by Leslie North
While she found him incredibly attractive, he was also conceited and she was at war with her body not to give in to whatever it was that she was feeling. James tilted his head and kept moving towards her until their lips almost touched. At the last moment, Tanya’s brain won and she managed to push him away, but could not hide that she was panting with the effort.
“What are you doing?” she asked him. For a few seconds he did not respond. He just stared at her with a mischievous look on his face.
“I was about to kiss you,” he said simply. Tanya was shocked at his boldness.
“Well, don't.”
“As if you do not want me to.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
Pointing to the exit, “Go!”
“Do you really want me to?” he asked her as he moved closer to her. No I do not- said her subconscious.
“Yes, please leave. I would like to take a shower. Without you,” she lied. He had set her body on fire and she could think of nothing other than kissing him.
“Your mouth says one thing but your body says another,” James replied silkily, as she blushed.
“My body and my mouth are in sync. Please leave,” she said.
“Tanya!” They both heard Rene calling.
Waving her hands at him, “Thank you for showing me how to work the shower, but it’s time for you to go,” she said to him.
He gave her half a smile and backed away from her. He had a taunting look on his face, as if he was saying, “you are mine”. They had not done anything but Tanya was feeling like they had as she lightly touched her lips. Usually, no guy would have gotten that close to her that fast. He was lucky she had not slapped him. It had taken every fibre within her not to allow him to kiss her. He was the stuff fantasies are made of, until he opened his mouth to brag.
“Why is James walking out of here wet? Why are you in there with your clothes on?” Rene asked Tanya as she walked into her bathroom.
“He was showing me how to work the shower as I had no idea how to use it,” Tanya replied as she sat down.
“Oh.” Rene started laughing. “I had no idea how to use it either when I first came here,” she added.
Tanya smiled at her friend, “I need to shower now. Preferably without my clothes on this time,” she said with a grin as Rene laughed.
“I was just coming to call you for lunch,” she said.
“Okay, I will take a quick shower and come right down.” Probably a cold one, she thought.
Waving to her friend, Rene walked out as Tanya opened a cabinet to find an array of shampoos and shower gels. The choices were endless. She chose a shower gel with almond milk and a shampoo with almond oil. She loved anything almond.
She stripped and jumped into the shower. When she switched it on, she could not help but think of James, as the water pounded against her skin. Her heart was still racing from their encounter. How could a man affect her so much? A man she barely knew.
Chapter 5
Tanya walked out of her room the same time as James was leaving his. He was wearing an expensive-looking tailored, navy blue suit with a white shirt. His suit probably cost most than Tanya's entire wardrobe as she became acutely aware of her baggy sweatpants and tank top. James smiled at her.
“Oh, it's you,” Tanya called across to him as she leaned against the banister.
“And it's you,” he said with a wink. Tanya fingered a curly lock of hair.
“Going to the office?” she asked him.
“Yes, I am.”
Tanya started walking towards the stairs. James too started walking so that he could meet her at the top of the stairs. She could not help but remember the shower as she pictured how yummy he looked with his shirt clinging to his chest like a second skin. They were so close to kissing. It had taken her every ounce of strength she had to stop herself from kissing him. He was an attractive man and was very hard to turn down.
“What are you up to?” he asked her when they finally met at the top of the stairs.
“Meeting Rene for lunch,” she replied as they walked down the stairs.
“Walk me to the office?”
“No.” Why the heck would she walk with him? The best thing for her was to stay away from him. James laughed and smacked her bottom as Tanya gasped and stared at him in shock.
Giving her a wicked grin, “Have a nice day,” he told her as he continued walking down the corridor.
Of all the nerve, she thought as she looked at his back. Were all men like this or was it only the play boys?
*****
It was Tanya's sixth day in Saudi Arabia and she was excited to go sightseeing with Rene. She walked into her luxurious shower and switched it on. She loved how big it was and how the steamy hot water felt on her body. She could stay in there for hours. In this arid climate, she loved that she could wash her long curly hair and let it air dry.
After she finished showering, she wrapped herself in an Egyptian cotton towel before moisturizing her body with avocado oil. She loved avocado oil because it kept her skin smooth and pimple free. She had to look after her skin since she preferred not to wear makeup. She slipped into a sundress and sandals and rushed to Rene's room. The distance between their rooms was so large; you could easily fit a three-bedroom bungalow between them. She had yet to get used to how big the palace was.
