Under the Sheik's Protection

by C. J. Miller

  Twenty-five minutes later, Sarah was sliding into a booth beside Molly.

  Her friend gave her a hug. “Happy birthday!”

  Krista pushed a drink they had ordered her closer. “Relax. Have a drink. You seem tense.”

  Sarah didn’t want to rain on her friends’ cheerful moods by dumping on them about Alec, so she sipped her drink and listened. As the conversation turned from work to men to apartments, Sarah followed the flow. This was what she needed. A break from her work, even if it was only for a few hours.

  “Why are you in a mood? It can’t be that you’re a year older,” Molly said.

  Sarah’s advancing age didn’t bother her. Should she tell her friends about the divorce? They’d held her hand through the ups and downs of her marriage. They knew the official end of her marriage was coming. “I got the finalized divorce papers today from my lawyer.” Several long moments followed.

  “At least you’re free now,” Krista said and winced. “Sorry, I don’t know what to say to that. ‘Congratulations’ seems out of place.”

  Sarah didn’t blame her friends for not having the words to salve the hurt. She didn’t think words existed to take the edge off the pain. That’s why she had had wine tonight. “There’s not really much to say about it. I was married. Now I’m not.” She touched her bare ring finger where she’d once worn a plain gold band. Her friends had been at her wedding and now they were beside her after her divorce. With her mother dead and her father estranged, Sarah had found family in her friends.

  Molly rubbed Sarah’s hand. “He has problems. There’s nothing you could have done.”

  Sarah held up her hands and shook her head. “Let’s not go over this again. It’ll bring down the entire night. Alec is sick. I can’t help him. You guys have listened to me talk about it for five years. Let’s talk about something else.” She’d spent too many sleepless nights mourning her relationship with Alec and far too many hours complaining to her friends about it.

  “You need to get laid,” Molly said. “You need to throw yourself into a one-night stand, have a great time and use that as the jumping-off point for your new life. Forget the past and give yourself a birthday present. One eligible bachelor, even for just a few hours.”

  Sarah shuddered. She had been with Alec since she was nineteen. She didn’t know how to date anymore. She didn’t have one-night stands. “I wouldn’t know how to approach a man in a bar. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “You work with men every day, all day,” Krista said. “You approach people all the time and invite them to fund-raising events. You can do this.”

  When she invited affluent families to a charity dinner or dealt with a contractor for an event, nothing personal was involved. “I work with strangers, not sleep with. Very different,” Sarah said.

  “Look around the room. Find a guy without a woman and without a wedding ring and go talk to him,” Molly said.

  “What should I say?” Sarah asked, squirming at the idea. She could talk about her work or dealing with a drug addict’s many issues, the two topics she knew the most about. Who wanted to hear about those things?

  “Ask him what his favorite TV show is,” Krista said.

  “Lame,” Molly said. “But you’re cute enough that it doesn’t matter.”

  Could she approach a man? Sarah smoothed her dress and finger-combed her hair. She could do this. Or at least try. A little liquid courage and the idea of growing a year older alone spurred her to action. Her first step was to talk to a man. She could always flee the conversation if it was too awkward. It was a bar. Bars were filled with awkward conversations. “I’ll start by trying to talk to someone.”

  Krista squealed and clapped her hands.

  Looking around the room, Sarah tried to pick someone. As her eyes landed on the men around the room, she dismissed them one by one. Too young. Too old. Not alone. Drunk. Sarah sighed. This wasn’t easy. She was about to tell her friends to forget it when her gaze dropped on a dark-haired man sitting at the corner of the bar. He had a drink—it looked like coffee, perhaps of the Irish variety, on his right. His back was to the wall. He was talking to two men standing to his side. His posture was relaxed and he was immaculately groomed. His pressed suit was a far cry from how Alec dressed during their marriage. She couldn’t make out the details of the man’s face in the darkened room, but he was handsome and seemed familiar somehow.

  A woman in a short red dress strutted in his direction and blocked her view of Mr. Gorgeous. Sarah’s heart fell. Another woman had beaten her to the punch. No way would he turn away the thin blonde with the curves. Though she had only just spotted him, disappointment streamed through her. Sarah would have to pick someone else. Looking around the room, Sarah was about to call off her plan when the woman in the red dress stalked away from the man Sarah had zeroed in on a few moments before. Red Miniskirt looked disappointed and a touch annoyed. Had she been rejected?

  After witnessing that, Sarah knew she couldn’t approach him. If he’d said no to Red Miniskirt, he’d shoot her down and she didn’t need that tonight. As if sensing her watching him, he met her gaze. She turned away before he realized she had been staring.

  After looking around the room twice more, she returned to Mr. Gorgeous. Not only was he exceptionally handsome, but something about him was compelling and mysterious, too. If she was going to make a fool of herself, she may as well do it for someone sexy. He wasn’t looking her way and she took the opportunity to stare at him a little longer. She made up her mind. If he rejected her, at least she would have been turned down by someone like him.

  “I’m going to talk to him,” she said pointing.

  Her friends followed her extended finger.

  “Oh, yes. Good pick. Delicious,” Molly said, nodding her approval.

