The Sheik's Baby Surprise (The Boarding School #4) by Elizabeth Lennox (1)

 

Rule number one:  Never buy cheap shoes!  Jina cursed herself every step of the steep drive as the shoes she’d bought yesterday, specifically for this event, squished and squeaked in the rain. 

Rule number two:  Never believe the weather forecast!  No rain until this evening, the guy had said.  Sunny with a bit of clouds, he’d said!  Have a good day, he’d said! 

Jina was not having a good day.  There was no sunshine with a bit of clouds and she was going to take a hammer to these shoes because simply tossing them into the garbage would never be satisfying enough for the torture her poor toes were enduring right now as she made her way up the steep hill. 

Rule number three:  Anticipate cobblestone sidewalks!

“Whoever built this sidewalk should be shot and tortured,” she mumbled as she pulled her trench coat closer.  Her hands were shivering as she held her umbrella over her head, dodging lakes masquerading as puddles and cursing herself for taking this assignment. 

Actually, that was a stupid thought because she was too new at her job to jeopardize her reputation by not accepting an assignment.  As a translator, and a new one at that, she had to build up her client list before she could get picky about who she worked for. 

Oh, that would be a nice fantasy!  Some women dreamed about marrying a man and having kids, the white picket fence and a dog running around catching a Frisbee.  Jina dreamed about becoming one of the best translators with a client list that would allow her to raise her hourly rate to the point where she could take a taxi to each assignment.  With great shoes! 

Jina was so wrapped up in her fantasy world that she didn’t hear the motors coming up behind her.  To be fair, the rain was pouring down so hard that, even if she had been focusing, she probably wouldn’t have heard them coming up the curving driveway. 

The only reason she realized they were there was because they zoomed past her.  And in the process, the first vehicle hit one of those puddle-lakes full on, dousing her body in cold rainwater. 

At the first contact, Jina froze, unable to believe, or even understand, what had just happened.  Then the second vehicle passed by and she was once again doused.  The vehicles were moving so quickly that the icy rainwater hadn’t had a chance to re-fill the puddle so only her feet were splashed this time. 

Unfortunately, the second splash caused her to turn in horror and fury, facing the threat head on.  Big mistake!  The third, and largest, vehicle roared passed, a long, black limousine with tinted windows and really heavy tires.  The rain had once again drifted into the depression of the driveway and…wham!  The rainwater splashed the front of her, some even reaching up to her neck. 

Jina closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she endured the icy trickles of water seeping down her neck, under her black dress and between her breasts…stopping when the droplets soaked onto the material of her bra. 

“Fabulous!” she hiss furiously. 

By the time the fourth vehicle came through, she had the presence of mind to jump backwards, out of the way of the water.  Thinking she’d finally avoided calamity, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

Unfortunately, the fates were not finished laughing at her this morning.  The cobblestone sidewalk was lined with holly bushes.  Perhaps they were planted for security reasons.  But as Jina stumbled backwards, her heel unable to find solid ground, she had the sneaking suspicion that the holly bushes had been planted there just to further her own humiliation.  Down she fell, an ignominious heap of cold, angry woman battling a prickly bush.  And losing the battle!

“You’re kidding me!” she yelled, then froze.  Anytime she moved, another prickly leaf poked through the material of her coat and dress.  There were prickles all over her head and neck and she couldn’t even grab onto something to pull herself up because…everything had prickles!  She was stuck!  She was furious and she wanted to kick some butt.  Preferably the butt of the man or woman who had so rudely driven past her, splashed her with pre-winter rain and then created a situation where she’d fallen into this mess. 

Carefully, ever so slowly, she wiggled her way closer to the dirt. 

Jina was cursing silently when strong hands wrapped around her wrists, lifting her effortlessly out of the prickly, wet mess.

“Whoa!” she gasped, feeling like she was flying for a moment until her feet were once again on the ground, strong, firm hands moving to her waist to steady her and she blinked, trying to understand what had just happened. 

“Are you okay?” a deep voice said. 

Jina looked around, trying to identify the voice.  But in the place where the face of her rescuer should be was only a chest.  Looking higher…and higher still, she finally looked into the dark, almost black eyes of the man attached to the hands that were still attached to her waist. 

“Whoa!” she said again, but this time her astonishment was caused by the instant impact of this man’s eyes on her.  It wasn’t exactly like an electric shock.  It was more along the lines of a hammer slamming into her chest.  And pounding repeatedly.  Faster and faster. 

Oh, that was probably her heartbeat, she finally thought, still staring up at the man. 

 

Malik looked down at the gloriously wet woman with the most astonishingly beautiful eyes.  And stared.  He probably looked like a fool, but he simply couldn’t tear his eyes away from hers.  She was beautiful.  When she uttered the surprised word, his focus was pulled away from those amazing, crystal blue eyes…her mouth was a work of art, he thought.  Small, rosebud lips with a full, pouting lower lip that he instantly wanted to taste, to nibble on.  His hands shifted slightly as he realized that he wanted to nibble and taste everywhere on this delectable woman’s body.  Those eyes!  Dark lashes only made the light blue color look almost mystical.  And the slant of her eyes made one think of a witch.  A seductive, magical witch that could spirit his soul away and he wouldn’t give a damn!

When he realized where his fanciful thoughts had taken him, he laughed softly.  Scarlett would be proud of him with all of those ridiculous thoughts.  But as he stared down at this woman, he didn’t feel ridiculous.  He wanted her. 

He would have her. 

 

“Are you okay?” the deep voice asked.

Was she okay?  Jina had no idea.  She couldn’t feel her toes.  She had water dripping down her neck once again because the water droplets from the horrible holly bush had dripped onto her face and neck, her hair probably looked a fright, her face was so wet that her mascara was most likely smeared over her cheeks and…was something sticking out of her head? 

Jina pulled back and reached up, grimacing when she pulled a dead branch, filled with additional prickly leaves, out of her hair.  “Ow!” she gasped.  The green, pointy leaves attached to the branches were bad enough but when these suckers dried out, they were worse than needles! 

Tossing the branch behind her, Jina took a deep breath, trying very hard not to burst into tears in front of this devastatingly handsome man. 

“I’m fine,” she lied, then looked around for her umbrella and…why wasn’t she getting wet?  She looked up and realized that there was an enormous, black umbrella hovering over both of their heads.  When she looked to her left, she discovered a man, a very bulky, very scary looking man, holding an umbrella over both of their heads. 

Right and left, she discovered that they were surrounded by those scary men with scarier bulges underneath their scary, dark suits. 

“I don’t…” she wasn’t really sure what to say.  She glanced down, looking for her tote bag and umbrella.  Both were instantly handed to her.  “Thank you,” she whispered, feeling a numbness take over where that heat had been when the tall man had been touching her.  “I have to go,” she stated as firmly as she could.  “I appreciate the rescue.” 

“I will drive you to your destination,” the tall man announced.

Jina looked up at him and tried very hard to suppress her anger.  She was trembling for some reason, and that hammer was still making her heart pound.  She had to get away from this man.  It was imperative that her heart stay inside of her chest, which meant that she could not be around this man.  He was dangerous.  And she didn’t think that the word “dangerous” fully defined this man’s effect on her. 

“No.  Thank you.”

She tried to step away from him, to be on her way.  Crisis over, she was moving on and praying silently that her morning would get better.

“I insist.  Our vehicles caused your mishap.  I will make it up to you.” 

Jina had just turned away when he uttered those words.  But when she heard them, she was almost stunned by the anger that shot through her body.  Perhaps if it hadn’t been raining, or if her feet weren’t aching on the cobblestone sidewalk.  Or maybe if she didn’t feel like a wet rag in front of this incredibly handsome man’s pristine appearance as he stood under umbrellas held by his servants while she struggled to open her own umbrella once more, broken from the fall, she might have been a touch more cautious in her response.  But as it was, she was furious and this man was making her feel like this so he was a legitimate target in her mind. 

“You can insist all you like, but I’m not getting into the vehicle that created my current predicament.  If your driver had any sort of courtesy, he wouldn’t have splashed me.  Nor would the second or third have splashed this horrible rainwater all over me and I wouldn’t be walking uphill in shoes that could have been used as medieval torture devices, if they could stay put together long enough.  And I’m really not happy with the fact that it WASN’T SUPPOSED TO RAIN TODAY!” She was screaming by the end of her rant and didn’t care what anyone thought by this point.  It was either scream or cry and screaming was marginally more dignified so she took that option with gusto! 

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and nodded her chin for emphasis.  She felt much better now.  Turning around, she ignored the tall, devastatingly attractive man who was still staring at her, praying that no other catastrophe would happen since she suspected that the man was still watching her. 

