The Sheikh's Defiant Girlfriend (The Botros Brothers Series)

by Leslie North

  “Wow, who would have thought you had a sense of humour,” Sara teased.

  “I do have one.”

  “Tariq, you are the most serious person I know.”

  “I am not that serious.” He pushed the stroller out of the office as Sara followed him out. She locked the door behind her.

  “You're so serious and uptight. Look at you now.”

  Tariq kept pushing the stroller and did not offer her a response. He knew he possessed other charming traits. Sara asked him where Amir had vanished. Tariq told her that Amir had an appointment he had to attend. Sara did not say anything. She had a feeling that this appointment was another date. The secrecy only fuelled her curiosity.

  * * * *

  Amir parked his car near the bus stop for his appointment. He waited only a couple minutes before he heard a knock on the passenger window. He turned to see a familiar young woman standing there. He pressed the button to open the window.

  “Amir, why are you here?” The woman asked him.

  “To pick you up, why else?” Amir grinned.

  “I can take the bus, thanks.” She turned to walk off.

  “Soraya, come on!” Amir called out after her. She shrugged her shoulders and walked back to the car. She opened the door and got in.

  “Last time,” she said and shut the door. Amir did not respond. He simply sat there with a big smile on his face.

  “Where shall we go?” Amir asked as he turned the key in the ignition and started the car.

  “Home,” she said as if he was stupid for even asking the question.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “We are not going on a date.”

  “We've been on one before.”

  Soraya rolled her eyes and looked outside the window. That one date they had wasn't really a date. She went there expecting someone else but instead she found Amir. She was not so keen on the idea of going on dates with her brother’s friend. If Malik found out, he would not be so amused.

  Amir turned to look at Soraya. She had on her serious face as usual. Making her laugh was a mission. One that he enjoyed.

  “How was work?” Amir asked her. Soraya worked in a restaurant. She had been working there part time whilst studying for her degree in accounting and finance. She did not want to rely on her brother's money. She preferred to work for herself. She had always been independent.

  “Fine,” Soraya replied Amir. “Erm, that is not the way to my house,” Soraya pointed out as Amir took a different turn.

  “You're very uptight,” he replied.

  “What?” She was confused with his sudden change of topic. He turned and smiled at her. He was going to take her home but he changed his mind. He wanted to take her out, do something spontaneous. She was always uptight and needed to loosen up a bit.

  “What are we doing way out here?” Soraya questioned Amir as they turned onto a dusty road.

  “Horseback riding is spectacular at sunset,” Amir replied as he parked outside the ranch. He got out of the car and went to the passenger side to open the door for Soraya. She reluctantly got out of the car. He led her to a building where he greeted a woman and asked her for riding gear. Soraya looked around the place. It was fancy. She had expected a ranch to be dirty and smelly but it was very clean and elegant.

  “Miss, if you would come with me, this way,” the woman gestured to Soraya.

  “Do I really have to?” Soraya asked Amir.

  “Unless you want to ride in your work clothes,” he replied and winked at her. She narrowed her eyes and walked off with the woman. She was asking if she had to ride but as usual, he interpreted things the way he wanted. Growing up, she would see her brother hanging out with Amir and Tariq. She never really spoke to either one of them, only once in a while. Amir used to make fun of how boyish she was. Now he was trying to take her out. It didn't make sense to her. He could have any woman he wanted.

  Soraya quickly changed and headed outside. Amir was already there waiting for her.

  “Have you ever been horseback riding?” Amir asked her.

  “No, I have not,” Soraya replied in the most calmest way possible. She had never been on a horse and was panicking at the thought of it, she was scared to fall off but she did not want him to know.

  “That means you will have to ride with me.”

  Oh gosh, falling off the horse is much better than riding with you, Soraya thought to herself.

  “I wouldn't want you falling off and hurting yourself,” Amir said before she could protest. One of the trainers approached them with an Arabian mare. Amir took the reins and mounted the horse. He offered Soraya his hand. She stared at it for a while.

  “Come on,” he said to her. She reluctantly gave him her hand. He pulled her up to help her on the horse. She sat behind him. “You will have to hold onto my waist,” he said to her. Soraya frowned. This was not ideal! He had practically kidnapped her, had she the choice; she would have never come with him. Now, they had to share a horse and she had to hold onto him. She slowly wrapped her arms around him. Amir smiled to himself as he felt her body press against him. Oh yes, this was definitely a good idea.

  As the horse started to trot, Soraya felt nervous. She convinced herself not to look down. “Do you know anything about horses?” Amir asked.

  “No,” Soraya replied.

  “This is an Arabian mare. She’s a very fine and strong breed.”

  “You ride often?”

  “I do, yes.”

  The ranch belonged to the Botros family and Amir had been around horses since he was a child. Today, he had decided to bring Soraya in the hopes of loosening her up a bit and spending more time with her. Whenever he had asked to see her, she had refused. And forcing her to ride behind him gave Amir the added benefit of feeling her lithe body against his back.

