by Holly Rayner
His Bought Fiancée
Wedded to the Sheikh Book One
Holly Rayner
Contents
His Bought Fiancée
1. Alyssa
2. Alyssa
3. Alyssa
4. Alyssa
5. Alyssa
6. Alyssa
7. Ali
8. Alyssa
9. Alyssa
10. Ali
11. Alyssa
12. Ali
13. Alyssa
14. Alyssa
15. Alyssa
16. Alyssa
17. Ali
18. Alyssa
19. Alyssa
20. Alyssa
21. Alyssa
22. Alyssa
23. Alyssa
His Accidental Baby
Introduction
1. Alyssa
More Series by Holly Rayner
His Bought Fiancée
Wedded to the Sheikh Book One
Copyright 2018 by Holly Rayner
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author.
All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.
Chapter 1
Alyssa
Alyssa stared at the invitation in her hands for the hundredth time. Had it really been ten years since high school ended? In some ways, it seemed like yesterday, and in others, it seemed like a million years ago.
“Whatcha looking at?”
“Nothing!” Alyssa yelped, then shoved the reunion invite into the top drawer of her desk.
Beneath her thick, blond bangs, Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing my butt,” she said in a low voice so the rest of the office wouldn’t hear her. “Let me see it.”
“No, thanks,” Alyssa said.
Lucy waggled her fingers. “Come on. What do you have to hide? Is it chocolate? A dirty magazine? You know you’re obligated to share both of those with me, anyway. I’m your best friend here.”
“You’re my only friend here,” Alyssa muttered.
It wasn’t a lie. Alyssa and Lucy had been working as paralegals at the Manhattan law firm for four years. They’d met in college and had been lucky enough to get jobs at the same office.
At first, Alyssa had been thrilled. As the years crept by, however, she’d slowly come to realize that the life she’d originally envisioned for herself had never actually been her dream. It belonged to someone else. Her parents. Society.
But that didn’t change things. She still had bills to pay, and this job took care of that.
“Alyssa Cambridge,” Lucy hissed, “What do you have in your desk?”
Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
Fishing out the invitation, she handed it over. Lucy held the invite close to her face and her eyes drank it in.
“Hold on.” Lucy put the invitation on top of Alyssa’s desk. “Why were you hiding this? This isn’t salacious or full of empty calories at all.”
“I never said it was,” Alyssa glumly replied.
“Wait.” Lucy picked up the invitation and read it again. “This is tonight.”
“Yep.”
“So, what are you wearing?”
“Um…” Alyssa made a point of turning back to her computer screen. “I have a lot of work to take care of. This McGee case is really breaking our backs, you know.”
“B.S.” Lucy slapped her palm on Alyssa’s desk, and Carol—the creaking receptionist who had been at the firm since the concept of law was invented—sent a disapproving frown their way.
“Carol hates you,” Alyssa hissed. “Just reminding you.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Like I care. Once I finish law school, I’m gonna rule this city.”
If most people were to say that, Alyssa would laugh, but Lucy wasn’t most people. She’d decided after a year at the firm that being a paralegal wasn’t enough for her, and was somehow now juggling a full-time job with law school. The very concept of such a feat made Alyssa’s head feel like it would explode.
Grabbing a chair from the wall near Alyssa’s corner desk, Lucy pulled it over and took a seat next to her.
“You’re going, right?” Lucy asked.
“I know you have work to do. And homework.”
“That just shows how important this is,” Lucy pointed out, crossing her legs under her pencil skirt and leaning forward.
“You know I hated high school. I’ve told you that.”
“But…” Lucy picked up the invitation and wiggled it in front of Alyssa’s face. “Why keep this and mournfully sigh over it?”
“I wasn’t mournfully sighing.”
“I saw you from across the room. Big benefit of an open working space. Nothing escapes a person if they’re committed to observation.”
“Wow, Sherlock,” Alyssa said. “Thanks for stalking me.”
“Enough.” Lucy put the invitation face-up on the desk. “Are you going, or what?”
“I’m…thinking about it.”
A worried look flashed over Lucy’s features. “What’s holding you back?”
A ball of emotion formed in Alyssa’s throat. How did she explain this?
“I’m worried…” Alyssa shook her head, searching for the right words. “I’m worried that I’m not successful enough.”
Lucy scrunched her nose. “Huh? You work at one of the best law firms in New York City.”
Alyssa gave her the “you’re kidding me” look.
“I know it’s not what you want anymore,” Lucy whispered. “But it looks good.”
“I don’t care how it looks,” Alyssa said honestly.
“You’re lying. The very concept of success is based on how things look. Comparison to everyone else. You care so much that you’re thinking about not going to your very first high school reunion.”
“Okay.” Alyssa went to push her fingers through her hair, remembered it was tied back in a bun, and dropped her hand. “Let me start over. I’m afraid that everyone will be able to tell I’m unhappy.”
