One Night With the Sheik (Friends Forever Book 4)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  When he simply winked across the table at her, she huffed a bit, irritated with his dismissal of her question.

  He waved his fork towards her food. “You don’t strike me as an incompetent woman. So, I agree with you that someone is hindering your efforts. They won’t be as obstructive when I start asking the questions.” He poured her a glass of wine. “And don’t think of your efforts as a failure. Obviously, something is going on.”

  She snorted her disagreement and he chuckled. “Your father told me a story about some math competition that you entered into in…” he paused to think for a moment, “second grade? You were six or seven years old?”

  Her mouth fell open slightly, immediately remembering that contest. “Third grade and I was eight,” she corrected, staring at him in astonishment. “He told you about that? How?”

  He stared pointedly at her fork, silent until she rolled her eyes and lifted the utensil. Only when she’d picked up the fork did he continue with the memory. “I told you. I met your father a couple of years ago and ever since, with every meeting, he would tell everyone stories about you. When he first started working for the Triar government, there were several problems on the oil lines and I would go out to investigate. There were too many accidents in that time period and oil production was falling during a period when all other data indicated that it should be increasing.”

  She looked down at the food on her plate and took a tentative bite, astonished by the burst of flavors that exploded on her tongue. “Oh my, this is delicious!” she gasped.

  “Exactly. I have an excellent chef.” He took another bite and waited until she’d eaten more before he continued. “Anyway, one day he and I were walking the lines, discussing various issues. He was smart and proactive and I quickly learned to trust his advice. On this particular day, you must have done something and your father was proud of you. He even had a picture of you in his wallet and pulled it out anytime someone asked about you, although the one I saw had you in braids. Also, braces, I believe,” he teased. “The reality of you in a beautiful dress several months ago was decidedly different.”

  Arianna blushed, thinking back to her school days and the pain of having braces, the awkwardness of being smarter than most of the boys in school. It made for some lonely times on the playground and not a lot of invitations to the high school dances. “I was pretty awkward in my teen years.”

  “Your father believed in you and confidently stated that you showed amazing potential even then.” He took another bite and stared at her plate again.

  Arianna took another bite of the spicy beef dish, wanting to hear more about his conversations with her father, willing Rhys to talk. She desperately wanted to hear about her father, to feel as if she could somehow connect with him even though she knew that they should be out there looking for him right now instead of sitting in a beautiful dining room eating. She was so worried about him! “What did he tell you about that math competition?”

  The man laughed and topped off his glass of wine, then waited until she’d taken a sip of her own before he continued.

  “He said that you’d been practicing for weeks before the competition. The morning of the event, you refused to eat because you were too excited, determined to win. Apparently, there was some boy that taunted you during the last math test because you earned a higher grade. He’d accused you of being a ‘stupid girl’ or something along those lines. Your father’s eyes lit up when he told everyone that you beat the boy in the first round of the competition.”

  Arianna remembered that morning and still thought fondly of that sweet victory. She huffed a bit, thinking back to that afternoon on the playground, irritated all over again by the incident that was now ancient history. “He said I was ugly and pretty girls weren’t good at math.”

  Rhys’ eyebrows lifted, but he only shook his head. “Anyway, your father said that you got to school early, practicing your multiplication tables all the way to the school. He sat through the whole competition until it was only you, another girl, and one other boy. Towards the end, the boy was knocked out of the race and it was just you and another girl. The two of you forced the event to last a half hour longer than usual because neither of you made a mistake. The teachers were pulling their students out of the auditorium, needing to get back on schedule, but you and the other girl just kept going.”

  Arianna smiled at the memory. “Yeah. She was a worthy opponent.”

  “Are you still friends with her?” he asked curiously.

  Arianna laughed, horrified at the possibility. “Absolutely not! Jenny Peterson hated me before the math contest and, since I won, she hated me even more after. She used to throw peanuts at me in the lunch room.”

  “And you eventually stopped her?”

  Arianna shook her head. “No. My friend got hit in the head with one of the peanuts and punched Jenny in the nose. I got in trouble for that too. My teacher said that I provoked the fight.”

  His dark eyebrows went up. “And did you?”

  Arianna shook her head, irritated even now by the memory. “I was completely innocent.”

  “Then why did the teacher blame you?”

  Arianna was unaware of the smug smile that spread over her lips as triumph lit up her eyes. “Because just that morning, I’d corrected one of the problems the teacher had written up on the board. She was irritated with me and more than ready to get back at me for embarrassing her.”

  “Sounds like a petty dictator,” he replied, completely dismissing the teacher.

  Arianna looked at him, his words reminding her that her father was still missing while the two of them sat in here chatting away. Kettle, meet Pot, she silently thought. Then she remembered that he’d told her that he had his security team looking into leads and felt horrible for her petty thoughts.

  “Yes, well,” she put her fork down and folded her hands in her lap. “Thank you very much for the meal. Are you going to call someone to help me find my father? Or do you have something else on the agenda to slow me down?”

  He laughed softly and sipped his wine. “Perhaps a bit of torture?”