  Chapter 4

  The mare galloped away from the ranch. Soraya quickly got used to the horse’s gait and enjoyed the ride, but she was still nervous. She held onto Amir's waist a bit tighter. The cool breeze brushed through her hair. Trees blurred past her. She couldn't see anything. She couldn't think of anything. She was simply in the moment. She felt an adrenaline rush as the mare flew past the landscape.

  They finally came to a halt on top of a hill where they could see the ranch and the road that led to it. They arrived in time to see the sun set. Soraya ran her hand through her hair as she tried to catch her breath. Amir dismounted and held his hand out to help her down.

  Soraya looked out at the blue and salmon coloured sky. The sun was a brilliant shade of orange as it slowly sank below the horizon. Soraya couldn’t help but gasp at the beauty of the moment. She had never seen the sun set this far from the city and it was breathtaking. Amir looked at Soraya. She was not smiling but she looked happy. She had a soft expression on her face and the wind blew her hair back revealing perfectly carved cheekbones. He wanted to hold her in his arms and plant a small kiss on those cheekbones. He wanted to kiss her lips. He wanted to keep her close. Amir didn’t realise at what point his feelings for her had grown, but now, she was all he thought about.

  Soraya turned and saw Amir looking at her. He had a very intense expression on his face. She had never seen him look at her like that before. His eyes were dark and dangerous. That look made her nervous.

  “What?” she asked him.

  “Nothing,” he replied and turned to look at the sky. Soraya turned back towards the sunset and wrapped her arms around herself. “Ever seen a sunset like this?” Amir asked her.

  “No,” she said as she turned to look at him. He had a big smile on his face. “What now?” she asked.

  “I am honoured that your first time is with me,” he replied with a smile. “It would be my honour to bring you again. There are many things that I would love to show you.”

  Soraya rolled her eyes and looked away. They watched the sun set for a few more moments. Amir wanted all her firsts to be with him. Soraya had never been horseback riding before and her first was with him. I
t made him smile. Amir wondered if she was a virgin. He hoped she was, so that her first time would be with him. The thought of another man touching her drove him crazy.

  Amir helped Soraya back on the horse. She was not so keen on the idea of having to hold onto him but she had no choice. She had enjoyed the ride and watching the sunset from atop the hill, but now she was ready to go home. Unfortunately for her, Amir was going to be the one taking her home.

  * * * *

  Fiddah and Sara's mother were discussing wedding colours. They had different fabric samples from cotton, lace, silk, satin; everything. Sara had zoned out. This kind of thing was not for her. She was getting bored and irritated. Leylah was upstairs sleeping.

  “Which one do you like dear?” Fiddah asked Sara.

  “Something simple I guess,” Sara replied.

  “Nonsense, everything has to be stunning,” her mother replied.

  Sara almost leaped out of her chair she was so happy to see Tariq walk into the room. He had just arrived back from work. He always walked with such authority. Sara enjoyed watching him walk into a room as if he owned the world. He approached the three women greeting all of them.

  “What are you ladies up to?” he asked.

  “Picking out dresses for the bride’s maids,” Fiddah replied. He looked at Sara; she was looking at him with a helpless expression. It was as if she was going to cry. He almost laughed, as he knew that she was not into dresses.

  “Well, I'll leave you to it,” he said as he started to leave the room.

  “Tariq, I need to speak to you about something,” Sara said as she leaped out of her chair. She linked her arm with his and they left the room.

  Sara threw herself on the bed when they got into their bedroom. She sighed loudly. Tariq laughed as he took off his suit jacket. “Was it that dreadful?” he asked as he loosened his tie.

  “YES!” Sara exclaimed.

  “Well, let's see what we can do to lift your mood,” Tariq said as he removed his shirt and advanced towards her. Sara lifted her head to see what he was up to. He got onto the bed and covered her body with his. She smiled at him before he kissed her. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she eagerly caressed his tongue with hers. He gently parted her legs with his knee.

  Tariq broke the kiss and started kissing her neck. Sara’s toes curled. She loved the feeling of his luscious lips against her skin. He took her t-shirt off and threw it to the floor. He carried on kissing her chest and then her belly. As he began to tug at her waistband, she stopped him, panting, “It hasn’t been long enough, the doctor said to wait six weeks.”

  At his growl of frustration, Sara writhed beneath him. Pushing at him, he rolled over onto his back as Sara sat up, reaching for his belt, she undid the clasp on his pants as she slowly slid the zipper down. “Woman, what are you doing?”

  As Sara tugged at his pants, Tariq lifted his hips as she pulled them all the way off taking his boxers with them. “Well, there’s no sense in both of us being sexually frustrated,” she drawled out as she gave him a mischievous smile.

  Groaning, Tariq put his hands behind his head as he watched Sara crawl slowly up between his legs, easily obliging her when she pushed them farther apart. Sliding her hands up and down his legs, she cocked her head, admiring him. He was like an Adonis the way his muscles were sculpted. She made slow circles with her fingers as she crept up his body. Leaning down, she placed small kisses on the inside of his knees as her hands continued their upward movement. Her hands were quickly followed by her mouth as she alternated between kisses and small licks. Sara became enthralled with the power she had over him, as his cock would twitch each time she kissed him.

