. “Shall we?” he asked, politely offering his arm.
“Oh, how lovely,” she replied, returning his smile, taking his arm and allowing him to escort her to her seat.
She felt the brush of lips at her ear and tried to hide her gasp of pleasure as she placed her napkin in her lap, keeping her eyes focused on the glass of water being poured for her by Kahlid.
“This conversation isn’t over, Pippa.” She quickly turned to see Jumal straighten and leave to make his way to his own dinner place.
She let out a loud stage gasp. “You want to do what to me, Jumal? Is that even legal?”