She couldn’t deny the heightened pulse that pounded just beneath her skin, nor the flush that rose to her face when she heard the elevator doors ding open in her outer reception area. By the time he rapped, surprisingly gently, on her office door, Carly was feverish with anticipation and self-loathing.
How? she wondered in the half-second it took her to respond. How could she be this excited to see a man who wanted her just to discard her after his needs were fulfilled?
“Come in,” she managed to utter in a voice both cold and curious, her negotiation skills still on point.
He did just that, pressing open the double doors dramatically and standing just inside her spacious office, as regal as he was unexpected. He wore a black suit, the kind that would take an extra five minutes for her to peel off, as polished and shimmering as his thick soled shoes.
“Thanks for seeing me on such notice,” he said, voice uncharacteristically soft and slow. “And at such a late hour.”
She smirked. “I’ve got to work twice as hard as the next guy if I don’t want to get outbid next time, now don’t I?”
He bowed deferentially, beaming when his eyes met hers. “I guess that’s why I’m here,” he said.
“To gloat?” she asked, pushing away slightly from her desk to cross her legs and lean back in her chair. With a hand, she waved at the wing chair across from her.
“No,” he said, sinking into it with a practiced ease. “To confess something.”
“What?” she sighed. “That you bought a tech company you didn’t really want just to get back at me for not sleeping with you?”
Carly enjoyed watching him recoil, his eyes widening, his fingers tensing on the arm rests of the comfortable leather chair. “How… how did you know?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I may have lost the SoundCloud account to you, Rahm, but I’m not stupid. Although, my only question is how you knew I was interested in the company in the first place.”
Suddenly it was Rahm’s turn to smirk. “The same way I bought SoundCloud out from under you, Carly: money.”
“Ah ha,” she said, waving a finger and surprisingly playful for someone who’d just lost an account she’d spent weeks studying. “So you admit you bought a tech company you didn’t really want just to get back at me for not sleeping with you?”
He shrugged, sinking back into his seat and seeming to enjoy her more playful side. “How else could I get you to see me again?” he asked, filling Carly’s heart with a surprisingly bubbly emotion. After all, he’d just admitted he’d spent nearly $30 million just to get her attention. A damn stupid waste of money, she thought, but effective – and romantic – all the same.”
“Why would you want to see me again?” she purred, sinking back even deeper into her chair. “All we ever seem to do is talk business?”
Rahm grew coy, squirming furtively in his expensively tailored suit. “I thought maybe if we went… somewhere… together, somewhere public and safe, we might talk about something other than business.”
She nearly snorted at his butchered come on. “Are you… asking me out? On a date?”
He nodded almost bashfully. “I suppose so,” he admitted. “I’ve never actually asked a woman out before.”
She smiled knowingly. “Never had to before, have you Mr. Farzik?”
“No, Carly, I haven’t,” he said, face – and voice – growing serious. “I’ve never had to before, but neither have I wanted to before. A man of my means doesn’t necessarily have to go looking for companionship, and yet the… companions… I’ve kept since coming to America have been of a sort. You understand?”
“You mean, the sort you meet in nightclubs?”
He nodded as if grateful he hadn’t had to say it himself. “Like we did?” she pressed, enjoying teasing him.
“Yes, well, not exactly. We met over business, you see. But neither the corporate nor the nightclub settings have done us any favors, have they?”
“No,” she admitted, growing serious – and flattered – as well. What she wouldn’t give to sit across the table from Rahm, somewhere quiet, simple… and public. “No they haven’t. So what do you suggest?”
“Something simple,” he said, “Don’t you think? I mean, it is our first date.”
“First?” she asked. “I’m not sure I follow your math seeing how many times we’ve seen each other recently.”
Their eyes met once more, her belly growing warm beneath its intensity. “I think I’d like us to… start over… if you don’t mind?”
“Us? Start over?” she teased, though inside she felt giddy with anticipation. “Keep talking like that, Rahm, and you’ll make us sound like an actual couple.”
He stood then, abruptly and yet gently, reaching down to her with one extended hand. “If you’d do me the honor, Carly Stanton, I would love nothing more.”
She took the hand, both of theirs trembling, and stood to join him. her heart pounded with the romantic sentiment, lips parting as she inched closer to him. Then, instead of kissing her, he backed away slightly, winking at her playfully.
“Sorry, Carly,” he chuckled, dragging her from the office so quickly she barely had time to reach for her jacket and purse. “But a gentleman never kisses on the first date!”
THE END
The Bad Boy Sheikh
Prologue
Zadir’s feet pounded, left right left right left, on the treadmill inside the palace gym. He was sick of running but going nowhere, yet the physical therapist assured him this would help him heal. Heal. What a joke. There was no healing from what he’d done and he knew it. He would be lucky if his father ever trusted him again. As it stood now, he could barely even look at him and found they had next to nothing to talk about.
