Desert Rogues Part 2

by Susan Mallery

  Kiley moved close. “I believe the violations are my responsibility,” she whispered in his ear.

  He chuckled, then stepped back and studied her outfit. “You look very beautiful. Are you feeling better?”

  “A little.” She shook her head. “No. Not really. I’m intelligent and fully capable of holding my own in a conversation. I know that. It’s just…”

  He crossed to her and lightly touched her chin. “You wish to make me proud of you.”

  She let herself get lost in his dark eyes. “Exactly. If I’d known there was going to be a quiz on current events, I would have studied more.”

  “There isn’t a quiz. This is a few friends getting together.”

  “Right. That’s why we’ve got the good china out.”

  He leaned close. “This isn’t the good china. That has the state seal on it.”

  She instantly pictured an aquatic mammal before realizing that probably wasn’t the kind of seal he meant. “Casual is good,” she said. “I can do casual.”

  He took her hand and led her to the foyer. They stopped in front of a large mirror.

  “You enchant me,” he told her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. “You are completely yourself at every turn. You worry about me, you fuss, you create a sense of home where none existed.”

  “I appreciate the compliment, but I don’t think I’ve done all that.”

  “You have. Simply by your presence. You have become friends with Sana.”

  He wasn’t making sense. “Who wouldn’t? She’s great. And she’s teaching me to make some really cool dishes.”

  He smiled. “You take time with people. Now, even though you are nervous, you still show up and intend to do your best. I admire you, Kiley. More than I can say.”

  He reached into his slacks pocket and pulled out a small box. She recognized the trademark, dark-green leather, the edging in silver, and turned to face him.

  “No, no. Not required. I’m not here for the money or the jewelry.”

  “But I want to give you this.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and last week you gave me a car. Rafiq, stop. I’m not like them. I’m here for a nobler purpose.” Because she was falling for him, she thought, knowing she could never say that. Oh, sure, this had started out as a way to get revenge, but it was so much more now.

  She felt tears forming and willed them away. He could never know how she had fallen for him. She could stand everything but his pity.

  Forcing herself to smile, she said, “I’m here for the sex.”

  As she expected, he laughed, but he didn’t put the box away. “You’re going to make me beg, aren’t you.”

  “It’s something I’ve never seen, so probably.”

  He opened the box. Inside was a diamond pendant. The simple design, three stones, each larger than the one above, took her breath away.

  He produced matching earrings from his other pocket. “You know I will win this argument,” he told her, even as he handed her the earrings. When she would have refused them, he closed her fingers around them.

  “I usually prefer much more obvious pieces,” he said. “But I knew those would not suit your delicate beauty. You must admit they’re modest by my standards.”

  The pendant gleamed in the vee of her shirt. She winced as the perfectly cut stones caught the light.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said.

  “Then put on the earrings.”

  She looked at him in the mirror. “I’m not here for jewelry.”

  “I know. But that reality only makes me want to buy you more.”

  Rather than argue further, she put on the earrings and admired them. One more item on her list of things she was leaving behind when it was time to go. The car, most of the clothes, any jewelry he bought her—and her heart.

  “I was substantially younger than I am now,” Margaret Redding, Ambassador to Lucia-Serrat, said with a laugh. “It was my first overseas posting. I’d gotten lucky and been assigned to Rome. There was a fabulous party and there he was, Prince Rafiq.”

  Kiley smiled at the attractive older woman. “He does clean up well.”

  “I’ll say. We danced, he was charming. It was lust at first sight, for me anyway. At the end of the evening, he was gracious and took my number. I waited weeks for him to call. He never did.” She laughed again, then tucked her long auburn hair behind her ears. “I was crushed for at least two days. Then I found out the very handsome prince was at least nine years younger than me. It was hard to tell with him in his tux.”

  Margaret glanced at Rafiq. “He’s grown into quite a man. I envy you.” She turned her attention to her husband. “In the purely intellectual sense, of course.”

  Kiley laughed. “Of course.” She’d seen the Reddings come in together and didn’t doubt that they were very much in love.

  “So how, exactly, did you get to be an ambassador?”

  Margaret shifted on the sofa. “I rose through the ranks in the State Department. I was very fortunate in my postings, and I managed to make a good impression on the right people. This is my first time as ambassador and I’m delighted. Lucia-Serrat is a wonderful place to live. I enjoy the people so much and Prince Nasri, Rafiq’s father, is very determined to maintain a cordial relationship with the United States.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Some days I don’t actually feel as if I’m working.”

  “What does your husband do?”

  “He’s a writer, which allows him to travel with me. He teases me that it’s far more interesting for him to be the dependent spouse than it would be for me. He gets to hang out with all the wives. At my previous post, his team won the embassy golf tournament.”

  “Do you have children?”

  Margaret’s smile faded. “No. We talked about it, but with my career, it would have been a challenge. Robert was willing, of course. He would have made an excellent stay-at-home father. But the year we were going to try, I was sent to three different posts in nine months. All that moving around isn’t conducive to pregnancy. At least it wasn’t for me. And then…”

  Margaret stopped and shrugged. “Sorry. I’m rambling. I suppose I’m still thinking about what could have been. I always wanted a career more than a family.”

