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“How rested are you?” he asked me as he began pacing around the bedroom. “The sheikh will expect us to join his family for dinner tonight, but if you’re not up for it, I can tell them that we will have breakfast instead. It was a long flight here, and I don’t want to tire you out before the show even begins.”
“Are you kidding me?” I asked with a small laugh. “I’m ready to put on a show, my lovely husband,” I said, then walked to him and hooked my arms in his. “Don’t worry, darling. We’ll make them believe just how hot and scorching our romance is.”
“Mortifying,” Jack answered, then shuddered just like I did seconds earlier.
This made me laugh, and I punched him playfully on the arm before moving away from him.
“Get ready then, I’ll leave you to it,” he said, before picking up his phone from the bedside table and walking out of the room into the adjoining living room of our en-suite room.
What a residence,I thought.More like a palace.I couldn’t wait to explore this place.
“Goodevening,Mrs.Muller.”The sheikh’s wife greeted me when I arrived at the dining area with Jack. Jack’s hand rested on the small arch of my waist as we stood in front of the sheikh and his wife.
I hugged the woman lightly before she kissed both my cheeks and said, “I’m Liliana.” She had a beautiful smile, and I noticed the elegant red dress she wore had gold threaded embroidery all over it. The outfit gave her a majestic look, and even the smooth pale tone of her skin screamed wealth.
“Nina,” I said with a smile, then cleared my throat and moved to the sheikh. Just like in the pictures, he was a fierce-looking man, and his keen eyes remained pierced into mine as Jack introduced us.
“Sheikh Zayed Al-Mufti, this is my wife, Nina,” Jack said as he extended a hand towards Zayed.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Sheikh Zayed,” I said as I accepted his extended hand for a shake. His stern eyes remained, scrutinizing me for the few seconds we shook hands before he burst into a wide smile that reached his eyes.
“I’m pleased to meet you too, Nina,” he said before releasing my hand. “I see you’re the woman that has captured my friend’s heart. She’s a lovely woman, Jack,” Zayed continued, as he patted Jack’s shoulder.
I gave him my best smile. “Not every woman can capture this one,” I said, carefully drawing out my words so I sounded just as polished as his wife had.
My comment made the sheikh smile, and he nodded. “You’re right … men like Jack rarely ever see the need to settle down. It warms my heart to see he’s a man of a great mind.”
Zayed spread his arms wide and continued in the same elevated tone. “Please, sit … I had my workers make dinner as American as possible. I am sure you will enjoy it.”
We all took our seats at the table, and slowly, music began playing in the background as the workers came to the table and began opening every dish displayed there.
The eight-foot rectangular table was full to the very edge with a variety of dishes. I smelled cinnamon, and even parsley as they opened the serving plates.
There was a mighty-sized turkey in the center of the table, vegetables, fruits, nuts, a strange-looking doughnut, and another that resembled mac and cheese, but I suspected it was not.
“Iranian sangkak,” Zayed said as a worker began serving me some. “Have that one; you will love it, Nina.”
I was tempted to opt for the wine two men brought in, but Jack was giving me a pleasant smile, and I could see the sheikh was very excited to have us, so I gave him another smile. “I know I will,” I answered.
He laughed, clapped his hands, and motioned for us to eat.
During the course of our dinner, a light conversation played out on the table, and I answered every question the sheikh slanted my way with wit and a pleasant smile. Jack leaned close at intervals, put his hand on my back, caressed or touched my cheek, and stared deep into my eyes.
Each time he did it, my heart skipped a little, and it was getting increasingly difficult to forget that all of this was just an act.
“Nina’s such a brilliant young woman, Jack,” the sheikh said after we finished the first course of our meal and dessert was served. “How did you two meet?”
“Bowling,” I answered.
“At a club,” Jack said at the same time, and then we both laughed, and tried to answer again.
“Bowling.” We chorused this time, and I relaxed a little, thankful that we were in sync this time. The sheikh arched a brow; his wife, too, wore a distrustful look; and I took charge of the situation. “Jack and I met through my brother,” I said. “I wasn’t eighteen at the time, so I couldn’t really go to clubs, but they always sneaked me in with a fake ID and made sure I didn’t drink too much,” I explained.
“Ah, so you two knew each other from way back?” Liliana asked, and the conversation began to flow nicely again.
“Yes,” I said with a smile. “We met when I turned sixteen. Jack and my brother were in college then. They met in college.”
“I love young romance,” the sheikh said, and flashed his set of sparkly teeth. “And you’re good at bowling?”
