Chapter 6
Shala was mad at him and Zadir had no idea why. He couldn’t think of one thing he’d done that would cause such a drastic change in her attitude. Instead of celebrating closing the deal with SEM, he’d sat in front of the TV eating room service, brooding. Five. That’s how many times he stood up and went to Shala’s door intending to knock. Of course he’d knocked a total of zero times. A man had his pride, after all.
The next morning they rushed around the bungalow in silence, packing in preparation for their flight to Italy. This would be the last stop before he needed to return to Jovanbar for the family dinner. He needed to speak to a few local artisans he’d come across over the years about providing goods for The Crown Jewel resorts. He wanted specialty items that guests wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. It was all in service to getting what he’d worked for all his life.
If he had to endure a little tension on his way there, so be it. He had no idea what he’d done wrong, so he refused to apologize to Shala. If she wanted him to be sorry about something, she would have to tell him. As it stood, she said nothing to him other than a few one word answers. He’d offered to order breakfast for two before their flight, but she’d begged off, claiming a need to rush a few press releases about his acquisitions. So he’d eaten alone and in silence, listening to the light tap tap of her keyboard.
Now she sat as far away from him as possible while still being on board the jet. His frustration was turning to anger, and letting it show wouldn’t help matters at all. Try as he might, he couldn’t think of one thing he’d done that would give Shala cause to act like he was her enemy. She’d given him her virginity in the single best night of sex of his entire life, and stopped talking to him as though he had the plague.
“Dammit,” he smacked the seat in front of him, but not even his outburst could shake her icy demeanor. They’d been at cruising altitude for a while so he stood and went to the bedroom in back to make a phone call. “Sorry,” he practically spat when his knee knocked against her elbow. She said nothing.
He slammed the door shut, not caring that he’d nearly broken it or that it didn’t actually close. He punched his phone and quickly gave a gruff, “Hello? Sabrina I need to talk to you.” He could always count on his future sister in law to be the voice of logic and completely honest.
“Hey Zadir, how’s it going?”
He let out a long harsh breath. “Great. Horrible. How are you?”
Her laugh echoed down the line. “Sounds…confusing, mate. I’m well, even though it’s hotter than shite here!” She muttered a few unintelligible curses and turned back to him. “What’s got you all twisted up, Zadir? A girl?”
“Sort of, but not how you mean. It’s Shala. She won’t talk to me and I have no clue why.”
“Did you ask her?”
Zadir ignored the condescension in her tone. “No. Why would I do that?”
She laughed. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No! If she wanted to tell me what was wrong, she would have come out with it. I am not a mind reader, Sabrina!” He paced in the small bedroom, but his long legs only made about four steps in either direction.
“Okay. Tell me everything that happened the day before she stopped talking to you.”
He was silent for a long time, trying to decide how much he wanted to reveal. “I’d rather not.”
There was a beat of silence before the line exploded with the sound of Sabrina’s laughter. “You shagged her! You totally did it with that sweet, sweet girl.”
Zadir frowned. “I didn’t say that. She’s not a sweet girl, she’s a woman. Dammit, Sabrina why is she mad at me?”
She laughed some more. “How the hell should I know? Jeez, you’re wound tighter than a guy who didn’t get laid.”
“Sabrina,” he growled a warning.
“So you had sex with sweet little Shala and then you did something to piss her off. Sound about right?”
“Yes,” he sighed impatiently.
“Okay let’s go slower. What happened after sex, did you cuddle, shower together, go again?”
“She fell asleep and I went for a walk on the beach,” he spat out.
“Then you returned and slid back into bed, wrapping your arms around her naked sated body, and then…?”
Zadir grunted. “I came back from the beach, grabbed a pillow and slept on the sofa.”
“Zadir!” Her shriek was so loud he pulled the phone away from his ear to preserve his hearing.
“What?” He ran a hand over his face and through his hair. “I took her virginity and then I freaked out, alright?” He whispered furiously into the phone.
Sabrina’s gasp was loud and worrisome. “You like her.”
“I do not!” He paced faster and faster, stopping with a curse when his knee hit the bed.
“You do! You totally like Shala!”
“I do not like Shala!”
“You’re a liar. You like her but you’re worried giving you her virginity means she’s ready to get married, so you acted like an idiot.” She made a sound of disgust that kicked him in the gut. “Newsflash Zadir. Giving you her virginity means she liked you and trusted you to make it good for her, not that she wants to have your babies. Bloody idiot!”
“How am I to know?”
“Well you don’t sleep in another room after you’ve robbed a girl of her virginity.”
“Hey! I never stole anything. She gave it freely and willingly.”
“I don’t need details you fool! Go make it right with her. See you soon.”
She disconnected the call and he stood until his thoughts were interrupted by the flight attendant. “We’re preparing for descent, Your Highness.”
