“This is important,” he whispered. “You should be writing this down.”
Startled, Talia looked down at her notebook. Sure enough, she’d trailed off mid-sentence when she’d seen him enter the auditorium. Talia had no idea how much information from the speaker she’d missed. Her fingers were slack around her pen and she couldn’t write down the point the speaker had just made even if her life depended on it. She simply couldn’t concentrate. Not with him sitting there next to her, looking strong and powerful and dangerous…tapping into her long-desperate hope that she might be daring too.
He nodded again. “That’s important too. Write that down.”
She blinked when he glanced down at her. “What are you…?”
He shook his head, silently shushing her again. “I’ll do it,” he took the notebook and pen from her. He wrote down several salient points and, after several minutes, Talia slowly remembered to listen to the speaker. It wasn’t easy, and the speaker never received her full attention, not while this man sat next to her, distracting her brain, but she could hear.
He filled several pages of her notebook with notes in the form of bullet points. When he wasn’t writing, and she thought something was important, she took the pen and notebook back, startled when their fingers touched. The fission of awareness surprised both of them, but she pulled back, blinking as she scribbled down the point.
A dozen pages had been filled by the end of the speech, mostly in his bold handwriting.
He took the notebook from her again during the applause, and wrote something else down, then handed it back to her.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said, then abruptly stood up and left the auditorium.
Talia blinked after him as the door closed softly behind him. The next speaker was already introduced by the time she broke through her stupor and glanced down at her notebook.
That’s when her heart began to race again. Written with his bold scrawl, were the words, “Dinner tonight at the Accelleron Hotel. Seven PM.”
It wasn’t a request and Talia smiled at his arrogance. If any other man had written that, she would have simply ignored it and gone on with her day. But because it was that man, the one who had done delicious, naughty things to her body last night in her dreams, she would definitely be at that hotel at seven o’clock tonight.
Suddenly, that daring, adventurous spark roared to life inside of her. She wasn’t going to be the shy, studious woman who feared dangerous situations. Tonight, she was going to rendezvous with a daring, handsome man with dark, intense eyes and shoulders that a woman could lean on. A hard, powerful body that she’d love to…well, that was for another time, she warned herself, shifting in her chair.
Chapter 4
“What are your plans tonight?” Talia asked abruptly as soon as her brother stepped into the penthouse suite of their hotel. She danced on pins and needles, filled with anticipation. She’d already tried on several outfits, but wasn’t sure what to wear. Tonight she’d be dining with a powerfully handsome man at a very nice restaurant, but should she be more dressed up? Or just a normal business dress? Talia had debated back and forth, not sure what was appropriate.
Finally, she’d settled on a simple, black sheath dress that wasn’t particularly dramatic, except that it had several holes in the neckline, creating a bit of a sexy, peek-a-boo effect. At the moment, she was barefoot, but she had a fabulous pair of black heels waiting with her purse over by the doorway. She’d slip them on as she left for the night, not wanting to give her brother any hint of her plans.
Gaelen sighed, running a hand over his harsh features. The scar on his right cheek stood out, his exhaustion complete. “I don’t know. Eat dinner. Go to bed.” He moved deeper into the suite and poured himself a glass of scotch. “Want some?” he teased.
But then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked down at her. Was her excitement showing? Was she blushing? Talia took a deep breath, praying that she wasn’t blushing because Gaelen, all of her brothers actually, were very protective. If Gaelen even suspected that she was meeting a man for dinner, he’d…well, Talia didn’t want to find out. So, she tamped down on her excitement and tried for casual.
She squinched her nose and tried to relax her shoulders while shaking her head at his offer. Then her eyes brightened again. “Yuck, no. I attended several very informative meetings today. Lots of great ideas to bring home.”
Her distraction must have been successful, because the curious look in his eyes abated and his exhaustion returned. “That’s good. What kind of ideas?”
She bit her lip, not wanting to delay her night. Already, it was six-thirty. She’d have to hurry if she was going to slip out of the hotel. “Oh, let me get back to you on that. I need to…”
His phone buzzed and he pulled it out immediately. Suddenly, he looked more awake, his exhaustion vanishing entirely. “I’d love to talk to you about it but I need to do something,” he told her. Draining his glass, he set the crystal back on the marble countertop of the bar. “Will you be up for a while?”
Talia bristled, wondering what he was going to do. She wanted to ask, but then stopped herself, realizing that his departure was exactly what she needed. “I’m heading to my room. I want to go through my notes and…”
He bent down and kissed the top of her head, obviously distracted. “That’s great. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
Talia watched him disappear. He was most definitely going to visit a woman. Turning, she looked at the housekeeper, who stepped in to ask about dinner. “I don’t need anything tonight,” she told the kind woman. “And my brother just left. I don’t know if he’ll need anything either, but if he does, he can call the hotel kitchen. Have a good night.” she told the woman, giving her the night off.
The woman looked pleased to have the extra hours to herself and, after a polite tilt of her head, quickly headed back into the kitchen.
Talia looked around, wondering what other obstacles might come up as she snuck out of the hotel.
