The Sheikh's Secret

by Knight, Kylie

  “Brandt, this is my girlfriend…Orianna Herd. Ori, this is Brandt Villiers, he manages the music division of the company.”

  Brandt aimed his fake smile at her then – as Ori had feared – he rocked back a little when he saw her eyes. Dammit dammit dammit. Ori looked back at Milo nervously. His face was closed, annoyed.

  Brandt cleared his throat. “A pleasure. I won’t keep you, my date is waiting. Nice to meet you…Ori. Milo, I’ll talk to you on Monday.”

  Milo gave a tight nod then, as Brandt walked away, glancing back at Ori as if he wasn’t convinced he’d seen what he’d seen.

  Ori felt sick. Milo signaled for the check and less than a minute later they were in his car.

  “I’m so sorry about that, Ori, Brandt is…hell, he’s a jerk. It’s my fault he recognized you. I was listening to the record today and he came in and we were arguing about talent versus instant noodle-pop music.”

  “You were talking about me?” Her voice was small, tight. He looked at her and reached for her hand.

  “No, sweetheart. We were talking about Astoria Vine.”

  And just like that, she relaxed. He got it, he really did. She lifted his hand and pressed her lips to it. “It’s okay….and, um, ‘Orianna‘?” Her voice amused, she grinned at him.

  “I panicked. What is Ori short for anyway? I know it’s not Astoria.”

  “Gloria.” She smothered a giggle. He looked vaguely appalled.

  “Really?”

  “No.” And he laughed with her. She linked her fingers with his. “It’s Orianthi.”

  “That’s beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” They smiled at each other and then Milo was driving into the underground garage of his building. Ori couldn’t help but be impressed at the stylish Art-Deco style of the old building and when they reached his apartment, the loft style of his home, expensively but tastefully decorated, lots of dark wood and muted colors. She walked around the large living room with huge windows, long sofas, a bookshelf stuffed with business books – and she noted with satisfaction – a large selection of fiction and vinyl records.

  “You like it?”

  She smiled back at him. “It’s gorgeous.”

  Milo took her in his arms. “You’re gorgeous. This is just…home.”

  “I really love it.”

  “Good. Let me show you around the rest of the place.” He said that with a lust-filled smile and hand-in-hand, they walked slowly to his bedroom.

  ***

  Brandt was waiting for Milo when he got to work and Milo had to bite back the snarl that threatened. He knew exactly why Brandt was in his office, looking triumphant. He waited for Brandt to speak first then, when he didn’t, he met the other man’s gaze defiantly. Brandt grinned.

  “You really going to make me say it?”

  Milo feigned ignorance. “Say what?”

  “You’re dating Astoria Vine.”

  Milo felt his shoulders tense. “No. I’m dating Ori Herd.”

  “Come on.” Brandt sat down without being asked, crossing his legs and smiling that obsequious smile that made Milo want to punch him. “That girl is Astoria Vine, I’d know those eyes anywhere. You’re a sneaky one. How long you been shtupping that?”

  Milo’s jaw set and his eyes burned as he looked at his subordinate. “Watch yourself, Brandt.”

  Brandt held his hands up. “Sorry, bad turn of phrase but tell me, Milo…are you trying to persuade her back into the business? Because that would be…well, I don’t have to tell you that would send us through the roof. We’d be the envy of every record company in America, hell, the world. She may have been away from the scene for a few years but no-one, no-one, has stopped talking about her. That almost never happens – an artist goes on hiatus, the momentum is lost. Not with her.”

  He was getting into the swing now, his color up, excitement in his eyes. Milo waited until he’d finished his speech then got up and closed his office door, went and sat behind his desk. He fixed Brandt with a look of pure steel.

  “Brandt, let me say this once. Astoria Vine is gone. She doesn’t exist. My girlfriend, Ori, owns a bookshop, is putting her younger sister through college and is happy with her life choices. She has no interest, none, in revisiting her past. Do you understand me?”

  Brandt was silent. Milo waited, his stomach roiling with anger and anxiety. Finally, Brandt sighed. “You know what? You’re the boss. It’s a shame but there you go.”

  Milo didn’t trust Brandt’s easy acceptance but he nodded. “Good.”

  Brandt got up to go. When he reached the door, he turned. “You know what, Milo? I remember something your dad said to me at the Christmas party a couple of years ago. He said he was proud that you’d built the business to what it is but he was surprised too. Because you don’t have the killer instinct. You don’t take the chance. You’re looking at the golden ticket and you’re throwing it over for what?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer. Milo stared after him, his eyes narrowed. “For the woman I love, you son-of-a…” He said the words out loud because he needed to hear them, needed to know he had made the right decision. He had no doubt that he had…or that he indeed loved the heck out of Orianthi Herd.

  ***

  Ori lay on her stomach, next to him, and shivered with pleasure as Milo ran his fingertips up and down her spine. It had been a month since that first night in the bookshop and Ori had gone through the days in a haze of almost delirious happiness. It showed too, her regular customers all commented on the flush in her cheeks, the shine in her eyes. All day she would think about him, watching the clock until he called and said he was leaving work. They would go back to hers or his and eat and talk and make love until they fell asleep in the other’s arms. On the weekend, they would go out to the islands or someplace fun or hang out with Yas. Idyllic didn’t cover it.

