by Holly Rayner
There was a sadness in his tone that gave Maddy pause, and she hesitated before asking her next question.
“Where is she now?”
Akim’s eyes darkened, and Maddy instantly regretted her decision. Someone needed to invent a way to pull words back, making them untraceable and forgotten.
After a moment, Akim sighed. “She passed away a few years back. Breast cancer. It happened very suddenly—one moment she was here, laughing and joyful, and the next she was gone. I almost drove myself crazy trying to find a solution. It’s a big reason why I started our company, to further science to help people.”
“I’m so sorry,” Maddy said, but Akim shrugged off her sympathy.
“Time has passed, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that even the best science can’t fix everything yet.”
“That doesn’t matter. She was important to you and now she isn’t here to share in your success. That must be very difficult.”
Akim took a deep drink of his wine. He had poured them both glasses from his very best stock, and the crimson liquid paired perfectly with the pastries.
“It’s not the greatest, but she never wanted me to dwell on the negative. My mother was a beacon of light in an often dark world, and I work to preserve her memory in the work we do at Akhemical each and every day.”
“I’m sure she is very proud of you, wherever she is.”
Akim had been staring blankly at his wine glass until that moment, when he glanced up at her and placed a warm hand over hers. “Thank you, Maddy. That means a lot.”
“What about your dad?”
She shouldn’t have asked, she knew. If there was another tragic story, she would have been responsible for opening two major wounds within the first thirty minutes of getting to know Akim, and what kind of track record was that?
Finishing his glass, the Sheikh held up the bottle to her as though to pour her another. When she glanced down, Maddy realized that her own cup had been emptied, though she hardly remembered drinking from it.
She nodded, and he poured another healthy glass. It was so smooth, which was probably why she hadn’t thought twice about drinking it down so fast. Her head began to buzz pleasantly as she let her guard down bit by bit, and began to enjoy his company more. She loved listening to his voice.
“He moved to a small palace up north, away from everyone and everything. Without my mother there to breathe life into his world, my father dwells in darkness, and I fear there is not much I can do for him—short of finding a cure for heartbreak. Unfortunately, I don’t think that day will ever come.”
“Never say never,” Maddy said in a poor attempt to lighten the mood.
She had started with topics she thought were general, and instead had learned things about Akim she assumed not many people knew.
Akim stood, grabbing another bottle of wine and deftly popping the cork. “I’d like to show you something, if you are up for it?”
Maddy stood, eager to break the tension with something—anything. She followed behind him back out to the main room, and Akim led her to a door that opened up to a veranda overlooking the entire city.
“Wow,” Maddy breathed.
Akim stared out into the distance, the lights of the city flickering in the reflection of his eyes. “This is the biggest reason I bought this place. You can’t beat the view.”
Maddy felt that was an understatement, but decided not to say so. The truth was it was the most stunning view she’d seen in her entire life, and she had traveled to some amazing places in her twenty-eight years. The glittering city lights twinkled, surrounded by desert, as the world began to go dark. A crescent moon hovered protectively over the city, casting the only natural light.
Maddy shivered, and Akim acted immediately.
“You’re cold. Please, use this blanket.”
He reached over to a plush armchair and pulled a throw off of it. The material was some of the softest Maddy had ever felt, but that was nothing compared to the heat in Akim’s hands as he wrapped it around her shoulders. It made her acutely aware of why she had come to his apartment in the first place—at some point, she was going to make love with this man if she wanted to test her experimental drug. The thought made her hyperaware of his presence, simultaneously nervous and attracted to him.
“Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to a small seating area, where a loveseat sat facing the city, while a small chair stood cattycornered, facing the ocean.
There really wasn’t a bad view in the house, but Maddy chose the loveseat, secretly hoping Akim would sit next to her. To her surprise and happiness, he did, sitting close enough for her to breathe in his light cologne and feel the warmth radiating off his body. Being that high in the air in the desert at night, she was nearly shivering, and subconsciously scooted a little closer to him.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
Akim gazed down at her with a confused expression. “Doing what? Having drinks with a lovely, intelligent woman?”
Maddy tried not to flush with pleasure at that comment. He was alarmingly charming, and she found that the longer she stayed, the more she found the idea of making love to him seem not at all crazy.
The wine was talking very loudly.
Uncaring, Maddy took another sip before she answered his question.
“Having a child through scientific testing. This isn’t a decision to make lightly, and yet you made it in a day. So, why are you doing it?”
She had asked him this before, and had found his answer somewhat cold. She was hoping that this time he would have something better for her, but the Sheikh simply shrugged.
