The Sheikh's Sleeping Beauty Nanny

by Shay Violet

  I can’t explain the way he describes his wife. It’s not calloused or uncaring, but it’s sounded contractual. Then maybe I’m reading too much into it because I want him to be attracted to me. It’s not my place or my business to ask him how in love with his wife he was before she died.

  He’s been through a lot, that much is clear and I’m not here to judge anyone. Besides, like I said, it’s none of my business and I won’t pry unless he is forthcoming first.

  “I want to help you,” I say consolingly.

  He finally meets my gaze again and that same burning desire ignites a flame in me. Maybe this isn’t a terrible job offer. I am sick of striving to hold up dead-end jobs. Maybe this would be good for me, having a change of pace and discover a new beginning.

  “I’m just worried about Nadia. She just loved her mother so much…” He trails off again as if it breaks his heart to talk about it. I see the earnestness in his eyes. He’s not putting on a show for me just so I’ll feel sorry for him and give him what he wants. I can tell that he’s honest and sincere.

  He glances over his shoulder to make sure Nadia isn’t eavesdropping. He clears his throat, composes himself and resumes his virtuous demeanor.

  As bad as it may sound, it’s reassuring to see a person in the top one percent of the world having a moment where their emotional walls are cracking. The lowly and the poor, I’m referring to myself here, aren’t the only ones who endure adversity. It’s enough to soften my own tough exterior.

  “I might help for a little while until you find someone more qualified,” I say. “I’ll at least think about it from that perspective.”

  The smile on his face could light up the universe. “Is that a yes?”

  “I’m saying I’m going to… think about it.” I nibble on my bottom lip.

  What else am I supposed to do? The guy is flat out selling me a sob story. I grew up with only one parent. I feel for Nadia. I do. It's time for me to check my inhibitions at the door. A little girl’s wellbeing is at stake here. If she would be even an ounce or a single shred happier with me as her nanny, then I have to entertain the prospect of saying yes. It’s just the decent, humane thing to do.

  Then, as if on fate’s cue, Nadia darts back down the stairs, her doll cradled like a football in the crook of her arm.

  “This is Daisy.” She lifts her arms and hands her doll to me.

  “Daisy is so cute,” I say and give Nadia an interested grin.

  “You can hold her,” Nadia insists.

  “Thanks.” I take the doll, feeling slightly awkward as I gracelessly hold it in my hands and rock it back and forth.

  It has those eyes that open and close whenever you move the doll up or down. I sneak a glimpse of Jai, capturing him in a moment of amusement.

  “I told you I wasn’t good with kids,” I whisper.

  He is still grinning from ear to ear. “That’s a baby, and it’s not human.”

  I roll my eyes playfully.

  “Practice makes perfect,” he adds with flavor.

  “You are relentless.” I grin back.

  “I rarely take no for an answer,” he quips.

  “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” I tease back.

  I notice Nadia watching us with ample curiosity. The impressionability of a child is infinite. I’m not sure I’m cut out for this, but I’m also not one to step away from a challenge.

  “I’m on the fence, but I’m getting closer,” I say to him after I realize that he’s still eyeing me intricately.

  “I’m going to get you to bend,” he says with a handsome, albeit excessively self-assured smile.

  “We’ll see.” I hold his gaze.

  “Can you come upstairs and play with me?” Nadia asks.

  I kneel and take her hand. “I wish I could, sweetheart, but I have to get going now.”

  Nadia’s face collapses in disappointment. I glance up at Jai who tries to look casual.

  “Maybe I can come back real soon and play with you though,” I suggest.

  Her eyes brighten somewhat. “I would love that,” she says in her sweet little girl voice.

  I nod and squeeze her little body in one last hug.

  I look out the window and dread sinks my heart like a battleship.

  “Oh, no…”

  The sky is dark gray and dismal. While we were in here talking, a spontaneous rain shower must have come through the area. A steady rain pelts down on the sidewalk and the grass.

