by Holly Rayner
“He wanted to check in on us after we got the bad news. I told him that we were doing the best we can, given the circumstances, and I let him know about some of the other projects we’ll be working on until we can get the green light to test again.”
“Hmph,” Yousef muttered, setting his lunch in the small fridge in the corner before powering up his computer.
The team often came in late on Mondays—apparently it was a cultural thing. Maddy had had to adapt to so many differences in the years she had been in Elbazzar. Tardiness was so deeply frowned upon in the United States that she still struggled with it. She tried to smile genuinely as each of her team arrived over the next hour before she realized she was about to be late for her own meeting.
“I’ll be back,” she said.
A few of her team nodded as she strode out, though most were hard at work focusing on their lab work. It took quite a degree of concentration, and having to redo a test was the worst.
Maddy gulped as she reached Akim’s office door, and she took a steadying breath before she knocked.
“Come in,” Akim’s deep voice said.
Maddy could feel her heart about to burst from her chest as she turned the handle and entered the Sheikh’s office.
“Ah, Madeline. Welcome,” Akim said, gesturing grandly to the sofa across from him.
Maddy sat, though her back remained straight and tense. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Akim began.
“So, what do we need to do to get this thing going? I take it artificial insemination will be the first step?”
Maddy hesitated. She had tried not to think about this part. The baby part was fine, but what had to happen before that would be…complicated.
“Actually, no,” she replied, and Akim’s left eyebrow shot up in question.
She had never noticed a man’s eyebrows before, but Akim’s noticeably added to his handsomeness. They were perfect, black arches, and they arced over a pair of deep brown eyes framed with thick lashes. What was she saying again? Ah yes.
“The drug is meant to work with the body naturally. Rather than force patients to go to a lab and be inseminated in a sterile environment, they are to attempt to conceive as they would normally, with the female taking the drug a few weeks in advance.”
Akim stared at her in that maddening, unreadable way he had. He sat back in his chair and linked his fingers as he placed his elbows on his desk. “So what you’re saying, in no uncertain terms, is that there is no way for this trial to be successful unless the child is conceived in the traditional sense.”
Maddy felt her face go hot, and she tried to think about anything else but making love to Akim; seeing, feeling, touching, his toned, perfect body. It wasn’t working.
“Well, we could attempt through artificial insemination, but the results would be practically useless were we to do so.”
“You’re certain of that?”
“Quite certain,” she replied.
She could see how it looked. A young woman looking for some action, making up stories about the process needing to be natural. But that was the furthest thing from the truth. Maddy had purposely designed the drug to be more natural than any other fertility treatment on the market, and that meant that she would have to follow her intentions for how the product would be used with her boss.
Akim’s pause was unnerving as Maddy tried desperately to look anywhere but his eyes. She didn’t think it would ever be possible to be more uncomfortable than she was in that moment.
“You mentioned that the treatment is meant to begin a few weeks before conception. How many weeks, precisely?”
It was turning into something more closely resembling a business meeting. Maddy reminded herself that that was a good thing. She was doing this for two good reasons, and she could live with herself because of that. She would be able to further her own professional career, as well as fulfil her greatest wish: to be a mother. She imagined the paper she could write: How I had my cake, and ate it too, by Madeline Palmerston.
She nodded, daring to meet Akim’s eyes, and finding nothing discernable there. “Four to six, at the most. It would provide the best chance for the drug to take effect prior to insemination.” Maddy felt her cheeks burn redder as she thought about what those words meant.
“I see,” Akim said, unlacing his fingers and sitting back against his chair. “In that case, why don’t you come to my place this evening? This is a very obviously awkward situation, and I would like us to get to know one another a little better before we get to that whole…process. Don’t you agree?”
Maddy hadn’t really thought about getting to the baby…much. She’d been far more focused on the outcome. Akim made a decent point, and she couldn’t disagree with it.
“I do,” she said, after a pause.
“Wonderful,” Akim said, turning his chair and pulling out a business card. He grabbed a monogrammed ballpoint pen and began writing on the back of the card. “This is my address. You can take the elevator up to the top floor and I’ll buzz you in from there. I’ll let concierge know to expect you.”
Maddy took the card from his outstretched fingers, and their fingertips brushed momentarily, sending shivers of awareness down her spine. How strange that one little touch could evoke such feeling. Still, Maddy knew, as every scientist did, that love was merely a chemical reaction caused by a series of factors—hormones, pheromones, and the like. Perhaps her unromantic view of love was also why she had been unable to find it.
She glanced at the card, reading the address. “Isn’t this a hotel?” she asked.
