The Sheikh's Surrogate Bride

by Holly Rayner

  They were given the best table, secluded enough so that they didn’t have to worry about the noise from other patrons. There was an etched glass partition that divided this section of the dining room floor from the rest of the restaurant. Olivia stared at the flowers and birds that were etched onto the glass, which formed a flourish of feathers and petals. The etching distorted the view, allowing them some privacy without making them feel as though they were locked away.

  A waitress walked up to the table as soon as they were seated. She poured water for them and offered their best wine.

  “I’ll take a glass,” he said.

  Olivia shook her head. “I’m not much of a wine drinker,” she admitted.

  “Can I get you something different to drink, then?” the waitress asked.

  She shook her head again. “Water will be fine for now. Thank you,” she said politely.

  “You’re not much of a drinker, are you? Or perhaps we don’t have the kind you like?” Yasin asked.

  Olivia’s cheeks flushed. “I’m picky,” she said. “I just don’t like alcohol that tastes like alcohol, I guess.” She opened the menu in front of her and scanned the pages.

  “If you would humor me,” he said as he looked at the wine list. “There is a dessert wine that I suggest you taste. It’s sweet and light. They call it an iced dessert wine, and it pairs well with fruit.” He looked up from the menu and found Olivia staring at him. “Um, but you don’t have to. I don’t want to force you to try something that—”

  “No, no,” she said, punctuating it with a chuckle. “I just… You’re so refined,” she said. “I don’t know much about wine and I’ve never been to a restaurant like this before. This is all so elegant.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “Oh, okay, then.”

  The waitress returned and took their dinner requests and menus. They placed an advance order for the berry tarts and iced dessert wine. The conversation flowed easily throughout dinner, but as they delved into more intimate topics, Yasin noticed a change in Olivia’s demeanor.

  “Something’s wrong,” he said. The look on Olivia’s face had him worried.

  “I just…” she started. Her shoulders drooped.

  “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?” he asked, trying to reassure her. He reached for her hand across the table.

  She placed her hand in his.

  “I’m afraid that I won’t want to give up the baby when it comes time to it. I mean, I know that I signed the contract. I won’t go back on that but I…I guess, maybe, I didn’t think about how hard it might be when the time comes. All day today, we walked by different families, and it just got me thinking.” She looked him in the eye. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m having a great time getting to know you and experiencing Rebayah, it’s just… I’m just afraid that this might be a mistake.”

  Yasin’s heart was in his throat. He let go of Olivia’s hand. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to back out like this! It was in the contract! He took a deep breath.

  But she’s not backing out. She’s just nervous, he thought. He tried to read her face. She’s always been honest with me. She’s just sharing her thoughts. I need to trust my gut.

  “We’ll figure something out when it comes to it,” he said finally. His eyes darted from her face down to his plate. He took a sip of his wine. “If we’re both being honest here,” he said. “I’ve been having some worries, also.”

  “Oh?”

  “Seeing my father interact with Nylah and Rashad this morning. Their reaction when he said that he’s just happy that you make me happy.” He scoffed. “They’re right to question that. He’s never expressed anything like that before. Hearing him say those words felt good until I realized that I’d never heard them. He doesn’t even tell us that he loves us.” He sighed. “I know that we all supposedly become our parents and…well, that scares me a little. What if I’m not as good of a father as I want to be? I’m excited to become a father. I want only the best for him or her but…what if I’m not good enough? I guess I didn’t really think about the pressure that I would be under when I become a single parent.”

  “I hadn’t realized that you were thinking any of these things,” she said. “You seemed so happy today.”

  He turned away. “I don’t want to worry you,” he said. “Besides, I’ve made my decision to be a father already. I don’t back down from my word.”

  “You’re only human,” she said. “You can’t do everything by yourself. Also, those worries are completely understandable. People worry about that all the time, be it single parents or co-parenting couples. I think most parents worry about not being good role models and guardians. I think it’s what you do with that worry that will determine what sort of parent you are.”

  He nodded. “I say that all the time when it comes to business. In business, you won’t always be able to land the client. But what you do with those failures will determine what sort of businessman you become. Failures are just like stepping stones. You use them to learn and progress forward.”

  “That’s really smart,” she said. “Did you learn that from your dad?” As soon as the question left her lips, she tried to stifle a smile.

  “Ha,” he said, trying not to laugh. “No, that’s something I learned myself. My father doesn’t tolerate failure, but I’m pretty sure you got that vibe from him already.”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  They both chuckled. As they continued to eat dinner and chat, Yasin felt as if a weight were being lifted from his shoulders. Growing up, being raised by his father, he had never been encouraged to air his feelings or worries. His father wasn’t heartless, and he knew that. But it wasn’t culturally acceptable for a man to be sensitive—it was a sign of weakness.

  Yasin watched Olivia. Having her as his fiancée—whether real or not— had changed things. He didn’t have to be so secretive with his worries. In the last half an hour, they had both bared their feelings to one another and grown closer because of it. It was a nice, albeit foreign feeling for the Sheikh.

