The little man smiled, not at all annoyed by her tone, which surprised her. “I take it this has been an unusual morning for you?” he asked.
“Yes. Most mornings are somewhat less dramatic, except for Mr. Maloney rambling off.”
They were almost at Ms. Williams’ door, when he spoke again.
“How many patients are in your caseload, Ms. Downing?”
“I have seven regular patients for whom I am the primary caregiver, and four to whom I provide subsidiary services,” she answered, knocking on the door and announcing herself before opening it. “I’m sorry but I must get a move on.” She plastered a fake smile on her face and slipped into the room as he walked away.
By lunch time, she was frazzled, but had managed to finish her morning tasks for each patient. After lunch, which for her was curtailed by fifteen minutes because she was behind, she had medications and baths to give, massages to perform, and dinner to feed to Ms. Williams, before she could write her final reports, return her uniforms and keys, and leave. She swallowed the sandwich she had brought with her, chugged a bottle of water and was back on the floor on time to begin afternoon rounds. Thankfully, there was no drama, and she managed to close the door of the place she had worked in for the last year only half an hour after her shift ended. she would be in good time to get Simone, and…
“Excuse me, Ms. Downing,” a voice said behind her, and she spun around, startled. Malik Faisal stood next to a limousine, a small smile on his face.
“Mr. Faisal, what are you doing here?” Her calm tone did not reveal how suspicious she was, or how freaked out by his appearance.
“I’m sorry to startle you, Ms. Downing. I would not normally be so forward, except that my boss is very worried about our client, whose health is deteriorating rapidly. I wondered if perhaps you would consent to being interviewed today? I was very impressed by your work earlier, and my boss would like to meet you at once.”
Alex was nonplussed. The last thing she had expected on her last day of employment for the foreseeable future was to be stalked by a man offering her another job. And a job with only one client sounded like heaven after the hard work she had been doing with eleven patients on a daily basis. But there were concerns here…for example,
“Who is your boss? And why does he think he can just demand to see me? I have responsibilities outside of work, you know!”
She could not disguise the sharp tone this time, because she was tired, and because if she didn’t get a move on, she would be late picking up Simone, and it would cost her an extra fifteen dollars that she could ill afford, especially now, without a job.
“I am truly sorry. My boss is Prince Amir Abdullah. The client is his father, Sheikh Asim Abdullah. Is there somewhere that you need to be? We will be happy to get you there.”
Alex wasn’t so far gone that she could not see the clear distress on the man’s face as he talked about the client. She was torn between common sense, which told her to avoid getting into limousines with men she didn’t know, and her gut which told her this man would not harm her. And she could use the ride to Simone’s school. She went with her gut.
“I have to pick up my daughter from school in forty-five minutes or I’ll be late and will have to pay extra,” she explained, turning back toward him.
She didn’t miss the surprise that bloomed in his eyes before he turned to open the car door for her, and waited until she was seated inside before asking for directions. After he relayed those to the chauffeur, he turned to her again.
“How old is your daughter, Ms. Downing?” he asked.
“She will be four in three months,” she replied.
“Ah! She is very young. I imagine she must be a handful.” He sounded amused.
“She can be,” Alex admitted, wondering secretly if this was a part of the interview. If they couldn’t handle her having a child, then this definitely wasn’t the job for her, anyway.
“And where is her father?” he asked next, his tone studiedly expressionless.
“He’s dead,” she said, shortly, and left it at that.
Silence reigned in the car for the rest of the ride, for which Alex was grateful. She needed the space to think about how she would explain being picked up in a limousine to her intelligent and inquisitive daughter. Simone already knew not to speak to or accept anything from strangers unless her mother was with her and said she could, and she was afraid of men, anyway, so Alex wasn’t worried she would go anywhere with one, even though she had been told not to do so. She wondered, as they got closer to their destination, if the fact that she hadn’t been with a man since Simon had died had anything to do with her daughter’s fear of men. She sighed…that was probably it. She had sequestered herself, spending all her time with Simone, and now there didn’t seem to be any man who could ignite even a spark of interest in her.
In fact, Malik Faisal had been the most interesting man to cross her path in four years, and he was too old for her, and definitely not her type. She sighed again, unaware that she was doing so loud enough for her companion to hear her. She did, however, feel his eyes on her and turned to find him fixing her with a speculative gaze.
“Is something wrong, Ms. Downing?” he asked, and when she looked puzzled, he added, “Because you sigh so heavily.”
Alexa released another hard breath and thought, What the hell? He’s bound to find out sooner or later, if he doesn’t already know. Aloud she said, “Today was my last day at the nursing home.”
She frowned when he smiled widely, as if it were good news.
“Prince Amir will be pleased,” he said, and when she stared at him in shock, he added hastily, “Not that you have no job, but that you will be free to accept his offer of a new one.”
The limousine pulled up silently outside the little yard surrounding the preschool, and Alex went to open the door, to find it already opened for her. The chauffeur stood quietly waiting for her to exit the vehicle, and when she did, he closed the door and stood by it watching as she walked into the low building. This was turning out to be quite the oddest day of her life so far. She prayed, as she was escorted in to get Simone, that it would end better than it had begun.
