An Inconvenient Marriage (Married to a Prince) (8 page)

Sami started to follow.

“No. You stay there.”

“Is something bothering you?” His attempt at innocence would have been funny if she wasn’t still basking in the glow of … dare she think it… an orgasm.

“You know it is.”  She folded her arms across her midsection, trying to calm the aftershocks.  “That’s just not right. I still had my clothes on”

“For an American, you are very uptight.”

She turned back and glared at him. “Do you have a large basis for comparison?”

He came up behind her before she reached the bathroom and cupped her shoulders. The oversize t-shirt slipper from her shoulder and he brushed his lips over the henna butterfly.   “Do not make me the bad guy. And stop beating yourself up as if you’ve done something wrong.”

It felt wrong. She condemned her mother for giving in to base desires when she was no better.
With one big difference. She didn’t know how to leave her emotions out of the equation. And she could curse herself three ways to Sunday but it wouldn’t change the fact that she liked what he did to her. 

He spun her around and pressed a kiss against her eager lips. “I understand,
Lilah.”

“You do?”

“Yes, and next time we can take our clothes off first.”

He managed to make her flush again and before she could respond, he scooted around her and walked into the bathroom before she could get to the shower first.

* * * *

Sami placed the contracts back in the envelope and shoved them in the briefcase. Damn! He hated dealing with the petroleum cartel almost as much as the oil companies. A glance at his watch confirmed his suspicion. He had missed both breakfast and lunch. His stomach rumbled. Physical hunger he could deal with. The figurative hunger he’d been fighting all day was another matter.

A grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. His wife turned out to be a surprising combination of innocence and sensuality.  She had been so stunned by what happened to her that he wondered what kind of men she had dated in the past. Someone had left her with the impression that women should not enjoy sex. She was so sexual and so afraid of that side of her. 

He leaned back in the chair and rested his feet on the desk. The morning delivery from the mall had threatened to ruin her good, if somewhat confused mood. He should have taken notes from that insightful sales girl. By disregarding all high-pressure sales tactics, she had gotten
Lilah’s approval without any of the drama of the day before.

  Just as he got comfortable, the
Emira came in the office. He sprung to his feet. “Good morning Mother.”

She sat in the chair across from his desk. “Why are you
back to work?”

“Where else would I be?”

“With Lilah.”

“She’s with her grandmother and a few of her cousins. They went jewelry shopping for the glorified headband.” At least that was what most of the non-
Nadiarian princesses called their crowns.

“Oh, good.
I was worried she might have problems adjusting to life here.”

“Worried about a woman you’ve known for three days.” As soon as the words were out, he regretted them.

“That’s not true and you know it Sami. I wish I had no history with her but I remember her standing by her father’s casket and begging him to wake up like it was yesterday. It is not a sight any mother would ever forget. But for the grace of Allah, that could have been your sister crying for her daddy.”

That funeral was not something he’d ever forgotten either, but not something he wanted to remember.

“I know this is not what you wanted.”

He swallowed hard. While he might have been willing to martyr himself out of duty, did he have the right to expect the same of her? “It’s not what she wants either, Mother.”

“You have a very powerful personality. She is probably afraid of you.”

“She called me a jackass. And then she hit me. I don’t think she’s afraid of me.” Of herself might be a different subject.

“Did you deserve it?”

“Of course.
Have you ever known me not to?”

“Actually I have. But I suspect that is another time in your life you don’t want to reminisce about.” She reached across the desk and patted his arm. “If you are both unhappy don’t make each other miserable. The families will find another way to honor her father’s wishes to insure her future.”

“I’ll deal with it when she decides what she wants. She’s agreed to stay for a while.”

She smiled. “Do you think it might help if you took her away for a while? Get to know her without so many eyes watching your every move.”

“I am sure she prefers not to make the front page daily.”

“Take her on the yacht.
Or to the summer palace at the Red Sea.”

While many of the extended family members considered the yacht and the vacation houses to be entitlements due them, Sami had never been impressed with it. “Maybe I’ll take her to the oasis in Ain Baard for the camel auction.”

“Really Samir!” His mother only used his full name when exasperated.

“My wife is not comfortable being around money. I tried to give her my credit card before she left and she nearly fed it to me for breakfast.”

He couldn’t remember seeing his mother so thoroughly amused - especially at his expense. “Your wife is not a gold-digger so you plan to punish her by taking her to the middle of nowhere? Sometimes it is hard to believe I raised you.”

He was serious. If he did take her away, he would get her out of the city.
Away from the prying eyes of the press. Something completely different.  He’s always found the oasis a great place to decompress. She would either love it or hate it, but at least she would have a few days of peace.

“Stop pulling her pigtails, son.
You have her attention. Figure out what you want to do with it.”

He chuckled. “Are you accusing me of acting like a child, Mother?”

“If the Gucci loafer fits…”

* * * *

Delilah ran her finger over the soft petals of the trumpet lily.  The scent of the daily flowers deliveries was something she could get used to. She glanced at the velvet box on the dresser. The crown she would never get used to. She understood completely why Sami sent her shopping with Nana and her cousins. She couldn’t smack him again. When she agreed to pretend to work at their marriage for appearance’s sake, she hadn’t realized she needed these expensive props.

