Valentine Vegas Gigolo Sheikh by Teresa Morgan Page A

from Stacia, at least it meant she was in the same room as he was. It was refreshing to meet someone head on instead of having them simper and purr to his face, trying to maneuver their way into his good graces.
    “Giving up is an unusual experience for me. I find I lack the words,” he explained. “Also, I’m unused to failure.”
    He closed the lid of his laptop, and sat back in his chair to enjoy the view of her more fully.
    She was as lovely as he remembered. The first time they met, those few seconds at the doorway, he had failed to see it. Then again, he realized now that she played down her looks on purpose, perhaps to keep people at a distance, or perhaps to be taken more seriously. It was only when she let down her guard that she was at her most beautiful.
    Today, she was not wearing the glasses that softened her sharp features the way he liked, he was content to see. He had no desire for her to become more attractive to other men, only to him.
    The sight of Stacia removing her stylish beige winter coat and draping it over his guest chair made his heart beat faster for an instant. Stacia taking off her clothes was always an excellent sight, but in this case, it indicated she intended to stay for a while.
    She wore a color-blocked navy blue and dusty grey dress, cut low to display her curvy breasts, and hemmed well above the knee, showing a length of slim thigh. Her expensive new clothes led him to believe he had been right about her monetary troubles. She had never been in danger of any long period of unemployment, of course.
    Her blonde hair fell in waves down her back, as he had suggested she might do. Far more natural than her previous knife-straight hairstyle. He wanted nothing more than to see it displayed on the pillow of his bed. Or perhaps cascading over the arm of his dark leather couch, which was mere meters away.
    “Failure to manipulate me, I suppose.” She sat in the chair opposite his desk and crossed one knee over the other in a way that displayed her legs to her advantage. “That really burns my butt.”
    “Believe me, I would not wish for fire anywhere near your excellent butt. I’m fond of it, actually. No, I was speaking of a different failure. Ironic, don’t you think, that the problem I finally failed to solve was my own, and it will affect me always.”
    “Always?” She cocked her head and flattened her lips. Her very pink lips—that was a fresh coat of lipstick, applied in the washroom before she entered his office, if he had to guess. “I don’t understand.”
    Her so-called confusion was a ruse. He chose not to ignore it. Even when he had been playing the role of gigolo, they had always spoken honestly of their emotions. He had no desire to change that. “Yes, you do. The sensitive heart that you hide from others, the loyalty you have shown to your friends, and your calm in the face of crisis are excellent traits that would be useful to a woman in a position of power in a country such as Ittar, besides being attractive to me personally. You are a difficult woman, but the man who wins you will never have to doubt you or suspect you. You would help him in every way you could. You are what I want for myself for the rest of my life.”
    The surprised that lifted her eyebrows seemed genuine this time.
    “You think I am insane for saying such a thing after knowing you for only a few days. Yet I have never felt this way about anyone. If that shocks you, consider it unsaid. It hardly matters, now that I’ve lost you.”
    Stacia had gone stock still. She appeared to have even given up breathing. Time to change the subject. “But let us discuss something else. I want to know what has happened with you. Since you came here to deliver this yourself, and in new clothing, I assume you took control of your career situation.”
    “Yes.” Her mouth turned down, but at least she had resumed respiration. “You were right, if that’s what you want to hear.”
    “Of course I was right about