  Unwillingly, her eyes widened. But his chuckle told her that he was teasing her and she relaxed.

  “You will stay here with me in the palace while we investigate your father’s disappearance. As I mentioned, I have my security team looking into what happened and I believe they have some leads,” he announced with a nod at his guards. And with those words, he nodded to another waiter who cleared the dishes away. Arianna noticed that he’d eaten a large portion of the food and her eyes were once again drawn to his broad shoulders. He really was nicely built.

  That’s when his words hit her. He might have said it earlier, but she was just now starting to believe him. And the relief that surged through her overrode his comment about her staying here in the palace. “You’re really going to help?” she gasped. With his nod, she threw herself into his arms. “Thank you!”

  Chapter 2

  The following morning, Rhys looked down at the incredible beauty sensuously splayed out over the huge bed. She was lying on her stomach, her strawberry blonde hair fanning out above her head, the sheet barely covering the bare, perfectly round globes of her derriere. And what a derriere it was! His body was painfully aroused as he let his eyes move over her soft skin, marred only slightly by a barely-there sprinkling of freckles across her shoulders and upper back. He could barely discern the tan lines from her bathing suit and smiled, thinking about the demure outline. A one piece, he thought from the pattern.

  Yes, he supposed this delicate woman would be too shy to wear a bikini. She might be naked at the moment, but he suspected that her state of undress was only because she hadn’t been offered a nightgown. His fault, he thought. He should have ordered one of his men to retrieve her suitcase from the hotel, or he might have even given the order to provide her with new clothes.

  An appealing idea, he thought as he sat down beside her on the huge, silk covered bed. She didn’t even
stir although her body rolled towards his, her delectable bottom now resting against his hip. His eyes moved lower, noticing the small dimples right at the base of her spine. Soon, he thought. Very soon, he was going to explore those delightful dimples. She was a beauty, but even better, she was intelligent and determined. And loyal! Damn, how rare was that quality in a person?

  In his experience, humans were loyal only as long as the money continued to flow their way. If a better offer came around, they were ready to dismiss their integrity and shift loyalties.

  Not this lady! She was right that she’d committed a crime by trying to slap him. But those were the old laws and were not really applied now – especially since his bodyguards rarely allowed anyone within arm’s reach, so it was a moot point.

  Shifting against the mattress, he contemplated what to do with the lovely Arianna Callas. She was certainly brave and daring, coming all this way to try and find her father on her own. But as he admired all those delicate freckles, his mind was distracted from her loyalty when she sighed in her sleep, her fingers curling against the white, silk sheets. Moving again, she curled an arm up closer to her, revealing just a few more centimeters of skin.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t roll enough for him to fully view her lovely breasts, but since her other arm was flung out to the side, he could see the fullness of that amazing part of her anatomy. Ah…breasts or bottom? Which would fill his hands more perfectly? He couldn’t wait to discover. And to explore every inch of her amazing body.

  But then the purpose of her presence here in Triar came back to him. His security team had been working all night to try, but they hadn’t discovered what had happened to him yet. They’d discovered some interesting evidence though.

  Just the thought of her father’s disappearance, about the issues that she’d revealed, caused his anger to simmer. There was a mystery to be unraveled here. If what she was telling him was true, and he had no reason to doubt her after he’d reviewed his security team’s information, then he needed to find out what was going on out on the oil sites. This was much bigger than just one man’s disappearance.

  He’d have to be careful about it though. Rhys didn’t want to alert anyone to his investigation. There was too much money involved and people became quite desperate when they tried to preserve their financial future, even if obtained through illegal means.

  But his attention moved back to the lovely woman. The beautiful, lovely, naked woman! Unable to resist the allure of her soft, golden skin, he ran a finger down her spine, his eyes taking in the ribs that were visible underneath the skin. She needed to eat more, he thought absently, even while he enjoyed the feeling of her soft skin under his hands.

  Arianna Callas, he thought, was going to be different than the other women who had shared his bed in the past. There was just something about her, a soft beauty or maybe her innate sense of right and wrong that translated into an ill-advised attempt to investigate her father’s disappearance all on her own, that intrigued him. Lured him closer. Not many men, and no woman of his acquaintance, would have such determination, such drive and ingenuity to start investigating someone’s disappearance in a foreign country with different rules and culture.

  Not for the first time, he wondered why she’d run away from him months ago. He’d felt her desire, heard the need in her voice. It had given him intense pleasure to know that she wanted him almost as badly as he’d wanted her. He’d finally understood what his Chief of Staff had meant about the lightning, the need to keep one woman and cherish her. And then she’d left. Not just the palace, but the country.

  Even worse, she’d ignored all of his attempts at talking about what had happened.

  But now she was here. In his country, in his home, and he would get to the bottom of the issue. And find her father.

  Right now, she was exhausted. She must have been up worrying about her mission for days, if the dark circles under her eyes were any indication. Arianna Callas. Even her name sounded soft and romantic. Such a loyal daughter too!

