by Leslie North
Chapter 9
Sara asked Fiddah many questions about the Centre for Girls and Young Women on their way there. She really liked what the centre was about and was impressed with Fiddah for starting it. Sara had taken part in charity events and fundraising at home, but this was the first time she got to meet some of the recipients. Fiddah was enjoying Sara's company. Much like Amir, she thought Sara was adorable and full of energy. She made her laugh and she liked that she spoke her mind. It was refreshing.
The driver opened the door for them when they arrived. There were some girls playing outside. As soon as they saw Fiddah, they ran up to hug her. Fiddah was also happy to see them as she called each girl by name. Sara was amazed at how happy they were to see her. Even the older girls, when they found out that she was there came out to greet her. Sara could not help but wonder if Tariq was adopted. He was nothing like Amir or their grandmother. Fiddah introduced the girls to Sara who greeted them with a big smile on her face. Fiddah knew Sara would be a good fit. She was very sweet; charity work would suit her fine.
Sara and Fiddah spent the day at the centre. Fiddah liked to come from time to time to check on the girls’ progress and find out if they needed anything. She watched Sara easily bond with the girls and the girls liked her instantly.
“You're good with them,” Fiddah said to Sara.
“I've always wanted a sister,” Sara replied and sat down with Fiddah who was feeding a three-year-old.
“Do you have siblings?”
“Three older brothers.”
Fiddah smiled. “I only had one son. I'd have loved to have had more,” she said.
“Tariq and Amir's father?”
Fiddah nodded. “Speaking of which, how are things at the company?” she asked.
Sara sighed before she answered. “Getting along with Sheik Amir was easy. He was instantly nice to me. He gave me a chance that most people in his position wouldn't. So, I do my best. I don't want him to regret his decision.”
“Amir was always a sweetheart and a flirt. He is very easy to deal with.” Fiddah picked up a napkin and wiped the little girl's mouth. “And Tariq?” she asked.
“Unpredictable and impolite.” He definitely was unpredictable. Who would have thought he'd go from insulting Sara to making love to her and then insult her immediately after? Fiddah laughed at Sara's answer.
“If you get to know him, you can predict his actions. He is one way. His views do not change. It is Amir, who is more unpredictable. He was the one always up to no good or caught in a rather displeasing situation.”
“Really?” Sara raised her eyebrows.
“Tariq was always too mature for his age. He studied all the time, he practised swordsmanship, he got into the oil business at the age of twelve.”
“Twelve?” Sara was shocked. That was too young. Fiddah nodded. “But why is he like that? I mean he's so mean and judgemental.”
“To others, yes, but he's very loving to those close to him and he is very protective.”
Sara was finding that hard to believe. Tariq did not have a loving side. Ok, granted he did things to her insides that had her melting, but that was a one-time thing and she had no intention of being alone with him again. Ever.
* * * *
Sara had managed to avoid Tariq for a few weeks. Between the amount of work Amir gave her plus her side project on El-Sultari, she kept herself busy and hidden away in her office. Today she had a meeting with Malik, who had agreed to meet with her to discuss El-Sultari. She sat with him and presented her findings based on the research she had completed. He was impressed with her. She was very knowledgeable and he could see her determination to find out if there was oil. She gave him a file of paperwork concerning the field. She had everything from the size of the field to what kind of barrels they could use. She had made sure that she had covered everything possible. The only thing that was left was actually visiting the site. Malik agreed to visit the field with her at some point so long as Amir approved.
When they walked out of the office, Sara saw Amir and Tariq speaking with Adiva. She quickly walked past reception hoping he would be too busy to see her. She got out of the building as fast as she could. She slowed down when she got outside. The coast was clear. Before she could sigh with relief, she felt someone grab her arm. She froze. There was only one person in that place who would grab her arm.
“You are avoiding me.” She recognised the deep, authoritative and sexy voice. It was Tariq.
“I am not,” Sara replied.
“Then turn around.”
Sara frowned before she put on a normal face and turned around to face him. She gave him a what-do-you-want expression.
“You were a virgin.” Tariq went straight to the point. He did not like beating around the bush nor did he like people who did. Sara's eyes widened. She did not think he knew. She had not told him.
“How…” The words refused to come out.
“It doesn't matter. The point is, why didn't you tell me?” He stared at her. The eye contact was too intense for her and she had to look away. This was not a conversation she was prepared to have. While she had told herself that she would simply pretend that it never happened, her subconscious felt otherwise and she found him in her dreams.
“Why would I?”
“Sara, are you serious right now?” he asked her with a raised his voice. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Something like that,” he paused. “That's not something you take lightly. Why would you let me deflower you?” This time he spoke calmly. Sara was surprised that even a bastard like him could cherish such a sacred thing.
