Page 42 of Hiding in the Sheik's Arms

Raj opened his mouth to continue with the litany of challenges, but Khal stopped him with a raised hand. “I get it,” he said with a heavy sigh. “You’re both telling me that I’m still needed. That I am still employed.” He grinned at them. “Thank you!” He put a hand on Raj’s shoulder, then looked at Joran. “I sincerely appreciate the past three days with Tasha.” He lookedaround. “And if both of you are willing to step in and take over those areas, that would alleviate a huge number of issues for me. Thank you!”

There was a long moment of silence between the three men. It was broken when Tasha stepped into the office. “Khal, did you know that–” She stopped as all three brothers turned to look at her. “What’s going on?”

“We need offices,” Raj announced.

“And staff. Who do we talk to about hiring staff?”

Tasha was still confused. She looked at Khal for an explanation and he chuckled, going into details about the changes in responsibility.

Chapter 39

“Why the hell is he here?” Khal demanded, appreciating Tasha’s soft, pink blouse. It made her cheeks look extra smooth and beautiful. Hell, everything made his wife look lovely.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Perhaps because you didn’t allow me to reject his invitation last week. Nathan doesn’t take being ignored well.”

He reached out, taking her hand and drawing his wife onto his lap. “What do you want me to do?”

“Meet with him,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling the spot right behind his ear. She knew that he loved it when she did that and, sure enough, Khal grumbled softly, his arms tightening around her waist.

“Khal, I was…,” Joran started to say, but froze just a few steps inside his brother’s office. “Again?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

“Get out,” Khal snapped at his brother, keeping Tasha on his lap when she tried to pull away from him.

He started to sigh and turn around, but Khal called out, “Wait!”

“What?” Joran grumbled, but he turned and looked back at them, smothering a chuckle when he noticed his sister-in-law trying to get away from his brother. She was cute when she tried to look professional while also dodging her husband’s hands.

“Nathan King has arrived in Lativa,” Khal announced.

“Why?”

“There’s more that you need to know,” Khal said, reluctantly releasing his wife and standing up. “We should get Raj in here as well.”

“And Marianna,” Tasha interjected. When both brothers scowled at her, she sighed, shaking her head. “I know that she’s not a man and the three of you think that women should be patted on the head and taken care of so that we never know about the bad stuff that life often brings up, but Marianna is smart.” She looked at both brothers. “Have you read her ideas? She’s brilliant. The changes she’s suggested would alleviate a lot of current stressors to the health care system.”

“I read them last night,” Khal replied, nodding as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Still, she doesn’t need to be bothered by this issue.”

“Why not?” she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring up at her husband. “Why should Joran and Raj know about my problem with Nathan, but Marianna should be kept out of the dirty issues?”

“Because…” Khal started, then sighed. “Because I’m a sexist pig and want to keep her safe.” His tone implied that he knew that he was wrong, but didn’t care.

Tasha’s expression softened. She moved closer, pressing her hands against his chest. “She’s safer if she knows the whole story and can defend herself,” Tasha argued. “Besides, women are smart and add a different perspective.”

“She has a point,” a new voice called out as Raj stepped into Khal’s office with Marianna by his side.

“Who has a point?” Marianna asked, still a bit tentative about walking into her big brother’s office. She looked around, trying to understand the situation.

Tasha filled her in. “My previous employer was an unethical jerk who did several illegal activities. I have video evidence of him discussing those illegal activities with several people, including one guy I suspect is some sort of assassin or ‘fixer’.” She ignored the grunts from the brothers, focusing on Marianna. “When I confronted him about the evidence, he beat me badly, then left me for dead. But someone found me and called an ambulance. When Nathan discovered that I was in the hospital, he convinced the press that I was his fiancée.”

“Why would he want to marry you?” Marianna asked.

“So I can’t testify against him in court.” She looked up at her husband, who looked grim. Khal wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. “I escaped from the hospital and ran. While blindly trying to get away from Nathan, I accidentally interjected myself into a room at a hotel, unaware that the room was where interviews for a role as assistant to Khal were being handled.”

Marianna’s features shifted from horrified to amused. “Are you telling me that youaccidentallygot a job here in Lativa?”

“Exactly,” Tasha replied.

“And fell in love with my brother!” She clapped her hands. “Oh, that’s such a brilliant story! It should be in a romance novel.”

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