And would that generosity of spirit continue during today’s experience? She certainly hoped so.
As soon as he was settled and the limousine pulling away from the building, he turned to look at her. “So what are we are doing tonight that is so much better than a relaxing dinner with me?”
She laughed, clapping her hands together excitedly. “You know that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, right?”
“Yes. It’s an odd tradition you Americans have. I never understood the appeal of having twenty different food options during a meal.”
Danielle tilted her head. “Twenty different options? Good grief! That’s a lot!” Shaking her head, she focused back on their night’s mission. “But tonight, we’re not making twenty different options. Just turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Oh – and lots of pumpkin pies!”
He stared at her and Danielle shifted uncomfortably. “I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to help out tonight. It’s just…this was a tradition that we had as a family and…” her voice tapered off self-consciously. “You’re right, this is silly.” She turned in her seat and stared out the window. “I’m sorry. I know that something like preparing a massive meal for the homeless shelter probably isn’t safe for you.”
He took her hand, uncurling the fingers that had formed a fist. When she looked up into his dark eyes, something inside of her relaxed.
“I would be honored to help tonight. If this is something that is important to you, I’d like to see how things work. If you would like my company, that is.”
Mika watched her pretty eyes shift from worried to excited once again. The woman’s eyes were definitely a window to her soul. Every emotion played out in her beautiful green eyes. “It really is exciting. We get everything ready tonight and then arrive early tomorrow morning to get all the food in the oven. Serving the meal to everyone is just…amazing! I love serving these people, and hearing their stories, listening to them talk and laugh and enjoy the meal that we prepared for them. It’s one of the most amazing experiences of my entire year.”
He couldn’t stop the chuckle. The women of his past would have named some shopping expedition or watching a top designer’s runway show in Paris to be one of the top events of their years. His kind and too-soft-hearted Danielle enjoyed preparing, cooking, and serving for a group of homeless people. She was charming and caring. And her generous spirit only made her more desirable.
“It sounds like a wonderful evening,” he lied. In reality, he could think of nothing more tedious than cooking. True, he’d never done it before. But he hired excellent chefs to do that task for him so that he never needed to enter a kitchen. But, he was willing to try.
As she explained what each of the volunteers did for a living during the rest of the year and their preferred tasks for the night, he watched her animated features, fascinated all over again by her beauty, as well as her enthusiasm for the night’s events.
Ten minutes later, the limousine pulled up outside of what looked like a barren, desolate building with black stains on the concrete walls and a basketball hoop that had long ago lost its rope net. Several people were hanging out beside the doors of the entrance, balancing precariously on bicycles or skateboards. When his limousine pulled up, everyone’s conversations stopped as they turned to stare.
“Are you sure this area is safe?” he asked, peering outside of the windows of the limousine. His guards were a bit taken aback as well, all of them surveying the area with caution.
Danielle nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” she laughed and slipped out of the limousine. She turned and waited for Mika to step out as well before proceeding inside.
“Joshua! How’s your momma doing?” she called to one of the teenagers balancing on his bike.
“She’s doing good, Ms. Danielle! How’s Oz? Is he somewhere out in the world being a badass?” the boy called Joshua asked.
Danielle gave him a hug, much to Mika’s astonishment.
“You’re better than that, Joshua. You don’t need to use foul language to get attention,” she reminded him with a hand on both of his shoulders. “You’re a good person with a brilliant future and you let yourself down when you use lazy language.”
The boy blushed and lowered his head slightly. “Sorry Ms. Danielle. I know. You’ve told me.” He looked up at her with a huge grin. “Hey, I got an A in my English class though!”
“Awesome!” she exclaimed, lifting her hand for a high-five. “I knew you could do it! But it took you knowing it before it could happen. I’m really proud of you!”
The boy grinned as Danielle turned to the second boy who immediately straightened now that a beautiful woman was showing him attention. “And Darrel, how are things with your mom? When is the baby due again?”
“Two more weeks,” Darrel announced proudly. “She’s huge, Ms. Danielle! You should see her!”
Danielle put both of her hands on her hips and shook her head, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that denied any admonition. “Don’t you dare say anything about your mother’s weight! She probably is miserable right about now.”
Darrel laughed and lifted his hands in the air. “I don’t say it around her. Promise! But,” he chuckled again, “she really is huge!”
Danielle laughed and gave him a hug too. “You’re really horrible, but a good guy.” When she pulled back, she looked him in the eyes. “Don’t spend so much time taking care of your mom and the baby that you forget to take care of yourself, okay? You have that internship this winter. Ryker is counting on you.”
He smiled and nodded. “I got it. Think long term, is what Ryker tells me.”
“Exactly. You have to think long term.” She pulled back and stepped closer to Mika and he was relieved to know that she hadn’t forgotten his presence here. “Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet His Royal Highness, Mika al Jiffrar, Sheik of Stilan.”
Both teens straightened, eyes wide with shock. “No sh…” Darrel stopped and looked at Danielle, correcting his language before speaking the foul word. “I mean, kidding? You’re a real, live sheik?”
