Tears pooled in her eyes, but he couldn’t let those sway him. It was time to make his exit and allow the wonders of the palace and her own soft heart to work in his favor. He bowed politely and turned to go, Dane stepping in beside him, Landon and Cooper in flanking positions.
The big former SEAL had a frown on his face. “That was a pretty piece of manipulation if I ever saw one. You’re a ruthless son of a bitch, Tal.”
He walked forward. Dane wouldn’t be the last person he pissed off. By the time this was over, he might lose everyone.
But he would keep his crown. One way or another.
Chapter Six
Three days later, Piper walked out of the conference room, her laptop in hand and her heart heavy.
Two days of meetings had been enough to tell her that everyone here took her opinion seriously. She’d met with CEOs, government officials, and a representative of the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board. Tal had been with her in every meeting, deferring to her, allowing her to speak for the country. Gavin James had been present, introducing her as the representative for both Black Oak Oil and the country of Bezakistan.
And Gavin had been effusive in his praise for Talib al Mussad. Just the night before, he’d taken Piper to dinner and told her stories about the sheikh and his brothers. She didn’t miss the fact that he spoke about his own lifestyle, too, and how much he enjoyed sharing Hannah with his brothers. Baby number three was due soon, and all three brothers were thrilled. They loved their wife. They had an amazing life full of joy and love. Piper was happy for the James family, but couldn’t fathom why her employer had shared so much personal information about his marriage. He must not grasp that the al Mussad brothers merely wanted to take her to bed.
But she was sleeping alone, at least for now. Tonight, they intended to hold a banquet to both celebrate the official alliance between Black Oak and Bezakistan, as well as welcome her to their country. Rafe, Kade—and even Tal—had made it plain that afterward they would like it very much if she gave up her solitary bed for theirs. So far, she’d been demurring. But now… Piper sighed.
What was she doing? Was it really so important that Talib had hidden his full name from her? She actually understood why he’d done it, and it wasn’t like her to hold a grudge. His subterfuge had hurt more than she’d believed possible, and she’d let that rule her actions since her arrival. Now, she was beginning to ask herself some hard questions. If he’d been anyone else, would she have been quite so upset? Had she been using her anger as an excuse to keep Tal at arm’s length because she felt so out of her league? Piper wrinkled her nose. Likely so. And it probably wasn’t fair to him. Or her. Coming to Bezakistan had been, at least in part, about opening herself up to new experiences. But the first thing she’d done was close herself off when fear gripped her.
With a sigh, Piper looked out over the balcony. Every turn in the palace was a surprise. She stopped and looked out over the city. She’d come so far from where she used to be. No more little towns or tiny office kingdoms for her. She’d been given actual apartments. As in more than one. She had a bedroom and a huge office space. And an assistant who constantly talked about how amazing Talib was.
“You are all right, Miss Glen?”
Tal’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced back his way. He looked utterly perfect in his dark suit. The only hint that he wasn’t completely civilized was the jagged scar that began under his ear and disappeared into his shirt collar along with the dark hunger that lurked in his stare.
She smiled. “Yes, sir. I was just watching the people go by.”
He stepped in beside her. It was the first time in days he’d willingly gotten close, and her whole system went on full alert. Rafe and Kade spent most of their days with her, but she could feel the distance now. They were polite, but more reserved than before. A sad atmosphere hovered around them because the al Mussad brothers were a take-it-or-leave-it deal. Accept one, accept them all, and she’d turned down the sheikh. Since then, she’d been firmly placed in the “look but don’t touch” category and it hurt.
Piper didn’t understand why Rafe and Kade had made an exception for Britney in Accounting. They’d taken her to bed without their eldest brother. Maybe Tal hadn’t known about her. Or he hadn’t wanted the woman. But Piper knew that, for whatever reason, he wanted her.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel brutally manipulated.
“My ancestors built the palace to be at the center of the city. Much of this structure was redone, but the core has stood since the fifteenth century.” A satisfied look passed over his handsome face. “Bezakistan is small, but we’ve withstood invaders from the Huns to Saddam Hussein. We did it with intelligence and efficient use of our natural resources. I hope we continue to do so. I pray we bring this country into a whole new world. We’re on the precipice, Piper. We can do it. We can lead the world. Imagine it, a country utterly dependent on oil bringing about the change to green, renewable energy.”