by Holly Rayner
The two marveled at the monument, sipping delicious cappuccinos that probably cost Tariq nearly as much as it cost Napoleon to build the Arc, Emily mused. They wandered the famous streets of Paris for an hour or two more before making their way to the next famous attraction: the Louvre.
The art gallery was stunning to behold. It was part castle, part pyramid. The glass pyramid outside the grand courtyard was lit up by the sun and looked like it was made of glimmering diamonds. The museum, of course, housed more than 35,000 objects from history. The original building was created as a fortress—a very beautiful one at that, Emily thought. The craftsmanship and gargoyles that guarded the entrance gave guests a spectacular reason to stand in awe; the architecture was so grand Emily almost teared up, though she didn't quite know why.
The museum housed artwork and treasures such as Egyptian antiquities and Roman statues. Emily felt like a kid in a candy shop walking through the majestic building.
“What if I break something?” she whispered unsurely to Tariq.
He laughed, the echo of it sounding through the vast display room. “You're not going to break anything.”
“Would you pay for it if I did?” she teased, whispering in his ear seductively.
“What like, ‘you break it you buy it’?”
She shrugged. “Something like that, yeah.”
“Only if I get to pick what you break,” he joked. “Like that,” he said, pointing to the object in question.
Emily lowered her brows and couldn't help but smirk. “That's a garbage can.”
“And I’m sure it’s the cheapest thing in here. So, there you are, go forth... break things!”
She gave him a light smack on the arm before looping hers through his, leaning her face against his shoulder as they walked and marveled at the sights before them. She loved it all, but her favorite part was looking at the Middle-Eastern displays with Tariq, because he seemed to know the stories behind them; unlike the rest of his guided tours, he didn't have to make up silly facts about this one.
The two of them grabbed lunch at a local bistro before another visit, to the Château of Vincennes, a royal castle complete with medieval towers, dozens of state rooms, and lush gardens. Emily nearly let out a squeal of delight as they approached the moat. She had only ever read about them in fairy tales, and seeing one in real life brought back every book she'd ever read as a seven-year-old girl. Then again, her life was mirroring a fairy tale quite well these days.
Evening came and Tariq brought Emily to a charming bar with a fantastic view, where they went up to a second-floor patio, overlooking the Seine. The wrought iron railing added a sense of rustic charm to the building, while the small tables, soft jazz music, and hundreds of candles lit up all around them made everything feel heightened with romance. The pièce de résistance, of course, was the beautiful Eiffel Tower which stood across the river, crystal clear against the backdrop of the night sky.
Looking up, Emily could hardly see the stars, outshone by the bright lights of the structure and the city surrounding it, but she didn’t care. She was too enamored with the stunning spectacle. When they came onto the patio, she literally gasped, her eyes filling with tears as she caught sight of it for the first time.
She could tell Tariq was pleased with her reaction, his smile full of heart as he watched her. She hadn’t thought about it until now, but Tariq had mentioned he was always traveling. He’d likely seen these beautiful sights a thousand times over, which was why he never seemed impressed by them. Instead, he was always watching her and waiting for her reactions. She was his way of seeing an old sight for the first time again, and he seemed to enjoy it greatly.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a dream when I’m with you,” she said, taking a sip of the champagne that had been brought to her in a crystal glass. “You’re so romantic, Tariq; I’m not sure if it makes me insane or if I love it.”
“You want to hate it,” he said, raising his brow in a knowing manner. “But you love it.”
“Maybe you’re right,” she shrugged playfully. “It makes me wonder what you’re like on a bad day. Or when you’re just in your pajamas hanging out around your house. What happens when you’re not mister fancy?”
“Well,” he said with some finality as he looked down at his watch. “If you wouldn’t mind humoring me for one more second, I’m just about done with all this romance. Then I promise I won’t shower for days and the next time you see me I’ll be in jogging pants offering you a cold hamburger for dinner. Deal?”
