So, she’d decided that he wasn’t one. He was just a wealthy businessman with a beautiful accent that made her feel wanted and beautiful.
She’d just reached the door when she heard a voice behind her.
“Leaving so soon?” the voice snarled.
Rayne turned slowly, shocked to hear such an offensive, judgmental tone. “Excuse me?”
“Usually, the ladies of the night stay until morning. They earn more money if they go for another round when he wakes up.”
Rayne’s mouth fell open, shocked and more deeply hurt than she could have imagined. “Um…yes.” She looked around, pulling her dignity around her like a protective shield. “Well, I’m sure that those…ladies of the night…” she swallowed past the knot in her throat, “are very talented and earn everything they are paid.”
Without another word, she stepped out of the suite and into the hallway, blinking back the tears. As soon as she closed the door though, there were two more men, big, scary looking men, who stepped in her pathway.
“Let me pass,” she snapped. She was angry and hurt enough to…do just about anything just now.
The men shifted reluctantly, allowing her to pass, but she had to turn sideways to get past them. Was that on purpose? Did they get a thrill making her rub herself on them?
She shivered with revulsion, furious that she was being treated this way. She straightened her shoulders and stalked down the hallway, not daring to say a word. Because what could she really say? She’d slept with a man she barely knew and these men must be used to that happening with Kular. She was simply another woman in a long line that passed through his bedroom. Obviously, many of them were paid for their professional services.
At the elevator, she pressed the button for the lobby, not sure where she was but suspecting that she was in the opposite tower of the hotel. The only way to get to the other tower was to go to the lobby and use the other set of elevators.
Which meant she couldn’t break down just yet. There was no way she was going to be a sobbing mess as she walked across the elegant hotel lobby.
So, with her head held high, she hurried across the lobby and towards the other bank of elevators. Thankfully, she was able to slip into an elevator quickly and was blessedly alone as she rode up the elevator to her floor.
Five minutes later, she was naked, her dress and underwear shoved into the trashcan. There was no way she’d ever wear those clothes again and it made her feel slightly better to crush the delicate material. She almost tossed the pearls into the trash as well, but then remembered that they were a gift from Josh. She’d never disrespect the man to that level by trashing a gift that had probably been very expensive. So instead, she carefully tucked the pearl necklace back into its case, then put it in her suitcase. She tossed the earrings into the trash though, not wanting to ever wear them again.
After that, she packed up all of her clothes except for an outfit for tomorrow on the flight home, and a big, comfy tee shirt that she’d sleep in tonight. Rayne thought about slipping in between the sheets and sobbing her heart out, but the thought of getting between the clean sheets when she felt so filthy, wasn’t an option. Instead, she stepped into the shower, and once the warm water touched her naked body, only then did she let the emotions rip through her. Sobbing her heart out, she scrubbed her body from head to toe, desperately trying to get the memory of Kular’s touch off her skin and out of her mind.
She’d made a mistake, she thought as she sank to the floor of the shower, letting the warm water washed away her tears, wrapping her arms around her knees. A really bad mistake! She’d ventured into this new world, taken a risk, and tried to enjoy this new phase in her life. But all of the humiliation from that day so long ago echoed through her thoughts, the movers dumping all of their furniture onto the curb in the rain, her neighbors and classmates peering out the window in horror, pity dripping from their expressions….
A long time later, Rayne pulled herself up from the floor of the shower and started washing her body all over again. She was almost violent in her need to get the scent of Kular off her skin, but in the end, she realized that his scent was in her mind, not on her skin.
When she turned off the water, her fingers were wrinkled. She dried herself off, brushed her teeth, and pulled on the tee shirt and a clean pair of panties. She slipped into bed just as the door to the suite opened. Vaguely, she heard her sisters’ excited voices and Josh’s deeper tones, but couldn’t rouse herself enough to go out and ask them about their evening.
Tonight had been a mistake, she told herself, stifling another round of tears. Just a silly mistake that she’d laugh about one day.
Chapter 6
Rayne looked at her reflection in the mirror, startled by the puffy circles under her eyes from her bout of crying the previous night. She needed ice or something, but didn’t want to go out and ask for anything that might arouse suspicion. Sloane was a tigress when it came to protecting her sisters and would rip the hotel apart looking for whoever made Rayne cry. So it was better to just hide out until it was time to go.
She pulled on the shorts and tee shirt she’d kept out of her suitcase last night, then tied her hair into a twist, hiding the red locks as much as she could. A ball cap hid the rest of her hair and she slipped on a pair of sunglasses, then moved out onto the patio to absorb some of the morning sunshine before it became too strong for her delicate skin.
“Hey there!” Pepper called out as she walked out onto the patio. She had two cups of coffee in her hands, giving one to Rayne as she sat down on the next chair.
Rayne braced herself for the inquisition. But for the first time in her life, Pepper was quiet as she sipped her coffee.
Rayne opened her mouth, searching for a neutral subject, but Pepper simply laid a hand on Rayne’s arm, her eyes warm and understanding.