“It’s not like I was worried about it in the moment,” she said as she shrugged, pretending indifference. “Besides, it doesn't matter now.”
“It does matter.”
“It's my problem, not yours. So leave it. Have a good day, sir.” Sara bowed to him and stormed off. There was no reason for them to be discussing her virginity. It was not going to change anything now.
Tariq put his hands in his pockets and watched her walk away. She should have told him. If she had, he would not have pursued her like that. But there was nothing either one of them could do about it now. She did not seem bothered. So, he was not going to be bothered by it either. He sighed as he returned to the office. She was a handful. He needed to stop thinking about her. The shape of her hips. The fullness of her breasts. How they fit perfectly in his hand. He really wanted to kick his brother for hiring her. Of all the candidates, he had chosen her.
* * * * *
“Sara! What's up girl?” Amir greeted Sara. She looked up from her desk. Her jaw dropped and she raised an eyebrow. She had never heard Amir speaking like that.
“What’s going on?” Sara asked him.
“Just saying hello and goodbye.”
Sara frowned. He was getting more and more peculiar by the second. Fiddah's words came back to her. He was unpredictable.
“Another date?” Sara asked
“Another? There was never one to begin with,” he denied, but his face looked guilty.
“Okay then, just acting like this,” Sara replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. Amir laughed.
“Okay, it's a date.” Every time he had tried to get away without saying where he was going, Sara had sniffed him out. He decided to come clean.
“Awww.”
“Stop it!”
Sara grinned at him and wiggled her eyebrows. “Why so secretive?” she asked him. He had a small smile on his face.
“She's different from the others.”
“Aww, you really like her,” Sara had a big smile on her face. Amir narrowed his gaze.
“Not like that, I mean her background. Bye, Sara.” Amir turned on his heel to leave. Sara got up from her desk and called after him. “Have fun at El-Sultari!” he said and quickly dashed out. Just when they were getting to the interesting part of the story, he bailed. This made Sara more curious about this mysterious person, but that would have to wait
.
Sara gathered all the stuff she would need and headed out locking the door behind her. She was going to meet Malik at El-Sultari. Malik had taken her research seriously and Amir had given the go ahead on visiting the field. She was excited about the inspection.
Chapter 10
Sara rubbed her belly as she got in the car. They hadn’t even left yet and she was feeling carsick. She got in the back of the car and opened the window for some fresh air. She wondered if it was maybe something she ate.
She finally reached El-Sultari. She got out of the car and walked over to greet Malik. They immediately toured the field. Sara made sure to get everything she needed. She took notes and photos. She had to be right about this one, she was not going to give Tariq the satisfaction of being right. Not after their last interaction. He would also use it as an excuse to prove her incompetence simply because he did not like her.
Malik helped Sara with everything she needed. She was so pleased that he had agreed to come along with her and that Amir had allowed the entire thing. Although she loved being out in the oil field, she was happy when they were done. She was not feeling her best. Whatever was wrong with her wasn’t getting any better and she was ready to go home.
That Friday, for the first time, Sara was happy to see Tariq in Amir's office. She had gone to see Amir to tell him about El-Sultari, but it was a bonus for her when she found Tariq in there. She greeted them both.
“Here,” she said as she handed Amir a file containing photos and her research. She immediately started talking about the inspection. She did not leave any details out.
“Are you reaching a point?” Tariq asked. He hated how much she spoke. She never ran out of words. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Malik and I concluded that the field might have oil,” Sara replied.
“Might,” Tariq emphasised.
“Even if you do not want to take my word, do take Malik's.”
“She has a point. I agreed to look into it further provided her research proved sound,” Amir said.
“La,” Tariq said. Amir looked at him and asked why. They both started speaking in Arabic. Sara quietly excused herself. She had gotten what she wanted. She was right and Tariq was wrong. Amir had backed her up. What could have been better?
She frowned when she walked past Adiva. Her perfume was a bit off. It made her stomach turn. “That isn't your usual perfume is it?” Sara asked Adiva.
“No, I am trying out a new one,” Adiva replied with a smile on her face. Sara nodded and walked off. The smell was killing her.
Later, Amir called her to his office. He informed her that he was leaving early because he had to have dinner with his family. So, Sara was free to go for the day. She had been feeling under the weather, so she was happy to leave early.
“You have not been yourself these past few days,” Amir said to her.
“I am fine, don't worry about me,” Sara replied. “Tell me about this girl you're dating?” She changed the subject. She still wanted to know more. Amir shrugged his shoulders. She was like a dog with a bone. She never gave up.
“Well she is someone I grew up knowing but I never looked at her that way,” Amir said as he buttoned his suit jacket.
“How old is she?”
“All this interrogation.”
