by Leslie North
“Wonderful,” Fiddah smiled and turned her attention back to Sara. “I too think that you will like this place,” she said to her.
“She has an Arabic heart,” Mr. Botros said and winked at Sara. Sara responded with a huge grin.
“Leylah is still sleeping?” Amir asked. Sara nodded.
“Poor thing must be tired,” Mrs. Botros said as she took a sip from her glass.
“She'll be having a sibling soon. Any names in mind?” Aaliyah asked.
“Oh, not that again,” Fiddah commented in reference to the last time Tariq and Sara had to pick a name for their first child. They could not agree on any names. Fiddah named Leylah.
Sara and Tariq immediately knew what Fiddah was talking about. They looked at each other and smiled. “That was then,” Sara said and laughed softly.
“I'm sure things will be easier this time,” Malik said. Sara and Tariq had grown fonder of each other and finally learned how to get along. The second pregnancy may have not been planned either, but they were a couple and it was obvious that they were in love.
Chapter 5
Sara headed back upstairs after dinner. She was exhausted after their trip and her pregnancy was taking a lot out of her. She checked on Leylah, who was still sound asleep, before she jumped on the bed and fell asleep straight away. Everyone else had also retired to his or her chambers. Soraya had shut the door on Amir when he tried to come into her room. She sent him off to his room. She washed her face and changed into her nightwear before getting into bed. She smiled as she rubbed her back against the silk sheets. Her phone vibrated. She picked it up and was not surprised when she saw a message from Amir.
Sleeping? read the text message from Amir. Soraya frowned. She was expecting a little bit more than that.
About to, but your message woke me up, she replied.
Too bad, now you have to speak to me ;)
Go to sleep.
I can't, I miss you. Soraya could not help but smile. She missed him too but she was not going to admit that to him.
It's okay love, you'll see me in about 10 hours. Amir smiled when he read her reply. He wondered if she was even aware that she used the word love.
The next morning, Soraya was tired when she woke up. She dragged her feet as she walked into the dining room for breakfast. She had spent most of the night messaging Amir. She had tried to send him off to bed but failed each time. Sara and Tariq were already eating breakfast. Sara was playing with Leylah when she looked up and saw the fatigued Soraya.
“Didn't get enough sleep?” Sara asked. Amir walked into the room and immediately sat down.
“No,” Soraya said.
“How come?” Sara grinned at Soraya and wiggled her eyebrows. Tariq shook his head and sipped his coffee.
“It was nothing like that,” Soraya defended herself.
“It was like that,” Amir interjected and plastered a wolfish grin on his face.
“What? Oh my gosh, AMIR!”
Lucky for Soraya, Malik walked into the room. He greeted them all and joined them for breakfast. Fiddah, and Mr. and Mrs. Botros already had their breakfast and were sitting in the courtyard. Aaliyah was the last one to wake up. “She always sleeps like a log,” Amir teased. Leylah was on Sara's lap babbling.
“She's so talkative,” Tariq said and pinched her cheek. “Like her mother,” he added. Sara whipped her head in his direction and frowned. Before she could say anything, Tariq kissed her on the cheek and changed the subject. Sara sighed and shook her head.
After breakfast, they decided to tour the city. They decided to leave Leylah behind since they were going on horseback and Fiddah was happy to babysit.
“I have to get my own horse,” Soraya said to Amir.
“I did not say anything,” he replied.
“I know what you were thinking.” And she was right. Amir wanted to ride with her. She could not be on horseback with him whilst her brother was in the vicinity. Tariq helped Sara onto the horse and kissed her hand. He went to get onto his horse. Amir held out his hand for Soraya.
“Do not even think about it,” she said and got onto the horse by herself.
“She is so unromantic,” Amir said as he mounted his horse. Malik and Sara laughed.
“That's my sister for you,” Malik said. He was already on horseback and so was Aaliyah.
They rode out of the estate and headed toward the city. The roads were dusty and crowded, but the people cleared out of the way, as they rode past. Most stood quietly along the road watching them while others were quick to greet Tariq and Amir. They seemed excited to see them, especially the women. Sara was fascinated. She knew her husband was attractive but this was over the top.
“Remember me, Amir?” One woman shouted. Soraya whipped her head in her direction and raised her eyebrow. Amir simply smiled at her and kept riding. The woman ran up to approach Amir and handed him a folded note. She smiled as she stepped back. Soraya watched her.
The city was not very populated. Most buildings were made out of stone. Despite the city being in the middle of the desert, it was not as hot as Sara expected it to be. The sky was clear blue without a cloud in sight. They stopped at a souk, an open marketplace. Sara jumped off the horse with a big smile on her face. She loved souks. The people in the souk immediately turned their attention to them.
“Who was that woman?” Soraya asked Amir as soon as they dismounted.
“Jealous?” Amir asked her. Soraya raised her eyebrows. He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I do not know her, or remember her,” he added.
“So, what does the note say?”
