She leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “I was betrothed to someone when I was about a month old,” she explained.
“No kidding?” he blurted, laughing. “Isn’t that sort of like in that cartoon? The Disney one…I can’t think of the name. The one with the fairies that can’t shoot their magic in the right direction?”
“Sleeping Beauty,” Tamara laughed. “And yeah, I guess it was sort of like that. He’s older than I am. But I have no idea if he looked into my crib and made a face.”
“That was a cute scene,” Mike agreed. “So what’s the problem, other than having no choice in who you are going to marry?”
“Well, that’s sort of the point, Mike,” she replied with a sigh. “I don’t know the man. And if he’s anything like my father, I know that I’ll be miserable. I can only imagine that he’s very much like my father, since dear old dad is hot to get me married to this man.”
“First of all, who are you engaged to?” He laughed, “Wait, is there a difference between a betrothal and an engagement? Please educate the filthy masses, Highness.”
Tamara laughed, relaxing just as she always did when talking to Mike, Willow, or Lana. These were her true friends, the people she could rely upon. “That’s a good question, but I’m not exactly sure. Maybe a betrothal happens when the two parties are children? And the agreement to marry is done by people other than the two people that it will affect the most?”
He chuckled. “Okay, that sounds weird. And a bit antiquated.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised how often it happens in my world.”
“Yeah, we’re definitely going to sit down and talk about your world a bit more. But for now, continue on with your issue, my dear. Coffee is poured and I’m awake enough to listen.”
A bit of the tension left her shoulders with his words. “Okay, so…this is the difficult part.”
“More difficult than telling me you’re freaking royalty?” he scoffed. “Please! Just spit it out.”
She closed her eyes again. “I’m engaged to Sheik Jurid bin Casees,” she said, then held her breath, waiting.
The long silence was painful. Mike was from Tular. He loved his country, but had left it years ago because he could no longer hide who he was. He’d left his family and his heritage, just so that he could live freely as a gay man, which was not allowed in Tular.
“Are you still there?” she asked, worried that she’d lost her friend over this issue.
“I think so,” he replied, his voice strained.
“Say something,” she begged.
There was only silence and Tamara waited, understanding that Mike needed a bit of time to process that bombshell. Biting her lip, she stood up and walked to the window of her room.
“Wow!” he finally said. Then again, “Wow!” with more force this time.
“Yeah. A bit of a shocker, huh?”
“A bit!” he breathed. She heard the long sip of coffee. “So, you’re engaged to marry the leader of my country. That’s an interesting twist.”
She knew where his mind was going. “No, Mike! Don’t even think it! I didn’t befriend you because of your connection to Tular! You and I are friends because we like to do the same things and because…well, just because I love you and you’re not going down that road!”
“Swear it,” he ordered, his voice still strained.
“I swear, Mike! Our friendship has nothing to do with my betrothal.”
“Okay,” he finally replied. “Okay. So…wow, Tam. This is a lot to take in so early in the morning.”
“I know and I’m so sorry, Mike.”
“So, what kind of help do you need from me?”
“I need a way out.”
“Out…? From what?”
“You know my father, Mike. The image he presents to his people is a fake. And the image he presents to his family is different from what he presents to the world and that’s different from what he presents to his council. And then, he’s a completely different person when he’s talking to me.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that he’s not very nice around you,” he admitted, referring to the few times that he’d witnessed Tamara’s father when he’d stopped in London for one reason or another.
“Exactly. So this Jurid guy…I know he’s your leader and all, but give me some ideas on how I can get out of this engagement. I’ve been trying to convince him that I’m a tramp. That I’m not worthy of being his wife.”
“Is that why you ask me to take pictures of you when we’re out dancing?”
“Exactly. You take the pictures then I then send them to a source in Tular. The goal is for those pictures to be shown to Sheik Jurid.”
“Obviously, he hasn’t seen the pictures, or he would have dumped you a long time ago.”
“That’s what I’m thinking too. So, will you help me?”
He laughed again. “Tam, you know I’d do anything for you.”
“Anything?” she teased.
“Well, I won’t go for a run with you. But I’d help you hide a body.”
Tamara grinned. “Right. No runs, but body dumping is a go. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Wait, you’re not actually planning to…?”
She laughed hard! “No! No way!”
“Whew!” Mike replied in relief. “Just checking. You have some pretty weird ideas so I wasn’t sure.” She heard him take a long sip of coffee. “Okay, so whatever is going on, let me make breakfast for Joe, shower, and then I’ll head into the office. We can talk about it there, okay?”
“Sounds great.” Tamara sighed, closing her eyes. “And Mike? Thanks,” she whispered the ending.
“No problem, honey,” he replied, just as softly. “Hang in there.”
An hour later, Tamara was sitting on the edge of her desk, wearing jeans and a nice sweater when Mike and Joe walked in.
“Hey guys,” she said, jumping off her desk to hug them. “It’s good to be back.”
Joe looked down at her, his dark eyes seeing everything. “You’re not okay, are you?”
Tamara laughed. “Don’t you need to get to work?”
