by Penny Jordan
When Sadie emerged from the bathroom, securely wrapped in the bathrobe, Drax was standing beside the bedroom door—holding it open. His face was grim.
Was he going to tell her that he had changed his mind and there was no job for her after all? It frightened her to acknowledge how little she wanted to hear him say that.
CHAPTER FIVE
‘CHAMPAGNE?’ Drax asked curtly.
How decadent that would be—drinking champagne, dressed in a bathrobe, reclining in an expensive leather seat, in the company of a dangerously handsome and very wealthy man—and how completely opposite to her normal way of life.
‘No, thank you,’ Sadie said primly. She had already noticed the glossy carrier bags which seemed to fill almost half the floor space of the cabin, and her eyes darkened with an emotion she didn’t want to admit to as she contemplated the woman they were destined for and her probable role in Drax’s life. The role no doubt her unfamiliar self had been so busily and eagerly promoting for her!
Sadie could feel a hot wash of guilt burning through her body. Of course Drax would have a mistress. And more than one, to judge from the number of designer bags in the cabin. What did he do? Summon each one to spend the night with him in a strictly observed rota? Did they all live together, housed in opulent luxury in an old-fashioned-style seraglio, their beauty only ever seen by one man, the whole focus of their lives that of pleasing him and only him? What must that be like? To give oneself over totally and completely to one man’s pleasure? To make it and him the whole purpose of one’s life? To spend hour upon hour preparing your body for his possession in every way there was? She wasn’t prepared for the fierce shudder that gripped her, convulsing her in a series of small physical pangs so intimate and betraying that they made her gasp softly in embarrassed shock.
Immediately Drax focused on her.
‘You are afraid of flying?’ he demanded sharply.
Well, that was one way of putting it, Sadie thought ruefully, but she shook her head. ‘Afraid’ wasn’t exactly the way she would have described the emotion that had gripped her. Raging jealousy was closer to the mark.
Raging jealousy? Of the women in this man’s harem? Had she gone completely mad?
‘Then please fasten your seatbelt; we are about to take off.’
They certainly were. Almost before she had done as he’d instructed, she felt the power surge of the jet’s engines as it raced down the runway and then lifted into the darkening blue of the early-evening sky. Below them Sadie could see the airport buildings, and then the city itself, and then they were banking and turning out into the Gulf itself, before soaring up into the starry sky.
‘You can remove your seatbelt now. Ali will be serving us with a light meal shortly, but first there is something I want to discuss with you.’
This was it. He was going to tell her that he had changed his mind.
‘It occurred to me that Monika might not only have retained your wages but also some of your personal possessions, including your clothes, and for that reason I have decided that it is both necessary and appropriate that a replacement wardrobe should be provided to you as part of your salary package. You will understand that, since you are to be working so closely with both myself and my brother on the preparatory work for our country’s future as a new financial centre, your appearance must be commensurate with the status of this project. In my country a man is valued for what he is within himself, but nevertheless it is expected that his outer appearance is one that commands the respect of those around him. The poor beggar in the street will never be ignored or refused alms, but neither will he be invited to sit at the side of his ruler.
‘I appreciate that in your own country it is not always considered acceptable for a male employer to provide a female employee with a new wardrobe, but here we live by different rules. Therefore, I hope you will understand and accept the necessity for me to provide you with clothing which I consider to be essential to your role.’ She wouldn’t, of course, grasp the hidden meaning within his words, Drax knew, since she had no idea what his real plans for her were.
‘Are you saying that you’re providing me with special working clothes?’ Sadie queried uncertainly.
‘Yes. Although the clothes I have acquired are yours to wear at all times—indeed, I wish to make it clear that you will be required to do so. It is important that you create the right impression even when you are not working.’
Sadie knew that clients in this part of the world could be very demanding, and very specific about their demands, and she was relieved that he was not telling her, as she had feared, that he had changed his mind.
‘I expect the cost will be deducted from my salary, will it?’ she asked him.
‘No. That is not my intention. While we are having dinner Ali will take everything and pack it for you, but I shall require you to select one outfit to wear when we land and I introduce you to my brother. I would suggest the cream suit is probably a good choice.’
As he spoke Drax nodded his head in he direction of the massed carriers, causing Sadie to stare first at them and then at him, before demanding uncertainly, ‘You aren’t…? I mean, all those…? You can’t mean that all those are for me!’ But she could see from his expression that he did.
He gave a small dismissive shrug. ‘We don’t know how many formal events you will be called upon to attend. Naturally we shall require you to be appropriately dressed for every occasion.’
She couldn’t believe this was happening—and neither could she remove her awed gaze from the glossy carrier bags as Ali served them the meal Drax had mentioned. Then, while Sadie ate food that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Michelin-starred restaurant, Ali started to remove the bags to the bedroom.
‘I’ve bought you a couple of cases to hold everything,’ Drax told her. ‘I appreciate that you won’t want the embarrassment of arriving clutching an untidy array of carrier bags. My brother is an extremely fastidious man who prizes efficiency and neatness above all things.’
