by Leslie North
“Shall I trust your words, brother?”
Amare dropped his jaw as Kim laughed. “Yes, it is true. He is doing really well. He is picking up most things really quickly,” she said as Taleb smiled.
“Relax, Amare. I believe you.” Taleb told him. “The men in our family are very intelligent.”
“Are they now?” Kim folded her arms over her chest as she looked at the two brothers.
“Yes. We are,” Amare replied with a cheeky grin on his face.
“Two against one, this isn’t fair,” she mocked complained as the brothers both laughed.
“Okay, we will have mercy on you.” Taleb winked at her, which immediately reminded her of Karim. She would swear that she had seen him wink at her whilst he was working out. The thought of it made her stomach knot up wondering what he was thinking. “But, I can’t say the same for our brother,” he added.
“Thank you,” she said absently before she realised that he had said something else. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“How are you getting on with Karim?”
The timing of Taleb’s question caught her off guard as she wondered if he knew that she had been spying on his brother while he was working out in the mornings. She kept a straight face hoping that her thoughts wouldn’t give her away as she did not want Taleb teasing her about Karim the way Amare had done earlier.
“Fine, I guess. Considering that I can count on one hand the number of words he’s said to me since I got here.”
Nodding his head, “You will have to excuse him if he is unfriendly towards you. That is just the way he is,” Taleb told her. “Although, admittedly, he might be ignoring you more than he normally would, as he was told not to bother you. Our brother can be a bit…anti-American. He is much like father in that he is stuck in the old ways, but at least father recognizes the need to hire quality tutors when necessary.”
Kim nodded, “I understand. I’m relieved that it isn’t him that I have to tutor,” she joked. If she tutored him, she would never be able to concentrate. Granted, would he even accept her help? Taleb and Amare laughed.
“It is a good thing,” Amare replied with a wink as Kim frowned at him, hoping that she wouldn’t blush.
“Sometimes, our brother can be a dick. Just ignore him,” Taleb told her as Kim raised her eyebrows. She was not expecting Taleb to refer to Karim as a dick.
“Got it,” Kim replied, now worried about being caught watching him. Would he say anything to her?
“Anyway, I interrupted your session because I came to bid you both farewell.”
“Already?” Amare asked.
“Yes.”
“Where are you off to?” Kim asked.
“My term at Harvard is about to begin,” he replied smoothly.
Kim raised her eyebrows. Harvard! That was impressive. Maybe it was true that the men in their family were intelligent. Not only did they have looks, but they also had brains. It was not a common combination.
“That is amazing,” Kim told him.
“I did tell you about the intelligence that runs in my family,” he reminded her as he smiled broadly. Kim gasped. The level of self-conceit in that family was shocking. Taleb turned on his heel and walked out leaving Kim to wonder what would happen now that he wasn’t around to shield her from Karim.
Chapter Five
Later that night, Kim had just returned from a stroll post dinner. The food they served in the Sharqi household was absolutely delicious and she had difficulty putting her fork down when everything tasted so good, so she thought that a walk might help her settle her overfull stomach.
As she walked down the hall, she saw a door half open. She stopped right in front of it and looked inside. To her surprise, it was a home office -- Karim’s home office.
She spied him sitting at his desk shuffling through stacks of papers. Rubbing his head in apparent agitation, he stood up abruptly and began to pace. As he made a second circuit around the room, he happened to look up and made eye contact with Kim.
She gasped, as his gaze had caught her off guard. His cold dark stare sent shivers down her spine. He did not even smile or say anything to her. He stalked towards the door as Kim resisted the urge to back away in nervousness. She thought he was coming to say something to her, and instead, he kicked the door shut.
“Taleb was right. You are a dick,” she mumbled under her breath before heading back to her room. Even if he did not want to speak to her, he did not need to kick the door shut like that. It was rude. He should at least have said good night or something.
Walking into her quarters, she sighed, as she got ready for bed. She had to admit that this was the best teaching job she ever had. Not only did they pay her well, but they included both room and board. Changing into her nightgown, she climbed into her plush four-poster bed and snuggled under the covers. Yes, things could be far worse, she told herself.
As she tried to sleep, Kim found herself tossing and turning as Karim’s dark eyes were imprinted in her mind. She just could not seem to forget about them. She then remembered him half-naked, working out in the courtyard as her mind wandered to how his body glistened with sweat in the early morning sun. She knew nothing good was going to come from thinking about him but she could not help it. She tossed and turned ordering sleep to come to her, but it remained elusive.
Sighing, she sat up and pulled on her robe. Maybe something to drink would help calm her down. Walking downstairs, she went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk. Sipping it slowly, she wandered back towards the stairs.
As she passed Karim’s office, she saw that he still had the light on. Given the time, she assumed that he had merely left it on, so she opened the door and walked inside to turn it off. She faltered when he looked at her in surprise.
“What brings you here?” he asked her. He stared at with that dark gaze again, as his eyes swept across her body taking in her attire.
