The Desert King's Bejewelled Bride. Sabrina Philips

to begin that familiar route, she caught sight of a low-slung vehicle with tinted windows on the opposite side of the street. Despite its understated metallic black bodywork, it looked as conspicuous as a panther in the Arctic. It was large and sleek, and she knew it was not the kind of car her neighbours could even afford to hire, let alone own. Please, she prayed to herself, let Penny downstairs have finally bagged her rich boss who she was always harping on about.

      ‘Raring to go, Tamara?’ The silky drawl that cut through the stillness of the morning as she reached the bottom of the steps made her jump, but the surge of adrenaline immediately turned to anger.

      ‘Is stalking another pursuit you consider a royal right, along with blackmail, Kaliq?’ she bit out, not bothering to stop walking.

      ‘Just keeping an eye on what’s mine.’

      ‘I beg your pardon?’ She stopped then, but didn’t turn around, trying to ignore the way the endless expanse of cool morning air seemed to have grown claustrophobic with the throb of sexual awareness.

      ‘You are my employee now, are you not? Since you have a tendency for not knowing what’s good for you, I thought I’d make sure you didn’t do anything stupid. It seems it was a precaution worth taking.’

      ‘Then you’re mistaken. I never go back on my word. Nor do I consider leaving early for an assignment to be stupid, do you?’

      ‘My mistake indeed,’ he whispered slowly as he came up behind her. ‘I should have guessed that you were dying to start peeling off your clothes.’

      ‘You didn’t mention that I would be required to remove any clothes. I would appreciate it if you could clarify what is required of me, if my duties are not to be as I was initially informed.’

      ‘I think you know perfectly well what is required of you.’

      She swung round then. The slanted smile on his face read that he was keeping score and it was one-nil to him.

      ‘I agreed to model some old jewels. Assuming that is what you mean, I think we understand each other.’

      She saw a nerve work at his jaw and visualised a score board depicting one-all.

      ‘You make it sound as if what I ask you to do makes a difference to your answer, Tamara. I hardly think you need to pretend your standards are so exacting.’

      God, he really was from the Dark Ages! It wasn’t as if she posed for page three, for goodness’ sake—she’d never been photographed in anything less than what most people wore to the supermarket in summer, and usually a lot more. But then he was trying to get her, wasn’t he?

      ‘I wasn’t pretending any such thing,’ she answered coolly. ‘What you ask of me simply makes a difference to how much I charge.’

      ‘And how much do you charge, Tamara, for say—one night?’

      Tamara glowered at him. ‘Sex may be written into the contract of every other one of your female employees, Kaliq, but it is not in mine.’

      ‘What makes you think it needs to be written in,’ he purred, ‘when you know it goes without saying?’

      Tamara felt a wave of heat rush over her, which threatened to drag her mind back to the place it had been in the early hours of the morning, but she tore herself away from his mesmerising look of intent, turned on her heel and began to walk down the street.

      ‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’

      ‘To catch my train.’

      ‘Then clearly, Tamara, you are not charging enough.’ Kaliq reached out and caught hold of her arm, spinning her round to face him.

      ‘Public transport may be an alien concept to you, Your Highness—’ Tamara shook out of his grip as she motioned towards the costly vehicle on the opposite side of the street ‘—but I can assure you it is a perfectly adequate means of travel.’

      ‘But why have adequate, Tamara, when you can have the best?’ He drawled, ‘My private jet is waiting.’

      ‘As is my charter flight and city accommodation.’

      Kaliq looked utterly exasperated. ‘You think it is safe for a young woman to travel and stay alone in Qwasir?’

      ‘If it wasn’t, I would imagine the crown prince would have bigger concerns than hanging around here just to make sure he had someone to wear a necklace four days from now.’

      Kaliq’s eyes darkened. ‘It is a fact of life that our cultures are different, Tamara.’

      Tamara nodded and reached for the handle of her case once more. ‘You would do well to remember it. See you there.’

      ‘I’m afraid not, Tamara.’

      ‘What the hell does that mean?’

      ‘It means I require you in one piece for what I have in mind. Travelling in my transport and staying in my palace have just been added to the list of what is required of you. Now, get in the car.’