‘I’ll remember that,’ Sadie answered dutifully, even as her mind went into overdrive. A designer-brand suit? She had never so much as possessed a designer lipstick, never mind a suit.
If any other man but this one had been offering her a designer wardrobe her suspicions would have been immediately aroused. But not only had Drax shown her that even if he wanted to have a physically intimate relationship with her he was ignoring it, she also knew from Monika that wealthy men here thought nothing of spending obscene amounts of money in ways that were not experienced at home. She had heard of employers handing out solid gold watches to employees for no better reason than that they felt like doing so, or ordering uniforms for their staff and then changing them on a whim because they had seen something else they liked better.
Even so…Sadie looked at the logos on the few remaining bags and swallowed. A cream suit wasn’t going to be the only designer item in her new wardrobe. She just hoped that her new clothes were going to fit her.
As Sadie waited to descend the stairs from the now stationary jet, she smoothed the delicate silk skirt of the cream suit. It fitted her perfectly. And, from what she had seen of the rest of the new wardrobe she had been supplied with, the clothes were all in colours that were perfect for her—subtle creams and taupes, cool white linens, gorgeous chocolate-brown silks, and thankfully none of the prissy fussy pinks or patterns she had dreaded.
This suit, highlighted with gold thread and trimmed with antique lace, was simply cut, and yet had such a stunning elegance that it had her walking tall. She was glad she had taken the time to apply a little of the make-up she had found stacked with meticulous neatness into its own leather travelling case.
Her new luggage alone must have cost a small fortune, Sadie recognised. It was certainly far more exclusive than anything she could ever have afforded. She looked down at her strappy high-heeled shoes and wondered apprehensively if Drax’s brother was going to approve of her being employed by him. She looked hes
itantly at Drax, who was standing a few yards away from her, talking to the Captain of the jet.
So far he hadn’t said a word about her transformed appearance, or the suit—though he had flicked an assessing glance over her when she’d stepped uncertainly into the main cabin, having changed into her new clothes. Did that mean that he was satisfied with her appearance or that he wasn’t? She wasn’t going to admit to herself that his lack of response had disappointed her. He was her employer, nothing more, and there was no reason why he should comment and no reason why she should wish him to do so.
‘Ready?’
She had been so busy refusing to admit to wanting his approval that she hadn’t noticed that he had stopped talking to the Captain and was now coming over to her.
‘Yes. I…I put on the cream suit, as you suggested. I hope your brother…’
‘It looks fine.’
She was wearing her hair up, and several fine tendrils had escaped from the knot at the nape of her neck and were starting to curl softly round her face. The silk stroked lovingly against her body, hinting sensuously at what it concealed as though it were a lover. The fabric itself possessed a quality that made him want to reach out and touch it—and her. He had been aware of that need from the moment she had stepped into the cabin, looking at him with eyes that held both uncertainty and a shy appeal. For what? For him to tell her that she was a highly desirable woman? He couldn’t do that. But he wanted to do it. He wanted to tell her to show her just how sexy he found her.
No! He had chosen her for Vere. But that suit was perhaps not the best choice for his brother to see her for the first time. Its soft sensuality underlined her own equally soft sensuality, and would not appeal to Vere. He should have chosen something more tailored, more conservative, Drax told himself as he waited for Ali to open the cabin door.
‘When you said you’d bought some luggage for the clothes, I didn’t realise…that is…’
They were in the back of a leather-upholstered Bentley, being driven to the palace down a wide straight road, with the sea on one side and the lights of Dhurahn city on the other. The road was lined with palm trees, their trunks decorated with tiny fairy lights, and the overhead street lighting revealed immaculate flowerbeds set into green verges. Theirs wasn’t the only car on the road, but the Royal pennant fluttering from the bonnet ensured that other traffic gave way so their progress was speedy and stately.
Drax had hardly spoken to her since they had landed, and she still wasn’t over the shock of seeing over half a dozen brand-new cream leather suitcases being loaded into the car and realising they contained her new clothes.
‘I’ve already explained the situation with regard to my decision to provide you with a new wardrobe. The matter is now closed.’
Drax didn’t even look at her as he spoke, and it was obvious to Sadie that he did not wish to engage in conversation with her, but nevertheless there were questions she needed to ask him.
‘We haven’t discussed where I am to stay while I am working for you. If it is to be a government-owned apartment, will the rent—?’
‘You will be staying in the palace and there will be no rent.’
‘In the palace? You mean with you?’ The moment the words had left her lips Sadie realised how gauche they sounded, and wished she could recall them, but it was too late. Drax was turning to look at her. In the dark interior of the car his face was highlighted by the streetlights so that she could see its aquiline arrogance. Sadie felt a fierce need to reach out and trace the harshly etched strength. His skin would feel warm beneath her fingertips, the savagely sensual shape of his mouth smooth to her touch…
‘I mean that you will be accommodated in the women’s quarters within the palace complex.’
‘The women’s quarters? You mean I’ll be staying in a harem?’
Was she imagining that the green gaze had ignited with dark fire?
