The Sheikh's Assistant

by Emily Walters

  “No, sir. I am not scared nor do I have doubts about my abilities. I know I can execute my role well,” she said.

  A small smile appeared on his face. “Confident?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Keep it that way.” Sofian winked at her and then went into his office. Once again he had shocked Morgan. He had given her half a compliment about how she was capable of doing a good job. Then he gave her half a smile, which was far much more than usual. Then he winked at her. He was really hard to understand. Morgan just sighed and sat at her desk.

  ***

  Sofian was at his desk working when Morgan marched in with a straight face. She was dressed in grey leggings and a white T-shirt with grey sleeves. “You’re here,” he said to her.

  “It's a Saturday,” Morgan pointed out. Sofian looked up. From her tone, he could tell that she was not pleased about working during the weekend.

  “From time to time, I will require you to work for me during weekends and some late nights. Is that going to be a problem?” Sofian leaned back in his seat and just stared at her.

  Morgan placed her hands on her hips. “I would have liked to have known in advance,” she mumbled.

  “Come here.”

  Morgan dragged her feet as she approached Sofian’s wide glass desk. He gestured for her to sit down. She pulled out one of the two white leather chairs and sat down in front of him. He passed her some documents.

  “What are these?” she asked him.

  “I need you to help me get through some documents.”

  Morgan nodded and picked up one of the documents. “What are they for?”

  “That child-friendly painkiller, it’s real. I need to start that project soon.”

  Morgan raised her eyebrows. “You have other trials for other medications going on, and not to mention the morning sickness medication research going on. Now this? It’s a lot of work. Can you handle it all?”

  “Can I handle it? Woman, I am Sofian Bukhari. I can handle anything.”

  Morgan started laughing. “I will pretend that that did not sound conceited,” she said.

  He noticed how odd her laugh was. It was not cute or ladylike, but she looked pretty and playful when she laughed. “It’s just the truth. The men in my family are built to handle anything,” he said.

  Morgan smiled and nodded. “Do you have siblings?”

  “An older brother. Why do you not know that?”

  “Believe it or not, I don’t Google you in my spare time.”

  Sofian smiled. “You should. I have an impressive profile.”

  Morgan crossed her eyebrows. “Okay, about this painkiller.” She looked down at the documents.

  “That drug for morning sickness, it needs a name,” he said suddenly.

  “Um, okay. What a change in topic.”

  “Name it.”

  “Name what?”

  “I need you to come up with a name for the morning sickness medicine. And this one actually.” It was the first time Sofian was ever allowing an assistant to do that. Usually he and the board members came up with any names.

  “What? You want me to do that?” she asked. Sofian just looked at her and did not respond. She put the documents down and started thinking. “Nausi Free,” she said with a grin on her face.

  “Nausi Free? That is a strange name.”

  “No, it makes sense. Nausi Free, meaning nausea free. It’s simple and catchy.” Morgan giggled.

  “We’ll use that then.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Cool.” Morgan tucked a curly lock of hair behind her ear. Sofian noticed that small things excited her. She seemed particularly happy about Nausi-Free. He smiled to himself and returned his attention back to his work.

  Sofian was hands-on. He wanted to prepare a rough list of what he wanted in the painkiller drug before he passed it to the relevant team to start the research. He also wanted to set the budget, plan the time scale, choose companies to pitch sales to, and pick out the team he wanted to work on it. He was very hands-on.

  A bit later on in the day, Morgan was no longer working. She was sitting there with her jaw in her palm. Sofian noticed. She looked bored.

  “What is the matter?” he asked her.

  “I am hungry.”

  “Oh.” Sofian narrowed his gaze at her. “I thought that there was actually something wrong with the work, or you.”

  Morgan looked at him and pouted slightly. “I can’t think straight when I am hungry.”

  Sofian could not help but laugh. Morgan’s eyes flew open.

  “That is ludicrous,” he said.

  “Wow, you actually laughed.”

  “I laugh.”

  “No, you do not. You don’t smile either.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” Sofian replied with an expressionless face.

  “You always look so serious.”

  Sofian pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and ordered food. He seemed to know the person but not the menu. He was rather asking that things be prepared a certain way. Morgan watched him with a quizzical look on her face. “What?” he asked her.

  “Was that the first time you ever ordered food for yourself?” she asked.

  “Yes.” Sofian grinned, face full of guilt. He lived a pampered life.

  “You know the people?”

  “Yes. A friend of mine owns an excellent restaurant down the street. He can get the food prepared and sent over on my call.”

  “Nice.” Morgan smiled and nodded.

  “I hope you like lamb,” Sofian said to her when the food arrived.

