He turned his attention back to the alluring Candace sitting across from him. If he had been anything like his brothers, he would have seduced her, bringing her some place more private to have his way with her tight little American body. She wouldn’t have declined his advances. She was practically throwing herself at him.
When their eyes met again, she grinned and ran one of her petite feet up his leg, underneath his gown. She grabbed a piece of shrimp with her fingers and took a slow, tempting bite out of it. He watched the way her lips wrapped around the food as she bit into it. He surprised himself when the only thing he felt was amusement at her blatant attempts at seduction.
She put the shrimp down and licked her fingers clean slowly. Her apparent desire for him was incredibly typical. He was a member of royalty, and he took great care to maintain his physique. It was fairly common for women, especially foreign women, to display an undue sense of attraction towards him. He wasn’t above using that attraction for his own personal gain, but poor Candace was falling over herself for him while the person he really wanted sat at the end of the table, engulfed in an incredibly interesting conversation with another man.
Zaid’s jealousy fueled his desire to flirt with the raven-haired beauty sitting across from him, if only to catch Rebecca’s attention.
“So, what do you think of Sharjah so far, Ms. Candace?” he asked, knowing he was toying with her by opening a door he had no intention of walking through.
“I haven’t seen much yet, but I like what I see,” she answered with a wink, looking him up and down. “It is a beautiful region. I especially love the way the modern world blends with the ancient world here.”
He ignored the way her words dripped with seduction and innuendo. It seemed to him that the blending of the old and the new versions of Sharjah was the first thing any Westerner noticed when they visited the Emirate. It was a source of pride to know they’d done so well that both aspects were still unique despite co-existing.
“I want to see it all,” she said with a suggestive look in her eyes. She reached across the table and stroked his hand. “Maybe the Sheikh wouldn’t mind taking me on a private tour sometime,” she suggested.
Even as Zaid grinned, he found himself glancing toward Rebecca, hoping no one else was listening to their conversation. Alacabak was discussing investments and banking with another delegate. Everyone appeared engrossed in their respective conversations and weren’t listening.
“I might be able to work something out for you,” he told her at last. Why wasn’t he having this conversation with Rebecca instead? He wished he’d known she was coming. He could have adjusted the seating accordingly so that the envoy and lead representative both sat across from him. Of course, with Rebecca being the envoy, the lead representative would have found herself seated across from the Chief Advisor instead of the Sheikh.
Zaid amused himself with the thought of sticking Alacabak with a star-struck foreigner.
“How are the prawns?” Zaid asked her in an effort to keep the conversation going and keep himself distracted from Rebecca’s conversation.
“Divine,” she said with enraptured delight. “Possibly the best shrimp I’ve ever had,” she added.
“Is that right?” Zaid asked with a smirk, sipping his coffee.
“Yes, indeed,” she agreed. “So, what’s our next stop after this?”
“I believe the itinerary shows us walking along the waterfront to take a tour of the restaurant and entertainment district. Much of the architecture here reflects traditional styles. Plus, it is a great place to invest your personal finances.” He winked at her.
Turning instinctively to see if Rebecca was paying attention to his conversation, though he was sure she wouldn’t have been able to hear him over the ever-so-interesting conversation she was having with one of the other tour members, he was surprised to see an empty chair.
Where did she go?
4
“Where is she?” Zaid said aloud as he scanned the terrace area.
“Who?”
“Rebecca Reid. She’s gone.”
Candace’s brow furrowed for a brief moment, seeming perturbed at Zaid’s shift in attention, but she quickly began scanning the terrace for signs of her missing partner.
Zaid rose from the table. “Please excuse me,” he said absently. He hoped that she was still somewhere in the restaurant, just out of view, but as he stood to look around the outdoor terrace, it seemed less likely that was the case.
He approached a member of the royal security detail.
“Yes, sir,” the guard responded as Zaid approached.