‘The men of my family have for many generations been monogamous and faithful to their single chosen wife. It might excite your imagination to believe otherwise, but that is not the case. There is no harem as such within the walls of the palace. Nevertheless, we are a free society here in Dhurahn. Our people can worship as they please, and we are bound to respect their religious beliefs. Thus we adhere to the tradition of maintaining a separate women’s quarter within the palace complex. Our visiting female guests feel more comfortable knowing that their traditions will be respected.’
‘But I am not a guest. I am an employee—’
‘You have worked in Zuran, so you will be aware that the Ruler there conducts administrative business from within the palace, which is also his private residence and that of his extended family. It is the same for us here in Dhurahn. The palace is our home, but it is also the centre from which our country is run. Members of our extended family as well as some senior officials and their families live and work in the palace. There will be nothing untoward in you residing within the complex. In fact it might be considered rather unusual if you did not. Here, there is normally only one reason a man sets a woman up in her own apartment—and, though it might be a business arrangement, I do not think it is one you would wish to be associated with.’
Sadie’s face had begun to burn as she listened to him. He had managed to make her feel both naïve and ignorant of the region’s customs.
While they had been talking the car had slowed to a halt outside a pair of huge, beautifully decorated wrought-iron gates depicting a pair of peacocks, their tails spread and studded with richly coloured stones—not real jewels? Sadie wondered faintly as the gates swung open and the uniformed guards beyond saluted and then salaamed.
Inside the gates there was a large courtyard, beyond which a flight of cream marble steps led up to a columned portico and a pair of tall wooden doors.
The moment the car stopped alongside the steps the wooden doors opened and a line of household staff appeared, all of them wearing the same livery.
It was like stepping into something out of history, Sadie decided. The kind of gilded luxury she had never imagined experiencing. It should have at worst appalled her and at best overwhelmed her, but as she stood next to Drax, listening to him greeting each man in turn and seeing the way they smiled back at him, she recognised that she was witnessing genuine respect and affection between the co-Ruler of Dhurahn and those who served him.
‘My brother?’ Sadie heard Drax ask.
‘Highness, His Highness sends his apologies for not being here to welcome you home. He is in his private rooms and has asked that you go to him there as soon as you are able.’
Drax frowned. It would be a grave breach of court protocol for him to take Sadie to Vere’s private rooms, and he was disappointed that Vere wasn’t here to greet them so he could see his brother’s amazement when he saw her.
‘Please take Ms Murray to the women’s quarters and see that she is made comfortable while I speak with my brother,’ he instructed one of the waiting men, before turning to Sadie. She looked calm and at ease, her manner towards the palace staff as she inclined her head and smiled both warm and yet just distant enough to command respect. Vere would appreciate that in her, Drax approved, and he went to her and touched her lightly on her arm.
Sadie was amazed at how intensely she could feel the virile warmth of Drax’s touch through the soft fabric of her jacket. It jerked her out of the tiredness that had come to seep through her and made her whole body stiffen slightly.
‘I have to go and see my brother. Nasim will escort you to the women’s quarters. They will make you comfortable there. Please feel free to ask for anything you might need. ‘
He was turning away from her before she could respond, taking the long flight of marble stairs that led upward to a balcony enclosed by fretted shutters that could conceal anyone watching from above. As she looked upwards Sadie gave a small shudder, suddenly feeling very alone and very alien, as though she were in fact being studied by unseen watchers hidden away from her view.
&nbs
p; ‘This way, please, lady.’ Nasim bowed low to her before guiding her towards a door that led off the hallway.
It was foolish in the extreme for her to wish that Drax had not left her, to wish that she could run after him and beg him to stay with her. Foolish and very dangerous—she was going to pretend she hadn’t thought it.
‘Drax. I have missed you.’
‘I have been gone less than a week.’ Drax smiled as he and Vere embraced.
‘The palace seems quiet when you are gone, my brother,’ Vere told him ruefully. ‘I am sorry I was not able to welcome you back, but I am preparing to leave for London now. My main meeting has been brought forward, and at this stage in the negotiations I didn’t feel that I could object.
‘I was disappointed not to see your reaction to the bride I have found you.’
‘I saw her in the hallway.’
‘Yes,’ Drax agreed, his suspicion that his brother had been looking down on them confirmed. ‘She is most suitable for our purpose, Vere. Educated, intelligent enough to be groomed as your bride, of good moral character, and naïve too; you only have to persuade her to fall in love with you, and—’
‘She is neither blonde enough nor tall enough for my taste, Drax. You know I prefer the cool elegance of a soignée blonde.’
‘You will be marrying her, Vere. Not taking her to bed.’
‘If I am to persuade her to fall in love with me surely there will come a time when I shall be obliged to at least initiate some intimacy between us?’
Drax could sense that Vere was watching him very closely, but it still stunned him when Vere suggested quietly, ‘Perhaps you should think of marrying her yourself?’
‘No. I brought her here for you. I promised I would find you a wife first. We can discuss it further on your return. Is there anything you need me to brief you on before you leave for London?’
‘You mentioned Sir Edward Reeves and his opposition to our proposals. You said that you thought the best way to handle that would be via a personal meeting with him?’