Mika extended his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Darrel,” Mika said. Turning to the other boy, he did the same. “And you Joshua. I understand that you are both in school. What is your favorite subject?”
“Math,” Joshua answered, straightening to his full height. “I love it, sir. Your Highness. Or whatever. You’re really a sheik? A real sheik?”
Darrel punched the guy on the shoulder. “Dude, that’s the guy who was on television a while ago. He was with some gorgeous princess-lady in that country that threw out the dictator dude.”
“I believe you are referring to Ditra,” Mika laughed. “And yes, my country supported Princess Ilara’s claim to rule the country. She gained power after her marriage to Sheik Jabril, a personal friend of mine.”
“Yeah!” Joshua laughed. “That was really cool. She’s all powerful and stuff now. My mom loves that a woman is ruling a country.” He chuckled. “She keeps telling my little sister that she needs to be President of the United States.”
Danielle clapped her hands. “Oh, Gabby would be a wonderful president!”
Darrel groaned. “Don’t let Gabby hear you say that. She’s already studying and stuff, telling us about laws and being irritating.” He shook his head, but the ghost of a smile around his mouth told Mika that he was proud of his little sister.
“I would be honored to represent my country when your sister takes the oath of office,” Mika stated and bowed ever so slightly.
Both boys stared. “No…” again, they stopped and glanced at Danielle. “I’m going to tell her that,” Joshua announced, grinning from ear to ear.
Mika laughed, thinking the boys were cute. He didn’t say so though, thinking that boys strived to appear manly.
The reward for his comments was Danielle moving closer, linking her arm with his. As he looked down at her, he realized that there was no greater gift he could have given her than to offer the
small amount of encouragement he’d just provided to these teenagers.
“Are you ready to get started?” she asked, smiling up at him with glowing, emerald eyes.
“I’m at your service,” he replied, placing a hand over hers. It was the first time she’d initiated any sort of touch and he thoroughly enjoyed it. The sensation wasn’t sexual, although he was already aroused simply because she was nearby. No, this sensation was…different. It struck something deep inside of him, a need he’d never realized was there.
“Let’s go, then!” she led him through the doors of the drab building, all the while, Mika tried to sort through the mix of emotions this gentle woman created within him.
“George!” she called out and a tall, muscular man with dark skin and darker tattoos on his arm turned. As soon as the man spotted Danielle, he grinned and put down the box he’d been carrying.
“Hey there, lady! It’s about time you showed up!” and a moment later, those strong arms enveloped her in a hug. This time, Mika didn’t like the affectionate gesture. Not even a little. He stood back, frowning at the other man who seemed to know Danielle.
Danielle chatted easily with George, catching up on what his girlfriend was up to and finding out how his three children were doing in school. He had two kids that had already finished college, another starting her freshman year the following fall and he was incredibly proud of all of them.
But even more powerful was the odd sensation caused by whatever Mika was feeling behind her. There was a strange vibe coming at her and it made her feel uncomfortable. As soon as she stepped back from George, the feeling eased slightly. Was it jealousy? Was Mika jealous of George? It was possible, but improbable. George was such a sweet guy, but he was no threat to Mika, who towered over both of them by about a foot. George was barely half an inch taller than Danielle, even though he had more muscles than she did. He was ex-military, like Oz, Ryker, and Jayce. And just like her employers, George was a good friend. Nothing more!
George laughed at something she said, then glanced over at the busy kitchen area. “Are you ready to get to work? We have a lot of volunteers signed up to help tomorrow, but all of the heavy work happens tonight.”
“I’m ready,” she told him. “We both are,” she indicated Mika behind her. “This is Mika al Jiffrar. He’s going to be helping out tonight as well. Just tell us what you need us to do and we’ll get it done.”
Danielle ignored the raised eyebrows from Mika and focused on George, knowing that he needed to prepare enough food for about three hundred people tonight. It wouldn’t be just the homeless people who lived in the area who needed a hot, celebratory meal. Many of the families in the nearby neighborhoods couldn’t afford to make a Thanksgiving meal either. They would be here tomorrow, hoping for a warm meal as well.
“This way,” he hefted the box, leading the way into the kitchens where several people were already hard at work. “How about if one of you starts peeling potatoes and the other can chop up vegetables?”
Danielle pulled off her coat, hanging it on a hook over by the doorway. She’d obviously been here before because she knew where everything was.
For the next several hours, Danielle smiled her way through the preparations for the huge Thanksgiving meal. She loved it! It was such a good time with everyone laughing and joking, celebrating food and their connections with each other. But she kept an eye on Mika, hoping that he wasn’t bored.
Danielle had to admit that he was a magnificent worker! He peeled what seemed like thousands of potatoes, cut the ends off of about a million string beans, and then even went so far as to help dice the onions for the dressing. He didn’t complain…ever! Not even when he was handed a white apron to keep his black training clothes from getting messy. He just kept going. George gave him the easier tasks, but Mika was always there to help with the other, heavier lifting whenever his impressive muscles were needed. Such as when the massive container filled with eggs needed moving, it was Mika that carried it over to the table for Jennifer, who was working on the desserts.
