by Holly Rayner
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Sold to the Sheikh Bidder
Holly Rayner
Contents
Sold to the Sheikh Bidder
Want More?
1. Lauren
2. Hakim
3. Lauren
4. Lauren
5. Lauren
6. Hakim
7. Lauren
8. Lauren
9. Hakim
10. Lauren
11. Hakim
12. Lauren
13. Lauren
14. Hakim
15. Lauren
16. Lauren
17. Lauren
18. Lauren
19. Hakim
20. Hakim
21. Lauren
22. Hakim
23. Hakim
24. Lauren
The Sheikh’s Priceless Bride
Introduction
Prologue
1. Khizar
2. Jacqui
3. Khizar
4. Jacqui
5. Khizar
6. Jacqui
7. Jacqui
8. Jacqui
9. Khizar
Also by Holly Rayner
Sold to the Sheikh Bidder
Copyright 2018 by Holly Rayner
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author.
All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.
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Chapter 1
Lauren
Shoving her arm into her puffy jacket sleeve, Lauren Sanders rushed out of the theater’s side door. February in Anaheim wasn’t that cold, but the thin straps and low neckline of her cocktail dress did nothing to protect her from the evening chill.
Lauren was never late. Not to meetings, not to dinners, certainly not to her own company’s three-year anniversary party. But the director had wanted to go over one more scene, so Lauren and a few of the other actors had stayed at her request. One rule of Lauren’s that had served her well in life was “don’t upset the boss.” And in the theater, the director was the boss.
She hurried to her car, jumped in and started the engine. If traffic wasn’t bad, she could still make it before anyone noticed that she was late. Well, anyone except her assistant. And her vice president. And her mother. But she’d deal with that when she got to the party.
Apart from when it made her late for parties, Lauren didn’t mind staying longer at rehearsals. The stage was one of the only places where she felt free of all the stress and pressure of her regular life. It was necessary, just as much as it was fun.
Usually, it wasn’t too much of a problem to keep her work world and her theater world separate. Even if it meant answering emails in between scenes and occasionally slipping out for a phone call when the cast was on a break, Lauren still managed to put her all into both.
Tonight, though, was different. It was the first time she’d ever had a rehearsal scheduled on the same evening as a work event. Lauren had thought she could manage it; at least she’d had the foresight to bring her party dress with her so she could get ready at the theater.
As it happened, being at the theater before the big party was a blessing in disguise. Getting ready for a black-tie event around theater people meant that her long, dark blond hair—normally professionally pulled back into a low ponytail—was tucked up into an elaborate loose twist that somehow looked like she’d just walked in from a day on the beach while at the same time being perfectly professional.
Her makeup was perfect, too. Knowing that she’d be on another kind of stage that evening, three other cast members had insisted on sitting her down so they could craft a look for her that appeared effortless, but would show up well under all the different kinds of lights she’d be under.
Lauren had worked in television production and theater long enough to know how to do her own hair and makeup, but it was so nice when she had other people to do it for her. She had been so nervous about the party that she was convinced she’d end up with clumped mascara and the wrong color lipstick.
Having the rest of the cast and crew there to put her together had saved her. They’d made sure her dress was steamed, oohing and ahhing over the pretty purple number Lauren had picked especially for the party. The deep eggplant color and stiff fabric was sleek enough to be professional, while the skirt belled out like a cocktail dress from the 50s giving it an air of whimsy.
She needed everything to be perfect at the party. It was an opportunity to show the world that BingeWatch Media had arrived, and to celebrate all the hard work her team had done over the past three years.
When Lauren started out, she had already known that she had what it took to run a successful company. In addition to her education, several high-level internships, and a previous job at another production company, she had been raised to be a CEO. Her mother, who had owned her own company since Lauren was a kid, had trained her daughter for the job from the beginning.
Except for theater, work was pretty much all Lauren focused on. She had friends and she made as much time to see them as she could, but getting BingeWatch up and running had left her with little time for anything else. She had worked incredibly hard to make her company one of the best in the industry.
In the television world, there were so many factors at play, and any of them could have caused the company to fail. With hard work, though—a lot of really hard work—the company had rocketed to the top of the field. They had just taken on several new major projects and had hired a bunch of new people.
Lauren had been planning this event for some time—she wanted to mark the year when the company turned truly profitable. She also knew this was an opportunity to thank her team and welcome the new staff on board. And it was a chance to show off to clients and maybe even recruit a few new ones.
