Chapter Ten
Apples were fruits, whales were not fishes, and Tarif Al-Atassi was a selfish playboy sheikh. These were the facts in life that kept the world turning, and disproving any of them were what made the world come tumbling down.
Like hers did now.
I promise not to bother you again…if you promise you’ll always find a reason to smile.
Anisah was almost tempted to treat the whole thing like a joke and pretend she hadn’t heard him right. Excuse me? Say that again, Your Highness? Did you actually let something else overrule your ego and that thing between your legs for once?
Oh, if only she could say such things.
If only she could be so rude.
If only.
But she would not be herself if she had said any of those things, and so an almost helpless sort of laughter started to bubble in Anisah’s throat as defeat became imminently uncertain. She had begged him not to be funny, so the cursed man had chosen to be nice instead, which was a thousand times worse.
She thought of the way they had been circling each other for so many weeks now, sometimes like knights in a joust, other times like a couple about to dance a waltz. Every instance had been as dangerous as it was exciting, with twists and turns that forced them to come into contact, often too close for comfort, so cursedly close there was no way not to see through each other’s souls.
In the course of their swordplay, in the middle of their dance – she didn’t really know how or when exactly it had happened; all she knew was that for such a long time now, the sheikh had ceased being a one-dimensional symbol of her fears.
Tarif Al-Atassi, with his blazing charm and gorgeous looks, his penchant for getting into scandals and overstepping the bounds of tradition and propriety, represented disruption, chaos, and all the things that could undermine the proper and peaceful life she had so painstakingly built for herself and Hyacinth.
And yet…somewhere down the road, she had ceased to care that he was so. Somewhere along the way, he had become something else – something more, and now, with just how every fight and every dance had to end – it was time for Anisah to make a decision.
Did she want to fight and dance with him again?
As her gaze slowly lifted to the sheikh’s, a part of her hoped against hope that he wouldn’t force her to choose. It was cowardly and shameful, but oh, she wished he would simply tell her he had changed his mind and he was not letting her go, after all.
But when the sheikh finally spoke, his soft, polite tone was everything she did not want to hear. “I suppose it’s pointless to ask what your decision is.”
More than anything else, it was that voice of his which told her he was letting her go – and all because he wanted to see her smile? Her fists clenched under the table at the thought. Say yes, Anisah. Let him leave. End it here. But instead she heard herself ask, “Why would you even ask for such a thing?”
“The hell if I know.”
His words were a mixture of irritation and self-disgust, as if the sheikh himself couldn’t believe he had made such a suggestion, and Anisah’s hands flew to her mouth in an effort to prevent hysterical laughter from spilling out. You and me both, Your Highness.
He started to stand, and she let him. He started to turn away, and she let him. But then he started to walk away, and that was her undoing.
“Where are you going, Your Highness?”
Tarif slowly turned to face her again, lip curled in contemptuous disbelief. “Where do you think?” he snarled. And what the hell did she think she was playing? Had his pursuit of her gone to her fucking head and made Anisah think she could toy with him like he was a fucking –
“I h-haven’t even given you an answer yet.”
The sound of her stammering was so damn rare it had the sheikh frowning. It was not like her at all, and he found himself wondering again if perhaps this was just a game to her. “I don’t need to stay behind to hear it, anisdi. I’m not some wimp who’d expire from lack of closure.”
“I k-know that.” Anisah tried to placate the sheikh even as she fought off a nervous smile at the sheikh’s disgusted tone.
“Good. Then if you’ll excuse me---”
“But Your Highness---”
“Maehdina, anisdi,” the sheikh apologized coolly, “but I do not see any point in continuing this conversation.” But as soon as he swung back, he heard her speak.
“Even if it’s to tell you I want you to stay?”
Tarif stiffened.
“I was never the selfish type, Your Highness, but I guess it’s your bad influence rubbing off---” Her voice ended in a gasp at the speed in which the sheikh had abruptly turned to face her.
“What the hell are you saying?” Tarif growled. “And I want a fucking straight answer this time.”
“Or what?” she challenged unthinkingly and stiffened when she saw the way the sheikh’s eyes flashed.
Oh no.
In one swift movement, the sheikh had slid back into the booth next to her, pushing her back against the window. Apprehension flickered in her eyes. Good. But then her lips parted, and he was stunned to hear her repeat tremulously, “Or what, Your Highness?”