This day was not happening, she told herself as she entered the employee entrance of the embassy where her client was probably already waiting for her.  She was ten minutes late, her hair was a dripping mess, her makeup was barely salvageable, her stockings were so badly damaged that there was nothing she could do but take them off and, she stared at her image in the mirror, there was another leaf sticking out of her hair! 

She wanted to just hide with mortification.  Why couldn’t the man have been bald and fat?  Why couldn’t he have had bad teeth?  Or just bad breath?! 

No.  Today was just not happening.  She smoothed her hair back, applying extra pins to make herself look a bit more presentable, dabbed some powder on her nose to hide the redness as she fought to keep herself from bursting into tears, and hurried out into the ballroom where guests were milling about already. 

She found her client easily enough and apologized.  Thankfully, the woman was gracious and waved away the need for any apology.  “I haven’t even gone inside, dear.  So no harm at all.  And you have a very good reputation so I’m thrilled to be working with you today.”  She gestured towards the event which was already underway.  “Shall we?”

Jina forced a smile and tried to relax.  This was her job and she was extremely good at it.  She had to remind herself that the man, whoever he was, had gone on with his day just as she was about to do with her own. 

Stepping out into the ballroom, Jina was pretty sure that fate was laughing hysterically at her. 

The man, that man, was standing in the center of the room and her client, the gracious woman who was a legend in the banking industry, was making a beeline for the man in question. 

No, Jina thought as her feet were barely able to lift off of the carpeting.  This simply wasn’t happening.  Yes, it was similar to an ostrich sticking its head in the sand but she didn’t care.  She didn’t care about anything, other than not being near this man any longer!  No!  She wanted to stomp her foot in frustration.  She wanted to scream at him to get out.  Or even better, she wanted to spin around on her pathetically shoed foot and run away, hide from this man’s dangerous, all-knowing look. 

But she didn’t do any of those things.  She was much slower in her approach than her client, but she walked over to the small group of chatting guests, her lashes lowered over her eyes so that she didn’t have to look at the man. 

Maybe he wouldn’t recognize her, she thought to herself.  She’d been wet and bedraggled, wearing a dripping trench coat.  Oh, and let’s not forget those leaves and branches sticking out of her hair!  Yes, maybe those had disguised her enough! 

She almost laughed at the possibility.  Shaking her head mentally, she stood behind her client, praying silently that her translation services would not be needed.

But noooo!  That fate thing was still having a blast with her day!

“You seem to have recovered quite well from your trauma,” the man commented in Spanish.  “And if you look out the windows, you will notice that I have stopped the rain so that your trip home will be significantly easier.”

Jina’s eyes snapped up to his and she held her breath.  Goodness he was devastatingly handsome.  But Spanish?  He had a darker complexion but…she wouldn’t have guessed Spanish from his accent earlier.  She would have guessed Middle Eastern. 

He said something in Spanish about numbers and she turned to her client, translating the information for her.  The woman said something back and Jina turned to the man, staring at his chin. 

Jina waited as patiently as possible for the man’s response, but there was only silence.  Finally, with irritation, she looked up at him, not sure why he wasn’t responding. 

When the man winked at her, she couldn’t stop the blush that formed.  “That’s better,” he said in Spanish.  “Your eyes tell me that you’re still furious with me, but that’s okay.  I have it on very good authority that I am gifted at soothing angry tempers.”

Jina’s mouth dropped open and she glared at the man, shocked by what he was implying.  “Are you saying…”

“My stables have many spirited mares.  All they need is a firm hand to show them how to behave and they are putty in my hands.” 

Jina’s eyes narrowed.  “Are you implying that I am like a horse?  An animal?”

Her client’s phone buzzed and the woman lifted her hand, excusing herself.  Jina’s mouth dropped open as she watched her only shield walk away from her. 

Standing in the middle of a crowd, she felt her heartbeat increase, her mind frantically trying to find a way to get away from this man.  When her client disappeared into the hallway, she glanced back up at the tall man, her stomach cringing with the triumphant look in his eyes.

“It appears that it is just you and me now,” he told her, switching to English.

Jina shook her head.  “No.  I am definitely not standing here with you.”

“I know you’re afraid,” he commented, taking her hand and tucking it onto his arm, leading her through the people.  “But there is no need to be nervous.”

“I’m not afraid of you!” she lied.  She wasn’t really afraid, so much as terrified out of her mind.  Why could he make her feel so much with just a touch?  What was it about this man in particular that got her so riled up in different ways?  It was a mystery that she didn’t even want to solve.  He was the enemy!  He was one of those wealthy people who thought he could move through life with impunity and she avoided them like the plague. 

“I’m not afraid of you, sir,” she said with as much calm as she could muster under the circumstances.  “I just don’t want to speak with you.’

“That’s too bad,” he tsked.  “Because we’re going to talk.  And we’re going to get to know each other.”

Jina pulled back but he simply placed a hand over hers, keeping her hand trapped by his.  “No.  We’re not.  You don’t seem to understand, sir.  I don’t like you.  I don’t like what you represent and I definitely don’t like the way you are manipulating this situation.  Every step you take, forcing me to follow you, is only reinforcing my dislike of you.”

Malik chuckled, surprised by the vehemence in her voice.  And he had no doubt that she was being completely honest with him.  Oh, she was affected by him.  Just as powerfully as he was affected by her.  And they would eventually become lovers.  But he was definitely going to enjoy the challenge of understanding this woman.  A novel experience, he thought.  He rarely cared to understand his lovers except for what they wanted in bed. 

But this woman, he wanted to understand completely.  “So tell me, what has made you such a cynic of men in this world?”

She clenched her teeth tightly.  “Perhaps it is the way they manipulate the rest of the world to suit their purposes?” she suggested, looking around at the way they were now in an isolated area of the ballroom.  “Or maybe it is your arrogance in thinking that I want to be alone with you.”

He shook his head.  “I am very aware that you do not want to be alone with me, my dear.  But perhaps we should first introduce ourselves before we continue our mating dance.”

She gasped and pulled back.  “I am not dancing with you!  And mating…” she struggled to even say the word, it was so out of the realm of possibilities.  “That’s definitely not going to happen.”

He leaned closer, slipping his hands into his pockets.  “Ah, you’re just throwing out more challenges.  I think I should warn you, I truly love a good challenge.”

She cringed inwardly.  He did look the kind of man who would rise to any challenge placed in front of him.  “You’re like a bull with a red flag, aren’t you?’

He chuckled softly.  “Oh, you have no idea.  And your red flag is snapping and catching my attention.”

Jina’s body was trembling, her muscles tense with a strange feeling.  This man was too confident for her.  And too arrogant.  So why was she so painfully aware of him as a man?  Why couldn’t she simply give him a polite set-down and move on with her job?  “Please, just leave me alone,” she told him firmly and started to walk back into the ballroom. 

“I can’t do that,” he said, stopping her retreat with his words. 

“You can.  You just won’t.”

He shrugged one of those massive shoulders encased in a perfectly tailored suit.  “However you’d like to define it.  We’re not finished.”

She looked away, unable to hold his confident gaze.  “Even if I ask you politely?”

He smiled slightly.  “You could try it.”

Jina knew that he wouldn’t care how prettily she wrapped up her request, he was going to try and pursue her.  “Well, then, I guess the race is on, sir.”

She walked away at that point, feeling strong and powerful since she’d gotten in the last word. 

Jina spied her client just as the woman walked back into the ballroom and headed in her direction. 

The woman smiled at Jina.  “What do you think of our guest of honor?’ she asked in a sly voice.

Jina looked back at her, not sure what she meant.  “Who is the guest of honor?” she asked, but she knew!  It was him! 

The woman nodded at the man who was staring right back at Jina, a look in his eyes that told her that she hadn’t had the last word.  Not by a long shot! 

“That is Sheik Malik Amari del Nader of Sarkit, one of the most powerful men in the region.”  The woman chuckled as they both watched Malik as he lifted his glass to them from across the room.  “And a charmer if ever there was one.”

Jina’s mouth fell open slightly.  She’d known that he was powerful but, good grief!  A sheik?  Couldn’t he have been simply a prince or something boring and obnoxious?  Why did he have to be the head honcho of everyone?  Even neighboring countries followed his lead! 

“Oh no!” Jina murmured. 

“What’s wrong?”

Jina pulled her gaze away from the man and turned so that her back was to him.  It didn’t stop her awareness of the man, she could still feel the heat of his gaze, but at least she wasn’t facing him any longer.  That was something, she told herself. 

“I yelled at him,” Jina finally admitted.

The other woman laughed and clapped her hands together.  “Oh, this is going to be a delicious afternoon!” she said.  “Let’s go,” and she surged into the crowd once more.

Jina thought that she was going to be dragged right back to the man’s group, but her client had business to conduct and moved towards her prey, mingling with the other guests.  By the end of the event, the woman had accomplished some amazing victories and Jina was in awe of the woman’s negotiating skills. 