His gaze didn’t waver. “You’re in trouble. Mike told me that you need some help. So spill it, Princess. We’re here for you.”
“Thank you Joe,” she said with heartfelt sincerity. “I need to figure out how to get out of the engagement. Any ideas?”
Joe and Mike looked at each other, then at Tamara.
Mike was the first to speak. “I guess the first thing we need to understand is why you don’t want to marry the man. I mean, he’s super rich, hot as hell,” he said, then glanced at Joe who only rolled his eyes, obviously not threatened by the ruler of his boyfriend’s country, “And I’m guessing he was in Greece with you over the past few days. What’s wrong with this scenario?”
When he put it like that, she wasn’t sure either. But she went to her fallback position. “Well, first of all, my life is here in London. I like my apartment, I love working with you, and I have friends here.”
“You can make friends back in Tular. That’s not a good enough reason, honey.”
She didn’t think so either, but was hoping they might. “What about the fact that I don’t want to marry the man?”
“Why?” Joe demanded, crossing his big arms over his equally big chest. “Are you just being stubborn?”
Mike chuckled, then leaned his head against Joe’s shoulder affectionately.
“Why do you think I’m just being stubborn?”
Both men looked at her as if to say, “You’re always stubborn.”
“Okay, so maybe I’m too stubborn. But think of all the times that my stubbornness has saved us. Remember that townhouse down in the warehouse district? I didn’t like it and you loved it. I finally convinced you to take a second look and, the moment we pulled up outside, the water line burst.”
“Okay, one instance. Tell me another time when your stubbornness got us out of trouble.”
Tamara thought for a moment, t
hen her eyes lit up. “How about that time you wanted to get a puppy but I said no, that you’re not a morning person. Puppies need to go out early every morning.” She grinned triumphantly at the memory. “That very night, we went out for drinks and you met Joe. Happily ever after.”
Mike glanced over at Joe who only lifted a dark eyebrow in response. Mike nodded, but turned back to Tamara. “I think that’s more about logic than stubbornness.”
She tilted her head. “Seriously? You’re not giving me that point? You two are so madly in love, it’s a bit annoying at times.”
Joe chuckled, then bumped Mike with his shoulder. Mike looked back at his boyfriend and the tender look that passed between the two men caused Tamara’s heart to hurt. She’d marry Jurid in a heartbeat if he ever looked at her like that.
And that was pretty much the point. They might have become lovers the other night, but that didn’t mean that they should get married. In fact, looking at Joe and Mike right now, only reinforced her desire to wait and find a man who loved her before she got married. Life was too short to marry a man just because…well, good sex was definitely not a reason to marry anyone. Maybe it was a good reason to start an affair, she thought sarcastically.
Yeah, she could really get behind the idea of an affair with Jurid. Just thinking about the idea made her mind turn to mush and her body burn with anticipation.
“What in the world just went through your mind?” Mike demanded, grinning curiously.
“Nothing,” she told him. “Joe has to get to work and we have that showing.” She turned and grinned at both men. “Hey, any chance you guys want to go out dancing tonight?”
Mike looked at her warily. “Does this have anything to do with your engagement and your early morning request for my help?”
She thought about her plan, then smiled engagingly. “Well, if neither of you have a better idea, then yes, I was thinking about redoubling my efforts to appear to the world as if I were unfit to be his bride. A few more pictures in the tabloids with me dancing alongside some other men might do the trick.”
Joe chuckled. “We’ll have to go to the straight night clubs then. No one is going to believe you’re unfit if you’re dancing with guys that aren’t interested in you, Tam.”
She nodded. “Agreed. Meet up at eight for drinks and dinner? My treat?”
Mike and Joe shared a glance. Joe shrugged, silently telling Mike that the decision was his. Mike turned back to Tamara. “Sure. We’re in,” and Joe kissed Mike and headed to his job.
The rest of the day was uneventful. She and Mike met with the realtor to view the condo, but there wasn’t anything special about the place. There were other inquiries that came through about the other rentals, a few maintenance problems, and several contract issues. But nothing that the staff couldn’t handle.
Which was why Tamara was home early enough that night to start worrying about the night’s events. “Okay, what to wear!” she muttered as she went to her closet. “I need something fabulous,” she told the empty room. “And I need a dog. No use talking out loud when there isn’t anyone here to mutter to,” she grumbled. “Maybe a cat?” She pulled out a slinky black dress that ended high up on her thighs. “A cat would be better than talking to the silence.” She thought about that for a moment. “Maybe not. A cat doesn’t really reply back much.”
She sighed and tossed the black dress onto the bed and grabbed a pair of four inch heels. “These are painful to walk in after an hour, but I’ll take a cab.” She sighed and walked into the bathroom to shower and glam up a bit. “And I don’t plan on being out very late anyway.”
An hour later, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She’d put on a bit more eye makeup, giving herself the sexy, smoky look. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she’d taken the time to curl the ends, so her hair had a bit more volume than usual.
“Okay, time to put on the heels,” she muttered slipping her feet into the torture devices. Standing up, she nodded approvingly at the way the heels made her legs look more muscular. “Yep, this will work,” she muttered with a nod.
