Page 18 of Sheikh's Accidental Pregnancy

The driver opened the door for them when they arrived. There were some girls playing outside, and as soon as they saw Fiddah, they ran up to hug her. Fiddah called each girl by name and spent a moment speaking with every one of them, asking about family members, schooling, or something particular to each child. Sara was amazed at the woman’s memory. The older girls came out to greet them when they found out that Fiddah was there.

Sara could not help but wonder if Tariq was adopted. He was nothing like Amir or their grandmother. Fiddah introduced the girls to Sara, and she was quickly swarmed by girls of all ages. She laughed and allowed a few of the younger ones to take her hands and drag her to the football pitch for a quick game.

Sara and Fiddah spent the morning at the center in separate parts of the facility. The little ones were completely taken with Sara, and she didn’t get a chance to see what Fiddah was doing with the older teens in one of the big classrooms there. They finally met up again at lunch time.

The staff seated them at their own small table, and a pair of girls acted as servers, bringing plates piled high with rice, spicy chickpea stew, and kebabs. A third girl brought a basket of flatbread and a pitcher of cold water filled with slices of citrus. When the girls seemed to want to hover, Fiddah shooed them away.

“You needn’t wait on us, darlings. Go eat with your friends.” When they were gone, she turned to Sara. “I wanted to give us a chance to talk in private. Have you enjoyed yourself?”

“Very much. They’re so full of life despite their struggles. You must visit often. You know them all by name.”

“I come from time to time to check on the staff and the girls and to find out if they need anything. I can often make repairs happen faster than the staff can, thanks to my influence, or make sure supplies that have been…let’s saydelayedarrive when they’re needed. The girls seemed to take to you. You’re good with them.” Fiddah poured water for them both.

“I’ve always wanted a sister,” Sara replied. She took a deep drink of water. The young girls had much more energy for kicking a ball up and down a field than she did.

“Do you have siblings?”

“Three older brothers.”

Fiddah smiled. “I only had one son. I’d have loved to have had more,” she said.

“Tariq and Amir’s father?”

Fiddah nodded. “Speaking of which, how are things at the company? Are my grandsons treating you well?”

Oh God. Where to even start. She felt heat creeping up her cheeks every time she thought of Tariq, especially every time she stepped into the conference room. It had been just over a week since that night, and she had almost called out sick on Sunday morning. She’d gathered her courage and crept into her office, hoping no one would notice her, only to discover that Tariq had left town on a sudden business trip.

Sara sighed. “Getting along with Sheikh Amir is easy. He was instantly kind to me. He gave me a chance that most people in his position wouldn’t, and I’m happy to go above and beyond for him. I don’t want him to regret his decision.”

“Amir was always a sweetheart and a flirt. He is very easy to deal with.” Fiddah picked up her fork and gathered a bite of stew and rice. “And Tariq?” she asked before bringing the food to her mouth.

“Unpredictable and impolite.” That was putting it mildly. Who would have thought he’d go from insulting Sara to ravishing her on the conference table, and then dismiss her immediately after?

Fiddah laughed at Sara’s answer. “If you get to know him, you can predict his actions. He has his way, and his views do not change. It is Amir who is more unpredictable. He was the one always up to no good.”

“Really?” Sara raised her eyebrows.

“Tariq has always been too mature for his age. He studied all the time and took up fencing as a sport, of all things, and he got into the oil business at the age of twelve.”

“Twelve?” Sara was shocked, and Fiddah nodded. “But why is he like that? He can be utterly dismissive, and if he does pay attention to someone, he’s more likely to be judgmental than anything else.”

“Yes, but he’s also very loving to those close to him, and he is very protective of his family. He’s been that way with you. Why do you think he bought you those clothes that day?”

“To protect the company, of course.”

“He might have told you that, and he might even pretend to believe it himself. But something like that couldn’t harm the company. No, Sara. He did it for you. To keep you safe and to enable you to have lunch with your friends. If it had been about the company, he would simply have put you in a taxi and sent you home.”

Sara hadn’t thought about it that way, and she still found it hard to believe he had a loving side. Yes, he did things to her insides that had her melting, but their conference-table sex hadn’t been about making love. It had been nothing more than him satisfying his desire for her, along with his desire to control her. She’d been satisfied physically, but she didn’t plan on it ever happening again. She had no intention of being alone with him again. Ever.

* * *

Tariq stepped out of his plane and inhaled the dry heat of Kithab. After weeks in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, and Venezuela, where he’d met with other oil executives, toured refineries, and discussed the newest innovations in drilling equipment, he was glad to be home and out of the unpleasant cold and humidity. Mosquitoes should be wiped from the face of the earth.

But returning to Kithab also meant returning to Sara and the consequences of their actions. After she’d left the conference room, he’d glanced at the table and seen a smear of blood there. She’d been a virgin. She’d allowed him such liberties that it had never occurred to him she might be so very inexperienced. He could not decide whether he felt more horror that he’d taken her maidenhead in a lust-driven fucking on a conference table or pride that she’d welcomed him as her first.

Even a two-week business trip hadn’t been long enough for him to push her and their coupling out of his mind.

He slid into the backseat of his waiting car and directed the driver to take him to the office. He wanted to see her, to remind himself of all her faults. Maybe he’d take her out for lunch to be reminded of how uncultured and clumsy she was. But he knew he would reach out to catch her if she fell. And he would be happy to see her enjoying a meal. He harumphed to himself, crossed his arms, and refused to think about her for the rest of the drive.

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