Modern Romance May 2017 Books 5 – 8. Louise Fuller
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come on,’ Gabi said. ‘I’m not down at the bar talking about it, I’m in bed with the boss. And it’s you she’s paying, so you must already know.’ And then she smiled and it was like a rainbow and Alim found himself smiling back.
‘Okay,’ he conceded, and he pulled her in so that she lay with her head on his chest.
‘It is odd, though,’ Gabi said, though she was more thinking out loud, and it was so easy to do so with his hand stroking her hair. ‘Usually it’s the bride’s parents who pay, or half and half...’
Alim shrugged. ‘Perhaps Mona’s parents are not wealthy.’
‘Perhaps.’ Gabi yawned. ‘Though Fleur clearly is. She intrigues me.’
‘Who?’
‘Fleur,’ Gabi said. ‘The mother of the groom.’
Alim said nothing.
‘I can’t work out if she’s divorced or widowed or just single like my mother.’
‘Does it matter?’ Alim asked.
‘Probably not.’
Of course it did, Alim thought. Or it soon would.
He knew how the staff gossiped and very soon Gabi would know his title and it would be clear that the royal guests in residence tonight were related to him.
Or perhaps it would be the wedding photos that would be his undoing when Gabi saw them, for they had made love now and had stared deep into each other’s eyes.
Alim knew he was a darker version of James.
Gabi might well see it too.
She was perceptive enough that soon she might work things out.
Alim did not enlighten her now, though.
There would be time for all that tomorrow.
It was more than one night he wanted, yet he was aware that he needed to think things through carefully.
And anyway, for now, Gabi was sleeping.
The more he tried to talk himself out of the plans he was making, the more sense they made. With his father unwell, the months ahead would be trying—that much Alim knew.
He could not put off marriage for ever, but he could certainly delay things.
And what nicer delay than this?
Alim did not expect Gabi to be at his beck and call as he carried on in the usual way; he would be faithful.
A year, perhaps.
It would work for both of them.
Alim’s assessment was based on practicalities. Away from Bernadetta, her career would only flourish, he would see to that. And, during this difficult year, he could come back to Rome and to Gabi. There would be no scandal for the palace to deal with, particularly when he began taking a more prominent role while his father sought treatment.
Alim was arrogant enough to assume that Gabi would have no issues with what he was about to propose; after all, women never said no to him, and he was offering more to Gabi then he had to any woman in his life before.
Aside from his commitment to his country, it was the biggest pledge he had made and Alim made it in the still of the night as she lay sleeping.
The sky was grey and silver as the sun rose on a very cold Rome and he thought of her dress on the floor in another room and the soft warm body he held.
Gabi felt the roam of his hands as she awoke and turned her face for a glimpse of Alim asleep but it was denied to her, for Alim was already awake and looking at her.
He watched her eyes flicker open and her face turn to him. He wondered if he would see a grimace or a startle of panic as she recalled their night, but instead he watched as a smile stretched her lips and her sleepy eyes met his.
‘Best night,’ she said.
It had been.
And those were exactly the words he wanted to hear, for there was no tinge of regret in her smile and no confusion in her eyes.
Only desire.
And Alim still felt the same.
During the hours Gabi had slept, Alim had been thinking.
Yes, he still wanted more than one night.
‘Fleur did not pay for the wedding,’ he said, and watched her frown at the odd choice of topic, wrapped as they were in each other’s arms and a breath away from a deep morning kiss.
She did not get yet that this was the most intimate conversation in the whole of Alim’s life.
‘It was my gift to Mona and James.’
‘Why?’
‘Because James is my half-brother.’
Her frown deepened and she ran a tongue over her lips as she tried to work things out; now that he had said it, she could see that James and Alim were related.
Gabi had started to see that last night as she had watched the couple dance—or rather there had been something in James that had spoken to her.
Now that she knew, Gabi felt almost foolish that she had not seen it more readily.
‘Fleur is my father’s mistress,’ Alim explained.
‘I don’t understand,’ Gabi said.
‘Listen to me.’ Alim’s eyes and his tone told her that what he was saying was very important. ‘Fleur was my father’s lover but his father did not consider her a suitable bride. When she got pregnant with James, my grandfather summoned my father home and arranged his marriage to my mother, even though my father loved Fleur.’
‘Why did he agree to marry a woman if he loved another?’
‘Because he had little choice. His father was the Sultan of Sultans and his word is law; now that title belongs to my father.’
He actually felt the goose-bumps rise on her arm. ‘And so what does that make you?’
‘A sultan, and one day I shall rule.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘Because my father is here in the hotel and it won’t be long before the staff work out our connection. Soon you would have too.’
‘But why are you telling me now?’ she persisted.
‘Because things back home are changing. My father is unwell, so I am going to have to travel there a lot in the coming months...’ Still she stared at him with a puzzled look in her eyes so he made things a little clearer. ‘I want to spend more time with you when I am here in Rome. Last night I was going to ask you to work for me as the events co-ordinator at the Grande Lucia.’
It was the offer of a lifetime.
Stunning, in fact.
It was the gateway to a shiny future and, Gabi realised, she may well have blown it for one night in his bed.
But still, she thought, she would not change it for anything.
‘Is that offer being reconsidered in the light of certain events?’ Gabi asked.
He smiled. ‘It is being amended.’
And seriously so.
‘What about a one-year contract?’ he said.
‘One year?’
‘That frees you from Bernadetta; you would make many contacts here during that time.’
‘And is sleeping with me a part of that contract?’
‘Gabi.’ Alim heard her indignation but was calm in his response. ‘I think from last night it is clear we are not going