The chancellor could understand English better than he could speak it, but it seemed Zain had singled him out tonight and had the man placed next to him at the table. Mila was constantly interpreting from behind the chancellor as they discussed everything from beer to football, or soccer, as Zain kept calling it.
The chancellor had signaled her to approach during one of these discussions about twenty minutes earlier. Zain had turned his attention away from the German to discuss something with the French president when she bent down between Zain and the chancellor.
“Move your chair here so we can talk more freely,” the chancellor said as he indicated the space slightly behind but between Zain and himself.
Mila signaled a waiter who brought her chair forward immediately. She sat quietly while the chancellor spoke with the French president and Zain. Meanwhile, she studied the table. Tahjad and Surman were seated at opposite ends, but so far the two countries, previously known to be unfriendly with each other, hadn’t caused a scene. The King of Tahjad was talking to the sheik from Saudi Arabia. The queen of Surman was similarly engrossed in a discussion with the representative from the Philippines.
Zain turned to the chancellor, and when he did, his knee brushed hers. Mila froze at the contact. She wanted to melt into it. She could feel the heat from his leg. Instead of crawling into his lap like she wanted, she began speaking in German to the chancellor. It grew harder to focus on the conversation as Zain began to subtly press his leg against the front of hers.
She knew what this was. Torture. She had insisted that whatever there was between them remain private. Since they’d been so busy the entire day, they hadn’t had a single moment alone. They talked around each other, even to each other, but it wasn’t her own words she was using. The whole situation was just heightening their attraction for each other. It was like being in a candy store. You could see and smell the chocolate, but you couldn’t taste it quite yet.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen,” Zain said as he finally moved away from her and stood up. Now he was playing dirty. She was eye level with his perfect ass. Somehow he’d pay for this.
“Thank you for such a productive first day of the summit. I appreciate your openness and look forward to our discussions on working together tomorrow to handle disease outbreaks. Please enjoy the warm weather and feel free to stroll about the farm. Tomorrow morning, before our individual meetings, there will be a tour of the farm for those interested. Just meet out front. Have a good night,” Zain said with warmth and sincerity that left even the queen of Surman relaxed.
“I’m going to take the tour of the farm tomorrow. Would you mind accompanying me?” the chancellor asked as he stood up.
Mila cast a quick glance and saw that Zain was moving toward the king of Tahjad. “Of course. I’ll meet you out front bright and early. I’ve seen the farm. You’re going to love it.”
“Thank you for your services today. You must be exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Ms. Thiessen.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Zain saw Mila leave, but she was one of the last interpreters to go. He might have time to catch her before she got a ride back to the bed and breakfast. But first he needed to have a word with the king of Tahjad.
“King Omar, I apologize for having to cancel our meeting this morning. If you couldn’t tell, I’m very excited about what this nanotechnology lab can mean for our region. If you have a minute, I’d love to hear your impression of it so far.”
Zain gave his best smile to the king, if you could really call him that. He’d been a warlord who killed off all his competition to take control of the country and declared himself king. Now he enjoyed dressing up in military suits lined with made-up medals and a red sash that wrapped around his muscled waist. His black hair was slicked back into a short ponytail. His skin had leathered in the sun, but the king was really only forty years old and cocky enough to take pleasure in having others bow down to him.
“It’s an interesting theory, but how would I benefit?” The king turned and started walking away, making it clear that Zain should follow. It grated on Zain's nerves, but he followed anyway.
“For one, you would get to send your brightest scientists to the lab. The money they would earn, if they discovered something, would help your economy. And like I said before, your people would worship you for finding a way to save their lives from the pandemics we've all been experiencing.”
The king kept walking. “Bah, more mouths to feed. We don’t have enough food as it is.”
“You don’t have to limit your research to the medical arena. There have been advancements in nanomaterial for agriculture as well. More food, ways to keep the soil fresh . . . imagine Tahjad at the forefront of that,” Zain said with passion.
King Omar stopped at the bottom of the wide staircase leading to the guest rooms. “I know this isn’t out of the goodness of your heart. What do you want from us?”
“A signed agreement stating that no Tahjad ships will stop any ships bound for or coming from Rahmi.”
The king tried to plaster on an innocent smile, but it was more like a sneer. “I don’t know what you’re implying.”
“I’m not implying anything. I’m telling you. Agree to stop the pirating of our ships, and we’ll make Tahjad a named partner in this project,” Zain said in the tone his father had taught him. The king may be a warlord, but Zain had centuries of royal blood flowing through him. If there was one thing he could do, it was chill anyone to the bone with the power behind his words.
“And if we don’t?” the king asked with only a hint of respect to his voice.
Zain smiled menacingly, but didn’t say a word.
The king flexed his fist but controlled his expression. “I’ll sleep on it. Good night,” King Omar said tightly as he turned to head upstairs.
Zain didn’t want to resort to threats. But if the king left him no options, then he would tell Omar of his plan to support the Dragoons, a growing group of rebels in Tahjad. Omar was a horrible ruler who took what he wanted and never gave anything back. Tahjad was little more than a battlefield at this point. He’d bombed his own people in his rush to become king. He’d left his people no choice when he demanded absolute power over them. Now he had a chance to improve the country and his people's lives. Zain just hoped he’d take it.
“Interesting argument to gain a supporter for your little project. Are you planning to silently threaten me as well?”
Zain turned from where he was watching the king climb the stairs to see Queen Suri. “Cousin,” Zain said just to irk her. He shouldn’t, but knowing she was behind the upheaval in his country made him mad.
Suri smiled. She was still a beautiful woman, even though she was close to seventy. Her dark brown hair was highlighted with silver and cut to flow around her shoulders. She wore a dress of royal red and pulled it off, unlike the king of Tahjad.
“You know, I always liked you. Better than Jamal at any rate.” She stepped closer to him and laced her hand through his arm, demanding an escort. “Walk me to my room,” she ordered.
“Of course. I was sad that you took my accident as a slight against you. I would never purposefully miss a meeting with you,” Zain said as casually as he could.
“An accident? Ah, yes. My secretary mentioned your man came and asked to reschedule. She didn’t tell me why though. I hope you are uninjured.”
“I am, thank you.”
“If your father had just come to me personally we could have avoided this little misunderstanding. Now, what did you want to talk to me about, cousin.”
“The nanotechnology lab. While other allies are sure to sign on, I want this to be a jewel for our region. I want Rahmi, Surman, and Tahjad to work together to secure our the future of our economies and protect our citizens.”