Page 12 of The Forbidden Sheik
Jadwat chuckled. “That’s exactly the plan,” he replied with eagerness. “Mail them out via certified mail. I don’t want anyone to claim to the courts that they never received their eviction notice.”
The ultimate plan was to undermine his cousin’s control of the country. Jadwat had worked with a consulting firm to determine exactly how best to create chaos within a regime leading to mass panic. He’d presented himself as an ambassador to Sheik Amit in order to be taken seriously and to hide behind the crown. Jadwat hadn’t grown up in the palace the way Amit had. There had been no special privileges granted to him, no taxes funding his lifestyle. Jadwat’s father had stolen some money, but who didn’t? Government employees stole money from the government all the time!
At least, that’s what he would do if he had any kind of power. He had several ideas on how he could funnel money from the government into his own foreign bank accounts. He just needed a way to get into the government’s good graces. And this plan, evicting tens of thousands of people from their homes, was his foot in the door. Granted, the ultimate goal was to become ruler of this wonderful country. He figured it was his right, since his cousin had stolen Jadwat’s childhood by not allowing him to live within the palace.
So now he planned to kick Amit out of the palace and claim it as his own. It was a brilliant plan, he knew. And the evictions weren’t the only idea he had. He’d negotiated with several industry leaders. The food manufacturers had agreed to increase their prices by five, ten, and then fifteen percent over the next six months. That would force lower income families into what some experts called “food insecurity”. Everyone knew what had happened during the French Revolution when food prices skyrocketed.
Jadwat didn’t want the prices to skyrocket. He just wanted them to go up enough to create more unrest. An angry, rioting crowd was easier to manipulate than a happy, distracted electorate. When people were working and satisfied, they wouldn’t rock the boat.
So, Jadwat would stir things up! Create anger by evicting people from their homes, manipulate prices so they couldn’t afford little luxuries, then hold the ruler hostage, so he was forced to concede to Jadwat’s demands. It was a brilliant plan!
Chapter 14
“Where are we?” Marianna asked, watching as guards surrounded the SUVs after they’d driven into a secure building.
“This is my home,” Amit explained, stepping out of the vehicle and extending his hand to help her step out.
“Why can’t I go back to Lativa?” she asked, resisting the offer of his hand. She was suspicious now. Everything felt…wrong! Not to mention, she kept reliving that kiss. It had felt like the world was moving under her feet!
No! Not amazing. She hadn’t asked for the kiss. So, why had she participated? Not just participated, she admonished herself. Marianna knew that she’d deepened the kiss, clung to this man as if she’d wanted more than just the kiss. Maybe she could blame it on heightened emotions? That had been one hell of a moment.
Immediately, her body tightened at the thought of “more”.
This was crazy! This man didn’t respect her! Well…actually, he’d said how much he respected her intelligence and…!
Marianna found herself in a whirlwind of emotions. Was she truly going to continue to harbor resentment over comments made eight years ago? If she decided to give weight to his past remarks, then she had to hold his current words to the same standard. Her commitment to fairness and her instinct to examine facts and data objectively had been the cornerstone of her growth over the years, not only in her blog posts, but also in her personal life. So, applying that same logical approach to her emotional responses was only fair.
“Let’s go inside,” he urged, pulling Marianna’s attention back to the present. Looking around at the parking garage, Marianna had so many questions. But guards surrounded her and Amit. Perhaps this wasn’t the moment to demand answers, she told herself.
Amit reached out, touching her arm. The warmth of his fingers scorched her skin, but Marianna didn’t want to pull away. Was she simply finding the man more attractive because he’d rescued her?
No, her attraction to the man had been a living force ever since she’d met him at the tender age of sixteen. She’d been too young back then to recognize, let alone understand, the rush of feelings he evoked within her. But she was older and wiser now. She’d been in the world, surrounded by men, challenged by those who wanted to tear down her reputation. Marianna knew that her ability to analyze the world had overcome those who’d tried to rip her political and economic arguments apart. So now was the time to step back and gather data.
She almost laughed at the idea that the kiss should be considered “data”, but it was.
So, instead of arguing with him, instead of demanding that he send her back home, Marianna allowed Amit to lead her into the elevator.
It was a silent, tense ride. She was painfully conscious of the heat emanating from him, warming up her arm and leg. He didn’t touch her, but he was so very close.
Marianna needed a place to think, to process everything that had happened. When she worked on a topic for her blog post, Marianna used a white board on which she listed the pros and cons of each topic. She needed to do that with what was happening between herself and Amit.
But that was not going to happen, she realized when he led her through a long, dimly lit hallway.
“This is the back hallway to my private suite,” he explained quietly.
Marianna wanted to protest, but she was surrounded by Amit and his personal bodyguards, who were on high alert. She considered protesting anyway, but thought it might be wiser to hold off until she knew what was going on.
And yet, she remembered her guards urging her to never be taken to a secondary site. It was better to fight as hard as possible and try to get away because once a person was locked in a prison cell, it was much more difficult to escape.
“Amit, this isn’t–”
“Wait,” he urged, his hand leaving her arm to press against the small of her back. For some reason, that felt much more intimate.
Marianna snapped her mouth shut, looking around. But she didn’t see anything that could be considered a threat. She opened her mouth again, intending to protest, to demand that he take her back to Lativa.
“Amit, I don’t think–”
Before she could finish that statement, he pushed through a non-descript door that led to a kitchen. He hurried her through the kitchen and into…what had to be his private suite. It was enormous and absolutely gorgeous! The silk draperies were done in rich shades of brown and sensuous cream silk, and just visible through a pair of French doors was a shimmering private pool surrounded by thick vegetation. The sun was just starting to come up, filtering through the plants that left dappled sunshine on the small oasis.
