The Sheikh's Sleeping Beauty Nanny

by Shay Violet

  “You don’t need to worry about it,” I quickly say, but it comes out sounding recited. “The woes of a businessman are boring.”

  “Well…” she says and now flirtatiousness dances in her eyes. “How can I return the favor if you won’t tell me what’s bothering you?”

  My heart pounds. “I’m touched by your flattering sentiment, but I can assure you, my problems are nothing you need to concern yourself with.” I try to remain gentle.

  She steps closer. Her eyes are burning a hole through me. There’s a sudden registered confidence in the way she’s presenting herself that awakens an untamable beast inside of me.

  “You know, secrets are terrible things to harbor. It gets dangerous, hiding those feelings and emotions. They have a way of seeping to the surface.” Her voice is a poised whisper that floods me like an electric current.

  It’s like she’s coiling her allure around my heart and my genitals and yanking me into her love abyss. It might just be my imagination running wild, but either way, I feel like if she’s trying to hook me in on some level, she’s succeeding.

  I decide not to reveal my feelings yet. I flip the attention back to her, stepping closer to her. As I bridge the gap between us, I smile.

  “Maybe we are all hiding something, deep down.”

  We are only an inch apart now. My pulse swooshes noisily in my eardrums. I feel like our bodies are two hot furnaces ready to meld together.

  Nose to nose, I lean down, ever so slightly, so subtle that if you blink too quickly, you would miss the motion.

  My lips are now dangerously close to hers. I part my mouth, ready to devour her in kisses if she’ll let me. A massive erection throbs in my pants.

  Her eyelids flutter closed for a millisecond. I go in for the kill. I’m a primal animal on a hunt for lust. I hear her sigh. It’s an orgasmic sound to my ears.

  As soon as my lips hover over hers, I linger before moving forward. The hesitation costs me dearly.

  Aurora’s eyes pop open like a startled kitten. I stand up straight I get a head rush. Aurora’s mouth is open in shock. Without a word, she breezes past me without looking back. She bolts up the stairs to the third floor to the safety of her guest suite.

  In an instant, she is gone, vanishing like a sexy magician. I have to make a split-second decision here. My nerves are about as thin as a strand of hair.

  Do I follow her? No. I can’t. It’s impossible to know how she’ll react. I’m afraid that she’ll storm out and I’ll never see her again. I shake my head, hoping to dispel the frayed mess of thoughts inside of my brain.

  It’s not just that she’s a nanny for my daughter and I overstepped a boundary. It’s much more than that. It’s only the tip of the iceberg. From now on, I have to keep my head level. I can’t afford to allow a woman, no matter how sweet and beautiful she is, to have this much aggressive control over me.

  13

  Aurora

  When I wake up the next morning, there’s a silvery hue spilling into my room. It’s barely dawn. I’m not normally an early riser before the break of day, but today is all about making lasting first impressions that are positive, right?

  I take a deep breath, yawn, stretch and shuffle to the bathroom to relieve my full bladder.

  I glance in the mirror and think to myself that I might need some make up later on in the day, but for the time being, I settle for washing my face with lukewarm water to rejuvenate my skin until I can give it a little more attention.

  I make my bed, ready to conquer the day. My phone vibrates on the bedside table, sending a buzzing sound erratically through the otherwise tranquil quietness of the morning.

  “Cindy?” I answer on the second ring, alarmed to see her calling me this early.

  “Hi.” She sounds livelier than I expect.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask.

  I sit down on the edge of the bed and hang my legs over the side.

  “Yes, why?” Now it’s her turn to sound concerned.

  I chuckle. “Do you realize what time it is?”

  There’s a slight pause on the other end. “Oh. Yeah.” She laughs. “Sorry about that. I didn’t even realize the time. I have been enjoying getting up to watch the sunrise while I do yoga out by the pool these past few days.”

  I smile. I’m happy for her, and not a shred jealous of her new lifestyle. “Well look at you, living the dream.”

