by Holly Rayner
Osman tried not to grin at that—it was clear she still believed that she might actually have to protect him. He kept his expression sober, not wanting to offend her.
“I understand. I’ll talk to my purchaser and see what we can work out. We should have a new wardrobe delivered to your room by this afternoon. Until then, I invite you to acclimate yourself to the house, and relax. You’re not officially on the clock yet, and I want you to have some time to adjust. Please, take the day and explore the grounds, and tonight we will be going out to my favorite club. I think you’ll like it,” he finished, standing after taking one last bite of pastry.
“Please, enjoy your breakfast, and I’ll see you later,” he said, giving her one last nod before heading out the door.
“Have a nice day, Your Highness,” Beth called to his back.
“Osman,” he said.
“Nope,” she replied, and he could hear the grin in her voice.
Beth Coolidge was going to be one tough nut to crack, Osman thought, smiling as he strolled out the door.
FIVE
Beth
Beth waited for the door to close before she wiped her mouth and gazed around at his room.
So this was where Middle-Eastern royalty slept. It wasn’t so different from her own sleeping quarters. There was a large king-size bed draped in gossamer hangings, the small dining area where she sat, and a living area with a few sofas and chairs placed before a fire.
Compared to her own suite, the Sheikh’s quarters seemed much more masculine. The room was furnished with dark woods and leather, and the whole area just smelled…manly. Beth tried to ignore the subtle cologne that rested on the furniture. She also actively avoided looking at the Sheikh’s bed, which hadn’t been made yet, and was still covered in tangled sheets from the night before.
Beth stood, dropping her cloth napkin on the table and strolling around the room. There had been no indication that the Sheikh would be back anytime soon, so she felt comfortable exploring his chambers. He’d left her there, after all, hadn’t he? And if she wanted to know the man she would be working for, she needed to get a glimpse of who he really was. Beth couldn’t help it, but she was really, really nosy.
Glancing in the bathroom, she found a full shaving kit and another raindrop shower head. There was also an enormous hot tub that had stone walls around it, made to look like a waterfall. It was absolutely stunning.
A small door led to a private theater room with six large, comfortable-looking chairs all angled towards an enormous screen. Baskets of full candy bars were placed on small tables in between, and there was a bar on the side with drinks and a microwave for making popcorn. Beneath the screen, Beth saw a series of gaming consoles and a compartment filled with video games and movies.
“This is awesome,” Beth breathed.
She loved movies. She loved going to the cinema, too, but thought this place might be even better. Unable to help herself, she sank into one of the chairs in the front row, and caught a glance at the movies perched on top of the DVD player. Her eyebrows lifted at the titles, which weren’t scheduled for release for several months in American movie theaters. Top of the line, indeed.
Forcing herself up from the plush recliner, Beth made her way back out to find a couple of maids cleaning up the Sheikh’s room. When they saw her, they paused and bowed.
Beth tried not to blush as she nodded back at them and headed out of the room, into one of the winding hallways. Taking a guess at where to go next, she went right, and eventually found herself at a locked door—a dead end. Glancing around, she pulled a hairpin out of her pocket that she kept for this very reason, and pressed it into the key hole, wiggling it around. The door swung open with a small creak, and Beth swept into the room before anyone could notice what she was doing.
Beth was met with a wall of darkness, and, pulling out her phone, she turned on the flashlight and held it out to the small room. It was a storage closet. There were boxes everywhere, some labelled, some not. Old toys and rocking horses were stacked haphazardly, everywhere she looked.
Even the rich have messy closets, then, Beth thought with a grin.
Draped over a horse was a small, blue baby blanket, with a name written on it in Arabic lettering. Beth ran her fingers along the soft fabric, covered in dust.
“Who are you, Osman Al-Haddeni?” she whispered to the blanket. The man claimed to only want her as a prop…some kind of status symbol. But was there more to it than that?
Beth’s phone rang, a piercing sound in the dark silence of the closet, and she scrambled to hit the button to answer it, not bothering to look at who was calling.
“Hello? Beth, are you there?” Connor’s voice shouted.
She put the phone to her ear and spoke softly, not wanting to get caught hanging out in a closet on her first day.
“Hi Connor, I’m here,” she said, trying not to sound like she was whispering.
“Why are you whispering?” he said.
Beth rolled her eyes, glancing furtively at the door. “I’m not. It must just be a weird connection. Long distance calling sucks, you know.”
“Okay,” Connor replied, clearly not buying it. “Weirdo. Anyway, I just got your signed contract scanned over—great job, kid! I know you’re going to do great. You are going to do great, aren’t you, Bethie Bee?”
Beth bristled at his insinuation. What, like she wouldn’t do her damn best, like she always had, her whole life?
“I don’t fail, Connor. You know that.”
“You don’t always fail, true. You just failed with us.”
