The Sheikh Bear

by Ashley Hunter

  The Sheikh Bear

  Ashley Hunter

   Copyright 2015 by Ashley Hunter

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced

  in any way whatsoever, without written permission

  from the author, except in case of brief

  quotations embodied in critical reviews

  and articles.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any

  person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  First edition, 2015

  Chapter 1

  Elle Roberts wasn’t what you’d call a supremely confident woman. Granted, she was comfortable with her looks, she was comfortable with herself—but she wasn’t exactly the type to put herself out there.

  She lived her life in a small town growing up. The same people during elementary school became the people she knew throughout high school. She had one boyfriend, a sweet guy who loved art more than anything; it just took her some time to realize that the list that included ‘anything’ also included her. So when he told her he was going to a college far off to pursue his dream as an artist, she was broken hearted when he said he’d be going alone.

  Still, she didn’t want to appear pushy or clingy and so when he broke it off, Elle smiled, gave him a warm hug, and wished him luck. Not long after he left did she finally decide to leave that small town herself.

  There were too many eyes that knew about her relationship, too many people who talked about how it was ‘such a shame’ and ‘they looked so cute together.’ So when her Uncle offered her a place to stay in the city, Elle sort of made a mad-dash decision and left.

  If one could die from culture shock, Elle would have been six feet under after her first couple of weeks within that concrete jungle. People went about their business without caring about her, cars and taxis zoomed back and forth in an endless chase of clients and destinations and the only thing that Elle could truly register after a few nights of restless sleep; the city was loud.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to come home?”

  Her mother had asked her one late night after Elle had called, eyes clogged with tears and nose raw from wiping with tissues.

  “I was talking to Maria, she said that Alex would be visiting in the fall.”

  Alex… The name alone made Elle’s chest ache but she was already shaking her head at the idea.

  “I’m staying, mom. I don’t want to see him.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you being out there on your own, even if your Uncle said you’d be taken care of in that penthouse. It’s dangerous.”

  “Yeah, but…” Elle had said before she peered out the window of her new bedroom.

  The lights below were astounding, as if she had been launched into space to live among a galaxy of stars.

  “I like it here. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll be fine…”

  The words sounded somewhat droll now that Elle found herself in a large and very expensive looking lobby. Everything about the place looked immaculate, down to the marble tile, the rugs, and the furniture placed exquisitely all around. Elle had never felt so out of place in all her life.

  Her cousin, one of her Uncle’s daughters, had recommended her to work there after they helped her update her resume.

  Carla had pursed her lips at the document, blue eyes skimming Elle’s life work before smiling and giving her a nod.

  “You’ve got quite a lot of experience, cousin.” Carla had said and Elle had beamed up at her happily.

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to fit in nicely.”

  Sure enough, just a week later (after a month in the city), Elle found herself in her best interview attire in one of the most high-class places she had ever seen.

  The woman sitting in the reception desk had eyed her up and down once before directing her to a seat and with a professional smile that consisted of nearly blinding white teeth, told Elle to wait to be called on.

  She had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes and could feel her nerves continue to bite and chew and gnaw at her stomach. Glancing down at herself, Elle frowned. This was the best skirt she had, but it was old and it had a couple of stains on it that had been hard to remove.

  Even her shirt and jacket, while she had believed were stylish, looked drab compared to the outfit worn by the woman in reception—and to her growing mortification—the other women and men that walked in and out of the lobby.

  They all looked like models. Fresh off the cover of some fashion magazine!

  And yet there she was, sitting in ill-fitted clothing, several sizes bigger than the toothpick-slim women walking around, and with her mess of wild brown curls pinned down to a half-knot in the back of her head.

  Fifteen minutes became twenty and Elle snuck a glance at the nearest clock.

  What was taking so long? Was she being tested? Was she being watched right now?

  “Just be yourself, okay?” Carla had informed her earlier that week.

  “It’s a secretary position and so you’ll be expected to behave naturally. Your employer is actually one of our biggest clients, but don’t feel pressured, he’s really not that bad.”

  “He sounds like a big deal…” Elle had laughed nervously.

  “He’s a Sheikh from Dubai, and the guy is really well off. His family’s business has been in liaison with ours for a long time, so I have no doubt that you’ll do well.”

  “Elle Roberts?”

  Elle shot off from her seat, more out of alarm than intention and when she searched for the source of the voice she was suddenly under the sharp scrutiny of an extremely well dressed silver-blonde woman.

  This woman was all angles and impressionable colors. A blouse of deep vermilion swathed over her pale skin and shimmered beneath the light of the chandeliers above. Black pencil skirt hugged her legs and enhanced her features and no doubt those were ‘chimmy choos’ (or whatever they were called) gracing her feet. Elle felt so ridiculously underdressed.

  The woman noticed. With a pointed look at her skirt, the woman fixed her an unimpressed glare before turning with her chin.

  “This way.”

