by Erin Snihur
If you have any further questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.
Yours truly,
Khalid Majeed
CEO of Aman Industries
Amelia felt as though she were frozen in time, especially after hearing Mrs. Cranston whisper the amount of the cheque Khalid had sent. The number and amount of zeroes caused Amelia to do a double take to ensure she wasn’t going crazy.
One million dollars.
When Mrs. Cranston returned with a warm cup of tea, Amelia went through the motions of acting excited for the school and inquiring with Mrs. Cranston about which projects needed immediate funding. Mrs. Cranston even hinted at a raise in her near future and Amelia was shell shocked.
Before long, she was leaving Mrs. Cranston’s office and found herself staring into the eyes of Khalid’s security guard, Haseem. The man was in the same spot he had been when she had first entered the administrative office, though his eyes turned to hers only briefly before once again staring straight ahead.
Clasping her hands in front of her, Amelia walked towards the man and smiled in a friendly way at him. The man’s serious expression didn’t change. He reminded Amelia of those guards in Britain that stood in the same position for hours on end.
“Hello. Haseem, isn’t it?” Amelia asked softly, careful not to speak too loudly for the nosy Meghan to hear.
The man seemed startled that she was even speaking to him, let alone smiling at him. Finally, after his shock waned, the man nodded wordlessly. It was going to be like pulling teeth with this man, she just knew it.
“Could you please tell Mr. Majeed thank you for his generosity towards our school?” Amelia asked as she tried to keep her fidgeting hands from becoming too obvious.
The man nodded again and opened his mouth partly as if to say something before closing it again. Staring up at the man confused, Amelia mumbled something about returning to class and gave her goodbyes.
She had just left the administrative offices when she felt Haseem’s hulking figure looming over her back. Amelia gasped and spun around as she stared up at Haseem who didn’t appear startled in the least.
“Are you following me, Haseem?” Amelia asked, a nagging feeling of dread building in her stomach.
“Yes,” the man answered simply before crossing his large arms.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Amelia scanned the area, confused as ever. “But why? Khalid is not here?”
The man nodded his ascent. “I am here to protect you, Ms. Jones.”
Amelia let out a harsh laugh at Haseem’s words and the man did appear startled by her laughter before calming his facial expression once more. Covering her mouth, Amelia shook her head before raising her hands upwards in a show of peace.
“I’m sorry! That was unprofessional of me, Haseem. It’s just…well, who exactly are you protecting me from? The students? Or maybe the old janitor, Mr. Hues? He is in his seventies and you know how randy seventy year old men can be,” Amelia joked, but quickly realized Haseem was not amused.
“You are very important to His⎯ Mr. Majeed. Thus, he wishes for you to be protected against any possible threats, be they small or large,” Haseem murmured, his eyes squinting as though to expound how serious her situation was.
Rolling her eyes, Amelia exclaimed, “Well, I think we can all agree that nothing is going to happen to me in this school. If you like you can wait outside in your car until school is over and protect me from there. You can’t be in the school unless you are a teacher, parent or guardian to a child in attendance.”
Clenching his fists tightly in obvious upset, Haseem inhaled sharply before exhaling his frustrations away. Nodding to her, Haseem pulled a card out of his suit pocket.
“I will be waiting outside in my SUV to drive you home after school. That is the only consolation I will make, Ms. Jones,” Haseem said, holding out the card as if it were an agreement.
Nodding back, Amelia smiled and took the card, scanning his name and phone number on it briefly. “Thank you, Haseem, but I really don’t need a drive home.”
Haseem’s glare returned. “Yes. You do.”
Before she could respond, the man turned sharply on his heel and walked down the hall until he disappeared from sight. The bell rang indicating the period was over and Amelia jumped into action, racing down the halls so she could make it back to her class on time before the ten minute break ended.
When she arrived with a few minutes to spare, Amelia took a second look at Haseem’s card and put his number in her cell phone. As she scanned the card, she noted his job title underneath his name. Haseem el-Meer, Head of Aman Royal Security.
