The Sheikh's Christmas Bride

by Randi DeVoe

  “Lily, who are you to marry?”

  “I am to marry Hamand’s best friend, Avery, from England. They went to Oxford together and he is part of the royal family in England. I will be living both here and there, though mainly I will be here in Samarah. He is Hamand’s financial advisor. I have had a crush on him since the first time Hamand brought him to the palace a few years ago. We are quite fond of each other. I don’t know if we are in love yet, but that will come.”

  “I’m glad that you both have someone to take care of you. I hope you are going to be happy. I don’t know if I can be happy with Hamand...I have never been around someone like him before.”

  “I know my brother can be a little rough, but he has a big heart. He is going to treat you like the queen you will be eventually. You are also going to have the heirs to Samarah. You should feel lucky.”

  “It sounds like I am ungrateful, doesn’t it? You know, for not for giving him a chance...”

  “A little. But really, what do you have to lose?”

  “Jaslica, I want to do so much more with my life other than being a baby maker for the next Sheikh.”

  “Look at it this way, Gabriella, you are going to be able to make a difference in people’s lives when you become Sheikha. You will be able to bring great educational opportunities to our people along with other wonderful things. My mother does so much charity work it is impossible to keep up with her schedule sometimes. Think of it this way...you won’t be a nobody anymore, you will be a powerful woman who people will look up to for guidance and for security.”

  “Well, putting it that way, it doesn’t sound so bad. I would be able to do something other than keep my nose in a book studying, won’t I?”

  “Yes, you will, and you will have my mother to guide you through the process. She is already in love with you, and she knows that you will be good for this country. Not only that...have you not seen our library? It is huge!”

  “No, I have not seen the library, nobody has shown me the palace yet. Will you?”

  “Sorry, but we can’t, that is going to be Hamand’s job. He wants to show you everything that you are going to need to know. We can’t tell you because he is the only one that knows specifically what you need to know...as his future wife.”

  “So basically I will be have to be in school again.”

  “That about sums it up, yes. You will learn so much from my brother, but I have no idea how you will learn it all in such a short amount of time.”

  “What do you mean in such a short amount of time?”

  “It means that you have to learn the history, traditions and language of Samarah by Christmas when you get married. That is why he was so mad when you decided come and spend the day with us...and why we are letting you go back to him right now. Lily is calling him to come get you. We are both sorry about this. We both love you very much, but you do need to be with Hamand right now.”

  “Thank you for letting me come see you both. I just hope that we’ll see each other more often...and not only at meals and functions.”

  “Oh you will see us around. We have a wedding to plan.”

  ***

  “Hamand?”

  “Yes, Lily.”

  “You can come get Gabriella now. We are done dominating her time.”

  “Why such a short visit? I know how much she wanted to spend time with you.”

  “Because you need to start working with her. We told her that she has lessons and only a short amount of time to learn them before the wedding.”

  “What did she say about that?”

  “She said that she will give you a chance. She is sick of being a nobody, brother.”

  “Then I am glad that she did talk to you girls. Maybe she will chose to be with me after all...instead of having to buy her from her family.”

  “Are you serious? You mean you might have to buy her from her family?”

  “Yes, and I am not going to give you the details of the situation. You don’t need to know.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good, now I am coming to get her.”

  ***

  Good, my sister and Jaslica have talked with Gabriella, and hopefully they have helped convince her to stay...even though she is going to stay, no matter what, especially after the conversation I am going to have with her father in a couple of days. I want Lee to do his job and to find out what is going on with Gino Girbraildi. He has already tested my limits of restraint by what he has done with his daughter. I still can’t believe he has not been treating her right...but trying to sell her off? Absolutely not. But it does give me an edge, as well as room for negotiation, when I speak to him. Who would have thought that I would be having a conversation with a mob boss? I don’t know if I should tell her or not...it might work against me. I think I need to discuss this with my father...he would be the right person to talk to about this situation. I know he has dealt with men like this before, and knows just how to deal with them.

  I walk down to Lily’s apartment to go get my fiancee so I can start her training. Later on this evening, she will be training on how to pleasure me, but this afternoon she will be meeting with Leanna, who teaches proper etiquette. Gabriella will need to know such things for dinner and royal functions, and she will need to know how to present herself. Yes, that will be a good day for her...plenty to learn but not too much all at once. She will have many lessons with Leanna, especially as the wedding draws closer. I will start her with the language tutor tomorrow. She will have to master our language as soon as possible, otherwise she will be lost during the majority of our conversations. Then, after Leanna finishes with her for the day, my bride-to-be will be learning the ins and outs of our bedroom.