Her fingers tapped nervously on the steering wheel as she sat at an intersection, waiting. When the light turned green, she moved her foot quickly to the gas pedal, but the heel of her shoe slipped on the mat and the edge of her foot caught the brakes. The car jerked to a stop and even though Lauren recovered quickly, it wasn’t before the car behind her blared its horn at her clumsy driving.
Lauren took a deep breath as she hit the accelerator more slowly this time. Going into the party flu
stered wouldn’t look good, not for her or her team. She tried to center herself as she drove, and took another precious minute as she parked in the garage spot marked “CEO” to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths.
The party wasn’t what was making her nervous, not really. It was the charity auction at the end of the party. Lauren had wanted to do something to give back to the community, in acknowledgement of how successful the company had been, so she’d gathered some great prizes from her clients and business partners to auction off. All the money would go to a fund supporting community college students to get into media production.
It was a great cause, and Lauren knew it would help a lot of kids who needed it. But she wished she hadn’t agreed to the final prize offering.
One of her staff members had suggested that the big auction prize be Lauren herself; she would do the bidding of whoever won her for a week. The suggestion had been met with a positive buzz among her staff, and Lauren had to admit that it was a great idea.
Someone in the legal department had even drafted up a contract, which Lauren has signed the day before, outlining exactly what that meant. She was now legally bound to follow all the orders of her buyer, as long as those orders didn’t break any laws.
Lauren fully expected to be making coffee for one of her junior account managers for the next week. Or bringing lunch to one of her clients. Lauren knew that her second in command had heard rumors of the accounting department pooling their money to “buy” the boss, so she wasn’t too worried; it would be good for her team’s morale to see their CEO willing to play along.
There was a legal out in the contract, something she’d insisted on, just in case someone took things too far. If Lauren felt she couldn’t fulfill what was ordered of her, she could buy out the contract by paying whatever the buyer had bid in the auction.
But still, it was a bit disconcerting to know that she would have to offer herself up like that.
Lauren took another deep breath. If she just thought of it like being on another kind of stage, she could do this. It would be fine.
Finally feeling less agitated, she opened the car door, put on her best brilliant smile, and headed into the party.
Her assistant, Emma, met her right inside the door. She didn’t give her boss a chance to say anything, just held her arms out for Lauren’s coat.
“You got delayed by an important call,” Emma said, folding Lauren’s coat in her arms.
“From who?” Lauren laughed. “All of our clients are here tonight.”
Emma shook her head. “Not all of them. The CEO of Allied Productions has the flu. I think he sent a few of his people, but he also called to offer his congratulations.”
Lauren raised an eyebrow. “Did he really call?”
“Of course. And he sent some lovely flowers with a bottle of champagne."
“So, I talked to him.”
“Very briefly. He sounds terrible, so you didn’t keep him on the phone long.” Emma ushered her boss down the hallway and pointed toward the party.
“Thanks, Emma.”
“You’re welcome. Now go be awesome in there.”
Lauren made a quiet entrance into the main room, where the party was already in full swing. She greeted people with handshakes and hugs, acting like she’d just stepped away for a few minutes instead of rushing over from another part of town.
One of the many servers walking through the crowd offered Lauren a drink, which she gratefully accepted. She took a sip of champagne and kept circulating through the crowd.
It was gratifying to see so many people at the party, a sign that BingeWatch had truly made it to the top of the pack. Lauren mentally ticked people off in a checklist as she talked to them; she didn’t want to overlook or accidentally slight anyone. It might be her night, but the people she talked with had made it possible for her company to succeed.
One of her account managers introduced his wife to her, and another crossed the room to introduce her boyfriend. Lauren was so pleased that her staff had brought their families, and it reminder her that she hadn’t seen her mother yet.
She did a slow circuit of the main room, checking to see if her mother had gotten caught coming in the door and was still talking. No such luck, though.
But someone did catch her eye. Lauren barely stopped herself from doing a classic double take when she saw the gorgeous guy across the room. Wavy black hair paired with dark olive skin and gleaming white teeth that flashed a perfect smile—really, the guy could have come from central casting, he was so good looking.
