The evening was just as amazing as the previous night. Except tonight, he handed her a glass of champagne. Normally, she hated the stuff. But sipping this excellent sparkling wine changed her opinion. She loved it! The bubbles tickled and the man looking down at her made the rest of her body feel like she was alive!
Their conversation over dinner was stimulating and, because of the champagne and the wine, she dared to argue with him about the topics. He even laughed at some of her stories. By the time he led her back out to the waiting limousine that night, she was more than ready to kiss him. She wanted to feel his lips, to experience the excitement of this man.
Unfortunately, he kissed only her fingers again tonight. Her hand was tingling but she didn’t have the nerve to ask him for more. So with disappointment, she sighed and stepped into the vehicle, not brave enough to initiate the kiss herself.
The whole ride back to her father’s house, she alternated between berating herself for being a coward and accepting that the man might not be interested in her like that.
“Another delivery?” she asked the following morning, staring at the enormous basket filled with chocolates, wine, cookies, treats and…a bunch of stuff she couldn’t pronounce.
“Looks like it,” her father teased.
They both stood by the kitchen table where the basket was taking up more than half the space. Neither of them really understood even how to get the cellophane off. They just stared. Stunned.
“Are you going to open it?”
Since Arianna hadn’t slept well again last night, she was more than a little fuzzy. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Maybe not,” she replied, her heart pounding heavily as she thought about the astounding man who had sent such an outrageous gift.
Her father nodded. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to something that had a fish outline on the outside.
Arianna bent down and squinted. Shaking her head, she straightened up again. “No clue.”
Joseph chuckled softly, shaking his head as they continued to stare at the huge gift basket. “The man is generous, even if some of the stuff is a bit…weird.”
She nodded again. “Yeah.” She recognized the champagne label from last night and her eyes widened. “That’s good stuff,” she told her father. “You should put that into the fridge.”
He sipped his coffee, nodding his head. “Yeah. Probably. But…”
Arianna giggled, then slapped a hand over her mouth. Her father chuckled next, trying to smother his amusement as well. But in the end, they both started laughing. The kind of laughter that required a chair because they were laughing so hard, they had trouble staying upright.
When their laughter died down, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I guess this is proof that the rich really are different!”
“Yeah. They know how to open giant baskets of…stuff.”
She laughed again. “And they probably know what all the stuff is!”
More laughter, but finally, Arianna got up and took one of the knives out of the drawers. “Only one way to do this,” she said. A moment later, she sliced through several strategic areas. Eventually, they found the hidden knot at the back, but by then it was too late.
The basket was literally packed with goodies and they spent the next hour sitting at her father’s kitchen table sampling several of the gourmet delicacies.
That was when she found the note hidden behind a box of chocolate covered espresso beans.
“What does it say?”
She opened the envelope and read the note, her heart pounding in her chest when she finally understood the words. “He wants to have dinner with me again tonight,” she whispered. Instantly, her fingers trembled and she dropped the card down onto the table.
“He likes you, honey,” her father said gently. “He just wants to spend some time with you.”
Her eyes were wide as she said, “Dad, that’s the problem. I really like him too.”
“And that’s a problem…how?”
She bit her lower lip, her eyes moving back to the hand-written note. “I think I’m going to get hurt. How can this be a happy ending? I’m no one and he’s the sheik! The freaking sheik, dad!”
His fingers tightened over her hand. “First of all, you’re my daughter. You’re not ‘no one’. And secondly, don’t shy away from life, Ari. You don’t know where this could lead. Remember, he’s just a man. Human like you and me. He has emotions and feelings.”
Arianna knew that her father was wrong. The giant basket sitting on the table next to them was evidence that he was wrong. That Rhys was different.
But she still showed up for dinner that night. Still nervous, but also interested to find out why he’d asked her to dine with him again.
As soon as she stepped out of the limousine, she spotted him coming down the steps, his dark slacks making his legs seem longer and the crisp, white shirt stretched across his broad shoulders enticingly.
“You look lovely,” he said, lifting her fingers to his lips once again. Her hand tingled where his lips touched her fingers. And her whole body tingle with awareness of him as a man.
“Your Highness,” she started off.
Rhys watched the beautiful woman, startled once again by the need to pull her into his arms and hold her. Well, not really hold her, but he’d start with that. Several images flashed through his mind of the other things he wanted to do to Arianna, but…
He was trying to be a gentleman.
“Tell me about your day,” he encouraged, leading her out into the courtyard where a fountain added a bit of background noise. There was soft music playing as well, the speakers hidden amid the foliage. But Rhys had ears only for this woman, enjoying the soft, almost musical sound of her voice as she described testing many of the treats included in the basket.
“What were the things in the box with the fish?” she asked. Then blinked. “Of course you don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“They were sardines,” he explained. “At least, that’s what I thought they were.”
She stared up at him and he realized that he didn’t like being out here in the dim light. He loved seeing her amber eyes, seeing all of her emotions flit across her features. He’d thought to bring her out here to relax but…he wanted the light.