  Chapter 9

  Yasin

  It was nearly ten o’clock by the time they arrived back at the mansion. The moon was high in the sky and the stars dazzled brilliantly, since the mansion was a few miles away from the bright lights of the city. Yasin opened the car door for Olivia.

  “It’s beautiful out here,” she said.

  He nodded. “You’ve trusted me a lot today. You let me take you out and show you the sights. You had a wine that you ended up liking.”

  “That dessert wine was so good,” she said with a giggle.

  Yasin’s smiled broadened. “I was hoping that you’d trust me one more time tonight,” he said.

  “Oh?” she asked, looking up at him.

  “I want to show you something.”

  “Okay,” she said. “I think I can do that.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a playful run. They dashed through the front door, through the foyer, and up the stairs.

  “I showed you the first and second floor,” he said. “But I didn’t show you the roof.”

  They sprinted up the stairs and down the hallway to another door, which opened up to the rooftop sky dome. It was one of the portions of the house that Yasin had designed himself.

  “I wanted to enjoy the rainstorms and the beauty of the stars without having to worry about the weather,” he said. “Also, if you have a green thumb, this is a great place to plant flowers and grow a rooftop garden. Gardening isn’t one of my talents, but I always intended to have one of those gardens up here.” He pointed. “Oh, and those panels can open up and the screen allows plenty of fresh air to come through here, also.”

  Olivia slowly turned around, taking it all in. “This is beautiful,” she said.

  He motioned for her to follow him to a set of beige chaise lounge chairs. In between them was the rose-colored sofa bed. The supported mattress sat right on the floor, without any feet. The head of the bed was
arched slightly and had a myriad of brightly-colored pillows across it.

  Yasin sat in one of the lounge chairs next to the sofa and patted the chair next to him, not wanting to assume that she would want to sit with him.

  They both leaned back and gazed on the stars. It was the perfect end to the perfect night, he thought.

  “That dinner was great,” Olivia said. “I’ve never had lamb before.”

  “Really?” Yasin asked. “You don’t have lamb dishes in America?”

  “Oh, there are,” she said. “But I’ve never tried them before. I’ve tried so many new things in the past three days. Normally, that would make me anxious, but for some reason, I’ve been fine.” She breathed deeply. “I’m sure that it’s because of you, actually.”

  Yasin turned his head. Olivia was still gazing up at the stars. His eyes followed the curve of her cheeks, and the curve of her pouty lips as they formed a soft smile.

  “I’m really happy to hear you say that,” he said. “And what you said earlier, about enjoying yourself and your time with me. That really means a lot.”

  Her head moved to him and their eyes met. Her smile grew and as it did, Yasin saw the slightest hint of a dimple on her left cheek.

  “You’re an amazing person, Yasin,” she said. “I can’t believe that anyone would find your company anything other than pleasant.” He watched her eyes as they moved from his face down his body, then back again. “This whole situation is so strange to me. Meeting you. Being in a new country. Being engaged to you. This place.” She sat up and looked around. “This whole experience. It’s like a dream.”

  He sat up in his chair and leaned in toward her. “I’ve heard that girls dream about being swept off of their feet and feeling like a princess. You don’t seem like the princess type. You’re independent and strong. I can’t imagine that you used to dream about being a princess when you were little.”

  She shrugged and gave him a playful smile, leaning forward, toward him.

  “Not really, I guess. I’ve always wanted to be like my dad—a lawyer. So I used to dream about going to work with a briefcase,” she said with a giggle. “My dad even gave me his old briefcase.” She looked away and pouted a little. “It’s up in the attic at home. I should have brought it with me but I didn’t think about it. I was kind of…” Her voice trailed off. “I was swept up in the moment, I guess. There was a lot to think about. Especially you.”

  “Me?” he said. “I hope I wasn’t too much of a worry to you when you were preparing.”

  She shook her head. “No, but you did keep popping into my head.” Her playful smile dissolved into an amorous twinkle.

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, either,” he said. The words left his lips faster than he expected. “From the moment I saw you. When I bumped into you on the sidewalk. You were adorable. I couldn’t believe my luck when I walked into my office and found you sitting in the waiting room.”

  He leaned in closer. His hand reached out and touched her cheek, cupping it in his palm. She leaned into his caress. Her skin was so soft. His breath escaped from his lungs and left his parted lips.

  “You’re so beautiful, Olivia,” he said. He bent toward her and pulled her close.

  Her soft lips touched his. When they parted, their slow, shallow breaths only served to fuel their desires. He had felt it at dinner, seen it when he looked into her eyes. There was a spark between them. It’s wasn’t just chemistry. It was a desire. A physical attraction.

  He pulled her close again, not able to contain his emotion. The first kiss was soft and gentle, but now, there was passion that burned between the both of them.

  She reached for him, pulling herself toward him. Yasin leaned back in the chaise lounge and held her close.

  They stopped to catch their breath.

  “Wait,” he said, sitting up in his seat. He moved over, allowing her more space so she could join him comfortably. She sat next to him on the cushion. “Are you okay with this?” he asked.

  Her chest rose and fell with his. “Yes,” she said, her voice soft and breathy.