  “Let me have my driver take you home,” Jai requests gently.

  I look at him. “Oh, that’s okay. You don’t have to—”

  “I insist,” he declares. “You found my daughter and brought her home safely. It’s the least I can do.”

  I smile. “Well, when you put it that way.”

  “I’ll call for the driver now,” he states.

  He plants a kiss on Nadia’s forehead. “You are staying with your grandma.” He looks at me and gives an explanation. “She lives in the guest house out back.”

  “Oh, okay.” I nod.

  “You stay put with her, all right?” He gives Nadia a firm look.

  “Okay.” She nods with validation. “I promise.”

  He glances up at me “I can help you get the bike in the car. It will be around shortly.”

  “Thank you.” I give him a courteous smile.

  As Jai arranges with Nadia’s grandmother and gets them settled, I wonder if agreeing to be Nadia’s nanny will be a wise decision.

  If he gives me time to mull it over and make a pros and cons list, then I’ll feel more comfortable making an informed decision. He seems willing to give me time to contemplate, and that’s a good sign.

  If Jai and Nadia’s kindness and welcoming hospitality lasts, who knows, maybe I’m in for a new era of fun in my life. God knows I could use a little stress relief. As Jai leads me to the waiting car and I wave goodbye to a pouty Nadia unhappy about my departure, I feel myself leaning more toward accepting the job opportunity.

  Agreeing to become her nanny might bring that vibrant smile back to her lovely face. You can’t put a price on being the reason for a child’s joy.

  6

  Aurora

  Sitting in the backseat with Jai, his knee bumps up against mine as the driver takes a sharp turn to the left at an intersection. We are en route to my apartment building since Jai graciously offered to have his driver take me home.

  Jai’s handsome smile could light up the world. His eyes twinkle devilishly, making my heart pound. The driver whips the car down another corner and I nearly tumble over onto Jai.

  “Sorry about that. Liam here likes to drive like a bat out of hell,” Jai says, still smiling.

  “That’s not true, sir.” Liam the driver retorts. He has a bouncer type of burly body and a shiny bald head. He looks like he’s in his middle forties. He gives Jai a defensive frown through the rearview mirror.

  “I’m just messing with him.” Jai tells me. His laughter chimes through the backseat.

  I adjust myself in the seat and nod, scooting back to my side of the car.

  I glance at Liam and his lips curl deviously at the edges as if he’s now taking Jai’s prior comment with a grain of salt. “I know boss. You are one in a million.”

  He reaches his hand behind him and gives Jai a fist bump.

  I smile. It’s nice to see Jai’s softer side. He’s not just some stiff, rich guy, he can also banter with his employees.

  He turns to look at me and his eyes twinkle. “What do you do for fun?” I know he’s just trying to keep me entertained on the ride.

  I instinctively glance down at my lap. I feel myself grow uncomfortably warm. I look up at him and try to give him a flirtatious smile, but it probably looks dorky to him. He doesn’t seem phased as he continues to gaze at me as if I’m the most captivating figure in the room.

  We go over a speed hump. His knee bumps into mine again. It feels exceptionally hot in the car. I want to open a window and allow some fresh air i
nto the car, but I don’t want it to be too obvious that he’s making me sizzle.

  His eyes lock with mine. His gaze burns through me. Lust dances in his brown irises.

  “Well…I uh…” I trail off, tripping over my own words.

  How can I be so stupid? It’s not like he’s the first hot guy I’ve ever encountered or had to talk to. I don’t know why he’s having this intoxicating effect over me.

  Jai grins. “I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

  I quickly shake my head with vigor. “No. Not at all.”

  “Good.” He seems pleased with my answer. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”

  He has confidence, but it’s not the arrogant type. It’s refreshing. I can’t believe he’s giving me this much attention either. What makes me so special? I cross my legs because the backseat is roomy.

  Jai leans in. “So?” He raises his eyebrows with an expectant grin.

