by Leslie North
“Daddy didn’t like it?”
His arm tightened around her as she winced at the memory. It was painful to think about and even harder to voice. Her mouth was dry as she tried to push back the pain. “He screamed at me. He told me that when my looks faded, I’d have nothing if I didn’t go back to my business studies. He told me that I was just like my mother. Destined to use my sexuality like a weapon to get what I wanted. It was horrifying. He withdrew his financial support.”
She swallowed hard. “He withdrew his emotional support,” she went on numbly, “although that admittedly wasn’t much.” She took a deep breath and lifted her head higher, defiance creeping into her voice. “I graduated at the top of my class. I got a scholarship to get my master’s degree. I excelled in my internship, but knowing that my father hated me crushed me. The only other parent I had was dead.”
“So you hoped to find love here?” His tone was even, and she couldn’t help but search for some sign in those words, but he gave very little away.
Katie turned in his arms and pressed her head to his chest. She could feel the steady beat of his heart. “I just wanted to feel connected to something. I wanted to find myself outside of my father’s hatred and outside of my rebellion.”
“How’s that working out for you?” he asked dryly.
Poorly. Her connections had led her to love, but it was a love that would never be returned. “I’m still working on that.”
“Ah, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head and stroked the bare skin of her arms. “You’re strong. Independent. Frustratingly stubborn. I think you know exactly who you are.”
She wasn’t sure that she knew who she was, but she knew what she wanted. Slowly, she reached down and unzipped his pants.
“Katie,” he protested.
“I need you, Khalid. I wasn’t trying to push you away this week. I thought that you were pushing me away.”
His cock was rock hard when she fished him out and squeezed. As his eyes studied her, she slowly lowered herself to her knees.
“No,” he hissed as he stepped back.
“Seriously?” She frowned. “What man doesn’t love a blow job?”
“You’re drunk.”
“I’m really not. I was a little buzzed, but my head is clear now. Give up some of that control, Khalid. Just enjoy.” Feeling empowered, she leaned forward and touched her tongue to the head of his cock.
It jumped, and he leaned against the railing. Immediately, she knew she had him.
Teasing him, she squeezed and swirled her tongue around him until his heavy breaths turned into a moan.
“Katie,” he grunted as he wrapped her hair around his fist.
Smiling, she ran her thumb under the base and looked at him. “Yes, Sheikh?”
“Minx,” he muttered. “Suck me, Katie. I want to feel your mouth around me. Please, baby.”
It was the closest she was ever going to get to hearing him beg.
Licking her lips, she opened up and took him deep.
He was gentle with her, small thrusts, loud moans. His legs shook, but when she thought she finally had him, he pulled away.
“Hey!” she protested, but she let him push her to the ground and unzip her jeans. She was already wet for him when he pulled up her knees and entered her.
She lost control, but she didn’t care.
He loved her right there on the patio, and it was all she could do not to admit that she needed more than just his body.
She needed his heart.
12
His actions over the next few days hardly surprised her. He was gone when she woke up the next morning, and there was a note letting her know that a driver would take her home. He was also gone the next weekend, claiming that he was meeting with an appraiser for the collection.
She was hurt, but she tried not to show it.
When he returned to the gallery the following Monday, he could barely look at her. When she did catch a glimpse of his eyes, it was enough to make her stomach clench. He’d given her something precious that weekend, a little too much control, a little too much intimate knowledge of himself, and now he could barely face her.
Ticket sales dropped even further. She’d hoped that when people heard about the Greek collection, they’d make some inquiries through the website, but Khalid didn’t even want to advertise.
It made no sense.
“Sheikh Khalid?” she asked. She cleared her throat and knocked on his door.
He paused before looking up. “Yes, Katie?” There was a touch of annoyance in his voice.
“You didn’t mention whether you’d gotten the Greek collection appraised.”
He returned his attention to the stack of papers in front of him. “No, I did not.”
“You also haven’t mentioned anything about advertising. We should make an announcement on our social media pages. Now might be a good time to start a newsletter. We could mention that we have exciting news, and anyone who signs up for the newsletter will hear about it first.”
He looked up and glared. “Katie, you’re not seriously still pushing this email subscription idea of yours, are you?” he barked.
She wanted to turn and run, but her hesitation was quickly turning to anger. “Fine. No email. We could set up a virtual event about the opening day of the collection.” She paused and held up a staying hand to forestall the objections she could see forming on his face. “I’m not suggesting a huge event, but some food vendors outside, and maybe add something to the children’s wing so they can have something to do while their parents are viewing the Greek collection. I’m not sure it would be appropriate for anyone younger than a teenager, even if it is ancient art.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, Katie? You are not a curator! Your job is to file my papers and look pretty at the host stand!”
He could have slapped her, and it would have hurt less.
