Chapter 4
Victoria nervously slid her hands down the sides of her khaki slacks and white tee-shirt. The picnic basket was by her feet and she had a blanket on top of it. Would Dharr think this was a silly idea? She hoped not. She didn’t have a lot of money and a simple meal was the most elaborate thing she could think of. She even knew of a wonderful place by the Thames in a park only a few miles away. They could just sit on the grass away from everyone else and simply enjoy the night descending. Thankfully, it was a little cooler tonight with the promise of fall scenting the air. The leaves hadn’t started changing yet but they would in another few weeks.
She saw the limousine turn into the parking lot and her heart instantly sped up in anticipation of seeing Dharr. Absently, she wondered how long this feeling of excitement would last. She’d felt it for a few other dates, until the end of the dates, that is when they tried kissing her by mashing their mouths against hers. That’s when the feeling had ended. So had the relationship.
The long, black car pulled up right next to her and Victoria smiled and opened the back door just as a man was getting out of the front seat, possibly to open the car for her. She simply waved to the man and picked up the basket and blanket, then disappeared into the back seat.
Sitting down next to Dharr, she noted the frown on his face. “Good evening!” she said. “What’s wrong?”
“You should wait for the door to be opened for you, Victoria,” he admonished.
She looked at the now closed door and blinked. “Why?” she asked, turning back to face him.
“Because you are a lady. A gentleman opens the door for her.”
Victoria knew he was serious but she couldn’t help laughing. “That’s silly when I’m perfectly capable of opening the door for myself.
“Regardless, you will permit my guards to open the doors for you in the future,” he ordered.
Her smile disappeared and she nodded her head. “Of course, if that’s what you want,” she said quietly.
Dharr instantly lightened. “Thank you. But this is what I want,” he said and pulled her forward.
Victoria had thought he wanted just a small kiss, like her father would give to her mother occasionally. But Dharr pulled her onto his lap and lowered his head to hers. His mouth touched hers and within a moment, his hand was pulling her chin down, just as he had the previous night and his tongue dipped into her mouth.
Victoria’s mind went blank and her whole body was reacting to instinctive feelings. Her body arched against his. She heard a moan but didn’t realize it was her as his mouth took over hers, his tongue exploring her mouth and making her dizzy with unexpected and unfamiliar feelings.
Dharr pulled back slightly. “Put your tongue in my mouth,” he said. “Do as I do.”
His mouth came back to hers and she needed no prompting this time to open to him. And when his tongue touched hers, she tentatively moved her tongue back, imitating his movements and the feelings that had been building only intensified as she learned to participate in the kiss and not just accept it.
Absently, she felt his hands on her back but they didn’t move even though her body was clamoring for him to touch hers. She moved her hands from his shoulders, nervously touching his neck, desperate to touch his skin in some way. When her fingertips touched his skin, she felt the heat of his body and they skittered away after just the simple touch, afraid he might get angry if she went any further.
She heard his chuckle deep in his throat and pulled back, her eyes questioning and worried that he’d felt her touch and was laughing at her. “I’m sorry,” she said, wanting to move off his lap in embarrassment.
But he stopped her movement and rested his hands on the sides of her hips. “Victoria, please touch me anywhere you’d like,” he said and pulled her right hand so it was touching his neck, her fingers tickling his hair. She immediately pulled her hand away but he just laughed again and put it right back against his neck.
“If you don’t touch me, Victoria, I’m going to die,” he said and pulled her back against his body. “And believe me, I’m going to touch you,” he said a moment before his mouth bent to kiss her again.
But his hands didn’t move anywhere other than her hips and waist while her hands felt free to explore his skin, his hair, touching him anywhere she could find his skin and reveled in the amazing feeling of him. He was like rough velvet, if that was a possible description. And his hair was soft and light to her touch. She loved his hair, feeling so different from hers.
Dharr enjoyed the painful feeling of wanting Victoria, knowing he could do nothing about it. If anything showed him that she really was a virgin, it was her tentative touching and inexperience with kissing.
Finally he ended the kiss and pulled back, smiling down at her. “Where are we going?” he asked.
Victoria sat up straight and looked out the windows, noting the buildings of London as they passed by. “Where are we going?”
“My driver has just been driving around aimlessly, waiting for direction from me. Or more specifically, you.”
Victoria slid off his lap, grateful that he didn’t stop her this time. “You mean he….Dharr please tell me he isn’t suspecting that we’re back here kissing!” she exclaimed, her hands covering her mouth and her face turning the becoming shade of red he was coming to expect now.
Dharr didn’t think she’d appreciate the fact that his driver and the guards that were in the front seat, not to mention the ones that were following in the SUV behind him, would assume that he was doing much more than kissing. “They are busy watching the road, I’m sure,” he replied.
That made her feel better. “Well, in that case, can you ask them to drive us over to the park by the Thames? There’s a nice little spot where I can ask you all sorts of questions without being interrupted.”
Dharr picked up the phone and spoke in a foreign language, then just as quickly hung up again. When he was done, he turned back to her expectantly. “How were your exams today?” he asked.
She was flattered that he remembered her telling him about her exams. “Fine, I think. I won’t know for another week.”
“What happens in a week?”
“I get my grades,” she laughed.
“Ah. My mistake. I’m sure you did well on them,” he said.
“I feel pretty good about them. I think I’ll do okay.” She looked at him tentatively. “Where did you go to university?”
“Oxford,” he replied without hesitation.
Victoria was impressed. And since he’d answered that one so quickly, she felt brave enough to ask more questions. “What do you do for a living?”
“Various things,” he said honestly.
Well that was a non-answer if she’d ever heard one. She smiled, hoping he would elaborate. “Such as?”
Dharr hesitated. He was still enjoying the anonymity of her not knowing about his title or power. He considered all the things he could tell her and settled on the least revealing without lying to her. “I’m currently in London negotiating oil contracts.”
“Ah! That explains a lot.”
“What does it explain?”
“Your…aura of power,” she said. “I know that sounds silly but you just have a sense about you. Like you’re used to being in charge.”
Dharr didn’t respond but was impressed with her senses. Obviously she was more alert than he’d given her credit for. “What else do you want to know about me?”
“What’s it like negotiating oil leases?”
“Sometimes it can be difficult, depending on who is negotiating.”
“Who are you negotiating with right now?”
“The British government.”
“Ah,” she said, suddenly a little intimidated by his power. “Where did you grow up?” she asked, changing the subject.
He hesitated before answering, wondering if his answer would give him away. “In Ashir.”
“Wow! What was that like? I’ve heard that some parts of the country are pretty dangerous.”
“Actually, the crime rate is lower in Ashir than in Great Britain.”
Her head tilted to the side as she tried to remember her history lessons. “Isn’t the government a monarchy?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think that will change? Don’t the people want a more democratic state?”
He choked on his laugh, her suggestion treasonous in his mind since he was the head of the government of Ashir. “I hope not.”
Victoria smiled slightly, understanding his statement. “I’m guessing from your response that you work for the government?”
Dharr laughed outright now and noted that they were pulling up at the park. “We’re here,” he said, avoiding having to tell her that he was at the top of the government.
Victoria picked up the picnic basket and blanket but they were instantly taken out of her hands. “You won’t carry this,” Dharr said and handed it to the waiting guard behind her.
Victoria’s heart sank. She was hoping for a little privacy but now realized that the guards would probably be following them the entire time. “Do they have to come along?” she whispered to him as she led the way down the path.
“I’m afraid that they must always be with me,” he explained. “They are a necessary evil.”
She glanced at the five burly men surrounding them. “I didn’t realize that negotiating oil leases was so dangerous.”
“There are many people who would prefer that I not be around,” he said.
“You’re probably a pretty tough dictator,” she laughed. “I can imagine you laying down the oil price and not moving a smidge.”
