Page 27 of Commander

Chapter Eight

Around ten thirty,I wrapped up the fitting and any remaining paperwork. This left me with enough time to get to the Executive Residence before the pre-wedding briefing. It almost sounded ridiculous to have such precautions for a wedding, but then I wasn’t marrying a regular man and the security needed for the media frenzy was twice as intense as it had been for Ashur’s inauguration day.

Samina and Jacinta were used to the spotlight of the camera, but the rest of the wedding party wasn’t, and I wanted to make sure they understood all the precautions we’d put in place. Everyone who was part of the wedding, from the parents and friends to extended family, would stay at the Invictus, a hotel owned by one of Jacinta’s close friends, Kevin Stanton. He’d literally shut down the entire building to house the wedding party and increased security so much that Ashur had joked it was more protected than Fort Knox. The only people not staying at the hotel were the invited international dignitaries. They caused a security nightmare that required their own hotel and team.

“Good morning, First Lady,” came a voice to my left as I entered the main hall.

A middle-aged woman with salt-and-pepper hair and one of the sweetest demeanors I’d ever encountered smiled at me. She was one of the morning housekeepers who kept everything dust free and sparkling. She had worked for the last three administrations and knew all the ins and outs of the building. She could have retired years ago, but she enjoyed her position, and as she’d told me not so long ago, she refused to let some know-it-all take her job and change things.

“I’m not first lady yet, Annabelle.”

“In less than twenty-four hours you will be, and then you can redecorate this place with your own sense of style.” Eleanor turned her nose up at a few antique figurines near her, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I could always use a dose of Annabelle to cheer me up. Too bad my decorating sense was lacking. I wasn’t sure she’d approve of anything I’d pick. Now show me some designer clothing or an arsenal of handguns, and I was the girl for the job.

“I’ll make sure to consult you before deciding on anything. You would know better than anyone what this place needs to liven it up. Does that sound like a plan?”

Her eyes lit up. “I would love that.”

“Ms. Zain, this way. Your family is waiting for you in the Yellow Oval Room to go over the final details of the wedding.” Casey directed me up a flight of stairs leading to the second floor.

The moment I stepped onto the landing, I saw Veer George, Ashur’s vice-president and Jacinta’s husband. He was as handsome as Ashur but with a sexy pirate-ish edge, probably due to the scar that ran down his right cheek. He wore his jet-black hair a bit longer than one expected a politician to have, which added to his rakish appearance.

Recently a celebrity magazine voted him the “sexiest man of the year.” He’d hated that title, but Jacinta loved it. Who didn’t want a husband who was hot as sin and totally into her?

As Jacinta would say, she was one lucky bitch.

Veer’s hazel eyes were filled with amusement the second I came into view.

“Where are you off to?” I asked, since he was the best man and was supposed to be in the meeting with the wedding party.

“I’ve got to make a quick call. Then I’ll join you in the Yellow Oval Room.”

I shook my head. “Is Papa-in-law in there?”

“Yep. As is the whole wedding party.”

“Sam decided on the room, didn’t she?”

“Does that question really need an answer?”

“I guess not.” I laughed.

Samina knew her father hated the color yellow and therefore that was the room everyone would use whenever Minesh Kumar was around.

It was Sam’s passive-aggressive way of annoying the shit out of her father. And if I was honest about it, I loved her sick sense of vengeance.

“I better stop dawdling and head in there.”

“Subtle has never worked with him. Just be straightforward,” Veer said with a gleam in his eye.

“Should I assume that you heard about our family dinner?”

“Possibly. All I can say is that it was about time.” Veer kissed my cheek and headed down the hall.

“Let’s go, Casey. Hopefully, Ashur won’t be too long.”

As I took the corner, an unexpected level of worry rolled into the pit of my stomach. I covered my abdomen with my palm and tried to push back the uneasiness.

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