So instead, Rayne closed her mouth and continued staring out at the horizon, not seeing anything as her mind blanked. Rayne appreciated Pepper’s quiet understanding, but prayed that her sister didn’t know exactly what had happened last night. She didn’t want anyone to know that she’d slept with a man who frequented prostitutes, or that she’d been mistaken for one.
When she’d left Kular last night, she’d thought that the evening had been magical. Transcendent! But after only a few words from that evil man, her memories were now tarnished. No, that was too tame of a word. The evening with Kular was blackened and she felt cheap and used.
Sloane came out onto the patio with her own coffee, sitting down as well. The three sisters stared silently off into the distance. Absently, Rayne wondered if something was wrong with Sloane, if something had happened to her last night too. Pepper seemed…well, she seemed to understand that they both needed silence and just sat with them, offering wordless comfort.
About an hour later, Sloane looked at her watch and stood up. “It’s time to go,” she announced, her features tight and anxious, her voice hoarse.
Rayne stood, a part of her wishing to ask Sloane what was wrong. But she couldn’t seem to step out of her own mind. It was a totally self-centered pity party, but Rayne moved inside and gathered her suitcase and purse.
“I can take that for you, ma’am,” the bellhop offered.
Sloane looked at him through her sunglasses, which she hadn’t bothered to take off, and shook her head. “I’ve got it,” she told him firmly, unwilling to accept help. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, because her stomach cringed at the thought of food. So, she’d stepped out into the hallway, heading for the elevators. She didn’t want to talk with anyone, but no one in their party seemed inclined to converse anyway. It was a silent walk to the limousine and a quiet ride to the airport.
Once on Josh’s luxurious plane, he went to the rear of the plane, just as he had on the flight here, and disappeared. Rayne took one of the soft, leather seats, buckling herself in and then stared blankly out the window. But she didn’t see the beautiful city as the plane lifted away from the earth. She didn’t see
the glistening ocean as they traveled over the Atlantic. Nor did she really acknowledge the changing light as the day progressed. Perhaps the flight attendant offered some food, but Rayne didn’t notice.
When the plane finally landed, everyone disembarked and Josh, always the gentleman, had a limousine waiting to take the three of them back to their house, although he took a separate car. Rayne vaguely noticed that Josh and Sloane didn’t speak, but she was still too wrapped up in her own misery to figure out what was going on.
Chapter 7
“Where did she go?” Kular demanded of Hashim. He’d woken up only moments ago, his mind and body ready to make love to Rayne all over again, then take her out to buy her a diamond ring. He was more determined now than ever to marry her. After last night, he wanted his ring on his finger. Never before had he felt this kind of possessive urgency. But everything about Rayne was different. He’d known that from the first moment he’d seen her.
“She left last night, Your Highness,” Hashim replied with a small bow of deference.
For a long moment, Kular simply stared at his aide. “Left? When?” He demanded.
“I believe she left just before midnight. Carrying her shoes, Your Highness.”
Kular glared, furious at the man for his tone, which practically dripped with disdain. “That’s my future wife you are speaking of, Hashim. Choose your words carefully.”
The man’s face paled, then turned an unflattering shade of red. Never before had Kular seen him flustered. The newness of the situation caused some of his anger to dissipate. But only some.
“Why did she leave?”
Hashim shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, Your Highness. She just left and…”
Kular’s eyes narrowed, sensing that something had occurred. Something bad. “What happened?”
Hashim straightened, still upset, but trying to appear calm. And failing miserably! “She smiled the way women always do when they leave, then slipped out the door. She didn’t leave a card with her address, if that’s what you’re asking, Your Highness.”
Kular was ready to floor the man for his impertinence. Rayne was allowed to come across as sarcastic or mocking when addressing him, but only Rayne!
“Find her!” he snapped, and stalked back into his bedroom to shower. He wanted to find her and…hell, he wanted to bend her over his knee and spank her for leaving him in the middle of the night like…like someone who was ashamed to be with him.
That thought stopped him and he looked around, wondering if that’s what she thought. Over the course of the short two days of their acquaintance, she’d repeatedly tried to understand who he was and why he was pursuing her. She’d accused him of being a con artist at one point and an indolent, spoiled, wealthy brat at another. But never had she suspected that he was ruler of one of the most powerful countries in the mid-east with oil riches beyond imagining. She had no idea how powerful he was or that a single word from him could shift another country’s economy or change the direction of global financial markets.
Which was exactly why he loved her so much. And yes, it was love. It wasn’t simple lust. He’d experienced lust before and never had it accompanied this aching need to protect and pamper, as well as a demanding, driving, insane need to make love to her until she was so drenched in pleasure she couldn’t move, let alone leave him.
Why the hell had he fallen asleep last night? She’d snuck away because he’d been so exhausted. He’d been in meetings with his advisors all day, discussing the repercussions of marrying someone not from his country, or even someone from an ally’s country. It was unheard of and his advisors had been outraged. But, as in all things, Kular had won the argument, explaining that Rayne was a beautiful, intelligent woman with opinions and ambitions – traits that she would pass on to their children. The thought of an heir, a strong, powerful heir, had almost instantly changed their minds about Rayne. When Kular had explained that he would make it his number one priority to produce that heir right after the wedding, they had laughed and agreed that Rayne Abbot would be welcomed into their country with open arms.
