The Sheik's Arrangement

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Oh! Such a simple offer and yet, it seemed…very intimate, being here in Tarin’s home. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she nodded, trying to appear calmer than she actually felt. “Thank you. That would be lovely. But…” she didn’t have any clothing! Good grief, she’d just gotten on the plane and flown the three hours to Tarin’s capital city! What had she been thinking? And equally stupid, why had she agreed to stay here in the palace? She should just get back on the plane and go home, where she was safe. Safe from Tarin’s next lesson in sexual frustration, she grumbled mentally.

  “I think I’ll just head back home to…”

  The woman’s surprise stopped her. But it wasn’t the servant who questioned her intentions. Another voice called out as an older man stepped into the garden.

  “Good morning, Your Highness,” the man greeted, bowing respectfully. “I am Riza Almota, Sheik bin Linar’s head of council.” He dismissed the servant with a nod. The woman bowed and walked away, but Zuri doubted she would be far from the garden.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you,” Zuri replied, bowing appropriately.

  The man smiled down his nose at her, although he was only about an inch taller than Zuri, a nice change after tilting her head back to glare at Tarin.

  The elderly man took her hand in his, resting his other over hers in a fatherly manner. “It is a great pleasure to meet you again. I met you years ago when you were only a child, and the promise of your beauty has certainly come to pass. You are lovely, Princess Zuri.”

  Zuri smiled politely at the compliment, not really believing it was sincere. People just said those kinds of things because they thought it was expected. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember that meeting. When was it?” she asked, walking beside him as he led her along the stone pathway of the garden.

  He didn’t appear to be offended by her lack of recognition. “Oh, too long ago for you to remember. You were only about six or seven at the time. I worked with your father’s advisors on your betrothal contract.”

  “Ah,” Zuri replied, her irritation increasing, although her resentment wasn’t necessarily aimed towards this man, but just towards life’s unfairness in general. “So, you know who I am and what I represent to your country.”

  “Absolutely. But you don’t seem pleased to be engaged to our leader. Why is that?”

  Zuri might not like her responsibilities, but she understood them. She also understood that it was politically important to keep her misgivings about her engagement between herself and Tarin or her brother. “I am pleased that Sheik bin Linar and I will eventually be married. He is a good man and a powerful leader.”

  The man laughed softly. “A diplomatic response. But I sense that you are not thrilled with the engagement. Does our illustrious Tarin not please you?”

  She smiled and turned to face the man, stopping their slow progress through the garden. “I believe Sheik Tarin to be a great man. Any woman would be thrilled to marry him. I know that he is a strong leader and we will have many children to help ensure the security of this country.”

  He peered at her through narrowed eyes and Zuri had the odd sensation that he could read between the lines of her carefully crafted reply. She’d worked on the wording of that reply over the years, keeping it at the forefront of her mind whenever someone asked her about the engagement. Could this man sense the frustration that boiled inside of her every time someone congratulated her that she would be married to a powerful leader like Tarin? Could he see through her hopefully emotionless expression and discern the truth? The desperate desire that she might be loved by Tarin for more than just the politics behind their engagement contract? Hopefully, he couldn’t see how desperately she wanted to be loved for who she was, not what she was or what she represented.

  His questions dashed her hope that this man would accept her statement at face value. “You are not happy with the engagement? Do you dislike Tarin?”

  Zuri blinked, but kept her expression neutral. “He’s a very good man. He has many very fine qualities and I know that he will be a good husband to me and a strong father to our children.” Another boring quote she’d developed over the years.

  The man eyed her carefully, tilting his head slightly as he looked into her eyes. “You love him,” he announced.

  Zuri’s mouth fell open in shock. “I don’t…!” she couldn’t finish her denial. “He doesn’t…!” Again, she couldn’t finish her reply because she hated lying to anyone, even strangers. But she refused to confirm his suspicions. Zuri had absolutely no idea how Tarin felt about her and he already had too much power over her. No way did she want him to discover that she may or may not have strong feelings for him. And it was terrifying that someone else could discern how strongly she felt for him.