  “I like anything edible.” Morgan’s face lit up. Sofian smiled to himself and said nothing. The two of them moved to the sitting area, away from the paperwork so that they could eat. Sofian could not help but watch Morgan eating. It was the first time he witnessed her eating.

  “You are enjoying that,” Sofian commented.

  “I am,” Morgan replied with her mouth full. Sofian raised an eyebrow. It was such an unladylike thing to do. She was not ladylike. She was not like other women. It was refreshing to see a woman actually eat as much as she wanted and enjoy her food.

  Morgan was also intelligent. He knew that he had made the right decision to hire her as his assistant. She was full of bright ideas and she amused him at times. He wondered why she was not affected by him. Most women would be affected by him somehow, whether it was intimidation or in most cases attraction. He affected women, everyone in fact. However with Morgan, he could not tell. He was intrigued.

  “What are you thinking?” Morgan asked him as she helped herself to more food.

  “You are not full?” Sofian asked her.

  Morgan narrowed her gaze at him. “Don't judge my appetite.”

  Sofian smiled. “I am not judging.”

  “That's the second time you smiled today, wow,” Morgan pointed out again.

  “I do smile,” Sofian said matter-of-factly. Morgan looked doubtful. She did not believe him. “I smile when it is necessary.”

  Morgan laughed a little. “Okay then,” she said. Neither of them spoke after that. They just looked at each other. Sofian took in her looks. She was beautiful. She had these mischievous big brown eyes. She had a beautiful hazelnut complexion. Her skin was smooth and beautiful. It was even more impressive because she wore no makeup. In that moment, he wanted to reach out and feel her skin.

  Suddenly the phone rang.

  Morgan put her food down and went to answer it. “Hello, Sheikh Bukhari’s office,” she answered. She turned swiftly and looked at him with her eyes wide open. She covered the mouthpiece and whispered loudly, “It’s your father!”

  Chapter 8

  Sofian frowned. He was not expecting a call from his father, especially on his work phone on a Saturday. He took a sip of his drink before getting up. Then he walked over to the desk. He took the phone from Morgan.

  “Father, is everything alright?” he said into the receiver. Mo
rgan returned to her lunch.

  “No son, everything is not well. I have tried your cell phone and house phone,” his father replied. Sofian was surprised. His father rarely looked for him. If he needed him, he would simply send his assistant to call.

  “My cell phone is on silent.” Sofian fished the phone out of his pocket. He unlocked the phone and saw eight missed calls. Something must have been really wrong.

  “Son, I need you to come home immediately,” his father said. The distress in his voice was clear.

  “What happened?”

  “It’s about your brother.” His father paused for a moment.

  “What happened to Samir?”

  “The Khans, they took him.” His father paused again. “He’s gone, Sofian.” The Khans were a small tribe that resided in the desert.

  “What do you mean he is gone?” Sofian asked his father. His father was not articulating himself as well as he normally did. He was beating around the bush, he was nervous and distressed. It was unlike him. Sofian was getting more and more worried.

  “He’s dead,” his father said.

  “What?” Sofian spat out. Morgan whipped her head in his direction.

  “They killed him.”

  Sofian was silent, as the words sank in. “Why would the Khans kill Samir?” said Sofian. He knew that the Khans did not like his family because of an old family feud. However he did not think they hated his family enough to kill his brother, the crown prince.

  “Son, you need to come home,” said his father. “Better to talk in person.”

  “Okay.” Sofian hung up. He and his father weren’t much for words. They were not like normal fathers and sons that spend hours together and on the phone. Sofian was a prince and his father was the king.

  “Is everything okay?” Morgan asked Sofian.

  “No.” He shook his head. He stood there looking both confused and sad. “Get my jet ready.”

  “Okay, to fly where?”

  “Back to Kaslan.”

  “Is everything okay?” Morgan asked again softly as she rose from her seat.

  “Just do as I say,” Sofian said to her.

  Morgan nodded. She quickly cleared up the lunch and left the room. She returned to her desk and did what she was told. She was a bit concerned about Sofian. She had heard him speak about Samir being killed. She wondered who Samir was. She wanted to ask but she was scared of his reaction. After she had called for the jet, she returned to Sofian’s office.

  “Sir, the jet is being fueled up now and will be ready for takeoff whenever you are ready,” Morgan said to him. “I have also called your driver.”

  Sofian was standing by the window looking outside. He turned and picked up his suit jacket. “Grab all these files and anything you may need,” he instructed Morgan. With confusion, she gathered up the files on the desk quickly.

  “What should I do with them?” Morgan asked.

  “You are to bring them with you.”