  “Gabriella, did you have a nice time with Jaslica and Lily?”

  “Yes, I did...thank you. What will we be doing for the rest of the afternoon?”

  “You will be learning some of our traditions and etiquette, and your lessons with both myself and Leanna will help you greatly. Especially with the many functions you will be attending, you will need to know how to present yourself as my fiancee. I will be announcing our engagement this weekend. Expect a Christmas wedding, Gabriella.

  “Why are you announcing it so soon? You told me that you would give me time to make my decision...and to fall in love with you.”

  “Because things have changed, and you will be marrying me. I will not allow you to go back to your parents ever again.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I said so. There are some things you do not know, and I will tell you at a better time what they are. Right now all you need to know is that you are mine, and I keep what is mine.”

  “Okay.”

  “I am glad that you see it my way.”

  “I don’t really have a choice, now, do I?”

  “No, you don’t, but I won’t be a brute about it. There are other lessons that you will be taught as well, but we will leave those for tonight. You are going to get used to seeing me in my natural state, and you will also be learning how to pleasure me.”

  “How do I do that? You have already wanted to punish me this morning.”

  “My dear, this is going to be pure pleasure. I have no intention of hurting you. Now let’s get going, you have an appointment with Leanna right now.”

  I take Gabriella to her appointment with Leanna then take my leave. I do not need be here for these lessons. I trust that Leanna will give her the proper instruction and have her ready for this weekend’s festivities. Right now I am on a mission to find out more information about her parents, and after I have what I need, I will be telling them that I AM marrying their daughter.

  Chapter Seven

  After leaving Gabriella with Leanna, I head back to my office where Lee is waiting for me with the information I wanted. This man is fast...and very reliable. This is one of the reasons why both mine and Jaslica’s fathers are letting him marry Jaslica. I’m the one who set them up and got my father to give his blessing. I reach m
y desk and we both sit down, to look at the material on Geno Gibraildi and his wife, Cynthia.

  “So what do you have, Lee?”

  “It looks like Geno isn’t even Gabriella’s father.”

  “What…?”

  “No, he is her step father/uncle. Her father was killed when she was a baby, and it is suspected that Geno killed him for control over the family. After her father’s death, Gino married her mother but never adopted Gabriella, which is why she still has the name VanShooden. Geno was a foot soldier, and when he married her, he got the job as boss. He has been prostituting her mother out for years. Their marriage is a sham. I am surprised he hasn’t killed her yet. The word on the syndicate is that he is going to auction off Gabriella to the highest bidder, and not the ten million dollars. He doesn’t even know she has left the country yet.”

  “Keep it that way, if possible. Is there any more on her real father?”

  “Yes, I did. Bartholomew VanShooden was an all-around nice guy...aside from the fact that he got Cynthia pregnant, which forced her grandfather to demand that Bart marry his her. By marrying into the Gibraildi family, and because he was a financial wizard, Bart became her grandfather’s second hand man and took over as financial advisor. Geno had been looking for an opportunity to move up in the family business, and could never fathom why the old man was letting this outsider help make financial decisions and direct them where the money should go. So, when he had Bart killed, he did just that. He not only became the old man’s advisor, he was also given Cynthia. After VanSnooden was killed, the grandfather had Cynthia marry Geno. A little while later, after his position was cemented, Geno had the old man killed, too. He never cared a wit for either Cynthia or Gabriella, and has been using them to stay on as boss. This man needs to be taken down, and we have the resources to do it too, sir.”

  “I know we do, and you are right this man needs to be put in prison or killed. Gabriella does not need to know about this. We will make the deal to get her without her knowledge. I want her to get pregnant before we talk to that asshole, Geno. But, I am going to give her a couple of weeks to spend time with me and get to know me better. I want to take it slow with her, and show her the way things are going to be with us. I want to show her as much as I can so that she will fall in love with me. I know that I already want her. I knew it the first time I saw her. Now I know that I am falling in love with her.”

  “That is how I am with Jaslica. Spring isn’t getting here soon enough. I can’t wait to make her my wife. What about Avery, is he looking forward to marrying Lily?”