  Pulling herself together, she shook her head and wiped all emotion from her face. She’d been raised a diplomat and had learned to hide her feelings well. “I’ve known Sheik Tarin for years, sir. But I don’t actually know him, the man. I don’t know his preferences or his dislikes. I don’t know what might irritate him or what could potentially make him laugh. So no, I cannot, in all honesty, say that I love him. I don’t know him well enough.”

  She didn’t add that she had strong feelings for him. Sometimes, those emotions were furious anger and sometimes, there was a gentleness to Tarin that made her heart ache in a strange way. But no, she wasn’t in love with the man. She refused to be in love with a man someone else chose for her.

  Was she being stubborn? Probably. But she didn’t care. That stubbornness had helped her through many issues. Besides, if Tarin would give her just a little bit of insight into how he felt about her, just a touch of romance or revelation that he felt something towards her other than simple obligation, she might feel differently. But right now, Tarin was just a big, equally stubborn jerk that kept telling her that they would be married, and demanded that she set a wedding date.

  How about asking?! How about finding out if she wanted to marry the big oaf?!

  The elderly man nodded with a kind, understanding smile. His expression brought her attention back to him and away from the frustrating lack of romance from her fiancé.

  “You are wise to keep your emotions hidden and I think that you are right to resist my leader’s push towards marriage.”

  That was a startling revelation! “You think I should break it off?”

  The man chuckled gently and led her along the stone walkway. “No. I think that would be detrimental to both our countries. The people in our countries believe that a wedding between you and my fearless leader will be good for everyone. They consider your betrothal to be a sign of hope and stability. Taking that away from them would create a sense of doom.” He shrugged, lifting his palms into the air. “It is a strange world we live in when a wedding can psychologically make our lives feel more secure, but it is the world in which we live. So we must adapt.”

  “True,” she agreed. “But what you’re asking is for my feelings on the subject to be considered irrelevant. I don’t think that, as a human being, I should be asked to marry a man that considers me an obligation.”

  The slow smile the man gave her told her that she might have revealed too much.

  “Would it help if I mentioned that Sheik Tarin reacts to you in much the same way that you react to him? And that I suspect he is far more emotionally involved with you than even he would like to admit?”

  She tilted her head slightly. “Hmmm…a man who isn’t emotionally in touch with his feelings. How rare,” she replied, not shielding the bite of sarcasm. “Although I appreciate your confidence that my marriage to Tarin will be good for the people, will it be good for Tarin and myself?”

  “I think it will be,” he nodded sagely. “But that is something you must discover for yourself.”

  “Which means, you won’t advise Tarin to extricate himself from the betrothal contract?”

  His grin widened and she was startled by how handsome the elderly man was. “Why would I do that
? The sparks flying between the two of you are interesting and fascinating. The end result will be a powerful marriage. Trust me, my dear.”

  With that, he walked away, leaving her in the sunny garden, wondering what he meant.

  One thing was certain; she wouldn’t trust her future happiness to a man who thought that his people should come first. She’d marry Tarin, if it came to that. But Zuri vowed to protect herself from future pain by refusing to fall in love with him.

  Now she just had to figure out how to follow through on that vow!

  Chapter 2

  Several days later, Tarin carefully watched the man standing at the corner, diligently watching the Ditra Palace, well aware that he was up to no good. The situation in Ditra was worse than he’d realized. But he knew that Jabril would get this situation fixed. He’d been in contact with his friend briefly a few days ago and knew that Jabril and Ilara were taking back the palace today. Tarin had agreed to take care of the guards stationed around the exterior of the palace while Jabril and his men moved through a secret tunnel. Jabril and his team would eliminate the risks inside the palace, with the ultimate goal of reaching the High Chamber, where the council could validate his marriage to Princess Ilara, legalizing the exchange of control from Kasim back to Ilara, the rightful ruler of Ditra.