So where the hell had she gone? He couldn’t propose to the redheaded beauty if he couldn’t find her!
He pulled on a pair of jeans and a loose shirt and hurried out of the penthouse suite. He’d wait in the lobby while his security guards tracked her down. Surely, the hotel had a record of her name and other information. He even knew which suite she’d been in. Hell, his whole security team had escorted her to her suite the other night.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” his lead guard said and Kular’s stomach tightened. “But no one has any information about the woman. There’s no record of a woman named ‘Rayne’ staying in the suite.”
Had he given them the wrong room number? “Who is staying there then?” he demanded.
“A man by the name of Joshua Starke. He’s a…”
Kular waved his hand in the air. “I know Josh. He’s a brilliant business man. But was she staying with him?’
“I don’t have that information yet, Your Highness.”
Kular rubbed his forehead. “Check the airlines. There has to be a record of her departure and where she went.”
The man bowed his head. “We are looking into that. We’re also going on the assumption that she gave you a false name. There can’t be that many redheads flying into or out of the country on any given day. She would have gone through security at several points and we’re working with the airport authorities. We’ll find her.”
Three hours later, Kular was ready to roar with frustration. So far, no one was able to find Rayne, nor even discover her last name. He’d thought he’d seen her walking through the lobby about an hour ago, but the woman walking had her head bowed and her hair hidden. The Rayne he knew would never bow her head. She was too proud. The other woman wore sunglasses and long, baggy shorts. Rayne’s figure was shockingly round and sensuous and she wore clothes that enhanced her figure.
So no, the woman slinking through the lobby couldn’t have been his Rayne. So, where the hell was she?
Chapter 8
“Are you Rayne Abbot?” a voice asked from behind her.
Rayne had just stepped into the lobby of Gold Coast Technology. Her first day of her first real job. Oh, she’d had internships every summer during her college years, but this job was the beginning of the next phase in her life. On the flight home from Monaco, Rayne had forced herself to banish all thoughts of Kular. She’d made a mistake, one she would never make again. She vowed never to become intimate with a man until she knew him, really knew him and his family and his past and…well, she wasn’t going to be duped again. With that in mind, she’d ruthlessly pulled herself out of her funk and got down to the business of moving on with her life.
So here she was, ready to dive in and get to work.
She turned to the man calling her name and pasted on a bright, professional smile of greeting. “Yes. I’m Rayne Abbot,” she replied, extending her hand to the man approaching her.
His eyes smiled down at her, taking in her red hair, which she’d pulled back this morning. Rayne wanted to be treated as a professional and too many people saw her red hair and pale skin, dismissing her as too tender or weak or…whatever. She was tough, strong, and anyone who had known her life would understand that.
“Welcome,” he said, shaking her hand a bit more enthusiastically than she’d prefer. “I’m David Keffler. I’m the team lead for the group and we’re excited to have you on board.”
“Thank you. It’s good to be here and I’m ready to get to work.”
The man’s smile widened and he shifted slightly, gesturing towards the elevator. “Let’s get you through security. You’ll need a badge since a lot of our work is confidential or top secret. After the formalities, I’ll give you a tour of the campus, introduce you to your team, and then I’ll show you to your workstation. There’s a ton of documentation on what the team has been doing so far. You’ll need to read up on everything, so th
ere’s no duplication of effort. And once you’ve read through our work to date, then you can get started.”
Rayne liked the sound of that. Security was a breeze, since she’d already gone through the background checks and was cleared prior to her hiring. After getting her badge, she followed David around the campus as he walked through the four buildings that made up the company’s campus here in San Diego. After that, he took her to the lab where the team worked and she smiled, greeting all of her new coworkers. Finally, she was brought to her workstation in the laboratory, and a small table on wheels was pushed over to her lab station, stacked with binders filled with papers. “This is the documentation that I need to read?” she asked, looking at everything with wide eyes.
“That’s just the first batch,” David explained with a chuckle. “We’ve been working on this project for a while. There’s been some progress, but a lot of setbacks, so this documentation will get you up to speed,” he explained, placing a hand on top of the tallest stack of binders.
Rayne felt a surge of power with the challenge in the man’s eyes. “I’m on it,” she told him confidently. “I’m guessing that these binders can’t leave the building?”
He chuckled as he nodded. “Exactly. This is a top-secret project. We’ve received some funding from the government, but since this technology can be used in so many applications, there are several other companies that are fighting to create the same thing. Well,” he chuckled, “hopefully, not the exact same thing! We’re going to figure it out first, right?”
“Exactly!” she replied, which was obviously the right answer.
The man walked away and Rayne picked up the first binder and started reading, unaware of the passing of time. By the middle of the afternoon, her back ached from leaning over while reading, but she simply shifted in her chair and found a more comfortable position.
Pregnant With the Sheik's Heir (The Abbot Sisters Book 2) Page 7