  “Bring them with me?” Morgan mumbled as she stalked Sofian who was walking out.

  “You are to come with me.”

  “To Kaslan?”

  “Yes, Morgan,” Sofian replied curtly. Morgan rushed to her desk. She locked her computer, grabbed her work laptop and her bag. She ran after Sofian.

  “I will need to go home to get some things,” Morgan said softly. She spoke gently because she did not want to anger Sofian. He was already sad about someone’s death. That someone must have been very important. Important enough for him to return home in a heartbeat.

  “I’ll get you anything you need there,” Sofian said to her. Morgan wanted to protest but she bit her tongue instead. It wasn’t like she lived with anyone or anything. She did not have to get permission from anyone. It was an awkward situation for her to be going to a different country with Sofian. It was going to be even more awkward having him buy her things.

  Morgan managed to be silent for most of their ride to the airport. However the curiosity was killing her. If she was going to accompany him to his country, she needed to know why.

  “Sir, why do you need me to come with you?” she asked quietly.

  “You’re my assistant.” Sofian was looking out of the window.

  “Who is Samir?” Morgan spoke as gently as she could. Sofian did not answer straight away. He kept looking out of the window quietly.

  “He is my brother,” he said at last. Morgan’s jaw dropped open. Samir was Sofian’s brother, and he had been killed. She was not sure what to do or say. She had never been good at comforting people. With caution, she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “Was he killed?”

  “According to my father.”

  Morgan rubbed his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  Sofian shook his head. “It’s not true. It can’t be true.” He was in denial. Of course he was. It was not easy to have been told that your brother had been murdered.

  “We will be in Kaslan in a few hours, and all your questions will be answered. Is there anything I can do for you now?” Morgan said softly as she rubbed his shoulder. She did not know what else to say.

  The car pulled up as they reached the airstrip. Sofian opened the door for himself and got out of the car. He did not even bother to wait for his chauffeur. Morgan opened her door too and followed him out.

  The flight attendant was already waiting for them outside the jet. She bowed her head as Sofian approached. He did not even acknowledge it. He climbed the stairs and got into the jet. Morgan smiled and greeted the flight attendant. She returned Morgan’s smile and helped her with the files in her hands.

  The interior of the jet was mostly white. The leather seats were white, and they had black armrests and black tabletops. Morgan went to sit opposite from Sofian. She placed her handbag next to her. The flight attendant put the files on the table. She offered them refreshments before she left. Sofian shook his head and Morgan followed his lead. They both buckled their seatbelts, ready for takeoff.

  Chapter 9

  Morgan and Sofian arrived in Kaslan hours later. It was already evening over there. However the sun was still setting. Morgan eyeballed the peach and grey skies as she climbed down the stairs of the jet. Sofian walked in front of her quietly. There was a car already waiting for them. A man dressed smartly in a suit opened the door for them.

  It was a short ride to the palace. When the car pulled up, Morgan turned to Sofian. She once again placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you ready?” she asked him. She instantly regretted the words. How could he be ready?

  “As ready as I can be,” Sofian said. The chauffeur opened the door for Sofian. He stepped out of the car. Morgan instantly followed him out.

  The maids bowed their heads to Sofian as he walked into the palace. Sofian said something to one of the maids in Arabic. She nodded and then asked Morgan to go with her. Sofian walked off in the other direction.

  Sofian rushed to his parents’ quarters. As he walked, he felt as though he was never going to get there. The distance he had walked so many times now felt like miles. He hoped that when he arrived, what he had heard on the phone would not be true. He so badly hoped that his brother was still alive.

  “Sheikh Sofian has arrived,” the maid outside his parents’ quarters announced. He walked into their quarters. He found his father sitting in the living room with a glass of whiskey in his hand. His father rarely drank alcoholic beverages. Sofian walked over to wooden shelf with all the alcoholic drinks. He took a glass and also poured himself some whiskey.

  “Father, I am here,” Sofian said as he joined his father and sat down in a chair. His father looked up and nodded. He took a sip of whiskey.

  “Everything is a mess right now,” his father said. He looked so distraught.

  “Where is mother?”

  “In her office, sorting everything out for the funeral. She’s been keeping herself busy. If she becomes idle, even for a second, she breaks down.”

  Sofian nodded. It was mu
ch like his mother. “What exactly happened to Samir? How did it happen?” Sofian took a sip of his drink.

  His father shrugged his shoulders. “Samir was in the desert visiting the small tribes. That’s when the Khans attacked him and –” His father stopped speaking. The words were too difficult to get out. There was a long silence between Sofian and his father. Neither one of them was good at expressing emotions.