  Cindy sounds giddy. “I’m still trying to get used to this being my life now. I wake up every day pinching myself.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with having a grateful heart,” I say.

  “Never truer words spoken,” she concurs.

  I yawn again. “Well, to what do I owe the pleasure of this early morning phone call?”

  “I heard you got a new job as a nanny for Amir’s fellow sheikh friend. I’ve met him, once or twice. Nice guy. Super cute too,” she adds, making me embarrassed.

  I glance over my shoulder as if I half expect someone to be watching and listening behind me. When I look, there’s no one there.

  “I’m just trying to make the best first impression I can,” I admit. “That’s why I woke up so early this morning.”

  “I’m sure you will kick so much ass in this new role as a nanny.” Cindy sounds so sincere that she brightens my mood immensely by a single declaration.

  “Well, at least one of us believes in me,” I joke.

  “Oh, just stop it.” Cindy sounds like she’s done playing games. “You are an asset and you have tremendous hope to offer to a little girl who has lost her mother. You know what struggle is like. That’s why you will be perfect for Nadia.”

  “Have you met her before?” I ask.

  “No, just Jai. He seems like a real stand-up guy. He impressed me.”

  “Will you stop trying to be a matchmaker?” I chuckle.

  “I’m… not.” I don’t believe her, but I let her continue. “Amir has only nice things to say about him.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring,” I say, but my heart drums excitedly as I remember last night and the kiss I almost shared with Jai.

  I withhold that information from Cindy for now. I know she’ll just take it and run with it as far as she can go and it's too early for that much insightfulness.

  “I don’t want you to just view yourself as the help,” Cindy says, and I picture her doing air quotes.

  “Well, I’m not part of the family,” I remind her.

  “Not yet,” she quips back.

  “There you go again, playing cupid,” I tease.

  “You know you are excited about the possibilities,” Cindy presses.

  I’m quiet for a moment but I’m grinning. I keep getting a rush of adrenaline every time I think about Jai’s lips coming so wonderfully close to mine.

  “Maybe a little,” I cautiously admit.

  “That’s my girl.” Cindy sounds pleased with herself. “Anyway, there is another reason I’m calling,” she adds.

  “What’s up?” I ask and inspect my nail cuticles.

  I seriously need a manicure. I wish I could afford it, but I’ve had to put pampering myself on the back burner for what seems like a long stretch of… years. Money is always tight.

  “There’s this charity ball coming up, and I need some gorgeous dates,” she says enticingly.

  “Don’t you have a gorgeous sheikh husband to take as your date?” I scoff playfully.

  “I was thinking more of bringing my best girls,” she says. “I miss having you and Bella by my side.”

  “Is this a formal invitation?” I raise an eyebrow, still sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “You bet it is,” Cindy states with animation.

  “I just started this job,” I remind her. “I don’t know if I can get time off of work yet.”

  “You better get time off work,” Cindy spiritedly taunts. “If not, then I'll have a little chat with your boss.”

  “No, you aren’t.” I shake my head and laugh.

  “He�
�s also attending this charity event, you know,” Cindy declares slyly.

  “How does that have anything to do with me?” I ask, even though I’m secretly fantasizing about entering the ball with my elbow locked with Jai’s, I get a rush envisioning all eyes on us. I would love to dress up like a princess for an evening of make-believe.

  It’s just a daydream. It’s not real. I close my eyes and try to bring myself back to reality. Living in the clouds is more fun, but it’s not as productive.

  “I’m not saying anything,” Cindy says but I can hear the mischief laced in her voice.

  “Don’t do anything too crazy,” I order. “I don’t want anything to jeopardize this job right now.”

  “I would never sabotage you,” Cindy pledges.

  “Good.” I stand up and walk toward the door. “I have to get going though. Nadia will probably be awake soon and I need to be there when she does. I’ll let you know later about the ball.”

  “Please do.” Cindy sounds optimistic as we say goodbye and hang up.