  She smiled at him now. “You’re just about perfect, Mr. Shaw.” Milo grinned then pretended to look affronted.

  “Just about?”

  She snickered. “You’re about…” and she jokingly measured the distance between their groins, “Twelve inches from being perfect.”

  “Dirty girl.” He kissed her. “Hey, I have a random question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why ‘Astoria Vine’? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  She smiled and rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow. “Astoria was my mother’s name. Vine came from…and this is so dumb…from Herd…as in ‘I heard through the grapevine’.” She crossed her eyes to show how dumb she thought it was. Milo started to laugh.

  “You’re kidding.”

  “One hundred percent not kidding.”

  She joined in with his mirth and soon they were laughing and kissing and Milo was pushing her back onto the bed, covering her body with his.

  As they made love, slowly, leisurely, Milo trailed his lips along her cheek and nuzzled her ear.

  ‘Ori?”

  She was breathless as she smiled up at him. “Yes?”

  He gazed into her deep brown eyes. “I love you.” He saw tears spring into her eyes then roll down her adorably plump cheeks.

  “I love you too.”

  They made love late into the night and at just past three a.m., Ori fell asleep, exhausted. Milo lay beside her, listening to her even breathing, He honestly felt at that moment that his world was complete. His business was a success, he had the most wonderful, sexy, smart, funny woman in his arms….so why did he feel as if it could all disappear in a flash?

  ***

  Ori thanked the delivery guy and hefted the last of the boxes into the shop. Thirty minutes later, sweaty and covered in dust, she stood, groaning as she bent backward trying to assuage the ache. Whoever thought retail wasn’t strenuous was an idiot, she thought to herself. She reached over and flicked the switch on the coffee machine. A quick espresso would get her through the rest of the delivery quicker, she reasoned. She grabbed her craft knife and slit open another box just as the door
bell jingled. Ori looked up and blinked, surprised.

  Brandt smiled at her. He was dressed casually, jeans and sweater, and carrying a bunch of velvety roses. “Hi, Ori, lovely to see you again.” He held out the roses and Ori hesitantly took them. She was confused and not a little wary. On second sight, Brandt looked friendly, less sleazy but she didn’t trust him. He knew who she was.

  “Thank you, they’re lovely.” She turned to put them on the counter. “What can I do for you?”

  Brandt smiled. “I need to talk to you about something…difficult.”

  Her chest tightened. “Mr…”

  “Brandt. Just Brandt, and I need to talk to you about Milo.”

  That threw her. “Is he okay?”

  Brandt held his hands up. “He’s fine, don’t worry, he’s fine….look, can we…?” He nodded to the couches. Ori gave a tight nod and they settled opposite each other. She didn’t offer him coffee; the dude gave her the creeps and she wanted to him to leave quickly.

  “Ori…I think we can dispatch with any bull….I know you’re Astoria Vine. Or you used to be.”

  Ori said nothing, her jaw flexing as she gritted her teeth. “Brandt…I am done with that life.”

  Brandt nodded then fixed her with his blue eyes. “You love Milo, don’t you?”

  Ori narrowed her eyes at him. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Milo’s business is failing. We are losing money in huge amounts. We just don’t have the star power and we’re failing. Milo won’t share this with you because he’s stubborn but there is a very real possibility that he’ll lose everything within the next six months.”

  Ori closed her eyes, swallowing hard, finding her throat closing, her stomach roiling. She knew what was coming.

  “We need something big, something unexpected. Remember when Beyonce dropped her album with zero promotion? It changed the whole ballgame. If we could find something like that…”

  Milo could lose everything. Everything. Every emotion raced through Ori’s body, different solutions to the problem, everything except what Brandt was asking her to do.

  “Ori…Astoria…you could single-handedly turn Milo’s life around – more than you have already. He’s absolutely crazy about you.” Brandt’s voice was soft, understanding. “And I would not ask you to do this unless I was desperate to save my friend.”

  His change of tone confused her – the guy seemed desperate. “What is it you want me to do?”

  She watched his shoulders relax. “Go into the studio, write a new album. No-one will know except you, me, the producer and the session musicians. Then we drop the album unexpectedly. Maybe a tour.”

  “No tour,” she said immediately. He sat up, his eyes alive.

  “You’ll do it?”

  “I didn’t say that. I need to think.”

  Brandt nodded, stood and handed her his card. “That’s fair. For now, let’s keep this between us…if Milo knew I had asked you to save him, he would be humiliated. Let’s not share this with anyone. You make a decision, call me.” He reached down and squeezed her shoulder. “You are the best thing that ever happened to him, Ori. The best.”

  Ori waited until he left then got up unsteadily, stumbled to the door, locked it and flipped the sign. She made it all the way upstairs to the bathroom before she threw up.

  ***

  Milo stroked his hand down over her body, her waist, her hips. “Are you okay? You’re so quiet tonight.”

