Page 19 of Out of Office Nights
‘Myprecious collection?’ he echoed with soft deadliness. ‘Is that detachment I hear? Because if it is, be brave and own up to it now, and I’ll hand the whole thing over to Cristobal.’
She tensed, the very idea anathema to her.
He saw her reaction. Raised that eyebrow again. ‘There it is. You’re not so detached are you,cariña?’
She gritted her teeth. ‘Don’t call me that.’
His smirk, so sexy, so infuriating, made an appearance. It seemed now the matter of her non-existent lover had been clarified, the Playboy Prince was making his long overdue appearance. But even as she was ogling it a little too eagerly, it hardened with purpose.
‘Invite me in. Or don’t. But bear in mind that if I leave here without some evidence of progress from you, our association ends immediately.’
The sense of circling crows coming home to roost pressed down hard on her. She had a decent nest-egg from her modelling days plus the small inheritance her grandmother had left her. But she couldn’t live off that for ever. And if Teo Domene, the king of haute couture, fired her and after that scandal with Nathan, she could kiss any chance of finding a job in the fashion industry goodbye.
She was poised on that precipice again, staring into the abyss.
Could she bring herself to appeal to his better angels?
She almost snorted under her breath. This man was no angel. Even the devil would fear him. But she couldn’t keep him waiting any longer.
She opened her mouth, unsure what she was about to say.
Her hand, moving towards the door handle, made up her mind.
Unlocking it, she pushed it open, stepping into the cool, welcoming interior. Goose bumps covered her skin, and her heart continued to rap urgently against her ribs at the thought of inviting him into her grandmother’s precious home. Sacred ground.
This was professional, she reassured herself. Nothing was going to happen. Well, nothing except the possible demise of her career.
Dropping her beach-bag onto the cushioned bench slotted into the hallway alcove, she turned, just as Teo stepped into her home.
The sight of him there felt all wrong…but also incredibly profound.
In no way did she want to think that this was a momentous occasion, but watching him turn, slowly nudging the door closed, she couldn’t stop the way her lungs panted.
He faced her and froze, his eyes narrowing again. But this time they weren’t filled with mockery or censure, they were filled with…concern.
Lunging forward, he grabbed her arm as she swayed, a frown pleating his forehead. ‘Do you really need me to state that I’ve never forced myself on a woman?’ His voice was thick with shock.
She shook her head, a pulse of anxiety pushing her to reassure him. ‘Of course not.’
A layer of tension left him. ‘Then, what is this?’
‘There’s never been a man inside these walls.’Dear heaven.Did she really say that aloud? His frown reversing into surprise told her she had.
She clenched her jaw tight as if it could reclaim the words. He released her, stepping back to take a good look around.
Surprisingly, his expression grew neutral and then slid into shades of appreciation as he took in the terracotta walls, the pops of colour she loved so, the white timber table where she’d spent many meals with her mother and grandmother. The rugs painstakingly sourced from merchants across Morocco, a pastime her grandmother had dearly loved to indulge in when she could afford it.
And then the Afghan knitted blanket tossed over the well-used armchair before the fireplace. Sadness and fondness moved through her as she remembered sitting at her grandmother’s knee, listening to her stories as that blanket was knitted over many nights.
She wasn’t going to think about her what her grandmother would’ve thought of Teo right now. Having him here, within the walls of the place herjidahad poured blood, sweat and tears into making a home for her daughter and granddaughter after her own life had been fractured, felt like a betrayal.
But as long as she didn’t put any of these traitorous thoughts and feelings concerning Teo into action, surely it was fine? The quicker she got this unscheduled meeting out of the way, the quicker he would leave. ‘How did you find me?’ she asked again.
He faced her after several more seconds taking in her home. ‘Valenti can work miracles when he’s incentivised.’
If Azar Domene, King of Cartana and Teo’s older brother, was intimidatingly formidable, his twin was icily terrifying.
They’d barely exchanged a handful of words, but Sabeen had felt during each interaction that the other man could read her every secret. Perhaps, she mused a little anxiously, it was a trademark Domene trait. And as a highly sought-after security expert, she wasn’t surprised Valenti Domene had been the one to find her.
