by Sophia Lynn
“Ah, that’s right. You said you were working on a new IVF treatment?”
“Yes.” She eyed him a little warily as she hopped back up on her chair. “The hope is that we can bypass the need for the majority of the injections women need to take by maturing the eggs outside her ovaries.”
“Interesting.” He drew even closer to peer into the microscope. “How can you tell whether or not the eggs have matured?”
Exasperated, Madeline opened her mouth, but a knock at the door interrupted her. Whirling around, she saw her boss, Aisha, standing at the door, dressed in a modest red skirt-suit with a white lab coat thrown over it.
“Hi Madeline, I just came to check in on you and—” Her dark, kohl-rimmed eyes widened at the sight of Zayid as he straightened to look at her. “Oh, Your Highness! I wasn’t expecting a visit from you.”
“Good afternoon.” Zayid smiled, turning the full force of his charm on Aisha, and Madeline bristled. Not out of jealousy, of course, but because he was clearly trying to draw Aisha over to his side. “I’ve heard many good things about you from Vanessa.”
“Oh, well I’ll have to thank her the next time I see her!” Aisha returned his brilliant smile as she approached. “What brings you to our lab today?”
“Well, I came by to say hello to Madeline and see how she was faring on her second day in the laboratory. I’m actually finding her work quite fascinating so far.”
“Oh but isn’t it?” Aisha gushed, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. “If this trial is successful we’ll be able to make IVF much more accessible to the women who can’t withstand the current treatments.”
“Indeed.” Zayid’s eyes gleamed. “I’m thinking it may be a project worthy of some of my funds, but I’ll have to see how it progresses.”
Madeline bit the inside of her cheek as she fumed. That clever bastard! He was doing this on purpose, feigning interest in the project and the possibility of throwing capital at it just so he could have an excuse to be here.
“Well you can stop by the lab anytime,” Aisha insisted. “I’m sure Madeline will be more than happy to keep you updated on the progress of the trial. Isn’t that right?” She asked, peering around Zayid’s broad shoulder at Madeline.
“Of course,” Madeline said smoothly, forcing a smile.
“That’s very kind of you.” Zayid tossed a grin over his shoulder at Madeline, then made a show of checking his watch. “Well, it looks as if I’ve got a meeting to head to, so I must go now. But you can be assured that I’ll be back.”
“Of course! Let me walk you out.”
Madeline watched them go, and as Zayid exited the laboratory room with Aisha, he had the nerve to wink at her over his shoulder, just as she’d done to him when she’d left his hotel room last night.
***
Zayid did, in fact, have a meeting with the manager of the local hotel he managed, and he spent most of the afternoon there going over budgetary and staff concerns and doing quality checks. But in the back of his mind, as he went through his usual routine, he was constantly thinking about Madeline, and more specifically her blatant rejection of him. It bothered him, both the fact that she didn’t seem to want him and that he wanted her so much. He’d never really experienced anything like this before. Most of the women he set his sights on fell into his lap, and if one didn’t work out there was always another to replace her not far away.
Part of him knew that he should just move on and forget about Madeline. If she didn’t want anything more from him than a one-night stand, he didn’t need to try and force his company on her. But he’d already thrown the gauntlet by pledging his support to her employer and promising that he would return, and he had to follow through on that. His male pride was spurred on by the challenge in Madeline’s bright green eyes, and damned if he wasn’t going to win her over.
He just didn’t know how.
After he was done at the hotel, he hopped into his Porsche and headed back for the palace, hoping that he might find Vanessa at home. It was late enough in the evening that she might be done with her residency shift at the hospital. Despite what she’d said to Adir about not wanting to be unprofessional or treated differently, she rarely stayed late unless she had to. Even if Vanessa wanted to be treated like just another resident, the hospital staff knew she was anything but, and they refused to risk the emir’s wrath by keeping her too long.
