The Sheikh's Offer by Jessica Brooke, Ella Brooke Page B

face. Lia was practically the queen of the country, she could probably smooth over any trouble that might have caused.
    Instead, she took a deep breath, gathering what was left of her dignity.
    “Thank you for your help,” she said. “I'm afraid I must be off now.”
    The man looked like he wanted to protest, but then a woman materialized out of the crowd. Like him, she wore Western garb, a sleek gown in vibrant blue with golden stitching along the seams. There were diamonds at her throat and her ears and venom in her eyes. For just a moment, those eyes set on Daisy, causing the young woman to shiver instinctively.
    The man looked faintly irritated, and that look became even darker when she set a hand on the crook of his elbow.
    It was all the chance that Daisy needed. She had had plenty of experience fading into the background when she could. She melted away into the crowd like a shadow, still clutching her drink. When she glanced back, she could see the man and woman standing closely together.
    Are they married , she wondered indignantly. If she was married, she wouldn't want her husband giving beverage advice to confused women.
    Something about the whole scene gave her a pang, however. He had teased her, mocked her, and perhaps propositioned her, but she couldn't deny that there was something powerfully magnetic about him. As she walked through the crowd, his dark eyes haunted her.
    She realized she was still holding her glass of raki. The second sip still burned, but she thought that it was a little less painful. The third sip was even smoother.
    It's not so bad, she said to herself. I'm here for a party, and after tonight, I'll hang out with Lia for a bit, and then it'll be back to Albany for me...
      ***
    The gardens outside the ballroom were dark and lush. She could hear some faint footsteps, some soft words. They told her that she did not walk alone. She had almost finished the glass of raki. Daisy felt obscurely proud of herself. She knew that the alcohol was powerful, but still, she had managed it.
    She could feel it making her soft and warm inside. Unless she was very careful where she put her feet, she would have stumbled. The crush of the ballroom had seemed too much, so she had found refuge in the dark gardens. All around her were the scents of jasmine and gardenias and other exotic flowers for which she had no names.
    Samara was so beautiful that it made her hurt. She loved the palace, the way it seemed to cradle all of the people within. It was the perfect setting for Khilafa and Lia, who glowed like gods come to earth. Watching them dance together had been enthralling.
    “You look pensive, little one.”
    The voice came from the darkness beside her, and for some reason, that didn't even seem strange to her.
    “Maybe a little,” she said with a smile. “I... It's so beautiful here. It's amazing, all of the history that Samara holds.”
    “Oh? Are you an art buyer like your sister to speak so of beauty?”
    Daisy laughed. “Oh no, not me. Well, I guess I know a little because Lia's my sister, but no, I'm an interior decorator.”
    “Ah, so you are in the business of beauty yourself.”
    “Maybe... I tend to think of it as making homes?”
    “Oh?”
    Most people weren't actually that interested in why she did her work as long as they liked the look of their new homes. Perhaps the speaker from the darkness wasn't interested either, but the raki made her brave.
    “Yes. We all need places to live, and so many people just...choose to accept whatever they get. I think that every home should reflect and enhance the people living there. Your home should be a part of you, and you should be a part of your home. That is what I do.”
    “Your home must be a beautiful place, then.”
    Daisy's laugh was self-deprecating. “I don't know about that. Sometimes, it feels as if I'm so busy building a home that I never think of what I want in one. Something I do for all my clients is that I get to know them. I want