Amelia huffed at that, There was nothing royal about Hassem. He was all brute.
Just like his boss.
5
When the final bell rang, true to his word, Haseem was standing like a solitary soldier in the pickup lane in front of the school. After saying goodbye to her students, Amelia stared at Haseem as he scanned the yard filled with children rushing to and fro. None interacted with the mysterious man and instead gave him and his SUV a wide berth.
They seemed to recognize the danger emanating off Haseem. Was this type of danger somehow affiliated with Khalid? She hoped not. Out of curiosity, Amelia had searched for information on Khalid or his business on social media but had found nothing. It was as if Khalid didn’t even exist online, though she knew he used technology. He had the most advanced cell phone she had ever seen.
Letting out a resigned sigh, Amelia pushed open the school doors. Haseem, upon seeing her exit the school, straightened and took a step forward when she inched closer to him. He held out his hand and, with pointed eye contact, indicated for her to give him her heavy bookbag and purse.
Clutching her purse tightly to her, Amelia handed over her bookbag. Cringing as her students and their parents watched Amelia being helped into the back of the SUV, Amelia was thankful when Haseem swiftly drove away from the school. Silence filled the car and Amelia squirmed in the leather seats before clearing her throat.
“Are you going to follow me around everywhere, Haseem? I mean, not that I don’t enjoy your company, it’s just, it seems like a whole lot of work for nothing,” Amelia asked, her words high and obviously filled with anxiety.
“Yes, Ms. Jones,” was all Haseem replied as he kept his eyes on the road and drove them to her apartment. Driving in the car was much faster than taking the bus or walking. Amelia was grateful for the drive when dark clouds enveloped the sun and rain poured down from the once shining sky.
With the help of Haseem and an umbrella he pulled from a small compartment in the front console, Amelia made it into her apartment as dry as she had left eight hours ago. Thanking him, Amelia quickly realized the man intended to follow her into the apartment.
“You can’t leave your car there. It will get towed,” Amelia exclaimed, eyeing the shiny SUV.
Haseem shook his head and simply said, “No it won’t.”
Amelia rolled her eyes at his attitude and marched up the steps. Gasping in shock when Haseem pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked her apartment door, Amelia glared at the man.
“How did you⎯,” before she could finish, Haseem leveled her with a glare that spoke volumes.
Do you really want to know, Lia?
Shaking her head, Lia smiled sheepishly, “Nevermind.”
As the door opened, Haseem pushed her back lightly with a hand on her shoulder, “I will check first.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, Amelia sighed in frustration, “Okay, but can you hurry? I’m starving.”
Haseem muttered something under his breath and entered the apartment. A few minutes later, he returned and opened the door wider. “It is all clear.”
Laughing, Amelia shook her head in disbelief and entered her apartment, chucking her shoes aside and pulling off her jacket. As she glanced around the apartment at all the beautiful flowers still freshly displayed, her heart warmed. Spinnin
g around with a little dance, Amelia froze at the sight of Haseem standing at her now closed door, guarding it. From whom? She wasn’t sure.
“Um, Haseem? I’m home now. You don’t have to guard me here.”
“I will guard your apartment until Mr. Majeed arrives,” Haseem answered simply.
Amelia’s heart fluttered as she headed for her bedroom, screeching over her shoulder, “He’s coming here? Why didn’t you say something? I need to get dressed! I can’t let him see me like this.”
Even though she knew she wasn’t supposed to hear him, Amelia did hear the stoic guard laugh under his breath at her frantic ramblings.
When Amelia emerged from her bedroom an hour later, it was to deep voices conversing in her living room. Both Haseem and Khalid were speaking in what Amelia assumed was Arabic, their heads bent together over a tablet in Khalid’s hands.