She pushed the jewelry box into the top drawer of underwear that was delivered that morning along with a closet full of clothes. She had to admit, though not without struggle, that the clothing chosen by the salesgirl suited her body and coloring. Not something she would have chosen, but classy and modest.

Delilah shook her head.  She had never believed that clothes made a difference, but they did. Maybe it was the new lingerie that made her stand taller and strut down the corridors like a Victoria Secrets model. Or maybe the credit went to the strappy high-heels. She wouldn’t be able to wear them in the city, but along the marble floors she felt like a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

She popped her IPod into the docking station in the living room and pumped up the volume. I Had the Time of My Life brought a smile and reminded her of her childhood watching Dirty Dancing over and over with her mother and learning all the steps. With arms in position as if she had a partner, Delilah danced around the room. The calf-length skirt of her teal dress swirled about her legs as she spun across the room.
Until she came up against a solid wall of hard flesh.  She gasped.

“Sami?”

With one of his ever-present smirks, he pulled her into his arms to finish the dance. Surprisingly sure footed, with moves that rivaled Patrick Swayze, he led her around the furniture with grace and precision. She wasn’t sure how she kept up but she did. When he finally brought her to a stop, tight against his chest, she stared up at him breathlessly.

“The music stopped,” he said.

“It did?” She shook her head to clear her hormone induced stupor. “It did.”

“You looked surprised.”

To say the least. She was too embarrassed to admit she hadn’t danced with a member of the opposite sex since she was twelve years old. “I didn’t expect that from you.”

“My mother forced us to take lessons so as not to humiliate our future spouses. What about you, Hot Stuff - where did you learn your moves?”

“From my mother. I guess it’s like a bicycle. You never forget.” Especially when your partner knows how to lead. 

“You never went dancing with your… whatever?”

“My whatever?” She swallowed a laugh. To Bob, holding hands was a public display of intimacy to be avoided. When he proposed, he hadn’t offered as much as a hug. It probably explained why she hadn’t answered him immediately. “No.”

She started to pull away. He folded her in closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“You want to tell me about yours?” Nothing like asking a man about his past to stop a conversation.

He let her go, but took her hand before she retreated. “Nice haircut.”

She absently let out a puff of air to lift the new bangs off her forehead. “You noticed?”

He nodded. “I’m not oblivious to everything. Did you have fun with your family?”

“Aiwa,” she said.

“They are teaching you the language.”

“I am told it was my first language so it seems to be coming back easily.”

“Where did you go?”

“You know. And even if you didn’t it will be on the front page tomorrow. Hard not to make a scene when the store has to be cleared out before we enter. A heads up would have been nice.”

“A heads up and you would have found a way to back out.”

“You’re right.  It’s so much money for…”

He put up his hand to stop her. “Whatever happens between us,
Lilah, you will always retain your title now. Even if you choose to leave, when you visit your family it will be expected.”

A chill washed over her. Would she be able to deal with the ramifications of her situation? What happened if she did go back to New York? In a global world, would she ever be able to go back to her anonymous little life?

“Pack a bag. We’re going away for a couple of days.”

His offer came out of nowhere. “Are you going to tell me where?”

“Let it be a surprise.”

“Everything here is a surprise, Sami. How do I pack?”

“You tell your maid you will be in Ain Baard. She will tell you what is best.”

“When are we leaving?”

“An hour.”

“What?” she squeaked out but he was already heading to the bedroom. He barely gave her time to catch a breath when he sprung things on her. She wasn’t about to follow him. Her memories of the morning still made her flush.

“On the bright side there will be no press where we are going,” he called out.

* * * *

No press! No people either. When Delilah spoke with Hanan, her maid advised that Ain Baard was an oasis with natural cold springs. She failed to advise Lilah that they were in the middle of nowhere. After three hours of looking at nothing but sand and oil wells she wondered if they were lost. Her husband and the driver being men would never ask for directions anyway.

She glanced out the window of the Hummer. Sami, as usual, was glued to his
IPad. Did he even get a signal out here?

“Oh look!
A herd of deer.”

“Gazelles,” he said without looking up.

“Why did you bring me if you are going to work the entire time?”

He switched off the tablet.  “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “No you’re not.”

Just when she thought she would fall asleep from her beige surrounding, a few scattered cacti and thorny shrubs sprung up. Caravans of Bedouins roamed the sand dunes and growing in numbers. Apparently they were heading to a Saharan Hot Spot. In the distance a tent city came into view on the horizon. Not like the tents that sprung up in third world countries after a disaster.  Colorful cloth structures, in bright colors and bold geometric patterns filled the area. When they arrived at the oasis a one-pump gas station and mini-mart looked so out of place.

“I did not expect to see so many people.”

“Normally it is deserted. The annual camel auction is this weekend.”

When he said the trip would be a surprise, he was not kidding. She could not have been more excited if he had taken her to a five star hotel.

“You’re not disappointed?” he asked.

“No.” She gazed out over the landscape and smiled. “Do you think I could ride one?”

“Have you even ridden one before?”

“No. But there is a first time for everything.”

His devilish grin told her she might be in for a lot of firsts in the next few days. And in case she didn’t catch his drift, he just had to drive home the point.