Adored in Oman (Book 2 in Teach Me, Love Me Series): Interracial Romance

by Mariah Violet

  Chapter Ten

  Shan was at home laminating masks for her classroom. Her students would be reenacting Goldilocks and the Three Bears during the morning assembly next week and she wanted to give them ample time to practice before their big show.

  Also, Eid al Fitr was approaching and everyone would be going on a five day holiday. Typically, she went to one of her teacher friends’ home and celebrated the fast breaking. She enjoyed participating in the fun occasion. She always donated a box of food items to the less fortunate through her school community. Her first year in Oman, Shan had intended to travel during Eid with a group other Western teachers. However, her co-teacher invited her to her family home and Shan thought it would be rude to decline. So, she had researched the holiday, baked brownies, made gift bags for children and shown up at the appointed time and place. She had met a group of gracious and kind ladies and still saw them for tea at least twice a month. The food had been plentiful and nonstop!

  Zeinab, her co-teacher, had already invited her to this year’s celebration and Shan had confirmed. It was only afterward that she thought Abdulla might have wanted to invite her to a celebration with his family or circle of friends. She had asked Zeinab about bringing a friend and been assured he could come, though he would spend his time with the other men. Dating wasn’t really a cultural practice, but Oman was a very relaxed place and the citizenry practiced a fairly high level of tolerance. It was her intention to ask Abood about attending when she spoke with him today. She chuckled at her familiarity; she had begun to use the affectionate nickname recently. The first time she used it, he had grinned ear to ear and flashed his dimples.

  She had finished laminating and was carefully cutting the masks out when her phone chimed softly. She called out, “Answer,” and when she saw the screen switch to the speaker icon, she said, “Hey Abood, how are you today?”

  “Salaam Alaikum, Shan, I am very well,” was Abdulla’s reply. He followed his greeting with a question, “Did your children give you the business today?” and chuckled.

  Abdulla loved using what he called Shan’s Americanisms. He teased her about her word phrases. “I’ve known many Americans, none of them enjoy words quite the way you do.”

  “Abood, you know my babies give me the business every day! However, today, they were a bit less energetic because we went on a field trip to the park and they ran themselves tired. The return to the school was quiet because they all fell asleep,” she told him with a laugh.

  Then, “Babe, what are you doing for Eid?”

  Abdulla was surprised by her request. “I usually spend the night before Eid delivering food baskets to the families who have offered services to our family throughout the year. I spend the next day with my family at my Uncle’s. We drive into the UAE and spend three days in Al Ain.”

  “What kind of service providers do you mean?” Shan asked.

  “There are the men who work on our farm and care for the animals. When they have worked with us for three years, we bring their wives and children over and they live in a building with all of our worker’s families. We also give food gifts to our housing staff, the maids, drivers and former nannies. They usually have a late evening feast, after our official feast and we donate all leftovers. Still, it is nice to have your own foods from your home country that you can make into a dish of your liking.”

  “Wow, Abood. That is incredibly generous. I was asking because my sister teacher, Zeinab, invited me to her feast on the first day of Eid. She said I could bring you as a guest.”

  Abdulla’s heart kicked into overtime. This was a big deal; they had mostly been alone or with his family. She had not shown interest in introducing him to any of her friends. He had wondered if she would ever be willing to include him in her life on a wider scale. If he had been at her home, he would have kissed her. Ramadan was almost over; he would do more than kiss her very soon. He would honor his fast and maintain his self-control, but after Eid, it was his intention to see under Shan’s clothes. He was not without honor, but he wasn’t made of iron. All these sweet kisses they had shared were only stoking the flames. It was killing him to keep his hands to himself.

  “Are you there?” he heard Shan ask.

  With a start, he realized he had been daydreaming of her naked form and lost the thread of the conversation.

  “Yes, I am here. I would love to go with you. I will prepare my mother for the disappointment of my absence. I wish I had thought to invite you first. Mohammed and Lari will be at my Uncle’s home in Al Ain. That would be a great reunion for you two.”

  “Oh! That is too bad. The holiday is three days long and I have all those days off, so we could drive to Al Ain on the second day of the Eid holiday. I mean, if you wanted to. I can book a hotel room at the Rotana. I love it there. I imagine you will stay with your family.”

  “Nonsense, you can stay with us at my Uncle’s home. We can absolutely make our way to Al Ain on the second day. The holiday starts on a Tuesday, so we will be in Al Ain on Wednesday. We can stay the whole weekend and return on Saturday afternoon,” Abdulla planned aloud.

  “Oh! A five day holiday! I will need to schedule a body scrub and massage, since I am taking a mini vacation,” Shan agreed with delight.

  “So, I see we have a plan. Tuesday we will break the fast with your sister teacher and then we will spend Wednesday to Saturday with my Al Ain family.”

  “Great, I will book my hotel room today,” Shan assured him.

  Instead of arguing with her that she could stay with his family, Abdulla acquiesced. There would be no privacy at his Uncle’s house. They would be watched like falcon’s prey! So, maybe it would be to their mutual benefit that she reserved a hotel room. It was past time for him to cover her skin with kisses.

