Page 2 of Sheikh's Accidental Pregnancy

“He already knows everything he needs to know about you. And Sheikh Tariq is returning today. Sheikh Amir promised his brother he’d have his own assistant by the time he got home from his business trip. I suspect Sheikh Amir would have hired whoever was closest when he got the news, even if it was a spice vendor in the market.”

“Sheikh Tariq must be…formidable.”

The receptionist smiled. “That’s one way of putting it. Welcome to Botros Oil, Miss Matthews.”

“Thank you. Is there anything about the job I need to be aware of?”

“Dress modestly, of course. No skirts above your knees, and no sheer blouses. Always be on time.” Sara frowned. “Make sure you read those files cover to cover. He will probably ask you about them. Let me show you to human resources, so you can get your paperwork done now.”

Sara stepped onto the sidewalk an hour later, shaking her head. The whole experience had been a whirlwind. And she wasnotlooking forward to meeting Sheikh Tariq, Amir’s brother. He must be quite something to intimidate even his brother so much that he’d hired her before her interview had even really started. But she was grateful for the job. Her three months’ grace on her student loans ended soon.

As Sara reached her new apartment, she had a bounce in her step, despite the heavy files she carried. She fumbled in her handbag for the key. She preferred backpacks, but she was smart enough to know a backpack wouldn’t have been appropriate for a job interview.

She crossed her small living room and went into her bedroom to change. She frowned at her luggage. She’d been putting off unpacking for some reason, maybe afraid it would jinx her attempt at living abroad. She should really either unpack or read those ridiculously thick files. She sat on the bed and chose to do neither.

She flipped open her laptop and decided to dig deeper into her new boss. And his mysterious, looming brother. It seemed that his family was more powerful than she had imagined. Sheikh Amir’s grandfather was a cousin to the royal family. And Sheikh Tariq—well, finding his picture both inspired thirst and made her seriously consider resigning her new position immediately. He glared out at her with fierce, dark eyes, his face square-jawed under a neatly trimmed beard, like some kind of ancient hero of the desert. He looked like he could squash her like a bug.

2

Sunday morning came sooner than Sara had hoped. She dragged herself out of bed—and out from under the contents of Sheikh Amir’s files, which she’d fallen asleep reading—and headed for the shower. She’d been shopping before she left the UK, with her best friend as fashion consultant since she knew nothing about business attire. Engineering students were a slouchy bunch, generally. She picked her favorite outfit they’d chosen: a sapphire-blue shirt, black high-waisted skirt, and black high heels.

Sara wrestled with her long, curly hair. She loved how it looked loose, but she fantasized about hacking it all off at least three times a week, more when she had to put it up.

“Men have it easy,” she muttered. She managed to fasten it in a loose bun.

Her phone played a superhero theme song, her signal that it was time to be out the door. She reassembled her boss’s files, shoved them into her backpack—they wouldn’t fit in her handbag, and she didn’t want to risk dropping them on her way—and hurried out the door.

“Good morning, Miss Matthews,” the receptionist said when Sara stepped into the office.

“Good morning, and please call me Sara.”

“And I’m Adiva. You may go straight through. Sheikh Amir is waiting for you.”

Sara smiled and headed toward Amir’s office. She stopped halfway and walked back to Adiva. “Where can I put my bag?” she asked while digging for a notebook and pen.

“I’ll put it in your office for you.” Adiva took the bag from her and grimaced, clearly less than impressed by the backpack. Sara pretended not to notice but made a note to herself to find an out-of-the-way place to stash it during the day. Clearly, she’d need to invest in something more suitable for meetings and work trips. She hated shopping.

Sara walked into the office and greeted Amir, her new boss, “Good morning, Sheikh Amir.”

“Good morning, Sara. Have a seat. Your day is going to be a little bit of a trial by fire, I’m afraid. Tariq returned with quite an agenda for the company. But we have time to go over the basics. First, call me Amir.”

Amir talked so quickly that Sara wished she’d learned shorthand in school. Everything from expected work hours, her duties—pretty much anything he asked her to do and then some—and the business priorities he wanted her to focus on. Through it all, his charm rose to the top. He was young, rich, and handsome, and she was glad he and not his brother would be her direct boss.

“I think that’s everything for now,” he finally said. “Adiva can show you to your office. I’ll give you a few minutes to get settled and process all that. Then we’ll get to work.”

Sara thought her brain might explode if Amir went on any longer, so she was grateful for the break. She flipped her notebook closed and stood to leave. “Thank you, sir. I’ll see you later, then?”

But Amir had already turned his attention to his computer screen, so Sara started for the door.

“Oh, Sara…” Amir’s voice stopped her halfway across the room. “How do I say this? Ah, you should stay out of my brother’s way until you’ve been properly introduced. He’s something of a stickler for following protocol.”

Out in the reception area, Adiva was wiping down her desk with spray cleaner and a cloth, even though the place was spotless. Sara watched her straighten her already-straight stack of message pads and brush invisible lint off her skirt.

“Adiva?” Sara asked. The other woman jumped.

“Sara. I didn’t see you there. Sheikh Tariq will be here any minute, so I was doing a final tidy. How can I help you?”

“Is he really that much of a perfectionist? I understand he’s the chairman but—”

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