Close friend? I didn’t think we were friends, let alone close. Giving him a look, I smiled at the Arabs. “I’m a designer at OC Textiles. And just a family friend of his.”

All of them greeted me with smiles while he just watched me, which made me uneasy. His closeness and touch were already too much for me.

“Shall we proceed now, Mr. Hakimi?” he asked the old man.

But his assistant was too excited to proceed then her boss, as she said, “Of course, Mr. Valencian! Please take a seat.”

Annoyance pricked my skin as she unnecessarily crouched down to pull a chair beside her for Ace to sit there, displaying her cleavage in the process.

Nodding, as he went to accept her offered chair, I went ahead and sat there instead. Surprise flashed across her face, but she covered it with a fake smile. I smiled back with equal enthusiasm.

“Easy, Rosebud. I have my eyes only for you,” his sudden whisper in my ear had me flush. His talking to me in that manner still managed to shock me. Even though he cleared his intentions from day one.

Taking the vacant chair beside me, he threw me an amused glance.

He must be thinking I was jealous. Which I wasn’t. I just didn’t like that girl. And like that, I sent her a subtle glare.

As the meeting went on, that red witch continued to laugh and flirt with him. She would even ask irrelevant questions throughout the conversation, leaning forward over the table to see him properly, as I was in the way.

Even his stoic face didn’t discourage her. My hands curled into fists when her eyes shamelessly devoured him in front of everyone. I didn’t know how I resisted myself from clawing them out of her sockets.

When a hand landed on my thigh, I looked up at him, surprised, even confused. But when he squeezed gently, I turned red again, realizing he noticed my reactions, all of them. Even that old man sent me a mischievous smile. His aged eyes flickered from me to Ace.

Embarrassed with my reactions and disturbed by my own feelings, I excused myself and went downstairs to the washroom.

The cool water on my hot face was soothing. But the ugly green monster still raged inside me. I didn’t know I’d react like that, seeing some other girl eyeing him with interest. And it wasn’t the first time. I felt the same when I saw that redhead friend of his with him that night.

I was getting tired of fighting off my own feelings. But I didn’t have the strength to accept them. I just couldn’t.

Tapping my face with a tissue, I rechecked my appearance in the mirror, blew out a breath, and walked out. The washroom on the terrace had some work going on, so I had to come downstairs.