Suddenly feeling foolish for barging in, “You are working quite late. Do you want any help or anything?” Kim strived to be casual but she could feel her voice failing.
“No, I am fine.”
“Are you sure? I do not mind.”
“I do. I prefer working alone. Leave me,” he said sternly.
Kim immediately regretted her offer of help after his curt response. What was she thinking? After everything that both Amare and Taleb told her, of course, he would not want her help.
Seeing his gaze sweep across her again, Kim realized that she wasn’t dressed and quickly tightened the tie on her robe. Clutching her milk glass, she nodded mutely before backing out of the room and shutting the door behind her.
Leaning against it, she kicked herself for not thinking. What must he think of her, walking in there dressed in her nightclothes? Thoughts of being just another woman throwing herself at Karim flitted across her brain as she cursed aloud. Standing tall, she downed the last of her milk, set the empty glass down on a sideboard and stalked back upstairs. She would not make that mistake again.
Chapter Six
The next day was Kim’s day off and she was excited to be able to spend some time at the girls’ orphanage where she tutored them in English. Having grown up in the foster care system in the States, she was lucky to have a mentor in her life that helped her find her way and encouraged her to finish school and go to college.
Even though her time here would be short, she hoped that maybe she could provide some sort of guidance to these girls. As she was on her way out, she ran into Amare and another woman. Kim smiled and greeted him.
“Hey, Kim, leaving already?” he asked her.
“Yes, I am heading over to the orphanage.”
“This is Zara, Karim’s PA,” Amare said to her as he introduced the women. “This is Kim, my English tutor,” he said to Zara.
Kim looked at Zara. She was a couple of inches taller than she was and much curvier Dressed in a black high waist skirt, a white blouse and black high heels with her jet-black hair tucked into a
high ponytail and with her flawless make-up, Zara looked glamorous. She was the complete opposite of Kim.
“Hello, Zara,” Kim said with a warm smile on her face.
“Hi,” Zara replied flatly. Her tone was unfriendly as she slowly looked Kim up and down. It was obvious that she was studying her. Kim immediately felt awkward and unsure what to say next.
Dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and flats, which made her look significantly shorter than Zara was, Kim could see the obvious differences between the two of them. Kim rarely wore high heels and admired women who could pull it off.
When she did, it was a disaster either for her or anything she managed to crash into. She readily admitted that she liked being casual and did not bother to dress up. Mostly because she didn’t know how. Her straight brown hair was held back in a band and she was told that her blue eyes were the colour of the Mediterranean Sea, although she had yet to see for herself.
While she couldn’t tell how long Zara’s hair was from how she wore it, she could see that it was thick as it appeared to be threatening to burst from the hairband she had wrapped around it. Her green eyes swept over Kim as if she were an item for sale.
Looking at Amare, who was looking at the two women curiously, and then back to Zara, she kept a smile on her face. “It was nice meeting you. I will see you around,” she said, as she backed up and turned to leave.
The best thing for her to do was to head out. Even after she spoke, Zara did not respond to her and simply turned to watch Kim walk out. Wow, Kim thought as she headed for the door, she’s the perfect employee for Karim, they can both be silent and judgmental together.
***
After Kim’s lesson at the orphanage, she went to the teacher’s lounge. While she appreciated the salary she earned tutoring Amare, she felt more fulfilled working with the girls and she knew that she would miss them greatly when her contract ended.
Walking into the lounge, she looked around at all the cheerful faces who looked up when she entered. The room was small and very warm, but someone had thrown the windows open and a slight breeze ruffled curtains that had seen better days.
The furniture looked as though it was assembled from discards but the brightly painted walls and the laughing voices that greeted her made it seem far more inviting than the Sharqi home.
Greeting the other teachers with enthusiasm, they responded back just as warmly.
“How is everyone?”
“Fine,” Salma, one of the teachers, replied.
“How is life in the Sharqi house? Have you met the amazing Karim yet?” asked Dania, another teacher.
Amazing? Kim asked herself. The women all leaned in to her eagerly awaiting her response.
“Yes, I have met Karim,” Kim answered.
“And what is he like?” Dania asked.
“There is not much to tell.”
“How can there be nothing to tell?” Salma asked her.
“You are living with a handsome, attractive and successful man. There must be something to tell,” Dania added as the women laughed.
“Well, I think he is quite arrogant and rude,” Kim said slowly, not wanting to speak out of turn.
“Really? But he’s so handsome,” Dania replied with a small smile on her face.
“He is Karim Sharqi that should be enough,” Salma said with conviction as Kim frowned. She and the other women were on completely different pages.
“I wish I was the one living under the same roof as him,” Dania said dreamily.
“It makes no difference to me,” Kim lied. It made a difference living in the same house as him. She had witnessed him working out shirtless and had not been able to keep her eyes off him. Unfortunately, she had been caught. The weird thing was that he winked at her and then was completely cold to her afterwards. He and his stuck up PA deserved each other.
“I think Karim is arrogant,” said a woman that Kim didn’t know. Turning, she smiled at the Caucasian woman who spoke with an American accent.