Clearing her throat gained both men’s attention, but it was Khalid’s attention she longed for. He looked the same as she had seen him a few days ago. He wore a dark suit and light green dress shirt underneath his jacket. His shiny leather shoes screamed elegance and Amelia inwardly cringed at what he must think of her. She wore dark skinny jeans and a flowy blouse. She hadn’t realized they had fancy plans.
“Ya amar,” Khalid crooned and wordlessly handed the tablet to Haseem as he approached her. Pulling Amelia into his arms, Khalid only gave her a second to catch her breath before his lips descended on hers.
A few minutes later, the sound of the apartment door closing forced Amelia to pull away. Staring up at Khalid through hooded eyes, Amelia felt a rush of feelings plague her tingling heart. There was so much she wanted to say and yet all she wanted were his lips back on hers or, even better, elsewhere on her aching body.
“Haseem,” Amelia whispered and Khalid chuckled at her reaction.
“I would appreciate it, ya amar, that you do not mention your guard’s name when we are kissing,” Khalid teased her and took a step back to peruse her form. “Beautiful. As always.”
Blushing, Amelia straightened Khalid’s suit jacket. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight. So much has happened today that I want to talk to you about.”
Khalid hummed a sound and brushed her hair back from her neck, “So talk, ya amar.”
As he spoke, Amelia felt it. Or rather, him. His lips pressed against the pulse of her neck in the softest way as it trailed kisses up and then back down her neck in the most tantalizing way. Gasping at the feelings he was invoking in her, Amelia felt her arms moving of their own accord up his strong arms until they were wrapped around his neck. Delving her fingers into his thick hair, Amelia moaned loudly.
“What was it we were talking about?” Amelia whispered back.
“Nothing of importance, ya amar,” Khalid mumbled against her skin and pulled her in the direction of her couch. When Khalid pulled her to him and he collapsed into the couch, he took her with him. Suddenly she was in his lap, her legs on either side of his waist and his heat was pressed against her core.
Shivering at the warmth he wrapped around her, Amelia whispered again, “It is important, Khalid.”
She knew they needed to talk first. If they didn’t, things would escalate and Amelia wasn’t sure she was ready yet. Feeling him against her fully caused her brain and aching body to clash in a truly erotically painful way. Amelia pressed her hands against Khalid’s shoulders and forced him away from her.
Staring down at the sinfully arousing man that had literally swept her off her feet, Amelia blushed under his gaze. “We need to talk, Khalid. It's about the money you donated.”
“I donate a lot of money, my Lia,” Khalid’s muffled words reached her ears as he leaned over and kissed the pulse at her wrist.
Biting her lip in frustration, Amelia glared down at Khalid as though he was one of her naughty students. “The money you donated to my school?”
Khalid groaned as Amelia squirmed atop him and when she realized what exactly she was rubbing herself against, she slid from his lap to sit next to him. Khalid’s gaze darkened as she escaped his grasp.
“Was it not enough, Lia? I can send more,” Khalid murmured seriously and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
Amelia laughed at his words. “Not enough? It was more than enough, but you should not feel obligated to donate so much. Not even the government extends that much generosity to our school.”
Khalid grumbled under his breath, “I know. I spoke with your Prime Minister just this morning on the great neglect of this city’s school system, as well as other school systems in the country.”
Gasping, Amelia jumped off the couch and held a hand to her throat. “You what?”
Khalid stared at her in confusion, his large body so comically disproportionate for her tiny couch. “You were very passionate about it at dinner and I agreed. He was very impressed with your knowledge.”
Breathlessly, Amelia felt her head begin to spin. “My knowledge? You spoke…the Prime Minister was impressed with my knowledge?”
Amelia’s words were garbled and she shook herself to rid her of her dizziness. “Khalid, what did you hope to accomplish by doing all of this? I mean, you have Haseem following me around at work and guarding me at home. It’s all so confusing and overwhelming.”
Khalid nodded, clearly not understanding her upset. “Yes. He is to protect you and keep you safe.”
