by Leslie North
“I think so,” she smiled nervously. She turned her attention to Tariq who was trying not to acknowledge her. He still had the image of her pushing the desk in her office in his head. She looked so unladylike with her skirt riding up and her bottom curled up as she arched her back. “Good morning, Sheik Tariq,” Sara greeted him. She knew she had to face him sooner or later and unfortunately, the day came sooner than she wanted. He did not offer a response; instead, he simply looked down at her. She was much smaller than he was.
Sara looked back at Amir. She was not sure what to do now. Tariq had ignored her and she was not sure what to do next. Amir gave Tariq a blank stare. His older brother was already giving the little girl a hard time. Amir tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at a seat. “Go sit over there,” he told her. She nodded as she moved to her chair.
“You could have greeted her back,” Amir said to Tariq in Arabic.
“She did not bow. Did no one teach her how to greet sheiks?” Tariq asked.
“She is new to the country, brother.”
“All the more reason why she needs to learn our ways.”
“Relax, brother, and give her a chance.” Amir patted his brother on the back, and then went to sit at the conference table next to Sara. He rubbed her shoulder to reassure her, as she seemed a bit nervous. She smiled at him awkwardly.
The rest of the Board members walked into the conference room. They all sat at the table. Sara noticed that as everyone came in, they bowed to Tariq. She was puzzled. She leaned in to Amir and whispered in his ear, “Am I meant to bow to your brother too?”
“Yes,” Amir whispered back.
Oops, Sara said to herself. Tariq must be thinking she is very disrespectful. She had been warned not to cross him, and already she was on his wrong side. She hoped that she wouldn't have to spend too much time with him.
Everyone else seemed to pay a lot of respect to Tariq, the way they spoke to him, the way they listened. When he spoke, his voice was filled with authority and his face was so stern. She could see why people were afraid of him but she was not easy to scare. She was intrigued and planned to learn more about him. Something told her that they were not going to get along easily. Sara took notes during the meeting in case Amir asked her something later. She had to be prepared. When the meeting ended, Sara bumped into Adiva on her way back to her office. Adiva stopped her to ask how the meeting went. Sara sighed before answering.
“The meeting was fine,” Sara said.
“But?” Adiva was sensing that there was a but in that sentence.
“But I think Sheik Tariq is not so keen on me.”
“Oh dear, that's not good.”
“I didn't realise I was meant to bow to him and Sheik Amir.” Sara shrugged her shoulders. It was not her fault that she was not acquainted with their culture. Adiva closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Perhaps, I should teach you a few things. You really do not want to be on his bad side. Next time you greet him, you must bow and show respect.”
Sara nodded and headed to her office. Perhaps she should have been taught these things in the beginning. She was lucky that Amir was not very formal.
* * * *
Later that week, Sara had a working lunch with Amir. She organised her files before going to meet with him. She was starting to feel confident in her role. Amir had been teaching her about the business and she caught on quickly. He had taken a chance on her, so she wanted to prove him right.
When she called her parents and told them she was working for the Boutros Oil Company, they were in shock. Her father was impressed with her. Her mother was worried. She knew how clumsy her daughter could be. She also did not like the idea that her youngest and only daughter was living in a different country all by herself.
Sara knocked on Amir's door. He called for her to come in. When she walked in, she was surprised to see Tariq sitting at the table with his brother. She immediately bowed and greeted them both. Amir was surprised and amused to see her bow. Tariq simply looked at her with an expressionless face and grunted. Amir looked at Tariq out of the corner of his eye and whispered, “Give her a chance.”
“Come. Sit.” Amir said. The lunch was already laid out on the table. The sight of it made Sara's mouth water. If there was anything she loved most in the world, it was food. Food was second to none in her eyes. Living in a new country, Sara was enjoying trying the different delicacies and she had yet to try anything that she didn’t like.
She sat down across from Tariq. She put her files on the table and made herself comfortable even though inside she was squirming. Eating with the two of them was going to be extremely awkward.
Tariq leaned in and served himself. Amir was drinking and watching Sara. He could see how uncomfortable she was.
“Sara, are you adjusting to the country okay?” Amir asked. He had to say something to make her ease up a little bit.
“I am,” Sara replied and smiled. “I think I will like it here,” she added. Tariq chewed and watched her talk. He noticed that she was quite comfortable with Amir; she was not so formal with him.
“You did not think you would?” Amir asked her.
“I thought it would be really hard to start over in a new country, but it's proving to be a great experience and adventure.” Sara shoved a fork full of food in her mouth. “The food is great too,” she added and smiled. Amir laughed at her glee. It was obvious that food worked magic on her. Tariq was still analysing her. She did not eat slowly. Everything about her was neither graceful nor lady-like.