  Krista gestured for Sarah to go. “You can do this.”

  Taking another sip of her wine, Sarah strode across the room to him and tried to mimic his relaxed posture pressing her shoulders down, tilting her chin up and adding a swagger to her walk.

  Three feet away, his gaze met hers. His eyes never left her face and something came into them, something dark, deep and sensual. The look was so heated, she stopped, stumbled and grabbed on to a nearby stool to steady herself.

  Thanks to her clumsiness, he would think she was drunk. Wonderful. She righted herself and straightened, hoped her cheeks weren’t too red with embarrassment and continued forward, undeterred. He was watching her, his friends were eying her and she felt her friends’ stares at her back. She couldn’t turn away now. His buddies turned toward her, staying close to Mr. Gorgeous.

  Sarah’s gut told her she was missing a key piece of information. Something about him, about his midnight eyes, his patrician nose and his perfectly shaped mouth was familiar. An actor? Musician? Politician? Someone she should have recognized?

  It felt like minutes had passed while she stood gawking, though it had likely been milliseconds.

  She couldn’t be too aggressive, yet caginess would come across as unwelcoming and she was the one approaching him. Sarah stopped in front of the three men and gave them a small smile.

  “Hello. I’m Sarah.”

  Would he introduce himself? Mr. Gorgeous stood and extended his hand. “I’m Barr. It’s nice to meet you.”

  He was handsome. Too handsome. Dark hair and polished good looks. Strong and confident. Oh, she was not prepared for this. First impressions were everything. Would she blow it her first time hitting on a man post-divorce? Making a fool of herself was always a possibility, but this colossal screw-up could send her back into social seclusion for another few months.

  But he was speaking to her. This gorgeous man was speaking to her. Sarah focused. What had he said? Why were his friends staring at her? She realized she was shaking his hand, clinging to it entirely too long. His clasp was firm,
his skin cool and soft, and she pictured his hands running over her. It would feel amazing to have him touch her.

  She shivered and pulled her hand away before she let her imagination run further. “I’m sorry, with the noise of the bar I couldn’t hear you.” She waited for him to repeat himself.

  “Sarah, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I buy you a drink?”

  He had a beautiful accent. Sarah had already had enough to drink, but she felt silly asking for an iced tea. “A glass of red wine would be great.”

  He motioned to the bartender who practically raced to serve him. The man had presence. He requested a specific year and vintage, one that she recognized as expensive, though not from personal experience, only through catering lavish affairs. Barr wouldn’t do that if he had no interest in her, right?

  Her confidence ticked up a notch.

  He held out his hand. “Please join me.” The cadence in his voice weakened her knees and his words cut through her anxiety.

  He was sweet and that surprised her. Men who were too attractive for their own good didn’t need to be kind to seduce a woman. But she was getting ahead of herself. Buying her an expensive glass of wine didn’t mean he wanted to sleep with her. Her worries about pursuing a man and remembering what to do and say melted away with every word he spoke. Something clicked into place and she felt a thrill she’d been missing for years. A simple conversation had awakened a long-slumbering part of her libido.

  “My birthday is today,” she said, feeling like she needed to explain why she was in a bar. What if he thought she routinely came here trolling for men? She re-questioned her approach and wished she had thought this through. What else could she talk about now that she had his attention? If she didn’t keep the conversation going, he would walk away. Red Miniskirt had been a good example of the other options available to him. On the heels of those thoughts, she wondered why it was so important to her to keep his attention. The bar was filled with other men yet it was this man who’d captivated her.

  “Happy birthday, Sarah,” Barr said. He smiled, his teeth flawlessly white and his lips full.

  “I’m not here alone.”

  “I noticed you were with your friends,” he said.

  Had he been assessing her the way she’d been assessing him? “They told me to talk to you,” she said.

  “Why’s that?” he asked, not unkindly.

  She wouldn’t slam the truth down on him. Her drug-abuser ex and her divorce were among the least sexy topics of conversation she could think of. “It’s my birthday and I wanted to meet someone new.”

  Barr smiled. “Would you like to invite your friends over? I’ve been traveling all day and haven’t eaten yet. The restaurant is preparing a private table for us to enjoy a late meal.”

  Sarah looked at him and then his friends. They were quiet. Why hadn’t they said anything? They were looking around the bar, but if they wanted to give their friend pseudo-privacy to speak with her, why not take a few steps away?

  She made the decision that she would invite her friends. It wasn’t safe to leave the bar—even to move to a table—without letting her friends know her plans. “I’ll ask them. Please give me a few minutes.”

  “Of course.”

  Sarah hurried back to her friends, her neck and back hot imagining him watching her leave.

  “That man at the far end of the bar invited us to eat with him. His name is Barr and he has an accent.” She half expected he would disappear in the time she’d taken to return to her friends.

  Molly looked over at him and smiled. “Nice. You need us to be wingwomen to the friends?”

  Sarah hadn’t thought about that. “The friends are strangely silent.”

  “They’re probably trying to stay out of the way if you two are making nice,” Krista said.

  Perhaps. Sarah still felt she was missing something about the three men. “Does he look familiar?”