“You…you know what was in the basket?”
“Of course. I chose each of the items.” He shrugged slightly, rubbing his thumb over her fingers and enjoying the slight shiver. “I didn’t pack everything into the basket though.”
She looked at him strangely, but in a good way. “How did you choose everything?” she asked.
He laughed softly. “I told my guards to take me to a gourmet shop. I picked up a basket and walked through the aisles choosing things that looked interesting or that I thought you might like.” And he’d actually enjoyed it too, which had been another shock. Normally, his assistant arranged the gifts for the ladies. But Rhys had wanted to do it himself this time.
“You mean, you chose each of the items yourself?”
“Yes. What did you like the most?” he asked, bringing her out to the patio where servants had created a romantic dinner setting.
She laughed, shaking her head and he loved the way the candlelight sparkled in her hair. “Definitely the chocolates. They were amazing!” She turned to face him. “Thank you! That was very thoughtful and incredibly generous.”
He looked down into her eyes. “You’re welcome,” he replied, his voice husky. He watched as her lips softened and he felt her fingers tighten.
“You’re going to kiss me, I hope,” she whispered.
His gaze dropped to her lips. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first moment you admired my Ivy Taylor photograph,” he told her.
She smiled, her lashes shielding her eyes. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me ever since I found out that you owned an Ivy Taylor original,” she teased.
He laughed, but that ended his hesitation. His fingers dove into her hair, amazed by the soft tresses
. But he ignored her hair because he wanted to taste her lips. He needed to taste her, to find out what she felt like in his arms.
“If you don’t kiss me now I’m going to…”
He didn’t let her finish that statement. His mouth covered hers and he was blown away by the feel of her. She tasted of wine and woman and was more delicious than he’d thought possible. Deepening the kiss, he felt her fingers in his hair and he couldn’t hide his body’s reaction to her touch. Sliding his hands down her body, he pressed her more fully against him, feeling every tremor, every sigh as she fit herself closer to him. Over and over again, he slanted his mouth to hers, just enjoying the kiss and her soft curves. For now, it was enough. For now, he wanted to savor this moment, this shocking awareness and need.
A cough sounded over to the side of the patio and Rhys lifted his head. Looking down at her, he realized that Arianna’s eyes were closed, her lips swollen from his kisses. She was just as affected as he was. Damn, she looked amazing! He wanted to pull her inside and make love to her. He wanted to shower her with gifts, protect her, make every moment of her life happy.
He wanted…all of her! Never in his life had he had that desire but…
A vague memory came back to him. Lightning! His Chief of Staff, Adjar, had said something about knowing the woman was right for him when he felt lightning! Damn! His trusted advisor was right and Rhys threw back his head, laughing at the irony of his situation.
The coughing sound interrupted him again and he smothered his shocked laughter as he looked down at Arianna’s startled expression.
“I apologize, my dear. My chief of staff needs to speak with me. I’ll be right back.”
Arianna watched as the man walked away, her fingers gently touching her swollen lips. Had he just kissed her and…laughed?
Yes. Yes, he had!
Rhys something-something Isolm, Sheik of Triar had kissed her. He’d done exactly what she’d wanted for the past few days, kissing her until she was breathless and aching for more. Then laughed!
Oh, and let’s not forget, after laughing, he then walked away from her!
Hell no! Arianna’s shoulders stiffened in outrage. No man laughed at her! He could be the king of…okay, maybe Rhys really was considered a king, but the point is that she wasn’t anyone’s punchline! Nope!
Turning, she watched as Rhys patted the other man’s shoulder. They both looked over at her through the patio doors and…he laughed again?! In fact, both men were now laughing at her!
Rhys leaned over to speak to one of the servants, then the two men walked away while the servant stepped out to the patio. With a bow, the man explained, “His Highness had to take a meeting, offering his apologies. He will be back shortly. He asked if you would enjoy more wine.”
Arianna looked at the two glasses sitting on the stone table, then back up at the servant who waited patiently for a response.
Deciding that she didn’t want to be the butt of the man’s joke again tonight, she straightened her shoulders. “No. No more wine. Thank you very much.”
She inhaled deeply, her anger keeping her warm. “In fact, I need to leave. Could you show me the way to the exit?”
The man’s startled eyes looked over his shoulder where the sheik and the other guy had been talking. But they weren’t there anymore. No one to give the servant any guidance. “His Highness will be back momentarily.”
Arianna shook her head. “No. His Highness,” she said with a mocking tone, “will be back whenever it is convenient for him. I am leaving now. So if you don’t want me wandering through the hallways of the palace, it would be best if you simply showed me the way out.”
She stared at the man for a moment longer, but when he continued to stare back at her blankly, she shrugged. “Fine, I’ll find my own way out.” She grabbed her clutch purse and walked inside. She found the door to the main hallway but before she’d taken two steps, the servant was by her side.
“I will escort you,” he said and bowed again. Arianna wanted to get out of here before Rhys came back. And she needed to leave before her anger fizzled to humiliation. She wanted to be long gone before she burst into tears.