Six months ago he’d smashed his car into a brick wall, well a brick home to be more specific about it. After surgery, a concussion and several broken ribs he was finally get back to normal. Physically. The other damage was harder to repair. Rashid had paid to fix the home he’d slammed into, even though no one had told him to. He scoffed as he ran, thinking about the day the family had shown up—with flowers—to thank him for repairing their home. The home he’d smashed into. Instead of looking like a callous jerk, he smiled and told them it was the least he could do. They’d been so grateful that long after they left, he’d felt guilty. If Rashid, the good brother, hadn’t seen to it they would have been left homeless because they couldn’t afford a lengthy hotel stay.
That was nothing compared to the cost he’d had to pay. His heart raced as his speed increased. He was on the final leg of his daily run and smiled when there wasn’t even a twinge of pain in his ribs. “Thank goodness.”
At least something was going right for him. His father, holding Alzari Holdings hostage, insisted he move back into the palace until his reputation has been suitably rehabilitated. If he chose to live elsewhere, he would forfeit his birthright as CEO of Alzari Holdings. He hated it, but damn he wanted that job. It was his. He’d been preparing for it his entire life. To get it, he would now have to please his babysitter when all he really wanted to do was please her.
Zadir shook his head, beads of sweat flinging from his now too long wavy black hair and slowed the treadmill to a stop. He reached for his towel, wincing at the pain that lanced through his midsection, and draped it over his face. The sound of heels, very tall heels, on the floor alerted him that he had a visitor. He smiled when Shala walked into the gym, looking out of place and twenty different kinds of sexy in a teal dress that left her arms bare and the black stilettos she wore gave her petite frame endless bronze legs, which he ogled mercilessly. “Shala, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
She sighed to rein in her temper. They both knew that her presence in his life was not a pleasure. “Are you ready for tonight?” She crossed her arms and looked up at him, trying to avoid staring at the way the muscles in his arms bunched with every move.
Zadir groaned at the mention of his twin brother’s engagement party
. Tonight was the official party to announce the fact that the golden boy would soon be married. What Jovanbar and the rest of the world didn’t know, was that Rashid would soon be Sheikh. He had already withdrawn from Winchester because their father was sick and wished to step down and seek treatment in private. “Must I attend?”
Shala sighed and pasted a small smile on her face. “You know the answer to that Zadir. Rashid is your brother and Sabrina is your only friend, why wouldn’t you celebrate with them?”
He looked her over. Shala had turned into a beautiful woman with curves for days and all he thought about was how he could get her into bed. “You should be my date.”
After a beat, she finally answered. “I’ll be there in a professional capacity, so I’ll be there to keep an eye on you.”
He scowled. “I don’t want you to keep an eye on me, dammit! I want you on my arm.”
A small gasp escaped her cherry red mouth. “You can’t say things like that, Zadir. We have a strictly professional relationship and I think we should keep it that way.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, disbelief written all over his face. “Is that really what you want?” Her answer took too long to touch her lips and Zadir stepped off the treadmill and took the spot mere inches in front of her. His mossy green gaze was fixed on her, never moving not even when he removed his shirt to show off his newly sculpted body. It was the one good thing that came from the past six months. Zadir was now ripped after hours in the gym and seemingly endless physical therapy. He didn’t miss the flash of desire in Shala’s eyes, and a satisfied smile was his only response. Her eyes were on him as he walked way, he felt the way they bored into his back muscles and down his tapered waist to rest on his ass. It was a great ass. He stopped and turned, giving her a wink when he caught her staring. “I’ll pick you up at six thirty,” he called to her.
“I never agreed to anything,” she shouted at his retreating back.
He heard the playfulness in her voice and it reminded him of the shy girl from years ago. “You’ll agree. After all,” he turned with a cheeky smile, “who knows what kind of trouble I might find without proper supervision?”
She glared at him, her amber eyes glittering.
His laughter echoed down the hall until it finally disappeared into a hidden stairwell that lead back up to the palace.
One
“You have to be kidding me!” Shala pushed back from her desk, threw her glasses on her keyboard and kicked off her shoes. Zadir was driving her mad. Absolutely, positively and right into the nuthouse. He’d just emailed her his schedule for the next two weeks and they weren’t in Jovanbar for more than twelve hours. How he expected her to just drop everything and travel the world with him, she had no idea. She only knew that he expected it, the Sheikh expected it and the acting CEO, Sima Alzari expected it.
So she would pack her bags and be ready to leave two days from today. Shala had known this assignment was a bad idea when the Sheikh had approached her, but it was a great honor and she couldn’t turn it down and expect to keep her career on track. Besides she had a feeling the Sheikh saw more than he let on and knew she’d harbored a secret crush on the bad boy twin for years. She cursed her expressive features that gave her away and vowed—once again—to keep her attraction to him hidden.
The problem was Zadir the man was far more appealing than he’d been as a boy. He was taller, bigger and thanks to therapy, had a golden tan body full of rippling muscles. Those green eyes sparkled constantly, with mischief and desire and mirth. His new hairstyle gave him a rugged, bad boy appeal that should have had her running for the hills. Too bad he had a bigger pull on her today than he’d had since he’d saved her from bullying teen girls. “God help me,” she muttered when she grabbed an image from her mind of Zadir, sweaty and shirtless with eyes dark with desire and boring into her.