  Elle followed quickly, nearly stumbling over her heels as she struggled to catch up to the woman’s strut.

  “We’ve looked over your resume,” the woman spoke without warning.

  “Oh! Uh…”

  “Impressive work, considering. Of course, we did expect someone… different. Your credentials are more than enough to get you hired.” The woman said, never slowing down her pace as she led Elle down a hallway that was just crawling with unbelievably good-looking people.

  “Now, the Sheikh will be waiting for you to assist in a few small errands, more to gauge how much you can take at once. He’ll be expecting his coffee as well as his first ‘rules’ of the day. You’ll be speaking with Avani—the Sheikh’s first secretary and she’ll be giving you a rundown as well as your training of what you need to do, so save your questions for her.”

  “You should know that while you are here, you need to maintain a certain standard of appearance,” she said this as she shot Elle a look of thinly veiled disdain.

  “The Sheikh is a very important figure in business and his secretary should look the part.”

  “Oh, of course…” Elle muttered, cheeks burning.

  “I’ll have you know that you’re not the first woman who’s walked in here expecting a simple job. The Sheikh’s already fired his five previous secretaries, after Avani, of course.”

  Elle blinked curiously as they took another turn down a hallway.

  “Wait… what happened to Avani?”

  “Ugh, she went and got herself married and now she’s pregnant.” The woman sighed as th
ough the whole situation was a huge inconvenience.

  Elle was nearly baffled at the reaction.

  “Which was a huge deal considering since the Sheikh has been giving all other women a hard time. But he’s absolutely gorgeous so you should count your lucky stars or something.”

  “Uh…” Elle was at a loss for words.

  “Sorry, I never got your name?”

  “Alliana.” The woman said, “But you won’t need to remember it, since we’ll probably never see each other again. Here we are.”

  She paused for a moment after they arrived to a long set of double doors of a deep mahogany.

  “Avani is inside and waiting for you, so do as your told and maybe you’ll be lucky. Ta’.”

  And just like that Alliana was sauntering off, expensive heels clacking away. Elle watched her disappear down a hallway before glancing back at the door.

  With a sigh, she leaned over and lifted a hand to knock before she changed her mind and grasped the fine sterling handle.

  With a turn and push, Elle made her way inside the room and nearly gasped when she beheld her surroundings. The office was beautifully done and since it was near the top of the building, immense glass windows became the walls near the far end.

  The view outside was spectacular, and the light of the day glanced off from the surrounding buildings made it look all the more enchanting. Before Elle could find herself entranced, her green eyes managed to fall over the only person sitting in the suite.

  Elle had been told she would meet Avani, but the figure lying on the white couch adjacent to the windows was certainly not Avani, but a very well dressed man.

  He was covered in a fine suit of a beautiful shade of cream and burgundy trim. He had an arm over his eyes so Elle couldn’t see his face clearly, but he looked to be at ease. Long legs resting over the white cushions, and his broad chest was moving gently, he looked like he was napping.

  Elle took in a cautionary breath, uncertain on what to do. Her first instinct was to turn around and leave, cursing herself for not having knocked earlier.

  To her surprise, Elle wasn’t given an opportunity.

  “Are you going to just stand there all day or are you going to come here?” The man spoke, not moving an inch aside from speaking. His voice was an attractive baritone with a lilt to his words that reminded Elle of a British accent, yet he rolled his tongue over some of the words pleasantly.

  Elle was spurred forward, taking a few steps deeper into the suite before she was standing a respectful distance from the couch.

  Finally, he lifted his arm from his eyes, thick brows arching as he beheld her.

  “And you are?”

  “Elle Roberts…?” Elle began, trying not to squirm visibly.

  “I’m starting as the new secretary for the Sheikh Zayn Ab…Ab…”

  “Zayn Abd al Malik,” he replied, his tongue rolling over the name with almost lazy precision.

  “Starting as his secretary and you can’t even say your employer’s name?”

  Elle flushed pink, “I’ll be sure to say it properly when I meet him.”

  “I’m sure,” he drawled, settling over the cushions as he watched her, bored.

  “Did Alliana bring you here?”

  “Yes,” Elle replied. “She said I would meet with Avani?”

  “Avani’s water broke,” he replied with a half shrug.

  “She should be delivering her brat sometime within the next hour or so…”

  Elle swallowed, unsure how to register this man’s abrupt bitter tone.

  “I see…”

  “So, guess that means you’ll have no one to train you. Which sucks—as you people love to say—since the Sheikh is a serious hardass.” The man pushed himself up to sit and face her.

  “You know the Sheikh?” Elle asked curiously.

  She felt strangely hot now that she was speaking to this man. He was unbelievably attractive. Dark skin and dark hair that curled in messy waves over his scalp and teased his dark eyes.

  “You could say that,” he replied, smirking.

  “Although, I doubt you want to know him, dressed like that.” He added, waving a finger in her direction in a loose gesture.