“You studied engineering?” Tariq asked Sara.
“Yes, sir,” She replied.
Amir frowned slightly. He was wondering what his brother was up to. He silently hoped that he would not be mean to her.
“What made you move here?”
“I wanted the opportunity to be in an actual oil field and the best oil companies are here in the Middle East.”
He did not reply to her as he stared at her blankly. He realised she was unaware of his importance; otherwise she would not speak to him in that manner. She would be more respectful and formal. She was simply enjoying her food and talking to him as if he was a regular boss.
“Right, the matter at hand,” Tariq said changing the subject. He started talking about the new oil field they were prospecting. Amir was relieved that he changed the subject without saying anything mean to her. He had no tact. He would say whatever he needed to say. Sara was also relieved when Tariq changed the subject. He made her nervous but she was not going to let him see it. He was watching her with a blank look and it made her wonder what he was thinking but she told herself not to lose her cool in front of him.
Chapter 4
Tariq was doing most of the talking. He knew about the field and explained some of the plans he had. Amir often chipped in. Sara listened to them both talk. She could see how intelligent and knowledgeable they were. Both of them had studied engineering. That impressed her. They were from a rich and powerful family but unlike most children from wealthy families, they actually went through university and thrived in the family business.
From what Sara could find out about them, Amir had been photographed with a number of different women at different nightclubs and restaurants. At only twenty-eight, he did seem to get around. However, there was nothing about Tariq. From what she read on the company website, he was thirty-three and was the chairman and CEO since their father retired two years ago. If he dated, he must be very secretive about it or he was not into women. Sara could see that was he was very stiff. The word fun did not exist in his vocabulary.
“How many barrels are you aiming to fill a week?” Sara asked.
“Good question,” Amir said.
“It all depends on the field, if it has a lot of oil. We will see after we drill,” Tariq replied. His voice was very low and his face gave nothing away as usual. He did not expect Sara to say anything, since she was really into her meal. She was not a messy eater but she ate large portions quickl
y. It was not lady-like.
The meeting finally ended. Sara felt relieved. The atmosphere was intense around Tariq. He got up and buttoned his suit jacket.
“I have other matters to attend to,” Tariq said and headed for the exit.
“See you tomorrow, brother,” Amir said still sitting at the table. He turned his attention to Sara. “You're still okay there?” he asked her.
“I'm fine, sir,” she smiled.
“You survived my brother.”
“And I will continue to do so in the future.”
Amir laughed. He admired her courage. She was not easy to scare off. Tariq's presence alone intimidated people. Sara was ten years younger than he was. Most women that much younger than him were far more scared of him than she was. Older women were interested in his bed but he shut it down quickly.
“You don't believe me?” Sara asked Amir.
“I believe you, it's courageous,” he replied.
“I do not think he is that scary,” Sara said as she was getting up from the table. She started gathering her files. Amir raised his eyebrows. She grinned at him. “Did you still need me for anything?” she asked.
“No,” he said with an idea cooking in his head. Amir and Tariq along with other employees were going to the oil field the following day. He was now thinking of bringing Sara with him. Usually he waited longer before taking his assistant to the field but this time he was up to no good. He wanted Sara in Tariq's company since she said he was not scary. He already knew his older brother was not keen on her. Amir was intrigued to see how Sara would handle herself.
Sara walked out of the office clutching the files. She was feeling proud of herself for handling herself well during the lunch. Normally, something embarrassing would have happened to her. She was usually clumsy during meals. Her mother always complained about it. She had hoped her daughter would be a bit more lady-like but after growing up with brothers and no sisters, of course she would turn out that way.
For the rest of the day, Sara worked through the pile of work that Amir had assigned to her. She worked through it as fast as she could. She did not want to appear incompetent in his eyes. She finished in time to go home. She locked up her office and left. As she got in the elevator, she greeted Adiva who frowned at Sara’s backpack. It was not a good look for a woman to carry one.
Tariq was sitting in the back of his black SUV on his way home when he saw Sara walking along the road. He grimaced at the site of her backpack. Everything about her was simply wrong. He wondered why Amir hired her. As she was walking, she tripped over her own foot and nearly fell. She straightened her skirt and carried on walking. She's rather peculiar, Tariq thought to himself.
* * * *
Amir opened Sara's office door and grinned at her. She was sitting at her desk working. His abrupt presence shocked her. She looked up at him and he spoke before she could.
“You are to come with me,” Amir said.
“Where to?” Sara asked hesitantly as she got up from her desk.
“To the oil field.”
“Really?”
“You do not believe me?”
“The way you are smiling is worrying me,” Sara said as she walked around her desk. Amir was still grinning.