She nearly burst with laughter and quickly covered her mouth. “You almost made me spit out my champagne!”
“Who needs it!” he joked and smiled at her. “I can’t get enough of your lips. Or your smile.”
“I noticed,” she said coyly.
Tariq looked down at his watch once more and then pulled his chair over to Emily’s side of the table. He searched her eyes for emotion and then looked over at the Eiffel tower in a way that told her she should follow his gaze. As the clock struck ten, the tower suddenly lit up in an array of lights.
The lights cascaded in the water below, causing a shimmering effect of stars dancing above and below them. The sight was almost too beautiful to behold.
What started as bright golden lights suddenly faded into a familiar shade: blue-green lights that almost seemed to burst from the tower. It was the same color as her eyes. Emily moved her gaze only for a moment to look at Tariq in wonder. She didn’t know how he did it, but she wasn’t about to question it.
Blue and green fireworks shot up from behind the beautiful tower and Emily could hear the cheers from the crowds below. They had all stopped to see the lightshow, but Emily knew this one wasn’t for the tourists. It was for her. Her heart raced as beautiful symphony began to play through the patio speakers to the timing of the fireworks. It was almost too much to take in.
As breathtaking a sight as it was, suddenly all Emily wanted to do was look at Tariq. Wrapping her arms around him, she brushed her free hand through his hair and pressed her lips into his. She switched from grabbing his bottom lip to kissing his top one, unable to stop. She kissed him passionately, with a hunger to have him near that was insatiable.
Finally, she broke the kiss and he leaned into her ear and lingered a moment to catch her scent before whispering in a most beguiling tone, “You are so beautiful.”
He exhaled as he spoke, and somehow his breath seemed to elongate the moment. The more he lingered, the more she felt nervous to have him so close. She arched her neck as he took his face away from her ear. He stared at her and she felt a comfortable sensation just holding him close. Just to feel the fabric of his clothes made her calm.
He exhaled again, just enough for her to hear his voice shine through the whisper of breath. She closed her eyes in a moment of enamored bliss before suddenly looking up at him nervously.
Tariq furrowed his brows with concern. “What is it?”
“I think I'm falling in love with you,” she whispered. Panicking that she might have overstepped, she tried to lighten the mood, and with a slight laugh said, “Isn’t that silly?” She shook her head. “Don’t gloat.”
“I wasn’t going to,” he said softly. “I was just thinking that I'm falling in love with you, too.”
“Really?” she exclaimed, her tone pure shock and excitement.
They kissed again, furiously, passionately, before heading back to their hotel, where Tariq had booked the presidential suite.
The suite was immense, with a giant bay window overlooking the streets of Paris. A king-sized bed was set up against the wall, an antique canopy with sheer white linens hanging from the ceiling to enhance the room’s royal atmosphere. The carpeting was silver-gray with a beautiful pattern that seemed to sparkle from the floor.
Emily walked to the window and stared out across the city, where the cobblestone roofs oozed old-world romance. Tariq came up behind her and put his hand on her hip; his free hand roaming to her chin so
he could turn her lips to his own.
He embraced her with warm lips and a passionate grasp, his hands making their way through her mess of curls. Emily felt like it was their first kiss all over again. Something awoke in her in that moment that she hadn't felt in a long time. Passion.
No, not passion. Love.
Chapter 11
The next morning Emily awoke enveloped in Tariq's arms, his tan skin and strong muscles wrapped around her as her cheek rested on his chest. He twirled his fingers through her hair and kissed her fingertips, but never went to speak. It was as if neither of them wanted to disturb their perfect moment.
She loved that he felt so warm against her. She nestled into her personal heater as tightly as she could and his arms wrapped her up in security.
Finally, Tariq rolled onto his side and leaned down to kiss her, grazing her cheek with his hand. He looked her over and made a face that said he couldn’t get enough of her, tracing the sheets above her with his finger in the outline of her body.
