Several days passed, and Liyah barely saw Asad. Amira took control of the situation, took Liyah shopping, and reprimanded her every time the shock she was feeling was evident on her face. Liyah’s own life paled in comparison to the lap of luxury Asad and his family treated as a backdrop to their own perfectly sculpted features. Their mannerisms were dipped in grace and the mastery of the social arts.

Despite the independence that women were allowed in Dubai, she was expected to be submissive toward Asad when they were in public. No doubt that was why he’d chosen her instead of someone like Mila, but Liyah didn’t bother to point out that being shy didn’t make her submissive.

A few nights in a row, she heard Asad’s step—he’d walk into the suite and stop at her door for a few moments before walking on to the other bedroom, but he never knocked or asked to come in. He was always gone by morning.

Liyah wondered if that was how it was going to be, but then one day when she returned from another exhausting shopping trip with Amira, she found Asad waiting for her.

“You’ll dine with me tonight,” he ordered. “I want to see if you’re ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“Rashid’s birthday party is several days away, and many of the investors will be there. You’ll be introduced as my bride-to-be.”

Her mouth instantly went dry. She was far more comfortable in Amira’s company than what would most likely be a party—with hundreds of people.

“I have dinner plans,” Amira said at her elbow, a mischievous smile lighting her face. “How do they say it in American? You two crazy love-birds have fun.” With a wink, she saw herself out.

Liyah wasn’t afraid of Asad, but it was on the tip of her tongue to beg Amira to stay as the door was closing behind Asad’s sister.

He must have seen the look on her face, and he instantly reacted. “You’ve been sharing a wall with me for the past five nights. You don’t really think that I bite, do you?” he murmured.

A shiver went up her spine, but it wasn’t fear gathering between her legs.

He grinned, tilting his head to eye her with feigned speculation. “Although, I have to admit that in some situations, I do enjoy biting.”

Her fake boyfriend was every girl’s fantasy. It should have made it more difficult, but the flirting put her at ease.

He reached over and stroked a finger up and down her arm. “That’s it,” he said soothingly. “You’re going to have to act as though you’re comfortable with me. As though I touch you intimately every night.”

Now he was just poking fun at her. Stepping back, she scowled. “I realize that you may not know this, but this isn’t my first acting gig.”

“No?”

“Of course not,” she scoffed. “I was one of the three weird sisters in Macbeth when I was in high school.”

He barked with laughter. “A witch. Of course you were! Well, my dear, consider this dinner your audition.”

The second story of his suite opened to a private terrace, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the small table with the white tablecloth and single candle within the glass hurricane. The flame flickered teasingly. “A romantic dinner,” she muttered. “How is this an audition?”

“Prove to me that you can act like the doting and loving girlfriend, and I’ll tell Amira that her job is done. You can spend the rest of your time doing whatever you like.”

Liyah perked up. “The library?” she asked instantly. “I can explore your private collection of books?”

“I’ve given you a credit card with an outrageously high limit and sent you shopping, yet all you want to do is read,” he said with a shake of his head. He pulled out her chair, and she felt a little giddy as she sat down. She tried to pretend it was because she could finally enjoy the library, but she knew it was the way his hands casually brushed along her back as he circled the table and sat down in his own chair.

A servant appeared with a dining cart, domed dishes shining silver, promising rich flavors to come. As the meal was served and the wine poured, she slowly recounted everything Amira had told her. “Public displays of affection are not allowed, so I won’t have to kiss you.”

“A pity,” he murmured.

She almost kicked him under the table. “I should never interrupt you when you’re speaking to someone else, and I’m never to publicly argue with you.”

“Or privately.”

She fixed him a stern stare. “As if.”

“We met three years ago when you were in New York for business. I was still in college, but I’d taken the weekend to see a show with my friends. We had our first meeting in a taxi.” She scrunched up her nose. “That’s pretty cliché in the West, but maybe not here.”

“Go on,” he said with a chuckle.

She picked up her wine and took a sip. “We shared the taxi home, and I was apparently halfway in love by the time we reached my hotel. You asked me to dinner, and by the end of the weekend, we’d agreed to be pen pals.”

“Amira,” Asad growled. “I told her no pen pals. We agreed to keep in touch. Through email.”

True, Liyah couldn’t see a man like Asad writing anyone love letters. “You took another trip two months later and took some time to come visit me. The next thing I knew, you were visiting me once a month, and we were dating.” Unable to help herself, she yawned.

“Bored with our love life already?”

“Your sister is exhausting,” Liyah muttered without thinking. Immediately, she was ashamed. Amira had been nothing but kind and helpful.

“Agreed. How did I propose?”

“You probably sent me an email,” she muttered. He cleared his throat, and she looked longingly at her food. Her stomach rumbled, but she knew it wouldn’t make it from the cart to the table until she finished. “You’d seen one too many romance movies and dropped a ring in my champagne glass. I nearly choked on it. You proposed. I said yes. We laughed and cried and kissed.”

Asad lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t seem like a woman in love.”

“Women who are hungry are rarely in a loving mood,” she joked, but she could see that Asad was concerned. “I’m getting comfortable here, but it’ll be different when we’re around people. I’ll be that shy and boring woman you were hoping for, and even though I’ll stand close to you and let you put your arm around me, no one will look twice at me.”

“I never said boring,” he said roughly. “I may not know much about you, but I can tell that you are not boring.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a black box. “My mother would not give consent to give you the family ring, so I purchased this today. It’s not much, but it should suffice. If anyone asks, you can tell them that the family ring will be given to you when we’re wed.”

Popping the box open, Liyah could only stare at the huge emerald that glittered under the lights of the terrace. If he thought this wasn’t much, she shuddered to think of what the family ring must look like. It’d probably break her finger.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you,” she murmured as she closed the box.

“When this is over, you may keep it.” He snagged the box and pulled the ring out. When he took her hand and slid the ring on her finger, her whole body warmed and tingled. It felt completely unreal, like she was living in someone else’s body and seeing a whole new life through their eyes. “You’re meant to wear it. Even when we’re alone. Just in case.”

“Sure,” she managed. “Thanks.”

Lame.

Asad crooked his finger for the servant, and Liyah breathed in relief when the food was finally served. She was famished. As she cut into a succulent steak, she strove to make pleasant conversation. Might as well get into practice. “I haven’t seen your parents or your brothers since I’ve been here. What do they think of this plan?”

“My parents are traveling. They’re not pleased, but they won’t refute my claim. My brothers think it’s a brilliant idea. That alone should give me pause.”

Liyah laughed and felt herself relax even more. There seemed to be two sides to Asad, and she enjoyed the side that showed when he was at ease and joking.

When the meal was over, the servant cleared the table, exited the suite, and left the two of them alone.

Tired, Liyah planned to return to her room and read until she fell asleep, but Asad placed a hand on her arm. “You’re welcome to join me for another bottle of wine,” he said invitingly as he swept the pads of his fingers over her knuckles.

Was this another test to see if she was comfortable in his arms? She would love to stay out here under the beautiful night sky in the arms of this gorgeous man, but in the end, it wouldn’t be real. “I should get some sleep,” she replied, pulling away. “Goodnight, Asad.”

She knew that sleep wouldn’t come easily.

It would be the first night that he’d invade her dreams. Her body came alive as her dream lover wrapped his body around hers and drove her higher than she’d ever been before, and when she woke up, she couldn’t help but smile.

The fantasy was amazing, and she embraced it because she knew that the reality would pale in comparison. Relationships were sexy, but her fake engagement, littered with erotic dreams, worked just fine for her.