The Sheikh's Secret

by Knight, Kylie

  She looked so heartbroken then and when a single tear rolled down her cheek he moved to wipe it away but she flinched back from him, not wanting him to touch her at all. That stung in a big way but he understood it. This would take time and it was no less than he deserved.

  “I can prove it to you once and for all, if you can only trust me this one last time.”

  “How? How can you prove a thing like that?”

  “By taking you to meet her. Take this last trip with me, Ada, and if it doesn’t convince you of my truth I promise you, I will never bother you again. I’ll leave you be, leave your life for good.”

  “Are you alright?”

  She didn’t answer. He couldn’t read the expression on her face but he thought there might just be some excitement there. That was good. That was more than he had honestly been hoping for. He was sure she had to be nervous, what with being in a foreign country and also being on her way to meet the woman she believed to have wronged without any intention of doing so. He was still beyond surprised that she had even agreed to come with him in the first place and if he had been a more whimsical kind of a man he would have pinched himself just to make sure he wasn’t living in a dream. He wasn’t sure why she had come and he knew she must be hesitant, rethinking her choice every other step she took, but he also thought that he caught that little glimpse of excitement that told him he still had a chance.

  “Yes, I’m-I’m fine. I’ve just never seen a place quite like this. It’s so big. So hot!”

  “Yes, dear,” he said with a laugh that felt like coming half way home, “it is most definitely hot. Now, tell me, are you ready to meet the family? To meet Mariam and my boy?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied with a trembling lip he wished he had some way of making still, “am I? Please, Darvesh, just warn me right now, if all of this was a lie, if I’m walking into some kind of a god awful trap, just tell me now and save me the humiliation.”

  “Ada, I need you to hear me, once and for all,” he put his hands on her shoulders, noting with a dim hope that she did not shy away from his touch, “I would not do that to you. Not ever. I love you Ada. Now you don’t have to say it back, at least not until after you’re sure that what I’m saying of Mariam is true and not unless it’s something you feel too, but I want you to know it. To really know it.”

  She looked like she was thinking of saying something but in the end she just touched his hand lightly, nodded, and started to walk towards the limo that was waiting to take them to his family home. They did not speak for the duration of the ride, didn’t say a word. He supposed there was nothing else to say until she saw what she had come to see and he did not hear another sound out of her until they started along the mile long drive that served as the entrance to his home of origin. As soon as they pulled around the bend that allowed the first full view of the house she let out a surprised gasp. He didn’t say anything, only waited for her to offer up her thoughts (assuming she felt so inclined).

  “This is your house?”

  “It’s my father’s house, yes.”

  “But it’s huge! This has got to be the biggest house I’ve ever seen. Like, bigger than the white house. I can’t believe you grew up here!”

  “It was a lovely place to grow up, I won’t lie about that. It came with its responsibilities, some of which were more difficult to fulfill than others, but it was a lovely place to grow up.”

  Ada looked at him with a searching expression and, for the briefest moment, took his hand. She was starting to see him as human again instead of that monster who had lied to her and made her feel small. In just a moment she would meet Mariam and perhaps things would be all the way better. He knew that they couldn’t possibly go back to the way they had been back before Clara had revealed his past to her so unceremoniously, but he believed that they might actually be better this way. A deeper relationship, a bond that would be almost impossible to break. That was what he hoped to have when this whole thing was said and done because if it was up to him, he wasn’t going to let her go ever again. He knew what he wanted and it was her.

  “Is that her?”

  She asked the question in a small voice and as she did so, she let go of his hand. It appeared to him that she was shaking ever so slightly and he couldn’t wait to have this thing done. None of it would seem anywhere close in reality as she was making it out to be in her head. He knew that, there was just no way for him to say it to her that she could fully trust.

  “It is. That is Mariam, standing beside my mother, who is very anxious to meet you, I might add.”

  “You told your mother about me?”

  “Of course I did. I tell my mother about all of the things I hold most dear.”

  “What if I can’t, Darvesh?”