“You were wonderful,” her client said, shaking Jina’s hands.  “I can’t wait to work with you again.”  A twinkle entered the older woman’s eyes.  “But I think you have some unfinished business, don’t you?”

Jina refused to look over at the man who had been staring at her.  Every time she looked up, the man was in her line of sight.  All afternoon, he’d tormented her, tried to distract her.  But she’d won!  She’d finished her job and she’d done well despite his annoying habit of always glancing her way.  And her irritating habit of reacting with a shiver every time she looked back at him. 

“Not at all.  If you don’t need me any longer today…” The woman glanced behind Jina’s shoulder.  “Oh, I don’t think so.”  A moment later, the woman was gone and Jina was left trembling with awareness. 

 

Malik watched the fascinating woman her facial expressions and body movements, the way her eyes flashed from one person to another. It was all so fascinating! He also loved the way this woman tried to hide her femininity. Those rosebud lips, covered in a neutral lipstick, couldn’t hide the sensuousness of her nature.

He was doubly impressed when he listened to her translations. Never before had he heard a translator come across with such precision, such attention to detail. First, he would have her in his bed. When he was tired of her, which would inevitably happen, he would hire her on as a staff member. She was exceptionally beautiful and amazingly talented. A perfect combination for his bed and his staff.

He would start by taking every single one of those pins out of her long dark hair, tangling his fingers through the soft tresses. He would then take her to one of the exclusive boutiques in Paris, drape her lush figure in soft fabrics. He also wouldn’t mind taking a knife to that’s drab, shapeless black dress that she was currently wearing. The ridiculous garment covered her from her neck all the way down to below her knees. A woman with a figure like that should be wearing silks and lace. She should be hovering over him as she debated which part of his body to caress with that rosebud mouth of hers.

Malik took a deep breath and pulled his gaze away from his current prey. His body was reacting too strongly to this woman. He never lost control! But with this beauty, with her soft, lilting voice translating the melodic Spanish to her client, his body couldn’t help but become interested.

So instead of watching her, he let his eyes drift over the rest of the guests at the function. There were several other world leaders here tonight. None of whom he really wished to speak with at the moment. He supposed that he should mingle a bit more, but after having seen that woman, hearing her voice, he dismissed all of the political issues he needed to deal with at the moment. His entire focus was on planning this woman’s seduction.

 

Free at last!  Jina set her cup of coffee down on a nearby table and moved towards the door. The opposite door from where that horrible man was standing. She wanted nothing to do with him. As she slipped behind another group of lingering guests, she forced her eyes to look only towards the doorway.  Escape. There was absolutely no way that she was going to allow herself to scan the room one more time. Every time she done that over the past two hours, her eyes had clashed with that man’s dark gaze. She was finished with him! She was finished with all of the arrogant men who thought that they had the right to simply buy a woman for the night. Oh, she supposed that money rarely exchanged hands. It probably happened occasionally, but the women in this room were after a bigger prize. And the men in this room knew what the ultimate prize was.

She wasn’t ready for marriage though. And even if she was, the men in this room thought themselves too high and mighty for a simple working girl like her. She knew her place in the caste system. The men and women that attended functions like this with the movers and shakers of the world - they were the powerbrokers, the wealthy and influential women and men who made the decisions that affected people like her.  She would not be offered a position as a wife.  No, her offers would be much lower on the social hierarchy.  Too often in her line of work, the men assumed she was available for additional “services”.  That offended her! 

She wouldn’t mind so much if the men would just accept her professional capacity. But too often, the men thought that she was theirs for the taking, they just needed to come up with the right price. It was more than a little disgusting, but it was also just one of the trials of her job. She’d have to learn to deal with that aspect diplomatically.

Jina hurried down the hallway to the locker room where the employees and consultants could store their coats and purses in lockers. She quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside, eager to get home and slip into something more comfortable. She was still a bit damp from her miserable arrival earlier today and dreamed of a pair of slippers, sweat pants and a bulky sweatshirt.  All dry!

She had less than two hours until her next assignment so she hurriedly opened her locker, grabbed her purse and her rain jacket as well as the pathetic excuse for an umbrella. The rain had died down during the event, but she could once again hear the thunder booming. She only wished that she’d remembered to bring a different pair of shoes. She never should have bought such cheap, suede shoes.  Or more specifically, wanna-be suede.  They’d looked so good in the store though! 

With a sigh, she stepped out through the employees’ door and popped the button on her umbrella that lifted the protection over her head, cringing as the metal blades expanded with reluctance. 

“Great,” she mumbled under her breath.  A broken umbrella, barely wearable shoes and a damp dress.  “Lovely day.”  Dark, mysterious eyes popped into her mind but she pushed them away.  She wasn’t going to think about that man any more.  He’d taken up way too much headspace already. 

Looking down at her shoes, she wished she’d spent her money more wisely.  Jina wasn’t sure if these pathetic pumps would make it all the way to her house.  It wasn’t as if she’d paid $1000 for a pair of Prada shoes. Not that she wouldn’t love to be able to afford a pair of beautiful Prada pumps but that wasn’t in her budget at this stage of her career. A cheap pair of black suede shoes that fit her feet was about all she could handle at the moment. Soon!  Her client base was growing, people were requesting her now. Very soon, she would be able to increase her hourly rates and make more money.

Still under the small protection of the overhead canopy, she looked out at the torrential rains with resignation. This was going to be a mess. The subway was still five blocks away. She’d have to make a dash for it or she’d be drenched no matter what. The shoes were the least of her worries now that she realized how hard it really was raining.

“May I offer you a ride?” a deep voice said from her left.

No!  She’d left him behind at the party!  She absolutely refused to believe that he was standing behind her right now!  The shiver of awareness that raced down her spine as the chocolatey, deep voice reverberated through her body caused her anger to increase tenfold.

Turning to her left she glared at the man. Well, she tried to glare at him! Her glare missed the mark by about a foot. In reality, she was only glaring at his chest.  Again.

Tilting her head up a bit higher, she increased the intensity of the fury coming through her gaze. But she had to remind herself that she was a professional, this could be a potential client. Not that she would actually accept any work from this man. No way! He was too arrogant and conceited for her to be able to stand working with someone like him. But she didn’t want to burn bridges. She had a reputation that she needed to maintain in the political world and making an enemy of a man as powerful as this one would be a bad career move.

Smoothing out the anger and banking her rising temper, she took a deep breath and forced her lips to smile. “Thank you so much for the offer, sir. But I’m perfectly fine. I do need to rush, though.”

She started to leave but a hand reached out to stop her. Normally, she would simply offer another smile and move around the hindrance. But at this man’s first touch, the heat from his hand burned through the thick layer of her raincoat as well as the sleeve of her dress. She imagined that the skin underneath his long, strong fingers would have red burn marks where his fingers were now lying.

She opened her mouth to say something to him, wanting to give him a very polite sat down. She should firmly tell him that she was not for sale and needed to be on her way. But something in his dark eyes stopped her. Her mouth opened, her blue eyes widened ever so slightly, and she was struck dumb by the intense heat that permeated through her body as he stepped closer to her.

She wasn’t used to that kind of height in the men that she dated nor in the men that she worked with in a professional capacity. Normally the men that she worked with were either shorter than she was or just about the same height. She even had to wear flat shoes occasionally so that she didn’t tower over some of the men. But this man was extremely tall! Even in her heels, the top of her head didn’t even reach his chin. That realization was a bit disconcerting. It gave him additional power over her, a power that she didn’t like to relinquish.

Jina shivered as the man continued to look down at her.  “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine.”

“It is raining hard and it is a long walk to the parking lot.  You had a traumatic walk here earlier today.  Please, let me drive you to your car.”

Jina shook her head and took a step back, feeling crowded by his height and his heat.  “I sincerely appreciate your offer,” she lied, “but I can get home on my own steam.”

She started to walk around him once again but he shook his head.  “It is raining harder than earlier.  Let me help you.  I owe you that much at least because of my chauffer’s splash on you before you arrived.”

Jina couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up inside of her.  For some reason, this just struck her as funny.  “You’re not really going to step in front of me every time I try to go around you, are you?” she asked, looking up into his dark eyes, trying to ignore that crazy, fluttering sensation in her tummy. 

And then he smiled.  His white teeth were startling against his tanned skin.  And even those dark, devilish eyes lit up with humor.  “I think I am.”  He crossed his arms over his massive chest.  “What are you going to do about it?”

Jina giggled.  Good grief, she never giggled.  Smothering her humor, she stepped back.  “I think we’re going to stand out here in the rain for a quite a while.  Because there is no way you’re going to get me into that limousine.  If you’re just as stubborn as I am, then we’re playing a game that might never end.”