“You think so?” he laughed, uncomfortable with the conversation. He wanted to steer it away from himself but knew that he’d promised to answer her questions. He knew he couldn’t answer them completely but would give her small glimpses into his life. “What else do you want to know?”
Everything she thought to herself. She wanted to know how this man woke up in the morning, what he did all day long and how he’d become the incredible man he was today. She ignored the other niggling questions like, was he dating other people besides her? Or had he ever been in love before? Those questions hurt her, deep inside somewhere she didn’t want to explore. She also didn’t think she had the right to ask them. This was only their third meeting and one didn’t really count since it was an accident. “How did you learn to negotiate oil leases? What got you into the business?” She asked the most mundane first, wondering how much of himself he would reveal.
“It runs in the family,” he answered. It was the truth in a sense but not the way she’d been asking the question. He’d inherited his title from his father, and therefore all the responsibilities of running Ashir along with the title. Negotiating oil leases was just one of the activities that fell to him as the King. He didn’t negotiate all of them, only the very large contracts with large countries since politics and treaties were usually involved as well. The smaller countries or companies were delegated to others within the government.
“How about that spot over there,” she said, pointing to an area that was surrounded by trees but still had a grassy spot that looked out onto the Thames.
He looked back to his guards who nodded imperceptibly. Turning back to Victoria, he nodded. “That is fine,” he said.
Victoria took the blanket from the guard, smiling her thanks at him and spread it out on the ground. Dharr had the picnic basket and took her hand to help her onto the blanket.
She laid out the ingredients to the picnic and looked up, surprised to find that they were completely alone. Or so it seemed. “Where are your guards?” she asked.
“They are near but out of sight.” He sat down next to her and looked at the food. “Did you make all this?” he asked, touched to see that there were homemade cookies and freshly cut fruit. “Did you make these?” he asked, picking up a cookie to sample.
Victoria was busy setting out the other items she’d made for their dinner and glanced up to see him holding a lemon cookie curiously. “Yes. Do you like lemon?” she asked tentatively. They were her favorite kind of cookie but she knew some people didn’t really like lemon or the sweetness of these kinds of cookies. They were lemon cookies with a very sweet lemon frosting on them. Victoria knew she had a horrible sweet tooth and liked things extra sweet.
“I do. I just don’t think….” He stopped, glanced at her and smiled before popping the cookie into his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise and delight as he tasted the rich, sweet cookie. “This is delicious,” he said and picked up another one.
Victoria’s face brightened and she felt a warm glow spread through her system. “I’m glad you like them,” she said and pushed the bowl containing the rest closer to him. She glanced off to the side nervously then busily prepared the roasted chicken on a plate for him along with potato salad and freshly sliced peaches. When he popped three more into his mouth, she laughed. “You’re going to ruin your appetite for dinner,” she admonished.
“What else is there?” he asked, sneaking one more cookie before taking the plate she offered.
Victoria moved so she could check behind him, then glanced down. “I made garlic chicken and potato salad. But I didn’t put celery in the salad. I hate celery. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Potato salad?” he asked, moving his plastic fork around on the plate to investigate the white mass of potato salad she’d just put there.
Victoria stopped her search for his guards and blinked at him, her green eyes astonished as she watched him move the potato salad around, sniff it, then take a taste. “Have you never had potato salad?” she asked.
Dharr shook his head. “I’ve never had a homemade cookie, I suppose you could say. This is a night of firsts for me.”
That was too odd. “What do you mean? Didn’t your mother make cookies for holidays or company?”
Dharr chuckled. “I don’t think my mother knew where the kitchen was,” he said honestly. “She would simply tell her assistant who would be attending any given function and her assistant would tell the chef.”
Victoria swallowed with difficulty. “You had a chef?” she asked. “And your mother had a personal assistant?” She’d known he was wealthy but that statement put him into a whole different realm. And the idea of never making cookies with a parent made her feel sad. “I’m sorry you didn’t make cookies,” she said, putting her plate down onto her lap, her eyes expressing her sympathy for a childhood devoid of a wonderful bonding experience with a parent. “Did you ever wish you could?”
Dharr’s black eyes looked up at hers and he almost laughed. But the sincerity he saw there made him stop. She really felt bad for him? He ran a finger gently down her un-bruised cheek and smiled. “I didn’t know I was missing anything significant. None of my friends ever had the experience either so don’t feel bad for me.”
Victoria could see the humor in his eyes and felt silly suddenly. Obviously he had a completely different upbringing than she did. “Well, how about the potato salad. Do you like it?”
Dharr took a bite skeptically. But again, his eyes showed his surprise at the savory bite of potato in a creamy, garlic sauce. “It’s delicious. Where did you get it?”
“I made it silly. You can’t really buy good potato salad. Besides, most places put celery in it and, as I said, I hate celery.” She took a bite and glanced behind her again.
Dharr caught her nervous look and sighed. Placing the plate beside him, he took her hand in his. “Victoria, I can’t send them away. But I promise you that they are well hidden and are looking outwards and definitely not looking at us.”
Victoria sighed and her shoulders drooped. “I’m sorry. We’re obviously from different worlds. You have guards and chefs and personal assistants. I have a messy kitchen and a suitemate with loud tastes in awful music.”
“Ah, but you’re looking at the things that are different but consider the things that draw us together.”
“I can’t really see many of those,” she laughed.
“I see you’re beautiful eyes, and a mouth I’ve been wanting to kiss ever since we sat down. I see you’re lovely…” he was about to say breasts but changed his mind, afraid she wouldn’t appreciate his comment, “hands that have made this delicious meal for me and I feel honored.”
Victoria smiled, suddenly glad she had gone to so much trouble. She had heard the hesitation in his voice and a part of her wondered what he had been about to say, but then his lips touched hers and all her thoughts flew away. She leaned forward, wanting to kiss him as well.
Dharr wanted to pull her across the blanket and lay her down, covering her gorgeous body with his and feel her softness against his hard frame. But he held back, knowing he would have to go slowly or frighten her away. She was obviously untutored in the art of lovemaking and he’d have to take it step by step. She had been skittish about kissing him yesterday. What could he teach her today, he wondered. The ideas flashed through his mind but he pulled back, appreciating the heightened color on her translucent skin. Her eyes opened slowly, revealing the desire she was feeling. It felt good to know that he had put it there, and better that she was too inexperienced to hide her feelings, or her reaction to his touch.
Being decisive was one of the reasons his rule over Ashir had been so successful over the past five years. He gathered information and made decisions usually without the consent of his advisors. Initially they were furious that he would push them aside except when making the more important decisions, but over the years, he had proven that his actions had been beneficial. His advisors have backed down, with only a few concerns floating around occasionally.
Now, looking at Victoria’s flushed face and her incredible green eyes that could hide nothing from him, he made the decision that he would marry her. It would take a great deal of training, he knew, to teach her to be a proper queen. She’d be marrying into an already established system with conservative values. But the fact that she was a virgin, and he didn’t doubt that anymore, would put her in a good position to learn what was right and wrong within Ashiri customs. She would eventually mould herself and become a good Ashiri bride and queen. He would teach some things, like how he wanted her in bed and he could hire tutors to teach her the rest.
His mind was already making plans, considering the arguments of marrying a foreigner and coming up with arguments against them. He would have her, he knew. How long? He decided six months. He would give her two months to get used to him and then he would propose to her. That would give her four months to prepare and learn as much as possible before the wedding.
Dharr’s face instantly cleared. The decision was made. Victoria would be his bride in six months. He would have to reveal to her that he was king but he would hold off on that for a few more meetings. He was still enjoying the anonymity of being with her. Yes, he’d hold off for a while longer. She would eventually find out the truth and that would be soon enough. So far, he hadn’t lied to her. If she ever asked a question that he had to reveal the truth, he would so do at that time.