  Kiley had trouble believing this attractive, incredibly successful woman could ever doubt her choices. Yet it was clear that Margaret was ambivalent about the road she’d chosen.

  “If it makes you feel any better,” Kiley said in a lower voice, “I’ve only ever wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I’ve always felt guilty about that, as if I should have big career aspirations.”

  “I think the fact that I want my career and you want to be a stay-at-home mom and both of us can do that is a wonderful thing. As for feeling guilty—” she touched Kiley’s hand “—don’t. Isn’t it a blessing that you know what you want and have the freedom to pursue it? Isn’t that the point?”

  “You’re right.”

  Kiley thought about her plans for the future—to find another job, to buy a condo, to live her life fully. If a man came along in the next few years, that would be wonderful. If he didn’t, she wasn’t going to give up her dream of being a mother. She would find another way.

  Margaret glanced over her shoulder to where Rafiq spoke with Robert and another couple.

  “He adores you,” Margaret told her. “I can see it in his eyes.”

  “Thank you. I adore him.”

  Margaret waited expectantly.

  Kiley laughed. “You’re not going to get me to say any more. We’re good friends. We have fun together. That’s all.” Unfortunately, when the time was up, he would let her go, just as he’d let every other woman go.

  “Are you sure?” Margaret asked. “He has to settle down sometime.”

  “I’m sure he has a princess-in-training all picked out. He’s not the boy next door. He has to be very careful about who he chooses.”

  “Agreed. So why not you?”

  Kiley knew all the reasons. Sh
e didn’t have family connections or the right lineage. Loving him wasn’t enough of a calling card.

  “She’s wonderful,” Margaret told Rafiq after dinner. “Where did you find her?”

  “She works for me.”

  Margaret smiled. “Your secretary. Then she’s not your usual type.”

  “Meaning?”

  The ambassador laughed. “She’s a real person with a heart and a brain. You don’t always look for that.”

  “I would have thought that to be in your position, some measure of diplomacy was required.”

  Margaret shrugged. “I thought we’d known each other long enough for that not to be an issue. But if you’d prefer I can speak more delicately.”

  “No. I like that you tell me the truth.” He offered Margaret a glass of cognac, then took one for himself. They were the last ones at the dining room table. Everyone else had gone out to admire the sunset.

  She took a sip, then set down her glass. “Your father has been speaking with me. You know he’s concerned.”

  Rafiq could imagine the subject of their conversation. “I’m past thirty and not engaged. It’s time for me to take a wife.”

  “A list has been prepared.”

  “I trust you didn’t bring it with you.”

  “I wasn’t privy to it. I only know of its existence, and that I wasn’t on it.”

  Despite his displeasure at the topic, he smiled. “You tell that story of falling for me all those years ago, but in truth you were far more interested in your career than in any one man.”

  “Perhaps,” she admitted. “But it is a good story. Now, back to the subject you don’t wish to discuss. I am your friend and I tell you this as a friend. You will be recalled by the end of the year. Your father is determined to see you married with an heir.”

  He shrugged. “Then I will pick a wife.”

  “You could sound more enthused about it.”

  “Why? It is a duty, nothing more.”

  “What about Kiley?”

  The idea had crossed his mind. She was all he had ever wanted. But to marry her was to invite disaster. He would start to believe and have expectations. When she let him down, when she proved she was like all the others and that she could not love with any depth, he would be unable to forgive her. There had been too many disappointments in his life for him to be forgiving now.

  “No.”

  “Want to tell me why not?” she asked.

  “Not really. I will pick a suitable bride and produce an heir.”

  “You don’t sound very happy about the prospect. I know you’re a prince, Rafiq, but you’re also a man. Don’t you want to fall madly in love?”

  He recalled all that had happened to him while he’d been growing up. All the times he’d been left alone because there was no one to bother. He thought of all the women who claimed to love him when what they loved was the promise of title and untold riches.

  “I don’t believe in love,” he said. “I prefer duty. A desire to serve can be trusted.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, and touched his hand. “I wish I could change your mind.”

  “I assure you, I won’t.”

  Kiley walked into the restaurant shortly after twelve. The reservation was for twelve-fifteen, but she didn’t want to be late. Actually, she didn’t want to be here at all, but if her presence was required, then she would prefer not to be tardy.

  Why had she agreed to this? What had she been thinking? In truth, the invitation had been such a shock that she hadn’t been able to think of a reason to refuse.

  She gave her name to the hostess and was shown to a corner table at the rear of the restaurant. Several of the surrounding tables were still unoccupied. Crystal gleamed on white tablecloths as jacketed servers moved quietly among the upscale clientele.

  Kiley adjusted the front of her designer dress. It wasn’t anything she would normally have worn to work, but this wasn’t a normal day.

  At exactly twelve-sixteen, a beautiful, well-dressed woman approached the table. Kiley stood and offered a tentative smile. The woman looked her up and down.

  “So, you’re the new flavor of the month. You’re not exactly his usual type, are you? Well, sit down.” The woman took her seat and motioned to the waiter. “A martini. Very dry. Tell David it’s me. He knows what I like.”