  Both Molly and Krista craned their necks to look at Barr at the same time.

  Sarah blushed. “Not so obvious, please.”

  “He knows we’re talking about him,” Molly said and rolled her eyes. “The one right next to him is cute. Did you get a name?”

  “Nope. I forgot to ask,” Sarah said. It wasn’t like her to forget basic social graces, but once she had started talking to Barr, she had fixated on him and the rest of the world had seemed to disappear. Was that what having a crush was like? It had been so long, she couldn’t recall.

  “We’ll join you, enjoy and provide backup if anything gets weird. We’re your excuse if you need to leave,” Krista said.

  Even if Barr was perfectly charming, Sarah didn’t know how ready she was to spend the evening with a man she found attractive in a situation that had the potential of leading somewhere, like a bedroom. Putting on an air of confidence at work was easy. Talking to him had been more pleasurable that she’d imagined. Was she ready to take it to another level?

  Sarah drummed up some extra courage. Sharing a drink and a meal with a man was a good first step. A simple step. But if it was so simple, why did she feel light-headed?

  * * *

  Sarah felt daring as she and Barr walked across the street and entered the golden doors of the most expensive hotel in D.C. She hadn’t wanted to return home when the restaurant closed. She’d accepted Barr’s invitation to his hotel because she’d wanted the night to last as long as it could.

  His gaze lingered on her like a promise of more to come. More that she wanted and more that she craved.

  His friends followed behind them and Sarah knew Molly would be disappointed. She and Adham had seemed to have some chemistry, but he’d cut the evening short when Barr had mentioned they were leaving.

  Excitement shot down Sarah’s spine as the elevator doors closed. Her knees went weak when Barr hit the button for the penthouse suite. Barr was traveling in style. He didn’t just have a hotel room. He had the top-level hotel floor complete with a view of the White House. Everything about the night since she’d met him felt surreal and magical. Even if it was only a fleeting fantasy, she would enjoy it.

  One night with Barr wouldn’t turn into a lifelong romance and she didn’t expect it to. He’d mentioned he was from the Middle East traveling on business with his associates, and while he didn’t elaborate, Sarah figured the specifics didn’t matter. She was entering into a brief fling with no future, but she needed to lose herself in a man’s arms. Tonight, she needed to feel wanted and cherished and decided to play along with the fantasy.

  Tomorrow, she returned to her life as it was and to the responsibilities and problems and loneliness that awaited her.

  Barr ushered her inside and closed the door behind him. His associates didn’t follow him inside and she was grateful for the privacy.

  “Can I offer you a drink?” he asked.

  No small talk. She might lose her nerve if this didn’t happen quickly. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, long and hot and hard.

  It took him a millisecond to respond. Barr was masterful with his mouth. His lips were firm and soft and hot. Very hot. His hands slid from her shoulders, down her back and to her hips. He held her tight enough for her to feel desired and loose enough to move and sway.

  The sense of rightness and the depth of the connection shook her. Her heart tripped and her pulse sped up to keep pace. She found herself confronting a fantasy. Mysterious foreigner, luxury hotel suite and one romantic evening she would dream about for years.

  She tugged at his tie, struggling to remove it and tossed it to the floor. Then his jacket. With his arms more free, he banded them around her. Clutching his biceps, she felt the muscles flex and she held back a giggle of delight.

  This was what she needed. Two strangers, no complicated history and no judgment.

  She unfastened the buttons of hi
s shirts, shoving the satiny white fabric off his shoulders. He flicked the shirt away.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes,” he said.

  Barr spun her, lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck. She let her head fall to the side, giving him complete access to the sensitive skin at her nape. Everything he was doing ignited her senses and made her hotter. He smelled of soap and spice and the caress of his hands was hungry for more. She wanted to be the woman to satisfy that hunger. He slid her zipper down her back, brushed the sleeves across her shoulders and the blue dress fell to the floor. The sharp intake of his breath let her know he liked what he saw.

  Sarah didn’t have Krista’s model good looks or Molly’s boundless confidence, but her confidence shot higher knowing this man—this sexy, handsome man—wanted what she had to offer.

  He muttered something in a language she didn’t understand. She whirled to face him and for the first time in years, she felt powerful. Her femininity had been buried under work and problems and stress. In the hands of this amazing man, it came roaring to life.

  “You must hear this from men all the time, but I must tell you that you are beautiful.” He said another word in his native tongue.

  “What does that mean?” she asked.

  “Goddess. You have the body and face of a goddess.”

  That was a word she had never heard spoken about her. She reveled in it and swallowed every iota of flattery he was feeding her. If she was having a fantasy night with this man, she would enjoy every over-the-top moment of it. Sarah didn’t want to be the doubting, questioning person she had become during her marriage and worry about the future.

  She unbuckled his pants and in a flurry of motions, his trousers fell to the ground. He lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her to the bedroom.

  The sleigh bed was covered in a maroon-and-gold comforter. Holding her with one hand, he flicked it away to reveal crisp beige sheets. He set her down gently and slid over her on the bed. One fluid motion. The man had practiced moves. He knew what he was doing in the bedroom.