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“I was thinking I could...” She pretended to sound thoughtful. “I don’t know...maybe quit my job, enter the convent, and lead a life of atonement?”
“Good idea...except for the fact there are no convents in the kingdom.”
“Then whatever its equivalent is in Islam perhaps? I’m hoping doing so would save Hyacinth from the backlash of having a sister who’s the personification of lewdness—-”
Tarif snorted. “Believe me, my sweet. If you’re lewd, then 90% of the world consists of whores and sex maniacs.”
Her lips pursed. “I guess that leaves me with just one last option.”
“Which would be what?”
“Earn back my honor by enlisting in the army.” She expected the sheikh to roll his eyes at the suggestion, but instead she saw a smirk play on his lips.
“What an excellent idea.”
It was?
“After all, who better to enlist than someone who knows all about bases?”
Oh! Anisah was torn between helpless laughter and disgruntlement. She had not seen that coming at all!
The sheikh laughed at the look Anisah threw at him. ‘Drop dead’ was the best way to sum it up, and he said with a rakish grin, “Maehdina, anisdi.” I’m sorry, milady. “I simply could not resist it.”
Anisah only answered him with another look – ‘drop dead, NOW, please’ – and this time, the urge to laugh coincided with an intensely powerful wave of desire jolting through the sheikh’s large, muscular body. How was it that the more this woman defied and resisted him, the more he craved her?
Glancing back at her, he saw Anisah looking out at the window, her face paling as the limousine drove past the palace’s first set of gates. Knowing that it meant playtime was over, he said quietly, “I have my own suggestion to put forward, anisdi. Would you at least hear me out on it?”
“I’m only going to hear you out,” she warned warily, “but I’m not making any promises.”
“Fair enough,” the sheikh murmured. “And I am only making a suggestion because we both know handling this kind of controversy is not your forte.” He paused. “But it is mine.” Loosening his grip on her hand, he began stroking her knuckles with his thumb as he murmured, “So can you not trust me as you did earlier, my sweet – and let me help you resolve this. Trust in me, Tory, and I will make sure that you emerge from this unscathed.”
By the time the sheikh finished speaking, the limousine had slid to a stop in front of the palace’s majestic stoop, and a moment later, the chauffeur was already opening the door. She drew her breath when the sheikh immediately stepped out of the car; for one moment, she imagined him abandoning her just like that, and her eyes squeezed shut as a painful twinge squeezed her heart.
Why did she feel so scared at the thought of Tarif Al-Atassi disappearing from her life?
The moment passed, and when her vision cleared, she saw that the sheikh was still there, waiting for her, his hand reaching for her—-
Trust in me, Tory.
Triumph, sinfully sweet and powerfully heady, heated the sheikh’s blood the instance he felt Anisah place her hand in his. Finally.
Anisah tried not to stiffen when the sheikh kept her hand in his grip as they ascended the steps leading up to the palace. So much for secret affairs, Anisah thought numbly as she fought against the urge to put distance between them.
Must. Trust. Him. She repeated this in her mind over and over as she and the sheikh entered the palace, and more employees of the royal family bowed to the sheikh in greeting while gaping at her.
Must. Trust. Him.
Anisah started to relax when she realized the sheikh had brought her to the palace’s Public Relations office. Finally. She tried to pull her hand out of his hold once they were inside, but the sheikh refused to let go.
Pretending he didn’t feel Anisah’s scowling gaze on him, Tarif shook his head briefly when the people inside the room rushed to stand up and bow. “Be at ease, please. I only came here to let you know what direction I wish this office to take regarding Professor Kahveci’s involvement with me.”
Heads bobbed in rapid motion, alongside a quick, fervent chorus of Yes, Your Highness.
“Listen closely then.”
Heads bobbed once more in response, and Tarif almost smiled when he realized that the look of concentration on the employees’ faces was almost completely identical to the one Anisah was wearing as well. They were looking at him like he had just promised them a miraculous mathematical formula to solve world hunger—-
And in a way, he supposed he was...since this matter was that important to him.
