by Leslie North
He had barely paid attention to Vanessa even though she was drop dead gorgeous and was everything that he had wanted in a spouse. Except that she was not Claire.
He loved Claire.
“Taleb?” Zoe had been speaking but Taleb was not responding.
“Yes, sorry.” Taleb replied. He tried to listen to what Zoe was saying but all he could think about was Claire and how much of a fool he had been. All this time she was right before his eyes and he hadn't even seen her.
“I’m sorry, Zoe. I realize that you went to all this trouble to make this delightful picnic but I have to go. Please, excuse me,” he said as he stood up and headed to his car. Zoe looked confused as she stared up at him.
“Where are you going?” she called after him but he didn’t reply.
Arriving on campus, he parked his car and headed over to Dean Parker’s office. Rushing into his office, his secretary looked up startled, as he panted:
“I’m looking for Claire Anderson,” he told her. “She doesn’t work at the law library anymore, where is she?”
Before she could reply, the Dean opened his office door. “Sheik Sharqi, it is good to see you,” the Dean told him as he exited his office to shake his hand.
Frowning, Taleb was not in the mood for the Dean’s chatter, as he repeated his question.
“Why don’t you come into my office and we can talk,” the Dean offered as Taleb shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I’m looking for Claire; I do not have time to...” Before Taleb could finish, the Dean had stepped back into his office and held the door open for him. Sighing, he followed him inside and reluctantly sat down.
“So, why are you looking for Miss Anderson?” the Dean asked.
“There is something that I must speak to her about, immediately,” Taleb responded.
“I am sorry, she left yesterday.”
Taleb straightened, “Left? Left for where?”
“She left the university. She no longer works here.”
Taleb's face dropped. This could not be happening. He suddenly realized his feelings for her and now she was gone. Taleb felt like punching something.
“Where did she go?” he asked.
“I am sorry, I’m not at liberty to say,” the Dean replied, as he looked at Taleb curiously.
“Are you kidding me?” he shouted. He ran his hand through his hair as he got up to leave.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” the Dean asked as Taleb opened his office door to leave.
Shaking his head, he left the office and returned to his car. He punched the steering wheel a couple of times and swore under his breath. Claire was gone and nowhere to be found. He was too late.
Chapter 19
Claire was finally officially starting at MIT’s library. It was nice and quiet, not as impressive as Harvard was, but there was no Zoe, no Daniel, and no Taleb. It was a fresh start for her and one that she knew she needed.
She still missed Taleb. Desperately so. When she had confessed to Kim that she had slept with him, she was prepared to fly to the States immediately to be with her, but Claire managed to put her off.
She wasn’t even sure why she was wasting her time thinking about him, as she wondered how Zoe measured up to his list of expectations in a wife. While she definitely fit all the physical attributes, having never met her, she had no idea what her personality was like. Claire sighed as she placed a stack of books on the cart and headed toward their designated location.
As she walked, she couldn’t help but notice that most of the students seemed to be eating, which was prohibited in the library. Pushing the cart to the side, she was about to say something when she realized that it was Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Puzzled, she started looking at all of them and saw that they were all eating Ben and Jerry’s.
What on earth is going on?
“Claire,” came a deep voice from behind her. She almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to see a man walking toward her carrying two more containers of Ben and Jerry’s. Handing her the cookie dough one, she accepted it as she looked at him.
“Taleb,” she breathed. “How did you find me?”
“It was not easy. Can we please go someplace more private to talk?” he asked her as he opened his container, pulled out the plastic scoop, dipped it in and took a bite. Closing his eyes, he savored his bite as he looked at her with a smile, “I must admit that I prefer this flavor to your cookie dough.”
Clutching the ice cream, Claire turned on her heel and led him into one of the study rooms. Turning on the light, she stared blindly around as he shut the door behind them and locked it.
“Aren’t you going to eat your ice cream?” he asked her as he looked at her in bemusement. Staring at it, Claire set it down. “Well, that’s a first,” he commented.
Claire blinked a couple times. She was having a hard time comprehending the situation. Had Taleb really come to look for her? Why would he look for her? Surely if he needed another tour guide, he could easily find one. And was he really eating ice cream?
“What do you want, Taleb?” she finally asked.
“Well, more ice cream for one. Are…you…not…hungry?” he asked as she shook her head distractedly. Reaching for her abandoned ice cream, he pulled the top off and took a bite. She was right, it really was good.
Reaching for the chair in front of her, Claire clutched the back, digging her fingers into it. “Taleb.”