“Twenty-five?” Amir frowned at her and headed for the door. “Twenty-six?” Sara carried on guessing ages.
“Twenty-five,” he finally said.
“Only three years younger than you. Nice.” Sara smiled.
“Good bye!” Amir said. He stopped walking and turned back to her. “Fiddah is coming by for lunch tomorrow. Be sure to join us.”
Sara agreed to join them. She loved Fiddah's company. They instantly got along. It was as if they had known each other for years. She packed up and locked his office then hers before heading home. She went straight to bed as soon as she got home. Rest was very much needed. Keira and Kaleena wanted to come over but she was too tired and unwell to entertain guests.
The next day, Sara felt much better. She finished most of her work in time to have lunch with Fiddah and Amir. Their lunch was set up outside the building in a garden area that housed a few tables. She greeted Fiddah as soon as she saw her. Fiddah was very happy to see Sara. She greeted Amir, and then sat down. She heard voices behind her. She turned and saw Malik and Tariq coming to join them. Sara screamed inside. The last thing she wanted was to sit and have lunch with Tariq.
Tariq greeted Fiddah before he sat down. He wasn't expecting Sara to be there. He wanted to ask why she was there but he knew that everyone would come to her aid. They all seemed to like her for some odd reason. Malik greeted Fiddah as well before he sat down.
Fiddah asked how things were going. Sara immediately brought up El-Sultari. She really wanted to rub it in Tariq's face. He ignored her and carried on eating. He wasn't going to show her that he was bothered by it.
“You look different today,” Fiddah said to Sara.
“Do I?”
Fiddah stared at Sara for a moment before she continued. “You have a certain glow,” she said.
“Probably the coconut oil I use,” Sara said and smiled. Fiddah shook her head. She was not convinced. She brushed it off and started talking about something else.
Sara dropped a piece of chicken on the plate as she was trying to put the food in her mouth. Her eyes raced to see if anyone had seen her. Only Tariq saw her. He was staring at her with a blank face. Dammit! He had to see, Sara thought. Of all the people, it had to be he who saw her.
One of the caterers brought out a tray of food and placed it on the table. Sara was unfamiliar with the food and the smell made her stomach turn. She put her fork down and touched her belly.
“Are you well, dear?” Fiddah asked her.
“She has been under the weather for the past few days,” Amir said.
Sara quickly put her hand over her mouth and ran from the table. She went into the building and threw up in a planter. She felt a hand patting her on the back. “It's alright dear,” a soothing voice spoke. She recognised Fiddah. She handed Sara some water and a napkin after she was done throwing up. Sara rinsed her mouth and wiped it.
“How far along are you?” Fiddah asked Sara. Sara frowned in confusion.
“Far where?” Sara questioned. She was confused. Fiddah realised that Sara did not know. She called for her driver. Taking Sara’s hand, she put her in the car as she gave instructions to her driver in Arabic. On the ride there, Sara kept assuring her that she was ok and that perhaps it was something she ate. She had been far too adventuresome with some of the restaurants she’d been choosing. She didn’t think it was necessary to go to a doctor.
Fiddah waited with Sara after her tests had been taken. Sara hated going to the doctor. She wanted to leave and be called with the results but Fiddah insisted that they wait. Fiddah already knew what was going on with Sara. The doctor called them into the office.
“Would you like Lady Botros to be here for your results?” the doctor asked Sara.
“Yeah, it's fine. It's probably something I ate, right?” Sara asked. The doctor shook his head and smiled.
“Congratulations, you are going to have a baby,” the doctor said. Sara's jaw dropped open. Fiddah held her hand and smiled.
“No. That’s not possible. I can’t be pregnant,” Sara cried, shaking her head.
“It's good news, isn’t it dear?” Fiddah asked.
Sara laughed nervously. There was no way she was pregnant. It didn't make sense.
“I can't be.” Sara stood up and shook her head. “I’m only twenty-three and not married,” she added, starting to panic.
“It's still a blessing,” Fiddah said.
“It is, yes. I have always wanted to be a mother and planned to be. Someday. When I was married.”
“It's okay, dear. I'm sure the father will be overjoyed.”
Sara froze. Dammit! Tariq! What will he think!
“Sara? Won't the father be j
oyful?” Fiddah turned to look at the doctor. “Please excuse us,” she said to him. He nodded and immediately left the room. Sara looked at Fiddah in panic. Her hands started shaking.
“It'll be fine,” Sara said. “It has to be.” She touched her belly. A smile appeared on her face. She couldn't believe that she was going to be a mother. Fiddah got up and hugged her.
“If you need anything, I am here for you,” Fiddah said.
Sara wanted to tell her who the father was but words failed her. She was not even sure how she was going to tell Tariq himself.
