Wasim approached, stopping briefly to speak to two men from Saudi Arabia before finally making his way over to her. He set down his glass of water and stood beside the table, resting an arm on the flat surface. His cologne, with the underlying scent of oud, filled the space between them.
“Hiding?” The inviting sound of his dark, sinful voice washed over her.
“Taking a short break until I have to make my rounds before I leave for the night.”
Wasim nodded. He remained quiet for a while, then, “I owe you an apology for my behavior the other day, at the party at my house. I acted like an ass.”
“Youacted like an ass? Unheard of.”
“Sarcasm is not a good look on you,” Wasim said dryly.
Imani bit her bottom lip, chuckling softly.
“I have no doubt you can take care of yourself. As for Mark, I’m not sorry I kicked him out. He had no business being there and not in that state.”
Imani nodded her agreement.
“What do you think about tonight? Not a bad turnout, considering this is the first time.”
He’d wanted to put on this event for a while and had been working on it for several years, so she knew he was glad that it had finally come to fruition. This was one of the many ways he hoped to move the country forward, and she envisioned him being able to do much more once he became king.
“I’m impressed. If tonight is anything to go by, you can safely make this an annual event.”
He nodded. “Agreed. I think it would be good to allocate slots for smaller firms the next time.”
“Maybe even offer some type of funding in the form of a scholarship for small businesses who might not be able to afford to come. It would also be nice to see more women-run companies in attendance in the future, too.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I was thinking the same thing. We could set aside a couple of scholarships specifically for those reasons. When I give my father a full report, I’ll mention that idea.”
This was Wasim’s personal project, but it was not unusual for the king to show his support by showing up to events, even if only for fifteen minutes or so. But since the announcement, he’d eliminated all public appearances.
“How has he been?”
“Not good,” Wasim answered, eyes bleak.
Before she could ask him anymore questions, an Australian businessman approached. Medium-height with flaxen hair and matching eyebrows, he was a slight-looking man with dark eyes, dressed casually in chinos and a polo shirt. Imani had talked to him earlier, and he acknowledged her with a smile, but extended a hand to Wasim.
“Prince Wasim, I was wondering if I could have a moment with you,” the man said with a nasal twang. “I want to talk to you about working with the royal family on a top-secret project, one that I think you’d be very interested in. I strongly believe a relationship between us could be mutually beneficial, but your chief of technology doesn’t think so. At least, he’s hesitant.”
“Tonight is for networking, not making final deals,” Wasim said, softening the chastisement with a smile. “If he seems hesitant, it’s because he doesn’t know you well yet.”
“Understood. I suppose a better question would be, how can my company get to the head of the line, so to speak?”
“What is the name of your company?”
The Australian gave an embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry. Heath Palmer, of P & T Technologies. I’m in business with my brother-in-law. I’d love to tell you more about my idea and how we use tracking devices in security for the rich and famous around the world.” He extended a card.
Wasim turned over the card in his hand. “Have you sold many of these products?”
“Well…” Heath hedged, laughing again. “Right now we’re in the beta stage and offering the technology free of charge to a limited number of clients.”
“In exchange for free publicity through word-of-mouth,” Wasim deduced.
“Yes,” Heath admitted. “But I strongly believe you will love these. They can be placed in a piece of jewelry, the heel of a shoe, or sewn into the seam of a bag.” He seemed to hold his breath as he waited for Wasim’s response.
“Let’s go over here for a few minutes to chat.” Wasim turned to Imani. “When are you leaving?”
“In another thirty minutes or so.”
