by Holly Rayner
She asked how to pronounce everything they looked at. After a pleading look—Lauren made sure she laid it on a bit thick using her best stage skills—Hakim laughed and taught her a few phrases in his native language so she could greet people at each of the market booths.
They sampled bits of food and drink as they walked through the market, Hakim telling her more about the local specialties. The food was amazing and Lauren would have been happy simply spending the rest of the day there.
People were deferential to Hakim; he was part of their royal family so that wasn’t surprising. But they also seemed to like him. Lauren noticed that he was welcomed with a smile everywhere they stopped, and from the little kids to the elderly shopkeepers, he had a kind word for them all.
As they walked around one of the museums, Hakim told her more of Al Asaab’s history, how the tiny nation had forged its own path in the world, balancing rich natural resources with its strategic location on the globe.
“I’m surprised you didn’t go into government work; you’re so passionate about your country, I can just picture you as a diplomat,” Lauren said.
Hakim ducked his head and Lauren swore he blushed.
“It was an option. But we have enough family members in the government, and I’m really happier running my own company.”
Lauren nodded. “It’s good to be close, but not too close, right?”
“Exactly,” Hakim agreed with her. “So, speaking of being close… We’re going to go visit my sister and meet my darling new niece.”
“I was wondering when you were going to do that. I can make myself comfortable at your place while you’re visiting with her.”
Hakim shook his head and put his hand on her elbow to steer her to the car. “Oh, no. You’re coming with me.”
“Hakim, I don’t want to interrupt. You should have time with your family.”
“You’re my personal assistant on this trip, remember? And I plan to buy and bring lots and lots of gifts, so I need my assistant to help me pick out the right presents and carry them all to the hospital.”
Lauren saw that there was no way she could talk him out of his plan, so she happily went along to buy baby gifts. They stopped in a local department store, and before Lauren could blink, they had a store manager and three clerks following them around. Hakim would pick something out, Lauren would remind him that a few-days-old baby didn’t need six dresses, a play pen with a miniature set of musical instruments, and two giant teddy bears, and then the clerks would take the gifts away and wrap them up while Lauren watched, amused.
Hakim picked out a beautiful photo frame to give to his sister and got a matching one for himself, telling Lauren that he intended to have a good picture taken of his family while they were together.
Once they had acquired flowers and balloons to go with the wrapped gifts, Hakim drove them to the hospital. Lauren commented that they looked like the Birnam Wood of baby gifts as they walked down the cheerful hall of the hospital’s maternity ward.
Hakim knocked softly on the door to his sister’s room and then pushed the door open. Sadira’s eyes lit up when she saw who was walking through the door, and then she almost fell off her chair in gales of laughter as she saw how much he was carrying.
Lauren liked her immediately.
The siblings embraced, Hakim gingerly enveloping his sister in his arms. She laughed at him again, noting that she’d just had a C-section, yes, but that she wasn’t broken. Hakim laughed, too, and squeezed her a bit harder.
He then introduced Lauren as a fellow CEO and friend who was doing him a favor this weekend by traveling with him. Sadira gave Lauren a long look and then smiled before giving Lauren a hug as well.
“You have perfect timing, as usual. She just woke up,” she said, leaning over the crib next to Hakim.
“Can I pick her up?” Hakim asked uncertainly.
Sadira smiled. “Of course, you can. Little Nyla has been waiting to meet her uncle.”
Hakim carefully, reverently, picked up his tiny niece. He cradled the back of her neck as he settled her in his arms. He murmured soft and low to the baby, and although Lauren couldn’t make out what he was saying, she was moved by the sight: the cold, hard businessman cooing to a tiny girl, swaying back and forth as he told her how happy he was to meet her.
Sadira leaned into Lauren’s side. “He’s pretty good at that, isn’t he?”
Lauren tried to ignore the knowing tone in her voice. “He is. You know, he was so disappointed he couldn’t be here when she was born. He wanted to be here for her, and for you.”
“I know. She couldn’t wait, even a few more days. But that’s okay.”
“I think you’d probably better get ready for more gifts. I’m pretty sure he ordered several things from the store when he thought I wasn’t looking.”
Sadira laughed. “He can’t spoil her any more than her grandparents are going to.”
Lauren’s eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I think he’s going to try, though.”
Sadira’s husband entered the room, then. He and Hakim embraced before Hakim introduced Lauren to Bahir. Lauren lost track of time as they sat down together, getting to know one another while passing the baby around, cooing over how darling the little girl was.
Promising to come visit again soon, Hakim was thoughtful as they left the hospital. Lauren wondered if he was considering moving home permanently. Over the week, she’d seen that he wasn’t the cold, unfeeling person he made himself out to be. He was completely different when he was with his family, or with her. She wouldn’t be surprised if he chose to focus his business closer to home so he didn’t have to continue to be someone he wasn’t.
Hakim took them to another park, this one a larger nature reserve just outside the city. He surprised her with a picnic basket full of food he’d picked up at the market that morning while she’d been looking at a stall displaying local art. They sat outside in a lovely grove of trees, eating and drinking and making relaxed, genial conversation.
