‘Try and stay in character, Your Highness,’ Karim advised. ‘You can’t be bold and feisty one minute and embarrassed the next.’
Angered by his remark, Alexa turned. ‘That depends on the conversation topic.’
He glanced briefly in her direction, a faint smile touching his hard mouth. ‘Thinking about sex is a perfectly natural mind-progression between people of a certain age, wouldn’t you agree?’
‘No, I wouldn’t! And I’m not thinking about sex.’ But now the word was out there in the open she felt her pelvis burn and her stomach flip. And suddenly she could think of nothing but sex. And not sex in the abstract or in general—sex with Karim.
With a feeling close to desperation, she felt her eyes stray to his bronzed, capable hands. He handled the vehicle with skill, but the lightness of his touch didn’t fool her for a moment. She knew that Karim was in control. The master. And then her capricious mind imagined those same confident hands moving over her body, and she suddenly felt as though she’d been seared by the flame of a blow torch. ‘Is the air-conditioning working?’
‘You grow hot, habibati?’ His mouth tightened, and it was evident that he didn’t welcome the chemistry any more than she did. ‘You are worried that you are having such explicit thoughts about one man only a few days before your wedding to another? It’s inconvenient, I agree.’
The fact that he’d so clearly guessed her most intimate thoughts left her mortified. ‘I’m not thinking about you at all.’
‘No?’
‘No. And if you think that then you’re delusional.’
‘I’m honest, Your Highness, but I realize that honesty is not a trait that most women possess, especially when they have their eye on the higher prize.’
‘I’m marrying the Sultan in four days.’
‘Precisely.’ He glanced towards her, but the sunglasses made it impossible for her to read the expression in his eyes. ‘You should save those hot, longing looks for your wedding night.’
His words tied her in knots. She didn’t want to think about her wedding night. ‘I don’t want to talk about this any more.’
‘Why? It’s the future you’ve chosen. Why wouldn’t you want to talk about it?’ He turned his attention back to the road. ‘I would have thought you would be interested in knowing about the Sultan.’
Her heart was pounding and her mouth was dry. Perhaps talking about the Sultan would return her mind to reality. ‘All right. Tell me about him.’ It didn’t actually matter what they talked about as long as it took her mind off the dangerous chemistry that was pulsing between them.
‘He is a typical only child.’
‘Overindulged?’
Karim gave a faint smile. ‘I was thinking more of the fact that he is a high achiever who is perhaps most at home in his own company.’
‘People must fall over themselves to obey his every wish. It must be difficult. He’s probably surrounded by people who say what he wants to hear, and he can’t really trust any of them because they all have their own agenda.’ Her words were greeted by a long silence, and when she glanced towards him she saw that his jaw was tense.
‘If you have that degree of insight into the complications of royal life then you are clearly interested in more than shoes and clothes.’
‘I’ve lived in a palace all my life so I know what it’s like to be constantly under scrutiny. Everything you do is magnified a hundred times and then reviewed by everyone. I don’t suppose it’s any different for the Sultan. It’s all about manoeuvring and politics. Persuading other people to adopt ideas in a subtle way.’
‘The word subtle definitely doesn’t apply to the Sultan. He gives an order and it is done. That’s how things work in Zangrar.’
‘No one argues with him?’
‘No one would dare. It is not his style to rule by consensus.’
‘But you like him?’
Karim frowned. ‘I have never before been asked that question.’
‘It’s a yes-or-no answer.’
He inhaled sharply. ‘In that case, it’s probably no. I don’t think I like him, particularly. In fact, there are occasions when I probably dislike him more than anyone I know. He is infuriatingly autocratic, far too controlling and disturbingly possessive.’
Alexa stared at him, surprised. ‘You’re very frank.’
‘I thought you were looking for the truth.’
‘I was, but all the same—aren’t you worried that I might tell him what you really think of him?’
Karim laughed. ‘No, for two reasons. Firstly, when you are with the Sultan he will not be either wanting or expecting conversation from you. And secondly, the Sultan has absolutely no need or particular desire to be liked. Respect—now, that’s a different matter entirely.’
Alexa chose to ignore his oblique reference to sex. ‘So you respect him?’
‘He and I share a similar vision for Zangrar.’
‘And you think he’s the man to bring that vision to life?’
‘Without a doubt. The Sultan is not a man to entertain the possibility of failure.’
‘Well, that’s good, then. He wants something badly and he’s prepared to go for it.’
‘He takes that approach to everything in his life. He decides what is important, and then he pursues that goal relentlessly until it is achieved. He never fails. You might want to remember that.’
‘I hope I’ll be of use to him.’
‘You’ll definitely be of use.’
Alexa felt a flicker of disquiet, but chose to ignore the implication behind his words. ‘I can give him an impartial opinion.’ She knew more about palace politics than most people.
Karim laughed with genuine amusement. ‘You think the Sultan will be interested in your opinion? This is Zangrar, Alexa. The Sultan’s expectations of your role will not extend beyond the bedroom.’
Suddenly the car seemed like a furnace. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘I’m being honest. Clearly you haven’t thought beyond your wedding.’
Alexa tensed in her seat, knowing that it was true. ‘As his wife I can be extremely useful in many ways.’
‘There will be only one way that interests the Sultan.’ Karim glanced at her briefly, his expression thoughtful. ‘But you shouldn’t worry about it. As I discovered last night, you are clearly an extremely sexual young woman. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep him satisfied, as long as you take plenty of rest in the hours that he is working.’
‘Now you really are being ridiculous.’
‘On the contrary, the Sultan is a man who sets himself a punishing work-agenda. He has little time for relaxation and even less time for physical exercise so these days he tends to combine the two. He has an extremely high sex-drive, but you shouldn’t find that a problem. You’re clearly a woman with energy and drive of your own. The more I see of you, the more convinced I am that this marriage is to be celebrated by all concerned.’
‘The Sultan and I will share a great deal more than sex,’ Alexa said stiffly, ignoring the sudden churning of her insides. ‘My background is not so dissimilar to his. I’m sure that once I understand him, I’ll be able to help in all sorts of ways.’