“I’m going to go shower and pack up,” he said. “We have a long flight ahead of us.”
“Well good morning to you, too!”
He gave her a small peck once more and chuckled as he said, “Good morning.”
Emily watched as he got up out of the bed and moved to the bathroom, where the opulent marble shower awaited. She heard the water turn on, then suddenly the bathroom door opened once more.
“Don’t forget to call your work,” he reminded her gently. “Then let’s get room service!”
Emily sighed into her pillow. The night really was over, then. She looked over the room service menu and used her phone to translate some of the dishes. Using her best French, she called down and ordered some fresh pastries, fruit, and poached eggs. Along with some strong coffee, she figured it was an unbeatable way to start the day.
A terrible way to start the day, however, would be putting in a call to Mark. She could already feel her stomach turning with nervous anticipation.
She dialed the familiar number and groaned inwardly as Mike answered.
“This is Mike speaking.”
“Hi Mike, it’s Emily,” she said sweetly. “So I’ve run into a bit of a problem.”
“Okay…” Mike said in his usual half sarcastic drone. “What can I do ya for, Emily?” He made sure to enunciate every syllable in her name, which only annoyed her further for some reason.
“Well I, um, I was supposed to be in the office today but I—”
“My patience,” Mike interrupted, “is wearing thin already, and it’s not even nine. What’s the problem?”
“Okay, so I took a little weekend getaway and my flight home has been delayed, so I’m going to have to call in a personal day.”
“Yup, sounds about right.” Mike sighed and then sipped his coffee, a large slurp audible over the phone. “See you tomorrow, kiddo.”
With that, Mike hung up the phone.
Emily was surprised at how well the call had gone. Then again, Mike had been throwing her plenty of curveballs this week. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
She put down her phone, walked over to her suitcase, and slipped on a lacy white summer dress. It was one of her favorite pieces since it could be dressed up with heels or dressed way down with cowboy boots. She was personally fonder of the latter option and slipped on her shoes with delight.
Stepping over to the window, Emily took one last look at the boulevards of Paris. She tried to make herself take in the moment, wondering when she would ever get the opportunity to see the ancient city again. She sighed and let go of the curtain, walking back to her suitcase to finish packing up.
As sad as she was for her windswept weekend to be over, part of her was excited to get back and talk to Lindsey.
She had a lot of stories to tell.
Chapter 12
Heading into work after such an amazing weekend felt like a dream come true. Previously, Emily had watched her co-workers trail into work after the weekend with impenetrable smiles plastered on their faces, humming songs in the elevator and acting irritatingly chipper.
But not today. Today she was part of the club, the love club, and she couldn’t be happier.
She made her way to her desk, her eyes skimming the room for Lindsey all the while. Finally, she spotted the blonde with a purple flowered mug in her hand.
Lindsey raised her brows, acknowledging her friend and walking up to her looking somewhere between exhausted and annoyed.
“Don’t you dare hand me a croissant,” Lindsey said, clearly nursing some sort of hangover.
“We’re off croissants now?” Emily asked, trying not to sound too chipper and failing utterly.
“Oh yes,” Lindsey said, setting her tea down on Emily’s desk. “I ate myself into a carb coma all weekend.”
“And here I thought this look was a whiskey coma.”
“That, too,” Lindsey scoffed. “Well, vodka.”
“Ah. Trouble in paradise?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Lindsey deadpanned. “I confessed my feelings to Tommy-boy this weekend.”
“What?!” Emily had nearly forgotten about the month-long saga of Katherine and Tom, Lindsey’s crush. “How did this happen?”
“I ran into him at Pookah,” she said, referring to a nightclub downtown.
Emily winced. “Yikes… and?”
“And I basically spilled my guts about stalking him online, told him Katherine’s hair looked like a bird’s nest, and went on a soul-crushing soliloquy about my undying love for him.”
“Ouch,” Emily frowned, putting her hand on Lindsey’s arm. “How’d he take it?”
