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hand over Joline’s.  “Sorry about him.  I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother us for the rest of your stay here.”
    Joline took a deep breath and picked up her fork.  “Oh, he doesn’t bother me.  Not at all,” she lied. 

Chapter 3
     
    Joline stared at the note a servant had delivered.  His bold scrawl made her heart pound and her stomach…well, it was doing that crazy butterfly dancing.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted to pass out or throw up.  Either option might save her from this summons.
    “Why does my brother need to speak with you?” Shantra asked excitedly. 
    Joline knew exactly where her friend’s mind was heading.  Shaking her head firmly, Joline knew that she had to put a stop to her friend’s hopes.  “Don’t go there,” she said emphatically.
    “Go where?” Shantra asked with an innocent looking smile.  But her eyes…Joline knew that look.  She’d seen it several times when the three of them had been sitting at the cafeteria at university, or a coffee shop, or anywhere else a handsome man happened to enter.  She was in matchmaking mode!  The woman knew about her mother’s track record and she was still trying to get her and her brother together?  That didn’t make any sense.
    Keith chuckled.  “Your head has already started designing her wedding dress,” he teased.  “And just so you know, I found this amazing silk satin last week that would look perfect for her dress.”
    Joline’s mouth fell open.  “What are you talking about?  I can’t marry your brother!” she exclaimed.
    Shantra didn’t stop smiling.  “Why not?  You’re obviously attracted to him.  And he’s pretty slammed by you as well.  We’d be sisters and it would be fantastic!  What’s the problem?”
    Joline snapped her mouth shut, glaring at both of them as they leaned back in their chairs, smug in their hopes and dreams. 
    “First of all, sisters fight.  All the time,” she pointed out.
    Shantra shook her head.  “Ciala and I don’t fight,” Shantra countered.  “And we don’t argue with my sisters-in-law either.”  She smiled smugly, waiting for Joline’s next verbal challenge. 
    “I doubt that,” she said under her breath.
    Shantra laughed.  “Don’t you have some place to be?” she suggested, looking pointedly at the note.
    Joline looked at the words again, then set it to the side.  “No.  We don’t have time for whatever it is that he wanted to discuss with me.  We have work to do.  Besides, Keith and I have to head back to New York tomorrow and if we’re ever going to open the London store, we have to get things moving.  There are too many loose details right now.”
    Keith shook his head.  “You know darn well that you’ll have everything ready ahead of time.  I think the biggest decision is to just settle on the location.  Most of the other problems will disappear once that is finalized.”
    “You have no idea,” she muttered.  “I’m still not going.”
    Shantra leaned back, tossing her pen onto the table.  “You have to go.”
    Joline looked at her friend and cringed, worried about offending someone in a royal family.  “Is it a royalty thing?”
    Shantra laughed.  “No.  It is a male-female thing.  You either go see what my brother wanted to discuss with you, or you admit that you’re too afraid of meeting with him because he’s the hottest thing on two legs.”
    Joline turned to Keith, knowing that he’d support her on ignoring the summons.  But the traitor lifted his hands into the air, palms up.  “Don’t look to me on this one.  You need to get laid.”
    Joline couldn’t believe he’d just said that!  Her mouth fell open and she couldn’t form words for several moments while both of them laughed, nodding in agreement.  “I do not!” she gasped in horror. 
    Shantra nodded her head emphatically.  “You really do.  You’re way too uptight.”
    “That’s just ridiculous and both of you know that sex doesn’t