Page 93 of Bred By the Sheikh

He saw me immediately.

His attention moved over my cream dress, paused on my face, and stayed there for one beat longer than professional courtesy required.

Heat moved beneath my skin.

Then he turned to Amanda.

“Ms. Emerson, welcome to Dubai.”

Amanda shook his hand.

“Your Highness. Thank you. I’m sorry I missed the beginning of the week.”

“Your team has represented you well.”

His attention flicked toward me.

I concentrated very hard on the presentation remote.

Amanda didn’t appear to notice anything.

If she did, she had the professional discipline not to show it.

The meeting began.

Amanda opened with the partnership goals and a concise recap of how the week’s review had changed the campaign direction.

Then she handed the presentation to me.

“Chrissy developed the guest-experience strategy you’ll see in the next section.”

I stood.

Tariq sat at the head of the table.

I didn’t look at his mouth.

That felt like an achievement deserving formal recognition.

I moved through the arrival sequence first.

“The earlier campaign asked the guest to admire Al-Hadid Grand Dubai,” I said. “The revised direction asks the guest to imagine what it feels like to arrive here.”

I showed the family entering after a late flight, the accessible restaurant sequence, and a guest returning from a long day to find something anticipated before she had to request it.

Then I reached the estate concept.

“Al-Hadid’s scale is part of the fantasy,” I said. “But scale matters most when it lets the hotel pay closer attention.”

One of the executives leaned forward.

I continued.

“The guest shouldn’t have to see how many people, systems, or decisions were required to make an experience effortless. She should simply reach for the water and find it there. She should arrive at the room and discover the request has already been handled. The luxury is enormous. The work underneath it doesn’t need to be.”

Tariq’s expression barely changed.

I knew him well enough now to see the approval anyway.