very rough budget, but I wanted to have something to work from. You both," she looked at Samantha, “can let me know if I’m way off base. If I’ve overlooked something. Just,” she swallowed, took a breath and said in a quiet but steady voice, “let me know what changes to make.”
Not too bad, she thought. He was being polite and she couldn’t see Samantha’s expression at all. She guessed it was the same as it had been all day.
While the Prince’s attention was on the spreadsheet she looked at him, tried to judge his reaction.
“Is it too much?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “It's fine. It’s your first day.”
She felt a surge of gratitude. It was her first day.
They were interrupted by a buzzing sound and Samantha pulled her phone from her pocket again. She didn’t say bloody hell this time, but she did apologize for not turning it off. “I thought I’d done it,” she said. “There’s been an issue with William and the--”
“Go ahead,” he said, waving his hand like it was no big deal. “If you need to leave, Rachel and I can finish the meeting. No problem.”
Samantha looked at Rachel wondering if she should leave. She looked worried. “We’ll be fine,” Rachel told her.
Still seeming reluctant, Samantha stood, looked down at Rachel again, then walked out the door.
They were alone. Behind him seemed a safer place to look, at the view out the windows behind his desk. From her seat she could see the tip of a sharp skyscraper, blinking red to warn planes, and the line where the sea met the sky. They were almost the same shade of blue.
“So we have a date?” he asked.
“I’m sorry?” Her face flushed and because he likely noticed it, flushed more.
He cleared his throat. “The last Wednesday in May? The 28th?
“Yes,” she said. “Of course.”
“And,” he spoke slowly now to help her catch up, “a very early budget.”
“Right...so.” She reached up to tuck hair behind her ear, forgetting she’d put it up.
“Set up a meeting with Mr. Jensen. He’ll explain our accounting system, tell you how to pay for what you need, track expenses, that kind of thing.” He tilted his head and looked at her so intensely she couldn’t move. “Have you ever done one of these?”
It took her a moment to understand what he meant. No,” she admitted, “I haven’t.”
He gave her a that’s-what-I-was-afraid-of look and then picked up a pen from his desk and twirled it in his fingers. He seemed to be choosing his next words very carefully. “You know, I told Ahmed no. I told him I needed someone with experience, someone who had done this before. There was another applicant, a woman who had opened three hotels in Dubai and two in Tokyo. Samantha too had someone, a friend, who worked with her in London, planned events for Buckingham Palace.” His gaze shifted from the pen back to her.
So it was the sheik.
“Ahmed has been very good to me, better to me than my own father. Still,” he smiled, “I wanted to tell him no. That is my weakness, I can’t tell him no.”
He continued. “He told me, ‘she has something. You will see. She will be good luck for you.’”
“I told him I don’t need luck. I need someone who can help me make this hotel a success. My investors, my family. They don’t care about luck. My father will laugh me out of the room. Dubai is a great city and it wants to be the greatest. It wants to be better than Paris or New York or London. When the man who commissioned the Burj al Khalifa was asked how tall it should be, he asked the architect how tall was the tallest building in the world. Then after the architect answered he simply told him to double it. We built a ski run in the middle of the desert. We had sand moved from the sea bed and built up a system of islands that looks from the sky like a palm tree. Two of them! I told Ahmed she has no experience at all. She is just getting out of
Not too bad, she thought. He was being polite and she couldn’t see Samantha’s expression at all. She guessed it was the same as it had been all day.
While the Prince’s attention was on the spreadsheet she looked at him, tried to judge his reaction.
“Is it too much?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “It's fine. It’s your first day.”
She felt a surge of gratitude. It was her first day.
They were interrupted by a buzzing sound and Samantha pulled her phone from her pocket again. She didn’t say bloody hell this time, but she did apologize for not turning it off. “I thought I’d done it,” she said. “There’s been an issue with William and the--”
“Go ahead,” he said, waving his hand like it was no big deal. “If you need to leave, Rachel and I can finish the meeting. No problem.”
Samantha looked at Rachel wondering if she should leave. She looked worried. “We’ll be fine,” Rachel told her.
Still seeming reluctant, Samantha stood, looked down at Rachel again, then walked out the door.
They were alone. Behind him seemed a safer place to look, at the view out the windows behind his desk. From her seat she could see the tip of a sharp skyscraper, blinking red to warn planes, and the line where the sea met the sky. They were almost the same shade of blue.
“So we have a date?” he asked.
“I’m sorry?” Her face flushed and because he likely noticed it, flushed more.
He cleared his throat. “The last Wednesday in May? The 28th?
“Yes,” she said. “Of course.”
“And,” he spoke slowly now to help her catch up, “a very early budget.”
“Right...so.” She reached up to tuck hair behind her ear, forgetting she’d put it up.
“Set up a meeting with Mr. Jensen. He’ll explain our accounting system, tell you how to pay for what you need, track expenses, that kind of thing.” He tilted his head and looked at her so intensely she couldn’t move. “Have you ever done one of these?”
It took her a moment to understand what he meant. No,” she admitted, “I haven’t.”
He gave her a that’s-what-I-was-afraid-of look and then picked up a pen from his desk and twirled it in his fingers. He seemed to be choosing his next words very carefully. “You know, I told Ahmed no. I told him I needed someone with experience, someone who had done this before. There was another applicant, a woman who had opened three hotels in Dubai and two in Tokyo. Samantha too had someone, a friend, who worked with her in London, planned events for Buckingham Palace.” His gaze shifted from the pen back to her.
So it was the sheik.
“Ahmed has been very good to me, better to me than my own father. Still,” he smiled, “I wanted to tell him no. That is my weakness, I can’t tell him no.”
He continued. “He told me, ‘she has something. You will see. She will be good luck for you.’”
“I told him I don’t need luck. I need someone who can help me make this hotel a success. My investors, my family. They don’t care about luck. My father will laugh me out of the room. Dubai is a great city and it wants to be the greatest. It wants to be better than Paris or New York or London. When the man who commissioned the Burj al Khalifa was asked how tall it should be, he asked the architect how tall was the tallest building in the world. Then after the architect answered he simply told him to double it. We built a ski run in the middle of the desert. We had sand moved from the sea bed and built up a system of islands that looks from the sky like a palm tree. Two of them! I told Ahmed she has no experience at all. She is just getting out of
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