He chuckled as well.  “I can be much more stubborn.”  His eyes narrowed.  “And I think I’m probably more diabolical.”

She laughed again.  What was it about this man?  She hated his attitude, didn’t she?  “I’m sure that you probably got away with a lot of things in your youth that you think can happen again.  But I promise you, I won’t stand for it.  And even worse, I’ll make a scene.”  She grinned.  “I wanted to major in theatre in college.  So I’m pretty good.”

Malik laughed again, enchanted by this woman and her not-so-dire threats.  “So we are at an impasse.  How can we resolve this situation?”

Jina lifted her purse higher onto her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest, imitating his stance.  “Well, here’s the deal.  I believe you’re trying to ask me out on a date, correct?”

He was actually trying to get her into his bed, but he could go along with a “date”.  To start.  “Yes.” 

“The problem here is that I don’t date wealthy men.”

His eyes widened in surprise.  “You have a problem with money?”

She shook her head.  “Not money.  No.  I have a problem with the personalities that excess wealth creates in people.”  Her eyes sharpened as she said, “It creates an arrogance that is unattractive.”

Malik leaned forward slightly. “You are attracted to me.”

Jina opened her mouth to deny that claim, but the words wouldn’t come out.  “Regardless, your arrogance overwhelms whatever other aspects of you I might, or might not,” she added in quickly when she saw the triumphant look in his eyes, “feel towards you.  And there’s the problem of your arrogance letting you think you can do things with impunity.  That really bothers me.”

All humor left his features with her claim.  “Who has created this fear in you?” he demanded.

Jina was stunned by the instantaneous change in his demeanor.  “No one has done anything to me personally.”  One shoulder went up and down.  “We hear stories in this profession.  While mingling with the powerful and elite, there are stories when women are hurt or attacked.  Because of the man’s position, she is not believed when she reports the abuse.”  She looked down.  “I’m not putting myself into that kind of a position,” she said firmly. 

His arms dropped and he eliminated the space between them.  “When we make love, my beauty, I promise that you will not be hurt.  It will only be pleasure.”

Jina swallowed.  She heard the finality in his tone and his words but rejected his assertion that it was only a matter of “when”, not “if” she made love with this man.  “That’s not going to happen.”

He lifted his hand, running a finger down her cheek.  “I believe that it is inevitable,” he contradicted.  “Something this intense cannot be ignored.”

Under other circumstances, Jina would roll her eyes and slap his hand away from her skin.  But right now, this moment, the fire on her skin from his touch was sending crazy thoughts ricocheting around her body and she almost swayed closer, wanting more contact with this man than just his fingers. 

When she realized what she’d almost done, she shook her head and stepped back again.  “No.  Nothing is inevitable.  We control our actions with…” she had trouble remembering how her actions were controlled.  “We control our actions through conscious thought and intentional communications with another person.  There is no force that is inevitable besides gravity.”

The deep chuckle that emanated from this man sent unexpected and unwanted desire spiraling through her once again. 

“You are young and, I’m guessing, haven’t had many lovers.  But we will be together, my beauty.” 

Jina lifted her hand to pull his away, but her fingers stopped when they wrapped round his wrist.  They stood like that for a long moment, just staring at each other.  Jina could barely breathe as the heat from his eyes warmed her. 

When he finally pulled away, Jina actually opened her mouth, prepared to demand that he put his hand right back against her cheek.  She felt…bereft…without his touch.  She wanted the heat back! 

She shook her head when she realized what she was thinking and snapped her mouth closed.  Good grief!  Was she losing her mind?

“I have to go,” she whispered, wishing her voice was stronger, more assertive.  But all she could manage was a whisper even after she cleared her throat. 

He didn’t stop her this time and she ran across the pavement towards the street, ignoring the cold splatters of rain as they hit her legs.  Her shoes would be ruined, but that was a small price to pay for peace of mind. 

When she descended the stairs to the subway, she took a deep breath as she folded her umbrella and sat down on the metal bench to wait for the subway to arrive.  The whole time she sat there, her eyes didn’t see her surroundings.  Nor did she realize that the trains were coming to the station, then departing after letting off people and taking on new passengers.  She was simply too stunned by her encounter with the man to let anything into her head other than replaying their conversation over and over again.

It took about three trains coming and going from the station before she realized what she was doing.  Just sitting here?  Was she crazy?  She was in New York City!  People were hurt or killed when they didn’t pay attention to their surroundings! 

She stood up, ignoring the squishy feeling every time she took a step in her cheap shoes.  When the train arrived, she stepped into the closest car and took a seat, grateful that it was the early afternoon and she didn’t have to stand as the commuters filled up all the available spaces in their rush to get home. 

When she emerged from the subway in her neighborhood, she trudged along the street to her building, her mind still going over their conversation again and again.  She had to push him out of her mind.  There wouldn’t be another encounter with the tall, dark devil so she should just stop thinking about him, push those dangerous eyes out of her mind.  He was gone.  He was in the past.  Her dark stranger was history! 

Finally reaching her building, she pulled the old, wooden door open and trudged up the stairway to her apartment.  Her mind was thinking about warm sweatpants and a hot cup of tea.  Yes, tea would solve all of her problems and warm her up from the inside out.  Tea fixed everything, she told herself. 

Jina stood in front of her doorway, staring at the elaborately decorated bag.  It was from him.  She had no idea how she knew it, but she was positive that, whatever was in that bag, was from THAT MAN. 

With keys dangling from her cold fingers, she continued to stare at the package, wondering what she should do.  She couldn’t accept a gift from him.  She wasn’t a government worker and the man wasn’t a client, so it wasn’t a question of professional ethics.  It was just…a gift!  From him! 

A door slammed on one of the other floors, snapping her out of her focus on the bag.  It was just a bag.  She could return it to him with a firm explanation that she did not accept gifts under any circumstances. 

Yes, that was what she would do! 

Taking her keys in her hand, she unlocked her apartment door and grabbed the package.  Setting it on the countertop, she ignored it for all of fifteen minutes.  Just long enough to toss her cheap shoes into the garbage and hang her wet coat up on a hook to dry.  She’d need her coat for tonight’s assignment and didn’t relish the idea of wearing a wet coat over her black cocktail dress.  Of course, the cocktail dress she normally wore was almost exactly like her black sheath dress, just with a better fabric.  Both dresses were demure, allowing her to blend into the background.  She didn’t want to stand out when she was working.  It was bad for business because the ladies at these high-powered functions didn’t want to be out-done by the hired help. 

She made herself a cup of tea, staring at the colorful package while she waited for the water to warm up.  When she was leaning a hip against the countertop, a steaming cup of blackberry tea in her hands, she sighed, resigned to opening the package.  She’d never been able to resist a secret.  It simply wasn’t in her power to not look inside that bag.

When she pulled out the tissue paper, her heart was beating frantically.  The box inside the beautiful bag looked suspiciously like…oh no!  He hadn’t! 

Jina’s fingers shook as she pulled the box out of the bag.  A shoebox!  A Christian Louboutin shoebox! 

“Please please…” she chanted to herself as she slowly, reverently, opened the box.  At the last moment, she closed her eyes, actually afraid to see what decadent luxury was inside that box. 

When she opened her eyes and looked down, the breath whooshed out of her.  Sitting in the box, looking innocuous and perfect, were black suede pumps with the trademark red sole. 

Jina’s fingers shook as she lifted one perfect shoe out of the box.  They were stunningly beautiful.  They were also about two inches higher than the heels she normally wore but that didn’t matter.  They were still perfect. 

She lifted the other shoe out of the box, staring at the pair.  She shouldn’t touch them, she thought, even as she carried them over to her small den.  Slipping the shoes onto her feet, she was stunned to realize that they actually fit!  How had the man guessed her shoes size?  Impossible!  The man was the devil, she thought.  That was the only answer.  He was Satan sent here to tempt her with a beautiful, and surprisingly comfortable, pair of perfect, black heels! 

Jina looked over at the bedraggled pair of shoes sticking out of her garbage can that were no longer wearable.  Not after the soaking they took today. 

She walked to her bedroom, careful to stay on the carpet so she didn’t mess up the soles.  When she saw the way the heels made her legs look, she couldn’t believe it!  They were stunning!  And her legs looked…long! 

Jina shook her head.  She couldn’t keep these shoes.  Regretfully, she pulled the shoes off and stored them carefully back in the tissue paper, then the box.  She peered into the box, looking for a card but there was nothing.  She wasn’t even sure where the shoes were bought.

And a more disturbing thought, how had the man known her address?  What kinds of resources could the man call upon to get her address so quickly?

That should feel wrong.  Strange.  But in a weird, crazy way, it actually warmed her. 