She was in trouble. A world of trouble.
“Shala, do you have a minute?”
She looked up at the sound of the Sheikh and saw Rashid’s bride-to-be standing with him. “Yes, for you always.” Although formidable, Sheikh Alzari was a kind man who had always been nothing but nice to her. “Come on in,” she waved them to the chairs across from hers.
“Thanks Shala. I love that dress on you, too bad I’ve got too much arse, er,” she looked nervously at the Sheikh beside her. “Too much junk in my trunk, I mean.”
Shala waved her off. “You have just the right amount of junk,” Shala told her. “I’ll give you the name of this designer, he’ll be happy to tailor one of his creations for you.” She returned Sabrina’s grateful smile and took her seat again. “How can I help you today?”
“How is Zadir doing, really?”
Shala was surprised Sabrina was the one to ask the question. She knew they were friends but she hadn’t realized their bond was so tight. “He’s doing well. His body seems to be healing well and he only seems to experience pain at the end of his workouts. His behavior has been exemplary.” She laughed at the Sheikh’s raised eyebrows. “Well exemplary for him. He’s an incorrigible flirt but there has been no late night partying, no sexy tell all stories from his conquests and no drinking and driving.” Truthfully she’d been surprised by how easily he’d turned around his reputation.
“Really? Are you sure nothing gets by you?”
She didn’t want to tell the Sheikh or Sabrina she was sure because he spent most of his time trying to get her into bed so she just said, “I’m sure.”
The Sheikh nodded thoughtfully. “That’s good. What’s on the schedule this week?”
She released a soft sigh and relaxed into her plush leather chair. “It’s a pretty hectic few weeks,” she warned and handed over the schedule she’d just printed out.
Sabrina whistled. “You’ll be able to stay with him everywhere?”
She nodded. It was her only job for the foreseeable future. “Yes, I just received the schedule and I’ll hand over my other work today.” She answered a few more questions and escorted her guests to the elevator. “I’ll keep you updated as often as I can,” she promised.
“Call Sabrina and update her, I’ll be somewhat unavailable for the next few weeks.”
She nodded but her thick sculpted brows creased with concern. “Is there anything I can help you with, Sheikh?”
He patted her cheek. “You were always such a good girl, Shala. Thank you but I’m good, or I will be. You’ve grown into a gorgeous woman and you’ll make some man very lucky.”
She blushed. “Thank you, Sheikh. I hope you feel better.” The doors closed and her shoulders slumped in relief.
* * *
Zadir had a plan and it included him and Shala in a bed with an obscenely high thread count, champagne and if he was really lucky, whipped cream. He smiled to himself as he thought about that jam packed schedule he’d sent to her. She hadn’t called, just sent a short reply that said she would meet him at the royal air strip at eight tomorrow morning. That wasn’t good enough, so he’d sent her a message saying that he would pick her up. He’d called her laughing after he received her one word reply. Fine.
He smiled all day and into the next morning when he thought of the time they’d spend together. To ensure that, he’d booked two bedroom suites for them to share and discuss business. It would be like living together for two weeks. She wouldn’t be able to resist his charms and soon he’d have his hands full of her round ass and her slender legs wrapped around his body as he thrust into her. Zadir quickly shook those thoughts away before his attraction to her became hard to hide. It wouldn’t do to pick her up this morning with a raging boner. It might set the wrong tone for their trip.
“I’ll go get her. Wait here,” he instructed the driver and shut the door behind him. Shala lived in a small house a few miles away from the palace. It was nice, he thought as he walked up the grey stone paving stones and up a short set of stairs to knock on her door. The house was small, stucco with a lot of windows. “Good morning Shala. You’re looking gorgeous this
morning,” he told her and flashed his most charming smile.
“Good morning, Zadir. You’re bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning.”
He leaned against the door frame. “In anticipation of seeing you, that’s all.” It wasn’t a lie. He hadn’t slept well because he’d been plagued with thoughts of Shala and those damn curves, those lush lips and that spicy flowery scent that emanated from her. It was a long painful night.
She smiled at him and stood back so he could come in. “You know, Zadir, there is such a thing as too charming.”
His eyebrows rose. “There is? I refuse to believe that. And I’m telling you the truth. If you want to know why I couldn’t sleep last night, I’ll tell you.” He stood close, invading her space until her spicy scent reached his brain and his hand went to finger her thick dark locks. Without thinking he stroked her silky hair for a long minute before she interrupted him.
“We need to leave soon, Zadir.”
He smiled at her husky voice. She was affected. “We do,” he whispered and she blinked at his nearness. “I’ll grab your bags and we can go.”
“You don’t need to do that, Zadir. You’re still healing and I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own bags.” To illustrate her point she leaned over, giving him a nice view of her heart shaped backside, and lifted one case and leaned the other on its wheels and began to walk. She turned at the doorstep to look at him. “Do you plan on staying at my house for the duration of our trip?”
ROMANCE: THE SHEIKH'S GAMES: A Sheikh Romance Page 82