Zayid turned onto a long, paved drive flanked with white stuccoed walls and waving palm fronds, tapping his fingers against the wheel as he thought, not without envy, about Adir’s relationship with his new wife. He remembered how rocky things had been between Adir and Vanessa in the beginning. Vanessa had refused to even acknowledge that their engagement was anything more than a silly joke and had rejected his advances. Somehow Adir had won her over, and Zayid was going to have to do the same thing with Madeline. And who better than to help him figure out how than a woman who’d already been won?
The tall iron and cedar gate came into view, and Zayid slowed to a halt so that he could talk to the guard. The man inside the operator booth recognized him instantly, and with a friendly greeting he opened the gates. Zayid eased his car through the opening and headed onto the grounds of Zabeel Palace, the ancestral home of Dubai’s emir and his family. Directly in front of him was the main building, a sprawling, sand-colored stone edifice with multiple ogre arches, and spread out across the estate were smaller, one-storied stucco villas. The land was dotted with huge bougainvillea plants that filled the air with their thick, pleasant fragrance and provided color to the otherwise dun landscape.
Zayid pulled up into the stone courtyard, easing his vehicle around a small but exquisitely crafted fountain that bubbled and frothed beneath the dying sunlight. He stopped in front of the palace entrance, and a white-robed servant rushed down the front steps to greet him and take the keys to his car. Zayid thanked the man and handed off his keys, then trotted up the steps two at a time. Miniature domes and stone columns flanked the palace entrance along with two sets of guards, and they bowed to him as he walked into the entrance hall. The inner walls were a stunning white, and enormous cedar columns soared high above, drawing the eye to the elaborately painted ceilings. The columns separated the huge space into rows that directed the flow of the cool air, with areas where low couches and chairs were positioned to provide intimate seating. He imagined that a newcomer would be awestruck by the opulence, but to Zayid it felt like home.
“Excuse me,” he said, snagging the attention of a servant passing through. “But is the emira at home?”
“Yes.” The servant somehow managed to bow while not spilling the contents of the tray she was carrying. “She is in her quarters resting right now.”
“Excellent, thank you.”
Zayid navigated the familiar maze of halls, heading toward Vanessa’s chambers. Although she and Adir spent plenty of their nights together, she had her own set of rooms, and she used them to entertain guests or when she wanted privacy. Since Madeline undoubtedly wasn’t here, Zayid was sure Vanessa was simply enjoying some downtime. A part of him felt guilty about the idea of interrupting, but he had to get some answers, and she was the only person to turn to. So instead of turning away, he knocked on her door.
“Who is it?” Vanessa called sleepily, and he smiled, knowing she’d probably fallen asleep on her couch.
“It’s Zayid,” he called back. “May I come in?”
“Of course.” Surprise cleared some of the sleepiness from Vanessa’s voice. “The door’s unlocked.”
Nodding, Zayid pushed open the door, then stepped into Vanessa’s sitting room. It was an open, airy space with high ceilings and comfortable furniture, thick rugs spread across the stone floors and tall windows on the far side that allowed Vanessa a lovely view of the palace gardens. There was even a pair of double doors that she could use to access the gardens herself in case she fancied a walk. Most of the royal chambers had direct access to the gardens—Zayi
d’s own room here was set up that way, though he rarely ventured out through those doors. He wasn’t really the type to sit amongst the flowers and contemplate.
Vanessa was pushing herself up into a sitting position on one of the couches, her eyes heavy lidded from sleep.
“Did I wake you?” Zayid asked as he shut the door behind him. “I can come back later.”
“No, no, you’re fine.” Vanessa waved aside his concern with a yawn. “I should bathe and get ready for dinner soon anyway. She repositioned herself so that she was sitting upright with her knees drawn to her chest, then gestured to the opposite end of the couch. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“Thank you.” Zayid took his seat across from her, studying his cousin’s wife as he did so. She was a real beauty, with long blond hair, tanned skin, eyes the color of precious topaz, and a fiercely independent spirit quite similar to Madeline’s in many ways. At first he hadn’t been able to understand why Adir had been so drawn to her. She was beautiful, but his philosophy had always been that there were plenty of fish in the sea, and at the time he couldn’t fathom why his cousin continued to pursue her despite her continuous rejections.