He immediately closed his eyes and shook his head. “Katie, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t.” She held up her hand and slowly backed out of his office. Praying that she wouldn’t burst into tears in front of him, she hurried to her office and closed the door. Leaning against it, she took a few shuddering breaths.
How could he say that to her? After everything she’d told him?
“Katie.” He was knocking softly on the door. “Open up.”
Part of her wanted to lock the door and hide until he went away, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, she stiffened her shoulders and opened the door. “My apologies for stepping over my boundaries,” she said icily. “It won’t happen again.”
He reached for her, and she danced out of his reach. “I didn’t mean that,” he muttered. “I don’t even know why I said it.”
“I do. You discovered something personal about me, and you used it to hurt me because you’re afraid that I might take what I know about you and hurt you.”
“No.” He shook his head emphatically. “You’re not the type of person to deliberately hurt someone. I would never think that of you.”
“Oh.” She turned her back and closed her eyes. “So it wasn’t defensive. You just wanted to hurt me.”
“I . . .” his voice trailed off. “I don’t know what to do with you, sometimes.”
“You don’t need to do anything with me.” Eyes on fire, she whirled around. “I’m not a toy, Khalid. You can’t play with me when you want me and then put me away when you don’t.”
“That’s not what I think of you.”
“Then what?” she demanded. “What do you think of me?”
He opened his mouth before shutting it. Several seconds of awkward silence passed before he sighed. “We shouldn’t be discussing this here.”
“No, we shouldn’t. We can fuck here, but we can’t talk about anything important or intimate. I get it.”
“Katie . . .”
“No.” She held up her hand. “This is my fault. I heard the warnings about you. I knew how this was going to end,
and I foolishly thought that I could make it work somehow. Not ego—just blind hope. It’s not the no-strings-attached sex. It’s not even the lack of respect when it comes to my work. It’s the constant back-and-forth. Hot and cold. It leaves my head spinning, Khalid. I come into work, and I have no idea who you’re going to be. And I can’t keep doing that.”
“What are you saying?” he hissed. “You don’t want to sleep with me anymore?”
Trembling, she met his gaze. “I don’t want to do anything with you anymore. Consider this my resignation.”
Khalid snorted and rolled his eyes. “If you think the dramatics are going to change things between us, you’re wrong, Katie. Don’t threaten me and think that it’s going to work.”
“It’s not a threat. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll type up my resignation and leave it on your desk. Thank you for the opportunity to work with you.” On the verge of tears, she reached out her hand in hopes of leaving on a high professional note.
His face was cold as he stared at her. Without touching her, he walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Numb, she slowly moved back to her desk and typed up her letter to him. It was short and sweet. As she printed it, she also opened up the airline website.
She’d come to Dubai to find herself, and she’d found only heartache. Maybe it wasn’t just her father who couldn’t accept her.
Maybe it was men in general.
She wasn’t sure of anything much, but she did know that she couldn’t stay in Dubai.
There were plenty of other places in the world to explore.
Discover new art.
Hide.
Clutching the letter in her hand, she walked to his office, only to find the door locked and the lights turned off.
He was gone. It shouldn’t surprise her, but the lack of respect was too much for her.
Slipping the letter under his door, she burst into tears.
13
Mila, Liyah, and Amira all stood silently around her bed as she packed. Sahaar had no doubt called them, but they weren’t pleading for her to stay. In fact, they had even given her a hand with her preparations to leave.
“Katie,” Liyah said softly as she perched on the edge of the mattress. “We want you to be happy. And if going back home makes you happy, then we’ll support you—as long as you promise to come back and visit us.”
“Thanks.” Katie swallowed hard.
“The problem we’re having is that it doesn’t look like going home is going to make you happy,” Mila chimed in as she started to pace. “You look miserable, and I can’t figure out why! Is working with Khalid really all that bad?”
Amira shook her head. “She’s not just working with Khalid. She’s fallen in love with him.”
Her observation rocked the small group.
“She’s right, isn’t she?” Liyah breathed. “I didn’t even see it. Oh, sweetheart.”
“You’re sleeping with him?” Mila frowned. “How could you not tell us?”
With a shuddering breath, Katie collapsed on the bed. Relief swept through her. She hadn’t considered her relationship with Khalid a secret, but now that it was out, she realized how heavily the burden had weighed on her.
“At first, I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like a planned seduction. It was just frustration and passion, and I didn’t even know that it was going to be a thing, but then it turned into a thing.”
On a roll, it all came out, and she got up and started to pace. “But what could I say? He was hot and cold. He acted all passionate and loving, and then he was distant and rude. He doesn’t have feelings for me, and I couldn’t tell you guys because while you’re my friends, you’re his family!”
“Oh, you’re making me dizzy.” Liyah reached out and grabbed her hands to force her to stop pacing. “Katie, Khalid is our family, but so are you. If you wanted a confiding ear to talk to, we would have listened. But that’s neither here nor there right now. You can’t run away just because an affair went south. You didn’t come here to find love, did you?”