She thought she saw a ghost of a smile dance along Akim’s perfect lips, but he was all business a fraction of a second later.
“It is. The Palmerian.”
“That’s the best hotel in town. And you said you live on the top floor?”
Akim shrugged. “I’m a sheikh. The title comes with certain perks.”
“So I see.”
“Will you come?” he asked.
“I will. Say around eight?”
“That would be fine.”
Maddy sat awkwardly for a moment. He hadn’t verbally dismissed her, but it was clear that Akim was ready for the interaction to be over.
“Well. Until then, then,” she said.
She could have punched herself in the face at that point. Until then, then? She shook her head slightly at how fuzzy her brain went when looking at him—it seemed like when she got lost in his eyes, she lost her words as well.
“Until then,” he replied, and this time he did smile at her.
Not knowing what else to say, Maddy rose and showed herself out of his office, not looking back.
***
Maddy couldn’t rid her mind of both the anxiety and excitement she had about the evening ahead, but luckily none of her team noticed her distraction. Every so often, a thought would pop into her mind about what it would be like to make love to Akim, and she would chase it away, only for another to reappear later. Dinner with the boss was something people did every day. But doing it in secret, lying to coworkers, and only going because they needed to get to know one another before they had sex for science? Not so much.
When she got home, Maddy had only enough time to eat a quick meal and take a shower, quickly drying her hair before changing into a pair of jeans and a blouse. It wasn’t a date, so there wasn’t a need for her to dress up, right?
Before she left, she pulled out the first round of Chlomerol, swallowing it with closed eyes.
Please let this work, she thought, praying to any and every goddess of fertility she could think of.
SEVEN
As she entered the lobby of the Palmerian not long after, Maddy instantly felt out of place. She sensed the rich and glamourous of Elbazzar looking down their noses at her as she strolled past in her plain clothes, heading straight for the elevator. To her surprise, it actually had an attendant.
“Good evening, miss,” the man said, nodding to her.
“Hi,” Maddy said.
“Can I help you?” he asked, his expression quizzical. He appeared to have no idea what she was doing there. In fact, neither did she, really.
“I’m a guest of the Sheikh,” she said, instantly getting his attention.
The man’s shoulders straightened a little, and he bowed again. “Of course, my apologies. The Sheikh informed us that you would be coming. Miss Palmerston, right?”
“Correct,” she said with a sheepish smile.
The attendant had obviously been expecting a very different kind of woman, like a debutante, or a runway model. A short blonde in jeans was not in his repertoire, further confirming speculation about Akim’s type of woman.
It certainly wasn’t Madeline.
This brought up a whole new series of questions about what they were about to do, and Madeline decided that she would need to have a very open and honest conversation with Akim that night. It wasn’t like they were testing weight loss supplements here. If the drug was a success, they would be creating a very alive, very human baby.
The elevator attendant slid a key into a slot in the door before pressing the very top button. Maddy’s ears began to pop as they rose and rose into the sky, finally stopping with a muted ding. The doors pulled apart, revealing a very elaborate pair of golden doors.
“Have a good evening, miss.”
“Thank you,” she said, walking as though in a daze toward the gilded doors.
What was she supposed to do, knock?
As she stepped before the doors, Maddy noticed a small button like a doorbell or a buzzer on the side, and with a steadying breath, she pressed it firmly. Instantly the door swung open, and she stepped inside.
The entire capital city was viewable beneath her feet, on stunning display through expansive windows. She had never been in a building so high before, and she almost felt a little nervous. Heights hadn’t ever been Maddy’s favorite, which was why she tried to get an apartment as low as she could when she moved to Elbazzar, and even that seemed a little much at times, when the wind blew.
The penthouse was stunning, if a little cold. The furniture was all clearly top of the line—some of it even looked as though it had historical significance—and Maddy made a mental note to be extremely careful touching anything. There was art on the walls, tastefully placed, but overall, the place seemed emotionless, vacant. There was no warmth, no sense that someone actually lived there. It was all show and no substance, and it made Maddy wonder again as to just what kind of man Akim really was.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Akim stepped out from what looked to be the kitchen, wiping his hands on a white cloth.
“Ah, Madeline. Welcome to my humble abode.”
“Humble?” Maddy asked.
Akim chuckled. It was a deep, rich sound, and Maddy found she quite liked it. “Well, if not humble, at least I have an abode, I suppose. Gratitude to the universe and all that.”
Maddy gazed at him in wonder. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a Law of Attraction kind of person.”