Now that he’d met Madeline and experienced such attraction firsthand, he was beginning to understand it better. There was a pull within him, something that drew him to her, and it was as undeniable as his very heartbeat. He didn’t know where this was going, but he knew that he had to have her, and that he couldn’t give up until he did.
“So, what brings you here?” Vanessa asked, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “I don’t think you’ve ever visited me in private before.”
“True.” Zayid gave her a hesitant smile, wondering how to phrase what he wanted to say. In the end, he decided it was best to be straightforward. “I need some advice about your friend Madeline.”
Vanessa’s eyebrows rose. “What kind of advice?”
“The romantic kind.”
Vanessa laughed. “Does that mean you’re trying to get her into bed with you? Because the way the two of you were looking at each other last night, it doesn’t seem like you need much help.”
“I assure you I didn’t need any assistance last night,” Zayid said dryly. He was vaguely uncomfortable with the idea of talking about making love to Madeline with her best friend, but there was no getting around it. “It’s the aftermath that I’m trying to deal with.”
Vanessa’s mouth dropped open. “Wait. So you did sleep with her? And she didn’t say anything to me?” Her voice rose to a near shriek at the end, and she grabbed her phone from her purse, which was sitting on the table. “Oh, this is so not cool. I’m texting her right now.”
“Don’t!” Zayid grabbed Vanessa’s wrist before she could start texting, and she snapped her head up, surprised. “Please, don’t,” he said in a softer tone. “I don’t want Madeline to know that I came to you for advice. It will just make her uncomfortable.”
“Hmph.” Vanessa tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder, but she put the phone down. “That means I’m going to have to wait until she decides to tell me about you to talk to her about it, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, unless you can find a way to coax it out of her without making her suspicious.” Zayid shook his head. “I don’t even know why I’m trying to give you advice on how to deal with Madeline on this. I don’t know how to deal with her myself.”
“What exactly are you having trouble dealing with?” Vanessa arched a brow. “The fact that you have feelings for her?”
“That in itself is one thing, but no.” Zayid dragged a hand through his hair. “The problem is that after we had sex last night, Madeline basically rolled out of bed, put her clothes on, and left.”
“Wait. You mean you didn’t go back to her place?”
“No, we were—” Zayid paused, frowning. “Why does this matter?”
“Details!” Vanessa slapped the couch, bouncing up and down a little. “Dammit, Zayid, if I can’t squeeze Madeline for the details, you’re going to have to give them to me. I want to know what happened!”
Zayid sighed. Was he really doing this? It was one thing to talk about his conquests with his male friends, and quite another to talk about them with a woman, particularly when the woman was friends with said conquest. But he needed Vanessa’s help, so he was going to have to bite the bullet and do this.
“She told me that she wanted to experience the view from the top of the Burj Khalifa, so I took her up there. One thing led to another, and we ended up in one of the rooms. After we were done, she left in a hurry, saying that she had to be up for work the next morning.”
“Well that was a clinical description.” Vanessa pouted a little. “So what’s the problem, exactly? I’m sure you’ve had to leave rendezvous with lovers because you had some place to be.”
“Yes,” Zayid muttered, “but I’ve never really had it happen to me before. It’s quite disconcerting.”
“Aha!” Vanessa laughed. “So that’s the problem. You don’t like having the tables turned on you, do you?” Her blue eyes sparkled with glee.
Zayid shook his head. He really didn’t. More than once he’d had to deal with a clingy woman after ending a fling—he was handsome and wealthy and many of them thought they could keep him. And even the ones who knew that he didn’t want more had never sprung out of bed as soon as he’d come. Madeline was the first one to do so, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. Whether it was because he was truly infatuated with her or because his male pride was stung, he didn’t know. But he was going to find out.