  Silent hand signals were sent and received. Two of Tarin’s men moved stealthily into position behind the unsuspecting “guard”, his lack of diligence would have had him removed from duty in Tarin’s palace!

  Tarin and the rest of his guards remained still, waiting. With shocking efficiency, his men grabbed the unsuspecting man from behind, and within seconds, the other man was cuffed with plastic ties and hustled into an abandoned closet where he wouldn’t be able to signal to the others guards along the palace wall.

  With the first threat gone, the rest of his team moved forward. One by one, the lax mercenaries acting as palace guards were taken down from the palace walls and either tied with the plastic cuffs or, if they put up any resistance, knocked out and handcuffed. His men moved into position, taking up sentry duty.

  Moving into the palace, he spotted Jabril and a lovely blond woman along with six other guards moving into place. The woman stayed behind, the six guards watching both ways along the hallway while the blond woman slipped into a room for some reason.

  “Thanks for the backup,” Jabril murmured.

  “Anytime. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I married Princess Ilara several days ago, but her Uncle Kasim locked her out of the palace and imprisoned the Ditra High Council. So we are trying to rid the palace of Kasim’s men. My guards have already cleared out the east side of the palace.”

  Tarin nodded. “My men have cleared out the west side and the palace perimeter.”

  “Thank you. An announcement has gone out to the people of Ditra, as well as internationally, so Kasim has no authority to rule. But I can’t find the man. He’s gone into hiding.”

  “Roaches always hide when cornered,” Tarin growled, furious that anyone would treat their people like what he’d seen out in the countryside. The citizens of Ditra were starving, their homes destroyed, most of the businesses were gone, with only a few stands still selling shabby, overpriced produce. “Let’s secure the capital, then your…” he stopped and looked at his friend, his words finally penetrating. “You’re married?”

  Jabril nodded and grinned triumphantly. “Yes. Now I just need to figure out how to stay married,” he replied. “If you could take your men to the south side, I’ll clear out the mess on the west and get her into the High Chamber.”

  Tarin agreed. “Fine, but this conversation isn’t over,” he warned. “Poker night, next month. I want details.”

  Jabril chuckled, slapping Tarin’s back hard enough to topple an ordinary person. “Need some advice on how to get your lady to the altar?” he teased.

  “Don’t go there,” Tarin grumbled, thinking about Zuri. The image of her in his bed distracted him, so he pushed it out of his mind.

  He’d promised to give Zuri updates, but he wasn’t sure that communications were secure yet. Unfortunately, he couldn’t contact her with information until he was sure that Kasim and the rest of the mercenaries had been gathered up.

  He moved along the long hallway with his team. One by one, they took out the mercenaries, tying them up so they couldn’t escape or alert the other mercenaries. By the time he and his team had reached the end of the hallway, mercenaries were literally laying down their weapons and raising their hands in surrender. They were smart, Tarin thought as his men secured the last person. The mercenaries might not be good at protecting the palace, but they knew when to give up and surrender. Since the alternative was to be killed or wounded in hand to hand combat, they accepted defeat with relative grace. There were a few grumbles among them, but Tarin’s guards weren’t in the mood to be compassionate. Not after what they’d seen in the streets.

  Eight hours later, the palace was secured.

  Jabril strolled out of the High Council room with a grim determination that Tarin recognized.

  “What’s next?” Tarin asked of his friend.

  Jabril rubbed the back of his neck. “Next is to figure out what to do first. The country is a mess. It’s so bad, even rivers were dammed up, diverted so that the farmers couldn’t water their crops. There’s no food, no power, no infrastructure! Kasim really did a number on this country!”

  Tarin didn’t know what to say. He was a ruler and knew all of the problems that Ditra faced now. It was going to take years, maybe even decades, to get the economy back on track. That’s not even considering the mental and emotional toll on the people. They’d need to learn to trust again. That was going to be difficult after having been under a dictator’s harsh rule for so long. “What can I do to help?”