  Elle glanced down at her clothes, lip sinking behind her teeth. “If he saw you like that, habibi, he’d rip you apart.”

  A bubble of irritation set her nerves on fire.

  Elle glanced back up at the man with a scowl, “I didn’t come here to play dress up, I came here to work, mister…?” She trailed off.

  “Malik.” He said, smirk widening. Elle blinked in surprise.

  “You’re related to the Sheikh?”

  “In a matter of speaking,” he said with a snicker.

  “Since you’re so eager to work, maybe I should put you to it. Trial by fire, or so they say right, habibi?”

  Suddenly, he was up on his feet, heading towards a door at the other side of the suite. “I’m certain you know all about the Rules, know how the Sheikh loves to take his coffee. Also, you know all about the Schedule, right?”

  “The—what?” Elle stammered, unsure whether to follow him or not.

  “Wonderful! The Sheikh is a stickler for the schedule, and if you don’t have that memorized like it’s your mother’s name then you won’t last long.” He said and continued to say after he walked through the door that lead to a fairly large office space.

  Elle finally decided to go after him.

  “I won’t need to show you to your desk since you probably already know where it is, so you better hop to it!”

  The office was pretty immense, two desks sat in opposite sides of the room facing each other. The room continued into another room with glass doors, where one could see an immense desk and several other assortments needed for a business.

  Malik strolled in through the room before whirling around and facing her. Elle nearly collided into him, stopping short to take several steps away from his dark stare.

  “Are you fond of challenges, Miss Roberts?”

  “Uh—Y-yes?”

  “Good, because this one is probably one you’re not suited for. The past five girls that came here hardly lasted a couple of weeks—although one of them managed to get a full month in before she was fired.”

  “All of them had impressive credentials and all of them were much better dressed than you. You’re out of your league here, Miss Roberts. So, I’d recommend you turn around and go home before making any other decisions.”

  Elle frowned, squaring her shoulders. She had grown up in a comfortable small town and in a place where everyone knew each other, but she was a hard worker, and she was unmatched in organizing events and dealing with rough customers. She would not be cowed by some guy in an Armani suit.

  “With all due respect, Mr. Malik, I appreciate your warning, but I didn’t come all this way to give up. I may not look like the women out there, but I’ve got something none of them have.”

  Malik rose a brow, “Oh, and what’s that?”

  Elle fixed him a defiant stare.

  “Determination. So you can go tell the Sheikh that I’m not going to get beaten that easily.”

  Malik let out a low laugh before grinning at her, “I’ll be sure to let him know. Good luck, habibi. You’re going to need it.”

  And with that he turned and walked out of the office suite, leaving Elle on her own.

  When Elle returned to her uncle’s apartment late that night, it had been the first time she had broken down into a fit of tears that had nothing to do with Alex.

  Chapter 2

  The next day, Elle walked into the building dressed in her battle armor—a business tracksuit that her mother had purchased for her years ago that she had never bothered wearing. She had no doubt that the outfit was out of style, but Elle wasn’t about to show up again to be shown up by some high-fashioned idiots.

  She had styled her hair differently this time as well, her wild mane of curls now sat behind her head in a messy bun that she accentuat
ed with a flowery hair clip. Her eyes and face had a little more serious make up and when she appeared toward the reception desk, the woman sitting there seemed to ignore her easily rather than stare at her pointedly. This was some progress, Elle supposed, but she wasn’t finished yet.

  She headed up towards the office, prepared to follow the steps of her work like she had been told. The training of yesterday was a disaster. She had gotten the coffee wrong, had mixed up some of the documents for a meeting, and nearly missed an important call from one of the Sheikh’s clients.

  In all that time, she had never met her employer and Malik had only shown up once to laugh at her when she was busy scrambling for the right documents to take to the meeting.

  “I’m surprised he isn’t firing you, habibi. Women have been fired for less.” He had said with a devious grin.

  “Well, maybe if you didn’t just stand there and helped me, I wouldn’t have my neck on the chopping block.” Elle snapped back, already tired of this man’s hovering.

  “Be careful, habibi.”

  He clicked his tongue at her, “You don’t want to get thrown out because of your attitude, do you?”

  Elle sighed before stamping down her frustration and getting back to work.

  Eventually, the end of the workday came and Elle still hadn’t met the Sheikh.

  Now that she was marching up, she made a turn before nearly running into Alliana. The woman was dressed in magnificent colors of gold and emerald and Elle barely had enough time to gawk at her wardrobe before her guide was glaring her at.

  “You’re late.” Alliana stated.

  Elle blinked in surprise before glancing down at her wristwatch—a gift from her uncle—and the time was a few minutes before she was due to be at her desk.

  “I thought my schedule is from nine to five?”

  Alliana let out a low noise of disgust.

  “And what you think the Sheikh is going to get his own morning coffee, or make sure his dry cleaning is on time? No. That’s your job and you’re late.”

  Elle fought the urge to let out a wail before she was suddenly being whisked away by the blonde woman.