Somewhere in the middle of the afternoon, Lauren realized that she hadn’t actually done any work since that morning, not her own work and not for Hakim, at least not if you didn’t count being a gift consultant. It was nice to have the downtime, but she was surprised, since Hakim had made a big deal of her coming with him in a professional capacity.
When they got back to the house late that afternoon, Lauren thought maybe he would want to check in with his office, but instead he asked her if she would have dinner with his family.
“I don’t want to intrude. You should definitely have dinner; I’ll be fine here,” she insisted.
Hakim shook his head. “Come on, how often do you get to say you had dinner in a palace? With royalty, no less.”
Lauren grinned at him. “I’ve had dinner with you.”
“I don’t count,” he said firmly.
“It’s really okay, Hakim.”
“I want to show you where I grew up. Besides, if you’re not there, they’ll pester me about meeting a nice girl and how the business is going.”
“So, I’m supposed to pretend to be your girlfriend?”
The look on his face made Lauren think he didn’t entirely object to that thought, but what he said was, “No, of course not. It’s just that if you’re there, they’ll be more circumspect. Besides, they’ll like you.”
Lauren grinned at him. “Okay, I would love to have dinner with you and your parents tonight.”
His reaction was so pleased that Lauren began to suspect she wasn’t in Al Asaab to act as his personal assistant at all. Perhaps Hakim simply wanted to show her around and get to know her better, and that thought made her feel warm and happy. If he wanted her to meet his parents, then maybe that meant there was something between them after all.
Chapter 13
Lauren
Dressing for dinner with royalty was more than a little nerve wracking, Lauren decided as she held two outfits up to herself in front of the full-length mirror in her ro
om. She really wished that she had brought more clothes with her, but at least she’d packed two good black dresses that were more work appropriate, but would do for dinner.
She chose the longer dress, with an A-line skirt and a lace overlay covering the bodice. She left the belt that she normally wore with the dress off, deciding it looked less like she was dressed for a work meeting without it.
Black heels, diamond stud earrings, and a small gold pendant rounded out her outfit. She might not be tabloid material, but at least she wouldn’t embarrass herself.
Lauren was confident in her ability to interact with anyone; after all, she’d been eating dinner with CEOs and the California elite since she was a teenager. But dinner with royalty was a whole new ballgame. Plus, the fact that it was Hakim’s parents.
When she met Hakim in the front entryway of his home, he stopped short to look at her. Lauren felt herself blush under his appraising gaze. The appreciation in his eyes was gratifying, and Lauren took a moment to admire him as well. The man definitely made a suit look good.
“Shall we go?” Hakim held out his arm to her.
Lauren took it and let him escort her to his car. As Hakim walked around to the driver’s side, she fidgeted in her seat, impatient to find out if the night was going to be delight or utter disaster.
Hakim must have picked up on her nerves—the entire drive over, he told her funny stories about growing up in the palace. One involved a young Sadira and Hakim sneaking out to the gardens to watch a meteor shower after being told to go to bed. They had fallen asleep watching the stars.
When morning came and the children weren’t in their beds, an alarm was raised in the palace. Their parents and the palace guards looked everywhere and just when they were going to call the police, fearing the children had been kidnapped, Sadira and Hakim wandered in from the garden, blades of grass stuck in their hair.
Lauren laughed when Hakim imitated his sister asking, “What’s going on?”
“How long were you grounded for?” she asked.
“Well, they decided that grounding us wasn’t going to work—we’d just go play in the garden, and that was fine with us. So, my father contacted the head of the planetarium at the university and we went to work for him for a month. He said since we were showing such a passion for learning about the stars, we could do so under supervision.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant,” Lauren said.
“It was actually. We didn’t do anything more than hand out programs and take tickets, but everybody knew who we were. Still, we did learn a lot.”
Lauren felt more relaxed by the time they got to the palace, but her nerves came rushing back as the car pulled up in front of the most elaborate building she’d ever seen.
The palace sat up on top of a small hill, so you could see it easily. The circular drive in front was cobblestones and there were three flights of stone steps leading up to a very impressive portico. Columns held up the roof, which was decorated with colorful mosaic tiles in intricate patterns.
Two assistants opened the car doors for them, and another two opened the grand main doors. Guards stood at various intervals along the front of the building. Light spilled from every window and the air smelled like fresh flowers.
Lauren had to stop for a moment and take it all when they crossed through the doors. It was elegant and beautiful, unlike any other building she’d ever been in. Hakim watched her look around.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Lauren didn’t miss the note of hopefulness in his voice. Unless she was mistaken, he wanted her to like his home.
“It’s beautiful,” Lauren said as sincerely as she could. “It’s a little overwhelming, but I’ve never seen anything this stunningly gorgeous.”
“And this is just the entryway.”
Lauren turned to him, eyes wide. “The rest of it is more impressive than this?”
Hakim smiled and shrugged. “I just think of it as home.”
Lauren tried to nod. “Oh, sure. All my friends grew up in honest-to-goodness castles, so you know, this is no big deal.”
He laughed and held out a hand. “Come meet my parents.”
