Page 31 of The Sheikh's Defiant Girlfriend

“You have kissed! When?” Sara questioned.

“At the wedding.” Sara gasped. “And yesterday,” Soraya added. Sara clapped her hands.

“So you like him! Are you together?”

“We aren’t. I told him to leave.” Soraya blinked quickly, as if trying to keep back tears. “He drives me crazy!”

Sara laughed. “Okay, not yet then. I think Amir is going to have to figure out for himself how to win you over. If he doesn’t, he’ll never make you happy. I can drop a hint or two, if you want.”

“Even if he does figure it out, I can’t spend my life worrying about my brother throwing another punch. How do I get Malik to let up?”

Tariq walked into Sara’s office. Sara got up and hugged him.

“Just the person I wanted to see,” she said. He gave her a small kiss on the lips.

“What’s going on?” Tariq asked.

Soraya shook her head.

“It’s okay,” Sara said. “I think he might be able to help. He is the only one who can talk to Malik.”

“What am I supposed to talk to Malik about?” Tariq slid a file folder onto Sara’s desk and turned back to them.

“Amir is in love with her.”

Tariq’s eyes widened. “My brother and you, Soraya? I did not expect that, even after seeing you dance together at our wedding.” Tariq shook his head. “I do not want to be involved in this.”

“Sara has overstated it. He’s not in love with me,” Soraya replied.

“Don’t be modest. Amir is always talking about you, trying to see you. You’re all he thinks about, Soraya,” Sara said. Tariq raised his eyebrows. He was clearly unaware of what had been going on. Did men never talk to each other about this kind of thing? “The point is, Amir has good intentions. He really likes her, but Malik doesn’t approve because of Amir’s past with women.”

“You seem to know an awful lot about this situation, so I think you should be the one to speak to Malik,” Tariq told her.

“Do you think he’ll listen to me?” she asked.

“As much as he listens to me. He’s liked and respected you ever since you insisted on exploring El-Sultari.”

“Then we’re having company for supper tonight, my love.”

She would invite Malik over for dinner. The sooner they spoke, the better. She was happy to remove one obstacle, at least, for Amir and Soraya. The rest would be up to Amir.

When Malik arrived at their home later that evening, Sara was in the dining room supervising the final preparations for dinner while she held Leylah on her hip. Tariq walked in with Malik.

“Hi, Malik,” Sara greeted him. “Perfect timing.”

Malik kissed Sara on both cheeks, then Leylah. “Hello, Sara. Leylah is growing fast,” Malik commented. He narrowed his eyes and studied Sara for a long moment. “Why do I think this dinner invitation is more than just a friendly meal? You always have something up your sleeve.”

“I wouldn’t, if I could wear sleeveless tops like I want to,” Sara said, deflecting the question. She would keep the evening as close to normal as she could, at least until she found a good opening to bring up Amir and Soraya.

Malik shook his head at her joke. “I might petition for a change in the law in that case.”

“Shall I serve the first course, ma’am?” the cook asked from the kitchen door.

Sara bounced on her toes, and Leylah babbled happily at the motion. “Yes, please. I love spanakopita, don’t you?”

The men laughed, and they all took their seats. Leylah’s nanny took the baby off for a warm evening bath and then bed. The adults discussed the oil prospects, the latest happenings in the news, and other trivial matters until the conversation came back around to Leylah and how Tariq and Sara were finding being parents.

Sara saw her opportunity. “I can only hope and pray she stays as happy as she is now, even after she grows up. If she can find someone to love who’s half as worthy as one of the Botros men, then I’d know she’d be well cared for her whole life long.”

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