“I’m not terribly young, Maddy. I’m not old, either, but the truth is I’ve had a hard time meeting the right person, too. You are smart, good-hearted, and if you don’t mind me saying, beautiful. Why wouldn’t I want you to have my children?”
Maddy scoffed. “You have not had a hard time finding women. Let’s at least be honest with each other about that.”
“That is true. What I meant was the right women; if you followed the tabloids you’d notice that my relationships don’t tend to last very long.”
“And why is that?”
Akim tore his gaze from hers, choosing to look out at the city instead. “I’m sure there are many reasons, really. No one is easy to get along with all of the time. Relationships are hard even in the best of times, but there is a part of me that believes they shouldn’t have to be. I have tended to date women who are used to a certain lifestyle and way of life, and once I try to get through to them beyond that realm, they usually find ways to depart—often on the arm of a man equally rich if not richer than I.”
“Is there anyone in the country richer than you?”
Akim laughed, and Maddy smiled. “Perhaps not,” he said. “But as you can see, there are men who hold much more power. Money alone isn’t enough to maintain a strong hold on one’s ambitions—it’s all about connections, and who you know.”
“Do you think the women you dated left because they didn’t see you as powerful enough?”
“My, you are inquisitive this evening.”
Maddy blushed, and turned away. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, we have intentions to become intimate with one another in the future, and before we do, there is a lot that I would like to know about you. About your character. About who the father of my child really is.”
She felt the Sheikh’s eyes burning along the side of her face, and she turned to meet his gaze. There were questions there, mingled with fire, though what kind of fire she couldn’t say. Was it anger? Passion? Both?
“You question my character?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m merely curious to see what kind of man you are. All I know of you is what I hear and the little I’ve seen of you at work. I know that you are a compelling leader who is willing to provide his workers with a good life in exchange for hard work. I know that you are intelligent, and I know that you donate to many global charities—all of which
is a testament to your good character. What I don’t know…” Maddy stumbled, afraid to go on.
“Yes, do continue. What is it that you really want to know?”
“I want to know the man you are inside. Not as a public figure or an employer, but as a man.”
“You want to know if I would make a good role model for our child.”
Maddy could hardly breathe. It was a conversation she’d been scared to have, and the heat in his eyes was enough to have her blushing to the roots of her hair, but she had to know. She had to think of her future child, and what kind of mother would she be if she didn’t go over all the basics first before making a decision regarding that?
They sat facing one another, their faces mere inches apart, so close that Maddy could feel the warmth of his breath and smell the wine they had enjoyed. The alcohol was streaming through her veins now, making her bold and daring, and she was glad for it. She would never have had the courage to face him like this without it.
“Did you know,” he began, “That I really do remember the day we hired you? I remember it vividly, because you were so unique. So singularly intelligent, all while clearly trying to hide your beauty so that you would be taken seriously. But you couldn’t hide it. There was a part of me that wanted to speak with you, take you out to dinner, but I didn’t dare. I didn’t want to scare you away, or make you think I was pursuing you because of your looks.”
“I’m not scared now,” Maddy breathed, and in that moment, it was true.
There would always be that part of her mind that told her what she was doing was foolish, that she should evaluate the situation with a clear head and make a decision later, after she’d had some time to think about it.
Then he bent down the two inches and captured her lips in a kiss.
Maddy tasted the sweet wine as their lips danced together, a fire erupting within her like she had never felt before. Clinging to him, she allowed Akim to kiss her to within an inch of her sanity before he finally pulled away.
“We should wait,” he breathed, though Maddy could tell he was fighting every instinct in him to say such a thing.
She fought to control her own raging emotions. “You’re right, of course. There would be no value in consummating before the drug was in full effect.”
They paused, staring up at one another, before Maddy pulled his collar, tugging him down to her for another passionate kiss. After several moments, they pulled apart, breathless.
“Of course, it couldn’t hurt to practice, you know. Get the first one out of the way so that when the time comes, we’ll already be comfortable with one another.”
Maddy’s hormones raged as she fought with her better judgment. Still, she wasn’t all science. There was a big part of her that was very much an irrational, human woman, and that part currently refused to listen to reason, whatsoever.
“That’s an excellent point,” she agreed.
“Well then,” Akim said, and his grin was lustful as he stood, bent over, and scooped her up into his arms.