Chapter 2
“Mommy, where are we going?” Simone’s tiny voice whispered in her ear.
The little girl had climbed into her lap in the limousine and refused to leave, after asking who Malik Faisal was and giving him the evil eye every once in a while. He, in his turn, had smiled amusedly, but had not tried to engage her in any way, which surprised Alex. Most men seemed to need to get her daughter to smile at them, to talk them, to accept them, as though conquering her three-year-old heart was a confirmation of their machismo. This man didn’t seem to care one way or the other. Was he immune to the charm of the child? Did he not like children? Why did it matter? As long as he didn’t upset Simone, she really didn’t care what he thought.
Alex shook herself to rid her mind of the questions and answered her daughter. “ We’re going out for dinner, sweetie,” she said. “Mr. Faisal and his boss are offering me a new job, and they want to talk to me, so they’ve invited us to dinner.”
“What happened to your old job?” Simone wanted to know, finally taking her eyes off the man sitting across the seat from them. “Is it broken?”
For the first time in a very long while, Alex laughed. It was a subdued laugh — after all, she was in the back of a limousine with a stranger who might not appreciate the kinds of belly laughs she was used to letting loose — but it was the first genuine sound of amusement she had uttered for a while. It felt good to relax, and she was doubly pleased that her daughter’s innocent question was the cause. If she could laugh about losing her job, maybe everything would be all right, after all.
“I suppose you can say that,” she answered, and kissed the little girl’s forehead.
“Prince Amir is already awaiting us,” Malik Faisal said, as they pulled to a stop in front of one of the city’s fanciest restaurants.
Alex felt immediately dowdy, and she hadn’t even stepped out of the vehicle as yet.
“I didn’t realize we were going to be so fancy,” she said nervously, hating the way her voice quivered. “I’m not dressed for this place.”
The prince’s assistant turned a critical eye to her, looking her over from head to toe, and said dispassionately, “You are a beautiful woman, Ms. Downing. Fancy clothing would only enhance that. Please do not concern yourself about your appearance. Prince Amir understands that you are coming from work, and will not be at all surprised by your attire.”
Alex managed not to drop her jaw in amazement at the man’s plain speaking, and got out of the car, smoothing her hands down the skirt she was wearing before taking Simone’s hand and following him into the restaurant. The concierge seemed to recognize him, and they were led back to a private dining room and shown in. The room was larger than her living room, dining room, and kitchen combined, and one wall was all plate glass. The view from that large window was breathtaking, and Simone dragged her hand away so she could go and stand with her nose pressed to it.
Again, Malik Faisal smiled, almost indulgently, and spared the little girl a last look before turning his attention to the man who had stood as they entered. Alex let her gaze move from her daughter to the man who was offering her a new job, and this time, she could not keep her slack jaw from dropping. He was simply the most gorgeous human being, male or female, that she had ever beheld. Dressed conservatively in a gunmetal gray suit, a crisp white shirt and gray tie, he seemed to tower over both her and his assistant, whose face softened as he made introductions.
“Prince Amir, please meet Ms. Alexandra Downing. Ms. Downing, Prince Amir Hassan Abdullah.”
Alex stood transfixed, not sure what was the correct protocol for greeting an Arab prince, and completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the man who stepped forward, extending his hand in typical Western fashion.
“It is my pleasure to meet you, Ms. Downing,” he said, smiling at her.
Alex could not have been any more flummoxed if a spaceship had dropped a little green man with antennae in front of her. His smile lit up his already beautiful face, and his voice made her melt where she stood. Grasping feebly at the fading remnants of her control, and remembering what she had come for, Alex managed to take the hand extended to her, and to smile shakily in return.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” she said.
His handshake was firm, his hand large and warm. “And who might that little person be?” he wanted to know, releasing her hand and turning his eyes to the window.
“That’s my daughter, Simone,” she replied. “Simone, come here, baby. I want to introduce you to someone.”
The little girl walked over and held on to Alex’s knees, hiding her face in her mother’s skirts. Alex gently pulled her away and crouched, saying to her in a low voice,
“Don’t worry, baby. He’s a nice man, like Mr. Faisal. You can shake hands with him.”
Then she stood and introduced the prince to her daughter. “Prince Amir, this is Simone Parker.”
She was in for a lot of shocks this evening, it seemed, because to her amazement, the prince also crouched before her daughter, extended his hand, and said,
“Hello there, Miss Parker. How lovely to meet you!”
He smiled at the little girl, who stared at him for a minute, holding his gaze, as though she were making an assessment of his trustworthiness. And then, she shook his hand, and smiled back at him, completely shocking her mother. Simone never smiled at men. This guy might actually be an alien from Mars, disguised as a sexy, gorgeous human being! She managed to swallow the hysterical giggle that bubbled up at the insane trend of her thoughts, and took her daughter’s hand when the prince invited her to sit.
