“Why?”
He doesn’t answer, and I decide I’ve had more than enough of this crazy conversation, so I change the subject.
“Tell me why I needed to accompany you to Turkey. From what I gathered from my research, the culture of this country is more liberal than others of the same religion, very similar to Sintarah’s, in fact.”
“There was no reason to bring you,” he says without preamble, and my mouth drops open.
“Oh!”
“I wanted you by my side. That’s all, Madeline. You’re my employee. I don’t need to justify my actions to request your presence,” he finishes, in that arrogant tone of his.
I stare at him, trying to understand the change in his voice, but his face is unreadable.
Intuition tells me, however, that it has to do with my proposal. Kamal is not used to having his actions determined by others. He likes to call the shots.
It’s tempting to let him take the lead. I’ve discovered that the idea of submitting to the Sheikh excites me, but I need to think about my heart.
I should keep at least one ace up my sleeve for an emergency.
Chapter 17
“Are you sated, Madeline?” I ask.
She smiles. “Yes. Did I look greedy?”
“You ate because you were hungry, I suppose.”
Her smile widens. “Not just that. It was delicious.”
Not as delicious as you are.
After a boring meeting, which was the main reason for my visit to Istanbul, I took her to explore the city—on my terms, of course.
Every place we visited had to be evacuated under the president’s orders—he understands that I can’t simply wander around like an ordinary citizen.
To be honest, I thought it would be boring to take her to places I already know. Sightseeing is not my idea of fun, but that’s because I’ve never traveled with someone like Madeline Turner.
Every beautiful cell in her body vibrated throughout the entire tour.
Now we’re having a late breakfast, what Americans call brunch, on the terrace of my residence in Istanbul, after getting to know the city on a tour.
I gaze at her perfect face—she’s radiating joy. This woman has the ability to turn me on just by smiling.
“I don’t know how to thank you for bringing me here, Kamal. Both for bringing me to this wonderful country and for taking me on a tour.” Her eyes sparkle, captivated.
“Our journey is just beginning, Madeline.”
She was playing with her fork, but after what I said she lifts her head to look at me. She swallows nervously, and I know what she’s thinking because she’s an open book: our agreement.
It’s barely an hour ago that I managed to calm down from the irritation that hit me yesterday. After kissing her in my office, she made the absurd counterproposal to be together for only twenty-four hours.
It was audacious.
I had never been in a position where I had to negotiate for a woman’s time or attention on her terms. If it were any other woman, I would have dismissed her with a pat on the back.
In my world, I’m the one who sets the rules.
However, my desire for Madeline overcame my stubbornness.