  “What if you can’t what, my dear?”

  “What if I can’t do this? I’m afraid I won’t even be able to get out of the car, let alone sit down and have a conversation with the mother of your child. What if I can’t go through with it?”

  “Then we shall turn the car around this instant and fly you back to America and, as I promised, I will not bother you again. But I hope you can. I know I am not in the position to be asking anything from you at all, but I do so hope that you can.”

  She looked at him with those ethereal, unwavering eyes and for a terrifying moment he thought that she really would change her mind. But then her jaw set, her stubbornness taking over, and she nodded once.

  “Alright, well, we’ve come all this way. We might as well see the thing through. Let’s do this.”

  “Yes,” he grinned, feeling the first flush of euphoria, “let’s do this indeed.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I cannot tell you how sorry I was to hear of all of the heartbreak Darvesh and I’s unusual situation has put you through. Believe me, that last thing I would want was any person he loved to be in pain.”

  “Thank you, um, thanks. That’s very kind of you to say.”

  Mariam smiled at her and Ada felt her insides clench. This woman was completely gorgeous, like, super model gorgeous. Of course she was. It would have been way easier if she hadn’t been, but nothing about this had been easy. Why should things change now? And on top of looking like she could easily win Miss Universe tomorrow, she also appeared to be exceedingly kind, which made it damned near impossible to hate her (which would have been easier as well). It made it impossible to even dislike her, and so Ada found herself sitting in the library of this house that felt too grand for her to even look at, let alone be inside of, and talking to a woman who was making her feel much better about her situation. Who would have thought, right? Who would have thought that the woman who had been at the center of this whole tangled thing with Darvesh would be the only one to even begin to put her mind at ease?

  “Thank you, but I promise you, I’m not just trying to be kind. It’s the truth, and it’s not I who is kind, it’s Darvesh. You have to know, it’s Darvesh. He only became involved with me because of that kindness. That and that alone. There was never anything between us. Nothing romantic, that is.”

  “Wait. I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. Nothing romantic? But don’t the two of you share a son together?”

  “We do, at least as far as the world at large is concerned.”

  Ada looked first at Mariam and then at Darvesh, noting that his mother had quietly left the room. She was beyond confused and while part of her felt like she was about to finally get an explanation for everything that had been plaguing her, she was also getting pretty tired of only having half of the story. Darvesh nodded at Mariam who took Ada’s hands in her own and bowed her head gently before she began to speak.

  “You must understand that in our community, in this place where Darvesh and I grew up, there are certain expectations. Expectations for men and for women, and there is very little tolerance for not living up to them. Part of it is marrying somebody within your own class. Darvesh and I were both raised by Sheikhs and so were expected to ma
rry people with similar pedigrees. It sounds easy enough, right?”

  “I don’t know,” Ada said softly, not convinced that it did, “maybe.”

  “I suppose it is, in theory. But theories don’t always come to fruition the way we hope they will. For me it didn’t work the way it was supposed to. I fell in love, but not with the kind of man I was supposed to. We were together before we were married. I really believed that we would find a way to make it together but my father had other ideas. He paid my lover a large sum of money to leave me which was exactly what he did. Neither of them knew that I was with child. The man I loved, who I believed loved me, long gone and me unwed and with child. What do you suppose would have happened to me then?”

  “I-I don’t know.”

  “I’m glad that you don’t. I’m glad things aren’t that way where you grew up. Honestly, there’s no reason to go into the details of it but I can tell you it wouldn’t be good for either me or my child. Darvesh and I had been friends since we were small children. He was the only one I could trust and when I told him the mess I was in, he married me that day. Our parents were surprised by how quick it was, but that was it. They never thought twice about the baby and whether or not it was his. He’s kept my secret for almost ten years, his mother being the only one he told. See? He’s a good man. Really, the best kind of man there is.”

  “But then why didn’t he tell me?”

  “If I were to speak for him, my guess would be that he did not tell you because he felt that it wasn’t his story to tell. Would I be correct in saying this Darvesh?”