Which is how they came to be holding hands when Hakim’s parents found them in the hallway. They exclaimed delightedly when they saw Hakim, embracing him in turn, his father shaking his hand, his mother kissing his cheek.
Hakim kept his arm around his mother and turned her toward Lauren. “Mother, Father, may I introduce you to Lauren Sanders? Lauren, these are my parents Tarana and Musheer Khalif.”
Hakim’s mother held her hands out to her. “My dear, it’s such a pleasure to meet you and we’re delighted that you could travel with him this weekend. We were so worried that our darling son would never bring a young woman home with him.”
Lauren gave Hakim a slightly panicked look and Hakim winced. “Ah, Lauren’s just a friend. We’re not dating.”
Tarana Khalif fixed her son with a penetrating look and Hakim shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint, Mother.”
Hakim’s mother sighed as only a long-suffering mother could. “I live in hope for the day.”
Lauren tried not to smile as Hakim nudged his mother’s arm. “You have a grandchild now. Isn’t one enough?”
That remark got him another sharp glare.
“You wait until you’re a grandparent and tell me if one if enough. Of course, you’ll need to become a parent first…”
The implication was clear and Hakim mouthed “Save me” at Lauren over his mother’s head, which made Lauren choke as she attempted to hide a laugh.
“Pay no attention to them, Lauren. This is an old conversation, one I’m sure you have with your family, too.”
Instead of explaining that, no, her mother was more interested in business than in grandchildren, Lauren just smiled and took Musheer’s arm when he offered it. Hakim escorted his mother into dinner behind Lauren and his father.
The dining room—or grand hall, because really, if ever a room was meant to be called a hall it was this one—was stunning. Lauren glanced around, noting the elaborate decoration and huge windows scattered across the stone walls.
Musheer leaned toward her. “It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” he asked conspiratorially.
Lauren wasn’t quite sure how to answer, but the twinkle in his eye reassured her that he was teasing.
“It is certainly not like any place I’ve ever eaten dinner.”
“Well, I hope you won’t be disappointed then. Instead of a formal meal here, Tarana and I thought we’d eat in the family dining room.”
Lauren gave him her best smile. “That sounds wonderful. I’m sure it’s just as beautiful as this one.”
Two minutes later, she was struck by how true her words were. This room was smaller, but no less magnificent. Instead of stone, a dark wood paneling covered the walls. The floors were a beautiful tile, covered in antique woven rugs that Lauren was certain belonged in a museum.
Footmen waited to hold chairs for each of them at the round dining table. Lauren thought she would not have been surprised if the table were a thousand years old. The table and chairs looked like they came straight out of a fairy tale.
As one of the footmen poured wine, Hakim’s father asked, “Lauren, tell us a little more about yourself. Do you work with Hakim?”
Lauren carefully didn’t look at Hakim as she answered the question. “I’m the CEO of a production company in Anaheim. My path crossed with Hakim’s at one of our events and we became friends there.”
As she said it, she realized it was true, at least from a certain point of view. Lauren considered Hakim a friend, of a sort anyway. She still thought about wanting more, but pushed that thought away for the moment, though she did catch Hakim giving her a look she couldn’t quite decipher.
Tarana asked, “Are you from California?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was born in Los Angeles and moved to Anaheim when I was a teenager, after my parents divorced. I’ve been there ever since.”
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Hakim added, “In addition to being an outstanding CEO, Lauren also participates in theater.”
Musheer nodded approvingly. “It’s good to have interests outside of work.”
“It’s fun for me, and honestly, in a way it’s good to focus on the creative process. The business side sometimes forgets what that’s like.”
“Did you start the company?” Musheer asked.
“I did, three years ago. I followed in my mother’s footsteps, if not in the same industry.”
Hakim hurriedly switched the topic. “By the way, we went to the hospital today to see Sadira, Bahir, and the baby.”
“We must have just missed you. Your mother was up there at the crack of dawn this morning.” Musheer said.
Tarana slapped a gentle hand at her husband. “Hush, you. You didn’t want to leave when it was time for our darling granddaughter to go to sleep.”
“I regret nothing,” Musheer said with a wide grin.
Lauren laughed. “You should have seen this one. He sat with baby Nyla for the longest time, just chatting about everything.”
Hakim echoed his father. “I regret nothing.”
They all laughed and Hakim continued. “Babies are meant to be fussed over. I wish I could stay longer and spend some more time with her.”
Tarana patted her son’s hand. “You’ll just have to come back again soon.”
The first course was served, and their conversation turned to Hakim’s business and what Lauren had seen earlier in the day. As nervous as she had been before the meal, Lauren was surprised how freely conversation flowed and how quickly the time passed.
They were a small family, but they made up for it in presence. Tarana and Musheer obviously loved each other deeply, and it was just as clear that they were exceptionally proud of both their children.
When talk turned to business, Hakim talked about one of Lauren’s most successful projects to date, almost bragging about her accomplishment in securing the major client. Lauren tilted her head at him and narrowed her eyes just a tiny bit in question. He answered with a small lift of one shoulder. She assumed he’d done some research on her over the last week since he hadn’t known much about her before the auction.