“No.” Katie shook her head. “I came to find my roots. To make a difference in the art world.”
“And have you done that?” Mila inquired.
Katie smiled softly. “Honestly, I feel more at home here with you ladies than I ever did at home. I feel accepted—and I thought I was getting somewhere at the gallery, but that doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Of course it matters!” Amira suddenly burst out. “Just because things aren’t working out with Khalid doesn’t mean that you should run away. My brother is an idiot, Katie, but you have to believe that he doesn’t get involved with women like you.”
“What?” Katie cocked her head and stared at Amira. “And what do you mean by that, exactly?”
The gorgeous woman pushed herself off the dresser and shook her head. “I mean a woman of substance. For years, Khalid has hidden behind women he can use and toss aside with little effort. It’s easier for him. To get involved with you broke every ounce of his self-control, and that means something!”
Katie’s lips curled in disgust. “I’m used to men losing their heads around me. I just thought that he saw more than a pretty face when he looked at me.”
“He does.” Amira shook her head. “This might be hard to believe, but Khalid was so different when he was painting. He was free. He joked and teased and knew how to have a good time, but when Father gave him the gallery to run, he changed drastically. He stopped painting. He became cold and withdrawn.”
Katie let that sink in. As much as she wanted to tell Amira that she would stick it out and see if Khalid changed, she knew that she couldn’t take much more of this back-and-forth. “I appreciate what you ladies are trying to tell me, but I already bought a plane ticket.”
Seeing their reaction, knowing that they were going to argue, she tried to sound as solid as possible as she explained her plan. She didn’t think she could hold back the tears for too much longer. “I’ll go in to work in the morning and finish up the paperwork, and then I’m going back to the States. Maybe I’ll be back one day, but I don’t think I can continue to work in Dubai’s art world and pretend that I don’t have feelings for Khalid. I do love him, but it’s never going to be enough to keep us together.”
“I think you’re making a mistake,” Amira said quietly.
“Nevertheless,” Mila interrupted quickly, “we are your friends, and we’ll be here for you. At least let us take you out tonight for one last hurrah?”
Katie nodded. “I would like that very much.” She would have so many good memories about Dubai, and she would treasure every moment spent getting to know these three wonderful strong women.
She only wished that she was half as strong as they were.
Khalid was simmering with rage. Amira’s text had come through an hour ago, but it didn’t take long to confirm what she’d texted.
Katie was leaving Dubai.
It was one thing for her to quit the gallery. That was probably for the best. He was always distracted when she was there, and if he found her another job, one she was more suited for, then at least he could focus on the gallery again.
But—leaving the city? There was no way he was going to allow that.
As had become her habit, she arrived at the office thirty minutes early.
He gave her fifteen minutes to come to him and tell him the truth. He watched from his office as she sorted through the paperwork and packed a few things away.
Finally, he couldn’t wait any longer. Angrier than he’d ever been in his entire life, he stormed into her small office.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
Lifting her head in surprise, she blinked at him. “Um . . . I’m packing my things? I gave you my notice.”
“You failed to mention that quitting the gallery also meant that you were leaving Dubai.”
Her hands stilled, and she sighed. “Which one told you?”
“What matters is tha
t you didn’t tell me.”
Katie stood, and there was a strange determination on her face. “My plans after I quit this gallery are none of your business. You don’t get to know what I’m doing, Khalid.”
“The hell I don’t! You are mine, Kadija! You will leave when I am ready for you to leave. I’ve canceled your ticket. You aren’t leaving.”
“You canceled my ticket? You can’t do that!”
“It’s already done. Have you forgotten how much power I hold?”
He could practically see the resentment welling up inside her, and to his horror, she burst into tears. “Why? Why would you want to keep me here? We don’t work, Khalid, and I can’t keep doing this!”
He knew that Katie cried when she was angry, but these weren’t tears of frustration. She looked completely helpless as she slumped into the chair behind her desk.
He wanted to comfort her. He wanted her to stay, but he had no idea what to say.
“You’re made of stone, Khalid. You can’t treat me like a thing and expect me to stay. You don’t know what you want,” she sniffed.
“I know very well what I want,” he growled. “I want you.”
“But for how long, Khalid?” She wiped the tears away and stared at him, challenge in her eyes.
What was she asking of him? “Can’t we just enjoy the time that we have now?”
“Yeah. I could enjoy my time with you—except that I never know what’s going on in that head of yours.” Katie shook her head as she grabbed one last stack of papers and shoved them into her tote bag. “It looks like I’m going to be a little more delayed getting home, now that I have to buy another ticket. Thank you for hiring me, Khalid. I’m sorry that things didn’t work out between us.”
Shocked, he stared as she stretched out her hand toward him. “Katie,” he said softly. “Don’t do this.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek as she dropped her hand. “Goodbye, Khalid.”
