Sheikh’s Fiancée (14 page)

“Not at all. I'll simply get my pictures a little later than I thought I would.”

“Thank you so much, Alexandros!”

She threw herself into his arms, hugging him fiercely. She had always been one for sudden and dramatic displays of affection. It frustrated their proper mother to no end, but both Alexandros and Constantinus had encouraged it.

As Marie went to rejoin the party, Alexandros felt a wave of restlessness wash over him. His soon-to-be brother-in-law was a bit of a stick in the mud, a little overly-proper, but there was no denying the fact that he made Marie deliriously happy.

Alex had his flings, but the only thing that had made him feel even a little passionate over the past year or so was the house.

Maybe Father is right,
he thought, exiting the room and making for the garage.
Maybe I do need to take up more responsibilities.

 As soon as he had the thought, he pushed it away. After all, there was plenty of time to do what he needed to do after Marie's wedding and his own photography sessions.

As he drove into the Athenian night, whistling lightly to himself, he found himself looking forward to the next few weeks. His sister was getting married. It was bound to be an entertaining time, and after that, he could return home.

The word sang in his heart, and he realized that was what it was. He had his own home now, built to his specifications and his needs, and even thinking of it made him smile.

Chapter Two

 
The flight from Tahiti to Greece had knocked Tiana for a loop. It had taken almost forty-five hours to get from one place to the other, and the moment she had set foot outside of customs in the Greek airport, she was met by a tall, stern-looking man carrying a sign with her name on it. She was a little dazed when she wandered up to him, blinking.

“I didn't know people really did this,” she said, pointing at the sign. “I guess you're my ride?”

The man nodded at her tersely, greeting her with a surprisingly formal, “Ms. Bernado.”

When she protested that she wouldn't mind something a little less formal, his expression had been politely horrified, so she subsided.

He guided her through the airport, something that she was rather thankful for. She was starving, tired, and all she wanted was to get to the hotel so she could shower and sleep. She wasn't going to be meeting her client until tomorrow anyway, and that was plenty of time to get herself together.

What she hadn't expected was a dossier to be presented to her the moment she settled herself in the car.

“What's this?” she asked with surprise. She already had the information for the architectural shoot.

“There has been a change of plans,” the man said, sliding into the driver's seat. “I am taking you to the family villa just outside of Athens. We should be there in just over four hours.”

“No, that's not right,” Tiana said, aware that her voice was dull and dazed. “I'm meant to go to the Royale Hotel.”

“As I said, there has been a change in plans. It is all in the dossier.”

He rolled the window up with a firmness that told her that she should not ask any more questions. Mystified, she opened the dossier and started to read.

The more she read, the more alarmed she got. There was a growing anger there as well, but she shelved that for the moment. On one hand, the client seemed to think that he had the privilege of making her booking schedule, but on the other hand, a young bride was definitely in need of a hand.

She read the information quickly, no longer sleepy. A fair amount of adrenalin pounded through her body, and her mind brimmed over with details.

Tiana knocked firmly on the glass pane between herself and the driver. He shot her an irritated look, motioning for her to use the intercom button. Tiana was only briefly deterred.

“First, I'd like to say that your boss has some nerve, springing this on me.”

“The situation was only discovered a day ago, and you were unreachable as you traveled.”

“I don't need excuses, but there are some things I do need.”

“All right, and what would those be?”

“I'm going to need a quick stop at a drug store, and I want a coffee as large and as strong as I can get it. Think you can handle that?”

The man glanced at her in the rearview mirror. The grin on his face was at least a little understanding and she grinned in return.

“We are in Greece. I am sure I can get you strong coffee.”

Three hours later, they pulled up to a gorgeous villa in the Greek countryside. The moment she stepped out into the warm air, Tiana felt a strange pull toward the home, with its elegant tall windows and olive trees studding the property like green gems.

“Miss, do you want your bag taken for you?”

“The overnight bag, that's fine, but this one is mine.”

She grinned at him, hoping she wasn't vibrating too much. He hadn't been joking when he said that Greek coffee was strong. She had dumped a few spoonfuls of sugar into two cups and downed them one after the other. He assured her that she could get more at the villa, so that meant she could do her job, even if she shook a little.

It had taken her a little while to shift gears, but that was what the car ride was for. When she spotted the group of people milling on the lawn, she walked up to them with purpose and a wide smile on her face. The brief drug store trip had supplied her with some makeup and a mirror, and her long black dress and tall black boots were certainly formal enough.

“Hi, everyone! I'm Tiana Bernado, and I'll be doing your pictures today! Could I please speak with the bride and groom?”

The bride and groom stepped forward, and she was struck by how young they both looked. The girl was the youngest Greek princess, and the boy was a university student she had met at Oxford. She shook the thought away because, young or not, they were both gorgeous, and she already knew it would be a fantastic shoot.

“We're so glad you could come,” the girl, Marie, said. Princess or not, she was still an overwhelmed bride, and Tiana's heart went out to her.

“Of course, I'm happy to help,” Tiana said warmly. She didn't mention that she was being paid triple her rate for the change in plans, but it was in the contract.

“Will you really be able to take all of these pictures?” asked the groom, a little more dubiously. “My future brother-in-law said that you were intending to shoot his home on the islands.”

“I certainly will be,” said Tiana. “Weddings have been my bread and butter for a long time, and I do good work.”

“You're confident,” said Marie with a relieved smile.

“Very, Your Highness. Now look. What I want you to know is that I am here for you. Normally, I would spend a lot of time talking with you about what you want, but it looks like we don't really have much time for that. I just need you to trust me, and to remember that I am on your side, not your parents' side, not your bridal party's side, but yours. If you don't like something, I will change it. Got it? Are there any requests you have for me?”