Amir had completely forgotten about it. He slipped his hand in his pocket and fished it out. He unfolded it. Her number was written on it. Soraya looked over his shoulder and saw the phone number. She narrowed her gaze.
“It's nothing important,” Amir said. She took the note and threw it in the bin for him. He was surprised by her reaction and couldn’t help but smile at her.
“Why are you smiling?” Soraya asked.
“Jealousy looks good on you.” He held her hand and walked toward the others. They were standing at a stall selling pastries. Aaliyah had already purchased a few. She had a sweet tooth that rivalled Sara’s. Aaliyah handed Sara a piece of almond basbousa made from semolina flour, butter, baking powder, condensed milk, almonds and water. Sara had never tried it.
“This is so good,” Sara said with her mouth half full and her eyes closed. Aaliyah gave her another.
“They make the best here. I love them,” Aaliyah replied.
“Can you pack up a bit of everything please?” Tariq asked the stall owner. Judging from the way Sara and Aaliyah were enjoying the basbousa, they were definitely going to want more. The stall owner was happy to comply and wrapped up the pastries neatly for them to take with them. As Tariq paid her, she smiled and thanked him a few times.
They walked through the souk. Sara and Soraya had linked their arms together and Amir was sulking about it. Aaliyah linked Sara's other arm. They stopped at a stall selling women’s clothes. Most of the clothes were silky or lace dresses. The woman selling the dresses greeted them as they approached. She invited them to the back to view a selection of lingerie.
“Interesting,” Sara said looking at a push up red silky brassiere with lace trim. It had matching panties.
“Your husband will like this,” the woman said cheekily. She had noticed Sara's wedding ring. Sara laughed. She had never worn anything like that for Tariq. She was suddenly considering the idea.
“Okay, I'll buy it.”
“Anything for either one of you ladies?” the woman asked Aaliyah and Soraya.
“I am single, I’ll go for the more plain stuff,” Aaliyah said. She picked out a plain black underwired brassiere.
“And for you miss?” the woman asked Soraya. She picked out a purple silk bra with lace trim. She could not help but laugh.
“No, thank you,” she said.
“You and Amir are…” before
Aaliyah could finish the sentence, Soraya cut in.
“No! We haven't.”
“That's shocking,” Sara said as she turned around to look at Soraya.
“Why is that shocking?”
“Because of the way he is into you. I would have thought he would try every chance he gets. I guess he's really in love with you that he is willing to wait. Either that or you're playing hard to get.”
Soraya laughed. She was playing hard to get. Definitely. Amir did love touching her and kissing her but he had never pressured her or even asked her if she wanted to do more. Suddenly she felt lucky to be with him.
Soraya decided to buy something nice but not too provocative. She was not planning to let Amir see her wearing lingerie any time soon. They all thanked the woman and left the stall. Amir, Tariq and Malik were waiting for them outside.
“What did you purchase?” Amir asked Sara as he tried to open her shopping bag. She smacked his hand to stop him from looking.
“Nothing that concerns you,” she said. Tariq raised an eyebrow. He wondered what was in there.
“Can I see?” Tariq asked her.
“Nope.”
Amir tried his luck with Soraya, but she did not let him see either. They continued exploring the souk. Right at the end, there was a small stone building with a circular roof.
“What is that,” Sara asked.
“Restaurant,” Tariq replied. Sara responded with a sound. Everything in that city was just so interesting to her. “Shall we go in for a drink?” he asked her. She nodded. The rest followed. Aaliyah had actually been feeling thirsty. It was as if Tariq had read her mind.
Chapter 6
The restaurant was cool due to the air conditioner. As Sara looked around, it looked like a restaurant out of the past. With limestone flooring and wood tables with marble tops scattered about the room coupled with white leather chairs, the restaurant was inviting. A server greeted them and introduced herself.
“This place is nice,” Sara said as she sat down. Her face was lit up. Tariq silently watched her every move. He had been to this city, to all these places many times before but he had never had the look Sara had. To him it was only another city, but to Sara, it was a new world. He felt a bit envious at how novel she found everything.
“It's so classy and clean,” Soraya said. The two women grinned at each other.
At one of the tables sat two women one of whom was staring at Amir. At first, Sara thought she was simply ogling him like the rest but after looking at her a bit longer, she noticed that her facial expression was one of recognition. The woman had long thick wavy jet-black hair. Her skin was honey coloured. She had big green eyes, dark eyebrows, a small straight nose and full pink lips. She was very beautiful, Sara thought to herself.
The server came to take their orders. Malik was in the middle of giving his order when Sara watched the green-eyed woman leave. Her friend was sitting there confused.
“Miss?” The server said to Sara. Tariq touched her leg.
“Oh, sorry,” Sara was so focused on the woman that she barely heard anything anyone had said. She placed her order.
Soraya and Aaliyah admired the paintings that were hung in the restaurant as they drank their cold beverages. Aaliyah really enjoyed art very much. Sara was enjoying her pastries. She was feeling very hungry as if she had not eaten anything all day.