What the---
But before he could even get over the sheer audacity of her reply, Tarif was in for another shock of his life as he felt Anisah’s soft, slim fingers curl around his cock.
WHAT THE FUCK?
His phallus grew thick and rigid in an instant, and it swelled even more when he saw the way Anisah’s eyes flew wide open at feeling his erection grow between her fingers.
For one long moment, they stared at each other, his gaze demanding for answers while hers were clouded and unreadable.
Her fingers suddenly squeezed his throbbing cock, catching Tarif by surprise, and he sucked his breath in hard. What the hell was this? It was like finding himself thrown into some kind of parallel universe where manwhores like him played the coy virgin and prim and proper damsels like Anisah suddenly became bold seductresses.
Anisah stared down at her fingers as they started to move again of their own volition. It was a strangely mesmerizing sight that left her thoughts in shambles. Could she really do this, Anisah wondered dazedly. Could she, really?
“What the fuck’s going on, Tory?”
Creamy moisture lined her folds at the roughness of the sheikh’s voice, and she bit her lip hard as every stroke of her fingers over the sheikh’s manhood left her feeling increasingly heady.
I promise not to bother you again…if you promise you’ll always find a reason to smile.
He wasn’t supposed to be able to say such things, but he had. He wasn’t supposed to even want to say anything like it, but he had, and now nothing was the same again.
She had once thought that the sheikh’s kisses were his most potent weapon – that his ability to seduce her would be her downfall.
But she was wrong. Maybe it was because she was not like most women, and he was not like most men, but oh, how wrong she had been – so, so wrong on that score. In the end, what she never saw coming until it was too late and it was impossible to run away –
I promise not to bother you again…if you promise you’ll always find a reason to smile.
It was that gentle, rarely seen side of Tarif Al-Atassi that ended up destroying her in a blink, like a tiny taste of the forbidden---
Anisah’s fingers curled tightly around the sheikh’s member in reflex: steel under denim, power and heat, heaven and hell.
And she was ruined for good.
Anisah’s fingers started moving just a little faster, and she heard the sheikh mutter an expletive in a voice thickened with desire. It was a gloriously delicious sound, and butterflies spread its wings inside her tummy. A part of her was still reeling from her decision, but a larger part of her knew that it was as the sheikh had said. It was…inevitable.
And so she heard herself say, “You must p-promise me three things first.”
“Anything.” The sheikh meant it. At this point, he would do anything and everything she asked for as long as she kept stroking his cock like that---
Her fingers squeezed his throbbing arousal, and Tarif groaned in pure, raw need.
Oooooh. Seeing and hearing the sheikh experience pleasure over her touch had Anisah’s toes curling, and she loved the sound of it so much that she found herself squeezing his manhood one more time.
The sheikh groaned again.
Aaah. Maybe one more time?
But just as her fingers started to tighten, the sheikh rasped, “Your conditions, my sweet. Tell me what the hell they are so we can get to the fucking bit.”
Oh! Right! Embarrassed at how easily distracted she was, Anisah started to yank her hand away, but the sheikh swiftly gripped her hand and made her fingers curl around his erection again.
“Don’t stop touching me.”
The sheikh’s rough voice made her shudder in reciprocal need, and she bit her lip hard. “O-Okay.” Her voice came out a faint croak, and she winced at the sound. If this was how he could make her feel with just her hand around his manhood, how much worse could it be if---
“Your rules, Tory.” The sheikh’s voice was a mixture of impatience and hunger.
Frazzled at the way he so easily distracted her, she blurted out, “No cheating.”
Tarif’s eyes gleamed. “Possessive, aren’t you?”
She pretended not to hear him and instead said firmly, “It’s non-negotiable.”
The sheikh inclined his head in agreement. “Very well. You have my word, anisdi. I hereby solemnly swear that I shall use your body exclusively to slake my insatiable lust.” He saw color sweep over her cheeks, and the sight only made him want to tease her even more. “Morning, noon, and night, I shall make sure to call upon you for all of my sexual needs---” The sheikh smirked when she started squirming in her seat, but his tone was gently solicitous as he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Anisah managed to bite out even though they both knew she was not okay. How could she when his words had her all wet and messed up?