Akim shrugged. “I’ve studied religion and belief structures quite extensively over the years. There is something about the Law of Attraction that piques my interest.”
“But you were born with everything. How can you possibly need more?”
“Now who’s being materialistic? You believe that this is all I’ve ever desired?”
Akim waved around the room, gesturing carelessly at all the objects within. Maddy imagined there would be many rich people who would be offended by such a dismissal of opulent beauty, and she found it quite intriguing. Just who was this man who ran her company, and what was it he wanted, more than endless riches?
“I guess we do have a bit to learn about one another,” she said, blushing.
It was hard not to blush in his presence. Here, in his home, Akim was dressed in comfortable slacks and a button-down shirt that was rolled up to his forearms. He was the definition of handsome, and she could feel her body reacting to him more and more every time they spoke. Akim seemed not to notice this, and he gestured back in the direction he had come.
“You are absolutely correct. For example, did you know that I like to cook? Have you eaten?”
Maddy lifted an eyebrow. She never would have taken Akim for a culinary artist. Not in a million years.
“I have, but I’m always interested in trying new things.”
“Ah, then you must come, please,” he said, holding his hand out for her to take.
She stared at it. His hand was large and masculine, his nails perfectly rounded, his palm warm and welcoming.
Maddy’s initial nervousness melted away at the touch of his hand, as in that moment, she glanced up at him, and he smiled. A real smile. Proof that beneath that businessman exterior there was an actual person, and he was looking at her as though she were something truly special.
“I think you’ll like what I’ve prepared for us this evening. I figured with you being here after dinnertime that you might grab a bite in advance of coming, so I took the liberty of making us some dessert.”
Akim’s kitchen was vast to say that they were in a hotel. There was a large, granite-topped island with a gas stovetop on it, and granite counters surrounding the space in general. A large, stainless steel refrigerator stood along one wall, while a pair of ovens lined another.
“You really do like to cook,” Maddy breathed.
Akim grinned. He may not have been proud of the entryway, with all its frivolity, but he clearly loved his kitchen. At the far end of the room there was a homey-looking wooden table, and on it a small banquet of food had been set.
On golden platters, stacked in tiers, were pastries and chocolate-drizzled fruits, swathed in candlelight. Maddy pressed her fingers to her lips, releasing Akim’s hand, feeling a stark emptiness after doing so.
She glanced over at him. “I bet you do this for all the girls,” she said, with a playful eye roll.
She was joking, of course. Their situation was far from normal, and the fact that he had even gone this far in his efforts was a lovely compliment.
Akim looked at her, his expression crestfallen. “I suppose you believe what all those tabloids say about me then? That I’m just some playboy?”
Maddy tried to hide her guilt, but she was never very good as masking her emotions.
Akim nodded, resigned. “I suppose it’s only to be expected. Why would someone like me want anything made of substance? After all, like you said, I have it all, don’t I?”
Maddy stared at him for a moment. His eyes were guarded, yet vulnerable, and she realized in that moment that she had to be one of very few people who had ever seen his face look as open as it did then.
Reaching for his hand again, she pulled him toward the table, admiring how the golden plates shone in the candlelight, how carefully and artfully crafted each morsel of food was.
“Well then,” she said. “Why don’t you tell me who you really are?”
Akim gazed into her eyes. The dancing flames gleamed across the chocolate brown of his stare, so much so that Maddy found herself quite mesmerized.
In that moment, she hoped against hope that she would come out of their agreement unscathed, though she already very much doubted it—Akim’s charm was irresistible, and she was more excited and happy than she should have been about their non-date.
***
To say that Akim was an accomplished baker was a gross understatement.
As Maddy sampled the variety of pastries set out before them, she tried not to overindulge, but even after her third bite of light, flaky baklava she found it impossible not to grab another piece.
“Where did you learn to cook like this?” she asked, taking care to gently dab at the corner of her lips, lest some rogue crumbs decided to stick to her lipstick.
Akim shrugged. “My mother was a master baker. It was her passion, and when she met my father and married into the status that all this…” he gestured unceremoniously again around the
apartment, “…entails, it was something she refused to give up.”
“Cooking isn’t encouraged for the wives of sheikhs?” Maddy asked, curious.
“Not really. There are servants to do that, so not many see the point, or the beauty in creating a meal—putting love into a something for people to enjoy. My mother tried to get friends to join her, but they were all too concerned about ruining their manicures or whatever. Since no one would cook with her, I donned an apron and became her apprentice. Seeing the joy it gave her is something I will always be proud of, more than a lot of other accomplishments in my life.”