Beth was about to say something when she heard the sound of another phone ringing in the background, and Connor’s voice cut her off.
“Gotta go, duty calls. Just wanted to congratulate you, babe. I knew you could do it!”
Before she could reply, Connor had already hung up the phone.
Feeling annoyed, Beth exited the closet and got lost three more times in the hallways before a young maid found her and led her back to her suite.
“Thanks for helping me,” Beth said, relieved to be back somewhere she recognized.
The girl bowed respectfully. “His Highness has asked me to be your tour guide of the grounds, so that you don’t get lost again, miss. I’m Nura, by the way,” she said with a grin.
Beth couldn’t help but smile back. “Does that happen a lot?” she asked, and Nura nodded.
“Every time His Highness has a guest to stay, or hires a new staff member. It’s not a small estate, miss. People normally need some time to adjust and find their way. It’s why the Sheikh provides a day to acclimate to the premises. We could lose someone for days—there are parts of the estate where virtually no one goes.”
“Like where?” Beth asked, unable to help herself.
Nura bit her lip, as though trying to decide how much to tell. “His Highness’ mother’s quarters, for example. They are kept clean, but she has been gone for so long now that all of her furniture has been covered in wait of her return.”
“Why did she go?” Beth asked, but she knew she’d gone too far.
Nura’s expression hardened instantly. “That is a question only the Sheikh can answer, miss. I’m afraid I am limited to the areas we do use. Whenever you are ready, I am happy to show you around myself.”
“I’m ready now. Show me everything you can.”
Nura smiled again and gestured for Beth to follow her. As her official tour began, Beth’s mind wandered to the empty halls where Osman’s mother once lived.
That was a story she would definitely want to hear.
SIX
Beth
To say that Osman’s home was opulent was an understatement. Every room was filled with expensive art, tastefully decorated in a different theme. Beth took note of a distinct European flair in the decidedly Middle-Eastern mansion.
“And across the way here you’ll find the pool house and gardens, miss,” Nura said in her thick, melodious accent.
The m
aid opened the door and the two of them strode quickly across a cream-colored patio landing, Beth shielding her eyes from the glistening water of the pool. Even those two seconds outside were unbearable in the heat, but, glancing to the other side of the pool house, Beth was thrilled to see a wide variety of plant life in the gardens.
Her tour guide smiled. “His Highness is an avid gardener; he loves his plants very much,” she said.
“Do you like working for the Sheikh, Nura?” Beth asked as they opened the door to the pool house and slipped inside. There was a large stone bar, fully stocked with top brand liquor. Chaise longues were spread around the room, beckoning all who entered to lay back and relax. Beth was sorely tempted to do so herself.
“Oh yes, miss,” Nura said with a blush. “He is a most generous employer.”
Beth realized she’d made the girl uncomfortable, but when one works in the security business, making people uncomfortable is an everyday reality.
“Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him?”
The girl frowned. “Of course not. His Majesty is kind and he likes to have fun. He is not political, like his father was. That may disappoint some, but I think people like him staying out of things.” She was absent-mindedly tidying the space, fluffing bright green pillows that clearly didn’t need to be fluffed. The room was immaculate.
Beth gazed out one more time at the gardens, and her stomach rumbled.
Nura didn’t miss a beat. “Your lunch will be served in your rooms, miss, and then you’re welcome to explore the grounds at your own leisure. Right this way,” she said, hurrying them back through the hot noon sun and through a maze of hallways to Beth’s chambers.
In a weird way, Beth already felt at home in her rooms. Her dining table, not so different from Osman’s, was made of fine wood, and, by the time they arrived, loaded with a delicious smelling luncheon.
Beth turned to the maid, who was waiting to be dismissed. “Thank you for your tour, Nura. It was really helpful.” Beth smiled, and the maid smiled back. So far Beth had taken a liking to every staff member in the house, keeping in mind that any of them might be putting on a face for her while secretly plotting the demise of their employer. Unfortunately, she had learned not to trust anyone she didn’t know, and so everyone she met was still on trial, though they were completely unaware of that fact.
Nura bowed. “Thank you, miss. If you need anything, just press the button on the remote in your bedside table drawer.”
And with that, Nura was scurrying back down the hallway. She didn’t seem to know how to walk slowly, Beth mused.
She found the remote exactly where Nura had said it would be. The buttons allowed for her to call for room service, maid service, or emergency assistance. There was also, to her bemused surprise, a button that just had the word Osman next to it. She wondered what would happen if she’d pressed it, then thought better of it.
A knock on the door signaled the arrival of her new wardrobe. Beth let the delivery team and series of maids in before taking a seat and enjoying a feast of fattoush, falafel in cucumber sauce, and warm pita bread dipped in some kind of delicious garlic sauce.
