Not even the vision of Inaya, as beautiful as a goddess in her tight jeans, with her black hair falling down her back, and visibly tired, could suppress my thoughts about how Jeffrey would react once he knew I married her. By the time my brother knew about it, we’d already be husband and wife, and it would do no good to explain that I married her to help her. Everything would come to light, her false pregnancy, the fact that I had betrayed him, that I had become her first. This time, Jeffrey wouldn’t forgive me and I’d have to die knowing he hated me, that we were no longer friends, and that was a pity. However, I had no regrets. I’d do anything to keep Inaya safe because she was as essential to me as was the air I breathed. That made me feel selfish. After all, if I’d stayed away from her, Jeffrey could have made her happy. He had his entire life ahead of him, while I was slowly dying.
It had been a little longer than a month since that damn doctor found out about the tumor in my heart. However, I never hated so much the idea of dying as I did now. I’d give every day I had lived to have more time with Inaya… to grow old by her side.
“Stop being so lazy and put some glasses and juice on the table,” Inaya said, finishing the shredded chicken sandwiches. “There’s orange juice in the fridge.”
My God! How I loved her voice. That Arabic accent, her gentle personality, and her strength, that took nothing away from her femininity and sexiness. I liked her smell, the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders, her nose, fleshy lips, and her beautiful face. There was nothing about her I didn’t like, and I only regretted not meeting her earlier, not having more time beside her.
I poured the juice and she brought the sandwiches. We sat at the table near the kitchen island to eat.
“Why didn’t you bring the harem here? From what I can see, it’s a pretty isolated island.”
“It’s not as isolated as it looks. There are many tourists around here. On the other hand, Sara and her husband could stay here until they get settled in the US. The minister would never find them and if they want to, they can be housekeepers for me.
Inaya smiled widely, her beautiful amber eyes shining for me, and that was enough recompense for everything I was doing.
“Yes, they will. Thanks for everything.”
I raised an eyebrow and looked at her with my most wicked gaze.
“I’ll find a better way for you to thank me.”
She blushed and smiled again, with the shy, but with that coy expression she gave me when we talked about sex. That was enough for my cock to get hard inside my pants.
However, my excitement didn’t last. The tension that pervaded the room stopped it. As for me, I was calm, I knew this would go well. I’d never let her damn fiancé touch her. I’d call Uncle Sam if it was necessary to keep her safe. I’d move heaven and earth for to make sure her friends did not get harmed. However, Inaya’s apprehension was so tangible I could almost touch it.
After our simple meal, we made ourselves comfortable on the couch in front of the fireplace. I could see how tired Inaya was, but I couldn’t take her to bed yet, because the people who would prepare for the ceremony would soon be here. That included my lawyer and Alice, who would be our witnesses. I made her lie on the couch, with her head on my lap and I saw her relaxing, until she finally fell asleep while I caressed her soft hair.
It was nearly three in the morning when I heard the rotors of the helicopter landing. I tried to let Inaya sleep and to go to meet the guests. They were Robert, a man who went to college with me and became a judge, my lawyer Harry, and Alice, who brought a wedding dress and a tuxedo inside plastic bags.
“Where is the bride? I need to get her ready.” Alice asked, after saying hello.
I woke Inaya, who seemed a little bewildered. She tried to focus while she and Alice went upstairs while I dressed in the tuxedo right there.
“Is this marriage legitimate?” I asked Robert, thinking he looked too young to be a judge. He was my age.
“Of course. I have all the proper documents with me. After you sign, you’ll officially be husband and wife. I also brought a prenuptial agreement if you want it.
“I don’t need it. What’s mine is Inaya’s.”
“Are you aware that, without the contract, if something happens to you after the marriage she’s your only heir?
I felt the cold through my spine. It didn’t matter if I tried to hide the subject in the darkest corner of my mind, someone always reminded me I’d soon be dead, even if not on purpose, just like Robert did, but he didn’t know about the tumor in my heart.
I didn’t care if Inaya inherited everything I’ve got. On the contrary, I believed she deserved it and, for the little I knew about her, I was sure she’d use the money to help her friends get settled in the US. She’d give them dignity, and that was worth leaving everything to her. Jeffrey wouldn’t like it, but he had a good job, some properties and investments. He wouldn’t lack money.
“I know, and I don’t care. As I said, what is mine is hers.”
