She faltered. Her voice had dropped to a smoky level that had no place at work—actually no place in her life till this point. Felicia dated, but she preferred the safe comfort of feeling lukewarm to this feeling of being speared on the end of a fondue stick and dipped at his whim.
She cleared her throat. ‘Well, an altar boy might be pushing things, but if there’s anything you’re worried about...’
‘Worrying is a pointless pursuit—and, as I thought I’d made clear, I’m fine with my reputation,’ Kedah answered smoothly, and although his expression did not display even a trace of amusement Felicia felt as if he was laughing at her. ‘In fact I’ve loved every minute that I’ve spent earning it.’
Kedah was entranced, for Felicia hadn’t so much as blinked, nor had she blushed, and he decided then that she was hired.
‘Okay, no confidentiality agreement. But mess with me, Felicia, and I will deal with you outside of the law.’
Now she blushed—but at a point far lower on her body than her face. She was about to make some glib comment about being tipped over his knee but rather rapidly changed her mind.
‘Six months,’ Kedah said.
‘A year,’ she refuted. ‘And when I’m no longer needed you pay out the rest of my contract and I’ll be on my way.’
‘Is that what generally happens?’ For a moment he let his guard drop—just a little. He was curious about her job. Fascinated, in fact. ‘You do a few weeks’ work for a year’s pay?’
She nodded and Kedah—albeit briefly—forgot his own dark troubles. He wanted to know more, but Felicia shook her head when he asked.
‘I don’t discuss my previous clients, and of course I’ll provide you with that same courtesy.’ Her voice sounded a little frantic now. ‘Now you need to tell me what’s going on if I’m to do my job.’
‘Felicia,’ he offered, in a rather bored drawl, ‘I didn’t hire you to tidy up my reputation. This leopard shan’t be changing his spots. I want a PA and I hear that you’re amongst the best. Do you want the role or not?’
Her smile slipped and those once glacial eyes clouded in confusion.
He pushed forward the contract.
‘We need to discuss terms and conditions,’ Kedah explained, and then went through them.
Basically, for the next year she was his.
Well, not his!
Just at his beck and call. Even if he was in Zazinia without her she would be working here.
There would be no reprieve.
Felicia wondered if now was the time to state, as she usually did, that she never slept with clients.
She looked at his long slender fingers as they turned the page and moved on to remuneration.
‘Regarding your salary...’ he said.
‘Kedah.’
She watched as with a stroke of his pen he doubled it.
‘I expect devotion.’
Now! she thought. He had given the perfect opening, Felicia knew. Right now she should smile and nod as she warned him that there were certain things out of bounds.
And there were.
Of course there were.
But actually to state that nothing could possibly happen might make her a liar. Even if he didn’t, Felicia trusted her own word, so she refrained from her usual terse speech.
He crossed out the confidentiality clause, and initialled it, and then it was time for them both to countersign.
Felicia read through the contract again, and noted that her starting date was today.
Now.
‘Kedah...’ Felicia felt it only fair to warn him. ‘I don’t think I’ll make a very good PA.’
‘On the contrary,’ he said. ‘I think you’ll be excellent.’
There was more to this.
Quite simply, there had to be.
And Felicia wanted to know what it was.
With a hand that somehow remained steady she used her own pen to sign her name and initial in all the right places and that was it—she was tied to him for a year.
Unfortunately not literally.
‘Why are you laughing?’ he asked, when she suddenly did.
‘Just something I said in my head.’ Felicia replied, and tried to right herself.
She looked out of the window to a bosky summer evening and knew the rush Kedah gave her was a giddy one. She wanted to go home now, to collect her thoughts.
‘I’m looking forward to working with you, Kedah,’ Felicia said, and held out her hand to shake his.
‘Good,’ he said, but did not shake her hand.
It became suddenly clear she was not dismissed.
‘Anu will show you to your office. I believe my assistant in Zazinia will be free to speak with you in an hour.’
‘I thought...’ she started. But, as she was about to find out, the interview was over, the negotiations were done, and Kedah had nothing more to discuss.
‘That will be all for now.’
It would seem that at five p.m. on a Friday her work day had just begun.
The gorgeous office would tomorrow have Felicia’s name on its door, Anu told her, and there was an award-winning chef a phone call away who would prepare whatever she chose for supper.
And so she got busy.
It was late in Zazinia but Vadia, Kedah’s assistant there, looked fresh and crisp on the video link.
‘The offending article has been taken down,’ she informed Felicia. ‘If you could let Kedah know that?’
So she didn’t use his title when she spoke of him either, Felicia thought as Vadia continued.
‘I am trying to schedule the finishing touches on his official portrait. The artist is due to go overseas for surgery in a couple of months’ time, so if you could tell Kedah that it is becoming rather pressing?’
‘I shall.’
Then she went through his upcoming agenda, and it was so full that Felicia wondered how on earth he’d had the time to earn his reputation.
‘I shall speak with you again tomorrow.’ Vadia smiled.
Tomorrow was Saturday. Not that a little thing like the weekend seemed to matter in Kedah’s world.
‘If you can just push Kedah for an answer regarding the artist? Also remind him that the next time he’s home we will be arranging the date for his bridal selection.’
As easily as that Vadia slipped it in. In fact she spoke as if she was trying to pin him down for a dental appointment.
‘Bridal selection?’ Felicia checked.
‘Kedah knows.’ Vadia smiled again. ‘Just inform him that his father, the King, wants a date.’
As Vadia disappeared from the screen Felicia sat for a moment, trying to assimilate all she had found out today. While Kedah might insist that his reputation wasn’t an issue, it might prove to be one for any future bride.
Especially if said reputation continued unchecked.
Was that why she was here? Felicia pondered. Was he soon to marry and she was to take charge of his social life here in England?
No