  Chapter Eleven

  Shan had sent all her charges off with hugs and kisses on both cheeks that Monday afternoon. They were all revved up with expectation about the coming holiday. With cries of “Eid Mubarak” ringing out, teachers drifted to their cars and made their escape. Shan was thinking of all the things she needed to do so she could be ready for tomorrow’s festive fast breaking and the subsequent travel. She was getting in the car when she received a call from Abdulla. Using the Bluetooth feature on her rental, she answered with a singing, “Hel-l-o.”

  Abdulla’s low chuckle emanating from her speakers made her feel tingly. “Hello to you too,” was the return greeting she received. Followed by, “What has you in such a good mood?”

  “I will spend the next five days resting; my life is great,” was Shan’s eager response.

  “I will be at your home a little before noon tomorrow, so we can get to your teacher friend’s home just before prayer. Is there anything I should know about the family?” he inquired.

  “I only really know Zeinab and her children. I have met her husband just a couple of times and then it was in passing. He wasn’t really sitting with us during my previous visits. He has always seemed very nice, though, so I think you will be fine.”

  “Great, I thought so, but it is good to ask. Wednesday, we will leave about ten in the morning. I will stop at your hotel so you can check-in and then head to my Uncle’s. Have you spoken to Lari?”

  “I am so excited to see Lari! She knows we are coming and has lots of questions, but I told her I would tell her all about it face to face,” Shan explained laughing.

  “I bet she did have lots of questions, so did Mo. I told him to concern himself with his new bride and let me worry about you,” Abdulla responded. Laughing, they said their goodbyes and made their way through the To Do lists they each were responsible for.

  Shan went home and attacked her kitchen. She made brownies and packed little treat bags for the children. Her treat bags always had a pencil, an eight-count pack of Crayons, a mini notepad and brightly colored pen. She packed for her weekend and admitted to herself this might not be as PG as all their previous outings. So she also packed lingerie and condoms. She was too old to pretend she d
idn’t want a man, when she clearly did! Since they were going to be away for three nights, she packed a red teddy, sheer black baby doll nightie and one dark purple satin spaghetti strap ankle length nightgown. No panties. She couldn’t see a reason for them. She also packed her own incense and mini speakers so she could set the ambiance. She had decided to test Abdulla’s limits. They had restricted themselves to kisses and not even indulged that often, because they were both respecting the season of fasting. However, as of tomorrow, fasting was ending. It was time for Shan to end this drought she had been suffering through for far too long.

  As she packed and prepared herself for the journey, she wondered what made her decide after all this time to indulge herself with Abood. The simple fact was he was a really good guy. She never felt unsure about his interest, it was always clear he wanted to be in her company and know her better. He did not have wandering eyes. When the fiasco with her ex-husband all went down, one of the reasons she felt so fooled is that he had always had a wandering eye. Everywhere they went his head would be following every pair of breasts and behind that walked by him and he would inevitably respond with, “I’m just looking,” when she called him out on it.

  Abdulla never did that. He made it his business to speak with her at least twice a day and he saw her every chance she allowed. She found it funny she had been trying to limit him to three times a week and now they were about to spend the next five days mostly together. He wasn’t trying to rush her. He realized she was a little wary and he could always tell when she was backing away; he didn’t make her feel uncomfortable or guilty for her hesitancy. He simply maintained his patience and kept pursuing.

  As Shan thought about the past few weeks and the way he had become a fairly important person to her pretty quickly; she had to marvel at her situation. If you had told her she would be dating again, after years of keeping most men at arm’s length, she would not have believed it. Yet, here she was, packing for a long weekend. She had met his parent and siblings, cousins, and friends. Each person had seemed happy to see him with someone. They had all, in their own way, expressed how glad they were to see him content. Funnily enough, she felt the same way. Content, that is. She felt safe with him, like he was probably the most honest man she had met in a very long time. He reminded her of the men in her family. Steadfast. Shan didn’t know it, but when she admitted to herself he was honest and reminded her of men she trusted; she had already fallen. Somebody give the fat lady a mic.

  Chapter Twelve

  Abdulla was counting baskets, while Shan was across town realizing he was trustworthy. He and his butler were about to load up the coolers with water and juice, once he was sure he had enough baskets for his family’s staff.

  There was the sweets basket that went to each household, filled with chocolates, sweet breads and candies. They were the smallest. Also, each household received a fruit basket, which was a bit larger than the sweets basket. The final basket, which was the largest, had many items from their home country such as spices, oils and specialty items, including toys for their children.

  Two goats and two sheep had been butchered and the meat divided between the households. That would be delivered by the butchery, a fact which made Abdulla glad, as packaging fresh meat was a pain. There is just no way to make it look like a gift.

  When he first graduated from University, his father had given him this job and said that, “The blessed owe a blessing. Make sure you never bless less than you would like to be blessed,” and Abdulla had taken that to heart.

  This outpouring was one of his favorite times of year. The staff made his family’s life very comfortable and was helpful in countless ways. While they were paid to perform these services, it is never out of order to show appreciation for good work.