Alice and Inaya took more than half an hour upstairs. When they came down, Inaya was simply beautiful wearing the dress Alice brought. It was long, and the skirt went all the length to her ankles. The silk was a delicate marble and close fitting, revealing her perfect curves. Her hair was straight, like a black, silk curtain, highlighting the beauty of her angelic face.
“You’re beautiful.” I said in genuine admiration and she smiled beautifully as she walked toward me. When the other two men stood up to greet them, gentlemen that they were, I felt like hiding her from their eyes. I knew what men would think when seeing a woman of her beauty in a dress like that. “Thank you, Alice.”
“Don’t thank me, Mr. Harrington. A woman’s wedding is the most important day of her life.
Alice really was an excellent employee and friend, the only one who had lasted more than five years working for me, because she understood that the fact we fucked on my desk sometimes didn’t mean we had a relationship. Alice knew when to end that and married someone who truly loved her. After that, we were no longer intimate.
“I also brought this.” She gave me a little velvet box, where I found two golden rings.
“Where did you get these so late?” I asked.
“I have my contacts,” she smiled.
We went to the library, where Robert stood behind the polished wooden table, and Harry organized the documents to be signed. Next, he showed where the witnesses and we should sign and we exchanged rings.
I noticed Inaya was shaking and I tried to comprehend the expression in her eyes. I could see a mix of emotions and, again, I was sure she was marrying for love. I’d do anything in my power to deserve her love.
When Robert declared us husband and wife, I took her in my arms and kissed her, soft and slowly, happy knowing that she was officially mine.
The pop of the champagne cork got our attention, and we stopped kissing to take the glasses from Alice’s hands.
“Cheers to the newlyweds!” Alice said, toasting us.
We drank and chatted. Once they were gone, leaving us alone, I wanted to carry her upstairs to our room, but because of my heart condition, I couldn’t make that effort without risking another episode. I led her to the fuzzy carpet in front of the fireplace where we celebrated our first night as husband and wife.
The next day, Louise, my housekeeper, came early and prepared a breakfast worthy of a five-star hotel. After we ate, Inaya and I went for a walk on the island. Once again, I was fascinated by the way she marveled at everything around her, as if she was meeting a new world previously unknown to her. She was amazed because the house reminded her of a medieval castle surrounded by untouched nature so close to a great metropolis, with the ferries filled with tourists traversing the bay. She loved the distant view of Seattle and the local restaurant that also looked like a palace from the middle ages.
I wanted more time to show her the world. I’d dedicate the days I had left to doing that to make her happy. I could only imagine the expression on her beautiful face once she saw the Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids.
Around ten, Alice called me to tell the Prime Minister of Morocco had contacted the company to book a meeting with me. Following my instructions, she had told the minister that I was traveling, but that I’d return soon. Also, per Inaya’s and my direction, she had the job of meeting Sara and her husband at the airport and bringing them to the Island as soon as their flight arrived the next day.
Inaya and I didn’t leave each other’s side during those two days. We spent most of the time making love and sleeping during the day. When we could make it out of bed, we toured the Island, or rode in launches, as she liked to do, but that never took too long.
On the third day, Sara and her husband came to the Island on a ferry with Alice. Sara had the typical Arabic appearance, with no indication of being mixed race. As most of girls in the harem, she dressed as a typical Moroccan girl, with a full-length dress and a hijab covering her hair. Her husband also looked typically Arabic, dark skinned with curly, short hair. Neither of them spoke English and Inaya had to translate. When I proposed that they stay in our island house as housekeepers until it was safe to go back to their country, they agreed and were genuinely thankful.
It was almost evening when Inaya and I returned to Seattle. I asked Alice to book the meeting with the Moroccan ministers for the next morning at my office.
I didn’t feel right about leaving Inaya alone in my apartment when I left to meet them that morning so I took her with me., I could see how frightened and nervous my wife was when I left her with Alice in the safety of a room just one floor below mine.
The Prime Minister and a man whom I surmised was his brother, Inaya’s ex-fiancé, an interpreter, and two rough-looking bodyguards arrived promptly at the appointed time. I bet there were at least a dozen bodyguards around the block. They wore suits and ties, no tunics nor keffiyehs on their heads.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Majesty.” I said after the formal greeting when we sat on the couches in the middle of my room. One of the girls served us some tea. “To what do I owe the honor?”
“We have a family problem, and you must be aware that, in our culture, family includes everyone.” the minister said in English with a very strong accent.
“And how can I help you?”