He considered putting guards on her but then rejected the idea at least for the moment. He’d never done that before and doing so would reveal too much. Besides, any guard stationed near to her would be pretty obvious. His elite forces were trained to protect. Not to blend in. There were other agents that he could assign to the task. They were meant to blend, but they were also trained to observe and analyze. He didn’t want his actions to be known just yet.
“What are you thinking about so intently?” she asked, surprised that she dared. He looked ferocious, she thought to herself. How could the man go from smiling to a hard, unrevealing face in only moments?
“You,” he said without hesitation. “And how hungry I am,” he said honestly. But it wasn’t for food. Now that he had made the decision, his body was aching to touch her, and make her his own. To teach her about sex and making love and all the ways to pleasure each other. But he reveled in the pain those thoughts produced. The waiting would only make the culmination more intense, more powerful. His mind controlled his body and he allowed the pain to enter into his mind, blocking out the urges so he could enjoy the game, the chase, and especially the discovery.
Instead of telling her the rest, he picked up his plate and tasted the chicken. It was actually quite good. The meat was tender and juicy with a subtle taste of garlic and some other herb he couldn’t identify. “I’m touched that you went to this much trouble just for me.”
Victoria laughed. “It was nothing,” she lied. She had rushed home from her exams and dumped her books before heading out to the grocery store. It wasn’t a short walk either since most of the students were encouraged to eat in the dining halls. Several students cooked their meals but they generally had bikes to get to and from the market.
Once she’d picked up all the ingredients, she hurried back to her dorm and spent the afternoon cooking, cutting, baking and mixing the meal, desperate to impress him with her cooking. She loved to cook and it usually relaxed her. But she knew what kinds of foods Dharr was used to and had gone to extra effort, and expense, just to show him that she could do something for him. She definitely couldn’t afford to take him out to eat, unable to afford the prices at a normal restaurant, much less the kind he frequented. But she could cook a decent meal.
The evening was supposed to be her opportunity to ask him questions and she was able to get a few in. But the majority of the time, she answered his. For every one question she was able to ask, he asked five. But she didn’t mind. It was obvious to her that he wasn’t used to sharing his past with others so even the small tidbits of information he revealed were precious to her and she savored his laughter and stories in her heart.
Victoria suspected that he didn’t laugh much so she searched her memories of her childhood for stories she thought he might laugh at. Growing up in a small village with her parents and sister on a small farm, she’d had plenty of humorous stories to tell him.
The whole time though, she was intensely conscious of his thigh so near to her own. And each time she moved or he moved, it seemed that they were somehow closer together. By the time she pulled the cookies out for dessert, the sun had set and the stars were popping out in the inky night sky and she was searching for something more to say, to distract herself from his body which was only an inch away from hers.
Why did this one man make her body come alive when no other man had had any effect on her? She’d been around many men before, dated whenever she felt like she was missing out on something but then finding that most men were fine as friends but annoying when they tried to kiss her. Why couldn’t she have at least learned something from those other men so she didn’t feel so awkward now when all she wanted to do was reach up and kiss him, to touch her lips to his and feel those wonderful sensations that only he could create within her?
Dharr watched her smile and talk. He noted each time her eyes dropped to his mouth and saw the flustered look in her face. She’d stopped caring about his guards and was completely focused on him. He knew she wanted him to kiss her but he held out, enjoying the fact that she was suffering a small amount of what he was feeling. But her being a virgin, she had no idea what he was going through. One had to know the ecstasy of release to understand the power and allure that the sexual act could be.
Finally, he gave in to her not so subtle messages. “Come here, Victoria,” he said, his voice soft and interrupting her sentence that she was floundering to finish.
The food had all been put away and re-stored in the picnic basket. So there was nothing to impede her from moving closer to him. But still, she hesitated.
She looked at the small distance between them, then up to his eyes. Her mouth opened and her eyes glanced down. “What did you need?” she asked.
“I want you to come here, move onto my lap,” he instructed.
He saw the burn start in her clear, green eyes even in the dark. The pulse at the base of her throat sped up and he could tell that she knew exactly what he wanted to do to her. Well, not exactly, he corrected. She thought he only wanted to kiss her. And possibly that was all he would do. But it wasn’t all he wanted to do.
“On your lap?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
When she didn’t move, he pulled her around and settled her on his thighs, careful that she didn’t feel the bulge of his manhood. Surely that would scare her off, running and screaming. Eventually, he would let her feel what she did to him, how he wanted her. But closer to the time when he would propose. Otherwise, he didn’t know what she would do. He was afraid his desire would scare her away. He’d have to teach her slowly, carefully.
“Yes, right here, like this.” He rested his hands on her waist. “Put your hands on my shoulders now,” he said.
Instantly, Victoria did as he said but felt silly. She just wanted to kiss him.
Finally, he bent his head and touched his lips to hers. At the first touch of their lips, her breath exhaled, her eyes closed and she let her mind revel in the wonderful, exciting feeling of kissing him.
“Open your mouth,” he said softly, still rubbing his lips against hers, caressing her and watching her face to see the reaction he had on her. He loved to see her face respond, to feel the shivers run through her body.
Victoria’s hands were gripping his shoulders, her mouth imitating his. She loved the fact that she could move her tongue, mating with his and her body arched into his. Her breasts felt heavy and her nipples painfully hard as they pressed against his chest. Her hands forgot to hold onto his shoulders and crept up to tangle in his hair.
With one swift movement, Victoria was no longer sitting on his lap but was on her back, his large, muscular body pressing her down while his mouth moved from hers to travel across her jaw, stopping on her ear and Victoria whimpered in pleasure, her hands holding his head where it was. But he was stronger than she and her hands were no match for him, his head traveled to nibble on her neck, sending sparks shooting throughout her body. And still he moved lower. Dharr’s mouth nuzzled, the strap of her sundress out of the way, his mouth moving across her shoulder, nibbling the sensitive flesh revealed.
Victoria felt like her body was on fire. Every place Dharr’s mouth traveled, small sensations of desire sparked through her body. Molten lava filled her veins instead of blood and she tried to hold herself still, not wanting to reveal to him what she was feeling inside, but her body was under his power. She cried out when he touched her skin on her shoulder and her breasts were aching to have him touch them, but she was terrified just the same. “Dharr?” she gasped, her eyes opening and searching for him. She wanted reassurance but he simply moved away from her breast, returning to her mouth, kissing her until the resistance left her body and she was kissing him back, the moans and gasps returning as his hands touched her arms, her waist, her ears and shoulders.
After several minutes, Dharr pulled away, looking down into her face. Victoria tried to appear casual, like she’d done this several times and wasn’t phased by the feelings rampaging through her body. But the reality was she was so excited but still so terrified she could barely think. Kissing a man like Dharr, the aura of danger and power surrounding him, she wasn’t sure what to do, what he wanted her to do and knew she would never be able to live up to the other women in his life.
“I’m sorry,” she said, noting the anger on his face and tried to sit up. But he didn’t want that. Instead, he leaned down over her again, his chest pressing into hers, pressing her back against the soft earth as she had been only moments before.
“Why are you sorry?” he demanded.
Victoria was terrified of him now. He was angry and gritting his teeth. She could feel something about him that she couldn’t define and was terrified to even try defining. “I’m sorry I’m not….you know,” she finished, not able to hold his gaze. “You need more than I’m….” she floundered, unable to say the words that would push him away but knowing she couldn’t do this to him and be too scared to deliver. What he made her feel was too intense and unfamiliar. “I’ve never done this before,” she whispered.
“I know.” He stood up and then reached down to help her to her feet. As soon as she was standing, he pulled her into his arms, looking down into her eyes that were wide with confusion and fear but he noted with satisfaction that her body was still singing with passion and she went willingly into his arms, despite the fact that she was afraid of what he made her feel.