“I’m not doing anything wrong,” she told her reflection in the mirror. “I’m just having dinner with a male companion.”
Even as she said the words, she knew that they were a lie. If she wasn’t doing anything wrong, then she wouldn’t need to sneak out. But she knew without a doubt that Gaelen wouldn’t like her going out to dinner with a man, especially not one that he hadn’t vetted through their security team. But on the plus side, she doubted that the woman he was seeing tonight had been vetted either, so fair was fair. She should be allowed to do anything her brothers did.
With that thought flashing through her mind, she picked up her clutch, made sure that she had cash and credit cards, lipstick, her key to the penthouse and her taser. Yep, she would be armed, in a manner. Not that she was sure she could use the taser. Oh, she probably wouldn’t hesitate to use it in an attack, but there were so many grey areas during which she might feel threatened.
Straightening her shoulders, Talia gave herself a mental pep talk as she left the suite. There were no guards outside, probably because they’d either gone with Gaelen or had gone into their command center for the night, assuming she was staying in the suite.
Still, it was surprisingly easy to take the elevator down to the lobby, catch a cab, and give him the address to the hotel. The doorman gave her an odd look, but he didn’t hesitate to blow his whistle to call a taxi for her.
A few minutes later, the cab driver pulled up outside of the hotel and she paid the man, adding a generous tip before slipping out of the taxi.
The Accelleron Hotel was just as beautiful as the one her family owned. As Talia walked through the lobby, she felt daring. Yes, other women went on dates with men all the time. But Talia didn’t. So this was an adventure for her. “I’m channeling your spirit, Orella,” she whispered, then spotted the tall, amazingly attractive man sitting at the bar.
Walking up to him, she looked him in the eye. “I don’t even know your name,” she told him. “So, if this is going any fur
ther, I need a name.”
He chuckled and took her hand. “Santos. And you are?” he prompted.
“Talia,” she replied, trying to hide her trembling when he lifted her hand up to his lips, gently laying a kiss on her knuckles in an old-world manner. She liked it. He was so incredibly attractive in a rough, powerful way. His eyes were dark brown and his eyebrows perhaps a bit too thick, making his eyes look slightly sinister. His nose was thin and pointed, adding to that impression. But his mouth was wide and sexy. Not full lips, but lips that she suspected could convey a great deal.
“You are lovely, Talia,” he murmured. “Would you like a drink before dinner?”
She looked at the bar, then at the few others who were milling about. It seemed safe enough. “That would be lovely,” she replied, slipping onto the bar stool next to him. The bartender immediately walked up and she asked for white wine.
“What do you do, Talia?” he asked.
She pulled her eyes away from their nearly touching knees. He’d shifted so that his legs were on either side of hers, trapping her slightly, although she was sure that she could get away if she needed to.
“I’m…” she stopped, not sure how much to tell him. “I’m in charge of public services for my area,” she finally admitted. That was the truth, although she didn’t tell him that her “area” was the entire country of Izara. That was more than he needed to know.
At least, not yet. Perhaps not ever. This was just dinner. Tonight was nothing more than dinner with an exciting, intelligent, fascinating man.
“And that includes teaching?”
She shrugged. “The public services include the school systems. I thought there were some wonderful ideas discussed today, don’t you think?”
He looked doubtful. “A dog in the classroom? I suspect that a dog, no matter the breed, would be distracting.”
Talia leaned forward slightly, eager for the debate. “The teacher who brought that up said that the principal had the same fear. And you’re right, the dog was terribly distracting in the beginning. But once the students grew comfortable with the dog, I believe she said it was a trained therapy dog, the students loved it and everyone eventually settled down once the novelty wore off. There’s some sound science behind having a therapy dog in the classroom.”
Over the next two hours, they debated the various suggestions from the conference. He was far more conservative in his teaching philosophy than Talia, who wanted to experiment more, bring in additional teaching tools. And…gasp! Double the salaries of teachers.
“Who is going to pay for that?” he demanded. They’d decided to eat in the bar instead of going to the hotel’s more formal dining room. The bar had mostly cleared out by the time they ordered, so it was easier to stay put. Besides, eating in the dining room would require their debate to be more sedate.
Talia laughed at his horrified expression. “I haven’t figured that out yet, but I’m thinking that a lot of the issues facing the world today could be overcome by a more educated citizenry, don’t you agree?”
He shrugged and Talia couldn’t stop her gaze from trailing over his broad shoulders. “I think that there are some people who prefer to revel in their own stupidity and just won’t learn. But yes, in general, smarter populations have less upheaval. They aren’t confused by false claims as easily.”
“Exactly,” she emphasized, pointing her fork at him. “Less riots and less crime mean that there would be less need for a police force.”
“I disagree,” he argued, pushing her plate closer to her. “You’ve barely touched your meal. You’re supposed to be the intelligent one here.”
She rolled her eyes, amused by his observation. And a bit charmed. His comment showed that he was paying attention to her. “It doesn’t take intelligence to eat.”
“It takes intelligence to grow the food.”
“We’re veering off topic,” she laughed. “My domain doesn’t cover agriculture.”
“No, but you want to take funding away from the areas that aren’t under your domain and apply that money to your areas, am I correct?”
