Free DesertIslandDelight by Wynter Daniels

talent
that got her where she was.
    She headed back inside her suite and paced the floor. Maybe
she’d given Chase the wrong impression after they were rescued. Sure, she’d
kept her distance, but she’d been embarrassed at being discovered by the
rescuers in such a compromising position with Chase. Plus there was the shame
factor since she’d obviously enjoyed being tied up and teased by him. They
hadn’t had even a second to discuss where things were going between them before
the rescuers delivered them to the sheik’s island.
    Once they arrived at the palace, she’d been focused on
calling her mom and sisters, telling them how much she loved them and making
plans for a long overdue family reunion.
    How had this all gotten so messed up? She stepped out onto
the balcony and inhaled the sea air. But the beautiful setting only made her
pine for someone special to share it with.
    Chase.
    She leaned over the railing toward his room and glimpsed him
through the sheer curtains covering his window. He looked as if he was having a
conversation with himself. But she recognized his behavior for what it was—he
was practicing his pitch and she should be doing the same if she had any hope
of winning the account.
    She considered withdrawing from her pitch session. She owed
Chase so much, maybe she should just let him have the account by default. But
the more she thought about it, the more she was sure she couldn’t do that. She
was too damn competitive. And in truth, if the tables were turned, she’d hate
to get an account that way.
    Perhaps after the sheik made his decision—whichever way it
turned out—she and Chase would be able to make a fresh start. After a good
night’s sleep, she was sure they’d be able to work it all out. She was ready to
take a chance on him, something she’d never have envisioned doing, but Chase
had come through for her like no man ever had before. He wasn’t her father. He
was a good man and she yearned to give their fledgling relationship a try.
    * * * * *
    Chase was already in the dining room by time Diana got there
the next morning. “You’re up early,” she said as she poured herself a cup of
coffee from the carafe on the table.
    “I ran into the sheik a couple hours ago when I took a run
on the grounds. He joined me and I gave him my pitch.” He scrubbed his hands
together. “So you’re up after breakfast. He’s on a conference call now but I’m
sure he’ll be through by the time you finish eating. Everything’s delicious.
Try the pancakes.” He gestured toward the buffet table set up with platters and
bowls full of all sorts of yummy-looking food.
    Chase looked way too confident for her comfort. “So how’d it
go?”
    “How’d what go? Oh, my pitch?” He gave her a coy
grin. “One of my best yet.”
    “About the account, Chase—”
    A server walked in with a chafing dish and set it on the
buffet. Diana waited until the woman had left before continuing, but she hadn’t
gotten two words out when Mohd came in and handed her a large gift-wrapped box.
    “From the sheik,” he said. “He’s been called to a meeting on
the mainland, but he’ll be back in a few hours.”
    Chase looked just as confused as she felt. “Okay.” Sitting
at the table, she opened the package and pulled out a purple leather purse,
identical to the one the kidnappers had tossed into the sea. “What…how did he
know?” She ran her fingers over the butter-soft leather.
    Mohd took a backward step. “Sheik el-Tayid arranged the
kidnapping to test your resourcefulness and watch your actions under pressure.
You were never in any real danger.”
    Her chest tightened and uncomfortable heat stormed through
her. “He…this was all his doing?”
    Mohd smiled. “It’s not unlike him to do such things.”
    Chase’s chest rose and fell but he wouldn’t meet her stare.
    Red-hot fury rose inside her. She wanted to rip that bastard
sheik to shreds, but she knew she was on his turf in a foreign country