He nodded and took a few deep breaths before heading back into the cabin to take his seat. He glanced over at Shala and instantly felt gutted. She was wiping away tears.
* * *
Stupid eavesdropping girl, she berated herself. What did she think would come of spying on Zadir and his private phone calls? That she would find out he was secretly in love with her and wanted to pursue a relationship? More like the exact opposite, he didn’t even like her! She flung herself on the plush leather seat and took several angry swipes at the tears that streamed down her face. I don’t like Shala! He couldn’t have been clearer.
It was just sex. He’d seen her too lush curves and, like most men, couldn’t resist trying to own it for just a little while. She let out a long, slow breath to stem the flow of tears when she heard his heavy footfalls on the floor. Turning her face toward the window, she continued to wipe them away as the plane lowered into the beautiful—from the sky—city of Florence.
By the time the plane had landed and they made it to the hotel—another suite—Shala had her emotions under control. Her tears were a thing of the past, but a quick shower and tons of moisturizer, and she looked close to normal. “Whatever that is,” she said and went to answer the knocking at her bedroom door. Of course, who else would it be? “Yes?”
“Can we talk for a minute?” He looked sincere and a little lost, but she was unmoved.
“Sure. What would you like to discuss,” she reached for her tablet, swiped a few times and looked up at him expectantly
“You know I don’t want to talk about work. Us, Shala. I want to talk about us.”
She held up her hand. “I don’t. There is no us. You wanted sex and I offered it up so I don’t blame you for taking it. Okay?”
A painful groan ripped from his throat. “That’s not what happened at all, and you know it.”
Her sigh was heavy with emotion. “I don’t know it, and it doesn’t matter anyway Zadir.” She stared at a spot just over his shoulder, her heart cracking and splintering in a million pieces to have him so close, to have her body react to his the way it did, all the time knowing how he felt. “Are we done?”
He scowled down at her, bringing his face so close to hers she felt the warm air of his breath brush against her face. “For now.” Then he stormed off, slamming his bedroom door behind him.
She shrugged and shut her own door. Things would be tense over the next few days, but soon they would be back in Jovanbar and she could keep her distance for good. These trips had shown her what a good businessman he was. His instincts were sharp, his plans were solid and the deals he’d struck recently should prove to the Sheikh that Zadir was ready to lead the company into the next generation.
And out of my life for good.
* * *
Italy was a mess. The first night in Florence, Shala had skipped dinner with him and accompanied him to cocktails and dessert with a candy maker he wanted to make items for The Crown Jewel gift stores. Her cocktails were to die for, and many of her candies contained various liqueurs. Shala asked plenty of questions and offered effusive praise to the plump young woman. It killed him to see her bright smile turned on someone else. Hell he would have liked to even have a frown aimed his way, but she never spared him a glance
The next day they visited several different artisans all over the countryside. Each would provide their wares—cheese, tapenade, preserves and jewelry—on a trial basis. If Zadir was pleased they would receive five year contracts, which would change the lives of each artist for the better. Shala was pretty much silent every single moment they were alone. The drive in the back of the Town Car made things even more awkward, especially when she moved to the row of seats directly behind the driver.
“You can’t even sit next to me now?” His tone was incredulous but she’d just looked at him with clear brown eyes.
“Sure I can, I just need the room beside me for files. Not every decision I make has to do with you.”
“Fine.” And on it went. Zadir tried to make conversation with her but at every turn he was met with her stony silence. He gave up and they rode in silence until it killed him and he tried again. The entire day had been an exercise in frustration, so much so that he’d been happy to escape to his room the moment they’d entered the suite.
He wasn’t sure if she’d even eaten dinner that night because she hadn’t left her bedroom again until the next morning. Zadir couldn’t fathom that she was as upset as she was because he hadn’t come back to bed. Sure, it was a dick move, but he’d been kind and gentle in the moment. Didn’t that count for anything?
Today he was done worrying about Shala and whatever drama she was attempting to manufacture. He planned to have a little bit of fun and enjoy the fact that his time away from home had been so successful. He’d spent his morning outlining his plans for the new resorts and the solar company, so he would have a cohesive plan to present to his father. Or Sima, he conceded, if his father was still unconvinced.
After work was done, it was time to play. He made his way to the beach and within a few hours, his suite had become a giant party. There were pretty girls everywhere, wearing nothing but tiny bikinis and welcoming smiles. The music pumped and vibrated throughout the entire suite, which was warm thanks to the crush of hard bodies pushing the place to capacity.
He sat in a lounge on the balcony, dark brown frames hid his eyes and thoughts from curious eyes. The master of all he surveyed, the party provided him with no real relief from his tumultuous emotions. His gaze tracked the movements at the door, waiting for Shala to return to the suite. To talk to him, to anything, to react. The party had been going for hours and hours and Shala was nowhere to be found.