Maddy clung tightly to his neck as Akim pushed open the door and carried her inside, the warm air a welcome sensation after the frigid night breeze. She relaxed a little now that she wasn’t dangling over the entire city, and glanced back up at Akim, who was already watching her.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
He was asking for her consent. He was making sure that she wouldn’t regret what they were about to do. Maddy tried to find a reason to say no. She would be making love to her boss for no reason other than to enjoy the feeling of his body against hers.
At the moment, there seemed nothing wrong with that at all.
“I’m sure,” she breathed.
EIGHT
Maddy slowly regained consciousness, though she refused to open her eyes. Fuzzy white light glared against the fronts of her eyelids, and she rolled over, hugging a large pillow to her chest.
It was then that she realized she didn’t have pillows that big on her bed, and her eyes shot open.
The Sheikh’s bedroom was brightly lit, and Maddy’s eyes did not enjoy the sensation. She closed them again, trying to remember the previous evening, piecing it together as though through a hazy fog.
She had come over for a drink, ended up having a bottle of wine, maybe more, and gorging herself of pastries. Then a kiss, and…
Oh, God.
Maddy rolled over, but the spot where Akim had fallen asleep was empty. She tried not to feel disappointed about that. Perhaps he was an early riser. Normally she was, too, if not for the copious amounts of wine from the night before.
She sat up, one aching inch at a time, her head buzzing and full of cotton balls, her mouth dry as the desert stretching across the horizon. She chided herself for letting her good judgement fall away so fast. She should have known better than to get drunk around Akim—her boss!
She could hardly bring herself to leave the room, though she knew she had to. Akim was likely out that way, probably in the kitchen, having breakfast. And besides, who said this had to be awkward? What they had shared the night before was fantastic, wasn’t it?
For a moment, she allowed herself to think about what it would be like living in Akim’s penthouse with their children, and she felt a warm glow come over her at the thought. Perhaps she could face him with a warm smile and they could see where things would go, outside of the laboratory.
Perhaps.
Maddy found the pieces of her discarded clothing, putting them on slowly before heading to Akim’s bathroom. When she got a glance of her reflection, she nearly gasped.
Her makeup was halfway down her face. Her hair was sticking up in every possible direction, and her clothes were rumpled beyond repair.
In short, she was a total train wreck.
Maddy worked quickly to sort out her face and tidy her hair, finding a tube of toothpaste and using her finger to scrub her teeth. It would have to do until she could get home and clean herself up properly. Finally, she took a deep breath, and exited the room.
As she had guessed, Akim was sitting at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and his cellphone in the other. He was thumbing through something when he heard Maddy walk in and glanced up.
“Good morning,” he said. His tone was professional, as though they were meeting in the hallway at work. It gave Maddy pause, and she walked in cautiously, trying to gauge the situation.
“Morning,” she replied.
“There’s coffee on the counter,” he said, not looking up from his phone.
“Oh, no thanks, not a big coffee fan.”
“Ah, well,” he replied, and said nothing else.
Maddy shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other as she tried to decide her next move. This was not at all what she had been expecting.
As if sensing her uncertainty, Akim glanced up. “No need to stand around, right? Do you have a change of clothes at work? I’d really like to get going as soon as possible.”
Maddy stared at him, but his expression was carefully blank. After a beat, she was able to answer.
“Yes I do.”
“Great. Let’s go, then. My driver is already waiting downstairs with the car.”
He strode from the penthouse, then, Maddy having no choice but to follow lest he simply leave her behind. Her mind was a muddled mess, and all she wanted was some ibuprofen, a large glass of water, and her couch. Instead, she got a terribly long and silent elevator ride down to the hotel lobby, followed by a very awkward few minutes in the backseat of Akim’s Rolls Royce.
After a while, Akim finally put down his phone and looked at Maddy. “So, are you excited at the prospect of the results?”
“The results?”
“Of the Chlomerol trial! I’ve been thinking about our marketing platform and where we should start. I think the United States and Europe would be our best bet after Elbazzar, and then we can spread through the Middle East and Asia. A global tour will be just the thing to really get this baby off th
e ground—pun intended!”
Akim chuckled at his own joke while Maddy stared at him in utter disbelief. For one small, tiny moment, she had thought that he might be more to her than a business partner. Evidently he had figured that wine and charm would be enough to get her into bed, for the sake of their agreement.
She knew she shouldn’t be mad. He had done the work she wasn’t willing to do—find a way to get comfortable enough to produce a child through natural sexual contact.
So why did she feel so used?
She realized that he was looking at her expectantly, and she cleared her parched throat. “I think that would be a great place to start, though of course, if I do get pregnant, it will be unlikely that I will be able to attend the launch personally.”