“Ah.” Lucy made a face.
“That doesn’t sound encouraging.”
“It’s not,” Lucy said. “You’re obviously unhappy.”
“Great,” Alyssa groaned.
“But, go! Have a drink. Have some fun. You never know what could happen. It could be just what you need to get out of this funk.”
Alyssa frowned. She’d been in a funk for over a year. At first, she’d thought it was seasonal. Maybe the New York winters were starting to get to her, despite the fact that she’d grown up in the city. But as one spring had passed and another had appeared, Alyssa had started thinking the problem was something much larger.
“Can you come with me?” she asked.
Lucy checked the clock on the wall. “You said it yourself. That McGee case, plus—”
“Plus you have class tonight,” Alyssa added.
“Bingo.” Lucy pushed her bangs away from her eyes. “But, hey. I wish I could go. Really.”
“I know.” Alyssa looked down.
“Is there anyone else you can invite?”
Alyssa chewed on her lip. It didn’t take long to run through her list of friends. She hadn’t stayed in touch with anyone from high school, and her friends from college who were in the city were e
ither busy with work or families. A few years ago, getting the girls together for a night out was a snap. Now, however, everyone seemed too preoccupied.
“What about Mei?” Lucy asked when Alyssa didn’t answer.
Alyssa sighed. “You know how hard it is for her to get out.”
Lucy nodded and rolled one of Alyssa’s pens between her fingers. With two kids under school-age at home and a husband who worked nearly non-stop in finance, Mei’s time was fiercely committed to her home life.
In some ways, Alyssa envied that home life. Even though she didn’t get to see Mei as much as she would have liked, Alyssa gleaned news from her friend’s social media posts. Sunday picnics in the park. Weekend drives out of town. Mom and baby tumbling classes. Fun baking cupcakes.
Mei had a purpose in life. She knew what she was doing. Just like Lucy.
How come Alyssa was the odd girl out?
“You know what?” Alyssa asked, snatching up the invitation and dropping it in the trash. “I just won’t go. Forget about it.”
“Hey! No. No forgetting about it.” Grabbing Alyssa’s arm, Lucy hauled her to standing. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Uh. Where?” Alyssa grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder.
“Early lunch,” Lucy announced, dragging Alyssa toward the elevator. She slapped her palm against the call button and the doors opened with a ding.
Carol watched them from behind her potted fern, probably glad to see them go.
“You don't have time to eat,” Alyssa said as the doors closed behind them.
“Oh, ha-ha. Aren’t you a comedian?”
“Seriously, Lucy. Where are we going?” Alyssa adjusted her purse’s strap. Had she grabbed her phone? Or was it still sitting on her desk?
Not that it mattered. She had few people outside of work to talk to, anyway.
Shaking her head, Alyssa blew out a breath. Wow. I really am in a funk.
“I’m taking you shopping,” Lucy said. “For an outfit for tonight.”
“I don’t have anyone to go with,” Alyssa said. Not that it needed to be restated.
“You don’t need anyone.” Lucy put her hand on her hip and gave Alyssa a frustrated look.
Alyssa looked her best friend up and down. Her bright red lips and flawless makeup. Her big, blue eyes, framed by the perfectly cut bangs. Her four-inch stilettos and killer style. Her figure that was (somehow) both perfectly curvy and trim.
You don’t need anyone was exactly something a girl like Lucy would say. She had all the confidence in the world.
“I hate—”
Lucy put her finger up to stop Alyssa. “You hate going places alone. I know.” The elevator reached the ground level, but Lucy quickly reached out and hit the button to keep the doors closed.
Alyssa stared in confusion. “What are you—”
Lucy’s eyebrows were pushed together, her jaw tight. “Listen, Alyssa. I’m worried about you, okay? You need to get out there. Meet some people. If you don’t…”
“You’ll drag me to therapy?” Alyssa cracked.
Lucy didn’t so much as smile.
“Oh.” Alyssa looked down. She was being serious.
Lucy took her finger off the button. “Get out there. Please.”
The doors opened, and they pushed themselves past several people going up.
“Okay,” Alyssa said. “I will.”
Before she could go through the lobby’s front doors, Lucy caught her hand.
“I don’t ever want to hear you suggest you’re a failure ever again.”
“Yes, Mom,” Alyssa quipped.
Again, Lucy barely blinked.
“Sorry.” Alyssa cringed. “I know you’re trying to help me. I should cut the attitude.”
“Yeah, you should.” Lucy grinned. “Now, put a smile on. We’re going shopping!”
Chapter 2
Alyssa
Alyssa stared at the front of the downtown hotel where the reunion party was being held, the invitation clutched in her hand.
“I can’t do this.”
“Can’t do what?” someone asked.
Alyssa jumped. She hadn’t even realized she’d spoken out loud. A few feet away from her, a doorman watched her with a curious look.
Since when do New Yorkers care about other people’s business?