Jina stood up in horror when that thought hit her mind.  Good grief, what was she thinking?  The man stalked her, probably spoke to her agency who gave him the information on her address, and sent her some shoes.  He was doing exactly what she’d just told him she hated!  The man had the power to get her agency to reveal personal information!  Or he’d done it some other way.  Normal people simply didn’t have the resources to find other people’s addresses.  Not unless they were weirdo hackers or stalkers! 

So she absolutely was not feeling warmed by the idea that the man had broken laws in order to get her address.  She was irritated and disturbed!  Yes, the fluttering in her stomach was all about how she didn’t like the man and the obnoxious power he had.

Stuffing the bag into her large tote, she would figure out how to return the shoes somehow.  She’d just take them to the Louboutin store over on Fifth Avenue.  She wasn’t exactly sure where the store might be on Fifth Avenue, but all of the upscale vendors had a storefront on that street.  If he hadn’t bought them there, she’d just hand them over to…well, a homeless person always needed a new pair of shoes, she thought with relish.  Yes, she’d love to see that man’s reaction when he saw a homeless person wearing the outlandishly expensive pair of shoes. 

How dare he!  She stomped over to her shower and stepped into the tepid water, letting out a yelp of pain as the cooler than expected water hit her already cold skin.  But she was too angry to step out of the shower.  She blamed that on the stranger as well, irritated beyond belief at a man who could invade her privacy in such a way.

She squeezed shampoo into her hands and lathered her hair, thinking about the shoes.  And the man.  And how handsome he was.   Well, and how beautiful the shoes were. 

When she realized her thoughts were straying again, she grabbed her conditioner and lathered her hair, using more energy than she normally would.  She finished her shower in record time, despite the fact that she hadn’t even intended to shower.  She’d taken a shower this morning and now she’d just have to dry her hair and redo her makeup. 

The man was making her crazy! 

When she pulled her black cocktail dress on, zipping up the back and smoothing her hair once more, she glanced at her shoe choices in her closet.  The only other pair she had that would work would be the red shoes.  But she couldn’t wear red shoes tonight!  How outrageous!  Her eyes glanced through her bedroom doorway where the beautiful shoes were laying innocently in the box. 

No!  She pulled her gaze away and slipped on a pair of strappy, black sandals.  They weren’t comfortable, but they would work for the night.  She stashed a pair of sneakers into her black tote bag, knowing from past experience, not to mention her current day’s shoe debacle, that she’d need them by the end of the night. 

Actually, she slipped her strappy shoes off of her feet and pulled on her sneakers.  No reason to traipse through the city in the rain one more time and ruin another pair of shoes.  Her sneakers would be wet when she came home that night, but at least they would be a lot more comfortable than the heels would be. 

She walked by the Louboutin bag, refusing to even look at it this time.  She yanked her apartment door open and walked out, her still-damp raincoat over her arm and her tote bag filled with anything she might need for the evening’s assignment.  She was translating French tonight for a diplomat at a cocktail party, a relatively easy assignment. 

Hurrying out of the apartment, she clenched her teeth as she dove right back out into the rain.  Her umbrella was only able to keep the rain off of her head.  The downpour was still too heavy to do much more and her umbrella had pretty much given up on trying to be strong.  It had taken too much abuse already today and was protesting more effort.  Thankfully, her raincoat protected her dress and, since she was smart enough to wear sneakers instead of shoes this time around, her feet would be wet, but her shoes wouldn’t be ruined. 

When she arrived at the event site, she ducked through the employee entrance and showed her credentials.  Getting through security seemed a bit more problematic than usual but she endured the trouble, knowing that the guards were only doing their jobs.  There were a lot of important, political leaders at many of the events at which she worked and there was no use getting annoyed at their security measures.  She accepted it as just part of the job. 

When she was finally through the security area and able to find a locker in which to store her purse, she smoothed her hair back into place and took a deep breath.  Attaching her badge to her dress, she worked her way through the catering staff and smiled at the other translators, several of whom she’d worked with in the past.  When she reached the area in which the “party” was to take place, she scanned the room, glancing down at her cell phone to verify the name of her client.  When she found her, Jina introduced herself and asked if there were any specific issues the woman wanted Jina to watch out for.

Jina understood that her client, a finance director for one of the major banks, was here to negotiate business terms for a French conglomerate and they talked briefly about the other guests.  Jina was more than willing to step back when another guest arrived, eager to greet her client. 

It was during one of these conversations that Jina just knew that the man, the very man she’d been trying to push out of her mind all afternoon and evening, had arrived.  Why he was at this particular gathering, she didn’t know, nor did she care.  All she knew was that her heart rate picked up into a crazy rhythm and she looked around, trying to hide herself so that he couldn’t know that she was here.  For some reason, knowing that he was close by terrified her.  All the muscles in her body tightened in anticipation and she wanted to duck behind the marble column of the banquet room so that he couldn’t see her. 

All of her efforts to appear non-descript were for naught though.  She was peering around the marble column and her eyes searched for him in the room.  And he was staring right at her. 

Was he laughing at her efforts to hide from him? 

Of course he was! 

Her anger over his amusement was deep.  But she was cowering.  She was being absolutely ridiculous because this man had no power over her.  He was just a man.  He was no different from the person standing next to her discussing some sort of gardening technique! 

Okay, that was completely wrong.  The man next to her was about a hundred pounds overweight, most of it centered on his belly.  He also sported a beard which, Jina guessed, was used to hide the man’s jowls and extra chins caused by his additional weight.  And he was drunk.  Horribly, horrendously drunk.

As Jina stared across the room, she looked at the dangerous stranger and knew that there wasn’t a superfluous ounce of weight on the man’s tall, muscular body.  And there was no need for the dark haired stranger to sport a beard either.  In fact, hiding that granite-hard jaw would be a crime. 

Tearing her eyes away, she once again focused on the person to which her client was speaking, trying to listen carefully.  At the right moment, she stepped forward to translate and give a response.  Back and forth she translated for the banker. 

Jina watched with growing horror as her stranger moved closer, his eyes daring her to run from him.  She thought about it.  She really did!  But in the end, she couldn’t abandon her client.  And he knew it, darn him! 

Charm oozed out of the man as he lifted his client’s hand to his lips.  “Good evening, Marianne.  How is the banking business lately?” he asked, pretending to focus only on the woman who was sixty if she was a day, and blushing at the attention this stranger was giving to her. 

Jina felt better knowing that she wasn’t the only woman that this man affected.  Even the older woman couldn’t resist his personality.  She patted herself on the back as she moved into the background once again.  Yes, she noticed the way his body shifted ever so slightly, indicating that he would deal with her next, but she didn’t care.  This was her job, her professional capacity was to blend into the background when a client was speaking.  He couldn’t fault her for that.  Nor would she allow him to interfere with her work.  The man could just…go away, she thought with relish. 

“Ah Your Highness, ever the charmer, aren’t you?” Marianne laughed, still holding onto the man’s hand.

“I would never even attempt to charm someone as sophisticated as you are, Marianne.  You are lovelier than ever.  What brings you to this tedious affair?”

Right away, Marianne’s eyes sharpened and Jina’s mind shifted gears.  Having been in this business for a while now, Jina immediately understood what had just happened.  Marianne had only been speaking to the French until she could reach this man.  Now her real business of the night began.  As they quickly discussed numbers, Jina stepped further into the shadows.  The amounts they were discussing were far out of her mind’s ability to understand, the financial terms and acronyms beyond her financial knowledge. 

After thirty minutes of flirting and haggling, the man once again bowed low over Marianne’s hand.  “Contact my office in the morning and we’ll get started.”

Jina blinked.  That was it?  He was giving in to Marianne’s ideas?  What had just happened here?  She had no idea how that had just worked but she suspected that important business had just transpired. 

Marianne smiled up at the man, then glanced over her shoulder at Jina.  “Now that we’re finished, I’m going to walk away and let you get on with your real reason for coming over to talk to me.” 

Jina opened her mouth to protest, but the woman only laughed softly and walked away. 

Glancing up at the man, then at her client, she clamped her mouth shut, irritated that he was interfering in her job.  “I’m following my client,” she told him through gritted teeth.

The man had the audacity to reach out to stop her.  “Your client is leaving for the night.  She finished her business and she is tired.”  He took her hand and pulled it onto his arm, leading her over to the buffet table.  “Now that we are finally alone, tell me about yourself.”

Jina watched the doorway.  Sure enough, her client was pulling on her coat and walking out the door.  Marianne lifted her hand, indicating that Jina was finished and then walked out of the room. 

Jina looked up at the man, furious with him for cornering her in this manner.  “Since my client is done for the night, I am free to leave.”

The man chuckled but wouldn’t release her hand.  “You don’t want to leave.”

