by Kristi Gold
Madison shrugged. “Of course. I said the king wanted to investigate medical care in the outlying villages, and that’s why he accompanied Dr. Barad to Diya. He preferred to do so anonymously to allow him a better advantage. I ignored any questions about the sleeping arrangements.”
“Madison successfully dodged those bullets,” Zain added. “But there will be plenty more if someone discovers the two of you cohabiting here.”
As usual, Rafiq began his restless pacing. “Are you saying I should return to the palace?”
“Not necessarily, Rafiq,” Zain said. “Madison also informed the press that following your information-gathering, you would be taking a brief sabbatical.”
Maysa could see several problems with that plan. “Are you certain that’s a good idea with the media already making assumptions?”
Zain wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulder. “Madison and I both agree Rafiq still needs time away.”
“But he can’t stay here with you,” Madison added. “He’s going to have to find another place for his mini-vacation.”
Rafiq stopped his pacing and stepped forward. “Would you please address me directly? And do not forget I have the ultimate decision whether I stay or go. If I decide to remain here, then that is what I will do.”
Maysa looked directly at Rafiq for the first time since they’d received the news. “Madison’s right, Rafiq. You cannot remain here with me. The gossip will escalate, whether it’s true or not.”
“And that is the last thing you need right now,” Zain said. “We are so close to having the council’s full support for the water project. They need to know your complete focus is on your duty and not on a woman who…”
When Zain’s words trailed off, Maysa’s defenses went on high alert. “Whom they deem not worthy to wipe the king’s feet?”
Madison reached over and patted Maysa’s arm. “Believe me, I know exactly what you’re going through, and I personally think the mores are ridiculous and archaic.”
“This is not the time to try to change customs,” Rafiq said. “It seems I have no other option than to lock myself in my suite and demand I not be disturbed.”
“And that holds no guarantees you will not be disturbed,” Zain added. “Should anyone learn you are there, the intrusions would continue. I suggest perhaps you leave the country. You could stay in our home in Los Angeles.”
Rafiq released a caustic laugh. “If you recall, California is home to the press and paparazzi. I would be bothered there perhaps more than I would here. And I refuse to be so far away should an emergency arise.”
“He’s right,” Madison said. “It would be best if we find a remote location near Bajul.”
“He can stay at the resort.” Maysa’s abrupt, and somewhat loud, declaration had the effect of a gunshot. All eyes turned to her.
Madison appeared totally unimpressed by the suggestion. “I don’t consider staying in a resort full of tourists as the best place to relax and avoid publicity.”
“No one is presently staying there,” Maysa said. “The main hotel is currently closed for renovations, but the stand-alone villas on the far side of the property are available. They’re a perfect hideaway.”
“What about the staff?” Zain asked.
“Shamil gave them all a vacation. In fact, he requested I stop by from time to time to oversee the workers.”
Rafiq frowned. “With no staff available, then I would be charged with preparing my own meals and laundering my own clothing?”
Heaven help him if he had to lift a royal finger to do menial chores. “Every villa is equipped with a full kitchen and normally a private chef. Since that isn’t the case at the moment, I would be willing to see you have the proper meals and I can have my own staff do your laundry.”
“This could definitely work.” Madison pointed a finger at Maysa. “But you’d have to find a way to remain undetected. Zain’s guards ran off a few reporters who were hanging around at the gate when we arrived. I assure you, they’ll return as soon as we leave.”
“I’ll travel at night,” she said. “The building crews will be gone by then, so the risk of anyone seeing me would be minimal.”
When Rafiq failed to respond, Zain turned his attention to him. “Does this appeal to you at all, brother?”
Rafiq finally dropped into a chair and stretched his long legs before him, as if he’d settled in for the unforeseeable future. “I am thinking.”
“Don’t think too long,” Madison said. “We have to decide now, otherwise you’ll be forced to return to the palace whether you’re ready or not.”
Rafiq remained silent a few moments before sending a quick glance at Maysa. “I will agree to the plan, as long as Maysa is also in agreement.”
She saw no reason not to agree. He would have his time away, and she would have time away from him. If he had stayed under her roof, the temptation would have been too great. As it stood now, they would be better off keeping their distance from each other. She would simply deliver his meals and laundry, then leave. If only she truly believed it would be that simple. “I agree it’s the best option.”
“Excellent.” Zain shot to his feet, held out his hands to his wife and pulled her up from the sofa. “Now if the two of you will excuse us, as soon as we return the guards to the palace, we have plans of our own.”
Madison checked her watch. “And we only have a couple of hours before your children demand to be fed.”
“That is why they invented bottles,” Zain muttered.
Madison patted his cheek. “Patience, sweetie. The lake isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the mountain.”
“Are you planning to have more children?” Rafiq said, sounding somewhat appalled.
Madison’s cheeks flushed. “Well, no, we’re not. But then we weren’t planning the last two.”
Maysa couldn’t help but laugh again. “Then I suggest you make certain you are prepared to battle the powers of Mabrứuk. I have condoms available should you need them.”