Maria, one of Rene's maids, greeted her when she walked in. She told Tanya that Rene was in the bathroom. She knocked on the door. “Rene?” she called.
“Yeah,” Rene answered. Her voice sounded rather weird.
“What's the matter?”
“I don't feel so good.”
“What? What happened?”
“My stomach is killing me. For the life of me, I cannot figure out what I ate.”
“Well, you ate everything,” Tanya joked. Rene had a big appetite and Tanya always teased her about it. Rene did not respond. She started throwing up in response, as she made violent retching sounds. “Oh honey, it’s that bad?” Tanya asked, slumping against the doorframe. Rene did not answer but she opened the door a few moments later and came staggering out.
“Sorry love, I cannot go out like this,” Rene said apologetically.
“I get it. You look awful.”
“I know,” Rene pouted.
“How long have you been like this?”
“Just today,” Rene lay on her bed as Tanya sat next to her and rubbed her back.
“I guess we can go another time,” she said, barely able to hide the disappointment in her voice. She definitely wanted Rene to rest and feel better but they had not been able to go out since she had arrived and she had been really looking forward to the day.
“I am sorry,” Rene apologised.
“No, don't be. You did not ask to be sick.”
Tanya tucked Rene into bed and asked the maids to bring her something to calm her stomach. After that, she retreated to her bedroom and threw herself on the bed. She stared at the ceiling and wondered what she was going to do for the rest of the day.
*****
Almost half an hour later, James walked into Tanya's room. She looked up and frowned when she saw that it was him. “What, you do not knock?” she asked him. He had just walked into her room as if it was his own.
“Get up,” he said to her. He was dressed in a white polo shirt and beige trousers. Tanya jerked up and rested on her elbows.
“Why?” she asked him.
“We are going out.”
“We?” she raised her eyebrows. She was not going anywhere with him. Who knows what he might do to her. She was nervous to be alone with him since the shower incident.
“Yes, we. Rene told me that the two of you had planned to spend the day together, so I will be taking you instead.” Tanya opened her mouth to say something but she closed it again. She was confused. When had they even spoken? Not too long ago, she had tucked Rene into bed. James gestured for Tanya to follow him out of the room. She scratched her head as she foll
owed him.
“So, you agreed to coming along with me?” Tanya asked him as they headed out of the palace.
“Yes, I did,” James replied in a relaxed tone.
“How did you find out so fast?”
Turning to grin at her, “You mean to tell me that you have noticed how quick Rene is on the phone?”
“But she was just so sick,” Tanya replied, as her voice trailed off.
“That did not seem to affect her ability to text,” James answered as he escorted her out of the palace.
Tanya briefly considered backing out and running back upstairs, but this was her first time abroad and she was not going to spend it cooped up inside. As he opened the backdoor to the Bentley, she slid inside. The leather seat was more luxurious than anything she had seen at the palace so far, as she rubbed her hand against it.
“You are not working today?” she asked him as they drove off.
“I am a prince. I can take off whenever I please,” he replied. Tanya raised her eyebrows. Although it was true, it seemed as though he loved being a prince. Nothing was wrong with that but in his case; he came across as so arrogant.
“Oh really? I was totally unaware that you are a prince,” Tanya said sarcastically. James turned his head to look at her, as the corners of his mouth swept up in a smile.
“Feisty, bossy and sarcastic,” he said.
“Those are the words you would use to describe me?”
“Among others, yes.”
“Okay. I would describe you as conceited, vain and flirtatious, you also seem like someone who likes to party a lot.”
“You have been paying attention to me.”
Tanya rolled her eyes. A normal person would have protested to being called conceited and vain. However, it was not the case for James as he simply turned it into a compliment. Tanya looked out of the window, “Whatever James,” she said. She heard him laugh softly but she ignored it.
They finally came to a halt and the driver got out of the car to open the door for them. James and Tanya stepped out of the air-conditioned Bentley and into the hot sun. The sky was clear, there was not a single cloud in sight. It was the perfect day for going out. “Where are we?” she asked him.
“Riyadah Zoo,” he told her as he motioned for her to walk with him.
“You are into animals, huh?” she asked him. She giggled when she remembered him feeding the cat, and everyone chastising him for it.
“I have always loved animals,” he said with a smile. They approached the reception desk as the woman sitting there immediately got up to greet him with a deep curtsy. He smiled and spoke with her in Arabic as they walked toward the gate and she let them in.
