Page 21 of The Sheikh's Temporary Girlfriend

“Then let’s eat!” Basam announced. And though there were already platters on the table that included glistening melons and grapes, and plates with dates, figs and a diverse selection of camel and goat’s cheese, his servants began carrying out steaming hot food before placing them in the center of the table.

Amber ate some falafel followed by a round of pita bread that she pushed into a dip of cooked and mashed fava beans, adding a little splash of olive oil for good measure. She couldn’t resist then adding some of the fruit and cheese to her plate. It was all so delicious.

Everyone was replete when the team of servants reappeared and began clearing away the dirty dishes and remaining food. Then a young lad brought a tray out with newspapers on top. He immediately headed toward Basam and set down the newspapers, bowing his head a little before retreating from the room.

Basam smiled. “My favorite time of day. Finding out what is going on in my country and the rest of the world.”

“You might be surprised,” Maram muttered.

Amber glanced at the first newspaper’s headline. That it showcased a picture of Basam with her in the doorway of his private jet where they were kissing caused her breath to punch out of her lungs even before she read the text underneath.

Basam and his new girlfriend have yet to touch the ground as sparks fly between them.

The next paper’s photo showcased them at the party where he’d introduced her to his friends. In this one they’d just kissed, his hand under her chin with their eyes locked with intense emotion.

Could this western girlfriend finally be ‘the one’ for Sheikh Basam?

He looked up at her with a smile. “You must have made a great first impression, sunshine. Usually the press is much more underhanded and scathing. But thanks to your graciousness, they’ve embraced you.”

She blinked. “I was just being myself.”

“Exactly. You’re an anomaly to them. Not only were you being polite by introducing yourself after disembarking from the jet, you didn’t hide your face and avoid the reporters, or contrarily strut past them like you were on a catwalk. You were natural, and it was clearly appreciated.”

He shuffled the newspapers, reading the headline of the last one. Amber blinked again, her stomach knotting and throat tightening as the words hit her like a punch to the solar plexus.

Meet Basam’s mystery girlfriend. Who is she and what secrets does she hide?

Amber instantly knew the last headline was from Maram’s publisher. They’d planted the seed of suspicion. They’d dig deep now to find whatever they could to feed their readership every crumb of information and gossip possible.

It would only be a matter of time before the articles discussed their sheikh being with a commoner. She only hoped the reporters of this newspaper didn’t get too unscrupulous with their research.

Maram looked at her with glittering eyes. “You look…appalled, as though you popped a piece of lemon in your mouth after imagining you’d gotten the cherry on top,” she said with a light, teasing laugh that barely concealed her callous undercurrents.

The rest of the guests sucked in shocked breaths, but Amber knew she couldn’t make a scene in return. She had to be the dignified, grown-up one. She smiled sweetly at the woman. “Not at all. It’s more how exposed I feel knowing the public has seen our love for one another.” She shrugged and said demurely, “I’m a very…private person.”

Maram’s malicious smile faded while the other guestsoohedandahhedat seeing such love. If only they knew the truth and that the love they imagined was just that—imagined. Fake. A con of the highest order. Her heart ached even before Basam picked up her hand, then pressed a kiss to her knuckles, his stare not once leaving hers.

“You’ve shown me the true meaning of love, sunshine. I couldn’t be more grateful for you spilling champagne on my favorite suit.”

More laughs sounded, and Amber was all too aware of the spike of wishful thinking inside her while Maram’s spiteful glare cut through the love-filled atmosphere like a sharpened blade.

Chapter Ten

Amber was grateful for the time alone she had after breakfast, where she sat in Basam’s sitting room reading a science fiction book she’d found on one of the shelves in the room. That she also missed the man who’d hired her to be his pretend girlfriend was something she was trying to ignore. She wouldnotgo there. Nothing else mattered other than the job she’d been paid to do.

That he’d had talks with his advisors and some of the guests who were staying for a few more days meant she wasn’t the only one with a job to do. Not only did he have to fulfill his role as sheikh, he also had to act his part as her smitten lover.

A pity he’d never see her as more than some attractive woman on his payroll. She winced at the twinge that went straight through her chest, then set her book down with a heavy sigh. Who was she kidding? Not even a great read was going to get her out of her own thoughts today. But perhaps a swim would? Water activities always put her in a good mood.

With the lap pool private and no one around to be offended at seeing her half-naked, she pulled on a champagne-colored bikini from the walk-in closet, already feeling better in what was her everyday wear back home. Grabbing a towel, she pushed open the door at the far end of his suite of rooms, then entered the lap pool enclosure. The water glistening beckoningly, tinted skylights letting in the sunlight without its heat.

Dropping her towel onto the nearest sun lounge, she dived into the aquamarine pool. The cool water slid over her in a luxurious rush. She tilted her head back, her momentum gliding her to the surface of the water before she kicked her legs and freestyled to the other end of the pool.

She’d been swimming for almost an hour by the time she glided to one end of the pool and stayed there while she caught her breath. Exercise really was the best therapy. She’d needed this swim, needed to feel water wrapped around her again even if it was without the salt content she loved.

The back of her neck prickling, she turned her head sharply, exhaling in a rush at seeing Basam sitting on one of the many chairs around the pool. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough to admire your stamina and grace in the water.”

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