  I trot downstairs, but when I enter the kitchen, I’m surprised to see that Nadia is already awake. She’s sitting in a chair at the table, wearing pink unicorn pajamas. Her little legs are swinging back and forth and she’s staring somberly at her bowl of cereal.

  She has a spoon cuffed in her tiny, tan fist, but she’s not bringing it to the bowl to eat.

  When I get a closer look at her, I notice that she’s almost scowling. Her face is all business.

  “Nadia?” I ask.

  I’m almost afraid to break her concentration. I half expect the little child to bark at me in response, but she doesn’t. She raises her big brown eyes and blinks at me.

  “Good morning,” she states. She suddenly looks wise beyond her years.

  “Is…everything okay?” I ask and gesture to the empty seat next to her. “May I?”

  “Sure.” She waves her hand beckoningly and finally gives me a meager smile.

  I scoot the chair out from under the table and sit down, continuing to study Nadia, looking for any clues to determine whether she’s still mad at me about the whole Rapunzel debacle from last night.

  “I was thinking,” she says and cocks her head to the side as if debating something in her mind.

  Her tiny voice is so sweet and delicate that it touches the maternal side of me. I didn’t even know I had one until I associated with Nadia.

  I smile. “What were you thinking about?”

  Nadia’s eyes reach my gaze. “I want you to brush my hair.” She says it so efficiently that it takes my brain a moment to catch up and realize what she’s recommending.

  “You do?” I try to remain optimistic for her benefit.

  “You seem surprised,” she says. She’s still clutching the spoon but doesn’t eat.

  “Well,” I chuckle nervously because I don’t want to offend her again like I did last night. “I just… wasn’t expecting you to say that. That’s all.” I end with a smile I hope she’ll read as courteous.

  Nadia shrugs indifferently. She’s like a different kid today, but I decide to just roll with the punches here.

  “At first, I didn’t want anyone to touch my hair.” She pauses and looks at me for a reaction. “Including myself.”

  “You didn’t want to touch your hair either?” I ask.

  “Not since my mom…” she trails off in a barely audible whisper.

  I don’t force her to say the rest of the sentence. I see the pain in her eyes.

  “Whenever I thought about my hair, it reminded me of my mom.” She sniffs and adjusts her weight in the seat. It squeaks with the movement.

  Nadia smiles as if there’s a projector in her mind that’s reeling through the memories and playing them back to her.

  “My mom used to make my hair so pretty. She would put it in bows, she would put it in ponytails. She would even braid it.”

  Her eyes brighten with excitement but then in an instant, it all comes plummeting down.

  “Now, it’s just ugly,” she states with a finality that breaks my heart.

  “Oh, sweetie.” I reach across the table and cup my hand over hers. “Your hair isn’t ugly. It’s still very beautiful.”

  Nadia looks at me with a cynical leer. “No, it’s ugly.”

  “Well, if you want me to help you, I will.” I know that now is not the time to argue with her on the subject. I’ll just do as she wishes because that’s what I’m being paid to do.

  A few tears glisten in Nadia’s eyes. “I tried to… brush it myself last night, but it hurts too bad.”

  “I’ve got you covered.” I lean in. “There’s no knot on this earth I can’t untangle.”

  “Really?” Nadia sits up straight, looking hopeful.

  I gesture to the mop of curls atop my head. “Look at who you are talking to.”

  Nadia giggles. Her little legs swing faster under the table.

  “I know what it's like to deal with difficult hair. I’ve been around the block with stuff like that. Just trust me on this.”

  Now we are chatting like girlfriends, and I’m feeling relieved for pulling her out of her rut. Maybe Cindy is right. Perhaps I can make a positive impact on this little girl’s life.

  “I’ll make you a deal, okay?” I prop my elbow up on the table and lean forward even closer, looking into Nadia’s dazzling eyes.

  “What is it?” She has a buoyant ring in her voice.

  “I will make you look like the princess you are. You'll see that you are the prettiest girl in the world. Not that it’s going to be hard. You’re already gorgeous.”