  Jabril sighed. “Nothing. This is up to Ilara and me at this point. She has retaken power in Ditra. Now, we just need to get the economy going.”

  “That’s a bigger task than getting rid of the rats,” he replied.

  “Exactly.”

  “I’ll let Zuri know what’s going on. She’s worried about you.”

  That obviously surprised Jabril. “How would you know?”

  Tarin smiled triumphantly. “Because she came to me for help to find you.”

  Jabril was stunned for a long moment, and chuckled, slapping his friend on the arm. “Well done!”

  Another laugh, the first one since he’d left Zuri’s presence. “Agree. So if you don’t need me any longer, I have a fiancée to get back to. Do you mind?”

  Jabril’s amusement disappeared and he frowned at his friend. “Don’t hurt Zuri. She has strong feelings for you, but she’s…”

  Tarin put a hand on Jabril’s shoulder, his amusement gone. “Don’t worry. I’ll treat her carefully.”

  With that assurance, Tarin headed out, eager to get back to Catare where he hoped Zuri remained. Although, she was stubborn and willful and he didn’t doubt that she’d gone back to Piara, despite their agreement that she’d stay in his country until he returned.

  Several hours later, he walked into the palace. He’d finally been able to send Zuri a message saying that her brother was okay, but promised more details once he was back in Catare. Would she still be here? His chief of staff assured him that she was, but until Tarin saw her for himself, he wouldn’t believe it.

  “Where is she?” Tarin growled at his aide as soon as he stepped off the helicopter, heading straight for the doorway that would lead to his private quarters.

  “She’s in your apartment, exactly as you requested, Sire,” the man replied, almost running to keep up with Tarin’s longer stride. “But Your Highness, there are many issues that need to be discussed.”

  “Later,” Tarin snapped, focused entirely on Zuri. He wanted another kiss. Just a kiss. A sign that she still felt the same for him. Granted, it had only been a few days since their last interaction. But that kiss had only whetted his appetite for more.


  And yes, Tarin admitted that he was enjoying the challenge of winning Zuri. It was almost as if he were being granted the opportunity to court her. Such an old fashioned term, but that’s what this was. And he suspected, it was exactly what Zuri needed. He’d thought about the idea on the way back from Ditra and had come to the conclusion that Zuri was attracted to him, but she wanted to be more than just an object to be passed from brother to husband, or from one country to another. She wanted to matter.

  What she didn’t understand, and what he needed to prove to her somehow, was that she did matter. To him.

  When his guards opened the doors to his suite, he stepped through them, but slammed them shut, wanting to be alone with Zuri. Unfortunately, the room was empty. She wasn’t on the leather sofa in the sitting area, nor was she in the dining room. So where the hell was she?

  “Where’s Princess Zuri?” he demanded of a passing servant. The woman cringed and Tarin cursed for sounding so harsh. But he wanted to see Zuri! He needed to know that she was safe and…hell, he wanted to see her here, in his home. Under his protection.

  “She’s sleeping, Your Highness,” the servant admitted. “She hasn’t been sleeping well.”

  With a nod of appreciation and acknowledgment, Tarin turned, heading for his apartment. Why wasn’t she sleeping well? As soon as he thought the question, he knew the answer. She was worried. For him? Or for her brother?

  He rushed into his bedroom, determined to change and find her, but as soon as he stepped through the doorway, he came to a halt.

  She was here! Zuri was in his bed! She must be exhausted to be sleeping in the middle of the day and something had tightened in his gut.

  He looked down at her, noting that her soft, full lips were parted slightly in her sleep. He could see her long, dark lashes flutter against her creamy skin and wondered what she was dreaming about. As his eyes moved over her figure, he smiled. She clutched his pillow against her stomach and he wanted that to be his body instead. Hell, his body tightened at the idea of her holding him like that. Would he ever regain control of his body’s reaction to Zuri? Or would she always have this effect on him?