The Sheikh Bear

by Ashley Hunter

  And without another word, Priya placed the flask on the end of the table between Malik and the door before she left. The young Sheikh listened as she disappeared and heaved out a heavy sigh.

  Chapter 6

  But that of course was easier said than done.

  The following day when Zayn Abd al Malik arrived to the workplace, he was pleasantly surprised to find Elle asleep next to the coffee machine. It wasn’t always you find a woman so amusing with her guard down.

  As he approached, he noted that the espresso churning within the pot now brewing emitted a sweet aroma of vanilla and coconut. Such fragrances always made him want to sit and relax as well so it wasn’t so unexpected that Elle would do so.

  He almost felt sorry for her.

  With a grin, he walked toward the small table where Elle was resting. Her hand cradled her jaw as her head drooped toward her chest. A thin stream of drool dribbled down the corner of her lip down to her chin. What an angel.

  Cautiously, Malik pulled out the file on the table ahead of her. After a quick skim of the documents, Malik realized she was looking over one of the spreadsheets for the meeting at noon, and vaguely wondered what she was doing looking that over.

  Closing the file, he was sorely tempted to take a picture of the dozing woman’s face but knew that even doing that was pushing it.

  Instead, he slapped the file over the wood with a loud ‘whap!’

  Elle shot up, alarm flashing over her sleep-muddled green eyes as she let out a gasp. Malik stifled a snicker, settling instead on a smug smile that she caught the moment she looked up at him.

  The way her expression flattened was almost just as satisfying as waking her up.

  “Nice nap?”

  The woman quickly countered hotly, “I was resting my eyes.”

  But the force of her statement fell apart when he patted a spot on his chin with a finger. She wiped the drool with the back of her hand, smudging her lipstick, much to her chagrin.

  “Well, the Sheikh isn’t paying you to rest your eyes.” Malik replied chiefly, smile unwavering.

  “By the way, aren’t you late in delivering his coffee?”

  “It’s not like it matters.” Elle replied, and the words actually surprised him.

  “And why is that?”

  She stretched in her seat and Malik couldn’t help but notice the way her back arched and her body was accentuated prettily by the curve. It was honestly the first time since he saw her that he realized how pretty she was. Bizarre.

  “Because he’s never shown up to drink it. For all I know, the Sheikh’s a ghost.” The last word split into a yawn she covered behind a hand.

  “Still, it’s not exactly pay day either.”

  Malik took a few steps toward the counter to lean against it, inwardly amused at the fact that the very man Elle considered a ghost was standing right in front of her.

  “Tsk, tsk, Miss Roberts. Better watch out for what you say, you wouldn’t want the Sheikh to haunt you.”

  “I never believed in ghost stories, mister Malik.” Elle replied, pulling out a high porcelain mug and coaster.

  She proceeded to make the coffee without another glance at him and Malik watched her work, somewhat fascinated. It’s only been five days since she had started and he couldn’t find anything wrong with how she brewed his coffee.

  This woman certainly had her head on her shoulders, he’d give her that. Still, it wasn’t any fun seeing her behave so casually. He liked it better when she was frantic.

  Yes, he was a bit of a sadist, but it wasn’t always that he met someone so entertaining.

  He could already hear Priya scolding him. Malik knew his play time was running out, so might as well make the best of it before he had to reveal himself. He had wanted to see how far he could keep up pretenses, but now it seemed that his little game was doomed to end quickly from the start.

  “Give it here,” Malik said as Elle began to walk off with coffee and file on hand. She paused to look at him curiously, her wild mane of curly hair subdued to pretty waves around her face.

  He kind of liked her with the curls a little better, even if she did look prettier now. “I’ll take it to the Sheikh.”

  To her credit, Elle refused to give him anything, “Not like I don’t trust you or anything, mister Malik—“

  “Please, just Malik. The whole mister thing sounds awful.”

  “—Fine. Malik. But, I would much rather take it myself.” Elle tried to walk off ahead of him but he took a couple broad steps in front of her.

  She gave him an annoyed stare this time—oh boy he couldn’t wait to see the look on her face—before waiting for him to speak.

  “I’m going to go see him right now, actually.” Malik said.

  “And believe me, he gets rather cranky if he doesn’t get his coffee. So, I’ll do you a favor this time.”

  “All the same…” Elle trailed off but he could tell she was wavering.

  “Come on, what have I ever done to you to make you be so wary of me?” Her expression morphed to one of incredulity and just like that Malik felt his lips part in another smile.

  “Duly noted. But, I’m serious here, Miss Roberts. Let me take the coffee. Go on and head back to the office. I’ll even let you snag a twenty minute nap, how’s that?”

  “As if you could.” Elle scoffed.

  “Alliana watches me like a hawk, and Priya is worse.”

  “I promise that I will make sure neither of them bother you.” Malik insisted, raising his hand in a mock gesture of honesty.

  Elle frowned at him, and the look over her face was so endearing that Malik was tempted to close the space between them, just a little. Finally, she sighed before pushing the cup into his awaiting hands.

