Page 6 of Sheikh's Accidental Pregnancy

“I knew it would be challenging to start over in a new country, but it’s proving to be a great experience.” Sara shoved a forkful of food into her mouth. “The food is great too,” she added after swallowing, and she smiled. Amir laughed. Tariq tried to keep a handle on his libido. Food worked magic on her.

Tariq refocused on her shortcomings as she ate. Anything to tamp his growing, extremely inappropriate desire. Her manners were atrocious. She ate too fast and gestured wildly with her fork as she talked, and she chatted with Amir as if he were a friend instead of her employer. Nothing about her was graceful or ladylike.

“You studied engineering?” Tariq broke into their conversation.

She straightened and lowered her fork. “Yes, sir,” she replied.

“What made you move here?”

“I wanted the opportunity to be in an actual oil field, and I had the best chance of doing that here in the Middle East. I never would have expected to end up here, to be honest.”

“I never would have expected it either,” Tariq said. Sara seemed to shrink right before his eyes, and strangely, he regretted the implied insult, despite the truth of it. If he’d been here, he never would have let Amir hire her. But it was too late for regrets. “Right, the matter at hand.”

Tariq started talking about the oil field, and the other two at the table relaxed. Business always made an excellent shield to hide behind. Especially when it was his own feelings he wished to avoid.

Tariq was the one most familiar with the oil field. He explained his specific plans, and Amir interjected with points for consideration. Sara, much to his satisfaction, listened quietly and took pages of notes.

“How many barrels are you hoping to produce in a week?” she asked.

“It all depends on the field, of course. We can only make educated guesses. We’ll head out to talk to the onsite geologists and engineers to see what their projections are. If they’re too low, it won’t be worth drilling at all,” Tariq replied.

“Do you have any preliminary studies? I’d like to look at them.”

“I’ll send them over this afternoon,” Amir said.

“Thanks,” Sara said, tucking a curl of hair behind her ear. For some reason, Tariq couldn’t pull his eyes away from her slim fingers and golden hair.

He got up and buttoned his suit jacket. “I have other matters to attend to,” he said and headed for his own office.

6

Tariq spun his leather chair around so he could stare out the window and brood. Out of sight, miles to the north, lay the oil field that could change the course of the company. It had been a decade since they’d tapped a new reserve, and if this field didn’t come through for them, Botros Oil wouldn’t be the prestigious company Sara had thought she was signing on with.

Sara. He had to admit she was beautiful, if clumsy and unrefined. And intelligent. Dedicated. Maybe being ladylike was overrated. He shook his head. Amir was rubbing off on him too much.

As if summoned by the thought, Amir’s distinctive knock—a quick rat-a-tat—sounded on his door. He spun his chair and called, “Come!”

Amir walked in with a grin across his face. “You like her, brother.”

“Who?” Yes, he was playing dumb. Of course Amir meant Sara. But he had to at least pretend he hadn’t just been thinking about her.

“Like you don’t know.” Amir chuckled. “She’s not afraid of you, you know.”

“No one is afraid of me.”

“Almost everyone is afraid of you. You’re very intimidating. But I don’t think Sara scares as easily as most people. Moving a continent away from home and applying to be assistant to the VP of the most respected oil company in the region proves that.”

“I suppose. But she’s your assistant. Why are you trying to convince me of her good qualities? And for God’s sake, sit down if you’re going to be here talking at me. It’ll be easier to ignore you.”

“You should ask her out.” Amir sat facing the desk and crossed his legs casually.

Tariq barked out a laugh. “You’ve been out in the sun too long, Amir. You’re delusional. She is not at all my type. Have you seen her walk? The girl can barely put one foot in front of the other. And she’s much too young for me.”

“She’s twenty-three. That’s not too young.”

“That’s a ten-year age difference. She’s too young. And I’ve changed my mind. Get up and leave me alone.”

Amir didn’t budge. “It’s not like you’re dating older women. She’s just what you need, Tariq. She’ll get you out of your own head, shake your world a little. If that never happens, you’re going to blink, and you’ll suddenly be ninety years old and still alone, all your days poured into the bottomless pit of this company.”

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