  Nadia smiles. I can tell she’s nervous with the way she’s fidgeting in her seat and rubbing her hands together, but at least she’s on board with running a comb through her hair. Baby steps are better than nothing. Progress is progress, and I’ll take what I can get this early in my job.

  14

  Jai

  I click through an endless sea of emails on the computer in my office. I have a tremendous amount of work to do, but I don’t know where to start. For one, I’m exhausted, and my focus is shot. I feel like I’m moving at a snail’s pace and my thoughts are fragmented.

  I didn’t get an ounce of sleep last night, because I can’t stop thinking about Aurora, but also, I am still fretting over the mysterious phone calls and texts that my security team has yet to identify.

  I take a deep breath and prop my elbows up on my desk, rubbing my temples. Maybe if I just close my eyes for a few moments…

  It’s not helping. I wish that when I see Aurora today, that things won’t be awkward between us. I haven’t apologized yet for being too presumptuous with her last night. In my defense, however, I thought that the chemistry had been right on target. It had been an intensely erotic moment for me, but clearly, I misread her signals.

  Or, maybe on a brighter note, she is interested in me too, but is afraid to pursue a relationship because I’m her boss. I can understand why she would be a little distressed. I need to correct my behavior with her. I need to make sure she’s not uncomfortable around me. The last thing I want to do is see her less, or, have her running the opposite direction when she notices me approaching to avoid a confrontation.

  I open my eyes and begrudgingly glance at the pile of mail on the corner of my desk. It’s a trivial task but I have to sort through it.

  I toss the junk mail away and come across one envelope addressed from my friend and associate Amir, another sheikh living in the United States.

  As I open the letter, I realize it’s a formal invitation for a charity ball this weekend that’s being held at his brand new hotel in the center of the city. It jolts my memory that we talked about it, and I agreed to bring my in-laws who are coming to visit.

  Invitees are encouraged to bring at least guest, is written in perfect cursive at the bottom of the invitation.

  I glance at the ceiling and toss the invitation aside. Naturally, my mind instantly wanders to Aurora. She is the perfect one to invite to
the charity event.

  No. I shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut. “You’re an idiot,” I say out loud, grateful for the temporary solitude. “Inviting Aurora is the worst idea you’ve had in a while.”

  I just need to hear how ridiculous it sounds out loud, and it works to a certain extent.

  “It would be out of line, completely inappropriate,” I advise myself.

  I stand up and stretch. I have been sitting at this desk for too long. I need a break, a coffee break. It will be nice to clear my head and put some distance between me and that tempting invitation.

  I jog down the stairs and halt in my tracks when I reach the kitchen. Aurora is standing in the foyer, behind Nadia. They are both gazing into the full-length mirror on the wall. Aurora has her hands cradled delicately over Nadia’s shoulders, and she’s proudly looking down at her.

  Nadia’s grin is over the top, from ear to ear and she’s practically glowing with excitement. Nadia’s hair is glistening. It’s straight and gleaming. It looks as smooth as silk. I blink, thinking that I must imagine things, but this is real.

  Gone, is the tangled mess of hair atop my child’s head. No more, are the knots and split ends. What’s left is beautiful, shiny hair.

  Aurora sees me first. She gives me a warm smile and carefully spins Nadia around. “Go say hi to your father,” she coaxes gently.

  I am so astonished that I’m at a loss for words. My mouth hangs open in shock.

  I kneel to Nadia’s level as she drifts closer. I open my arms and receive her, embracing her in a giant bear hug.

  “You look so lovely, darling,” I whisper to her.

  “Thanks, Daddy.” Nadia is beaming with adorable boastfulness.

  “May I…” I glance between her and Aurora, “touch it?”

  Nadia lifts her head and watches Aurora as if she is waiting for permission. Aurora gives her an approving nod. “Go ahead.”

  Nadia looks at me. “It’s okay if you touch it.”

  I tenderly reach for a few strands and brush my fingers through her hair. It’s magnificently soft. I don't know what kind of bribery Aurora has worked on my child, but at this point I don’t care. I’m just glad her hair is combed and looks superb.