  “Alright, but if Priya breaks my neck, you’re paying for the funeral services.” Elle said glumly.

  “Don’t be so morbid, Miss Roberts.” Malik chuckled, taking in the hot cup of coffee and heading towards the door.

  He pushed it open and allowed Elle past, “Go on ahead. I’ll see you later.”

  Elle nodded, giving him a last look of uncertainty before smiling slightly. The simple change over her face did something to Malik he hadn’t quite expected and when she thanked him, he couldn’t help but watch as she walked off.

  It was strange, but he found himself missing out on her expressions already.

  Oh well.

  And with that, Malik headed off in another direction to ponder how to make his big reveal, burning his tongue when he took a swift sip of his coffee.

  Chapter 7

  Twenty minutes, as it happened, was exactly what Elle needed. Being a secretary to a powerful man meant that she needed to be aware of his every move almost every second of every day, which was hilarious considering that fact that she hadn’t even met him.

  To her relief, Alliana and Priya had offered strict assistance in allowing her to do her job—even purchasing a new phone for her specifically to be used when she was working on matters involving the Sheikh.

  It was somewhat overwhelming. Since she had started working here, she had gotten a full-makeover, gotten an entire new wardrobe and even a new phone. She felt both pampered and burdened with insane pressure.

  It made no sense why they would put so much effort into her. That was the case, until Alliana barged in, just five minutes after Elle had woken up from her nap, to announce that the Sheikh was arriving.

  “Straighten your desk, woman!” Alliana hissed, arriving to spruce up the otherwise immaculate office.

  Elle organized her desk, watching the blonde woman scramble around back and forth, spraying a fine smelling mist around the office from a glass bottle and wrenching apart the curtains near the windows.

  “The Sheikh is just minutes outside the door and you’re gawking like a simpleton!”

  At the announcement, Elle felt urgency spur her just as swiftly, and when Alliana looked over her, she gave her a nod of approval, which was more than Elle had ever gotte
n since her make-over.

  “Alright, he’ll be here soon, head over to the kitchen and bring a tall glass of Evian water and a slice of cucumber. The drink cannot be warmer than ice cold, do you understand? But so help me if I find an ice cube in that glass, I will personally murder you. Got it?”

  Elle paled, nodding swiftly before escaping out the door, heading straight toward the stairs and making her way towards the kitchen.

  At first, she nearly cried when she realized that the Evian water was bottled up near the back storage area, but she felt relief calm her when she noticed a stash of bottles in the very back of the immense five-star refrigerator.

  Pushing aside vegetable trays and employee drinks, Elle snagged a bottle and grabbed a fresh cucumber.

  As she sliced the vegetable, Elle couldn’t help but keep an eye out for Malik. It was usually when she was scrambling for stuff that he would show up to laugh at her or distract her with his idiotic—and incredibly attractive—voice.

  In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if he walked in right then and there to watch her grab a slice of cucumber and stick it in the tall crystal glass.

  Instead, Malik was missing and Elle felt strangely confused at his absence. She did admit that she wanted to thank him for allowing her a little rest, even though he could be an arrogant prick, he didn’t have to help her like that. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

  Brushing thoughts of Malik away from her mind, Elle began to head back to the office, keeping her eyes fixed ahead even while she heard other employees whisper amongst themselves.

  When she finally arrived, she was mortified to notice that she was practically shaking and that her palms were moist. Wiping them on her jacket, Elle proceeded to enter the suite and then toward the office.

  As expected, Alliana was still there but she could be heard from behind the opened glass doors. The curtains were pulled aside somewhat and Elle spotted Alliana’s slim and sharp figure through the sheer fabric.

  “Absolutely, I’ll be sure to pass the message along.” The woman was saying.

  “Anything else, Your Excellency?”

  “That’ll be all.” She heard another voice say and for a moment, Elle paused. That voice sounded familiar…?

  Shaking her head, Elle disregarded the strange sense of recognition before approaching the door.

  She heard Alliana offer a final phrase in Arabic and suddenly she was walking out the door. When Alliana pushed past the curtains, she glanced at Elle with a look of exasperation.

  “Don’t just stand there, you twit. That should’ve been in there ten minutes ago!” She exclaimed quietly, pointing at the glass in Elle’s hands before urging her through the door.

  “Remember the rules!” Alliana said before Elle was suddenly past the curtains.

  The office was bright now that the windows were without their curtains and when Elle approached she noticed that there were three men. All of them were dressed in fine robes and suits, appearing regal and powerful.

  Elle had no idea which was which, until she noticed the one in the center who was busy staring out the window behind him,

  Do not speak to the Sheikh unless spoken to.

  Do not look at the Sheikh directly.

  Do not touch the Sheikh in any manner whatsoever.

  The two other men, Elle guessed they were guards, watched her intently. With a meek bow, the young woman placed the tall glass of water over a coaster on the immense wooden desk. She was already spinning around to run off until she heard one of them speak.