She glared up at him, ignoring the shiver of awareness.  Eventually, they would stop happening, wouldn’t they?  “Oh, yes I do!”

He shook his head and handed her a plate.  “If you leave, then you won’t be able to berate me for sending you the gift.  Wouldn’t you prefer to have your target in front of you when you admonish me for doing something that you didn’t like?”

She watched in fascination as he filled the plate with all of the delicious looking appetizers that she’d seen floating around the event all night.  She was starving, having been too angry earlier to eat lunch and hadn’t thought to grab a snack before coming here. 

“I can’t eat this,” she told him, trying to pull the plate away before he could put a square of cheesecake with what looked like some sort of caramel sauce on it. 

He only pulled her plate back towards the table and placed the bite on the corner, then added several other delicacies.  “Of course you can.  You need your strength.  Otherwise your fury won’t have power behind it.”

Jina wanted to laugh.  The man was actually telling her to fill up on food so that she could properly yell at him?  Who was this man?

“Who are you?” she asked, more curious than angry now.

“I’m the man who has better taste in shoes than you do,” he told her and plunked another sweet on the plate.

“Stop doing that!” she snapped at him, astounded by the amount of food on the plate.

Of course, he ignored her and placed another piece of chocolate on the only empty space.  “I’m a growing boy.  I need my energy.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I thought this was for me so that I’d have the energy to yell at you.”

“It is,” he said and put more on the plate.  “But I’ll need sustenance to endure the trials of your anger.” 

When he started to put more on the plate, she shook her head and pulled the plate away.  “There’s enough on this plate for three people.  No more.”

He chuckled but conceded.  “Fine.  We’ll come back for second helpings.”  With that, he took her hand, tugging her towards the end of the buffet table where the utensils were wrapped up in starched linen napkins.  He grabbed two and pulled her over to one of the tables in one corner, out of the way from others. 

“This will work,” he told her and set everything down, then pulled out a chair for her.  “My lady,” he teased.

“I’m not eating with you.”  She stood there staring at him. 

Malik loved the challenge she shot at him.  “Ah, you want to kiss me.  I understand.”  With that, he pushed the chair in and started towards her. 

Jina’s heart went into overdrive.  “No kissing!” she hissed, leaning back and glancing around at the others.  Thankfully, they were far enough away from the others sitting at the small table that no one noticed. 

His only response was a derisive lifting of his black eyebrow, waiting for her to take the chair. 

Jina harrumphed, but pulled out the chair and sat down.  She didn’t take the offered fork though, refusing to eat even though she was actually starving. 

“Suit yourself,” he replied and stabbed a crab puff.  “This is delicious,” he told her.  “So tell me all about Jina Thomas.  What are your likes and dislikes?”  He lifted the fork to stop her words.  “And I can’t be one of your dislikes,” he teased, knowing exactly where her mind was going. 

Jina’s mouth snapped shut and she glared at him for a long moment while he chuckled softly again.  “I don’t like arrogant men who manipulate situations to their benefit.”

He lifted his finger at that.  “Now, that’s not fair.  There isn’t anyone alive who doesn’t manipulate situations to suit their needs.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Are you saying there are no altruistic motivations in the world?”

He shrugged and stabbed a delicious looking piece of chicken in a savory sauce.  “I’m saying that it is rare.”

Jina couldn’t endure watching him eat any longer.  She was too hungry and this man just sparked her temper and her appetite.  In so many ways!

Grabbing a fork, she stabbed one of the appetizers and popped it into her mouth, not answering immediately.  She figured she needed to think carefully about her response before she uttered another word.  But as she chewed the delicious food, he continued to watch her.  Or more specifically, he watched her lips.  And she grew self-conscious as she ate, not to mention hot.  Yes, she was decidedly warmer under his intent gaze. 

Swallowing took great effort.  “Didn’t your mother ever tell you that it is rude to stare?” she asked, wishing that her voice was more sarcastic.  It sounded all breathy and sexy, even to her ears.

Most likely to his as well since those dark eyes snapped to her blue ones. 

“My mother would think you are extremely charming.  And my father would appreciate what a beautiful woman you are and would excuse my behavior.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that.  Her eyes lowered and she remembered the shoes.  “I can’t accept your gift.”

Malik wanted to laugh at how revealing her eyes were.  Everything she was feeling or thinking was reflected in those pretty, blue depths.  Cornflower, he thought.  Her eyes were the same color as the cornflower that he used to see in the fields of Virginia when he was at school. 

“What gift would that be?” he asked softly.  He stabbed another shrimp and offered it to her.  He didn’t expect her to accept it so he was pleasantly surprised when she took the fork.  Although she only twirled it in her fingers. 

“The shoes.  The beautiful shoes,” she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “I can’t accept the shoes.”

The corners of his lips lifted slightly.  Not a full smile but, when her eyes glanced up into his dark gaze, she knew that he was laughing at her once again. 

“Did someone send you a pair of shoes?” he asked.  “Seems slightly outrageous.” 

She agreed with him.  “Yes.  Well, they are lovely.  And I thank you for the shoes.  But they are too expensive.  I can’t accept them.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.  You must have an admirer that realized that your shoes were ruined in the storm this afternoon.  Perhaps you should have accepted my ride home today and your other shoes wouldn’t have been ruined.”

Jina laughed but shook her head.  “You’re being deliberately obtuse, but I know you’re the one who sent them.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her mouth twisted.  “Yes.  Well, I’ll have to return them.  Your account will be credited.”

“What account?  I have no idea what you’re telling me.  I didn’t send you any shoes, my beauty.”

She looked up at him.  “Look, I don’t really know you and I don’t accept gifts from strangers,” she told him firmly. 

He lifted her hand with his long fingers, tangling with hers and making the breath catch in her throat.  “I’m just a man who is interested in a very beautiful and extremely stubborn, cynical woman.”

“You’re royal,” she pointed out.

“I’m just a man, Jina.”

She wouldn’t let him get away with that.  “If you’re just a man, how did you find out where I live?  And how do you know my name?  I didn’t tell you my name this afternoon.”

A smile!  At last a real smile.  “Okay, so I’m a man with resources.”

“Marianne called you ‘Your Highness’.  You’re the Sheik of Sarkit.”

She watched him carefully and suspected that he wasn’t going to respond.  But when he lifted his eyes from their hands, she held her breath again. 

“Yes, I’m from Sarkit.”

Jina heard the words.  Her eyes narrowed on his features as news clippings suddenly tumbled through her mind.  Little by little, the pictures to those news articles connected.  When the reality of his identity hit her, she gasped and pulled her hands away from his. 

“You really are Sheik Amari del Nader!” and she actually pushed her chair further back. 

Malik sighed, frustrated that she now knew his identity.  He had been enjoying the anonymity for once.  And he definitely didn’t like the fear in her eyes.  “What difference does my position make between us?  We are still attracted to each other and you will still be in my bed once I can overcome your concerns.”

She shook her head and stood up.  “There’s no way you can overcome my concerns,” she mocked, angry now.  “You’re one of the big fish in the big ocean.  Sarkit is one of the most powerful countries in the region and you’re the most powerful ruler of all of them.”  She pulled her fingers away when he stood up as well and reached for her.  “Are you just playing with me?”

“Why would you think that?” he asked, irritated with her assumptions. 

“Just having a bit of fun with the poor, country girl, right?”

His eyes narrowed at her accusation.  “I never once implied that you were of lesser intelligence if that’s what you’re talking about.”

She still shook her head, too stunned at the idea that she was standing here speaking with a man of his power and position.  “You’re…you’re…”  She looked around, terrified now that she knew who he was.  He was Sheik of Sarkit!  He had meetings with the president!  Good grief, he had meetings with everyone! 

“Jina stop right now!” he ordered.  When she froze, he muttered a curse under his breath.  “There is no difference in who I am now versus the man you were putting into his place a few moments ago.”

“I don’t think…”

He lifted his hand, silencing her.  “You are a beautiful woman and I’m a man who is interested in getting to know you.  That’s all there is between us.  Don’t make more of this than what it is.”

She relaxed slightly, but was still more than a little awestruck.  “Your Highness, I can’t…”

“You will call me Malik,” he told her. 

She shook her head.  “I can’t use your first name, Your Highness.”  She looked around again.  “I have to go.  I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

He grabbed her hand before she could walk away.  “Jina, don’t leave.  Just talk to me,” he coaxed softly. 

She started to shake her head again, glancing around because speaking to a world leader like this was a major breach in protocol.  “I can’t do this, Your Highness,” she told him again. 

He moved in closer, trapping her body with his against the table but not allowing any of the other guests to notice.  “Here’s what’s going to happen, my blue eyed beauty,” he told her in a soft but very firm voice.  “You’re going to walk out of here on my arm. I will treat you as if you are working for me as a translator or I can drag you out of here and treat you like an angry lover.  The choice is yours.”

