barely know her.”
“If we are together, then you are part of the family.”
“I don’t want to lie to your family.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Deception is the nature of our endeavor.”
Most of the time he sounded like a regular guy, but every now and then he said something princelike.
“I’ve never been a very good liar,” she admitted. “I’d hate to see that change.”
He said nothing, as if giving her the time and space to change her mind. Did she want to go through with this?
She thought of her father fading away. He kept making her promise that after he was gone she would try to get the business back. He hated that his illness had caused them to lose everything. She’d never blamed him, never wished for anything except his recovery. She knew he would want her to have a financial cushion. He would probably find the whole situation with Qadir funny. Then he would squeeze her shoulder and tell her not to do anything he wouldn’t do.
The memory made her both happy and sad. With her father gone, she was alone in the world. The deal with Qadir offered her a level of financial freedom she’d never experienced. She would be a fool to walk away.
“I’ve never been to a wedding shower,” she told him. “I’m sure it will be fun.”
“Excellent.”
They discussed other possibilities. There was a car show in neighboring El Bahar. They both agreed that would be a good choice.
“Will you want to pick out the engagement ring?” he asked.
She stabbed her fork into the pasta salad and sighed. “I’d deliberately forgotten about that part of the deal. Do we have to get engaged?”
“If I am to be crushed by your leaving, then yes.”
She tried to imagine him emotionally crushed, but her imagination failed her. Qadir was too strong and in charge.
“You know, you could make this a lot easier by just falling in love with some woman and getting married for real.”
“I am aware of that.”
“You shouldn’t be so picky,” she told him.
“Thank you for that extraordinary advice.”
They returned to the list, but Maggie wasn’t really paying attention. Once again she was remembering the mystery woman from Qadir’s past-and wondering why it hadn’t worked out.
Maggie stared at the clothes in her closet and wished desperately that she’d asked Victoria to help her get ready. She also wished she had at least a couple of nicer outfits. But dining with princes hadn’t been on her weekly agenda in Aspen so her wardrobe tended toward supercasual with the odd somewhat less casual piece thrown in.
Her choices seemed to fall into two categories-long-sleeved T-shirts and short-sleeved T-shirts. She had a couple of blouses, one pair of black slacks and a ball gown that seemed as inappropriate for dinner as one of the T- shirts.
“I came here to work on cars, not date a sheik,” she muttered as she flipped through the meager selection again, desperately hoping to see something she’d missed the first three times.
There was actually one other choice. A simple knit dress that she’d packed on a whim. It was burgundy, plain and a little too fitted for her taste. She’d bought it a couple of years ago when she’d wandered through a mall shortly after finding out her father had been diagnosed with cancer. It had been on sale. She’d tried it on as a distraction and then had purchased it because explaining why she didn’t need it required too much effort.
Maggie wasn’t sure why she’d tossed it in her suitcase. Fortunately the fabric traveled well.
She pulled off the tags, then brought the dress into the bathroom and started getting ready.
Once she’d showered and blown her hair dry, there wasn’t all that much for her to do. She put on a little mascara, then lip gloss. Victoria had done a lot more to her the night of the ball, but Maggie had neither the skill nor the makeup. Qadir was going to have to suffer with her natural look.
She pulled on the dress, then stepped into a flat pair of sandals that weren’t nearly as pretty as the ones she’d worn with her ball gown, but were a whole lot more comfortable. Then she glanced at the clock. It had taken her twelve minutes from stepping into the shower until she was ready to go. That included four minutes blow-drying her hair. Victoria would be horrified.
Thinking about her friend made her wonder what the other woman would think about the deal. Which made Maggie nervous. She put her hand to her stomach, as if that would help settle her nerves. Then someone knocked.
She opened the door to her suite and saw Qadir standing in the hallway. He looked as he always did-tall, handsome, well-dressed. Nothing was different. Except the tension in her stomach increased until she thought she might have to throw up. Just as intense was her need to have him pull her close and kiss her.
“Good evening,” he said and smiled. “You are prompt. I should not be surprised.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” She collected her purse and followed him into the hallway. “It doesn’t take me long to get ready.”
“And yet the result is lovely.”
A compliment? She didn’t know what to say. “Ah, thank you.”
He chatted about something on the walk down to the front of the palace, but between her spinning head and swirling stomach, she had no idea what. When they entered the courtyard, a limo was waiting.
“I happen to know you have regular cars,” she said as he held open the rear passenger door for her.
“Agreed, but this makes a better entrance.”
Right. Because this was all for show.
She slid along the leather seat and tried to catch her breath. Fake dating, she reminded herself. Nothing more. She had no reason to be tense.
She forced herself to think calm thoughts. About ocean waves rushing in, then retreating. A cool, green forest. Water flowing in a brook.
“Maggie?”
She turned to him. “Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Trying not to throw up.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “You are always honest.”
“I try to be.”
“There is nothing to be nervous about.”
“My stomach doesn’t agree with you.”
He shifted close and took her hand in his. “We are going to dinner at a very nice restaurant. You need to be calm so you can enjoy the meal. It is unlikely that we will be spotted by a photographer, however certain people will see us and that will start the gossip. Other than nodding politely to a few diners, little will be expected of you except eating.”
“I’m a good eater.”
“Then you will be fine.”
His voice was so deep and low, she found herself getting lost in the sound. He rubbed her hand with slow, steady movements. That was nice, too, she thought as she felt herself relaxing.
This was just Qadir, she told herself. Just dinner. Nothing more.
She raised her gaze to his and found him watching her. With their eyes locked, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm.
It was a soft kiss that probably meant nothing. It was just…just…
Tension filled her stomach, but this was a whole new kind. It was hot and tight and had nothing to do with the rest of the world and everything to do with the man next to her.
Before she could figure out what she was supposed to do now, the car came to a stop. Talk about timing, she grumbled to herself.
The restaurant was on the water, with a beautiful view and the kind of low lighting that made everyone look