“And have I covered everything to your satisfaction? Or would you like me to further elaborate---”
Fearing she’d end up having an orgasm if she heard more of the sheikh’s intentions, she said hastily, “No, thank you, sheikh. I would like to move on to my next condition if I may?” And because his eyes still had that dangerously wicked gleam, she didn’t give him a chance to torment her further and said quickly, “My second condition has to do with the end---”
Tarif couldn’t help but shake his head. “We haven’t even started anything yet, and you’re already considering the end of our relationship?”
Anisah was bemused. “Why would you say something like that?”
And now the sheikh was just as bemused. “Are you saying I’m wrong?”
“You know you are. I would never propose a relationship with you, Your Highness. You are one of the king’s vassals, and I am nowhere as important. Such a relationship would not be proper!”
Tarif’s lips swiftly pressed together to contain his smile. “Let me get this straight, anisdi. It is not proper to have a relationship with me---”
“Naturally!”
“But it is, err, proper to have your fingers wrapped around my cock?”
Anisah turned red, and she stammered, “No, of course not, you know what I---” Oh, curse him! Annoyed at the way he seemed to delight in twisting her words, she decided to surprise him by letting go of his manhood and was rewarded by the sheikh’s groan of disappointment.
He immediately reached for her, but this time she hid both her hands behind her back, and her lips curved in a sweet smile when she saw the grimace on the sheikh’s handsome face. “May I now continue, Your Highness?”
“If I say yes, will it mean having your hand back on my cock?”
“Only when we are done discussing my conditions---” Anisah’s voice was prim. “And you swear to agree to them.”
“Then I don’t have a choice, do I?” Tarif asked dryly. “So go on. You were saying about the end of our, err – how do you wish for us to refer to this if it is not a relationship?”
She shot him a suspicious look – she had a feeling the sheikh was secretly laughing at her – before saying finally, “I believe the term ‘affair’ is more than appropriate.”
“An affair that’s appropriate,” he reflected pensively. “Isn’t that an oxymoron of sorts?”
He had a point, but Anisah decided it was also a point best left ignored, and so she asked quickly, “May we resume, Your Highness?”
“Of course, anisdi.”
His lips twitched as he spoke, but Anisah decided to take the higher road and ignore this as well. “Going back to my previous discussion, Your Highness, I was actually referring to how I would prefer you to end things.”
“You wish to specify the way I should terminate our affair, is that it?”
“Nem, alshaykh.”
“And your preference is?”
“To end it, I only ask that you tell me so privately, and I will accept your decision without question.”
“And if you were the one who wished to end it first?”
“I will show you the same courtesy, of course.”
“Then I agree to your second condition as well.”
“Shukrahn, alshaykh.” And now here came the most difficult part. “As for the last condition – I would just like you to know that this is the most important one for me.”
Tarif’s gaze narrowed. “Go on.” The word ‘money’ came to mind, but he shoved it aside as swiftly as the thought occurred to him. This was Anisah, after all. She could never be so crass, but she could be adorably odd---
“You must promise not to do anything that will make me fall in love with you.”
And he was right.
Tarif stared at Anisah.
Was she serious?
But when the silence continued, he said incredulously, “How do I even---” He saw her start to square her shoulders in a combative stance, and he changed his mind, saying instead, “Alright, I understand.” It was a lie, but he knew it was also the only way to get Anisah to stop scowling at him.
“I mean it, Your Highness. This is non-negotiable---”
“Is falling in love with me that bad?” he couldn’t help asking.
“We both know it is,” Anisah said seriously. “And because you’re more experienced and somewhat irresistible---”
Tarif frowned. “Somewhat irresistible?” he couldn’t help echoing. That rankled a bit, especially since he had a feeling if it were another Al-Atassi sheikh in front of her, she would not have even needed such a qualifier. In her eyes, those damn men could do no wrong, while Tarif could do nothing right.
Anisah ignored the interruption, declaring, “It’s your job to make sure it never happens, sheikh.” And because the sheikh seemed to be taking things too lightly, she added warningly, “I am not joking, Your Highness. I know of women who have literally fallen into depression after you broke up with them.”
“Surely you exaggerate---”
“Unfortunately, I am not.” She shot the sheikh a challenging look, asking, “Do you remember Susan Perth, the former wife of the Canadian ambassador?”
