Page 22 of Out of Office Nights
Putting his phone away, he gestured silently at the door. ‘Shall we?’
Senses still jumping wildly all over the place, she headed towards the front door. He stepped out as she locked up.
‘Do you ride?’
Her breath caught. ‘What?’
‘There are very few places I can go these days with total freedom. I couldn’t resist the chance to indulge that freedom. Such as it is.’
Movement beyond his mile-wide shoulders clued her into what that last statement meant. Two bodyguards hovered twenty feet away, alert and quietly menacing. Beyond them, a dark, armoured SUV too wide to fit into the narrow alley, idled with more bodyguards spaced out near it.
Of course he hadn’t come completely alone. He was third in line to a powerful Mediterranean throne after his twin brother and King Azar’s newly discovered son, Max. And while he could probably handle his own safety, protocol dictated he receive twenty-four-hour protection.
‘Which do you prefer?’
‘What?’
Without taking his eyes from her, he pointed to the powerful Ducati.
She’d never ridden one. The thought of her first time being with Teo Domene in singeing proximity had her shaking herhead before the shiver, stupidly commonplace now, had rushed down from her head to her toes.
‘Not that, thanks.’
Again, he hid whatever sentiment he felt about her adamant refusal well, easily pivoting towards the larger vehicle.
In silence they walked to the end of the alley, where she discovered another SUV behind the first. Sabeen cringed at the thought of the attention this would attract.
‘Something wrong?’
‘Besides you giving my neighbours endless hours of gossip fodder?’
Expecting a mocking quip, she was surprised when his jaw tightened. ‘You should’ve listened better to the agreements you made then, shouldn’t you?’
She deserved that, but it still stung.
The handful of miles to the restaurant passed too quickly.
The owner, Farah, looked up from an animated conversation when they entered, her wide smile growing wider as she threw out her arms. ‘Sabeen! Good to see you. And you brought me a handsome guest too.’
That shameful sting of jealously disarmed her, but Sabeen kept a smile on her face as Teo smiled in greeting.
Of course they were given the best seat in the house, and the most expensive wine was produced in record time before Farah retreated with a promise to make every dish herself.
She was batting away the stings when Teo’s gaze pierced her.
‘Why here? What’s the significance of coming to Essaouira to work? And think before you say it’s none of my business. Knowing where your head’s at is as important as wherever you go to tap into your creativity.’
She knew that. It was why she’d come here, after all. So why was it so hard to admit that to him?
Because it’s personal. And personal is dangerous.
And yet she found herself replying. ‘Because this place is more than just a workspace. It’s home. My safe place.’ A part of her very being. The admission was thick with emotions she couldn’t readily contain.
Again, expecting some glib comeback, she was stunned when he nodded with gravity. ‘Go on.’
Her eyes widened. He wanted more? ‘It feels like every important point in my life is rooted here.’ It was where she’d defied her grandmother—while secretly being spurred on by her mother—to accept the modelling scout’s invitation to audition for her first gig. It was where she’d celebrated after her first, second and third appearances on the cover ofVogue. Where she’d sought refuge in grief, yearning for closeness after her grandmother had passed away.
And it was where she’d come to heal after Nathan—