Sara was happy to return home later that day. She had missed her little one. Leylah was sitting with her granddad when she saw her mother enter the room. Her eyes widened and she started babbling louder. Sara laughed and picked up.
“Hi, sweetie,” Sara kissed her multiple times. Leylah laughed in response. Tariq held her chin and kissed her a couple of times. Leylah smiled at him and touched his cheek. He kissed her little hand.
Everyone cleaned up and came back down for dinner, which was set up outside in the courtyard. The sun was setting, there was a cool breeze, the food was delicious; it was the perfect ending to a great day. Sara was looking forward to exploring the city a little bit more.
* * * * *
Leylah was fast asleep in her own room that Fiddah had prepared especially for her so the parents could have some privacy. Sara had a warm bath before bed. Tariq was sitting on the bed going through some paper work when Sara came out dressed in a silky robe. She walked over to the bedside.
“Do you want to know what I bought today?” Sara asked Tariq. He put the paperwork on the nightstand and looked at her as he leaned back on the headboard.
“I am slightly curious, yes,” he replied. She smiled and tugged the belt on the robe. She let the robe fall to her feet. She was wearing her new lingerie. The red silk fabric complemented her complexion. Her luscious breasts were accentuated tastefully. The panties rose slightly in the back giving her added shape. Tariq stared at her silently for a moment.
“Tariq,” Sara could not guess what he was thinking.
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on,” he said. His voice had become deep and husky. He got up from the bed and bent his head down to kiss her. He was so aroused; he was ready to take her. The touch of his lips sent ripples of pleasure through her body. He slowly and gently kissed her neck and caressed her back.
Tariq wrapped his arms around Sara's waist and lifted her up off her feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as he laid her on the bed. “Don’t move,” he commanded as he reached for his clothes. Quickly removing them, he climbed back on the bed and slowly stalked toward her. Sara couldn’t help but shiver at the look in his eyes. He looked like a predator and she was his prey. Sara shivered. Goose bumps broke out on her skin as he crept up her body.
Without taking his eyes off her, he kissed and nipped, working his way up her body. Blowing warm air on her mound, he chuckled when she squirmed, as he stilled her with a hand to her hip. Kissing along the panty line at her waist, he nipped and sucked as Sara moaned. As he kissed her stomach, he touched her gently. Reverently. As he relished in the life growing inside her. His child. His woman. Looking at her face, he revelled in the flush that was rapidly spreading down her neck. Hovering over her, he licked and sucked at her nipples through the lace. Kissing her breasts, he loved how her brassiere pushed them up. They were enticing and he wanted to feast upon them. Sara’s legs trembled as she slid them around his waist, pulling him closer. The evidence of his arousal, pressed tightly against her. With a growl, he slipped her panties to the side and buried himself deeply inside her. Drawing her hips tighter against him, he thrust rapidly in and out, as they both drew near to orgasm; he pulled her into a sitting position capturing her lips in a devastating kiss that sent them both over the edge. As Sara shuddered against him, riding out her orgasm, he held her tightly. When they both calmed down, he laid her gently back on the bed and spooned behind her. Kissing her neck, he murmured, “I think we need to buy you some more lingerie.”
* * * * * *
The next day, Sara walked out into the courtyard in an unusually good mood. It was nearing mid-day. She and Tariq had already enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in their room and Sara was still flushed from a repeat of last night. Soraya and Aaliyah watched her gleeful steps, as Tariq followed close behind at a more leisurely pace.
“Hi, baby,” Sara said to Leylah as she took her from Amir. She hugged her daughter tightly. She missed her so deeply. “How are you, my love? Oh, I missed you so much,” she added.
“I am fine, too,” Amir interjected. Sara laughed and rubbed his head.
“How are you, today?” Sara sat down next to him.
“I am well, thanks.”
“You look radiant today, Sara,” Aaliyah said. Sara was kissing Leylah's little hands. She looked up at Aaliyah.
“Just happy to see my baby,” Sara said. Leylah started babbling. Tariq smiled. He could tell that she was going to be like her mother. He kissed her forehead before joining Malik.
Sara shielded her mouth from Amir and mouthed, “The lingerie worked magic,” to Aa
liyah and Soraya.
“That explains it,” Soraya said, as the women laughed.
“Why am I being left out of this conversation?” Amir asked. Before anyone could grant him an answer, one of the servants walked into the room. She bowed her head.
“Sheik Amir, there is someone here to see you,” the servant said.
“Who is it?” Amir asked.
“She would prefer to tell you herself.”
Amir raised an eyebrow, as it sounded rather dodgy. Sara looked up, she was suddenly curious. Why so cryptic? Amir motioned to have the guest join them in the courtyard. Sara's jaw dropped open when she saw the green-eyed woman from the restaurant. She was wearing a white silk camisole with a see-through lace back, high waist beige shorts and black shoes with red soles. Her hair was tied up in a high messy bun. Amir looked up, he recognised her immediately.