The Sheikh's Fiery Lover (The Tazeem Twins Series Book 2)

by Leslie North

  Rubbing her flushed cheeks, she smiled broadly when she saw the clear vase with purple roses. Joshua could be so sweet when he wanted to be. Hugging the vase, she inhaled the fragrant flowers as she giggled to herself. He really did care for her.

  Rene frowned when she noticed some papers next to the vase. Picking them up, she realised that they were work-related. She growled and put them back down. The sweet moment was instantly ruined by his work, which always had a way of creeping up and ruining everything. She could not help but feel that if it came down to it, he would choose his work over her. Was there a place for her in his life?

  Rene picked up a rose. “He loves me,” she said and pulled a rose petal off. “He loves me not,” she said and plucked out another. As she kept going, she wondered if it was all worth it. Maybe their relationship was meant to be nothing more than a fling.

  The men in her life seemed to leave when she needed them most. Her father walked out on her and her mother, and Craig, her fiancé, had cheated on her one week before their wedding. Well, that’s when he was caught. Who knows how long he had been cheating on her prior. And Joshua was a workaholic.

  She left his bedroom and headed back to her quarters. For once, they had finished breakfast together and he had not left halfway through to go to the office. Rene sighed as she walked back into her quarters. Muna and Maria both bowed their heads when she walked in.

  “Is everything okay, Miss Rene?” Muna asked.

  “Is it that obvious?” Rene asked her. She walked over to the sofa and threw herself on it. The palace was so huge and yet she felt so alone.

  “Is there anything we can help you with?” Maria asked.

  “Unless you can stop Joshua from working so much, no,” Rene replied forlornly. “I am feeling a bit homesick and there are times that even when we are in the same room together, I feel all alone.” Looking up at the women, she gave a soft smile, “I am sorry, I do not mean to go on like this. Please. I do not need anything right now, you can go.”

  As the maids bowed and turned to leave, they both gave her a sad look, as she stared at the roses she still clutched to her chest. It was clear that she was not like the other women the princes tended to associate with and they both hoped that Prince Joshua would not break her heart.

  Chapter 8

  Joshua sat in his office reviewing the contract concerning the Russians one more time. Although he had read it several times already, he wanted to make sure every single detail was perfect. It was important to him that this deal went through flawlessly.

  It was their father, the king, who had first set up this contract many years ago and it was his superior negotiating skills and unrelenting authority in the boardroom that assured the prosperity of the oil pipeline through their country. The twins spent months working on the renewal negotiations and they did not want to disappoint their father or their people. But Rene’s presence was making it tough to focus.

  “Joshua.” James said. He looked up and saw his brother staring at him with a puzzled look.

  “James, when did you get here?”

  “I have been standing here for a while now but it seems as if there is something occupying your mind, brother.” James pulled up a chair and sat opposite him.

  “I am reading over the contract.”

  “Could have fooled me. What’s really on your mind?”

  Joshua sighed. His brother knew him too well. Of course, he did, they had come into the world together, played together, learned together, fought together. They had been reading each other's thoughts since they were little. “Rene,” Joshua finally said.

  “What about her?” James asked, tilting his head to the side.

  “She complains that I work too much.”

  James raised his eyebrows. “She knows how important your work is to you, does she not?” he asked.

  Joshua leaned back into his chair. “I do not think that she does understand.”

  “You have to take into consideration that she is a western woman. Maybe men over there are quite different to us.”

  “I wish that she would be more understanding.”

  James sighed. “Brother, you have much to learn about women.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Joshua cut him off.

  “It means you might not be the best at understanding women.” James said.

  “I have no time for love and understanding women. I need to do my job. Our father groomed us to take over his empire, and that is what we must do.”

  James raised his eyebrows. “One day, the time will come when you will settle down with a woman. Since you brought Rene back with you, we assumed that it was going to be her,” he said. Joshua narrowed his gaze at him.

  “We have work to do.” He did love Rene but she wanted more than he could give her. She needed to understand the kind of man he was and she needed to accept it.

  James smiled and shook his head. “I will leave you to it,” he said as he got up from his seat and left the office.

  *****

  The next morning, James and Joshua went to dine with their parents for breakfast at their private residence away from the palace. They were preparing to meet with the Russians again and their father had requested their presence.

  The twins sat in the back of the chauffeur-driven Bentley on the way to their parents’ house, each reading through a document. James looked up from the paper in his hands and out the window. “Hey, isn’t that Jazon Laiks’s house?”