  Ori tried to smile. “I’m fine, I think I had a bad sandwich at lunch.” She closed her eyes as Milo stroked her stomach tenderly. As soon as she’d seen him, she’d flown into his arms, kissing him fiercely. They hadn’t touched the pizza they’d ordered, falling into bed and making love, much to Milo’s delight.

  Now she felt drained, though, Brandt’s offer banging around her brain like a battering ram. She stroked Milo’s face. “Milo…what would you have done if you hadn’t gone into the music business?”

  Milo looked surprised by her question but considered. “I honestly don’t know. I was determined to do a job connected with music – and seeing as I can’t sing or play an instrument, at least not well, I took part-time jobs in record stores, started a small indie label and it just grew from there. I can’t imagine doing anything else or re-inventing myself like you have.” He smiled down at her and pulled her closer. “Not like you. You’re amazing.”

  Ori smiled but her heart thumped hard against her ribs and she felt misery settle over her.

  Later, when Milo was asleep, Ori slipped out of bed, grabbed her cell phone and headed into the living room. She dialed the number.

  “Ori, how nice to hear from you.” Brandt sounded smug and satisfied. Ori took a deep breath in.

  “I’ll do it.”

  “I’m glad. I’ll speak to you in the morning.”

  She ended the call, leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the window and silently sobbed.

  ***

  Milo stared at her. “You’re kidding.”

  Ori shook her head, not meeting his eye. “No. I want to do it. I’ve…had the thought in my mind for a while now. An album. That’s all. No tour. No publicity.”

  “You can’t be that naive.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Is it money? Is that why? Are you struggling?”

  “No, I…no. That’s not it.”

  “Then why?” He sounded angry, frustrated and Ori had to turn away from him before she told him the biggest lie.

  “Because I want to. I feel…I have left things unfinished.”

  She jumped as Milo banged his fist on the table. “I don’t believe you. I don’t. Something else is going on here.”

  She drew in a shaky breath. “Look, ever since we met, ever since you found out who I was, I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop. You’re a very visible man, Milo, people would find out eventually anyway. This way we can control the story. I can say goodbye to Astoria properly, hopefully, negate the constant questions.”

  Milo was silent. When he looked at her, his eyes were cold. “I hope you trusted me.”

  “I do, god, Milo…” She went to him, curled herself around him and was gratified when he held her tightly. “You are my person. With you, I feel invincible.”

  He kissed her temple and looked down at her. “Is this what you really want?”

  She nodded and he sighed. “Well then, we’ll make it happen. But, Ori, I want you to be open with me through the process. And you don’t sign anything until the album’s done and you’re absolutely sure you want it out there. You want out at any point, you got it without question. Deal?”

  She snuggled into his arms, feeling a little better. “Deal. I love you.”

  “I love you too, funny face. Just not sure I want to share you with the world.”

  ***

  “No contract? Are you insane?” Brandt was incensed. “Who puts that much money into an artist without a contract?”

  Milo sighed and rubbed his face impatiently. “Brandt, I just gave you your golden ticket. Against my wishes, might I add, so suck it up. No contract until Ori says she’s sure.”

  Brandt sighed. “Fine. So what’s the plan?”

  “I hooked Ori up with Rocky Logan, they’re going into the studio to write today, see how the chemistry is. Rocky’s a good fit for her, I think, strong female voice, rock, pop, whatever Ori’s feeling.”

  “Can we call her Astoria now? That’s, after all, her name.”

  “Ori is her name, Astoria is a character.”

  Brandt rolled his eyes. “Whatever. So, promotion. Really we want to start a whisper campaign, just a ‘Where is Astoria Vine?’ thing. I could plant a few stor…”

  “No. Absolutely not. This has to be low key. I don’t want Ori harrassed.”

  Brandt sighed. “Fine.” He got up to leave Milo’s office and as he turned his back, Milo could have sworn he saw the man grin.

  “Brandt?”

  Brandt turned, smoothing out his expression. Mil
o stared at him, seeing the raw ambition inside him. It turned his stomach.

  “I mean it. This can’t get out.”

  ***

  It got out, of course. Day six in the studio and Ori was actually having a great time. Rocky Logan, an immensely tall and very talented writing partner Ori never had. The two women bonded almost immediately and by the end of the first week, they’d laid the groundwork for four new tracks.

  At half past seven, Ori said goodbye to Rocky and pushed her way out of the back door of the studio. She was checking her phone for messages so when the flashbulbs started to go off, she panicked. The door behind her had locked so when she pushed back, the cold metal of the door slammed against her back. Questions were flung at her, shouted, screeched and she tried closing her eyes but they were jostling her, bodies pressed against her, touching her…

  Suddenly there was clear air as someone grabbed her hand and pulled her through the throng. Someone was cussing out the feral pack of paparazzi and then she was inside a car and zooming away from them.

  She opened her eyes. She was sitting in the passenger seat of Milo’s car as he drove them away from the studio. His face was set, grim, but he reached over and took her hand.

  “I’m so sorry about that, sweetheart. Damn, Brandt leaked that you were in the studio. I’m going to kill that…” He broke off, too angry to continue.