By the end of the evening, there were dozens of containers with turkey, stuffing, green beans, and mashed potatoes ready to be put into the oven early tomorrow morning.
When everything was ready, Danielle was wiped out and smelled like onions and grease. Even though they hadn’t cooked anything, the smell of grease permeated the room and made her feel a bit icky.
She smiled through her exhaustion at Mika as she hung her apron on a hook in the back. She knew that he must be was just as tired, but somehow he didn’t look wiped out.
“Thank you for all of your help today. You didn’t have to be here all this time.”
He reached out and touched her cheek and Danielle was too tired to stop herself from leaning in to that touch.
“You look like you are about to fall over.”
She winced. “That bad, huh?”
He didn’t answer her question, but said simply, “Let me take you home.”
Nodding, she reached for her coat, but he was already there, lifting it down off the hook and holding it out so she could easily slip her arms into the sleeves. When she was appropriately bundled into her wool coat, he put a hand to the small of her back, guiding her through the now-quiet kitchen and dining room. The limousine was waiting outside, warm and toasty inside, and she sighed with relief that the preparations for the big meal were over.
When the driver pulled up outside of her house, she turned to him, smothering a yawn. “Would you like to come in for some coffee?”
He laughed softly, lifting her hand to kiss her fingers. “You are exhausted, my dear. We will talk later.”
Chapter 13
The following morning, Mika sighed as he stared at the dreary building, thinking that there were a thousand other things he could be doing today.
Instead, he pushed open the door and, with grim determination, walked towards the entrance. There were several people heading into the building and he nodded to several of them, ignoring the surprise as the strangers eyed his sleek limousine, then the jeans and cashmere sweater he’d pulled on today specifically for this event. They looked dubious and suspicious.
The music was the first thing to hit him as he stepped through the doors of the community center. There was music and laughter where he would have anticipated sadness and desperation. These people didn’t have enough money to buy food. But as he looked around, everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. There was a stereo set up at one end of the room with several small children dancing energetically. Long tables were filled with people talking and smiling as they ate.
The surprise at what he saw was…interesting. Mika looked around and, sure enough, Danielle was standing in the long line, serving each person as they came by with a plate. She smiled and talked to every person, acting as if they were her long, lost friends.
“Your Highness?” his lead bodyguard asked, clearly wondering what they were doing here. “Your Highness, this isn’t a safe area for you. It will be very difficult to protect you here.”
He looked around, wondering again why he was here instead of back in his penthouse suite where he could be sipping excellent coffee and eating food prepared by the hotel chef. But…Danielle was here. Enough said. “I know. But we’re going to be here for the next few hours.”
The guard nodded, knowing what his duties would be. Mika walked over to Danielle who blinked, then threw her arms around him with an enthusiasm that surprised him.
“You’re here!” she gasped, pulling back from her hug to beam up at him. “Oh wow! I wasn’t expecting you!”
He looked down at her as he held her close, noting that she’d recently been crying and wanted to keep her in his arms. Why she made him react this way was such a mystery, but he didn’t have time to question it. “What can I do to help?” he asked.
The blush that stole up her cheeks was charming, but in this crowd, he couldn’t tease her about her reaction. Instead, she pointed to the spoon sticking out of th
e dressing that he’d helped make yesterday. “How about if you serve the stuffing and I’ll do the potatoes?”
“Will do,” he moved to the enormous pan of stuffing. For the next three hours, he served the bread-based casserole-like concoction, something he’d never tasted before yesterday. The line of people coming through for a meal seemed endless. And yet, he listened to the conversations between the guests and Danielle, fascinated by what she was able to pull out of each person in the short amount of time she had before they moved further down the line.
When the line finally slowed, he looked to his right, searching for and finding Danielle. She’d gone over to talk with George, but she must have felt the same thing, because as soon as his eyes landed on her, she stopped and turned, looking for him. The connection was there and incontrovertible. He stood there, his hands on his hips, willing her to come to him.
And she did! Damn, if she didn’t look stunning in her jeans and heavy sweater, her hair piled on top of her head as she walked towards him with glowing eyes that said…something. He wasn’t exactly sure what. With any other woman, he’d be able to read the look in her eyes. But not Danielle. She constantly kept him guessing.
“Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked, remembering that she needed to move slowly through this obstacle course of a relationship with him.
The smile that curled her full, beautiful lips caused his body to react. Intensely!
“How about dinner?” she offered.
Mika stopped breathing for a long moment, just staring back at her. Was she…? Could she mean…?
“Dinner.”
A slow nod of her head told him that she wasn’t offering just dinner.
“Dinner. Yes.” With that, he turned and looked towards his guards, one of which already had her coat and his own. He held hers for her to slide into, then grabbed his own, tucking it under his arm as he took her hand, hurriedly leading her out of the building. It wasn’t so much that he wanted her alone, but that he didn’t want her to get caught up in another conversation that might delay their departure. For a woman who preferred her office and sitting behind a computer crunching numbers, Mika had discovered over the past two days that Danielle could be a very chatty person.
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