  His eyes moved over her back once again, his fingers trailing along her skin. He smiled slightly when she stretched this time, curling into his hand, but she didn’t wake up. “Rhys,” she whispered, almost as if she were dreaming about him.

  Thinking that he liked that idea – a lot – he lowered his head, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder. Once more, she stretched out, her body arching towards him. He smiled, but his body was creeping towards the painful side of arousal. His fingers strayed lower, running along her arm and she smiled, whispering his name again.

  “What do you want, Arianna?” he asked softly, wanting to hear his name on her lips again.

  His eyes moved to her cheek, her lips. So soft. Her mouth was open slightly, her long, brown lashes resting against the golden skin of her high cheekbones and he wanted her to roll over, to open those golden eyes so that he could see her, know what she was thinking.

  “Kiss me again,” she sighed.

  Rhys knew that she was still asleep, but he lowered his head and nibbled along her spine, enjoying the way her body arched once more into his touch. So responsive. He thought about the way she’d burst into tears yesterday before curling up on his lap, accepting his comfort, even though, in her mind, he was ultimately the reason for her father’s disappearance. And even before her moment of weakness, he’d been watching her, wondering why she’d been so reticent to approach him. Most of the people who showed up for receiving day were anxious, overly eager to speak with him and yet, she’d allowed several people to take her turn.

  Such a sweet, delicate little woman. And yet, also so strong and determined. Not to mention, so responsive.

  He ran a hand over her back once more, unable to stop himself. He almost groaned when her beautiful eyes fluttered open. She looked around, obviously trying to remember where she was. And why she wasn’t in a familiar bed.

  He could read everything she was thinking and feeling simply by watching her face. That didn’t even include her body language, which, as she slowly came awake, demonstrated her innocence. Any other woman of his acquaintance, upon realizing that he was sitting beside her on a bed, would have rolled over, exposing her breasts to his delectation, trying to entice him.

  Not Arianna! No, much to his chagrin, those lovely eyes fluttered open, memories flooded into her brain and…she gasped, grabbing onto the sheet to cover her body from his obviously interested gaze.

  “What are you doing here?” Arianna demanded, scooting as far away as the sheet would allow. Waking up in a strange room was one thing. But waking up…essentially in a man’s arms…was a completely different issue. She’d slept in hotel rooms and friends’ houses before. But never in her entire life had she woken up to find a handsome man glaring down at her.

  “I’m trying to wake you so that I can escort you to breakfast,” he explained, those dark eyes taking in the view of her lush body and Arianna tightened her grip on the sheet. She couldn’t get it high enough because he was sitting on the bed, trapping most of the fabric underneath him.

  “I’m not hungry,” she told him desperately as she released one hand from the sheet to push her hair out of her eyes. She figured she’d need all of her senses on high alert in order to deal with this latest crisis. The crisis of finding a man in her room. It didn’t matter that she’d asked him for assistance the previous day or that she was lucky to be in a soft bed, surrounded by luxury and silk sheets instead of in a prison cell with rough blankets and…well, probably subjected to humiliating searches.

  She shuddered just thinking about what her fate might be if…

  “I’m sorry, Your Highness,” she mumbled, realizing that she should probably treat this man with a bit more respect. Especially since he was looking at her as if he’d like to eat her for breakfast.

  Now why did the thought of that make her feel all warm and gooey again?

  A dark eyebrow went up with her new tone and she shifted uncomfortably. “What happened there, Arianna?”
/>   She shrugged, not sure she understood. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, a moment ago, you were ready to club me for daring to sit next to you in bed, angry and belligerent. Now you’re trying to not cringe away from me, acting as if I might toss you into prison. What’s going on inside your head?”

  She sighed and tried to move her legs further away from him. In response, he trapped her legs under his arm, keeping them in place. “Um…I was just…I’m grateful to you for your benevolence,” she finally admitted. “I asked you for help yesterday and you agreed. I don’t want you to assume that I’m ungrateful.”

  He sighed and stood up, tamping down his frustration. “You don’t owe me gratitude, Arianna. I owe you information. So if you would like, I will wait while you dress and escort you to the breakfast room. We can have coffee, some breakfast, and I’ll explain my plans for the day.”

  She licked her lips, her eyes moving over his body. Yesterday, he’d been in traditional Arabic robes, the white and gold brocade making him look very king-like. But today, he was in western garb, black cargo pants with a tight, black tee shirt that hugged all of those incredible muscles all over his body. She’d prefer it if he would find a bigger tee shirt, one that didn’t show off his chest to her hungry gaze.

  Wait. Huh? His chest wasn’t all that good! And his arms? She’d seen better.

  On a god, she thought with resignation. Yeah, he was amazing. All of those muscles and his flat abs…he was definitely drool-worthy.

  “Arianna?” His voice broke through her thoughts and she lifted her eyes up to his. He was laughing at her. Again!

  “Um...yes,” Breakfast, she reminded herself. “If you would just…” her mouth pulled into a cringe. “I don’t have any clothes on,” she admitted.

  Those dark eyes once again fought the laughter. “I am aware of your state of undress, Arianna.”