Her eyes narrowed as he issued that threat.  “You wouldn’t!” she gritted out, furious now that he was talking to her like this.

His eyes moved over her lovely features, noting the angry color on her high cheekbones.  “Oh, my pretty woman.  You’d be surprised at what I dare.  So which is it?  With dignity or with derision?  What is your choice?”

Her chin jutted out with his ultimatum.  “You’re not going to do this to me, Your Highness.”  His title was said with the highest degree of sarcasm that she could muster through her nervousness. 

He chuckled.  “Oh, I’m going to do this.  We’re going to leave here where you are self-conscious because you are surrounded by your colleagues and potential clients, and we’re going to go someplace more private.  If only to have a glass of wine together, we’re going to talk and relax.  And you’re going to trust me.”

Her mouth fell open with that comment.  “You really expect me to trust you after you just threatened my career and my credibility?” she asked in astonishment, pretending that she wasn’t trembling in anticipation from his words. 

He smiled.  “We’re leaving.” 

She thought he was saying that to her but she realized that his comment was actually to the bodyguards who suddenly appeared in her line of vision.  Where they’d been before this moment, she had no idea.  But before she could stop him, he was leading her out of the room.  He stopped occasionally to speak with one or two of the lingering guests, making their departure look like a simple casual conversation.  He turned to say something to one of his guards and Jina shook her head when she translated the message.  She only knew a few words of Arabic but she knew enough so that she understood his command.  “He can’t get into the employee lockers,” she explained.  But the guard disappeared, off to get her personal belongings. 

Jina was able to maintain her nervous anger almost the whole walk through the room.  But when she saw the limousine waiting at the door for him, she pulled back.

Malik turned back to face the fascinating woman.  “What’s wrong?” he asked softly, turning so that she couldn’t see his bodyguards. 

Her eyes snapped from the vehicle, then up to his eyes, then back again.  “I can’t do this!  I can’t get into that vehicle!  I mean, why would you want me to anyway?  The only reason would be for…” she shook her head and pushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear.  “I’m not like that.  I can’t do it.  I just…”

Malik used the expedient method of stopping her tirade by simply kissing her.  Initially, she was too stunned to react but it took perhaps three seconds before he felt her lips soften, her body melt into his.  His hands on her shoulders slid lower, wrapping around her waist and pulling her against his hardness.  Malik was used to the softness of women, loved their smells and their figures, finding all the different shapes of women a turn on.  But when this lovely, nervous, shy woman melted in his arms, the lust that surged through him was hard and fast.  Never before had his mind left him so quickly. 

The horns blasting startled him and Malik lifted his head.  As he stared down into her soft, blue eyes, he realized that he needed to get them out of there quickly.  She looked like he felt and the desire surging through him with that knowledge was powerful. 

“Come with me,” he growled, taking her hand and pulling her towards the limousine.  They were inside the dark interior with the doors closed before her eyes cleared of the desire.  He knew that he’d put that desire there and he could barely suppress his need as that reality hit him. 

She was so lovely with her swollen lips and the confusion in those pretty blue eyes.  But a moment later, the vehicle moved and the wariness returned. 

“No, Jina,” he told her softly.  “I’m not going to spirit you away to some horrible, dark dungeon.  We’re going to my hotel and we’ll have a glass of wine.  We’ll talk and have some food since you didn’t eat enough earlier.  And then I will ensure that you are home, in your own bed and,” he smiled slightly, “alone.”  When she still looked anxious, he sighed.  “I’ll have you home and in your own bed by midnight.  Will that suffice?  Since it is Saturday night, I’m guessing you don’t have a heavy work load tomorrow, is that correct?”

Her lips compressed as she thought about his offer.  Was she bargaining with the devil?  Was she a fool to listen to him and accept his proposition?  Was she too trusting? 

Of course she was!  But was she going to do anything about it?

“Your Highness…”

“Malik.  Say my name, Jina,” he commanded gently, lifting his hand to touch her cheek. 

She started to shake her head, not feeling comfortable enough to use his first name.  He was a sheik!  He was ruler of one of the most powerful countries in the world! 

“I…”

His thumb caressed her lower lip, causing the skin to tingle, a bit like it was on fire.  “Just say my name, Jina.  It’s an easy enough request.  It won’t hurt, no one is around who could admonish you so there is no breach in protocol.  And I promise you, none of my bodyguards would care, or even know, that you were so familiar with me.”

She laughed at that, unable to hide her amusement once again.  “I’m sure there are very few people you allow to call you by your given name.”

“That’s true.”  He thought for a moment before he said, “What if I told you that there are about five people who would call me worse?  And to my face?”  He saw the surprise in her eyes.  “And what’s more, four of them are men I highly respect and they still try and take me down whenever they have the chance.”  When she looked at him doubtfully, he continued, “Okay, so they don’t physically fight with me anymore.  But there were days when it was all our headmaster could do to keep us from killing each other.  It was only one blond haired brat that stopped all of it.  And she still tries to interfere in our lives.”  He shifted slightly.  “One night, she was so scared from a horror movie that she snuck into with us that she made me sleep on the floor underneath the window, just to make sure that the monsters wouldn’t get in.”

“No way,” Jina replied, not believing him for a moment. 

“Believe it,” he assured her.  “And I think I had to sleep there for several nights.”

Jina shook her head.  He was teasing her but it was working.  She leaned back against the soft leather seat. 

“It’s true,” he told her.  “In fact, she’s the only reason I don’t have more broken bones.”

“What do you mean?”

He leaned back and took her hand, playing with her fingers as he examined her nails.  They were smooth and short.  A worker’s hands, he thought.  “Scarlett was a five year old little tyrant who arrived at the boarding school.  All of us basically hated each other but there were five of us that took that hatred to a new level.  For about a year, there wasn’t a day that passed when one or all five of us were throwing punches.  I think I lived with a broken rib, not always the same one, for about six months of that year.”  He thought back to those days, shaking his head.  “When that little tyrant showed up, all she had to do was put a hand on our arm or our shoulder and,” he shrugged, not really understanding it either.  “Well, we just stopped.”  He looked at her.  “Now those men and Scarlett are my best friends.  And besides you, they are the only ones that are allowed to call me by my first name.”

“That’s a sweet story,” she said, not really believing him but thinking it was kind of him to try and make her feel more comfortable.  “Where are we going?”

“To my hotel.  I will order a bottle of wine and tempt you with one of the chef’s amazing desserts.”

The trembling increased and her eyes widened in fear and…yes…desire.  Curiosity.  “I don’t want anything,” she told him, wary of being alone with him. 

“Fine, you’ll have a cup of coffee with me and we’ll talk.  I’ll let you ask me anything you want to know about me as a person and then you’ll feel more comfortable.”

She shook her head.  “I doubt I’ll feel comfortable with you alone in your hotel.”

He shrugged his shoulder.  “Then we will go to your apartment.”  He didn’t wait for her to respond before he picked up a phone and issued a command in a language she didn’t understand.  A moment later, before Jina could even reply to his change of plans, the limousine was turning and heading out of Manhattan. 

“We can’t go to my apartment!” she gasped out, sitting up a bit straighter because they were dangerously close to her building.

He simply smiled slightly, not responding.  Before she could form a coherent argument, the limousine was gliding smoothly to a halt in front of her building and Malik was getting out.  He turned and offered his hand.

Jina stared at that hand, knowing she should be polite and accept his help but she also remembered the heat that seeped into her body every time she touched this man.  Even inadvertent touches made her senses become inflamed. 

In the end, she put her hand in his, but only for a moment.  She couldn’t endure much more. 

She warily led him up the stairs and was painfully conscious of him right behind her.  She was wearing only the black cocktail dress and it felt strange to know that he was right behind her, looking at her bottom.

She was hugely relieved when she reached her floor and she could move to the side.  But the look in his eyes told her that he knew exactly what was going on inside her head. 

“Are you laughing at me?” she demanded as soon as her door was unlocked.  But she stood in the doorway, glaring up at him. 

He chuckled softly and pressed her against the doorframe.  “Laughing?  No.  Enjoying your…shyness?” He lifted a finger, running it along her neck.  “Yes.  I am enjoying your shy nervousness.”

“I’m neither shy nor nervous,” she lied, trying to appear sophisticated and unconcerned with having this large man inside her personal space. 

His eyes moved over her features, noting the color that appeared.  “Yes, you are.  But I like it.  You are refreshing.” 

Jina’s lips curled into a grimace.  “Refreshing.  I’m not sure I like that adjective but,” she shrugged, knowing there wasn’t anything she could do.  “I’m not shy though.  I speak with people all day long.  People I’ve never met before and I’m not bothered by introducing myself.”