“Yes,” said the bride with a lovely smile. “You must call me Marie, and him Peter.”

“Got it,” Tiana said with a grin. “Now... let's get started.”

“Oh, but my brother isn't here yet.”

Tiana bit her lip on the obvious retort that if he wasn't here, he simply wouldn't be in the picture. She had dealt with recalcitrant family members before, and she always found that it was better to be strict with them sooner rather than later.

Before she could say so, however, a sleek black car tore up the drive, pulling to a stop next to the car she had come up in.

“Oh, there he is,” said Marie with obvious relief

Tiana still wanted to give the man a piece of her mind, but then he got out of the car and strode up the lawn to join the party.

“You must be Miss Bernado,” he said in a voice like a night rain, and she felt her cheeks color.

Through the course of her career, she had photographed many beautiful people. However, with models and actors, there was a kind of plastic feel to them, as if their looks had come out of a mold.

This man reminded her of the classical statues she had studied in college. His face was finely sculpted with deep set eyes of a green she associated with fir forests. He was lean with some obvious muscle on him.

She was so busy staring that she didn't realize she was holding her camera between them as if it were a shield. It took Tiana a moment to reach for the hand he had extended to her.

“I am Alexandros, the man who hired you,” he said, and despite the winning smile, the spell was partially broken.

“Hello,” she said briskly. “I'm going to want a word with you about what it means to change a contract so late in the game later, but for now, let's get started, shall we?”

She shook his hand firmly, ignoring the spark that sprang between them, the way his cologne reminded her of sage and heat, and the way her belly seemed to dip when he smiled.

That could all wait for later, she told herself firmly, and she got to work.

***

Tiana Bernado was a wonder.

In some ways, he had known that as soon as he had laid eyes on her work. There was a startling depth there that came out no matter what she was shooting. She found the hidden angles that made a building real. She found beauty in her human subjects, catching them in joyous laughter or solemn contemplation. There was a reason she had won so many awards in her field, despite her young age.

However, none of that compared to what she was like when he saw her in action.

Over the next four hours, she was never still. If she wasn't posing the wedding party, she was discussing the shots she was taking with Marie and Peter. His youngest sister's eyes brightened as she saw some of the results on the digital monitor, and it made him glad.

It seemed as if Tiana was everywhere, her petite form obvious amidst the bright colors of the wedding party in her swirling black dress. Her long braid hung halfway down her back, and when she turned quickly, it spun around her. Her pretty face was so serious he wondered what it would be like if she smiled, and then he wondered what it would be like if she smiled for him.

He was watching her with a smile when he suddenly found a flimsy light reflector stuck into his hands.

“If you have the time to smile like that, you have the time to make yourself useful,” she said cheerfully over her shoulder. “Stand right next to Marie and make sure that you are directing the light away from her face, all right?”

Bemused and oddly delighted, he followed her instructions. Now he could watch her even more closely while she worked, and he found himself entranced. Her focus was as sharp as a laser. She directed him with precise commands that bent the light exactly to her will.

The only time she stopped was to drink coffee out of an enormous thermos she kept by her side.

“That's Greek coffee, none of the American or English stuff,” Xerxes said idly, and Alexandros looked at the driver in surprise. Xerxes had also been press-ganged into holding a shade, and now prince and driver were left idle as Tiana fussed with Marie's long skirt and Peter's suit.

 “Seriously? And she's still standing?”

“Ha, more than that, she had two cups on her way up here. She said she needed it.”

Alexandros calculated the time from Tahiti to Greece and winced. He remembered that she had intended to have at least a day to recover from her flight before launching into shooting his palace, but that obviously hadn't happened.

 I need to make sure she is well-taken care of tonight
. He ignored the part where he would get to spend a little more time with the petite firecracker.

Finally, Tiana shaded her eyes and looked at the horizon, shaking her head. “All right. It looks like we're losing the light fast,” she said. “Now we can continue this indoors tonight, or we can all get up in the morning.”

“Tomorrow,” Alexandros said firmly, stepping up.

He hadn't expected an argument, given that Tiana looked as if she was wavering on her feet, but she shot him a stern look.

“No,” she said, as firmly as if she were scolding a misbehaving puppy. “You are not the one who determines that. Marie is.”

Marie giggled a little, to Alexandros' dismay, but she also shook her head, walking to stand close to Tiana. “No, my brother is right. While you were getting my bridesmaids, he told me that you had been on the plane for most of the day, and then the driver took you from the airport to the villa. For that I thank you, but we do not need anything else from you tonight.”

“You mentioned the interior shots...”

“That will be arranged for the day after tomorrow,” Marie said firmly. “Tomorrow, we are getting the final dress alterations, and that will be an all-day endeavor. The day after will be fine.”

Tiana looked reluctant, but she nodded. “All right.”

“Does that satisfy you, Miss Bernado?” Alexandros asked with a slight quirk to his mouth. To his delight, she relaxed into a smile that was so warm it reminded him of the sun. He got the sudden feeling that Tiana was a woman who smiled by nature, who was only stern because her demanding profession called for it.

“It does,” she said. “Now I just need to figure out where I'm spending the night.”

Marie and Alexandros exchanged a look.

“Well, it would be most convenient if you stayed here,” Alexandros said. “The wedding party will be here, after all, and it would be very useful to have you present as soon as you can be for the interior shots.”

Alexandros had thought that she might want to go back to the hotel room that had been promised to her by her contract, but instead, she lit up.

“Oh, that sounds fabulous! I can spend some time wandering around and getting an idea of interior shots that might work. I'll definitely take you up on that.”

“You're so lively, perhaps you want to head out on the town with us,” Marie said teasingly. “It's so early, we're going to drive back to Athens and see what the clubs are offering tonight.”

His sister's teasing comment made Tiana look fairly green.