Zain winked at his wife. “Thank you for the offer, Maysa, but we have everything under control.”
Madison sent him a smile. “We better. As much as I love our babies, I’m not sure how well we could handle two more.”
Maysa experienced a tiny bite of envy over the couple’s obvious love for each other. A love that had encouraged a king to give up his throne for the unacceptable woman he adored. If only she could be so fortunate.
Shaking off the melancholy, she gestured toward the corridor. “Since I certainly do not wish to delay you further, I’ll see you both to the door.”
Rafiq didn’t bother to stand. “Before the two of you leave, I would caution you both to take care. But if you wish to provide a diversion by swimming nude in the lake during the light of day, you have my blessing.”
“We are married and I am no longer the king,” Zain said. “The press is not interested in my life any longer. In fact, I can parade naked in the streets if I so desire without earning a second glance.”
“I don’t know about that,” Madison added. “I’ve seen you naked and it’s pretty impressive.”
Zain grinned before continuing the lecture aimed at his brother. “On the other hand, you, Rafiq, are the king. You are expected to behave with a measure of decorum, so I suggest you avoid being naked anywhere other than the shower.”
The warning was not lost on Maysa. “I will make certain he keeps his clothes on in public.” Her tongue seemed determined to get her in trouble. “I’ll see you to the door so you may get on with your day.”
After a brief exchange of goodwill between the brothers, Maysa escorted Zain and Madison to the door while Rafiq stayed behind. “You can both rest assured that we will be on our best behavior.”
“I trust you will,” Zain said as he kissed her cheek. “D
o not let him have the upper hand and order you around. Stand firm.”
“I’ll try my best, Zain, but you and I both know your brother. He’s nothing if not stubborn and persistent.” And persuasive.
Once Zain started toward the awaiting car, Madison took Maysa’s hands into hers. “If that whole best intentions thing to avoid Rafiq’s charms doesn’t work out for you, just make sure you’re discreet. And most important, don’t go anywhere near that damn mountain.”
With that, Madison hurried away to join her husband, leaving Maysa alone to ponder her options. She couldn’t exactly avoid the mountain since it shadowed the resort, as it did most of the town. And she definitely couldn’t avoid Rafiq’s charms as she saw to his comfort. But she could—and she would—stand firm. At least she had work to occupy her time and her mind.
* * *
“Are you certain you have to work tomorrow?”
They’d barely made it into the villa’s door before Rafiq posed the query that sounded like the prelude to a proposition. Maysa set one of the paper sacks containing supplies on the kitchen’s black granite counter and began rifling through it. “I have to be at the clinic tomorrow. I have a full schedule.”
Rafiq leaned around her and placed another sack next to hers. “Will you not consider staying with me tonight?”
Oh, she had considered it on the drive to the resort. She was considering it now when he rested his palm on her waist and she could feel the warmth of his hand through the dress’s cotton fabric. But she still planned to give him an emphatic no. Eventually. Right then she chose to ignore the question and his touch. Or at least try.
“My chef prepared these pastries for your breakfast,” she said as she pulled a metal tin from the bag. “She also provided a nice lunch that I’m sure you will enjoy.”
She took said lunch, sidestepped Rafiq and placed it in the refrigerator. After she closed the door and turned around, she found Rafiq leaning back against the opposite counter, arms folded across his chest, his eyes looking as dark and intense as a midnight storm.
“I will make it worth your while if you stay with me tonight.” His deep, sensual voice, as well as the promise in his words, went straight to Maysa’s head like a glass of fine French champagne.
Stand firm…
Turning her back, she continued to unload the last of the supplies. “It’s almost a half-hour drive to the clinic.”
“I will have one of the guards drive you.”
“I have my own vehicle, remember?”
“Yes, I remember. I also recall what we almost did in that vehicle, and our plans to finish what we had barely begun. Had my brother not arrived, we would still be in your bed, and I would be deep inside you.”
Maysa fumbled the coffee canister on her way to placing it in the overhead cabinet. The container hit the countertop with a thump, landed on the bamboo floor and rolled behind her. She closed her eyes and cursed her clumsiness. She opened her eyes the minute she heard Rafiq come up behind her. He brushed against her back as he set the coffee in the cabinet with little effort.
Maysa’s effort to avoid him began to wane. She ducked under his arm, strode to the adjacent dining room and began rearranging the artificial flowers in the vase set in the middle of the heavy wood table. “I have to admit Shamil did a good job modernizing the villas. With all the granite and stainless appliances, the place looks almost American. There is a nice private pool in the courtyard and…”
A persistent king pressed against her back, generating enough heat to fuel the six-burner stove. Rafiq rested his right hand on her waist and his left hand higher, where he grazed his thumb back and forth along the side of her breast. Then he swept her hair aside and whisked a series of soft, warm kisses along the side of her neck. She could ignore him. She could pretend to ignore her body’s immediate reaction. Or she could simply enjoy the moment.