  “Sara,” he whispered hoarsely. “You will be the death of me.” At Sara’s chuckle, he tried to glare at her, but at that moment, she wrapped one hand around his cock and began to slide her hand, up and down. He watched her as she stared back. Gone was the shy young woman, Sara was feeling bold and powerful and she wanted to give back to Tariq as much pleasure as he had given to her. Not breaking eye contact, she bent her head and licked the precum off the tip of his cock. Swirling her tongue around the tip as if it were her favourite Popsicle, Tariq’s eyes closed as he surrendered himself to the pleasure she was offering. As Sara slowly sank her mouth down around his cock, she couldn’t help but moan. She was learning that there was more to sex and pleasure than intercourse and she could feel her own body responding to his pleasure.

  What started a bit awkwardly soon became smooth as Sara found her rhythm. With each downward thrust with her mouth, she would apply suction and then drag her mouth slowly back up, careful to put pressure along the vein that he found so sensitive. Tariq put his hand on the back of her head, encouraging her to go faster. As he was about to warn her, she cupped his balls with one hand, squeezing them lightly. With a shout, he came hard as Sara continued to suck his cock, swallowing everything he gave her. As his body sagged, Sara sat up, licking her fingers and grinning at him. “I’m still hungry,” she said and joined Tariq as he laughed at her. She wouldn't be Sara if she weren’t hungry, Tariq thought to himself.

  Leylah was awake in Fiddah’s arms when Sara and Tariq returned downstairs. Tariq quickly went to hug her. He was very happy to see his daughter and couldn’t seem to get enough of her.

  “You're in time for dinner,” Mrs. Mathews said. She turned her attention to Sara. “What happened to you? We still haven't finished with the dresses,” she stated. Sara sighed. All this wedding planning was stressful. She simply wanted it to be over. She was excited to be married to Tariq, but she didn’t see the point of all this fuss to get there.

  “Let's talk about it over dinner,” she called out as she headed to the table. Tariq laughed as he followed with Leylah in his arms.

  “Sure, let's do that,” her mother replied.

  Chapter 5

  Amir had the wildest idea and knew he was going to regret it later. He decided to take Sara out for lunch. Sara jumped at the opportunity. Anything to get out of wedding planning. Today, they were picking out the cake and colours for the groomsmen. Sara enjoyed sampling the cakes but when they started talking about clothes again, she wanted to get out. The conversation never seemed to end. The older women were indecisive. Sara and Tariq came from different cultures, so it wasn’t easy coming to an agreement.

  Amir took Sara and Leylah to a beautiful, elegant Arabic restaurant for lunch. As they were seated at their table, Sara looked around the place. It was very nice, clean and sophisticated. There weren’t many people there. She checked on Leylah, who was sleeping peacefully in her stroller. She looked at Amir and smiled.

  “This place is nice,” Sara said to him.

  “It is, isn't it,” Amir agreed.

  “You have never taken me to such a place before,” Sara looked at him with suspicion. “You want something from me?” she asked. Amir laughed and denied it. He turned and saw a waitress clearing a table. He called her over. As she walked over to the table, she looked surprised to see him.

  “Amir, what brings you here?” she asked, not looking pleased. Sara looked at her.

  “Hello, Soraya,” Amir grinned at her. “I came for lunch,” he added. She kept a straight face and said nothing. She wasn’t buying it. And who was this woman with him? Seeing him with another woman caused unfamiliar feelings inside her, but she didn’t want him to know.

  “What may I get you?” Soraya asked.

  Ignoring her question, “This is Sara,” Amir began. Soraya’s heart sank.

  “Hello,” Soraya said. She wasn’t sure if she should bow or smile. She chose to do neither. Sara smiled at her and extended her hand.

  “My brother’s wife to be,” Amir added. Soraya raised her eyebrows. She was surprised and relieved. She shook Sara's hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” Soraya said.

  “You look surprised,” Sara said and laughed. “I know, I am still not used to the idea,” she added. Soraya smiled awkwardly. She looked down at the stroller. He
r heart melted when she saw little Leylah sleeping. She was so tiny and adorable. Her cheeks were so rosy. Sara noticed Soraya looking at the baby. She stroked Leylah on the cheek. “Tariq's. Her name is Leylah,” Sara said and smiled like a proud mother.

  “She’s beautiful,” Soraya said.

  “Thank you,” Sara said. “It's all thanks to Tariq's genes but if you tell him I told you, I will deny it!” Sara added. Soraya laughed with her. Amir raised an eyebrow. He spent months trying to make Soraya laugh and Sara managed to do so in less than five minutes.

  “How do you know Amir?” Sara asked Soraya.

  “I’ve known the Botros family most of my life,” Soraya replied. Amir felt a little offended. He would have wanted her to talk about him with a bit more warmth. He groaned to himself.