The servant disappeared into the bathroom and Harper realized that she was turning off the water. She hadn’t completely recognized the sound a moment ago. Then more water started and Harper suspected it was the shower.
The servant appeared again, bowing as she addressed Harper. “Your shower is ready, ma’am.” A moment later, she disappeared. The other servant had already slipped away and Harper blinked, startled by their quick footed departures.
With a chuckle, Harper walked into the bathroom, stripping off her clothes as she went. She peered around the corner and sighed with happiness at the enormous shower with multiple nozzles. “Oh my!” she gushed as she stepped under the warm water. There were several bottles of shower gel in various scents and she soaped herself with one that smelled like roses. The shampoos available were like washing her hair with silk and she closed her eyes, feeling the luxury pour over her, rinsing off the last day and a half of chaotic packing and travel.
She didn’t linger long in the shower though and dried herself off with a warm, fluffy towel. Since she had no idea where her luggage was, she couldn’t change into clean clothes, so instead, she wrapped herself in the white, fluffy robe hanging on a hook by the shower.
The food called to her next and she filled a plate with the spicy, unfamiliar dishes. “Oh, this is excellent!” she sighed. When she’d eaten enough to ease the gnawing hunger, she put the plate down as her exhaustion overwhelmed her. She was clean and her stomach was full, so instead of worrying about the dishes and getting the extra food back to the kitchen, she padded barefoot to the bed and collapsed into the pile of satin pillows, pulling one close to her stomach. A moment later, she was sound asleep.
Amit stepped through the doors, scanning the room, looking for the good doctor. For the past several hours, his concentration had been shattered. The image of the lovely woman who had dared to poke his chest and berate him for…hell, he couldn’t even remember what she’d been yelling at him about. Initially, he’d been too astounded by her beauty. Then he’d been shocked that she’d dared to yell at him. No one yelled at him and the fact that she dared only increased her beauty. Why the hell had he liked that?
Perhaps because she’d been so lovely. Despite the dark circles, her cat-like, sapphire eyes glowed. That mouth couldn’t be the mouth of a celebrated psychologist, he’d thought. That mouth belonged on a stripper! Or maybe a high priced call girl. Doctor Harper Ross was…gorgeous! She’d hidden her figure behind a frumpy white shirt and severely cut dark slacks, but add in a pair of dark-rimmed glasses and the good doctor could have taken the place of any actress in a porn movie! Her gorgeous blond hair had been pulled back into what might have been a sophisticated twist, but the hours traveling had caused several tendrils to slip out. Add in the softly smudged mascara around those startling blue eyes and the heart shaped face, full, red lips and her voluptuous body, and…!
When he found her, he froze, tensing as if he were about to step into battle. She was lying on the bed, surrounded by pillows. The terrycloth robe had parted to reveal long, shapely legs that were angled against the satin sheets a la Marilyn Monroe. As his gaze moved up those shockingly long legs, he spotted a shadow at the edge of the neckline. His fingers itched to move the edges of the robe apart, to spread her out and examine her body in more detail. She was sultry, even in her sleep.
With a muttered curse, Amit turned on his heel and walked out. He wasn’t a voyeur and watching a sleeping woman, no matter how beautiful, was wrong. He hadn’t meant to invade her privacy. He’d meant only to talk to her, discuss her assignment, and perhaps introduce her to his nieces so that she could evaluate their behavior and give him a plan to bring their smiles back.
Instead, he found himself in awe of her beauty. With a resigned sigh, he returned to his office, determined to get some work done. Unfortunately, the vision of her asleep on the bed lingered behind his eyes and his body tightened with awareness. Another curse and he turned, startling his guards, as he headed towards the gym. He needed a good workout to get those images out of his mind.
Chapter 2
Harper stepped out of the luxurious suite, tugging her brown jacket straight. Having slept for twelve hours and devouring a delicious breakfast that had been delivered to her room, she was more in control and ready to tackle her assignment.
Her next issue was figuring out how to begin her assignment.
The hallway outside of her suite was long and empty. She wondered where to find someone who could explain her assignment. Harper knew that, due to her research on grief in small children, she was here in Izara to help two girls who had lost their parents suddenly. But…where would one find these girls?
Because of the urgency of this assignment, she hadn’t had time to do much research on this country. She knew that it was powerful in the region, as well as in the international economy, but she wasn’t one to follow the news that closely. She read articles about psychology, about sociology and medicine, keeping abreast of the latest studies in her field. On any given day, Harper read through the larger headlines to find out what was happening in the world, but she preferred to focus on issues closer to her home as well as issues pertaining to her patients or her students and the classes she taught at the university.
“Oh, for the familiar comfort of my normal routines,” she whispered under her breath.
Instead of hibernating in her room for a few more hours, Harper straightened her shoulders, looked around, then decided to go right. Thankfully, she ran into a servant a few minutes later. “Excuse me,” she called out, hoping that the servant spoke English. She knew a smattering of Arabic, but not enough to communicate clearly.
“Yes, ma’am?” the servant replied.
Harper pulled out the contract and double-checked the name on it. “I’m looking for someone by the name of Rashid. I’m supposed to meet with him about…”
“This way,” the servant replied immediately and started walking.
Harper blinked, startled by the abrupt response, but hurried to follow the servant. They went down two more hallways, then ended up in what she assumed were the administrative offices of the palace. Everyone looked to be industriously working at their desks. They passed by small offices and larger open areas filled with cubicles. Finally, the offices became larger and then they stopped outside of an area that looked vaguely familiar.
“Mr. Rashid is here,” the servant said, and gestured towards the closed door.
“Thank you,” Harper said, but the servant was already gone.
Tentatively at first, and then, because she hated being scared of anything, she knocked again, with more force. She was half expecting that giant to answer her knock, but smiled with relief when the smaller man she’d met yesterday opened the door.
“Hello, I’m…”
“Yes, Doctor Ross. Please, come in!”
Harper was startled, but also relieved that she was in the right place. She tugged her tote bag higher on her shoulder and tentatively stepped into the room. The man behind her closed the door and, almost immediately, the low hum of productivity disappeared. In its place was an ominous, tense silence. Looking around, Harper noticed a large desk on one side of the room that must be Rashid’s. There was that big, heavy door with guards on either side of it that she’d entered yesterday.