He had her there. “Yes, and that might sound expensive, but only in the short term. By doing it my way, we’d spend less in the long term.”
They moved away from teaching tactics and moved on to debating about political trends, fashion fads, social media, and the overuse of technology in communications. By the time they realized what time it was, the bartender was closing up for the night.
“Oh my goodness!” she gasped, standing up and looking around. “We’ve closed the place down!”
“You’re a delightful dinner companion, Talia,” he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the bar.
“Thank you. I had a lovely time as well,” she replied, smiling up at him. It was an awkward moment and she wasn’t sure how to end the night. “Well, I’d better get home,” she told him, feeling a strange need to move closer to him.
“I’ll see you home safely.”
See her home? To the hotel? Oh no, he couldn’t do that!
“No need,” she told him firmly and stepped back. But since he still had her hand in his, she couldn’t pull back far enough. He tugged her gently forward. “You are my dinner companion, Talia. I will ensure that you arrive home safely.”
She bit her lip, not sure what to say. She didn’t want him to drive her home for several reasons, one of which was that she didn’t want him to kiss her goodnight. She’d had enough trouble sleeping last night because of him. Her dreams didn’t need more fodder.
“I’ll just…I need to use the ladies room,” she said, thinking fast.
“I’ll wait here,” he promised.
She smiled, thinking again that he was charming and devastatingly attractive. Taller than she’d thought too! She was in three inch heels and he still towered over her. Although she wasn’t abnormally tall, the heels put her at about five feet ten inches and she still had to look up at him.
Stepping back, she looked around the lobby until she located the restrooms, which were down a long hallway, tucked out of the way of the foot traffic in the lobby.
Heading in that direction, she thought frantically. She wasn’t sure if Gaelen was back at the penthouse yet or if he was still out with his lady friend. But what if his lady friend was at the hotel? Ugh! This was more complicated than she’d realized. When they were at home, she knew that her brothers all had special houses or apartments where they’d take their ladies. In very rare cases, the women were allowed into the palace, but that was normally just for Amit because of his title and responsibilities. The threat to his life was the greatest, so having Amit leave the palace for his…pleasure…would be a huge security issue.
Leaning her head back against the wall, she thought hard. There was no way she could allow Santos to drive her back to the hotel. He’d want to see her to her door and that just couldn’t happen. Not with so many guards at the hotel right now, all of them bored and ready to pounce. Even sneaking back in by herself was going to be a challenge.
Suddenly, she thought of something and hurried over to the concierge desk. “Do you have a pen and paper with an envelope?” she asked the man.
“Of course, ma’am,” he immediately replied, pulling the materials out of his desk and handing them to her.
“Thank you,” she replied and moved slightly off to the side, out of the way, and wrote her note. “Thank you for a lovely evening, but I caught a taxi. I hope to see you again soon!” She added her personal cell phone number, then sealed the envelope and handed it to the concierge. “Please give this to Santos. He’s standing over there,” she said, pointing to where the tall, incredibly sexy man was standing, speaking to another man.
The concierge looked startled, but pulled himself together. “Of course, ma’am,” and he bowed slightly.
Talia moved out of sight again, watching the concierge deliver the note to Santos. Dual sensations of guilt and relief washed over her as she saw Santos read the words she’d writt
en. He smiled slightly and looked around as if hoping to find her. Ducking back quickly, she held her breath, not daring to peek around again as she moved down a different hallway, one that she hoped would…!
“So, you don’t want me to see you home safely?”
Talia yelped when he appeared behind her, trapping her against the wall as he pressed a hand on either side of her head.
“Santos! I just…”
His gaze was sharp as he surveyed her anxiety. “You were trying to sneak away from me. Why?”
He reached out to touch her cheek, sliding gentle fingers along the muscles of her neck. She closed her eyes, trying to control her reaction to his touch.
When he pulled his hand away, placing it back against the wall, only then could she open her eyes and look at him. “Because of this,” she told him honestly.
“This?”
She nodded, shifting on her feet but not moving too much because she feared touching his chest with her breasts. They were so close, that any sort of movement might cause her body to brush against the hard planes of his and that would be disastrous.
“Yes,” she whispered, looking up into his dark eyes. “This.”
“Explain,” he commanded, his voice deeper. Huskier.
She licked her lips, then realized her mistake and tried to appear calm and businesslike. “Yesterday, after the nightclub, I sort of…” she hesitated, trying to come up with a legitimate excuse. “I dreamed about you,” she finally admitted. “I had a hard time falling asleep and then, when I finally did, I dreamed about you. And I don’t…”
He touched her chin, lifting her face, and kissed her. It was a soft, brushing kiss, delicate and ephemeral. Talia felt the touch echo all the way down to her toes. When he pulled away, his dark gaze captured hers again. She burned with the desire to touch him. To throw herself into his arms and experience more of that kiss, more sensations.
“I dreamed about you too,” he told her. “Although, I suspect that our dreams were different.”
She laughed nervously, shaking her head. “Probably not.”
The Sheik's Scandal (The Raminar Family Book 3) Page 3