“No, you don’t know. I’ve never…” she looked down at his shirt, her fingers playing with the buttons there. “I’ve never even…”
Dharr waited patiently but when he understood that she was struggling with her embarrassment, he relented. “You’ve never kissed a man like that?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes…but that wasn’t what I was going to say,” she whispered.
“You’ve never slept with a man?” he suggested, putting his hand underneath her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I know that already,” he said.
She wanted to sing with relief but then her spirits sank. “I’m sorry I’m so…pathetic,” she said, wishing she’d learned something from her past dates. Something that would show him that she wasn’t so silly and naive.
He gripped her shoulders gently but his words were hard as stone. “Never apologize for being pure, Victoria. Never! It is a great gift you will give to your husband.” He looked at her as if he wanted to say something more but stopped himself. “Trust me,” he ordered. “And never apologize for that again,” he said.
“Trust you?” she repeated. With a small laugh, she shook her head. “I don’t really know you. How can I trust you?”
He looked at her face which was not angry in any way but smiling up into his frustrated but controlled features. “You already do,” he said, his arrogance revealed once again.
Victoria had to laugh but she still nodded her head. “Yes. I suppose I do,” she replied.
“Come, you need sleep,” he said, knowing it was almost midnight. “Tell me what your plans are for tomorrow,” he ordered as he started walking away, pulling her hand through his arms and heading in the direction of the car.
She started to walk with him but then pulled back, remembering their picnic. “Oh, the blanket and food!” she explained, about to forget everything after the way he’d made her feel. She pulled her arm out from his but he stopped her, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about those. They will be taken care of,” he replied and pulled her hand back into his and started walking, ignoring the blanket and basket of food as he moved down to the sidewalk that lined the Thames River. “Tell me what you will be doing tomorrow,” he ordered again.
Victoria thought about her schedule with only a part of her mind. The other half was looking backwards and, in the darkness, she saw one of his guards walk over to her blanket and fold it, then lift the picnic basket, hurrying towards the limousine. As soon as they were out in the open, the other four guards formed a loose perimeter. If she didn’t know better, she would assume that they were just four large, bulky men walking along the riverbank with the other tourists.
“Victoria, answer my question,” he stated sternly, knowing she was concerned about the guards again. He wanted her to learn to ignore them since she would soon be surrounded by them herself once she accepted his proposal.
“Oh,” she said, turning back to him, surprised at the stern tone. She thought quickly about her schedule the next day, “I have four classes tomorrow. Thankfully, exams are over but I have reports to write now for the end of the semester.”
He asked her questions about her classes, her professors, the reports she was planning to write and how her exams went. It sounded slightly like an interview but she didn’t mind. She put it down to him just being curious about her life and what she did. In a way, it was flattering.
She wondered what he would say if she returned the interrogation. There was a small silence as they walked the last few feet of the sidewalk and she worked hard to gain the courage to ask. “What are you doing tomorrow?” she asked when they’d reached the car. A guard sprung forward to open it and Victoria was proud that she hadn’t just stepped forward to open it herself. She’d remembered Dharr’s instruction earlier in the evening, thankfully.
“I have meetings all day tomorrow,” he said simply.
“What kinds of meetings?” she asked.
He pulled her onto his lap and shook his head, “Boring meetings with men that you don’t know,” was all he would say before his head dipped to kiss her.
Victoria wanted to question him more about his meetings, after all, he’d asked her very specific questions about her day, why shouldn’t she do the same? But his mouth stopped her questions and she was just as happy to return the kiss, feeling safe now that they were in the back of the limousine and he probably wouldn’t do anything too revealing to her with the driver only a few feet away.
Dharr walked her to her door that night and kissed her one more time. “Give me your mobile number,” he said when he lifted his head.
Slowly, she came back to earth and her mind started working. “Mobile?” she asked stupidly.
Dharr liked the way she became flustered after every kiss. Smothering a victorious smile which she might misinterpret he waited a moment more, watching her beautiful green eyes focus before asking again. “Yes, give me the number so I can call you,” he said.
“Um…I don’t have one,” she replied, biting her lip nervously. All her friends had a mobile phone but she couldn’t afford one. She figured that the only people who would call her could do so on the regular lines which were provided by the school. There had never been a need for the extra expense of a mobile.
Dharr’s eyes looked down into hers, slightly surprised that someone wouldn’t have a mobile phone in this day and age. “Why not?”
Instead of telling him the truth, she simply shrugged her shoulders. “No need,” she replied.
“You have a need now,” he said and stepped back. “I’ll have one delivered.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Dharr, really, there’s no need I promise.”
He touched a finger to her lips, silencing her with his touch. “You walk around campus during the day and night and from what you’ve just told me, you study in the library until it closes at midnight,” he said swiftly. “Not to mention the fact that I want to be able to reach you when I have a free moment. I can’t contact you easily with the normal phone and I want to make sure you have some sort of security while you walk around campus.”
Victoria grimaced inwardly. Put that way, it sounded nice. Perhaps she could cut back on some things and be able to afford the charges. “Okay, I’ll look into it,” she said, knowing she’d spend several hours looking for the cheapest phone and payment plan.
“You’ll do no such thing,” he said. “I’ll have one delivered to you.”
“But I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford…” she started to say.
“You will not worry about money,” he interrupted. “It will be taken care of.”
Victoria didn’t like the sound of that. “But, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” She considered that if she couldn’t pay for it, there wasn’t any need for her to enjoy the luxury. She liked living within her means and presents were meant to be small items like a scarf or gloves, not a cell phone.
“Victoria, accept this as something that will put my mind at ease. I don’t like thinking of you walking alone at night. Are you free this weekend?” he asked, changing the subject as if the discussion was over.
Victoria wanted to argue with him but she allowed him to change the subject since it was more interesting anyway. “This weekend? I think I’m only studying. I don’t have any plans that I know of at this point.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up Friday night for dinner,” he said. With a small, hard kiss, he turned and left, leaving Victoria smiling at the way he ordered her around. He was used to getting his own way but, as she let herself into the suite, she wasn’t going to ignore her upbringing simply because he told her to.
The next two months were the most exciting of Victoria’s life. Dharr showed her all over London, bringing her to restaurants she’d never even heard of but were the trendy spots to see all the exciting people of London. There were only two moments to mar her happiness, both times, she gave in to him, afraid of his anger if she didn’t. She knew that he wouldn’t hurt her in any way. But she didn’t want him to be angry. She wanted to please him. It was a silly need that bubbled up in her each time he made a request of her.
The first time was the day following their picnic. She was in her suite studying when the doorbell rang. Instantly, she rushed over to it, expecting Scott as he was coming to study with her and help her with her Art History class which she was struggling in. He’d convinced her to sign up for the class as her one elective and now she was barely scraping by with a B when she’d previously received only As in her other classes.
But instead of her gangly friend, a bulky, dark and angry looking man stood in her doorway. “Compliments of Ashir,” he said mysteriously, handing her a medium sized box and left. A moment later, Victoria was still standing in the doorway when Scott walked up. “What’s that?” he asked, pushing past her and dumping his books on her sofa.
“I don’t know,” she said warily.
“What’s all this?” he asked, looking at the open phone book and the notes filled with figures on her notebook.
Victoria looked up from the box she was trying to open and saw what he was reviewing. “Oh, that,” she said and dumped the box on the table, walking over to sit next to him on the sofa. “Dharr asked me to get a mobile so I was researching prices. But I really don’t know what I’m doing,” she said, putting her hand against her forehead in frustration. “There are so many types and conveniences, I’m not sure what I need. I mean, if all he needs is a way to connect with me, then why don’t I just get a very basic phone?”
