Chapter 21

Bassem and Blake arrived at a five-star restaurant. Bassem had picked the finest restaurant in Austin. He wanted only the finest for Blake. It had taken him a while to come to terms with his feelings for her. When his brother had said that he would make a move on her, the thought of it infuriated him. He couldn’t handle the thought of her being with another man.

When she stormed into his office and confronted him about kissing her and then ignoring her afterwards, he found it both amusing and adorable. If only she knew that he had been struggling too. He wanted to kiss her also. He didn’t like seeing Lenny flirting with her. He wanted to rip his hand off every time he touched Blake. 

“There is no one here,” Blake pointed out as the waiter escorted them to their table.

“I had the place closed down,” said Bassem, hoping that Blake would find it impressive.

“You did?” Her eyes widened. “You have to book at least two months in advance just to get a table here, and you closed it down?” she added.

“Yes.” Bassem grinned at her.

He pulled out the chair for her. Blake smiled at him as she sat down. Bassem was going out of his way to impress Blake. He had never done that for any woman before. He tucked her in and then went to sit opposite her. The waiter gave them their menus.

“Oh!” Blake cried out when she saw the menu. “So expensive,” she whispered.

“Order whatever you like,” he said to her. She put her menu down.

“You can order for me,” she said. “The food doesn’t matter. I’m just very curious about what you want to say to me.”

Bassem nodded. He called the waiter over and gave him their orders. He turned his attention to the beautiful woman sitting across from him. The dress she wore complemented her figure and her complexion. Bassem couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He cleared his throat.

“Am I right to assume that you are completely single?” he asked her.

“Yes,” Blake replied.

“Good because I don’t like sharing.”

Blake smiled. “You don’t ever have to worry about that,” she said to him. The waiter came over with their drinks.

“You need to find someone to replace Leonard,” he said before he took a sip of his drink. Blake raised her eyebrows.

“Lenny? Why? He’s doing a good job,” she replied.

“I don’t like how he looks at you and takes every chance he gets to touch you.”

“What?” Blake started laughing.

“I am serious.”

“You are overreacting.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you are.”

Bassem frowned and looked away. He didn’t like that man and he was never going to like him. The waiter brought their food and then disappeared back to the kitchen.

“Are you single?” Blake asked him.

“Am I?” Bassem needed to tell her about Keira but he didn’t want Blake to leave him.

“You’re a handsome and healthy young man. You’d probably have someone.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh.” Blake looked at her food and attempted to hide her smile but Bassem saw it.

“I am engaged,” he said. Blake looked up so fast.

“What?” she spat out. He explained to her that his parents wanted him to marry Keira and that the marriage was to take place in two months.

“I feel sick.” Blake put her fork down.

“I don’t have any feelings for her,” he said.

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

Bassem fished a black velvet box out of his pocket and put it on the table. Blake looked at it and then at him with a questioning gaze. “Open it,” he said to her.

“Why? What is it?” Blake took the box and opened it. She gasped at the sight of the large diamond ring. She looked at him for an explanation.

“I want to marry you and not her,” he said to her.

“Ay.” Blake rubbed the temples of her head. “You have a very odd way of doing things.”

Bassem couldn’t disagree with that. “I wanted to propose to you first before I told my parents that I didn’t want to marry her,” he said to her. Blake was silent for a moment. She looked as though she was thinking.

“Why do you want to marry me?” she asked him.

“You’re the only woman I’ve ever thought about as much as I do. You’re smart and beautiful. When my brother was kidnapped, you were there for me. You stayed by my side and came with me to look for my brother. Not many women would do that,” he explained.

“Do you have feelings for me?”

“Yes. As much as I tried to deny them, they only grew stronger.”

She was silent for a moment. Then she picked up her fork. “I’m going to finish up my food because it looks too good to leave,” she said to him. Bassem smiled and shook his head.

“How do you feel about me?” he asked her.

“Um.” The question clearly caught Blake off guard. Bassem watched her cheeks turn red. “I’m in love with you and that scares me,” she said. She was too scared to look at him.

“Look at me,” he demanded. Blake looked at him. “Why does it scare you?”

“I haven’t known you for that long. How do I know that you won’t break my heart?”

“You’ve seen how I am. I’m more into my work than women. I will never betray you.”

“Marrying you means that I’ll be the queen of Al Huddah. Oh lord.” She looked nervous.

“Yes.”

“I’m not qualified enough. I know nothing about your culture.”

“You will learn.”

Blake gave him a nervous smile. “Well, I won’t give you an answer until this other woman is out of the picture,” she said.

“That is fair enough.” Bassem understood that she wanted to marry him also but wanted Keira out of the picture. He knew that he had to go back to Al Huddah and talk to his parents. It was not going to be easy but he had to do it.