  Carnie Rigby, former beauty queen, former actress and Rafiq’s mother, glanced at her. “Let me guess. You’ll have white wine.”

  Kiley figured this had to be some kind of test. No one could be that rude on general principle. At least she hoped not. She leaned back in her seat and turned to the waiter.

  “I’ll have a glass of iced tea, please.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The man hurried away.

  “Afraid you’ll be muddled this afternoon?” Carnie asked as she shrugged off her jacket. “I doubt my son will care.”

  “He might not, but I would.”

  “That’s the secretary in you. A secretary. Whatever were you thinking? I heard you’d been to college. Surely you could have done more with your life.”

  Kiley was torn. She’d been raised to respect her elders, and she didn’t want to insult Rafiq’s mother. But she wasn’t willing to be a doormat, either.

  “I haven’t had a chance to look at the menu,” she said, picking up one of the leather-bound pages the waiter had left. “What would you recommend?”

  “I really don’t care what you eat. You’re not going to answer me?”

  “Was there a question?”

  “I suppose not.” Carnie glanced toward the bar. “Where is that man with my martini?” She sighed heavily, then turned back to Kiley. “You’re living with him.”

  Kiley hadn’t known what to make of the invitation to join Rafiq’s mother for lunch. She’d thought maybe the other woman had wanted to get involved in her son’s life in some way. Obviously not. Either Carnie saw Kiley as a threat, which was flattering but not true, or she resented anyone her son was involved with. Kiley didn’t want to add to her distress, but she refused to be walked on.

  “Yes,” Kiley said calmly. “It’s been a couple of weeks now.”

  “He doesn’t usually invite his women to stay at his house. Did yours burn down?”

  Kiley laughed. “No. I believe it’s still a perfectly sound structure.”

  “You do realize this isn’t going anywhere, don’t you? There’s been talk. I may not visit Lucia-Serrat on a regular basis, but I still keep up with the news. His father is displeased that he hasn’t taken a wife. It’s time for him to marry, and you’re getting in the way of that.”

  Kiley didn’t know how much of what she said was true. Rafiq was expected to marry and she wasn’t going to be considered a likely candidate. The topic made her uncomfortable, but she refused to let this woman know that.

  “I am in Rafiq’s life because he has asked me to be,” she said carefully. Okay, it was a partial truth. She’d asked to be his mistress and he’d said yes. It was almost the same thing. “As for me being in the way, I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. He is a man who does as he pleases. If he wanted me gone so that he could go find a wife, he would simply ask me to leave.”

  “Perhaps he has and you weren’t paying attention.”

  Kiley thought of the previous night, when he had made love with her for hours. She thought of how they had slept, so closely entwined, their hearts had beat in unison.

  “Was there anything else?” she asked. “Another topic, perhaps. Because if your sole purpose for asking me to lunch was to try and bully me into leaving your son, then I must leave.”

  Carnie’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t just walk out on me,” she snapped. “Who do you think you are?”

  “Kiley Hendrick,” she said as she rose. “I wish I could say it had been nice to meet you.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Kiley returned to the house and phoned Rafiq to tell him she wasn’t coming back to the office that afternoon.

  “I’m fine,” s
he said when he asked why. “I’m just feeling a little tired. I’ll go in early to clear up whatever I missed today.”

  “Not necessary,” he said. “Are you sure I don’t need to call a doctor?”

  “Positive. I’m fine. I just need a little time.”

  “I’ll be home later. Perhaps you should rest.”

  Good idea, she thought as she hung up the phone. But after changing out of her designer clothes and into shorts and a T-shirt, she gave in to the call of the ocean and went out onto the beach.

  It was midafternoon, midweek. While there were mothers with children, some teenagers and a few surfers scattered on the sand, for the most part, she had the beach to herself. She walked halfway to the water and settled down, digging her toes deep enough to feel the coolness a few inches down.

  The sun was high, the afternoon warm, the waves rhythmic. If she closed her eyes she could smell salt and suntan lotion. The cry of seagulls competed with laughter and an oldies rock station on someone’s portable radio.

  Her brief encounter with Carnie had carried with it one spark of good news. If she, Kiley, wasn’t marrying Rafiq, then she didn’t have to worry about Carnie as a mother-in-law. Talk about a miserable person. Kiley still wasn’t sure of the point of the meeting. To get rid of her? But how could she be a threat to anyone? Maybe Carnie checked out all Rafiq’s women. She would have to ask.

  As she stretched out her legs and stared at the ocean, she wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn’t found out the truth about Eric. How long would it have taken for her to discover he was pretty much a weasel? And then what? She would have left him. No, this way was better. A quick, clean break that turned out to be much less painful than she would have guessed.

  And what about when she left Rafiq? How easy would that be?

  She found herself not wanting to think about it, which meant she had to force herself to consider the reality. Their affair would end. She could either handle that time gracefully, or she could beg and plead.

  Graceful sounded mature, but pleading had its place. She supposed the real question was whether or not she would tell him she loved him. It wasn’t as much about him wanting to know as her not wanting regrets. Years from now would she want to have told him?