Scott nodded. “I agree with you. I can’t see you text messaging someone, eh?” he laughed. “Anyway, I found a really good deal via the mail recently. I’ll bring it over next time and you can compare that rate with the other ones you have here,” he said, indicating the air time minutes and costs she’d scribbled all over the paper. “I think mine is a little better than these rates.”
Victoria was relieved. She could understand and read people but when it came to technology, she just got lost in the masses of possibilities. “Great. I can’t imagine getting hooked on it like you and Marcus are,” she sighed. “I hate talking on phones in the best of times.”
“That’s why there are computers, dearie!” he laughed, knowing that it was easier to send her an electronic message since she was writing her reports all the time now until the end of the semester. He rarely bothered to call her anymore.
“Okay, well that settles, it,” she said. “Now teach me about this modern art stuff because I just don’t get it,” she exclaimed, seriously doubting he could reveal the significance of the art to her. They just looked like blobs on a paper, or sometimes streaks. But she didn’t understand why they told a story or showed the emotions of the artist.
An hour later, they were still going over the pictures as Scott pointed out characteristics to her when the box started ringing. Both of them looked up at the same time, looking over at the ringing brown box. Then, as if in a comedy, they turned to face each other, their mouths open in a round O, both wondering what the phone was going to do.
“Do you think it’s a bomb?” Scott asked, warily.
Victoria scoffed. “Why in the world would you say something like that?” she asked, but the memory of Dharr’s guards flashed into her mind. She looked back at the box as it rang again.
Getting up, she picked up the box and found an edge to the paper. Tearing it open, she found a sophisticated mobile phone ringing over and over again.
“How do I turn it on?” she asked, understanding that Dharr had sent it to her despite her claim that she would handle it herself.
“I don’t know,” he said, standing up and coming over to her. The phone didn’t stop ringing for several minutes. They both breathed a sigh of relief but a moment later, it started up again. Finally, Scott found the right button and handed it to her.
“Hello?” she said into the phone.
“Victoria? Why did it take you so long to answer?” he demanded.
Victoria’s eyes widened at his angry tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t open the box when it arrived so it was difficult to get into initially. Then I didn’t know how to operate it.” She saw Scott’s reaction to her instantaneous apology and turned away, not liking the concern she saw revealed in his eyes.
“Let me get this straight,” Dharr was saying, “you received a box but didn’t open it to find out what was inside? Do you get gifts so often that they are nothing to you?” he demanded.
She was surprised and a little hurt by his interpretation of the situation. “No, it wasn’t like that at all. I was just waiting for someone and got distracted. It’s Art History, you know. I told you how difficult it was for me last night. I’m trying to figure it out. I don’t usually get packages, I promise.” Even Victoria felt odd apologizing like this. Had she lost her spine? She’d done nothing wrong. And why was she hiding the fact that the person who had come over was male? Because she knew Dharr would be furious. She didn’t have any proof, but she sensed that deep down, he was a very possessive male and knowing that he was from Ashir, she suspected he was very jealous and old fashioned. Studying with a man, even a gay man, would be forbidden.
“Good,” he snapped, apparently satisfied by her response. “How are you?”
Victoria shook her head. All the anger was gone from his voice. “I’m fine. How are your meetings?” she asked.
“Fine. I wanted to make sure you liked your new phone. Is it okay? Did they program it appropriately?’
Victoria walked into her small, galley style kitchen and bit her lip. “Dharr, I thought I mentioned that I would get my own phone,” she said, looking out the window but not really seeing anything as she concentrated on making Dharr understand her position on the mobile phone.
“You’ll have to accept this from me,” he countered. “I want to know you are safe. This phone has an emergency alarm on it if you get into trouble,” he explained. “And it has my phone number already programmed in. Feel free to call me whenever you like,” he said softly. “I have to go now. I’ll see you Friday night,” he said and rung off.
Victoria pressed the button to turn it off and turned back to find Scott sitting on the sofa again, looking at her with interest.
“I’m guessing that’s your new love?” he asked, one eyebrow raised in question.
“Yes. That was Dharr,” she replied.
“And should I also assume you’ve no need for the calling plan I mentioned earlier?”
Victoria hesitated. A part of her wanted to assert herself to Dharr. But another part of her knew that she only had a small amount of time with him and didn’t want to spend it arguing about something so nonsensical as a phone. “I guess not,” she finally replied.
Scott looked at her for another long moment. Finally, he leaned forward and pulled the art history book closer. “Here’s one your professor will probably have on the exam,” he said.
Victoria considered explaining herself to Scott but she didn’t. She was eager to move on and pretend that the scene hadn’t taken place.
The second incident occurred about two weeks later. She was on her way to the bookstore where she worked about ten hours a week. The work gave her just enough spending money to buy what she needed in the way of books and supplies, plus a few minor extras if she was careful. She wasn’t being very careful lately, she thought as she entered the bookstore through the back where the employees entered. She was spending more on her clothes and makeup just so she could spruce herself up for Dharr when he phoned. Smiling at her manager, she was putting her coat away when her mobile rang.
“Hello?” she answered, knowing it was Dharr. He was the only one who had the mobile’s number. Jasmine had been thrilled to know she finally had broken down and gotten a mobile phone and had asked for the number so she could reach her for parties and such. But Victoria had refused to give it out. She wasn’t paying the air time on the phone so she didn’t want to waste Dharr’s money on calls other than to him, regardless of how wealthy he was.
Scott didn’t even ask for the number and she felt his censure each time Dharr called and Scott was around.
“Hello beautiful. I’m in town unexpectedly. Come have brunch with me.”
Victoria was instantly disappointed. “I’m just about to start work. I can’t really meet you today. How long are you going to be in town?”
“What do you mean, ‘work’?” he asked, saying the word as if were dirty.
Victoria hesitated, shocked by the instant anger in his voice. She turned away from her co-workers who were joking about their classes while getting their bookstore aprons on. “Dharr, I’m sure I mentioned that I work in the bookstore a few mornings each week.”
“No, I’m equally certain that you didn’t mention that. You’ll have to quit that job, Victoria.”
She was stunned. His tone brooked no room for argument. “Excuse me?” she asked, sure she’d misunderstood.
“You can’t work, Victoria. I won’t have it.”
She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it as if it had grown a head. Putting it back to her ear, she said, “Did you just tell me that I had to quit?”
“That’s exactly what I said. Give me the address and I’ll swing by. You don’t need to work. If you need money, I’ll give you an allowance.”
Victoria gasped. “An allowance?” she spit out. “I’m not a child who needs an allowance. I work just enough hours to buy what I need and I’m not quitting no matter how angry you get,” she snapped. She wanted to hang up on him, she was so furious. The only thing that stopped her was that it would be extremely rude and her mother would be horrified at the breach in manners.
“Don’t challenge me Victoria,” he said. His voice wasn’t angry but was deadly calm. “Meet me for brunch. I don’t have much time,” he demanded again.
She was actually shaking with her anger. No one ordered her around, no matter how handsome and charming he could be during all the other times. “No. Excuse me but I have to go now. My shift is starting. I’ll call you when I’m done. Goodbye Dharr.” Without another word, Victoria snapped the phone shut and shoved it into her pocket. It started ringing a moment later but she simply turned off the ringer and shut it away in her locker. Stomping furiously out of the storeroom, she took the first box of books she saw and started shelving them.
How dare he speak to her like that? She fumed as she took the books out of the box and placed them on the shelf. The others joked with her that she was doing the work of three people that day. Even her manager laughed, nodding to indicate that the statement was true. All of them tried to find out why she was so angry but she simply helped the next customer in line or started stacking books again, whichever was closest at the time.
She still hadn’t calmed down by the time she finished her shift six hours later. She grabbed her phone and started the long walk back to her dorm. She was so angry, she didn’t see the big, burley man following her, or notice when he made a phone call. Unlocking her door, she was just about to toss her bag onto the floor and storm into her room when a dark shadow moved out of the corner of her eye.