“How could you just up and leave like that?”
“I...I didn't.” Claire cleared her throat. “I was going to transfer anyway.”
“You were going to transfer all this while and yet you never said anything?” Taleb sounded annoyed. He set the ice cream down as Claire shrugged her shoulders.
“Why would I tell you that?” Claire crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you even here?”
“I have been looking for you.”
“Why?”
“Because you left without saying a word. You simply left.”
Claire raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I left...” Claire’s voice trailed off because she did not understand why he was so bothered about her leaving. So bothered that he had come to find her. Taleb sighed heavily and moved closer to Claire. He held her shoulders and searched her brown eyes.
“I am here because I have fallen in love with you,” he said to her. Claire's eyes flew open.
“What?” She wasn’t sure what she was hearing was correct. There was no way that he had fallen in love with her. Things like that didn’t happen.
“Claire, I love you,” he repeated.
“Impossible,” she whispered.
“Why is that impossible?” he asked her as Claire turned her head away. She couldn’t look at him.
“Because I do not fit your criteria.”
“Well, screw the damn criteria.”
Claire looked up at him startled and stared into his eyes. She needed to know that his words were true.
“I have been trying so hard to control every aspect of my life, and in doing so, I failed to realize that you cannot choose who you love.”
“What has gotten into you?” she asked him, as she stared at him.
“You have!” Taleb pulled Claire closer to him. “You made your way into my heart.”
“I have?”
“Yes. Claire, I love you and only you. I do not want anyone else and I am not going to let you get away.”
“Not even Zoe?”
“No, I want you, Claire. I pick you.”
Claire still wasn’t sure she believed what he was saying. “Why not? She fits your criteria.”
“Not all of it. It seems that I left the most important item off my list.” At Claire’s quizzical look, he cupped the side of her face as he smiled down at her, “You.”
A tremulous smile began to appear on Claire’s face as she reached her hand up to touch Taleb's face. Her insecurities had almost cost her Taleb. He was there in her face, telling her how much he loved her and she was still d
oubting him.
“I love you, too,” she whispered. Taleb reached into his pocket and pulled out a red velvet box. He dropped to one knee.
“Claire, I love you and I want you. I tried to search for the perfect woman when you were right there under my nose the entire time. I regret how long it took me to realize it and I will not waste another second without you. Marry me.”
Claire stared at the ring and then at Taleb and then back again. Tears threatened to fall as she realized that for the first time in her life, she was being picked first.
“Yes! Yes! I will marry you,” she told him as she let the tears fall.
“Yes?”
“Yes.” Claire nodded vigorously. Taleb laughed and took the huge diamond ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. He kissed her hand, rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her breathless.
Claire giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Taleb asked her.
“It seems that libraries are good luck charms for us. We shared our first kiss in a library and now you’ve just proposed to me in a library.”
Pulling her tightly against him, he leaned his head against her ear, “Well, the door is locked. Is there another first you would like to have in a library?”
Grinning ear to ear, “Oh, my, yes,” Claire responded as she pushed against his chest. Sitting on the table, she reached for the discarded ice cream. “I’ve never eaten in the library,” she told him with a mischievous grin. Looking down, she frowned, “And I guess I won’t be since it’s already melted.”
“Claire, if it would make you happy, we will have Ben and Jerry’s at every meal,” he told her solemnly.
“Really?”
“Oh, Claire, I love you so much. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” he whispered as Claire threw her arms around him.
“I love you, too, Taleb,” she told him as she kissed him. “But since the ice cream has melted, come to think of it, there is something else I haven’t done in a library yet. You did say the door was locked, right?”
Claire laughed as Taleb pushed her back on the table and followed her down. Kissing her senseless, his hand found its way to the hem of her shirt, as he lifted it up and slid his hand under to cup her breast. Moaning, she arched into his hand as her nipple puckered beneath his warm hand.
Standing, he stepped between her legs as he lifted her skirt up around her waist. Reaching for her panties, he pulled them off and tossed them on the table before dragging a chair over to sit down.
“I have to say that in situations like this, I’m really glad that you do occasionally wear a skirt,” he teased as he draped her legs over his shoulders.
Before she could respond, he blew a hot breath on her already swollen tissue causing her to moan in response. Wrapping his hands around her thighs, he lifted her toward his mouth, as he licked up her slit. Finding her clit, he pushed her hood up exposing the hard little nub before he swiped his tongue over it.
