Page 9 of The Skeikh's Games

“What do you mean him, who? Al-Hafeez,” she exclaimed.

“Mansi, why do you think I want that man in my life beyond this case?” Jameela asked, her frustration ripe on her face now.

“I didn’t say you should date him. I’m saying introduce us and I’ll take it from there,” Mansi grinned. She was a beauty, with two rows of perfect white teeth, brown eyes and shoulder length black hair. She would probably make a great candidate for the Sheikh, if only he had a heart.

“In what world would he be in your life to not affect mine? All I would see or hear about would be him. Let’s just get through this day, and possibly the rest without Al-Hafeez.”

Mansi looked over at her, and creased her brow. “You do have a thing for him.”

“Just drive Mansi!” Jameela practically shouted. She didn’t want to talk or think about the man, but it seemed that was the only thing her friend was intent upon doing.

They got to the spa, and the women indulged in the various amenities that were available. Jameela was still clad in an off white fluffy robe, her hair wrapped in a matching towel, green goo still pasted to her face when she decided she would grab a bottle of water from the machine while she waited for her attendant to complete the final touches on her. She stepped out of the room and eased it shut behind her. She shook her head when she saw Mansi sitting up in the chair with her head leaning to the right, indicating she was asleep. The door clicked and she walked back to the lobby area, where she expected to find the section off the registry that bore the condiments. What she didn’t expect was the tall, handsome man that would walk into the establishment and catch her off guard. With green goo on her face.

Jameela froze, eyes peeled and adrenaline immobilizing her. Wait, maybe he wouldn’t recognize her, but the longer she stood there, the less likely it would be that he wouldn’t notice her. She slowly turned to haul her ass in the other direction when her eyes made contact with his.

She saw his face contort in recognition, even though she was partially hidden under algae, and he stepped in her direction. Too late! Jameela acted as if she didn’t see him walking towards her, and dashed off in the direction of the room. She barely managed to close the door behind her as she escaped inside. When she rested against the door, her hand on her chest as she tried to still her floundering heart, she noticed Mansi and the attendant looking at her oddly.

“What was that?” she asked as she sat upright from her former relaxed posture.

Jameela looked back thought the rectangular glass in the door and hurried over to Mansi. “You wouldn’t believe who I just saw out front? Al-Hafeez!” she continued before the woman had a chance to even guess.

Mansi looked excitedly at the door and then at Jameela. “He’s here?” she asked and perked up even further.

“Don’t get so excited. I just hope he is gone by the time we leave. I don’t want to be in his company any further than I have to. The man unnerves me.”

“I can see that,” Mansi replied and smiled.

Jameela settled back into her chair and allowed the woman to finish her treatment. The remainder of the time she was there was characterized by anxiety. She couldn’t control the rush of blood in her veins as she thought about him, and when it was time to leave she was nerve wrecked.

“What would be so bad about running into him?” Mansi asked. “Just say hi and keep walking. That wouldn’t kill you, right?”

“Right,” Jameela agreed. But as she rounded the bed and the exit sign came into view, so did Al-Hafeez. He stood then and walked directly to her.

“I thought that was you before,” he told her, and then smiled and nodded politely at Mansi.

“He doesn’t seem so bad,” Mansi whispered to Jameela from the corner of her mouth.

Jameela rolled her eyes and forced her attention to the man. She believed in looking people directly into the eyes when speaking, but she found it hard to do so with Al-Hafeez. “I come here from time to time,” she told him.

“May I have a word?” he asked her, implying Mansi should make herself scarce.

“I’ll wait in the car,” she told Jameela, taking the obvious hint.

Al-Hafeez waited until she was out of earshot and then turned to Jameela. “I’ve been meaning to talk with you but every time I’ve phoned the office you were out. I’m glad I ran into you now.”

“What is the matter? Has something else happened regarding the case I should know about?” She was now concerned for her legal reputation.

“No, there hasn’t been any new development. I just thought that I had you wrong. I have never been in this situation, nor am I accustomed to leaving my fate in the hands of someone I don’t know.”

“It would seem as if leaving it in your hands wasn’t such a good idea either,” she replied mockingly.

Al Hafeez laughed, and the sound of his laugher struck her hard and deep and reverberated inside her. A feeling came over her she was unfamiliar with, and she began to grow unsteady standing before him. “You may be right about that. I did mess up bad,” he told her. “I was uncomfortable being defended by a woman who seemed too fragile and weak to keep me out of jail…hold on…” he said and chuckled when he saw Jameela’s face coloring. “I was wrong. I saw how you handled the DA and I was impressed, so I thought maybe we should start over.”

“Thank you,” Jameela replied and blushed. “So how do we do that?”

“Well, I was wondering if you would give me the pleasure of going with me to dinner?”

His question took Jameela by surprise. “I don’t think that’s a good idea for me to fraternize with you,” she replied.

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