by Leslie North
Later that day, Amir walked into Sara's office. He pulled out a chair and joined her at her desk. For a moment, he did not say anything. He simply looked at her. She knew why he was studying her like that. She sighed and leaned back in her chair.
“It happened during the week we worked late. The night of your date, to be exact,” Sara said.
“How?” Amir was confused. He could not understand how his brother and his assistant got into that situation. The two of them hated each other and now they were having a baby.
“I don't know. One minute we were arguing and the next, that happened.” She covered her face with her hands. Amir burst out laughing.
“This is crazy. You two loathe each other and now you will raise a baby together!” He started laughing again.
“It's not funny, it's terrible. He is mean and controlling. Do you know what he did yesterday?”
“What?”
“He came to my apartment and literally removed me from it and took me to his. Actually threw me over his shoulder when I refused to go. Now, he’s making me live with him. For the health and safety of the baby, he says.”
Amir could not help but laugh. He liked having her around, standing up to Tariq and arguing with him. It was all such great amusement watching as this girl completely vexed his brother. But now, she was going to be the mother of his brother's first-born child. A knock sounded at the door. It was an unfamiliar girl. Sara raised her eyebrows.
“You must be Sara,” the girl said. She looked to be about twenty years old.
“Why are you here?” Amir asked her.
“I'm Aaliyah,” she said to Sara, ignoring Amir. Sara looked at Amir, hoping he would tell her what was going on. “I heard that you're carrying my cousin's child,” she added.
Cousin? Amir smacked his forehead with his right hand.
“News travels fast,” Aaliyah said.
Aaliyah accompanied Sara back home to Tariq's house. She told Sara that her reason for coming was that she wanted to meet Sara. She was excited to become an aunt. Tariq had refused to tell her about Sara, so she came to see her for herself. Aaliyah asked Sara every single question she could come up with.
The day got even weirder for Sara when she walked into Tariq's living room to find Fiddah sitting with a younger woman. Both women were surprised to see Sara.
“Hello, lady Fiddah,” Sara said awkwardly.
“Sara, how is it that you are here?” Fiddah asked her.
Chapter 13
Fiddah was finding it hard to process that Sara was pregnant with Tariq's child. The other woman, who had introduced herself as Tariq's mother was even more shocked. Her eldest son, the one who did not want to marry, had impregnated his brother's assistant? And now, she was living with him? It was too much to take in. Aaliyah was lingering in the background. She did not know what to do or if she should do anything at all.
“Opportunist!” Tariq's mother shouted and rose from her chair in fury. Sara's jaw dropped open.
“I assure you, it is nothing of the sort,” Sara replied.
“How can Amir's assistant be sleeping with the chairman?”
“With all due respect, there was no sleeping. It was one night, one mistake. It was not intentional,” Sara ground out through clenched teeth. She was tired of explaining herself.
Fiddah knew that Sara was not like that, but she was surprised at the fury of her daughter-in-law. Before Fiddah could salvage the situation, Tariq stormed in. He touched Sara's lower back and asked her to leave the room. He looked furious.
“Tell your mother that I did not target you. Tell her how much I dislike you,” Sara said to him as she trembled with emotion.
“Dislike? Who do you think you are?” Mrs. Botros shouted at her.
“Sara, please go to your room. I'll handle it,” Tariq said to her softly. Even though he looked furious, Sara was surprised to see a glimpse of caring in his eyes. She nodded and left the room. Tariq looked at Aaliyah to leave the room as well and she quickly followed Sara.
“Mother, please quell your anger,” Tariq said as he walked towards her.
“How can I? When you impregnated that slattern and now she will birth your first-born child!” His mother burst into tears.
“I understand how you feel and I apologise. However, she did not seek me out. It simply happened in a moment of passion.
“She is a lovely girl,” Fiddah interjected. “She is intelligent. Sweet. Caring. Fun. One thing she isn't is an opportunist. She disliked Tariq, that is very much true,” Fiddah said calmly. She turned to face Tariq, “And I am having a hard time understanding how you laid with her,” she said. He couldn’t give her a response. It had happened. He did not plan it nor did she. He managed to convince his mother to leave and calm herself down. He kissed her on both cheeks before she left. Fiddah left with her.
Sara went to Tariq's room after Aaliyah had left. She knocked on the door before walking in. Tariq was sitting at his desk. She walked over to him and hugged him catching him by surprise.
“What are you doing?” he asked her. She let go and sat on the desk in front of him.
“It's called a hug,” she said sarcastically. “I wanted to thank you for stepping in with your mother earlier. I never thought you were kind. I thought you'd feed me to the lions if you could,” she added. Tariq narrowed his gaze.
“Is there a point to you being here?” he asked her. Even though his words were impolite, his voice had dropped and had that sexy tone. Sara hated to admit how much it turned her on.