“This is my brother, Fahrad Bin Abdul.” He pointed to the fat guy beside him. He was about fifty years old, with a beard so big, I bet there was food lost in it and I readily could understand Inaya’s despair and why she ran away from that marriage. “He proposed to a young Moroccan lady, a lady from a good family, but she suddenly disappeared over a month ago. She vanished, just like smoke in thin air.” He observed me carefully, trying to gauge my reaction to his words, but I remained impassive. “We hired the best detectives in the world. My brother really wanted her back, and we found our first clue in the Social Security register, where we found out she works for your company.” He grew quiet, observing me as he waited for an answer.
“What’s the lady’s name?” I asked, seriously.
“Inaya. Considering I gave you a few ladies as a gift, I believe she might have come with them. She’s the only one who can explain why she left.”
“She did.” I said, and his brother was startled, widening his eyes as he looked at me.
“Where is she?” he asked, the fury evident in his tone.
“She’s in another room from this building.”
“Bring her here immediately!” he raged, and his brother, being more reasonable, put his hand on the man’s shoulder, asking him to calm down.
“Let me understand, Mr. Harrington. She came with the girls of the harem?” the Prime Minister asked.
“Yes. She changed places with another girl, who stayed in Morocco whose name is Sara.” I saw their astonished looks. “She was running away from the marriage.”
“No one obliged her to accept my brother’s proposal.” the minister said impatiently, and it was easy to understand why Inaya feared them so much.
“She was coerced by her family.”
“Tell me, Mr. Harrington, was she used to pleasure you and your friends like the other girls in the harem?”
“No. when I found out she still had her virtue. I married her. She’s now my wife.”
“This is not possible!” The fiancé punched the table, almost breaking the glass top. “You had no right to marry her! She was mine.”
“I didn’t have the right, I had the obligation. This is what we do when we take the virtue of a girl in my country. It’s your fault for not caring for her.
I thought the man would attack me, such was the fury in his eyes.
“Call her immediately! I want to hear an explanation from her!”
“I’m sorry, but in your culture, a man has the right to not show his wife to another man. I have this right as well.”
“What absurdity is this? You’re not a Muslim.” The man got up and I thought he’d start a fight, but his brother stopped him, making him sit down again.
“Mr. Harrington, you have the right of not wanting to show us your wife. You have my support, and I think it was admirable that you married her. However, I ask you to see the situation from my brother’s point of view. He had great affection for the lady and he was abandoned without satisfaction. Could you, please let him see her, so he can be sure she really is Inaya? I give you my word that we won’t get close to her.
I thought about denying the request. After all, it was my right to not allow them to see her. However, if I didn’t let them see her and hear from her directly that she escaped Morocco because she didn’t want to marry, it was unlikely that they would stop looking for her. It would be best to bring this to an end.
“Ok,” I answered. “In name of our friendship.”
I picked up the phone and asked Alice to bring her to up to this room. I’m glad Inaya had brought the hijab in her bag when we left home this morning. It was as if she knew a confrontation was inevitable.
In just minutes, they both entered the room. Inaya wore the hijab, and Alice kept very close to her. They stood behind me, and her rejected fiancé’s eyes burned over my wife.
Without looking away from her, he raged in Arabic. I didn’t understand him, but his tone was enough to raise my hackles.
Inaya answered him in Arabic with downcast eyes. I didn’t know what she was saying, but her voice was faltering and her hands were cold on my shoulders, like she was looking for protection.
Again, the rejected man raged at her. He interrupted her when she spoke and I rose and stood protectively beside Inaya with my arm around her waist.
“Please, ask your brother to lower his tone while talking to her, and to be very careful what he says to my wife.” I interjected firmly.
The minister looked at his angry brother and reproached him in Arabic.
The man exchanged a few more words with Inaya, more politely this time. Finally, the minister called the end of our meeting.
“Thanks for explaining everything, Mr. Harrington. I confess this is not a usual situation. We never force a woman to get married against her will in our country, I don’t understand why Inaya didn’t simply refuse. Anyway, now that everything is settled, can we visit the other girls from the harem?”
“That depends. Will you punish them for helping Inaya? Just remember, now they belong to me, and I won’t allow any harm to come to them.”
“Of course we won’t. I just miss them. I want to enjoy a little of this tiring trip.”
“In this case, I’ll accompany you to the house where they are staying. We can go right now if you like. What do you think?”
“Of course. Great idea,” the minister agreed, although I knew he just wanted to be sure I hadn’t gotten rid of his precious gift. It was better to accommodate him, given the fury of the rejected fiancé.