“Well, I’m not really sure what you want at this point,” Vanessa said. “If you aren’t ready to give up pursuing her, you should give her a call and set up a second date.”
Zayid rolled his eyes. As if he hadn’t thought of that! “I did more than that. I dropped by her workplace today and offered to take her out to dinner.”
“You did what?” Vanessa’s eyes went wide. “Ohh, I’m not sure how Maddy would have felt about you dropping by unannounced. You probably would have been better off with a text.”
“The outcome may have been the same either way.” Zayid pressed his lips together. “Her reaction to me was more than annoyance at being interrupted. I could feel it. She wasn’t interested in seeing me again. And I can’t figure out why. I’m trying to figure out if it was something I did last night. I’d thought we had a great time together.”
“Well, to be fair, I don’t really think it was your fault.” Vanessa sighed, giving him a sympathetic look. “Part of the reason Maddy came out here to take this job was to get away for a little while. She just found out that her fiancé, who she’s been with for three years, was cheating on her, and she’s still dealing with the aftermath of the breakup. She might have been willing to sleep with you, Zayid, but I don’t know that she’s ready to open up her heart.”
“But I’m not asking for her heart.” Zayid frowned. “Just her company.”
“For many women, we can’t offer one without risking the other.” Vanessa pursed her lips. “Maybe you need to just ease off a little bit regarding your approach. Make it clear that you’re not looking for any kind of commitment, but that you enjoy spending time with her and would like to do so more often.”
“I guess I could try that,” Zayid said dubiously. “It sounds a lot like putting myself in the…how do you Americans call it…the Friend Pen?”
Vanessa laughed. “The Friend Zone. And yes, that’s always a risk when you’re trying to achieve more than just a one-night stand. But trust me when I say that Maddy’s worth it. She’s got a big heart and is very passionate about the things she cares about. You just have to make sure that you really care about her, too, and that you’re not just doing this for the challenge.”
“Thank you.” Zayid inclined his head, and then rose. “I suppose I should get ready for dinner, as well.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Vanessa rose to her feet, then padded silently across the room to open t
he door. “Oh, and Zayid?” she asked, turning toward him.
“Yes?” He paused to look at her.
“If I find out that you’re just doing this for the thrill and you break her heart, I will find a way to break you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t forget it.”
“Don’t worry.” Zayid smiled at her tenacity. “I won’t.”
Chapter Seven
Footsteps echoing down the hall had Madeline lifting her head for the tenth time that morning. Her mind was humming with alertness, just waiting for Zayid to walk back in here, but as she turned her head toward the doorway she saw it was just a security guard doing his rounds through the hall. An exasperated sigh slipped from her lips, and she returned her attention to her microscope to study the sample in front of her.
“Are you alright?” Kirin, one of her fellow coworkers, asked. She lifted her head from the laptop screen she was studying, her dark curtain of hair falling away from her oval face as she glanced over at Madeline with concern. “You seemed stressed yesterday, and you seem stressed today, too.”
Madeline smiled, trying her best to shrug it off. “I just slept badly, that’s all. No need to worry.”
“Oh well I guess that’s not surprising with the jet lag and all.” Kirin’s expression turned sympathetic. “I’m sure you’ll adjust in the next couple of days.”
“I sure hope so.” Madeline smiled again, then ducked her head back down toward her microscope to end the conversation. Jet lag had absolutely nothing to do with her lack of sleep last night, or the night before. She’d been tossing and turning, thinking about Zayid and his visit to the lab the day before yesterday, and wondering what the hell she was supposed to do about it. How was she supposed to concentrate on her work when she had to worry about keeping him at arm’s length while simultaneously not offending him so that he would donate money to the project? Dammit, she should have never slept with him.