“Fatima is here for you. She says it is important to speak with you immediately.”
My heart falls into my stomach. I need to contact Gray. And say what? You don’t even know why she’s here.
I gesture toward the sitting room, and Raksha nods. “Shall I get dressed first?”
She nods. “I will tell her you are preparing yourself, and you will be available then.”
What could she possibly want? My gut is churning. What if Saher went to her about the note? No. There’s no way she would have gone to Fatima. With little thought to my outfit, I finish dressing, add a bit of makeup, and go to the sitting room where Fatima is waiting.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Miss Porter. The king wishes to see you.”
I’m not sure what I expected, but the king wishes to see you wasn’t on my list of possibilities. I don’t like this. “The king?”
She nods, smiling.
“Will Mr. Wilder be joining us?” I need to buy some time to think.
“I don’t know,” she says with a small smile. “I’m simply carrying the message.”
Carrying the message. Fuck. “Give me a moment to get an abaya, please.”
“A moment, but we must hurry. The king has a very full schedule, and he does not like to be kept waiting.”
“I understand.”
From the bedroom, I try to reach Gray, but the call doesn’t go through. It was a long shot. The reception here is spotty at best. I consider sending a text or an email, but decide against it.
“Do I go?” I ask Raksha.
“You must,” she says resolutely.
Yes, I must. But I’m shaking inside.
I open the door to the hall, and thankfully Trippi is there, right where I left him. “The king wants to see me. I can’t reach Gray. Please let him know.”
There’s a flicker of alarm in his face. “I’ll escort you.”
I shake my head. “Not to the king. We need to observe protocol. I’ll be fine.”
“I’m up for bucking protocol,” he says. “Pretty sure I’ve done it once or twice in the past.”
“Shall we go?” Fatima asks from behind me.
“I’m in good hands,” I assure Trippi. His jaw is tight, and he doesn’t appear at all convinced. “But do let Gray know where I am so he doesn’t worry.”
While Fatima and I wind our way through the palace, she makes polite chitchat. “Are you enjoying your visit?”
“It’s been wonderful. Everyone has been so kind and accommodating.” Hopefully that will continue where I’m going.
We cross over into the official working area of the palace. This is not what I expected. “The king is in his office?”
“He is,” she says simply, leading me down a long, wide hall lined with soldiers, and through a set of security doors. The gold plaque on the door reads Crown Prince Ahmad bin Khalid.
As we pass staff working in tight cubicles and offices, I squelch the rising panic. “I thought it was the king who summoned me?”
“He will be king one day. Soon,” she says brazenly, outside the crown prince’s personal office.
40
Delilah
“Your Highness,” Fatima says with the utmost reverence. “Miss Porter is here, as you requested.”
The crown prince ignores her, walking around his gargantuan desk to greet me. “Come in, Miss Porter. Have a seat.” He motions to a chair in front of the desk. “I’m so pleased you decided to meet with me.”
Really? Did I have a fucking choice?
He nods at Fatima. “You need not wait. Close the door when you leave.”
Fatima looks almost as twisted up inside as I feel.
I raise a finger to stop her. “Your Highness, if I may.”
He nods, sitting on the edge of his desk, towering above me.
“I don’t want to cause a scandal and ruin either of our reputations.”
He lifts his chin toward the door, in a gesture for Fatima to go. “Ruin our reputations?” He snickers when the door clicks shut. “I’d say it’s a bit late for that, Delilah, don’t you agree?”
While I try to make some sense of what this all means, he goes to the wall behind the desk and draws the drapes. “But don’t be alarmed,” he assures me, as the drape opens to a line of soldiers carrying serious artillery. They stand at attention, facing away from the office. “You will be well-chaperoned.” His tone is light, but the signals he’s sending are deadly serious.
“Is Gray joining us?” I ask, my voice steady and strong.
He sneers. “While you’re with me, I assure you, you won’t need Gray.”
He has the look of a jackal as he approaches me. I need to keep him at arm’s length.
“Let’s take a seat on the sofa, where we’ll be more comfortable.”
Maybe this isn’t about the note.
I sit at the far corner of the tufted sofa, hoping to put some distance between us, but he pivots and takes the chair closest to me. “You’ve come a long way from your modest beginnings in Mississippi.”
“Have you visited Mississippi?”
He shakes his head. “I have never had the opportunity. But had I known about you, I would have moved mountains to get there.” He teases with a smile, but it feels more mocking. “Gray is quite a prize, isn’t he?”
“We’re very different, that’s for sure.” I smile patiently, but my patience is wearing thin.
“Different is good. It kindles the fire like nothing else. You and I are different too, Delilah.”
While I’m not a stranger to cutting off assholes at the knees, I take great care to be respectful. “We are, Your Highness.”
“When we are alone, even in the palace, you may call me Ahmad. Your Highness makes me feel old and out of touch. I assure you, I am neither.”
I could kill this jackass with one hand tied behind my back. Although that would create a nasty mess for Gray to clean up, and I wouldn’t be around to help because those motherfuckers outside the window would gun me down in a heartbeat.
“It seems Gray does not pay enough attention to his beautiful kitten.”
Kitten? I glance briefly in the direction of the soldiers, and it reminds me to play nice. “He’s been looking forward to spending time with you, and I support that. You’ve kept him busy.”
“You didn’t sound supportive or pleased last night.”
“I don’t share well, sir.”
His smile turns into a chuckle. “Neither do I.” Ahmad leans back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Whatever Gray has offered you, I can offer you more. You have only to look around to see that it’s true.”
I need a shower.
His pick-up game is weak, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. “Gray has only offered me his company, and that’s all I’m interested in.”
“His company?” He laughs out loud. “What do you offer him in return, kitten?”
This is over. “Your Highness, I mean no disrespect, but this conversation is going in a direction that’s making me exceedingly uncomfortable. I’m sure you don’t want that.”