  Joshua glanced up, “Wow, it is. How many years has it been?”

  “Twenty? Maybe more?” James said, then gave a laugh, “He used to have the best birthday parties.”

  “Yeah. Ours weren’t so bad, either!” Joshua replied giving his brother a light punch on the arm.

  “At least until our tenth. We were expecting action figures and we got a private tutor instead. Thanks, dad!” James said, as he laughed.

  “We should be thanking him,” Joshua said, tensing his fists and feeling his heartbeat jump. “We are the men we are today because of him. He groomed us for this, whatever we gave up, it was worth it. And that’s why we are going to nail this deal.”

  They entered their father's house, acknowledging the guards inside. The interior was grand, beautifully and intricately designed. Each piece of furniture had been selected and placed for a specific purpose. The hard uncomfortable chairs designed to avoid lengthy conversations and the pictures of the King with famous diplomats adorning the walls demonstrated his power. Joshua felt no personal attachment towards his father's house. Whenever he came to see his father, it was usually about business. They rarely spoke of other matters.

  They walked down the corridor and entered the dining room. The queen was already sitting at the table when they walked in. She stood up with a smile on her face.

  “My boys!” She kissed both her sons on both cheeks before the three of them sat down at the table. “It has been far too long.”

  “It has. We have missed you,” Joshua said. He meant it, his mother always made him smile.

  “Yes, life has been so tough without your delicious Basbousa cake!” James replied.

  “Oh yes, tortuous!” Joshua added.

  The queen laughed, “Stop it, you two! Anyway, Joshua, I hear there is a certain gi-”

  All three of them turned to face the dining room door as the king entered.

  He was dressed in an expensive navy blue suit and a white cotton shirt. Joshua swore his wardrobe consisted solely of suits or traditional wear. The king nodded and sat down at the long table and looked over the variety of pastries, fruits, and cooked meats spread before him. James and Joshua sat down after the king was seated and a hollow silence filled the air.

  “So, you are going to meet with the Russians again?” the king finally asked. Although he had retired, he still kept tabs on what was going on.

  “Yes. We leave this afternoon,” James replied. The king nodded as he chewed a pastry.

  “Are you confident that you can g
et this contract renewed?”

  “Yes, we will be successful,” Joshua replied.

  The king laughed with satisfaction. “Good!” he said and sipped his tea.

  “Enough business talk,” the queen interrupted. “What will happen to that girl?” she asked. Joshua narrowed his gaze. He knew his mother was referring to Rene.

  “What girl?” the king asked, his thick eyebrows crossing.

  “The one your son brought back to the palace.”

  “She will remain here,” Joshua replied. He was not going to take her with him, if that was what his mother expected him to do. Joshua never liked to mix business with pleasure.

  “Mother, don't you like her?” James asked her as he took a sip out of his cup.

  “I do not know what to make of her yet,” the queen replied. The king kept eating his food. Joshua was not surprised that his father was not getting involved. He did not really care about such things.

  “Well, I like her,” James said.

  The queen looked at them both, “The two of you should have married by now. I am ready for grandchildren.”

  Joshua and James looked at each other. It was not the first time their mother had brought up marriage. Joshua had protested stronger than James did, as work was his primary focus.

  “Not this again,” Joshua groaned.

  “It is true. When your father was your age, we were already married and had our first child,” the queen said.

  “And that was great for the two of you.”

  “Did you have women in mind for us?” James asked.

  “Do not encourage her, brother.”

  “I do actually,” the queen said and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

  “I am not interested,” Joshua said.

  James laughed at his reaction. “Glad you find this amusing,” he said to him.

  “How can you say that you are not interested when you have not even met the young lady?” the queen asked him.

  “I am not ready to be wed,” Joshua replied.

  “Is it because of that girl?”

  “No! I am simply not ready to marry.”

  “I found some beautiful African flame lilies,” James said.

  “Do not try to change the subject,” she replied as she glared at James.

  “I just remembered them and I had to tell you. You don't want them?”

  “Of course I do.” Joshua knew the queen loved flowers, especially African flame lilies because they were such rare flowers. He could not wait for this meal to be over and he was grateful that James changed the subject when he did. Otherwise their mother was going to go on and on about grandchildren.

  When they had finished eating breakfast, they bid their parents farewell. The king left for a cabinet meeting and they returned to the palace to prepare for their departure. Dining with their parents was always difficult for Joshua. He had no emotional connection to his father and their discussions were always about business, even growing up. Whereas, their mother clearly loved them, but she often delved into their personal lives far more than he would prefer.

