Free The Prince and the Working Woman (Desert Prince Book 1) by Kat Attalla

her future clientele.
    "How was Thailand?" Mandy asked
    "It was magnificent.”
    “Coffee?”
    “Please."
    She led Mona to the kitchen and poured two cups of French roast. “So… Tell me about it.”
    “Why don’t you tell me about this apartment you found first?"
    Mandy kicked off her shoes and folded her legs underneath her as she sat on a cushioned chair at the island. "It is the same as this one but four floors down. I haven't seen it yet. They are painting before I move in."
    "The same building?" Mona asked skeptically.
    "Yes."
    "And you are alright with that?"
    Was the princess worried about her? Her concerns were unwarranted.  "I asked the boab if there was an apartment here. Hamid did not suggest anything except that I would probably be comfortable in this neighborhood."
    "Have you been seeing a lot of him?"
    Was this more curious matchmaking or did she detect a warning? "I arrived on Saturday. I spent Sunday looking for properties. He's been gone since Monday."
    Mona dunked a biscuit in her coffee and took a bite. "You like him!"
    She shook her head as if the idea was inconceivable. "We are complete opposites."
    "That is not what I asked."
    "As a boss he's great.” Mandy added more cream to her cup. Stirring stopped her from fidgeting under her friend’s curious scrutiny. “He let me do all the talking and let me make the final decision. Outside of work he is spoiled rotten and always thinks he's right."
    “And still not the question. Come on Mandy you never had a problem being direct."
    "You want the truth?” She sat upright in the chair and inhaled a deep breath. “I like his body.  I like the way he touches me. And I really like the way he…"
    Mona covered her heated cheeks. "Okay. Too much information.’"
    "You asked."
    She cleared her throat. "I did. A simple yes would have sufficed.”
    There was nothing simple about Mandy’s feeling for him. He was a prince. He was her boss. Two reasons alone to keep her distance. Given her past with her late husband and men in general, she should stick to her vibrator and erotic novels for her satisfaction.
    “Since you are free tonight would you like to come with me? I promised to make dinner for my father-in-law. You can teach me how to make those bloomy onion things. I hear they’re his favorite."
    She choked back a cough. "You want me to go to the palace and cook for the king?"
    "Don’t think of him as the king. He’s Rashid and Hamid's father. I promise they won't put you in the dungeon if you mess it up."
    "There's a dungeon?"
    Mona had a fit of the giggles. “I guess you haven't been up to the palace yet."
    Mandy had seen it in the distance during her travels. The large stone structure stood on the highest point of an otherwise flat topography. She had imagined something out of the Arabian Nights but instead she found a relatively modern building with nods to Islamic architecture. "I've been everywhere else in the city."
    "Then it is time. King Omar is very nice. You met him at the wedding."
    Yes she had. But no one had gotten within twenty feet of either king without a wall of security between them. Could she refuse without causing hard feelings? Did she want to? It beat sitting at home one more night wondering about a man she had no business obsessing over.
    "So we're making steak and onion blooms?" A delicious heart-attack on a plate.
    "Every time he's in New York he orders take out from The Outback. I know you don't eat meat but you’ve made it for us before.”
    She had made dinner for the happy couple back in Boston. But cooking for the commoners she thought them to be and making dinner for a king were two different animals.
    "You're in, right?" Mona asked.
    Mandy had cooked for Hamid and lived to tell about it.  "Let me get the onion tool."
    “I bought one.  Just grab your purse.”
     
    * * * *
     
    "Thank God it's Thursday." Hamid paraphrased the popular American saying. He never minded travel before but he was glad for this week to