Tarif frowned. “What of her?”
Anisah started to enumerate the headline-making actions of the ambassador’s ex-wife, all of which had been attributed to the woman’s inability to get over the end of her affair with the sheikh. Tarif did his best to concentrate, but instead he found himself increasingly distracted by the way Anisah’s sweet, perfect breasts bounced delightfully as she passionately made her case.
His erection started to throb as he continued to enjoy the jiggling movements of her breasts. Soon, vivid, red-hot memories invaded his mind, and Tarif sucked his breath in as he remembered the addictive feel of her soft, plump flesh on his hands and the succulent taste of her nipples –
“Are you even listening to me, sheikh?”
Anisah’s exasperated words caused him to reluctantly pull his eyes away from the mesmerizing sight of her bouncing breasts.
“Sheikh?”
He met her gaze.
“Have you heard even a single word I said?”
“No,” the sheikh managed to say calmly even as the massive ache in his balls threatened to drive him crazy. “I’m afraid I had other pressing things in mind.”
She frowned unhappily at the sheikh, not liking the way he made light of her emotional wellbeing. “I’m being serious here, sheikh. I don’t want to be a heartbroken wreck when our affair ends---”
“Relax, anisdi. You couldn’t be one even if you tried.”
The words were a compliment of sorts, Anisah supposed, but right now she was more concerned over the sudden hoarseness in the sheikh’s voice. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked suspiciously.
Silence.
And then the sheikh drawled, “I’m glad you asked.”
He was?
“And as for the answer – may I show you instead?”
Anisah shrugged uneasily, confused and just a bit apprehensive now that she had finally noticed the dangerous glitter in his ebony gaze. “It’s up to you – ah!” Anisah had barely finished speaking when the sheikh suddenly placed his hands around her waist and lifted her up---
In the next second, she found herself splayed on the table, and she let out a cry as the sheikh shoved everything else off the table with one quick sweep of his arm.
“Sheikh---”
His mouth covered hers, and the heat of his kiss devoured her thoughts in an instant, the movement of his lips drowning her in a deluge of sensations.
Ooooooooh.
One…two…and…a…half.
That was all it took. Two and a half seconds for her resistance to crumble, and the moment the sheikh’s tongue slipped between her lips, she found herself yielding to him, her lips parting, her arms wrapping around his neck, and her soft, aching body melting against his hardness.
“Tory, God.”
The way the sheikh groaned out his pet name for her had Anisah whimpering, and she could only arch her neck as his mouth left hers and moved downwards. A sob escaped her when he sucked on her neck, and another sob slipped past her lips when his mouth moved farther down, closer and closer to the fully erect nipples that were silently begging for his touch.
The doors to the ice cream parlor flew open at that moment, but by this time Anisah and the sheikh were too lost in each other to notice. Hyacinth entered the establishment, equally oblivious, with her head bowed and her distracted gaze focused on the paper bags she was carrying.
How much did she end up spending again, Hyacinth wondered. Would Anisah be mad if she had spent a little over her budget? She looked up, intending to ask her sister this, but no words came out of her mouth.
Anisah…was on the table…and the sheikh...was sucking on her breasts.
A gasp broke out of Hyacinth’s throat, and this time the sound was loud enough to penetrate the haze of passion that had clouded the couple’s senses.
The sheikh abruptly pulled away while Anisah let out a choking sound of dismay. When Anisah almost fell off the table in her haste to get down, Tarif took command and stilled her movements with a gentle touch on her elbow. “Allow me, anisdi.”
The sheikh’s serious tone penetrated Anisah’s shock, and she found herself letting him take her hand as he helped her off the table.
Hyacinth couldn’t stop staring at the tableau unfolding before her. It was her first time to see her older sister so docile, and Hyacinth didn’t quite know how to feel about it. The sheikh was also holding Anisah like she was made of precious glass, and she had no idea what to make of it either.
Gnawing on her lip in apprehension, Hyacinth asked in a faint, uncertain voice, “Does this mean I was right to text you?”
Anisah turned to her half-sister with a confused look. “What text?”
At the same time, the sheikh straightened to his full height and turned to meet Anisah’s gaze calmly as he answered, “Yes. You were.”