She transferred her wallet, lipstick and keys into a small clutch, made sure to lock her apartment door, then headed downstairs just in time to slip into the cab as it pulled up to the curb.
What she didn’t realize was that another car was pulling up to the curb at the same time. Jurid watched with increasing anger as Tamara’s legs showed a bit more skin than he’d prefer for his fiancée to show. All of his progressive thoughts were obliterated as he watched her long, beautiful legs step into the taxi. He wanted to walk over to the cab and pull her out, tucking her into the armored SUV so that he could drive away with her, take her back to his house and make love to her for the rest of the night.
That outfit was positively indecent!
“Follow her!” he snapped. The guards must have anticipated his order because the SUV jerked forward, cutting off several cars as they merged into traffic.
When the cab pulled up outside of a nightclub, Jurid was ready to grab her off the street and into his SUV. She walked up to two men. One of them was shorter than she was in her heels, but still a good looking man. The other man was bigger, a huge brute of a man, bust still shorter than Jurid. Instantly, white hot jealousy speared through his chest and he glared at the trio as they stepped into the dance club.
He stepped outside and his guards immediately surrounded him. “Sire,” one of them cautioned. “I’m not sure…”
“She’s in there,” Jurid growled. “Where is her security team?” he demanded.
Four men stepped out of the shadows. “We’re here, Sire,” the lead on her security team announced. “I have a man inside already, but we were all about to go inside except for Musad who will stay outside and inform us if any undesirable people enter the building.”
“Good!” Jurid nodded. “Let’s go,” and he stepped in through the front door, ignoring the bouncer who eyed him and stepped back, obviously understanding that Jurid was one of those “Important People” who weren’t to be denied entry. When the bouncer tried to stop one of the guards, the guard simply put a hand to the middle of the other man’s chest and pushed him back. The team moved inside, stepping into positions that would allow them to watch and be ready to intercede if there was any trouble.
A waitress in a skimpy outfit walked right up to him with a smile that promised him anything he might desire. “What can I get you to drink?” she asked, arching her back slightly to bring more attention to the low neckline of her dress.
“A scotch,” he ordered. “Quickly.”
The woman’s smile faltered slightly, but she nodded. Jurid doubted that he would have long to wait since the waitresses in these types of establishments instinctively knew who the good tippers and big spenders were. And Jurid was both.
He moved to a table off to the side, with a good view of the dance floor and the upper areas where additional tables were set up. From his vantage point, he watched Tamara and her friends laugh as the waiter brought them drinks. When the waitress came back with his scotch, Jurid nodded to Tamara’s table. “The woman’s drinks, put them on my tab as well.”
The blond waitress looked over at Tamara, her eyes narrowing as she realized that Jurid wasn’t going to take her up on her unspoken invitation for an afterhours party. But she nodded and turned to do his bidding. One of the guards spoke to the waitress and she glanced around at the guards. Jurid suspected that the lead guard had ordered seltzers for his men. It wasn’t good for them to be standing around in a nightclub without something in their hands because it made them stand out. It was easier to defend Jurid if they moved about more stealthily.
Jurid leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as Tamara sipped a martini. But he was more focused on the two men. Why was she here with two men? Was one of them her lover? Even as he watched, he realized that neither was flirting with her. They might laugh and tease her, but they weren’t romantically interested in his Tamara. In fact, just th
e opposite. The two men were interested in each other.
With a sigh of relief, he leaned back and watched, wanting to learn more about her.
The first thing he noticed was that she didn’t appear to be enjoying herself. When she spoke to the two other men, the three laughed and joked, but her laughter seemed…stilted. Forced. He also noticed that the bigger man leaned into the smaller man, just as Jurid would do with Tamara if she were by his side. It was instinctive body language that announced to the world that he was the protector. And in the case of the two men, the bigger man was the smaller man’s protector.
He smiled slightly, realizing that the men were a couple. And if their body language was any indication, they were very much in love. Married? He wasn’t sure and he couldn’t see their hands from here to see if they had wedding bands. But regardless of their marital situation, those two men were clearly a couple. Their body language screamed it to the world and neither were trying to hide it.
Good, he thought as he sipped the relatively decent quality scotch. He didn’t mind if Tamara went out with other men, as long as they were just friends. After their one night together, he was determined to be the only romantic interest in his future wife’s life.
Yes, Jurid knew that there were many marriages that were mere partnerships. He realized that many men and women married for convenience and managed a formal or informal friendship as they went about ruling their countries.
His marriage to Tamara wasn’t going to be like that. He wanted all of her. After the other night, he knew that she wanted him as well. No, their marriage would not be a partnership. Theirs would be a lo…he would respect her, he finished. That felt wrong, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he felt towards Tamara. Definitely respect, which leaned towards admiration. But love? He scoffed at the concept. Love wasn’t real. Love was simply lust disguising itself in order to justify sexual relationships.
But his gaze returned to the two men and Jurid caught a tender look between them. It was a look of…something strange. Was that love? He couldn’t tell and, since he didn’t believe in love, he tossed the thought away.
Awakened by the Passionate Sheik (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 2) Page 6