Gasping, Victoria’s anger disappeared, replaced by a desperate fear for her safety. Someone was in her apartment, she thought. Frantically searching for the phone to call the police, her hand had just reached it when something in her head stopped her. A moment later, Dharr stood up and moved forward, his anger a physical force within the small common room. She placed the phone back into the cradle and turned to him, trying to be angry but too relieved that it was just him and not a burglar. “How did you get in here?” she asked, backing up a step as he moved closer to her.
“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “You hung up on me,” he stated. “And you disobeyed me.”
She was going to stand her ground, she told herself. He wouldn’t hurt her, she knew that so there was no need to be afraid of him. Lifting her chin, she stopped backing up and looked up into his angry, black eyes. “Yes. I did. You’re not my father. I don’t follow your orders,” she said. She’d backed down before but on this, she was making a stand. It was too important.
“Not yet,” he said and took a lock of her hair between his fingers. “But soon,” he stated, wrapping more of her hair around his hand, then pulling her head back. “You may not work, Victoria. I won’t allow it,” he said a moment before his mouth descended to hers. This kiss was not soft but it still captured her, throwing her into a state of desire so instantaneous it took her breath away. Her hands reached up to his shoulders and her body moved against his.
“You also made me wait,” he ground out, and a moment later his hands captured her waist, lifting her up so she was eye level with him. He pushed her back against the door, then pushed his body against hers, holding her there in that way, allowing his hands to move over her body. “Don’t ever do that again,” he grated out.
“Dharr!” she cried out when his teeth captured her ear, biting hard but the sensation wasn’t scary. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, mindless to the desire pooling within her body, ending near her core and moistening her underwear. She was embarrassed that he had such power over her but there was nothing she could do to resist him. Each time he touched her, he controlled her completely. He was always the one to end their kisses, leaving her almost begging for him to continue. The only thing stopping her was the fear of the unknown, of his touch and the fear of what he might want from her. She was terrified that she couldn’t deliver. He was so dynamic and experienced, how in the world could she ever compare to the other women he’d been with? And the feelings were too new, too raw and too overwhelming.
That day, he’d ended the kiss with a growl and left her, standing in the middle of her sitting room looking confused. The only words he said were, “I’ll call you when I’m back in town.” A moment later, he was gone, leaving her shaking with unsatisfied desire and deep frustration over his autocratic manner.
In the end, she didn’t need to quit her job, nor did she make any moves to do so, despite his order that she stop working. She suspected that Dharr took care of that himself. Her manager just slowly started cutting back on her hours. So two weeks later, she had no income. When he came to pick her up that night, she questioned him about it. But he only changed the subject. Not having any proof, she couldn’t accuse him of anything.
The rest of the time spent with him was wonderful. Dharr took her to exciting places to eat or dance. She went to almost every theatre for the wonderful productions and was thrilled at the end of each night when he took her into his arms. He always kissed her until she was senseless, begging for something she didn’t understand. But he never took it too far. No matter how much she writhed in his arms, mindless with desire and almost crying out with the need for whatever was at the end, he never tried to touch her breast again.
Finals were coming up and Victoria was spending as much time as possible in the library studying. The library was open all night on some nights, allowing students to finish their research and study during the final week. Victoria knew she’d see Dharr on Saturday night and since she had no job, she allowed herself to sleep in, exhausted from being in the library until almost two in the morning.
Dharr’s meetings had ended earlier than anticipated and his first thought was to find Victoria and spend the afternoon with her. It was almost time to reveal her future to her and, on the flight to London that morning, he considered his plans. At the idea of seeing Victoria again, his body responded, painfully ready for her. As always, he allowed the pain to filter into his mind, numbing his body since the wanting was so intense. He’d followed his plan exactly and now he knew that Victoria was in the same state of almost constant arousal he was in. Just touching her now and her body responded without hesitation to his touch, his kiss. The first time he’d ventured towards her breast, she’d been afraid. Now, he knew that when he touched her again, she wouldn’t be afraid. The desire within her was a fever, needing to be assuaged. The fear would be gone and only the desire would be there.
It took less time than he’d imagined originally. He’d given himself two months, but after only six weeks, he knew he would have to move up the wedding date. There was no way he could wait another four months to have her. And he knew that she felt the same way. Each simple touch and she was mindless. He smiled grimly, knowing that moving the wedding date up would also help him. He found himself thinking about her too often. He attributed his lack of attention to the need for release. He hadn’t been with another woman since meeting her and now he too needed something. But it could only be assuaged by Victoria. He would announce his engagement next week after revealing all to Victoria tonight.
His plane landed and his driver made their way through the early morning London traffic. It was towards the end of rush hour but still thick with Londoners getting to and from their work place.
He didn’t call Victoria this time, wanting to surprise her. Now that he’d gotten her out of that awful, menial job, he knew she’d be where she should be. In bed. Waiting for him. The idea made his groin throb and he shifted uncomfortably before he could regain control.
He hurried up the steps to her apartment, wondering what she would be like right out of bed. He knew she’d be warm and sleepy, her long, sexy hair tumbled around her shoulders. No makeup. He liked that idea. He wanted to see what she was like, pure and fresh. There were many ways he wanted to see her and that was just one way. Writhing naked underneath him, begging for the release he would give her, on top of him, taking her time with him, the positions went on and on and he had to switch gears or the erection he seemed to continuously have now whenever he came near her, or even thought about her, would be embarrassingly obvious.
He also wanted to see her swell with his child, holding their son close to suckle at her breast. Ah, he thought. He’d chosen well. Victoria’s beauty would go well with his strength. She would help him produce the next heir to the throne. He chuckled as he skipped up the last step. He supposed he should tell her that she would be queen. She’d like that, he thought to himself. No more studying….
Dharr’s thoughts were halted abruptly when the door to Victoria’s suite opened just as he’d lifted his hand to knock.
“Oh! Hello!” a tall, gangly man was saying.
Dharr took in the man who was tall, but still a few inches shorter than he was. He had obviously just rolled out of bed since his hair was messed up. He was only wearing a pair of drawstring sweatpants and a torn tee shirt. In his hands was a huge sandwich and a large grin on his face.
“You must be Victoria’s man, eh?” the man asked.
“Dharr Hokum Qudama,” Dharr replied, ignoring the outstretched hand the younger man offered. “I’m here to see Victoria. Is she in?” he asked. Without waiting, Dharr pushed past the man into the suite.
“Oh, hey,” Scott said, about to argue with the man who obviously needed a lesson in manners. But he remembered that Victoria was over the moon for the man so he held his tongue. He had to have some redeeming qualities if she loved him like she did. “I say, she’s still sleeping,” he replied when Dharr looked around the room.
Dharr’s black eyes snapped back to the bedraggled man. “What do you mean?”
Scott couldn’t help it, he was getting irritated by the man’s domineering attitude. “I mean, she was up late last night and she’s still sleeping.” He tried to keep a civil tone but he remembered the one sided conversation about the phone several weeks ago and didn’t like the man. “How about if you come back later?”
Dharr’s mind was spinning out of control. What was this man doing in Victoria’s suite and how did he know that she was still sleeping? Dharr looked at the sofa but there was no sleeping accoutrements on it to let him know that the man had slept on the sofa. The only other possibility was that he’d been sleeping in Victoria’s bed. The idea blasted through his mind, almost making him lose concentration. “Get out,” Dharr said.
Thankfully, the man understood Dharr’s anger and left, closing the door behind him. Dharr walked to the door he knew was Victoria’s bedroom and pushed it open. The sight he confronted blew away all doubt he had in his mind about what Victoria had been doing last night. He could see only skimpy cotton underwear and nothing else. The blanket was on the floor, obviously forgotten and only a thin sheet covered her nearly naked body. Her legs were sprawled out, and her hands were flat against the mattress. It was the most sensuous sight he’d ever beheld.