“How will we raise a child when your mother dislikes me already?” she asked him.
“She will come around. Do not worry about her.”
“I'm tired,” she told him. “This place is huge! It's a freaking maze and I keep getting lost. Takes,” Tariq cut her off before she could finish.
“You talk too much,” he said and picked her up. He carried her across the house to her room. Sara was not expecting it but it felt good to be carried. She snuggled up against his chest. He laid her on the bed as she grinned at him and stepped back.
“Thanks,” she called out after him, but he was already shutting the door behind him.
* * * *
After several weeks, Sara and Tariq eventually got into a pattern living together. He made sure that she had everything that she needed and they stayed out of each other’s way. Sara agreed only to work on El-Sultari, since she was responsible for it even being recognised. They had actually found high quality oil. There wasn't a lot of oil but the oil they had found was going to be very profitable. Tariq agreed to let her work on it and nothing else.
Amir came to see Sara often. He complained to her that she was his best assistant and now he had to find another. Fiddah came to see Sara and look after her every other day. She went with Sara to all her appointments and check-ups. She had to be there for Sara, especially since the baby was a Botros and Tariq's mother had not given her blessing yet. His father had agreed to stay out of the whole matter. Although Fiddah knew that he was overjoyed to be a grandfather. Keira and Kaleena had come to see Sara a few times. Tariq would shake his head when he saw them sitting together, squashed on one sofa giggling. He did not mind them coming over because they kept Sara out of his way and made her happy. He wouldn't admit that he liked seeing her happy but he did and he did not understand why.
One night, Tariq was working in his room when Sara walked in. He looked up from his desk. She was wearing an oversized, loose-fitting t-shirt. She stood next to him staring at him. He put the files he was working on down and turned his attention to her.
“I can't sleep,” she said.
“What does that have to do with me?” he asked.
“Everything.”
“Go take a walk, swim or something,” he told her as he reached for a file.
“I can't sleep because... I anfsfu,” she mumbled the rest. Tariq frowned because he could not make out the rest of what she was saying.
“Sara, what? I have work to
She rolled her eyes but it had to be done. She sat on his lap and held his face close to hers. He raised his eyebrows.
“I feel…charged...hormones. I don’t know, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t even get you out of my head when I’m asleep. You’re always there.”
Tariq smiled once he understood what she was saying. He picked her up and carried her over to his bed. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against it. “Why is it you can make me feel so small,” she asked as she sighed.
“Because you are small.” He removed her t-shirt and tossed it to the floor. He trailed kisses from her inner thighs all the way to her collarbone. She moaned at every kiss. It made him smile at how much she was enjoying everything he did. He was thankful for those hormones.
Sliding off the bed, she watched him as he made short work of his clothes before joining her back on the bed. Lying beside her, he traced his fingers along her body. He didn’t think it was possible that she could become any more beautiful. Her breasts had grown considerably and what she called her baby bump was becoming more pronounced. He still couldn’t believe that his child was growing inside her. Cupping the side of her face, he smiled at her before he bent to kiss her. Kissing her deeply, his hand slowly made its way down to her mound to find that she was indeed wet and ready for him. He was so pleased that she continued to shave. While she refused to talk about it, he knew that she enjoyed the new sensations that came with a shaved pussy. His finger slid easily in as he slowly began to pump in and out.
Sara was still so new to lovemaking and as her hormones raged inside her, she wasn’t interested in foreplay. She flexed her hips in time to Tariq’s hand as she tugged him towards her.
Tariq rolled on top of her and entered her swiftly. Making love to her seemed to get better and more enjoyable each time. Every part of her was tingling with sensation. Sara could barely keep her eyes open or uncurl her toes. He thrust into her with so much strength. She could feel him getting bigger and bigger inside of her. He enjoyed making love to her and despite having difficulty broaching it, she loved it too. As his orgasm grew close, he reached down to finger her clit, which ignited an explosive orgasm. As she arched up, she clamped down hard upon his cock causing him to come. A couple more quick thrusts and he buried himself deep inside her. With his head buried in her neck, he kissed her collarbone as they rode out their orgasms together.
Tariq woke the next morning to find Sara sleeping next to him. The memories of last night's earth-shattering lovemaking rushed back. He had never seen her so hungry for him before. He groaned quietly. She was sleeping so soundly next to him. He studied her. She had a cute nose that he enjoyed kissing. Her mocha-coloured skin was beyond perfection. He wondered why it had taken him so long to appreciate how beautiful she was.
“Roses,” Sara said.
“What?” Tariq answered.
“Me...no...like.” She was not making sense.
“You do not like roses?”
“Food,” she said and smiled.