  Chapter 9

  Rene was in Joshua's quarters helping the maids pack for his business trip when he returned. Even though she did not want him to go, she thought that it was important that she show her support, but she hoped that this would be his last trip, or at the very least, take her with him next time. She did not relish the idea of being left alone again. The whole point of her coming to Al-Qalta was to be with him and not spend her time twiddling her thumbs in her rooms.

  “Rene, what are you doing?” Joshua asked her as he walked into his bedroom. She turned and saw him walking slowly towards her while glancing around the room. His two maids bowed their heads to him and left his room.

  “Packing your clothes for your trip,” she replied.

  “You don’t have to do that,” he said. “The maids can handle it.”

  “I want to,” Rene smiled and placed her hands on his chest. She noticed that his tie was knotted tightly. Whenever his tie was pulled that tight, his head was in business mode, which she did not understand. Eating breakfast with your parents was meant to be relaxing, not work-related.

  Joshua smiled and nodded, stroking her face with the back of his hand. Rene leaned into his touch. She liked the feel of his hand on her skin. “So, how was breakfast?” She was relieved that she was not asked to be a part of it as she could do without seeing his mother for a while.

  “It went well,” Joshua replied. Went well; as if it were a meeting. Rene expected him to say something like it was fun or it was good or nice but not, it went well.

  “You went dressed all formally. You get too businessy sometimes.”

  “Businessy?”

  “Yes, you know.”

  “I do not know.”

  Rene narrowed her gaze at him. “Like in a business mindset,” she stated.

  “Businessy,” Joshua repeated and raised an eyebrow. Rene pushed him away playfully.

  “Whatever, Joshua,” she said as he smiled at her.

  “I do hate wearing a tie sometimes,” he said and sighed.

  “You should dress casually more often.” Rene bent down to shut the suitcase, snapping it closed. “We were finished anyway,” she said to him as she stood back up.

  “Thank you,” he said to her as she wrapped her arms around him and pouted.

  “Do you really have to go?” she asked him suddenly feeling the strain of his absence.

  “Of course I do,” Joshua said, with a pinched expression.

  “James can go alone, can't he?” Rene was trying to tread carefully but it was pointless, Joshua’s face said it all. He released himself from her embrace and put some distance between them.

  “Rene, this is my work, you know I have to go.” He turned on his heel and walked out leaving Rene standing there with her mouth open. She could not believe he had just walked out on her like that.

  “Fine, just go!” she called out after him, even though she knew it was useless. She growled with frustration, then stormed off to her quarters.

  *****

  The next day Rene had breakfast by herself. While there were many mornings where she did not have breakfast with Joshua, this time felt different. She felt so alone and she was still angry about how they had left things.

  She began to talk to her maids to take her mind off Joshua. They were not talkative and both of them spoke so formally, but it was better than nothing.

  “Do you ever get time off?” Rene asked the maids.

  “We do, Miss Rene,” Muna replied.

  “How long?”

  “Two weeks a year.”

  “That is very little. You must miss your family.”

  “They do not live far and we do get visitations.” Manu clutched her hands together, “So it's fine.”

  Working in the palace was definitely a lot of hard work. Everything had to be clean and tidy at all times. They could not eat until the royals had eaten. They could not sleep until the royals had gone to bed. Rene could not live like that, which was why she tried to be as nice to her maids as she could be.

  Later on that day, Rene took her laptop and went to sit outside in the sun. The lawn outside her quarters was nice and green. She checked the time to ensure Tanya would be finished with work and then powered up Skype.

  “Hi sweetie,” Tanya said as soon as she picked up. She was curled up on their living room sofa with the laptop on the coffee table.

  “I miss our house,” Rene said. Tanya laughed and moved the camera around to show Rene.

  “Everything is still the same. You shouldn't miss it, you should be enjoying your new life of luxury.”

  “I am but I still miss the house,” Rene and Tanya had lived together since they graduated from high school and she liked being able to walk down the hall to her room to talk or spend the day together watching TV. All she had now was Skype and it was not the same.

  “You look sad, what's wrong?”

  “Everything,”
Rene replied.

  “Has Joshua left again?”

  “You knew straight away,” Rene laughed. “He has.”

  “When did he go?” Tanya asked.

  “Yesterday,” Rene sighed, “and we left things on bad terms.”

  “What happened?” Tanya asked. Rene told her what had happened before Joshua left.