How could she have given herself to that man? What on earth would possess her to do such a thing he thought to himself. But then the blame came back to him. He’d fired her passion one too many times, he thought. And she’d had to find release somewhere. He’d been so firm in stopping before things got out of hand over the past six weeks and now she’d sullied herself by giving her virginity to another man.
The pain that ripped through Dharr was beyond anything he’d ever felt before. And as he looked down at the sleeping beauty, he wanted to inflict the same pain on her that he was now feeling. He’d never hated anyone before, his power being so absolute that he could crush an enemy with little effort. And now he would crush Victoria. He would crush her just as she was now crushing him. He’d make her pay.
With seething fury, Dharr closed the door and walked over to the bed. He didn’t even bother to take off his jacket or tie. He just sat down on the bed, letting his weight roll her towards him. The tiny scrap of material covering her breasts just made him angrier. It was only a small, cotton camisole and he could see her nipples through the thin fabric.
“Victoria,” he said softly but enough to wake her up slightly. Her head rolled over and her hand pushed her mass of thick hair out of her eyes. Blinking, she looked up sleepily at him.
“Dharr?” she asked.
To Dharr’s anger infused mind, her question only confirmed her guilt further. To him, she was confirming her current lover’s name before proceeding and it added fuel to the fire of his increasing fury.
“Why do you have to ask?” he said. His hand dove into her hair and pulled her face up to his for a kiss. “Are you so confused?”
Victoria’s eyes lost their sleep and became confused but a moment after his lips touched hers, her hands reached out and held onto his shoulders. She pulled her body up, wanting to be as close as possible to him, needing to feel him against her.
Her soft moans only made him furious but he wouldn’t relent. Not yet. His hand came down to touch her breast, the thumb rubbing it to a hard nubbin through the cotton fabric. He captured her cry in his mouth while his other hand slipped underneath the fabric, doing the same to the other nipple. He heard her cries of passion but was merciless. He pulled the fabric up and pushed her down on to the mattress, his mouth taking over where his thumb had been and Victoria almost screamed out with the pleasure that was pulsing through her system.
“Dharr! Please. You have to stop,” she said but her hands were pulling at his hair, keeping his mouth in place instead of pulling away, contradicting her plea to stop.
“Not yet, Victoria. Soon though.”
“No!” she cried out, her legs spreading immediately when his hand reached down. He pushed her underwear out of the way, his finger sliding against her clitoris and Victoria inhaled sharply, painfully. When his finger moved inside her and his thumb continued on in it’s place, she could feel herself floating higher and higher. His mouth still covered her breast, suckling hard, nipping then soothing only to repeat the process while his finger and thumb created their own kind of magic. Without warning, Victoria slipped over the cliff into an orgasm that was so intense, she almost blacked out, her fingers clenching and unclenching in Dharr’s hair.
Dharr hadn’t meant to give her a release. He’d meant to raise the pressure, to increase her frustration to the same level that he was feeling. But her body was so responsive, so incredibly wound tight, that with almost no stimulation, she was shivering out her orgasm. The beauty of her climax was so perfect that he helped her through the final moments instead of pulling away as he’d planned to do.
And right now, watching her eyes flutter open again, seeing the flush of satisfaction on her cheeks and feeling the liquid heat surrounding his finger, he wanted to rip off his clothes and sink into her, to find his own release. But her next words stopped him, flooring him yet again and straining his ability to control his anger to the breaking point.
“Dharr,” she sighed.
“Why did you do it?” he demanded harshly, pulling free of her and standing up.
Victoria realized that he was completely dressed, not even his tie askew. A moment earlier she’d felt as if every bone in her body was relaxed and finally sated after weeks of frustration at his hands. The bliss had been worth the wait, she told herself. But the fury she saw in his eyes made her self conscious. She pulled her camisole down and yanked the sheet over her legs, feeling dirty for some reason. “I don’t understand.”
“Why did you sully yourself?” he rasped out. “You could have had it all. And yet you decided you couldn’t wait.”
“Sully myself?” she repeated. “You think that what I did sullied me?” she asked, the hurt coming through as she watched him look in the mirror and pat his hair back into place.
“How many times?” he demanded angrily.
“How many times?” she repeated.
“Stop repeating my questions,” he snapped. “How many have there been?” he demanded.
Victoria tried to sit up straighter in bed but her body just wouldn’t cooperate. “Dharr, could we start this conversation over again? I’m not following what you’re asking me.”
Dharr turned and looked at her fully, noting the pink tinge to her cheeks and the red lips, swollen from his kisses. He’d imagined her like this so many times. But in all those fantasies, he was with her, both of them sated and feeling complete. He told himself he only felt betrayed that she had given her virginity to another. But looking at her now, remembering how instantly her body had convulsed around his finger, he wondered if she was more experienced than he’d assumed. She was obviously well tutored. So for the past six weeks she had been just acting on her part.
That infuriated him. He needed to leave before he did or said something he’d regret. “Goodbye, Victoria. Unfortunately, you are no longer worthy.” he said and left the room. He didn’t bother to close the door as he left and he didn’t look back.
The painful memories came flooding back to Victoria, forcing her feet to stop walking as she watched the tall, incredibly handsome man step out of the long, black car. The guards were already positioned around him, forming the perimeter she’d eventually learned to ignore.
The months after his departure from her life had been tortuous for her. If it hadn’t been for Jasmine and Scott, pushing, teasing, nagging and generally just not allowing her to give into the depression, she would have failed out of school and not even cared.
The morning he’d said those horrible words, Victoria had broken down in tears that hadn’t stopped for two days straight. Neither Jasmine nor Scott could figure out what had been said so they did what they could to comfort her. Jasmine had gone to all of her professors and asked for an extension to her exams, explaining that some sort of tragedy had occurred although they couldn’t figure out what it was through the crying. A week after he left, she took her finals, then wept for another week. She passed, but just barely that semester, her mid terms and the strength of her research papers carrying her through with Bs when she would normally have received As straight across.
The real slap in the face came when Scott arrived on their doorstep one morning with a newspaper. Victoria had been showering and came out to see Scott and Jasmine looking at an article. She walked over, looked down and saw Dharr staring out of one of the pictures. The caption revealed so much about him, she was stunned she hadn’t realized the truth before. The King of Ashir finalizes oil leases for Great Britain the article stated. It was all about how the negotiations had started to flounder about a month ago and all looked lost. But some tricky negotiations had saved the day. Victoria had closed herself in her room for the rest of the day, not coming out to eat or talk.
Eventually, she started living again. She, Scott and Jasmine graduated, Victoria with honors despite her awful semester involving Dharr. Jasmine was now living with her current boyfriend but Victoria had agreed to move in with Scott. He and Marcus had split up by mutual agreement at that point.
Now, five years later, Scott was starting to make headway into the fashion industry. One of the designs Victoria had posed in had caught the eye of a magazine editor and there was the possibility of a layout for the following spring. Victoria was a guidance counselor for an elementary school and loved it although she’d never taken either Scott or Jasmine up on the offer of another blind date. They teased her unmercifully about her nun-like existence but she preferred to be alone rather than deal with the kind of pain love could inflict on a person. She’d loved Dharr with all her heart and soul, had shivered through her first orgasm with him and then was callously rejected, told she’d sullied herself and been informed she was no longer worthy.
He didn’t come forward, but stared at her through dark glasses, waiting for her to come to him. For a long moment, she considered her options. She could just stand here and stare at him. Or she could turn around the way she’d come. She could go home and call in sick, which wouldn’t be a lie for she instantly felt sick with anger, both at herself and at him. The other option, which seemed to be the most reasonable, was to walk straight through the front door of the school and ignore him.