“I am glad that someone agrees,” Kim replied as both women laughed.
“I’m Rene Tazeem.” She extended her hand to Kim who shook it.
“I am Kim Atkins. That name, Tazeem, are you any relation to-”
“She is married to Joshua Tazeem,” Dania finished for her. “Another beautiful man!”
Rene giggled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Kim was surprised to find out that a member of the royal family was married to an American.
“No fair. I want to marry a sheik too,” Salma said dreamily.
“You can have Karim,” Kim joked.
“Oh, I would love to.”
All of them laughed together. Shame he did not believe in love; Kim thought to herself.
“I am so going to miss this place and our little chats,” Dania said forlornly.
“What do you mean? Are you going to leave?” Kim asked her. Dania shook her head.
“The orphanage will have to shut down because we do not have enough funds to keep it running.”
Kim gasped. “But where will they go?” she asked.
“They will have to be separated and taken to different orphanages wherever there is room.”
“That is not good. They at least need to be able to stay together.” Kim knew from experience that growing up alone is difficult enough and these girls have been together long enough that they’ve come to see each other as family. To split them up now could be disastrous to their well-being. She sighed. This was not the ending she needed to her day.
“Can we talk about something less sad, like Karim Sharqi?” Dania asked with a mischievous grin on her face. Kim just laughed and shook her head.
“There is nothing to say about Karim other than he is a hard man to get along with. Much too like his father, if you ask me,” Rene replied.
“There is so much to say! Imagine living under the same roof as him,” Salma interjected and placed her hand on her heart. Kim could imagine. She was living under the same roof.
“Has any one of you ever met him in person?” Kim asked. Maybe if they had met him, they would rethink their impression of him.
“Only in my dreams,” Dania replied, in a wistful tone as the women laughed.
Chapter Seven
Karim leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the air conditioning. Rubbing his head, he stared at the pile of papers strewn across his desk. Groaning, pinched the bridge of his nose and then looked back at the papers, which hadn’t moved since the last time he looked at them. He had so much to do before the shareholder meeting and it was becoming overwhelming.
He had spent the last several hours reading everything they had on the larger shareholders, the previous meeting notes and what he would need for this meeting. It was not in his nature to do anything halfway and he wanted, no needed, everything to be perfect for this meeting.
Suddenly the door opened and Kim walked in. Karim watched her walk cautiously towards his desk. Normally, he was good at figuring women out, but Kim had been a puzzle to him from the moment he met her.
Maybe it was because she was American, although he had met the Tazeem women and, admittedly, he couldn’t understand how such steadfast bachelors could fall in love. Love was for the weak and those who didn’t have shareholder meetings.
“Anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to enter without permission?” he asked her as she narrowed her gaze at him.
“I’m rude? Me?” Biting down her anger, Kim took a deep breath. “One of the maids mentioned that you had missed dinner. Since I was about to grab some dinner for myself, would you like anything to eat?”
“No.” He noticed that she was holding a math textbook and determined that she was probably coming back from tutoring at the orphanage. Amare had mentioned something about it but Karim had not enquired further.
“Fine,” she replied, turning to leave.
“Wait. Are you good with figures?” he asked abruptly.
“Kind of.” Kim nodded h
esitantly.
“I have some stuff I need sorting out.” That was the closest he could come to asking her for help. He was usually giving orders and demanding things. He was definitely not used to asking for help or needing it.
Crossing her arms, she looked at him, “Anyone ever tell you that it’s rude not to say please?”
Staring at her, he couldn’t believe her cheek as she continued to stare back. He finally managed to ground out, “Please.” Nodding her head, Kim placed her book on his desk and picked up the sheets of paper to study them.
Since her head was down, he openly looked at her taking in her casual dress. Karim could tell that she had no regard for her image, as it didn’t seem as if she put much effort into it. She had very long brown hair that hung straight down her back and complemented her pale complexion. She had piercing blue eyes that he found intriguing. Her figure was more boyish than womanly, but it all seemed to suit her.
“If you don’t mind?” Kim asked, as she pointed to his desk.
“By all means,” Karim said, pulling the chair out for her as she walked around to sit down. Grabbing a pen and a pad of paper, she began to scribble away as he watched her work out the figures.
The problem that Karim was having was that the business accounts were outdated. His father was stuck in his ways and hated change. While Karim himself was traditional in many ways; he believed that some modern conveniences were necessary, especially when running a global business. Some change was good. For example, these outdated files, it would have been good if they had been updated and put in Excel spreadsheets.
Karim was surprised that Kim was working on the documents with such ease. She did not seem to have any difficulties. Sure, he knew that she was smart; otherwise, she would have never been tutoring Amare. His family only ever hired exceptional tutors; however, he was still surprised at how quickly she worked. He caught her biting at her lower lip as his focus shifted from the ledger sheets to her lips.
Kim started explaining the formulas to him but he found himself unable to concentrate on her words. He had never noticed how full her lips were as he wondered if they were as soft as they looked. They were just so inviting. Yet, he had to decline the invitation, as hard as it was.