Malik Faisal seated her courteously, and then he did the same for Simone, who gave him the same assessing stare that she had his boss, before smiling and saying thank you very prettily when he had settled her in the chair.
“You’re welcome, little one,” he said, smiling back at her.
He took the remaining seat, and Alex looked at the elegantly spread table, wondering how she had missed it when she first arrived. Everything was high end, and she supposed, as a waiter appeared with the first course, that it was to be expected. After all, the man was a prince, and if his attire and this room were any evidence, he was filthy rich. The cufflinks at his wrists flashed in understated beauty, and the gold watch drew her eyes to its wide face, with gold symbols on a black background. She let her eyes wander up his sleeve to his face, covered by a neatly-trimmed French-cut goatee that outlined his square chin with the deep cleft, and curved up to meet a thin mustache. Sideburns were short and as neatly trimmed as his beard. His cheekbones were high and very defined, his nose long and straight, his eyes a gray to match his suit, adorned by elegant, long lashes, and topped by naturally arching brows that any woman would kill for.
Someone cleared his throat, and Alex blinked. She knew she had been caught staring, and she felt her whole face and neck flood with color. Lowering her eyes to her plate, she watched as the waiter placed a plate with a fancy salad in front of her. She waited until he began to eat before turning to her daughter, ready to cut up her food. To her surprise, the green beans had already been cut into child-sized pieces, and Simone was even then stuffing two pieces into her mouth with her fingers.
“Simone,” she said, “use the fork, sweetie.”
The little girl either did not hear her, or as was more likely, was ignoring her, because she licked her fingers and picked up two more pieces, stuffing them into her mouth and chewing happily. She went to speak again when the prince stopped her.
“Please, Ms. Downing, the little one is fine. You should eat. Malik tells me you have had quite an eventful day.”
Taking a deep breath, Alex picked up her fork and began to eat. The salad was a crunchy mixture of green beans, pancetta, and roasted chestnuts, and it was buttery and delicious. She ate everything on her plate, and watched in satisfaction as Simone did the same. The little girl was a picky eater, so it was good to see her enjoying her food. Next was a crab bisque, which Simone tasted but did not finish. No one else at the table seemed to care, so Alex relaxed and waited until the entree arrived. This time, Simone was served six little ravioli pockets filled with some kind of seafood, while the adults enjoyed halibut and scallops served in some kind of buttery red wine sauce. Alex cleaned her plate again, enjoying the wine that had been served, and oblivious to the eyes watching her. She had not had an elegant meal in a fancy restaurant in a very long time, and she was starving, after the measly sandwich at lunchtime.
She was glad that the food had been prepared for Simone so she could feed herself, leaving Alex free to enjoy her own meal. But now that she was full, she turned to her daughter and found her exchanging a shy smile with the prince again. She smiled herself, and was startled when he looked up and caught her eye.
“You have a beautiful daughter, Ms. Downing,” he said. “She is definitely her mother’s child.”
Alex wasn’t sure whether he was complimenting her, or just saying that Simone looked like her. She decided that it would be better all round if she assumed the latter, and replied,
“I get that a lot.”
“I have asked for dessert to be held for an hour until we have concluded our business,” he continued. “Shall we?”
He stood and indicated that she accompany him to the other side of the room, where a sitting area had been set up around a glass-topped coffee table. He motioned for her to take a seat in the luxurious leather-upholstered chair while he sat in the equally rich loveseat. His assistant took the Queen Anne chair next to the prince, and flipped open his tablet. He had placed a child-sized chair next to hers, and a box of toys, including alphabet blocks and stuffed animals, and Simone was already exploring the box, totally enthralled, and ignoring her mother. That they had thought of keeping Simone suitably occupied while the grownups talked was
unprecedented in her life. Men, the few who had tried to pick her up, had had no concern for her daughter, and in fact, once they knew she was part of the package, they had vanished, like mist in the morning sunshine.
“The client for whom I wish to engage your services is my father,” the prince was saying, drawing her attention to him, “who is terminally ill.”
He waited, as though he expected a response from her, but when she remained silent, he continued.
“Malik has told me of the work he observed you do, and it seems you are eminently suitable to care for my father in his last days. He will need to be watched constantly, and you will be on call at all times. Of course, we will see to it that you have personal time for such things as meals, sleeping, and tending to your daughter’s needs, as well as small breaks for rest, but my father’s care must come first.”
Alex shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had been aware that Malik Faisal had been there specifically to see her, but had not really had much time to think about it, or to wonder what impression she had made on him as she had handled vomit and heart attacks. Now, though, she looked keenly at him as he typed on his tablet, and as though he felt her eyes on him, he looked up and smiled. It was as charming and beautiful as he had been all day, and she wondered how she was ever to survive with two such beautiful men around all the time. She found herself wishing that the prince’s father was a wizened old man. She needed some plainness as an antidote to the beautiful faces of the men sitting across from her. Getting her mind focused was essential, and drooling over handsome men would not help there.
SHEIKH'S SURPRISE BABY: A Sheikh Romance Page 91