  “Yes, Mariam, but please, you must know that I’ve never once regretted the choice I made. Not once.”

  “I know that my dear, and I will never know how to repay you, to express how grateful I am. Except for to say that I believe it may be time for a divorce, old friend. An amicable separation, if you will.”

  “But Mariam, what will become of you?”

  “I’ve spoken to your mother, who has spoken to your father. Believe me, I won’t ever want for anything. My son will have a legitimate name, a name that will give him a future he could never have had without you. You’ve done more than anyone could ever have hoped for. Now it’s your turn. It’s your turn to find the happiness you deserve.”

  Mariam kissed both of Ada’s hands, stood and kissed Darvesh on one cheek, and quietly left the room. And then there was just the two of them, Ada and Darvesh, looking at each other uncertainly, unsure of where to go from there. All she could hear was the ticking of the massive grandfather clock across the hall from them and the sound of her own breath and she knew that she wanted him, that everything she had done had been bred out of misunderstanding and that she wanted him back. But would he have her? After the way she had doubted him would he really take her back or would he decide it was impossible to forgive her for not being willing to listen to him right at the beginning.

  “Please, Ada, take my hand, won’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  She didn’t have to think twice, she just slipped her hand into the outstretched one he was offering her and stood, feeling slightly unsteady on her feet. The warmth of his skin radiated into her own and her heart began to beat wildly in her chest. He didn’t speak any other words, but then again he didn’t have to. She would have followed him anywhere, without question or provocation. He led her up a long, impossibly wide marble staircase with iron railings and through a maze of corridors she was sure she would never have been able to get back through without getting lost. That didn’t matter, though. She had no intention of trying to go anywhere that Darvesh wasn’t. Further and further down the winding corridors until he led her into a large, dark bedroom with a carpet that felt like walking on clouds and the light scent of lilacs in the air.

  “Darvesh, I—”

  “No,” he said in a voice thick with want that sounded completely familiar and somehow utterly foreign at the same time, “leave the talking for later. Right now I have to have to have you. I have to have you or I’ll die.”

  Even as he spoke he was tugging her dress up over her head. She had been advised to wear something to cover herself up when outside of the massive household but once inside she had been allowed to make herself comfortable and now Darvesh was removing even that flimsy sundress. He lifted her up into the air and she wrapped her legs around him, feeling giddy with the feeling of how powerful he was. He made her feel like she weighed nothing at all and with one hand around her back to hold her close the other unhinged the clasps of her bra. He moved swiftly and with complete control, something she found intoxicating after all of the time she had spent being the boss. He tossed her down onto a massive bed and spread her legs open wide, pulling her panties down slowly without ever breaking eye contact. She could feel herself growing wet just with him looking at her and she realized that she had been waiting to feel this again every day since her and Darvesh had split. Her entire body was trembling with the need to be touched by him and she let out a little whimpering sound. She couldn’t help it. The waiting, the teasing, felt like torture.