“Hey, this shindig yours?”
Zadir looked up at a stacked blonde with legs so long every man in the place was imagining how it would feel to have them wrapped around his waist as he thrust into that tight little body. He put on his sexiest, most charming smile. “You’re American. I love American women.”
Blondie stood with one leg on each side of his lounge chair and sat on his lap, rocking her hips back and forth against his hardening dick. “Well I’m from Minnesota, I’m as American as they come.” Her arms were casually slung over his shoulders in an almost intimate embrace.
Zadir’s hands rested on her hips, stroking up and down her thighs as her hips moved in small circles until his body responded. “What can I do for you?”
“You can do me, that’s what you can do.” She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “It would be even hotter if you do me right here.” Her hand disappeared behind her barely there white bikini bottom and the soft gasp told Zadir exactly what she was doing.
He stood with a growl and yanked her up behind him. He didn’t stop walking until they were both on the other side of his bedroom door. Blondie kissed his mouth, his neck, and down his chest as she pushed his shirt up. She stopped at his waist and smiled up at him, before yanking his shorts down and gripping his erection in her hands. He growled and twined his fingers into her hair when her lips sucked him into her mouth and down her throat. “Ah,” he groaned as his hips began to move in slow tight thrusts. His head was thrown back and an image came to him, of Shala on her knees before him, taking him in her mouth. It was so good until those brown eyes began to drip with tears. “Shit,” he grunted and pulled her head away. “Shit!” He stepped away, panting and angry that his dick had just checked out of the festivities.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Her cooing voice was just icing on the cake. “I’m sorry, I’m just not into this,” he gestured to his no longer hard dick. “I’m really sorry, it’s just,” he didn’t know how to explain it or why he wanted to explain to a complete stranger.
“Another woman,” she asked with a smile.
She didn’t seem to be angry, almost amused. “How did you know?”
She took his hands and let him pull her up so she could straighten her bikini. “You’re hot and I know I’m hot. There are only two reasons a guy can’t perform. He’s gay and you’re not, or he’s in love with someone else.”
Zadir frowned and stepped away from her until he hit the wall. “Who said anything about love?” No way was he in love with her. He couldn’t be, he didn’t have time for love right now.
“Love waits for no one,” she mused with a knowing smile.
He must’ve said that aloud. “No, you’re wrong. I like her, sure but I don’t love her.”
Blondie stood and patted his chest. “I hope you figure it out before you lose her. Good luck.” She walked out of his bedroom and he followed her, hands on her shoulders.
“Thank you,” he said and kissed her cheek. Watching her walk away, he instantly felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle and he turned just in time to see Shala look at him and then away, before ducking into her room.
Shit.
He waited a beat before he went after her, banging on her door until his fists began to ache. She didn’t answer, not that he could hear her if she did with the obnoxious music pounding a beat all around him. “Dammit, Shala!” He pounded on the door some more until his frustration mounted.
“Out! Everyone get out, please! The neighbors have been complaining so let’s take it back to the pool.” He tried to be nice, but the terseness in his voice could not be mistaken. He herded everyone through the doors, waving goodbye to Blondie as she whispered an ‘I’m sorry,” on her way out. He pressed his back against the door when it was shut and slid down to the floor. Sabrina and Blondie were right, he was in love with her. Only he’d figured it out too late and she would probably never speak to him again.
They still had two days in Florence. He would use it to make her remember how much fun they had together. Zadir stood, picked up his phone and began to make plans.
Tomorrow, everything would be different.
* * *
He awoke late the next morning after a fitful sleep and went for a run to clear his head. His dreams had been a combination of erotic images of Shala’s naked body in the most erotic poses he could imagine, and those deep brown eyes filled with tears. It was torture to be so hard and aching and not having the heart to do anything about it. The moment his alarm sounded he popped up, slid into his shoes and running shorts.
After he’d exhausted his mind, if not his body, he made his way back to the suite, determined to talk to Shala. It was time to clear the air…as soon as he had a shower. Things had to be okay with Shala, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Freshly showered and dressed, he knocked on her door and waited but there was no answer. “Dammit, Shala open up!” When she didn’t answer he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Empty. Her bags, her bed, the open drawers and closet door told his eyes what his heart couldn’t consider. Shala was gone.
“Dammit,” he roared into the empty room. She was gone, where, he had no idea, and he still had two days’ worth of business to finish up before he could leave Florence. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he tried to call her but she sent him straight to voicemail. “Shala, please. Call me back, tell me to go to hell but let me know you’re okay. Please. Bye.”
He threw the phone on the sofa and plopped down, running his hands up and down his face. This day was not going how he’d planned.
Not at all.
He would finish up his business today and tomorrow and head home in time for the dinner. Then he would confront Shala.
Ready or not.