Alyssa clutched the invitation tighter and stowed it in the clutch she’d borrowed from Lucy. The whole outfit—from the tight, glittery dress, to the fake leather jacket, to the thigh-high boots—was Lucy’s conception. All Alyssa had done was nodded and gone along with it.
Lucy had thought Alyssa needed a “fun” look for the reunion, something to make her feel more inclined to cut loose. So far, Alyssa only felt overexposed in the extra-short dress.
“Miss?” the doorman asked. “Are you all right?”
Alyssa closed her eyes tight and nodded. “Yeah. Yes. Sorry. I’m, uh…”
“Here for the reunion?”
She opened her eyes. “Yes.”
The doorman pushed the door open. “Go right ahead. Bottom floor.”
Alyssa’s stomach twisted into knots, but there was no quitting now. She’d gotten dressed up, promised Lucy she would do this, hopped on the train, and ridden all the way down here from her 96th-Street apartment.
Although, technically, she had other obligations. Her cat Ralph did still wait on the couch for her. And last night’s takeout leftovers did still wait in the fridge…
No. She was doing this.
Before another doubt could enter her mind, Alyssa rushed the doorway and entered the lobby filled with potted plants and oil paintings. In front of her, laughter and chatter floated through two open double doors.
Biting her lip, Alyssa took a few tentative steps toward the reunion party. So far, so good. Balloons. Long tables covered with punch and cheap snacks.
“Hi!” a woman said. She sat behind a table just inside the doorway and looked at Alyssa quizzically.
“Uh, hi,” Alyssa said.
Rows of sticker name tags stretched out across the table.
“You’re here for the reunion?” the woman asked.
Alyssa thought she looked familiar, but she couldn’t put a name to the face. Her graduating class had been about a thousand, and Alyssa had mostly stuck to her little world of generally like-minded (and non-popular) people in the electives she’d been in—band in the fall, track and field in the winter, and drama in the spring.
“Yeah,” Alyssa said. “Alyssa Cambridge.”
“Hmm. Let’s see…here we go.” The woman ceremoniously picked up a name tag and handed it over to Alyssa.
“Thanks.”
Sticking the tag on the front of her jacket, Alyssa tucked her flyaway hairs behind her ear and entered the room. The space was large, maybe more of a ballroom than anything else, and it was packed with bodies. Several people turned their heads her way as Alyssa passed, and she racked her brain trying to remember who they were.
High school hadn’t been that long ago, right? Only ten years.
Alyssa’s stomach sank. Ugh. Ten years. Ten years of her playing by others’ rules and doing what she was expected to.
At the far wall, she spotted a drinks table. Swerving around a group of laughing women, Alyssa snatched up a bottle of white wine and poured herself a glass.
Had she made a mistake by coming here?
“Alyssa?”
She turned around, finding Rachel King and Piper Pearson headed her way. So, there were at least two people here that Alyssa remembered.
“I thought that was you,” Rachel said.
She pulled Alyssa into a hug, and Piper immediately did the same. The thick, heady scent of floral perfume filled Alyssa’s nose, and she drew back from Piper to give the women a surreptitious once-over.
They looked good. Really good. Underneath her summer dress, Piper rocked a tanned, tight yoga body and Rachel’s teeth were so white they nearly blinded Alyssa when she smiled.
And their clothes. They both looked like they were about to head onto their private yachts. Piper wore several pearl necklaces, and a big diamond flashed on Rachel’s left hand.
“How are you?” Piper asked.
“I’m good,” Alyssa said, then remembered to smile. Why was her gut twisting so horribly?
“Gosh, I haven’t seen you since…” Piper shook her head. “That graduation party.”
“I know,” Alyssa said. “Crazy, right? What’s new with you guys?”
Piper and Rachel looked at each other and smiled.
“Well,” Rachel said, “I just got engaged!”
With a squeal, she extended her ring hand.
“Congratulations,” Alyssa said. “Who’s the lucky guy?”
“His name’s Tony.”
“And he owns, like, twenty hotels,” Piper inserted.
Rachel waved her hand around and made a face like she was embarrassed. “Stop, Piper.”
“It’s true,” Piper insisted. “He’s a catch.”
Alyssa took a hearty gulp of wine. “And what about you, Piper? What’s going on? What have you been doing?”
“Well,” Piper said with a smile. “I started my own catering company about six years ago, right out of college.”
“Oh, nice. How’s that going?”
Over Piper’s shoulder, Alyssa thought she saw a familiar face. The man disappeared behind a group of people, though, and Alyssa looked back at her old friend.
“Great,” Piper said. “I just finished a job for the East Up Film Festival. I did their awards ceremony dinner.”
“Oh, wow,” Alyssa breathed. She didn’t know much about film, but the East Up Film Festival had to be one of the top film festivals in the country. It played independent stuff, but most of its films had top-name actors in them.