She moved forward, not waiting for the servant to finish his bow. Arianna needed to leave. She needed to get out of this place as quickly as she could! This was not her, she thought. Arianna wasn’t weak. She wasn’t petty. She didn’t…she hated that she was running away. It seemed weak and reactionary. She should stay and…slap his face! She should tell him that his laughter at a moment like that was completely inappropriate and he was a pathetic human being for reducing their kiss to…
Arianna sighed. She wasn’t going to do either of those things. She was going to leave this building with as much dignity as she could muster. She would hold her head high and walk out. This was simply a story she could tell her grandkids. How many people could say that they were courted by a sheik?
Unfortunately, the limousine that she’d come in was no longer parked right outside the door to the palace.
The startled guards weren’t sure why she was here so early in the evening. When she realized that they would need to call the chauffeur, she shook her head. “I’ll just take a cab home,” she told them.
One of the guards stepped closer. “Ms. Callas, if you could wait, His Highness will be out of his meeting shortly. I know he would be happy to take you home, if that’s where you are headed.”
Arianna looked at the grim man, thinking that this was humiliating enough. Waiting would only make it worse.
“No, that’s fine.” And she started walking towards the palace gates. Her shoes were painfully high, definitely not made for walking, but she ignored the pain, needed to leave immediately and not wait for anything.
“Ma’am!” one of the guards called out, jogging towards her. Arianna picked up speed, not wanting to talk with anyone at the moment. Especially not someone who would tell her that she couldn’t leave.
“Ma’am!’ he called again, stepping in front of her. “His Highness has asked that you stay.”
Arianna glared at the man. “Am I under arrest?” she demanded.
The man was startled by her question. “Absolutely not,” he replied, looking horrified at the suggestion.
“Good. Then I’m leaving.” She continued walking. Over her shoulder, she said, “His Highness can find someone else to amuse him tonight.”
It took her another five minutes of walking, but she finally reached the palace gates. Thankfully, right outside was the main road. There wasn’t a lot of traffic at this time of the evening, but she walked towards the center of the city, determined to find a cab to take her to her father’s house. Really, she should just call her father and have him pick her up, but that might take another twenty minutes and she didn’t want to wait that long.
At the city center, there were cabs lined up near one of the monuments and she lifted her hand. Almost immediately, a cab driver waved back, opening the back door for her, then running around to the driver’s seat when she was in the cab. Arianna gave the driver her father’s home address, then sat back against the plastic cushions, biting the knuckle of her finger to stop herself from bursting into tears. Of humiliation? Of loss?
Arianna wasn’t sure.
The cab pulled up to her father’s house and she jumped out after paying the cab driver. As soon as she stepped through the door, her father was there, book in hand and a curious expression in his eyes. “I’m guessing tonight didn’t go as well as the other nights?” he teased.
Arianna shook her head. “No. Not so well. He was called away to a meeting,” she told him. “I haven’t slept well the past few nights. I’m going to head to bed, if you are okay?”
“Of course,” he replied and walked over to give her a gentle hug. “Sweet dreams, my dear.”
“You too,” she replied and hurried up the stairs to the small bedroom her father kept ready for her whenever she visited.
When she finally closed the door, she couldn’t hold ba
ck the tears that burst out of her. This was too much, she thought as she buried her face in the pillow, not wanting her father to know that she was this upset. And in reality, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to her. So he hadn’t been as affected by their kiss as she had been. That wasn’t a crime. Yeah, he was a jerk for laughing about it, but at least her humiliation was private. It could have been a lot worse.
After another sleepless night, she knew what she had to do. Arianna hauled her packed suitcase down the stairs, startling her father who was already sipping his coffee. “I’m sorry, Dad, but I need to head home early.”
“You do?” he asked, jumping up from the table where he’d been reading the news. “But, I thought you were going to be here for the whole week? What happened?”
She shook her head, refusing to let the tears fall any longer. “There was an emergency at work. Something went wrong with payroll and I need to hurry back to get it straightened out.”
“Ah. Well, I’m sorry. And I’ll miss you, but we’ll see each other when I come back for a visit, right?”
“Absolutely!” she said, kissing his cheek.
“When is your flight?”
“In two hours. I need to hurry.”
“I’ll get my keys,” he said.
“No, that’s okay,” she said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I called for a cab to drive me to the airport. I know how much you hate driving there.”
“But…”
She put her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. “I’m good, Dad. Promise. And this is better. For everyone.”
He sighed. “I suppose if it’s an emergency, then you have to go.”
Once again, Arianna’s heart ached. Leaning in, she kissed his weathered cheek. “I’ll call you when I get to the airport and when I get home. I love you, Dad,” she told him.
“I love you too, Ari.”
Chapter 1
Six Months Later…
The stone bench was cold. Hard. Almost painful as the minutes ticked by, the waiting felt interminable.
One Night With the Sheik (Friends Forever Book 4) Page 2