Amelia sputtered in frustration that he wasn’t understanding. “What exactly do I need protection from? Khalid, this is becoming so confusing. I need to know more about this whole situation if I am to have any place in your world.”
Khalid stood slowly and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Breath, ya amar. My life is not easy. I protect those I care about and you fall under that category. Sometimes I am forced to make enemies, enemies who would not think twice about hurting you to get to me.”
Amelia trembled, fearful for some unknown enemy coming after her. “But why? I thought your company dealt with import and export.”
Khalid smiled softly. “It is the family business and the import and export is only a small stone in my pool. Right now, no one knows about our relationship. I enjoy having you all to myself. If word got out that we were seeing each other, people, mostly the media and my family, would want to know more and they would bother you. I can’t have that.”
Amelia’s mind was going a thousand miles a minute and only focused on one question, “Are you some sort of celebrity or something?”
Khalid shook his head with a light laugh. “No, but my business does put myself and my family in the limelight somewhat.”
Amelia pulled herself away, pacing on her old floors, her voice getting higher with every movement, “Are you just slumming it with me then? You said it yourself, you don’t want anyone to know about us? Was the cheque to the school so that I would sleep with you? I won’t be bought, Khalid!”
Holding up his hands as a show of peace, Khalid let out a harsh sound, “Never think of what we have like that, Amelia. What we have is completely separate from my work and family. My family has a tendency to ruin my past relationships. I want to experience this one without their impute, for as long as you’ll have me. The money wasn’t an attempt to buy your affections. You told me about the restrictions on your work and I only wanted to alleviate them. You work so hard, ya amar.”
Amelia blushed and stared down at her feet. “I’m sorry for assuming the worst.”
Khalid grinned and before he could speak, her stomach growled loudly for all to hear. Blushing even redder, Amelia covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
“I’ve been neglecting you, ya amar. Let us go out to eat,” Khalid chuckled and took her hands in his and made to pull her towards the front door.
An idea formed in her mind and Amelia pulled herself and Khalid to a quick halt, gaining a confused look from her handsome, mystery man. Biting her lip, Amelia wondered if he would like her idea. It would be nothing fancy or special, but it would be made by her.
>
“Let’s stay in. I’ll cook,” Amelia said softly, excitement building within her.
Khalid raised an eyebrow at her, “Are you sure?”
Amelia blushed. “It’s just, I’m not used to those fancy places and I want to cook for you. Besides, you treated me the other night and now it’s my turn.”
Khalid grinned. “Your treat, huh? I think I’ll order something extremely delicious then.”
With a shriek, Amelia wasn’t able to get away. Before she knew it, she was embraced in his arms and their lips were connected once again. This time, Amelia allowed him to completely hold her and caress her in places she had never been touched before. From the sides of her breasts to her thighs, she felt the tingles shoot straight to her core.
Pulling away breathlessly after a few moments, Amelia whispered, “Dinner, Khalid. I need to make dinner.”
Nipping at her lip, Khalid groaned, “Yes, ya amar, but can’t I just have you for dinner?”
Amelia giggled, “Then what will I have?”
She never received her answer. Instead, Khalid’s white teeth came into view as he grinned broadly at her and winked naughtily at her as Amelia realized what exactly she had just asked. Blushing at the innuendo, Amelia smacked Khalid on the chest, much to his amusement.
“Just for that, you can wash the dishes when I’m done,” Amelia purred over her shoulder and waltzed into the kitchen, her intent to make as big of a mess as she could as payback.
6
Over the next few weeks, Amelia felt herself and Khalid settle into a simple routine. He would often travel for work one week and then return and lavish her with attention the next week. Though there wasn’t a hint of radio silence between them. Khalid would often text consistently throughout the day and even send her quirky photos of places he had been that day. Some days he was all over North America, but often times he was in Europe or the Middle East, though she didn’t truly understand what he did. She knew it seemed to make him happy.
