Unexpectedly Expecting the Sheik's Baby - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,21

coffee.” He pressed a button and a servant appeared behind him. “Ms. Flemming will have an omelet with everything,” he told the woman who nodded and disappeared.

Cassy almost rolled her eyes, then turned to the servant. “Just ham and cheese, if you have it.” The servant nodded, then turned to leave and Cassy faced Nasir once again. “You’re awfully dictatorial,” she told him, sipping the coffee in the hopes that the extra jolt might somehow help her make sense of this day. So far, everything was a confused jumble.

He laughed softly. “I have been accused of that many times in my lifetime.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid that it comes with the job.”

“Why did you break into my apartment last week?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Because I wanted to talk to you again. After the meeting at your office, you disappeared so quickly and I suspected that you didn’t want your coworkers to notice our interest in each other. It seems that becoming intimately acquainted with a client would be frowned upon with your management. So, I was trying to be considerate.” His eyes turned serious. “I’m truly sorry that I scared you. And I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy, Cassandra. The opposite in fact. I was trying to ensure your privacy. That Darren fellow seemed to be particularly irritated that you answered more questions than he could, even though he was supposedly more experienced in international law.” He paused before he said, “Not to mention, it is extremely difficult to have a private conversation for someone in my position. I took matters into my own hands and found a place where others would not intrude, nor would they even know about our conversation.”

She could understand that. “But why break in?”

“Because I can,” he teased, eager to see her eyes flash with anger again. He wasn’t disappointed. He laughed before she spoke, interrupting her and diffusing her anger. “Actually, it was because I didn’t want your employer to know about my interest in you. I didn’t think it was any of their business. So, I thought it best not to have our dinner conversation overheard, or even known about, by the people in your firm. Dining in restaurants tends to bring out the photographers, so public dining wasn’t an option either.”

When he explained it in those terms, he seemed like a genuinely caring man!

She didn’t want her law firm to know anything about her private life either, but that didn’t mean she was willing to have a personal relationship with a client. That violated her personal ethics as well as her business code. Besides, the legal world was an ultra-conservative group in general, and those in London seemed to be particularly sensitive to gossip. There had been too many sex scandals in the legal community and her firm didn’t want any dangerous gossip to poorly reflect upon their illustrious name or reputation.

“I see,” she said softly, lowering her eyes. “But next time, how about calling my cell phone?”

He chuckled, the sound sending shivers throughout her body. “I will endeavor to be discreet without inciting your fears. Will that suffice?” he asked.

As a lawyer, Cassy knew that his response left open a wide range of possibilities. Even though she suspected it was a pretty major concession on his part, she couldn’t let him get away with it. “Not really. I deserve to be treated with the same respect you deserve. And agreeing to ‘not incite my fears’ leaves a lot of violations of my privacy open to your dubious efforts at addressing my concerns.”

He laughed again. “You are smart.” Another aide walked in and whispered in his ear. Cassy tried to hide her exasperation at the repeated interruptions, but it was difficult. Whatever the aides were saying to him was obviously more important than their conversation, which made her feel unimportant.

Still, Cassy reminded herself that she was here as his legal representative. Her time was his and she needed to tamp down on her irritations and remain…professional wasn’t the word she was looking for. Unflappable. Yes, that was the word. She needed to appear unflappable in Nasir’s presence.

Whatever the aide said must have been agreeable because Nasir nodded sharply, signed the paper in front of him, and the aide quickly disappeared.

“Do they wake you when you’re sleeping?” she asked, half sarcastically and half seriously. She wondered how the man lived with so many interruptions.

Nasir tilted his head slightly. “We are undergoing some delicate negotiations right now. I apologize for not giving you