He gently pulled her down the short, dark hallway to her kitchen.  “You’re shy with me.  And I like it.  Because I know that you’re nervous about being alone with me.”

She wasn’t going to argue with him on that point.  But nor was she going to correct him.  She wasn’t nervous.  That was such a tame description for what she was feeling.  She was terrified.  She could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest and her skin felt almost tingly and he wasn’t even touching her at the moment.

He stepped back and saw the colorfully wrapped box sitting in her tote bag.  “Are these the shoes that someone delivered to you?” he asked, lifting the box out of her bag.  He pulled the box out and separated the tissue paper, lifting one perfect shoe out of the box and examining it.  “They look lovely.”  His eyes moved to hers.  “Why won’t you wear them?”

She pursed her lips.  “Because they are outrageously expensive.  You’ll have to take them back.  I can’t accept a gift like that.”

He shrugged one massive shoulder.  “I don’t know how much they cost, but someone must have noticed how beautiful your legs are and wanted to give you a present to display them.” 

Jina looked at his fingers as they smoothed over the lines of the shoe.  Even the red sole looked sensuous as his long fingers moved along the edge.  Pulling her eyes away, she grabbed the tea kettle and turned to face the sink, away from that man’s hands that she could so easily picture running along her body. 

She couldn’t believe how off-balance she felt, simply because this particular man was in her apartment and looking at a shoe. 

She set the teapot down on a burner, then turned on the heat before turning back to face him.  She felt somewhat back in control, but she should have just pushed him out of her apartment.  Because this man was too large, too tall and too everything.  He dwarfed her apartment, somehow even making the air seem more intense.  That wasn’t possible, was it?  Air was air.  It couldn’t change forms simply because one man was in close proximity. 

Very close proximity! 

“What are you doing?” she demanded, suddenly realizing that he’d moved closer to her.  She leaned against the countertop, trying to keep a couple of inches between them.  Bad mistake!  He lifted her up, his hands on her waist and easily set her down on the countertop. 

He didn’t respond to her question with words.  His fingers slid down her leg and Jina said a silent thank you that she’d remembered to shave her legs this morning.  Then he slipped her strappy sandal off of her foot, replacing it with the Louboutin pump. 

“Perfect,” he said, his head tilting back and forth as he looked at her leg.  He then reached out and plucked the other shoe out of the box, repeating the process with her other foot. 

That wouldn’t have been such a problem, but the diabolical man somehow positioned himself between her legs, not giving her any space to close her knees primly together as she wanted to do.  When he finished putting the shoe on her foot, he turned around, forcing her legs further apart, shocking her with his audacity and blatantly sexual moves. 

“Now, what were you saying about not being nervous?” he asked a moment before his mouth covered her own.  There was no chance to respond, not because he was kissing her but because he was really kissing her!  Responding to his question was the furthest thing from her mind as his tongue invaded her mouth, teasing her and exploring her taste.  When his teeth captured her lower lip, she gasped at the erotic feeling before he released it, kissing her again. 

His hands were moving over her waist, sliding up and down her cocktail dress covered legs and hips.  What she wasn’t aware of was that he was sliding the material higher with each swish of his hands.  Of course, she was fully aware when his hands grabbed hold of her hips and pulled her forward, causing her heat to cradle that hardness.  But she couldn’t be still.  Not in this position.  She didn’t care that her skirt was up around her hips now or that his erection was pressing against her, making her body ache in places she’d never even known existed.  All she knew, as she tilted her hips to get better contact, was that she wanted this man and she needed to shift against him.  Unable to stop herself, she shifted again and again, moving so slightly in a desperate need to ease the ache that was centered low in her body. 

The whistle on the tea kettle startled both of them.  Jina looked up into his dark eyes, her mind not really understanding what he was doing to her.  Or how he could do it so easily! 

She pushed at his shoulders, relieved when he allowed her to push him back.  Jumping down off of the countertop, she grabbed the tea kettle, lifting it off of the burner and turning off the heat.  Her fingers were shaking when she reached up and took down two cups.  When a strong hand took them out of her fingers, she sighed with relief.  She suspected she’d drop them anyway.  She was too rattled from the way he’d kissed her.  And too shocked at how she’d responded!  Good grief, the man knew how to kiss!

“Tea,” she said softly and pulled down the tin that held all of her flavored teas.  “What kind of tea would you like?” she asked.

“Any kind of tea is fine,” he replied, watching her carefully.  “Are you okay?”

Jina spun around to face him then leaned back.  She hadn’t been aware that he was so close.  Again!  She needed some space after that kiss!

Her eyes dropped to her hands, unable to maintain eye contact.  “No.  I don’t think I’m fine.”

“Talk to me Jina.  Did I hurt you in some way?”

She shook her head.  “Hurt me?  No.  You didn’t hurt me in any way.  But I have to ask why are you here?”  She looked at his immaculate suit that probably cost as much as her entire year’s rent money.  “You’re a sheik, Malik.  What are you doing here?  With me?  It can’t be simply because you enjoy our conversations because we haven’t really talked about anything.  So that really only leaves one reason.  You want to have sex.”

He was more than a little stunned by her directness, but he should have been prepared.  “Yes,” he replied honestly.  “I want you.  I’ve never denied that.”

She lowered her lashes.  “Yes, but you see, I don’t…I can’t…” she finally looked up into his eyes.  “I can’t be your mistress.  And that’s really all I could possibly be to you.” 

Malik didn’t reply.  He’d never really considered what the women in his life might think of his intentions.  He’d never really thought about getting married, never having met a woman that he could stand talking with outside of the bedroom.  Well, besides Scarlett, but she didn’t really count.  She wasn’t a woman.  He almost rolled his eyes.  Of course, Scarlett was a woman but she was…well, she was like a kid sister. 

He focused his dark eyes on her blue ones. “I’m going to make love to you, Jina.  That’s inevitable.”

She sighed, trying to figure out why that bothered her so much.  Her stomach tightened with anticipation, but there was something wrong about his absolute conviction. 

“Malik,” she forced his name out, “If you were just another man, this conversation would be different.”

“How?” he demanded, not liking the idea of any other man touching her as he was going to touch her. 

“If you were just an ordinary man, and there was this intense attraction between us, then I would risk an affair with you.”

“At least you’re willing to admit that there is an attraction,” he replied, irritated still. 

She smiled briefly.  “Yes.  I’ll admit that much.  But it can’t go anywhere.  And I have too much pride, too much at stake with my career, to risk just entering into an affair with a man like you.  When I make love with a man, it is because I’m in love with him.”

Malik understood her words.  He didn’t like what she was telling him, but he respected her even more because of her sentiments.  “And have you ever been in love with a man?” he asked, his hands coming to pull the pins from her hair, massaging the scalp gently as he watched her eyes close with pleasure. 

“No.  I’ve never been in love with another man, Malik.”

For some reason, her assurance helped ease the tension in his shoulders.  This woman was a virgin, he realized.  Yes, she might be lying to him.  And this whole conversation might be a ruse to get him more interested in her.  Women were diabolical creatures with amazing imaginations to get what they want.  And many women wanted his ring on their finger and access to all of his wealth and the power that would be translated from him to his wife. 

But he doubted that Jina was the kind of woman who would lie and cheat to get what she wanted.  He sensed an innate honesty in her, a purity of spirit that he liked.  A lot! 

“Then we will become friends,” he announced, pulling his hand away. Malik stepped back, his eyes lighting up with a special message that Jina didn’t really understand. There was a triumphant depth to them, something that made her stomach muscles tighten in anticipation even worse than what she’d been feeling only moments before. How was it that he could be kissing her one moment and the next she felt the same intensity, but he wasn’t even touching her?

“I’m not sure...” she started to say.

Malik interrupted her. “I completely understand and respect your wishes to not enter into a strictly sexual relationship. This will be a new adventure for both of us.” He moved slightly closer, lifting his hand briefly to touch her cheek before pushing both of his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I don’t think that I’ve ever been friends with a woman. Especially a woman I want to make love to.” The expression on his face indicated that he was just as surprised by his declaration as she was.

He leaned forward and gently kissed her on her cheek. “Sweet dreams, my beauty.” A moment later he was gone.

Jina heard the door close on his exit but she didn’t really understand what had just happened. He mentioned an adventure but what did he mean by that? What kind of adventure was he embarking upon?

Another shocking realization occurred to her. Malik was the kind of man that generated an enormous amount of energy wherever he was. While she was with him, she felt more alive than she’d ever felt in her entire life. Or at least more alive than she’d ever realized. With him gone, the exhaustion from being so alive seemed to overwhelm her. The tension dissipated and she felt like all of her bones were melting. Sinking into the sofa, she looked around and tried to understand why he could have such a strong impact on her.