A tea service had been set, and when Beth poured the decorative blue pot she breathed in the rich scent of green tea, and grinned. His Highness was quite thoughtful, wasn’t he? She had a flashing image of his eyes crinkling in a warm smile, and shook her head, trying not to remember how attracted she’d been to him when she thought he was just the driver.
Enjoying her tea, she waved to the staff members after they’d filled her closets and drawers and made to depart. She’d kept an eye on them while she ate, making sure her two remaining unpacked suitcases remained untouched. There were some things Beth did not need maid service for, and that was dealing with her own private property. Dabbing her mouth, she made her way over to the dresser and began to sort through her brand new wardrobe.
Osman was good on his word. While clearly very expensive, her clothing was comfortable and low-key. Shirts with no branding or words on them, plain jeans and loose pants for warmer days spent in the sun. Then she got to the end. Two sleek gowns and two cocktail dresses were hidden in the corner. Beth thought about calling a maid to remove them, then decided against it. One never knew when a disguise might be necessary. Also, the dresses were absolutely stunning—it would be a shame to give them up.
Glancing in a drawer, Beth found a trendy one-piece swimsuit. As she slid the fabric between her fingers, she decided that a dip in that glorious pool was just the thing to finish the afternoon before preparing for her first night at work. She made short business of changing her clothes, wrapping herself in a towel on her way out the door. She had a pretty good idea at this point which hallway led to the front hall, at least, and found it without too much trouble. A man sitting in a corner of the room darted up when he saw her enter, running to the door and pulling it open as she made to exit.
“Thank you,” Beth said with a smile.
The man bowed and said nothing, but when he looked up from his bow, his face was cheerful. Beth liked how happy the staff was in the manor. An unhappy staff would have been her first tip-off to leave this place, but so far she had only been presented with reasons to stay.
There were two cabanas by the side of the pool, each equipped with a gentle misting machine in one top corner and a flat screen TV in the other. Mini fridges housed bottled water, nips of alcohol and various juice mixers. A bucket of ice looked fresh and ready to be used, perhaps for a bottle of champagne. Beth tossed her towel onto a long pool chair and kicked off her flip-flops. Then, noting the diving board, she walked straight to it and plunged into the cool, refreshing water.
When her face broke the surface she took a deep breath of desert air, relishing the combination of hot and cold. She swam laps for some time, stretching her legs and enjoying the exercise. She looked out down the long driveway to the main road, which was a long way down from the mansion. Cars drove by, but they were far enough away that Beth couldn’t even hear them.
She swam over to the side of the pool and glanced at her phone, which was scathing hot. What had she been thinking, leaving it in the sun like that? Time had passed much quicker than she’d thought, and so, lifting herself from the pool, she wrapped a towel around her shoulders and wriggled her toes back into her flip flops, making for the front doors again.
When she got there, the doors swung open, and, assuming the doorman had anticipated her arrival, Beth strode right in and crashed straight into a hard, person-like wall.
“Woah!” Osman said as Beth slipped on the slick floor. He grasped her bare arms as she tried desperately to right herself, but somehow she ended up in his arms, inches from his face.
Beth took a breath, and looked up, frozen as she gazed into those beautiful eyes.
“Oops,” she said, unable to think of anything intelligent to say.
They stood like that, gazing at each other, until the doorman went to close the door again and coughed.
Beth took a step back, feeling dizzy. She stumbled a bit, and Osman held her arm to steady her. His grip felt like fire…and not in a bad way.
“Are you all right, Beth?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
Beth wiped a drip of pool water from her forehead and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Yes, I’m sorry. Marble floors and flip-flops don’t go well together. I’ll be more careful next time,” she said, making to escape. She didn’t like the way Osman made her feel. She wanted to keep things professional, and doing that in a swimsuit was getting more difficult by the minute.
Osman’s frown didn’t waver. “It’s still very hot to be out in the pool. Usually it’s best to swim in the evening. You need to be careful in the climate, Beth. I don’t want you getting sunstroke on your first day.”
Beth’s defenses went straight up. She realized he was still holding her arm, and abruptly pulled it away. “I know my own limits, Your Highness. Thank you for your concern.”
Osman’s
face fell. He took a step back. “I try to take good care of my staff, Beth, and that includes you, now. You’ll have to get used to someone looking out for you, because that’s my job.”
“And my job is to ensure that no one shoots you. What time do I need to be ready for tonight, Your Highness?”
“We’ll be leaving at nine o’clock, sharp. We can meet up here again.” Osman paused, as though he wanted to say something.
Beth didn’t give him the chance. “Until nine, then,” she said, turning on her heel and striding from the main hall back to her suite.
When she closed the door, she pressed her back to it, trying to keep her heart in check. Part of her was angry at Osman for patronizing her like that. She tried to convince herself that there was nothing about him that should tempt her romantically. He was a job, and that was it.