“Well, I told him I can tell when he walks into a room based on the smell of his hair gel so yeah, I’m pretty sure he was a little freaked out.”
“You never know,” Emily responded, trying to find the silver lining. “Maybe he likes clingy women?”
“You think that’s clingy?”
“No,” she said slowly, unsure how to proceed without offending her friend. “I think it sounds like you’re ready to bust in through his bedroom window and chop his body up into little pieces.”
Lindsey laughed at that. “Em!” she chided. “I was five vodka sodas in. What do you want from me?”
“Not sanity, apparently. So, have you seen him since then?”
“Only from afar,” she groaned. “Everyone in his department keeps giving me funny looks so I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
“At least Katherine will avoid you like the plague?”
“That’s what I love about you, Em. You’re always looking on the bright side.”
Taking her usual spot sitting on the corner of Emily’s small office desk, Lindsey picked up her green tea and wrinkled her nose to her friend. “Speaking of which, where have you been? Mike said something about a late flight? Since when do you travel on the weekends?”
Emily slapped both of her hands over her chest as though she could hardly contain herself anymore, her voice taking on the high pitch that only a girl who is truly in love can accomplish. “Oh Lindsey, I’ve been dying to tell you. I was in Paris and the Middle East with,” she paused for dramatic effect, “Tariq!”
“The Sheikh?!” Lindsey gasped. “No way!” she cried, slapping Emily lightly on the shoulder. “We are so not friends anymore if I have to hear you gushing about your new, hot, tan, billionaire boyfriend.”
“Seriously, Lindsey, it was the most romantic, most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done.”
Just then one of Emily’s coworkers walked up to her cubicle. His name was Albert and he was one of the youngest interns in the office, with bright red hair and a face that was peppered with freckles.
“What’s up, Albert?” Emily said.
“Um, Mike wants to see you in his office,” he said curtly.
Emily nodded her acknowledgement, but Albert just stood there, staring at Lindsey, a grin tugging at his lips.
“Yeah, yeah, Al,” Lindsey mocked. “I know. M
y love life is hilarious. Now, don’t you have some work to do or something?”
Albert’s eyes widened and his face flushed as red as his hair. He frowned with embarrassment and quickly scurried back to his desk.
“I was five vodkas in!” Lindsey shouted across the room.
“That’s not helping,” Emily said.
“Whatever. I’m going to my office to die of embarrassment now. Have fun talking to El Pervo.” Lindsey stood from the desk and began walking back to her office. Spinning on her heel, she whispered, “You’d better tell me what ended up happening with the Sheikh!” before she was lost again within the office cubicles.
Emily could feel her giddiness rising just by thinking about the new man of her dreams. Her excitement soon died down though, as she realized she had to go in and talk to Mike. Odds were he wasn’t happy with her missing a day of work.
She bit her lip and made her way to his office, some of her colleagues staring pointedly at her as she approached the door. She didn’t blame them; generally speaking, if someone was going into Mike’s office, it wasn’t for a good reason.
“Well if it isn’t the little missus, come to sprinkle my office with vaguely flirtatious comments?” Mike said as he stood up and shut his office door behind him. He pushed a seat out with the tip of his boot and raised his brows as if telling her to sit.
Somewhat hesitantly, Emily went and sat in the chair across from his desk. “Not really,” she brushed him off in a lighthearted tone.
Mike may have been sleazy, but the man knew how to decorate an office. His room was all glass and mahogany, with large bookshelves featuring first editions of rare historical novels. He liked to read, she knew that much, which she always found that odd, considering how slimy he seemed otherwise.
“Little lady, I think you’ve got some explaining to do.”
“I do?” she said nervously, rolling up the sleeves of her cardigan.
“Yup.” Mike raised his brows and started thumbing through some papers, flipping them pointedly as his eyes darted up to hers. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I know exactly what’s going on with you.”