Tariq laughed when he realised that she was talking in her sleep. That was the only thing he found adorable about her. Besides her nose, beautiful skin colour, luscious lips, firm bottom, her soft and supple full breasts. Tariq jumped out of bed. He could not believe that he was making a list of all the things he liked about her. He went to shower the thoughts away.
Sara got up when she heard the water run and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for them both. When Tariq came to the kitchen, he was shocked to see her cooking for him.
“Don't look too happy,” she said as she set his plate down and walked out of the kitchen. She smiled when he could not see her.
“It's probably poisoned,” he called out after her. He sat down and smiled at the food.
Sara ended up getting into the habit of cooking for him. She never told him, but she liked cooking for him. He didn’t try to stop her from cooking for him either as he enjoyed the attention and the food. She would feed him both in the dining room and in the bedroom. Her excuse was hormones but he knew she liked him making love to her.
“Sara, you have to be careful,” Tariq scolded her as he caught her. They were on their way to find out the baby's sex when she tripped.
“I know,” Sara said. She was too clumsy and so many times, Tariq had to catch her to keep her from tumbling to the ground. He held her hand the rest of the way to the clinic. Fiddah was waiting for them out front when she saw them holding hands. She smiled to herself. Even though her grandson was too oblivious, he had found the woman for him.
As soon as the doctor told them that the baby was a girl, Tariq and Sara started arguing over baby names. They could not make simple decisions together. Tariq stared down at her. Her head barely reached his chest, but she stood tall. He watched her getting angry and heated up, and couldn’t resist smiling on the inside while he did his best to keep his face expressionless. He did not understand himself or her. She was so stubborn but he loved arguing with her. In the end, Fiddah suggested a name that they both agreed on, Leylah.
Chapter 14
Tariq was sitting at his desk staring at a little box. Every decision he had ever made in his life, he had been sure of it. He never second-guessed himself. He was always right but this decision was different. It made him nervous. He sighed, rubbing his face. Sara burst into his bedroom and walked over to Tariq. She was breathless.
“What is the matter?” he asked and immediately got up. Before Sara could say anything, she saw the little box. She gasped and placed her hand on her chest. Her eyes widened.
“That's huge, who for?” she asked.
“Are you alright?” Tariq asked ignoring the question.
Sara picked up the box. She stared at the ring. The ring had diamonds all around the platinum band and there was a huge diamond in the centre. Sara looked up at Tariq. He nervously looked around the room. Sara dropped her jaw.
“For...me?” she asked.
Tariq slipped his hands in his pockets and nodded. He had no idea what he was meant to do. He had never been in such a situation. He never thought he would ever be in such a situation. Sara was speechless. Sara never expected him to ask for her hand in marriage. Yes, they had been getting along better since they were living together. They argued constantly but it was never anything major. And they always resolved their differences with lovemaking. He looked after her and gave her everything she needed. She cooked for him. She looked after him when he worked late. But marriage? She never saw this coming.
“YOU want to marry ME?” Sara emphasised the you and me. She needed him to be clear.
“Yes,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because you're mine.”
Sara looked up from the ring to look at him. Had he just said what she heard? She was his? He really was not making sense.
“Huh?”
“I will not let the mother of my baby marry another man.”
Sara narrowed her eyes, “So, you are being possessive right now?”
“Yes, I am. I deflowered you. I gave you your first child. You're giving me my first child.” Tariq groaned with frustration. He was not very good at being romantic. He was not even sure how he felt about her. He didn’t know how to describe it. “I don't want another man touching you.”
“Tariq, you're not making sense. You want to marry me because you don't want another man touching me?” She gave him half a smile. He was already possessive and jealous.
“I want you by my side, Sara. I need you.” He looked down. Speaking like that was too uncomfortable and unfamiliar for him. Sara put the ring in his palm. He looked up at her. She gave him her left hand. He smiled and put the ring on her finger. She laughed.
“You're awful with words.”
He laughed with her and kissed her. Sara broke the kiss when she felt a sharp pain in her womb. She winced in pain.
“I had actually come in here to tell you that my water broke,” she said.
A wave of shock washed over him. He picked her up and carried her to the car shouting orders to the driver. By the time they reached the hospital, Sara was screaming in pain. The nurses quickly brought her into a private room on the maternity ward.
Sara was frustrated and angry. The doctor had come in to check on her and told her that she needed to dilate a few more centimetres before they could deliver. Tariq held her in his arms. He felt useless. He did not know how to help her. She kept screaming in pain and swearing.
“My baby,” a woman said as she walked into the room along with Fiddah.
“Mum?” Sara was surprised to see her. Telling her mother that she was pregnant was very hard for her. She had planned to send a text or send baby pictures but Tariq had convinced her to call her. For an hour, her mum was shouting at her on the phone for getting pregnant before marriage. She gradually accepted it and Tariq.
-->