Lauren didn’t know who he was, even though he looked a little familiar. That made sense if he was in the industry; she’d probably seen his picture in one of the trade papers. He wasn’t one of their clients, and although he was chatting with people, he didn’t seem to be there with anyone in particular, which meant he probably wasn’t a family member of one of her staff.
She watched him talk to Stan Franklin, another one of her account managers. Lauren almost felt bad for the guy; Stan was known for his terrible jokes and Lauren could tell he was winding one up.
But the dark-haired man threw his head back and laughed like he’d never heard anything funnier. Lauren thought it was a nice laugh, and a kind reaction. He slapped Stan’s back and pointed toward the bar. The two men moved in that direction, and as they turned, Lauren’s eyes connected with his.
Lauren knew she was blushing. There was no way that blunt gaze wasn’t causing her to turn all shades of pink. She smiled; he smiled back and winked at her.
She ducked her head, blushing even more, but was saved from having to think about what her face looked like when she felt her phone buzz with an incoming text. She fished her phone out of the small pocket in her skirt and unlocked the screen.
Immediately, she sighed and said under her breath, “Really, Patricia?”
The text read: I’m sorry, darling. Something’s come up at work and I won’t be able to make it tonight. Thanks for understanding. I know the party will be a huge success. I’m proud of you. xoxo, Mom
Lauren wanted to text her mother back and tell her that signing her texts with hugs and kisses didn’t make up for not being there, that she’d rather have a hug in person than a text from her mother saying she was proud. Lauren knew that already—Patricia hadn’t really given Lauren a choice but to make her proud by starting her own company and making it successful. That was baseline for Patricia’s approval.
Lauren had hoped that her mother would put aside her own work for one night and help Lauren celebrate her own achievement. But with Patricia, the company came first, and that was that.
Of course, Lauren admired her mother’s dedication to her work. It took guts to start a business, and some serious skill and perseverance to make it one of the top advertising agencies in the country. But all her life, the company had felt like a treasured older sibling to Lauren; the one always getting the love and attention. Lauren felt like she had to live up to it, and she had. She just wished her mother had made an exception to her “business first” rule this one time.
Instead of sending the message she wanted to write, Lauren simply responded: Thanks, Mom.
Then she squared her shoulders and put a smile back on, and resolved to have the best time possible. If anyone could act the part, it was her.
Chapter 2
Hakim
He had to admit, it was a good party. The music, being played by a DJ on a stage along one edge of the room, was lively and fun. The plentiful food came from one of the best caterers in the city. Set up in different stations around the room, the guests could easily grab a plate and chat with others at the party. There were two large bars, with genial bartenders, liberal pours, and more than enough champagne.
It wasn’t just the champagne; there was a buzz in the room that you only got when people were genuinely pleased to be somewhere. Hakim had spent the entire time talking to as many BingeWatch employees as he could, and he was surprised. They all had nothing but good th
ings to say about their boss.
Of course, Lauren Sanders would know how to run a company—she’d probably been taught how to do profit and loss statements before she’d started on solid food. Patricia Sanders would stand for nothing less than a daughter who could manage a staff of dozens.
Hakim wasn’t interested in Lauren’s company, though. He wanted to know what Lauren was like, because tonight he intended to get one over on her mother, once and for all.
Patricia Sanders was his arch nemesis, always bidding on the same clients and subverting his influence in the advertising industry. Although his business outside the U.S. was second to none, the Khalif Group couldn’t seem to break past Sanders & Company stateside.
Hakim was tired of it. He knew that his reputation as a partying playboy hadn’t helped, but he’d been trying to make up for that. His move to the States, even buying a house in Anaheim, had been a signal that he was serious about expanding his business in the U.S. He was attending all the right events and parties, meeting the right people, staying out of trouble.
He’d always been brilliant at the business side of things, so even when he was partying with models and rock stars, he’d been building a successful company. The fact that he started with money to burn had helped, but it was his talent for getting and managing clients that kept them coming back.
The last few years, he’d built another reputation—one for being cold and unfeeling. He still dated models and actresses, but those relationships never lasted, because the past three years he’d focused on building his company and nothing else.
He’d missed so much back home, but it had been worth it to make the Khalif Group successful. He knew his family was proud of him. And Hakim was actually enjoying the new serious side of himself that he presented to the world. Five years ago, he was courted at parties, but ignored in board rooms. For a while, that had been fun, but it got old. He had chipped away at much of that old reputation, and replaced it with someone who was taken seriously in the industry.
