of a braid, though, her hair was caught up atop her head in a knot, but some tendrils had escaped and now framed her face in a riot of red and gold. She had the most incredible skin, like the tip of a rose before the first bloom.
He sighed, trying to get his thoughts under control. “You will have to explain what I need to do in a language I can understand. Preferably English or Arabic.”
“Arabic’s definitely out,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “I’ll stick with English. In layman’s terms your system is having a…” She searched for a term he could understand. “A techie tirade.”
His brows slowly drew together over confused dark eyes. “A tirade?”
She nodded. “You know, a temper tantrum.” She smothered a chuckle at the look on his face. Obviously no one had ever thrown a tantrum on the sheik before. Well, there was a first time for everything. Faith sought to soothe him, instinctively reaching out to pat his hand. “But you don’t have to worry about it, Ali, or understand it. That’s what you’re paying me to do.”
And paying her well, she thought. His offer of a very generous bonus if she could get his new system up and operational within ten days was a challenge she simply couldn’t resist. It might prevent her from having to go to the bank, hat in hand, and beg for another operating loan.
The bonus would go a long way toward giving her the financial cushion she hadn’t hoped to have for at least another year. And when she added her regular fees on top of that, she’d be able to not only expand her offices and hire two consultants, but she might even be able to swing some new equipment as well.
The promise of the financial windfall had caused her to bury herself in her work, barely leaving this building except to stagger home for a few hours of sleep. All in all this was turning out to be a dream job.
Now all she had to do was control her mouth and her temper, not to mention her inbred annoyance at what this man represented to her.
She probably should have considered a gag, Faith realized. It might have been easier.
Ali sighed. “I don’t know how much longer my staff can continue to work the enormous hours necessary to do everything by hand.” To say nothing of the hours he’d spent on the phone trying to soothe clients. “Can you complete all this in a week?”
“Once I go over all the financial concerns and get your permission to order the necessary equipment, I should have you up and operating at full speed in less than a week.” That was with her working nearly round the clock, but she was counting on that bonus. She frowned thoughtfully. “I’ve been testing the system this morning, so it’s up right now, but I don’t suggest you use it for anything important, at least not until all the new equipment is ordered and installed.”
Ali nodded, listening to her. He shifted his weight, then loosened his tie. In spite of the fact that it was late September, someone had apparently forgotten to tell Mother Nature, for the temperatures were still hovering near the 90s. In spite of the excellent air-conditioning system, it was getting warmer by the minute in his office.
“It’s not necessary to go over the finances, Faith.” He waved away her concern. “Purchase anything you need. Kadid will take care of all the necessary paperwork.” Ali got up, went to his desk and pressed the intercom. “Kadid, could you come in please?”
Faith had learned that the elderly assistant had been with Ali since his birth. She and Kadid had become fast friends.
In the past few days, she’d found Kadid to be helpful and cooperative, not to mention exceedingly kind and totally devoted to Ali, which, she had to admit, she found surprising.
Kadid readily kept her supplied with cold colas during the day while she worked; something she considered fuel to keep her going. And she praised him regularly for it.
Yesterday, Kadid had even sat for a moment and shared a cola with her, no doubt breaking some sort of royal protocol.
A moment later the double doors opened and Kadid came in. “Ms. Martin.” Smiling, he gave a slight bow in a way she found totally charming.
While Ali dressed in Western business clothing, Kadid dressed in traditional garb. Flowing cotton pants, shirt, loose moccasin-type shoes, and a long, almost floor-length sleeveless robe all in a sedate shade of beige.
She smiled in genuine warmth. “Hello, Kadid.”
“Kadid, Faith will be purchasing some computer equipment for the company. Please see to it that she has the clearance to spend whatever amount necessary.”
Kadid nodded. “Of course,” he said, turning to Faith with another smile. “I shall take care of it immediately, Ms. Martin.” In spite of her insistence that he call her Faith, he retained his thoroughly formal manner.
Looking hesitant, Kadid took a step closer to Ali to speak privately. “I beg your pardon, Sheik El-Etra, but Mrs. Jourdan’s in the waiting room. She does not have an appointment, but she is…concerned about a matter and asked if she could wait to see you.”
“Maureen is here?” Ali frowned, then walked around to the front of his desk. “Please show her in.” He turned to Faith. “You do not mind? This should only take a moment. Maureen is a very old and very dear friend, not to mention a client.” He straightened his tie, smoothed down his collar. “If she’s upset I need to see her.”
“Not at all.” Faith leaned back in her chair, oddly surprised that a man like Ali would take the time to personally soothe the concerns of one client. She would think he’d leave the day-to-day business to his staff.
“Show her in immediately, Kadid.”
A few moments later, Kadid led a woman of about seventy into the room. Smartly dressed, she wore a sapphire-blue suit that seemed to match her eyes, and carried a wolf’s-head cane that she leaned on heavily. Her shock of silver hair was cropped close, but elegantly styled.
“Maureen.” With a look of pure adoration that transformed his arrogant face into something almost breathtaking, Ali went to her, took her free hand in his and kissed it gallantly, making the woman smile. “It is good to see you.” He kissed her hand again, and Faith could see the genuine affection radiating from him. Curious, she couldn’t help but watch. “It’s been too long.”
“It’s good to see you, too, Ali.” She kissed his cheek in return. “And you’re as much of a charming rascal as ever,” she said, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.
“I saw your parents at Joe Colton’s birthday party last night. It was good to see them again.” The woman’s brows drew into a frown. “You heard about the attempt on Joe’s life?”
Ali nodded. “Yes, I did. I spoke with my father late last night and he told me about it.” The attempt on Joe Colton’s life, in his own home, at his own birthday party was simply beyond comprehension.
“I can’t possibly imagine why anyone would want to hurt Joe Colton.”
“Neither can I,” Ali concurred with a nod. “But I’m afraid there are some very sick, irrational people in this world.” Ali shrugged. “I’m certain the police are doing everything they can to find the culprit.”
“Mmm…I hope so.” The woman glanced around, then spotted Faith.