  “So?” I chuckle and squirm, waiting on him to elaborate.

  “Here’s where you tell me what you like to do for fun?”

  “Oh.” I smile. “Right. I uh… I don’t have a lot of time for fun.”

  There’s recognition on his face as if he can relate. “You like to bike though, right?”

  I laugh. “I enjoy it, yes.” I cup my hand over my knee. “However, truth be told, the bike is my only mode of transportation at the moment, besides the um…” I scratch the top of my head and gaze out the window feeling ashamed. “Besides the bus.” I mutter, barely audible.

  “Biking is a great exercise and its better for the environment.” Jai shrugs casually.

  Okay, so he’s charming too. He’s making me feel less inadequate and I must applaud him for even wanting to bother with me.

  “Oh, he needs to take a right here,” I mention. “At the light.” I am barely paying attention to the road because he has me so distracted by his gorgeous, burning gaze.

  “You heard the lady,” Jai says to Liam and turns to give me a smile as if seeking approval.

  I feel myself getting hot again. I’m not normally so shy. I don’t know why he’s bringing out my coy side, but I’m realizing something that makes me anxious. I’m attracted to him. How could I not be? He’s charismatic, witty, and he’s giving me attention. It’s like a perfect storm to lure me in.

  Liam pulls into the parking lot of my apartment complex. It’s a little weathered, I must admit. It’s not in the shadiest portion of town, but it’s not the posh suburbs where we just came from, either.

  “Well, here we are.” I give him a bashful smile and try not to physically implode from the shame I’m feeling about where I live.

  Jai glances out the window. “What floor do you live on?”

  “Oh. Uh… the second floor.” I clutch the passenger door handle and pop it open.

  Jai scoots across his seat and hastily opens his door. He rushes to my side of the car and tells Liam to open the trunk.

  Jai lugs my bike out of the back of the car and with a grunt, sets it down on the ground and pushes the kickstand into position.

  “Thanks,” I tell him politely. “I can handle it from here.”

  “Let me take the bike upstairs for you at the least,” he encourages.

  I see that recognizable desire and urgency swirling like erotic flames in his eyes. The sexual tension makes the pause between us made me feel exceptionally tingly. The current of attraction between us is fierce and somewhat electrifying.

  I catch my breath and reach for the handle of the bike, but Jai gets to it first.

  “It’s the least I can do. You are so petite. I don’t see how you can lug this big bike up and down those stairs by yourself.”

  I cast him a friendly smile. “You have done enough, believe me.”

  “I never do enough.” His eyes suddenly glaze over with melancholy and he gives me a somber look.

  “Okay,” I quickly state, trying to recover because I don’t want to offend him or strip him of his masculinity. “You can tote the bike up the stairs for me. Thank you, I appreciate the offer.”

  His face is aglow with enthusiasm. “Wait here,” he tells Liam.

  “As if I have anywhere else to go.” Liam lights a cigarette and the orange flame burns and crinkles at the tip. A few embers light up on the end as he inhales a deep drag.

  “Don’t smoke in my car,” Jai shouts over his shoulder.

  When we get to my door, my heart lurches into my throat and a wave of nausea swells and then crashes into my stomach.

  “Oh, no.” I feel the blood drain from my face.

  Humiliation ripples through me and makes me lightheaded. I sharply rip the notice off the door, but it’s too late. Jai has seen it.

  “You need help to pay your electric bill?” He furrows his brow and gazes at me with profound concern.

  “No.” I scoff and wave my hand in the air as if to dismiss it as nothing important. “They always send these notices around. It’s protocol. Kind of like a reminder to the residents.”

  I nod and watch as Jai scans the other apartment doors around mine. Not one other door has an electric bill notice of suspension on it.

  Shit. Well, there goes that plan trying to pull myself out of the trench of humiliation.

  Jai focuses his attention back to me and his expression is earnestly heartfelt. “Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider coming back with me to be Nadia’s full time, live-in nanny?”