  “Please,” she gasped, watching Darvesh closely as he slowly unbuttoned first his shirt and then his pants, stripping down until he stood before her completely naked and looking every bit like some kind of a greek god. His hands touched down lightly on her knees, tracing down slowly, so slowly, running along the inside of her legs, trailing down to her inner thighs while her back arched up and off of the bed. His fingers traced around her sex, that part of her that was throbbing for him, and through half closed eyes and a sudden burst of pleasure she could see his thick member erect and ready for her. His fingers moved slowly at first, then sped, faster and faster in the rhythm he knew she liked best. She felt like she was going to come right up off of the bed and she couldn’t help letting out a loud cry of pleasure. It had been too long since his hands had been on her and it took almost no time at all before she was in the throes of the most massive orgasm of her life. It was good, it was beyond good, but it wasn’t enough for her. She needed all of him. She needed that thick erection sliding inside of her and her hands snaked down the bed, reaching out for him. He must have understand what that meant because that was when he moved up over her, using one strong hand to guide himself deep inside of her. She gasped, he gasped, both of them overwhelmed by the feeling of him being full inside of her. His hips started to roll against hers, thrusting in and out, in and out. Her hips responded in turn, matching his movements as if she could read his mind and anticipate every motion he was going to make. Her hands moved around to his back, her nails digging into his skin, and her legs moved further up his body, her knees almost at her ears. It only made the sensation of him inside of her more intense and she let out a yell of pleasure, feeling the next orgasm right around the corner. He reared up, taking her legs in his hands and throwing them up and over his shoulders, plunging so deep inside of her that she had to bite the pillow to keep from screaming loudly enough to have everyone in the house come running. When one of his fingers found her clit, it was game over. She felt her entire body rocked with explosion after explosion until she thought she might pass out from how good it felt and through the noise of her own pleasure she could hear Darvesh’s breath quicken and then he let out a shuddering gasp, moaning and writhing right along with her. Finally, both their bodies and their pleasure exhausted, Darvesh rolled off of her and pulled her in close so that her ear rested on top of his rapidly beating heart. They staid that way together for a long time, letting their bodies slow again, before he kissed the top of her head and let out a contented sigh.

  “You know, my dear, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

  “Is that right? And what might that be?”

  “Well it would seem that I’m soon to be a legally single man again. I was wondering if you might do me the honor of changing that.”

  Instantly her eyes filled with tears. She kissed his chest, hugged him close, and nodded her head vigorously. She couldn’t speak, but sh
e didn’t have to. He knew that her answer was yes.

  THE END

  The Sheikh and His Maid

  Chapter One

  “Alison! Alison, where the hell have you been lady? I feel like you disappeared off of the face of the planet. You are still alive, right? I mean I’m not like, talking to your ghost or anything, right?”

  “Ha ha, very funny. I’m sorry, Jules. It isn’t on purpose. Things have just been so strange lately. I haven’t exactly had a lot of time on my hands.”

  “Time? What’s that? Who has time? It doesn’t matter, though. You have to make time. Or is this your way of telling me you are no longer in need of a best friend?”

  “No! Don’t say things like that. You know that will never happen. I’m going to love you until the day I die. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  “Ok, I know. I just like to hear it from time to time. But seriously, girl, what’s been going on with you?”

  Alison Phelps sighed into the phone. How was she supposed to even answer a question like that? There was enough going on with her that she didn’t even have time to pick up a phone and call her bestie so clearly there was a whole hell of a lot going on. Alison was used to being busy, she kind of thrived on it, but lately things had gotten a little crazier than she was used to.

  Alison had always been the kind of girl who wanted to succeed in things. She had grown up in a small town in Tennessee and, as far as her mother had been concerned, she had been too big for the state from the moment she was born. She had announced her presence in the world with a loud cry and big, searching blue eyes. On top of that was a shock of black hair that everyone swore would fall out but never did, instead turning into a blanket of dark curls that tended to get a double take from people passing by her on the street. She was a petite little thing, five foot and maybe a couple of inches. Being petite, however, did nothing to dampen the ferocity of her spirit. She was a feisty girl, and beautiful, a girl who had loved to be on the stage for as long as she could remember. She loved the freedom of morphing into another person at will, becoming versions of herself she never would have entertained in the light of a real day. She could be a villain or a princess, a pauper or the worst kind of girlfriend there ever was. She could be anything at all when she was performing and she quickly became addicted to it. As many times as she was told how impractical it was, it was the thing she wanted to do with her life and no amount of reasoning could convince her otherwise. She went to college, because of course she felt that it was important to do so, but that didn’t sway her from the path she had chosen. If anything, her love for acting only increased and by the time she graduated, at the top of her class, she knew that there was nothing that would deter her from pursuing her dreams. Despite her mother’s very adamant protestations, Alison made the decision to leave Tennessee and move to one of the few places where an actress might actually manage to get herself discovered; LA, the city of angels, or so she had heard. Unfortunately, she very quickly learned that there were no angels to be found, at least none she could see.