When she tipped her head back against his shoulder, he kissed the corner of her mouth, and without warning, he turned her around and set her atop the table.
A laugh of surprise slipped out of her gaping mouth. “Are you attempting to disarm me?”
He rested his hands on her thighs. “I am trying to persuade you allow me to resume what we began earlier today.”
“We’re in the kitchen.”
He planted his palms on her knees. “We are in the dining room next to the kitchen.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you having some sort of sexist fantasy about having your way with a woman in a domestic setting?”
“You are my fantasy, and I would like to have my way with you in any setting.”
He punctuated his point by kissing her without mercy. So lost in his gentle yet complete exploration of her mouth, a few moments passed before Maysa realized Rafiq was working her dress up her thighs. When she tensed, he brought his lips to her ear.
“Trust me.”
She did trust him, so much so she didn’t launch into all the reasons why they shouldn’t do this as he reached beneath the dress and clasped the band low at her hips. She didn’t issue one protest when he began to lower her panties. In fact, she lifted her hips, allowing him to pull them down her legs to drop onto the floor. She didn’t question why she was sitting on a table with her hem almost to her waist. She didn’t care that she was exposed to Rafiq’s eyes as he nudged her legs apart. She certainly didn’t care when he formed his hand between her thighs.
She tipped her head against his and lowered her gaze to watch the patently erotic scene. Not once had she climaxed with her former husband, and she worried she might not be able to now. But this was Rafiq, the one and only man who had ever given her one—several—before the foreplay culminated into full-blown lovemaking. He knew exactly where to touch her, how much pressure to apply until she bordered on begging him to hurry. Yet he continued to take his time, measuring each stroke until her legs began to tremble. A sense of relief blended with the heady sensations when she experienced the impending release. She inadvertently dug her nails into Rafiq’s shoulders as the orgasm began to build in intensity. She bit back the scream resulting from sheer pleasure, not pain. He captured her gasp with another kiss, moving his tongue in sync with the finger he had eased inside her.
As the final wave subsided, Maysa kept her head lowered and tried to hold the unexpected tears at bay, to no avail. She quickly swiped away the few that slipped free and hoped Rafiq didn’t notice.
“Did I hurt you?”
The distress in his voice drew Maysa’s gaze to his. “Not at all. I wasn’t certain I could feel that way again.”
He kissed her forehead so tenderly she almost sobbed. “I despise what that monster did to you, yet I knew he would never break you.”
“No, he did not.” But Rafiq could very well break her heart again.
He leaned over, swept her underwear from the floor and handed them to her. “Now get dressed, return home and try to have a good night’s sleep.”
She was stunned he hadn’t made another attempt to convince her to stay. “What about you?”
“I will be fine until you are ready to take the final step.”
Was she ready? A few moments ago she would have gladly followed him into the bedroom. But perhaps he was right. Perhaps she needed more time to weigh the consequences. “You heard what Zain and Madison said. We should not be entertaining thoughts of further intimacy under the circumstances.”
He visually tracked her movements as she slipped her panties back into place. “No one would need to know, Maysa.”
“But I would know, Rafiq. If we made love, and a reporter asked me about our relationship, the truth would be written on my face.”
“All the more reason for you to take some time away from your practice.”
If only it were that simple. “My entire day is booked tomorrow, morning until late afternoon.”
“Say the word and I will have my personal physician treat patients in your stead.”
“He doesn’t know my patients. They rely on me. They know me.”
Rafiq clasped her waist, lifted her up and set her on her feet. “Then see your patients and come to me tomorrow night.”
The temptation to say yes lived strong in Maysa. Temptation had gotten her into trouble before. “I’ll think about it.”
“That is all I ask.”
His agreement came much too swift. “Then you’ll be fine should I decide to have one of your guards deliver your dinner while I remain home?”
“Of course.”
He gave her a brief kiss with only a light graze of his tongue. Yet that was enough for her to reconsider.
Before she did, Maysa grabbed her bag and began backing to the door. “I will let you know if I decide to join you tomorrow night.”
A slightly arrogant grin lifted the corners of his beautiful mouth. “And if you decide not to come to me, mark my words, I will eventually come to you.”
Six
“You have one remaining patient, Dr. Barad.”
Maysa leaned over the counter and frowned at Demetria Christos, the fiftysomething office manager, who normally ran the clinic’s office like a ship’s captain. Tonight the woman seemed as tightly wound as her salt-and-pepper curls. “You told me fifteen minutes ago the last patient had left, Demetria.”
She began rapping the desk with a pen. “He’s a walk-in. An American traveling through the region. He says he requires a complete physical, although he looked well to me. Very well indeed.”
She could refuse treatment, but then again, he could actually afford to pay for the services. She could always use extra money for supplies and salaries. “Where is Jumanah?”
“She left a few minutes ago with her husband, before the man arrived.”
And that meant Maysa would be without a nurse to assist. Not necessarily an issue, but it would delay the process if she had to handle the entire treatment herself. “Fine. But please lock the door and hang the closed sign.”