“Do not be worried. I enjoy going to the oil field that's all,” he lied.
He knew going to the fields with Sara and Tariq was not a good idea but it was going to be interesting. Part of him wanted Tariq to get to know her and understand why he hired her. The other part of him was accepting her challenge that Tariq did not scare her. He wanted to see how she would handle herself in his presence.
A car was waiting for them outside. Sara was glad that she had worn flats today; otherwise, it would have been hard to walk in the field wearing high heels. The driver opened the door for Sara. She thanked him and climbed into the car. The car was an eight-seater. She was sitting in the middle row. To her surprise, Tariq was sitting in the back. Amir got in and sat next to Tariq.
“Good afternoon, sir,” Sara greeted Tariq. He too was not expecting to see her. He turned to look at Amir.
“Brother,” he said and stared at him waiting for an explanation.
“She will be a part of the project, so she might as well visit the oil field,” Amir said. At this point Sara was feeling awkward and a bit annoyed because Tariq had completely ignored her. She turned and faced forward as the car pulled away. Who does he think he is? Sara asked herself. Yes, he was the Sheik blah blah, but it did not give him the right to be so rude to her.
“Majnoon?” Tariq spoke in Arabic, asking if Amir was crazy. Amir laughed softly.
“La la,” no no, he replied.
The only thing Sara understood was la. She was not good at Arabic. She found it hard to learn, so she only knew a couple of words. She had no doubt that they were speaking about her. She looked outside. She loved looking at the city. It was magnificent. She opened her window; she loved the feel of wind against her face. She so badly wanted to stick her fingers out the window but that was not a good look. She still had to be professional.
“How old is she?” Tariq asked Amir in Arabic.
“Twenty-three, why?” Amir replied in Arabic also.
“She looks as though she desires to stick her head or hand out the window.” Tariq stared at her. She was enjoying the breeze with her eyes shut. Amir turned and watched her.
“I think she's adorable,” Amir said and smiled. He liked the fact that she was different from his past assistants. Every one of them was always in work mode and feared his family all the time. He changed assistants often because he wanted someone who was good at their work but was not so serious all the time. He wanted someone different and he was starting to think that Sara was the person he was looking for. There was never a dull moment around her. Her clumsiness amused him, she met her deadlines and he liked her accent.
Tariq frowned at the idea that his brother found her adorable. He never could understand his brother sometimes. Their characters were different. Tariq preferred to have his assistant respect him, hardworking, graceful, acted like a lady and spoke Arabic. Sara seemed to be the exact opposite. He decided not to let her bother him. He figured he would act as if she was not there and not acknowledge her at all.
Chapter 5
The car rolled through a set of iron gates and parked. Sara’s legs ached from sitting in one position for what seemed like an endless journey. She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the side door. Stepping out of the car with a wide grin on her face, Sara wondered what an oil field actually looked like. Amir noticed it and smiled to himself. She was so cute, especially since she was almost half his height. He stood next to her.
“You seem enthused.”
“That obvious, huh?”
Amir laughed and suppressed the urge to ruffle her hair. “I was the opposite, the first time I came to an oil field.” Amir gestured for her to walk with him. Tariq was making a phone call.
“You weren’t interested?”
“I was sixteen at the time and to me, oil was simply the family business. I was not interested in pursuing that career path.”
“But everything changed when you spent more time here?”
“Precisely.” Amir's tone was relaxed. Sara appreciated the fact that he was so relaxed with her. He would speak informally to her and it made her feel at ease.
“Let’s begin the inspection,” Tariq said, as he approached them, arms folded across his chest. The statement was more of an order than a question. Sara suppressed the urge to frown at him. Clearly, he was not fond of their chatter.
“Yes, sir,” Sara replied with a smile. It was best for her to reply in a positive manner since she could not say what she really wanted to say. Amir sighed and looked at his brother. Tariq did not return his glance; instead, he started walking.
They approached a man dressed in simple clothing. His sleeves were rolled up and his trousers were a bit dusty. Even though he was a little bit untidy, he was still a
n attractive man. He looked like he was in his early thirties. His skin was a dark caramel colour. He bowed to Tariq and Amir as he greeted them both. They both seemed happy to see him. They immediately started speaking to him in Arabic. The man looked at Sara. She smiled at him and put out her hand.
“Sara, Sheik Amir's assistant.” Sara introduced herself and shook his hand.
“Malik.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise.”
“You will be meeting him a lot more in the future,” Amir said to Sara. Her eyes widened. She looked back at Malik. Tariq slid his hands into his pockets and began to tap his foot. “If you need anything in regards to the oil fields, let him know,” Amir added.