She didn’t feel very reasonable but she remembered that she had several appointments this morning. The kids needed her. Their parents needed her. It was only a few days until summer vacation and she needed to help some kids so they would make it through the summer.
Besides, she refused to let Dharr control another second of her life.
Forcing one foot in front of the other, she eventually made her way to the front door of the building. She was just two feet away when a hand whipped her around. Dharr’s face was just as handsome and hard as stone as she remembered it being.
“How are you, Victoria?” he said.
She considered ignoring him, but at that moment, a noisy group of kids ran from the playground, heading into the school. Several of them stopped and gave her a hug. “Good morning, Ms. Mason!” they called out, then rushed through the doors, all excited about the upcoming summer vacation.
Because she was surrounded by impressionable children, she had to set the right example. “Good morning, Your Highness.” That was all she would give him. Protocol probably required that she curtsy or bow or something along those lines, but she refused, not considering him worthy of the effort to even hold the door for him. She turned to walk into the school, furious when he fell into step beside her.
“You look good,” he said as they walked through the school’s hallways.
“Thank you,” Victoria replied, holding the door wide so five running boys could precede her. “Slow down, Mike,” she called out. Then walked through the door herself and pretended he wasn’t there as she walked to the office to sign in for the day.
She picked up her messages at the front desk and sifted through them, painfully aware of Dharr standing next to her.
“Who’s the hunk?” Betty asked, eyeing Dharr with a wink.
Victoria didn’t smile but she knew she would have to introduce him. Doing anything else would only stir up the gossip mills even more. “Betty, this is Dharr Qudama,” she introduced, omitting his title. “Dharr, Betty, the school secretary and resident flirt.” Victoria smiled at Betty since it was an ongoing joke that Betty, who was seventy if she was a day, flirted with anyone with testosterone running through their system.
“How do you do?” Dharr said, and formally bowed, kissing Betty’s hand reverently. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Betty actually blushed and batted her eyes at Dharr’s compliment and charm. Victoria controlled her eyes from rolling, but just barely. She wished she could scream and stomp her feet but that wouldn’t be a very good example.
“Are you Victoria’s boyfriend?” one of the other office workers called out. “Bout time, Tory!” another said. “Good one!” yet another called.
“No. He’s just an old…” Victoria hesitated, wondering how she could describe someone like Dharr... “just someone I knew when I was in college,” she finally finished.
Victoria turned to face Dharr. “Perhaps you should come into my office and explain exactly what you want and then get out of here,” she whispered harshly, hoping none of her co-workers overheard.
“Perhaps that would be best,” he said.
Victoria led the way to the hallway and unlocked her office door. The room was filled with books and stacks of papers everywhere. There were stuffed animals and a beaten up old sofa that had definitely seen better days. “Have a seat,” she said, waving to the battered sofa, knowing he wouldn’t dare sit down in it.
She watched in amusement as he perched on the edge. “So what’s up?” she asked, sitting down behind her desk and crossing her arms over her chest. “Why the sudden appearance after five years, Your Highness?”
There was suddenly a knock on the door and a small face appeared. As soon as the girl saw Victoria, she rushed into the room. “Oh, Ms. Mason!” she cried and threw herself into Victoria’s arms. Victoria held the little girl closely, rocking her back and forth. It was Mary Gregory and her father had died in a car accident a week ago. Her mother was struggling with the four older children and Mary seemed to be getting the raw end of the stick emotionally. They just sat there for what seemed like several minutes, then Mary stood back. “Thank you,” she said.
“What happened, Mary?” Victoria asked, forgetting about Dharr’s presence for the moment.
“I’m just silly,” she sniffed. “Today is my father’s bowling night and….” She broke down in tears but struggled valiantly. Eventually, Victoria just held her again, letting the little girl cry out her grief. After another five minutes, Mary sniffed and took a tissue out of her pocket. “Thank you, Ms. Mason. I’ll be fine now,” she said and dried her eyes.
“Come on back if you need to,” Victoria said, getting down on her knees so she was more at Mary’s level. “Just don’t keep it inside, okay?”
Mary nodded and left, all without seeing or even sensing Dharr standing in the corner of the office looking on.
“What happened to her?” he asked.
Victoria snapped out of it and turned to face Dharr, the tears still in her eyes. “Her father died recently. She’s having a hard time of it.” Victoria wasn’t angry anymore now that Mary had come in to diffuse the situation. She’d reminded Victoria of what was important. Dharr wasn’t on that list. Not anymore. There was a time she would have turned her life upside down to please him. She had in fact. But not anymore.
“What do you want, Your Highness,” she asked again, taking up right where they’d been interrupted.
“How did you find out?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “That you’re the bloody King of Ashir and not some lowly oil lease negotiator?” she demanded, getting angry about his deception even after five years.
Dharr ignored the ‘bloody’ and nodded his head. “Yes, that would be the question.”
“What’s the difference?” she asked. “Why don’t you just tell me what you want and then leave?”
“I need your help,” he stated.
Victoria wanted to laugh but looking at him, she knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. “No.”
“You don’t even know what I need,” he said firmly. “Shouldn’t you wait to find out before you turn me down?”
“No. If I remember correctly, you didn’t need me five years ago, so why should you need me now?”
Dharr lifted a large envelope and pulled out two pictures. “Okay, if you won’t help me, will you help them?” he asked, tossing the pictures down onto the desk in front of her.
Victoria picked up the first one, noting the bright, sunny face and the twinkle in the little girl’s face. She looked mischievous, Victoria thought. She flipped the page and a boy looked out at her from the paper. He was too serious, she thought. It was as if the weight of the world were on his tiny shoulders already.
“They’re cute,” she said, pushing the pictures back at him.
“They’re in trouble,” he replied.
That got her attention. “Why? The boy maybe but the girl seems happy.”
“Those pictures were taken six months ago. Their parents died a week after those pictures were taken. Since then, they’ve become more and more withdrawn. I’m worried about them.”
“Who is their closest relative? They should take care of them.”
“I’m their uncle.” He stepped around the desk, skirting a precarious pile of papers. “Why don’t you hire someone to file?” he asked absently?
“They aren’t real papers. The untidiness makes the children feel more comfortable. I think they are all old test papers from about a decade ago.”
Dharr nodded his head. “That only confirms my instincts that I need you.”
“Go hire an expert.”
“I intend to. When can you start?”
“I’m not an expert in grief counseling.”
“You understand children. And Mary just revealed that you are an expert in grief counseling. She seems like she’s adjusting quite well.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “I have to leave for Germany in an hour. I can be back here to pick you up in three days. Will that be enough time? The children will be out of school by then so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
Victoria stuttered out her outrage. “No problems?” she countered. “How about my life? How about my plans for the future? As of this morning, you and your problems didn’t factor into them at all.”
“Of course there will be compensation,” he said and bent over her desk. He wrote down a number on a piece of paper. “If the children aren’t any enticement,” he said, “this should do the trick,” he said. “There are other pictures in the envelope. I’ll be in touch,” he said and left the tiny office without another word.
Victoria looked down at her notebook and gasped. The figure was three times her annual salary. “Good grief!” she thought.
Pushing that thought aside, she shook her head. “No way,” she said out loud. Pushing the envelope to the side, she picked up her pencil and realized that her hands were shaking. Dammit! How could the man affect her like this after so many years? She’d finally convinced herself that she was over him and then he just walks into her life, making things crazy again.
Well, she wouldn’t let him. Five years ago, she’d jumped at his bidding. Any time he called, she’d relished the idea of spending any amount of time with him she could. But not anymore. He couldn’t do that to her again. She told herself she was immune to his arrogance and charm. She had the control. He didn’t.