Claire bit her finger to keep from crying out. She had never felt so naughty in her life as she briefly wondered what the people in the library would think if they knew what was going on inside the study room.
She gasped when he inserted first one and then two fingers between her folds and began to pump in and out as he sucked on her clit.
Moaning, Claire rocked her hips up toward him, as he began to pump faster. With a small cry, she arched up into his mouth, as he chuckled, the vibration increasing the intensity of her orgasm.
As she was coming down, she could hear an insistent tapping, as Taleb straightened her skirt and helped her to sit up. Still feeling dazed, she couldn’t figure out what was causing the noise until he cracked the door open.
Looking up, she was surprised to see Malil standing there as they exchanged quiet words. As Taleb was shutting the door, Claire caught Malil’s stare as he nodded and smiled at her.
Turning around, Taleb watched Claire slap her hand over her mouth as she laughed into it, kicking her legs as she laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
Shaking her head, “Nothing really. It’s just that I’ve never enjoyed wearing dresses or skirts but I’ve had to wear them for work and well, seriously rethinking that now,” she replied as she continued to laugh.
Chapter 20
Claire sat outside in the Middle Eastern sun enjoying her Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. After Taleb proposed to her, she realized that there was nothing keeping her in Boston, so she quit her job, packed up her things, and happily returned with him. It was all too perfect. She had the love of her life there and her best friend. What more could she want?
“Hey,” Taleb called out as he walked out onto the patio to join Claire. He kissed her on the forehead and sat down at the table with her.
“Hey, yourself,” she replied.
“I’m surprised that there is still Ben and Jerry’s left after you and Kim attacked it. I’m impressed.”
Claire grinned at him, took a spoonful and fed it to him. “It's nice, isn't it?” she asked him.
“It's not bad.”
Claire shoved him playfully. “You know it's delicious,” she told him and fed him another spoon. She was so happy and relaxed. The weather was just right, she was eating ice cream and she was with Taleb.
“Hello, love birds,” Kim said as she walked out with Karim. Claire turned her head and smiled at them.
“Hey, love birds,” Claire said back as she jumped up to hug her friend.
“Wherever Claire is, there is a tub of Ben and Jerry’s,” Kim teased as Claire laughed.
“That is too true,” Taleb agreed.
“Let the woman enjoy her ice cream,” Karim said. Claire looked at him and nodded.
“Thank you.”
“So how did you two meet?” Karim asked. Taleb had only told him bits and pieces of the story but not everything. Taleb and Claire looked at each other.
Claire kept eating her ice cream and left Taleb to tell the story. He cleared his throat and started speaking. She laughed as she listened to his version.
After Karim and Kim left, Taleb stood up and pulled Claire to her feet.
“Come, there’s something I want to show you,” he told her mysteriously, as he took her hand and pulled her out toward the garden. As they walked, he pointed out areas of the garden, as Claire stopped to smell the flowers.
Plucking a hibiscus, he tucked it behind her ear and kissed her on the nose before heading deeper into the garden. As they rounded a corner, Claire was surprised to see a small manmade lagoon.
“I know how much you like water. While it isn’t big enough to kayak in, I thought that you might enjoy…” Taleb’s voice trailed off as Claire stepped away from him and began pulling off her clothes. “What are you doing?”
Turning her head to look at him over her shoulder, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going for a swim.”
“But you do not have a swimsuit with you.”
“So?” Turning to face him, she made a come here motion with her hand as she walked to the water’s edge. Continuing to move backwards, she stepped into the water and swam out to the middle, sighing. “I have to admit, it’s much warmer than the Charles River.”
She started laughing when Taleb began pulling his clothes off. Unbuttoning his trousers, he pulled them down before realizing that he had yet to take his shoes off. Claire roared with laughter as he hopped up and down with his pants around his knees before he finally got his shoes off. Quickly shedding the remainder of his clothes, he dove into the water and swam toward her, stopping in front of her as he grabbed her around the waist.
“Were you laughing at me?” he demanded as she continued to giggle. Unable to speak yet, she merely nodded her head and yelped as he dunked her in the water.
“Hey!” she complained as she surfaced, sputtering.
“That was not funny,” he told her in a scolding tone.
Grinning at him, “It was a little funny,” she teased before she quickly
swam away from his reach.
Swimming around the pool, she couldn’t believe that this was even here, as she turned to ask him about it. She blushed when she caught his stare. Ducking under the water, she swam along the bottom before rising up slowly in front of him, as he placed his hands on her hips to keep her from swimming away again.