  “Are you sure?”

  Her hand reached for his cheek. The delicate fingers of her hand cupped the side of his face, his jawbone resting perfectly in her palm. She pulled him close, kissing him hard. Passionately. Her other hand rested on his shoulder, steadying herself. He cradled Olivia’s head in his hands gently until she pulled away.

  “Well, as long as you’re sure,” he said with a grin.

  She laughed. “Just come here.”

  Yasin awoke as the sun was beginning to rise. He looked to the side and found his vest and pants in a heap on the floor. On the other side of the bed was Olivia’s dress, which was also in a heap. He moved her hair from her face and pushed the strands behind her ear. She slept beautifully.

  Her lips were parted ever so slightly. He wanted to kiss them. He wanted to kiss them just like he’d kissed them last night, but he knew that he shouldn’t wake her. Instead, he slipped out of bed and got dressed.

  As he made breakfast, he reminisced over what had happened. Their connection had been amazing, not just on a sexual level but on an emotional level, as well. There were so many emotions swelling up inside him.

  He placed a pad of butter onto the griddle and turned it on. It took only a moment for the butter to start to sizzle and melt, but that moment was long enough for Yasin to realize something.

  He couldn’t let his emotions mess with their arrangement. His feelings for her could cloud his judgement, and while he didn’t fully agree with what his father said about emotional responses, he did believe that he was right about this. He didn’t want to complicate an already complicated agreement.

  Chapter 10

  Olivia

  The sun warmed Olivia’s cheeks, waking her tenderly like Yasin’s touch. Her eyes fluttered open. With a yawn, she stretched her arms straight up, hitting the headboard of the bed. Surprised, she looked around.

  “Oh.” The syllable escaped her lips with the rest of her breath. “That’s right.” She looked around and found herself alone in the sky dome room.

  It had felt like a dream. She had spent the night with Yasin and it had been as amazing as she had imagined—even more so. It had felt amazing to be so close to him. To feel his touch. She pulled the covers up to her face and let out a quiet squeal. His body had felt so nice, too.

  Composing herself, she let out a deep breath and sat up. Her dress was in a pile on the floor, but she didn’t feel like putting it on. Instead, she opted for his dress shirt, which was flung over one of the lounge chairs. She slipped on her undies and buttoned his shirt, then followed her nose downstairs. It smelled like coffee and pancakes.

  As she walked down the stairs to the kitchen, she caught sight of herself in a mirror. Her hair was disheveled, but that wasn’t what drew her eye. Dressed in his shirt, she suddenly realized just what she looked like. A girlfriend. A fiancée, even. But that’s not what she was. She was just his employee. He was paying for her to pretend to be his wife. They weren’t actually supposed to be in a romantic relationship.

  Her fingers unbuttoned the shirt as she rushed to her wing of the house, weaving through the halls. Turning right, she located her bedroom and quickly changed out of his shirt and into her own clothes. She put on a bra and a tank top, pants and socks. Then, she brushed her hair before wiping away a tear that had started to form.

  “No tears,” she said to herself sternly.

  When she found her way to the kitchen—which was decked out with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops—she discovered a half-dressed Yasin behind the stove.

  “Morning,” she said meekly.

  He turned around. “Good morning,” he replied with a smile. He held up a spatula. “I made breakfast.”

  His joyful greeting brought a smile to her face. “Thanks,” she said. But as soon as he turned around, her smile faded. She pulled up a chair at the breakfast bar and watched as he plated a stack of pa
ncakes for her. He turned back around to her and set the plate on the counter.

  “I—” he started.

  She couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I had a great time last night,” she said, interrupting him.

  “Me, too.” He rested his hands on the counter.

  From where she sat, she could only see Yasin’s chiseled chest and a part of his abdomen. Flashes of the previous night played in her head.

  “Um,” she said, trying to break free of the flood of images. “But it shouldn’t happen again.”

  The smile on Yasin’s face faded. “Oh?”

  “It was inappropriate and it shouldn’t have happened. It’s just going to mess up what we are doing. There’s no need—”

  “—to complicate the arrangement,” he finished.

  They stared at each other.

  “Yeah,” Olivia finally said, breaking the silence.

  He nodded. “Definitely. I completely agree.” He turned around and picked up a plate next to the griddle. Using his spatula, he flipped the last pancake onto the plate, stacking it atop the few that were already there.

  Olivia didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting as a response, but she had secretly hoped that she would have gotten more than just this.

  It was eerily quiet for a moment as he turned the griddle off and set the plate on the counter in front of the stool next to hers.

  “I’ll get the coffee,” she said, standing up.

  “The cups are in that cupboard.” He pointed at a door next to the sink, above the coffeemaker.

  It was awkward. She could feel the nerves flittering around in the air like butterflies as she walked to the cupboard and pulled out two coffee mugs.

  “What’s the plan for today?” she asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

  “Well,” he said. He exhaled as he thought. “My sister left a message on my voicemail this morning. I guess she wants to meet with you so you can start planning the wedding. In the week, our schedules will be full.”