Alex had stopped chewing and was looking at her curiously. "Really?" A small, hopeful smile played around his mouth.
"Yes, really," the devil's spawn continued in an amiable tone. "She said that-"
"Please, Armaan!" Jasmine blurted out and hated him for making her do it.
He aimed another smirk at her. "Yes, Miss. Khan?"
God, this was so childish. She looked at Alex's puzzled frown and then locked eyes with the loser who was trying to ruin things. "Could you pass me the salt?"
A light of satisfaction entered his deep blue eyes and he did as she had asked. Jasmine took it from him without a word and wondered if she should sprinkle it on the oysters. It was already full of salt. But Armaan took Alex's attention away from her and the salt shaker.
"She said that she's really glad to have you as a friend," he finished cheerfully.
Alex bit his lip and smiled at her before continuing with his meal. Armaan looked at her lazily and she took a deep breath, quelling the urge to tell him not to fuck with her. She hated being manipulated. As she continued her dinner, Jasmine realized that his good looks were the only good thing about him. He seemed so superficial. Flirting with her behind Alex's back, blackmailing her because she had refused to do as he had asked and not even caring if Alex got hurt. What a jerk, Jasmine decided. After all the rave reviews she had heard about this guy, this felt like a serious let-down.
****
The Jerk in Shining Armour
3
The next morning, everything felt different. A strange energy and exhilaration was humming through Jasmine's mind and body which was missing most mornings unless she had a cup of coffee first. As she sat up, stretching and rubbing her eyes, she remembered how her night had been with a jolt. She had had a sizzling one night stand with Armaan.
In her dreams...
He had been there, tormenting her with his devilish looks and satanic demands. Whether he was made of the stuff of heaven or hell, the guy had made a serious impact on her on their first meeting. She had thought she was immune to other men's charms but her reaction to Armaan proved that that was not the case. Still, why not Alex? He was quite a catch and he was trustworthy. Best of all, he cared about her. But no, it had to be this insufferable new guy. It must be those eyes.
After having showered, she called Alex and asked him to meet her out in the hallway. He looked cute in his yellow t-shirt and safari shorts. If she used her head half of the time like she used her emotions to make decisions, she would be married to this guy by now. This would probably have been their honeymoon.
"Good morning, Alex."
"Morning, beautiful. You ready for our day-out?" he asked sweetly.
Jasmine nodded. "Yup. Ready as ever. But you said the ride over to the first apartment was going to take at least twenty minutes. Can you give me that manuscript I started on? I want to make some changes to it on the way."
He froze and then spent quite some time pocketing his keys. "Um...how about if I give it to you when we get back?"
She frowned at him. Upon his request last night, she'd let him take a look at a few hand-written chapters of the latest story she had been working on and now she wanted it back. What was the hold-up? "Alex," Jasmine began tepidly. "I need those pages now."
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he popped one open and grimaced. "Please don't be mad at me."
Jasmine tried not to be softened by his cute expression. "Please tell me you didn't lose it."
"No. Of course not." He sighed. "Armaan asked to have a look at it-"
"You gave it to Armaan?" she interrupted angrily and he took a step back.
"Jas-"
"Alex, what did we decide about who gets to see my manuscripts before it goes to the editors?" she demanded with a scowl.
He looked away miserably. "Just the two of us," he muttered. "But he was really interested in reading the story." Alex turned back to her and gave her a pleading look. "We were in his suite having a nightcap and I took the pages to read through them. After I was done, he asked to have a look. Don't worry. He'll give it back."
She frowned. "Nightcap? He drinks?"
"Like you wouldn't believe," Alex stressed and looked at her tenderly. "Not every Muslim is as devoted as you. Armaan is...well, he's just different."
Shaking her head, Jasmine stepped aside as a hotel maid passed with her trolley to enter a room on the other side. "No kidding," she said. "What's with the blue eyes?'
Alex dimpled at her. "His mother is British. But she converted to Islam when she met Armaan's dad."
That explained it. "Get my manuscript from him," Jasmine commanded in a no-nonsense tone. "I won't leave without it."
"I told you he'll give it back."
She was starting to lose her temper with dimple guy here. "It's my story, Alex," she burst out. "You can't just hand it over to anybody without my permission."
"Armaan isn't just anybody. He's my best friend."
Her mouth fell open at his defense of this so-called best friend. He was arguing with her about something that was rightfully hers because of Armaan. She could not believe this. What was so special about that guy that blinded Alex to his affections for her even?
"Look, I'll get it from him as soon as we get back okay." Alex had sensed her anger and had gentled his