  I open my mouth to answer, but I quickly clamp it shut again because I have no idea what to say to him. My emotions are bouncing all over the place like a ping pong on a paddle.

  “I’m not sure,” I say after some internal debating. I know I’m stringing him along. My behavior is obnoxious, even to myself.

  I’m afraid to tell him the true reason I’m hesitant to scoop up his job offer before he and this opportunity disappear from my life forever.

  Now that I’ve met this charming, handsome middle eastern heartthrob, my feelings for him are surging off the charts.

  I might not be able to contain said emotions. I can only imagine, down the line trying to act on those lust-driven desires and not having him reciprocate. Then, I would be out of a job and a place to live, and my pride would bite the dust too.

  I like him. There is no denying that now. The sexual tension between us is powerful. I mentally reiterate that if something happens between us and it doesn’t work out, then it’s going to be a hellacious mess in the end.

  I know I’m putting the cart before the horse. Yes, I’m probably being more dramatic than I need to be, but every time he gives me that exotic look, sparks fly, and I’m grounded by lust.

  His features suddenly become etched in worry. For the first time, I see a shift in his demeanor and there is a tinge of vulnerability staring back at me.

  “I want to ask you again, I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

  I ponder. Has he already asked me that? I can’t remember. Everything in my head is blending like a multi-ingredient soup.

  Everything is happening so fast that I’m spinning like a top. I can’t keep with my own thoughts. It seems like a hundred years ago that I found Nadia drifting through the woods alone by the wooden bridge on the bike path. Now, here I am, standing in front of a handsome man who might be a prince for all I know. To top it off, he is blatantly begging me to come and work for him.

  “You don’t make me uncomfortable,” I declared, looking at him straight in the eye without wavering or giving him a single blink.

  Relief rushes through his eyes and his shoulders visibly relax. His posture is still squared proudly, but some of the edge is gone.

  “It’s just…” I trail off and focus on my shoes.

  I need to look anywhere but him because I’m afraid the flood of emotions will erupt from me like an unwanted geyser.

  He reaches out and cups his hand over mine. His hand is so warm, strong and sturdy. It’s comforting to have my hand held by a man.

  I’ve been so l
onely lately. I don’t long for a partner, but I welcome the physical contact because it floods me with a warmth I don’t even know I needed until I’m right in the middle of the wonderful experience.

  Sex is not something I think about routinely, although I won’t lie. Sometimes I like to touch myself beneath the covers, moaning into my pillow as I dream about a handsome man’s head between my legs.

  The vivid image of Jai’s mouth pressed to my vagina creates a tremor of pleasure that ripples through me.

  “Aurora, you can tell me anything,” he whispers softly. Now, he doesn’t seem like an employer offering a job anymore.

  When I dare to lift my gaze and make eye contact with him, I know in my heart he’s sincere. He’s one of the good ones. He has to be because I’m already putting him on a pedestal, even though I know it’s not the smartest thing to do.

  He lightly brushes my hand with his fingers as he slips them away, making me tingle again.

  He could melt me with his smile alone.

  “You have nothing to fear from me,” he promises, and even though I haven’t known him long enough to believe what he says, I believe him from his indubitable gaze alone.

  I blink at him. “I’m not afraid.”

  It’s a partial lie, but I’m winging it from here on out. I don’t know how to steer myself in the right direction, so I’m just going to let fate decide. If fate is throwing me a bone, I will snatch it before it’s too late.

  “I will always behave professionally around you,” he vows. What was the hand touch about then? That was more of a love interest thing to do, but who am I to question him? It’s not like I can trust my reason, my emotions are running rampant, anyway.

  I smile and nod. It disappoints part of me that he would say that, but the other part of me is kicking myself for being disheartened. I don’t need to get involved with him in a sexual way.

  I glance over my shoulder. I still haven’t opened my apartment door yet. The wad of paper that was the electricity notice is still in my hand, practically burning a hole through it.

  “What about my… belongings?” I ask.