  “Just a moment,” and Elle froze in her spot, not daring to turn around. The sensation of being caught in the spotlight made her blood thrum in her ears.

  The owner of the voice said a few other things in Arabic and Elle felt her skin become hyper aware when she heard a rustle of movement. The two men filed out of the room, not sparing her a glance before they closed the curtains and the glass doors.

  “Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to come here?” A huge wave of déjà vu washed over Elle, making her heart stop and disbelief bleed into her mind.

  Slowly, her body spun despite her shock and when she finally turned around it was to see the last person she had expected to see.

  “M…Malik?” Elle stammered out, not believing the sight before her for a moment.

  The Sheikh’s face broke into an amused grin and the expression was so… Malik the doubt nearly left her completely.

  “Miss Roberts, a pleasure to meet you finally.”

  Chapter 8

  I’m going to kill him.

  It was a thought that constantly jumped into her mind for the next few days.

  For the longest time, Elle didn’t know what to feel. She was torn between humiliation and complete mind-boggling outrage. That idiot man made a fool out of her!

  He had sat by this entire time, laughing and poking fun at her, listening to her complain about the Sheikh when he was really the Sheikh all along!

  What kind of sick person thinks that’s funny?

  And then another thought hit her—he had talked about her boobs, and then she had shoved the man out of the office. She broke one of the most important rules already!

  With a wail, Elle buried her face in her palms, wanting to remain in the bathroom stall and just die in there because she had been played.

  Yes, Elle wanted to kill him, but it’s not like she could now!

  Considering he was one of the most powerful clients associated with her uncle. And all this time, she had been meandering about and talking to him as though he was just any other man.

  Ugh. She had even fantasized about him!

  All of this was so wrong, so horribly wrong, and yet Elle knew she would have to return to her office and face Malik—no, the Sheikh—and hopefully try not to tackle him to the ground.

  Then again, it was not like she would anyway. Sure she liked to talk big but she could never do anything, not even back in high school.

  Alex had once laughed when she had cowered in her room one day after a fight with her best friend, Molly.

  “Come on, little owl. Time to set things right.” He had said.

  The abrupt memory stopped her dead in her tracks and for a long moment, Elle just sat there waiting for the clench in her chest to disappear. It had been nearly a year since Alex broke up with her and left to go study in some university far away.

  A year ago, she had been contemplating places where they would spend time together; she had even gone so far as to imagine how their wedding would be like.

  A year ago, Elle had been perfectly happy living in a small little town with her boyfriend of three years and with her wild mane of brown curls to bounce over her head.

  Now, she was in a large city, single, and her hair now fell down her cheeks in loose waves. She had changed… or she thought she did.

  She had left that town and the comfort of her parent’s home to pursue a life of independence. A life without Alex, a life where she could be happy on her own. She looked different; everything around her was different…

  All except for the single little fact that she was still hiding from the world.

  Come on, little owl. Time to set things right.

  Clenching her fists and taking a breath, Elle pushed herself off the women’s toilet.

  When she came face to face with the long mirror, she fixed herself a look of determination.

  “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.”

  Squaring her shoulders, Elle walked out of the bathroom more than ready to face this challenge on her own, even if she was a little bit scared.

  Chapter 9

  For the following week, Elle followed orders and managed all the documents given to her with new found zeal. The Sheikh had become exactly
what she wanted him to be: her employer.

  No longer did he point and laugh at her whenever she made a mistake, instead he’d fix her a simple gaze that spoke of patience beyond his years. The man who would banter and spark silly arguments with her was no longer around and while a bit surprising that that same man now gave her eloquent orders and spoke to her clearly, it was sobering.

  Still, there were moments where he infuriated her. Moments where he would pull stunts like decide to abruptly cancel a meeting even though there were only ten minutes to give a warning to all participants and Elle would make mad-dash calls to inform people of great status that the Sheikh could not attend and that he offered his apologies (yeah right).

  Or sometimes he would appear, dressed completely like how she saw him the first time and she would almost greet him like she did, or she would almost respond to a comment he made with a snarky look.

  She caught herself from snapping back when the Sheikh had told her to fix him a new cup of coffee. Do it yourself, Malik. She almost hissed before she paused, and was suddenly being stared at by the man in question.

  “Problem, Miss Roberts?” He asked and it was so strange how he could be two different people at the exact same time.

  “It’s nothing…” She said before taking a step back.

  “Miss Roberts?”

  He called and Elle could feel something start in her chest. He did not say her name like he usually did—stiff and mechanical as the Sheikh would, or mocking and probing like Malik would. No. He spoke her name gently and the tone of his voice made her feel something she hadn’t quite expected.

  “Yes?” She finally spoke when she realized he was waiting for her to acknowledge him.

  “I will be taking a trip to Bellevue this weekend for an important meeting with some clients. Specifically to handle the Baudelaire case.”

  Elle recognized the name from one of the files and remembered that their firm would be doing taking the defense.

  “I was wondering if you would come along with me.”