Tanya raised an eyebrow, as they were escorted through without having to pay. “Does being a prince mean that you get in for free?” she asked as they walked down the concrete walkway and then took a right turn. Pointing to a discrete sign, Tanya stopped to read, Park funded thanks to a generous donation from the Tazeem family. Looking up at him in surprise, “Does your family know?”
Shaking his head no, “I’m the only one who comes here,” he said simply as they walked across the grass toward a small lake with ducks or swans or maybe geese. Tanya could not tell the difference. “What are they?” she asked him as he burst into laughter.
“Are you serious?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she laughed. “I don't love animals the way you do,” she said to him.
“Habibti, those are swans.”
“Okay,” she said with a smile on her face. Tanya pulled out her phone and took a few pictures.
“We should take a photograph together,” he told her
“Why would we do that?”
“So that you will always remember this day,” he told her solemnly. “And if you ever get lonely,” he added with a wicked grin.
Tanya whipped her head in his direction with her eyebrows raised. She pushed him away playfully. “You are disgusting,” she said to him as he laughed. “It's not funny!” she said. She could not believe that he had said that to her.
“I told you that you need to relax,” he scolded lightly as he draped his arm around her shoulders.
“Let's just go see something else,” she said.
Chapter 6
James and Tanya walked away from the swans and went to a different section of the zoo as their security detail maintained a conservative distance. People watched them walk past as many of the women vied for his attention. Some tried to greet him, some blew kisses at him.
Tanya felt awkward as she watched some not so subtle attempts. She had never been out with anyone who received so much attention. She could see that people were wondering who she was. They walked past the rhinos. “Hey look, he kind of looks like you,” she said to him as she tried not to giggle. He looked at her and smiled.
“I look like a rhinoceros?” he asked her. Tanya laughed and tucked a curly lock of hair behind her ear.
“Can't you just call it a rhino?” she asked him.
“I prefer to call it by its full and proper name.”
“Whatever, Prince James Tazeem,” Tanya replied. Even though she had referred to him that way, he knew that she did not mean it. Her tone was far too sarcastic and she couldn’t hide the grin on her face. They went to look at the giraffes and Tanya took a couple pictures before they moved on to see the lions. She seemed fascinated by their roars, as she watched them interact.
“You look like a kid,” he teased as he lightly pinched her cheeks. She slapped his hand away and looked at the lions.
“Leave me alone,” she said. She climbed the railing so that she could see better and James grabbed her around the waist to stop her from falling. Even though she was curvy, she had a small waist as he looked at his hands holding her. He remembered what she felt like pressed against him in the shower, and he took a couple deep breaths, as he waited for her to take her pictures.
Tanya tucked her arm against her side to stop the tremble that started as soon as he touched her. He was merely helping her keep her balance, why did such an innocent touch affect her so strongly? Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she quickly took the picture before he helped her down.
As they were walking, James felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He fished it out and looked at the screen. It was Amber again. He rejected the call before seeing that he had eight unread messages. He was not interested in reading them as he switched his phone off and slid it back in his pocket.
As they walked toward the monkey enclosure, Tanya cried out, “Oh my gosh!” before she covered her mouth and started laughing. Looking into the enclosure, James started to laugh as he watched a pair of monkeys having sex.
“Let the man get his time in without you interrupting him with your laughter,” James said and laughed again.
Tanya was still laughing, as she pulled out her phone to record it. “Rene will love this,” she said.
“Animal porn?”
Tanya burst into laughter. “Animal porn,” she repeated and kept laughing, as she clutched her sides.
“That is exactly what it is,” James replied. He enjoyed seeing her laugh that hard because of him. He knew that he could affect her one way or the other.
“Yes, well I am going to share the porn with Rene and Joshua,” she said.
“Do you watch porn?”
“James, what the heck?” she looked at him wide-eyed. He stroked her chin with his index finger.
“You look at me as though I asked you a question no one has asked you before,” he said.
“People do not just ask that. What, do you watch? I bet you do.” She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“What makes you think I do?”
“You just seem like that kind of a guy.”
James laughed. There was no point in him watching such things, when he could have any woman he wanted. Porn was for amateurs and lonely guys, and he was neither.
“Look, they are finished. That did not take long,” Tanya said.
“Should it have lasted longer?”
“Shouldn't it?”
“Monkeys do not have intercourse for longer than a couple of minutes.”
Tanya raised her eyebrows. “You are too into animals. You even know about that,” she said and started walking away as James followed her.
“Its common knowledge,” he said.