  Abdulla wanted to always present his family and their faith practice in the best, most honorable light possible and this duty was something he took very seriously. Fully satisfied he had enough baskets and no one had been forgotten, he and his butler filled mini coolers with water and juice. First thing in the morning, they would top the coolers with ice and by the time they had delivered them, all the drinks would be cold.

  With baskets and coolers ready for the next day’s runs, Abdulla then went to his home gym for a quick workout while his bags were packed for the weekend. He made sure Ahmed knew to pack at least one Western outfit per day. He didn’t want to be too noticeable when he visited Shan at the Rotana. His father and uncle were open-minded, but he knew they expected him to protect her reputation and not expose her to unnecessary scorn. It might be 2015, but they still lived in conservative countries and there were laws to be respected. Discretion was key.

  One hour later, sweaty and feeling slightly less keyed up; Abdulla was showering and berating himself for failing to make plans to spend the last Iftar of Ramadan with Shan. He knew she liked to plan things in advance, but he hoped she would be flexible and come on over to his family villa and spend the evening in fellowship. That is, if she was finished baking, packing, and cleaning. Her To Do list was no shorter than his and she didn’t have anyone to help her. He had offered to send a girl to help with the cleaning, but she assured him she could manage and if she wanted a cleaner, she had one she used and whose work was pleasing.

  As soon as he was dried and dressed, Abdulla called Shan.

  “Hey there handsome!” she answered cheekily.

  “Hello to you beautiful,” Abdulla responded in kind.

  “Look, I know we have not planned for tonight, but I would like you to come to the last Iftar of the fast. My family would be glad to have you and I don’t want to spend this night away from you wondering what you are doing. Is this okay with you?”

  Shan paused before answering because she had assumed that was the plan. As she realized that, she laughed, “Of course, I would be happy to. I sure am glad you asked, because I have been running around this flat trying to finish my To Do list just in case you invited me at the last minute. How funny is that?”

  “It is clear you know I want you with me always. I will see you in thirty minutes. Thank you for saying yes,” Abdulla said.

  “You did tell me that you would get to know me well enough to avoid me saying no too often, I guess you were right!” Shan laughed.

  “See? We are meant to be. It is destined,” were Abdulla’s final words before they said their goodbyes.

  Smiling with the phone in her hand, Shan thought about that word, destined. She was tired of trying to keep her emotional distance and right then she decided not to worry, she was choosing Abood. Shan thought, “Destined. That just may be right.”

  Rousing herself from her motionless state, she quickly showered and dressed herself. She was ready when he knocked on the door.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Abdulla’s eyes widened when Shan opened the door. She wasn’t very tall, but she was beautifully proportioned. The open abaya she was wearing concealed everything very craftily. However, she had answered the door before she closed the buttons that ran down the center of the gown.

  “Wait,” he croaked out as Shan was busily concealing her form.

  Leaning her head to the side, she said, “Wait for what?” looking at him, her hands still.

  “Let me get a good look at you. What is that garment you are wearing called?”

  “Oh, it’s a cat suit. I used to wear them all the time, before I got used to the extremely cold setting of the air conditioning. It is extremely comfortable and I can wear it for hours, sitting or standing or dancing. It is made of very soft, stretchy material, similar to a leotard,” she explained as he reached his hand out to reverse the process she had begun.

  “Abood,” she purred, her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”

  “I just want a good look at this cat suit before it disappears beneath this very lovely abaya,” he murmured as he slid the gown off her shoulders and tossed it over a nearby chair.

  “Allah, help me,” he thought as he looked at her from head to t
oe. The suit hugged her outrageous curves. Breasts molded and jutting out from a mostly flat tummy with a waistline that flared into generous hips and amazing thighs. Bright blue toenails peeped out from her wedge heel sandals. Trailing his hand over one leg he looked at her and said, “I see someone has been doing squats.”

  Breathless, she replied, “I don’t do squats, they hurt my knees. These legs are courtesy of holding plank positions.”

  “Oh? I wonder what other positions you can hold for an extended period of time?” he casually asked.

  Shan’s nipples immediately tightened. Her first thought was, “Thank God I packed lingerie!” Her second thought was, “I wonder if he is going to wait until Wednesday?”

  “Abood, time will tell,” she began as she stepped closer to him and allowed him to put his hands on her hips.

  Leaning forward, her breasts just brushing against his chest wall as she raised herself on her toes, Shan kissed the edge of his jaw. His neatly trimmed beard tickled and he smelled good enough to eat slowly.

  Abdulla reached for his willpower and found it cowering in the corner of his heart, ready to give up the fight and allow his libido free reign; thankfully, he remembered his family was waiting.

  Pulling her closer, Abdulla kissed her very firmly on the lips and bit her neck before leaning to pick up her abaya from the chair where he had tossed it seconds ago. Still standing so close they were touching; he helped her slide the garment back up her arms and to her shoulders.

  Stepping backward to sit on the chair, he pulled her by the edge of the gown to stand before him, between his knees.

  Sliding his hands from her hips, up her waist line, lightly skimming her breasts and cupping her shoulders he told her, “I like this cat suit, very much. We will have to get you one in each of my favorite colors.”