Affairs of State(11)
“I most certainly was not being polite. It would give us plenty of time to plan the fund-raiser for World Connect. In fact I might have to insist.”
“And how exactly will you do that?” She crossed her arms over her chest. Which drew attention to the way her nipples pushed against the soft fabric of her dress.
“Perhaps I’ll have the palace guards bundle you into a plane. It’s primitive and high-tech at the same time.”
“That may work in Europe, but you can’t just shove American citizens into planes. We’ve started wars with less provocation than that.” A smile danced around the corners of her mouth.
He pressed a finger to his lips. “Hmm. I suppose you’re right. And you are the daughter of the president. I’ll have to resort to more cunning means. A hand-engraved invitation, perhaps.”
“I’m afraid I’m the queen of hand-engraved invitations. I’ve probably stuffed more than a million of those into envelopes at this point. You’ll need a lot more than that to impress me.”
He stepped forward, uncrossed her arms and took one of her hands. Her fingers were cool, but heated inside his. “What exactly would it take?”
Heat pulsed between them for a solid second. He watched her pupils dilate and her lips part slightly. Then she snatched her hand back and hurried down the brick path. “I’m afraid I couldn’t possibly come right now. We have a lot of events going on and I’m booked almost solid.”
Now she was trying to run away from him. Could she know that only made him more eager and determined? He walked slowly, knowing that to stalk any creature you need calm and patience, so you don’t spook it and lose your chance altogether. “My loss. I quite understand, though. I’m sure we can plan the fund-raiser over lunches and dinners here in D.C. Speaking of which, perhaps we can get back to breakfast? I suspect those brioche are holding up well and we can fumble a fresh pot of coffee together.”
“That sounds perfect.”
* * *
“Where have you been? I was trying to reach you all morning.” Scarlet’s voice exploded out of Ariella’s phone as she collapsed onto her living room sofa. She’d only just arrived home from her morning with Simon and felt very topsy-turvy. “We have to make a decision on the courses for the DiVosta dinner by four this afternoon so they can source the lobster and crab.”
Ariella drew in a silent breath, glad her friend and business partner couldn’t see her right now. She was flushed and her eyes were glassy with overexcitement. “I’m sorry. I got…swept away.” That was the truth, at least. “I thought they decided on the stone crab.”
“They want you to make the final choice.”
“Then I’ve just made it.” She sat up. Gosh, she had so much to do. “Did the tablecloths arrive from Bali yet? I keep phoning DHL and they never seem to know what I’m talking about.”
“Yup, they’re here. And worth the wait, as they’re absolutely stunning. Maybe I’ll have one turned into a dress afterward. I ordered the cases of Dom Perignon to be delivered to the venue. Their butler swears he’ll lock it all up for me so it won’t be drunk before the event. Hey, are you still there?”
“Um, yeah. I’m here.” Her thoughts wouldn’t seem to cooperate. They kept filling up with visions of Simon’s handsome and deliciously determined face. Could she really not tell the person she saw every day about her royal adventure? “I just had breakfast with Simon Worth.”
“Breakfast? It’s nearly three.” Trust Scarlet to breeze right over the part about the prince. Raised in D.C.’s most elite circles, she was hard to impress.
“We had a lot to talk about.”
“Francesca told me he approached you at last night’s event.” She sounded intrigued. “And you do have a lot in common. Both descended from heads of state, both lost their mother tragically young and both lamentably still single. Quick, tell me everything and I’ll still have time to call about the stone crabs by four.”
She laughed. “There isn’t that much to tell. You pretty much summed it up. Except the single part. We didn’t talk about that.”
“But you did kiss.”
“Not even a peck.” She was a little disappointed about that. She’d braced herself for a decorous kiss when his driver dropped her off—the prince had accompanied her in the backseat, where they were hidden by tinted windows—but he’d simply held her hands for a moment, looked into her eyes and said goodbye. “He wanted to give me a pep talk. I think he’s going back to England later this week. He was in D.C. to sign some international pact to stop journalists from using illegal means to dig into our business.”