  “Yes. He is looking forward to finally settling down and having children with her. He has had his eye on her since the first time I brought him here. She will make him a good wife. Speaking of future wives, I am going to go check on mine. She is with Leanna, preparing for what to expect this weekend.”

  “Have fun with that. I remember when Leanna was training me, she is one ruthless lady, and I wouldn’t want to go through that again. It is bad enough that I am going to have to prepare for our wedding. Jaslica is looking to do it up big, and I am not going to deny her that.”

  “My mother is planning a big royal wedding for Gabriella and I. I want her to have the ultimate royal experience, and I am not sorry that her parents are not going to be here for her. They will never make it into the country. My father will walk her down the aisle. Right now I am going to go rescue her. Thank you, my friend, for giving me the information. I just need to figure out what I am going to do with it.”

  “Personally, sir, I think that you should tell the bastard that he isn’t going to be allowed anywhere near here.”

  “She isn’t going to get hurt if I have anything to say about it. She is too important to me, and I know that it has only been a two days, but I feel a connection to her, and I have no plans on letting her go.”

  “I don’t blame you, sir. She seems to be a wonderful, fun loving young woman. My Jaslica loves her like a sister. She will always be part of our family, and will be an aunt to our children. I would very much like for you to be an uncle to them, your highness.”

  “That is very nice of you, and I would be honored to be an adoptive uncle to your children. You are more than my Head of Security to me...I consider you a good friend. I You always have my back and are there when I need you, and I appreciate it greatly. I will be there for Gabriella in the same way, but of course I will have the luxury of sharing my bed with her, too.”

  “I would take a bullet for her, sir, the same way I would for you.”

  “I know you would, but hopefully it won’t ever come to that. Well, my friend, let’s see to our girls. I bet you would like to spend quality time with Jaslica now that she is back from school.”

  “You know me too well, sir.”

  “You don’t have to call me sir when it is just the two of us, you can call me Hamand.”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, I am off to save Gabriella.”

  “Have fun, and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.”

  “You know that I am never good, and don’t do anything that I would do to Jaslica.”

  We walk out of my house, and I head over to see Leanna to find out what kind of torture that Gabriella has been put through. As I head into the dining room where they are practicing dining etiquette, I see that Gabriella is doing very well in taking instruction from Leanna. I only hope she can pick up the language just as fast. Xavier is going to have to do a thorough job with her in the language department. She may not have to be fluent by the wedding, but she will need to know how to hold a conversation in something other than English. At this point, if she can get some of the basics down, then she won’t be so lost. And she will need to know what to say during the wedding ceremony. I want my Gabriella to be perfect at everything because one day she will be Sheikha of Samarah...and will need to be the mother of the country, as well as the mother to our children. I hope to start our family very soon.

  “Leanna, how did she do?”

  “She did wonderful! And, she is fast learner. She will be ready for the engagement party this weekend.”

  “That is good to hear. I appreciate the work that you are doing with her. She sees her language tutor tomorrow.”

  “I have a feeling that she will learn fast in that area as well, your highness. She is a very smart young lady. You are lucky to have her.”

  “Thank you, and you are right, I am lucky to have her. I plan on making her very happy.”

  “I am happy to hear that. When would you like me come back and work with her again?”

  “I will let you know, but it will be soon because she will need to go over what is expected for the wedding.”

  “I will take my leave now, and let you enjoy your fiance.”

  As Leanna takes her leave, I walk over to Gabriella and kiss her deeply.

  “What was that for?”

  “It was because I have spent the last few hours missing you, my dear. Now it is my time to spend time with you. Do you think you would like that?”

  “I think that I would like that very much, but I am very tired. It has been a long day, and I could really use some rest.”

  “I think that could arranged. I decided that I am not going to expect anything in the bedroom for right now, and that you will be able to sleep in bed clothes until you get used to sleeping with me.”

  “What will you be wearing? Will I be seeing you sleep naked?”

  “I will make you a deal, I will sleep in sleep pants and boxers, but I will leave the shirt off. When the time is right we will go slowly, and work from there, but right now I want you to sleep in my bed with me. Can you handle that?”

  “Yes. I want to get used to you, and I am willing to give you a chance. Your sister and Jaslica told me that you will love me unconditionally and that I deserve to be loved.”

  “Really? They said that…?”

  “Yes, and they also said that I need to give you a chance. They brought me here to set me up with you be
cause we both need someone, and I don’t think it would be so bad to be your someone now.”

  “I am glad to hear that you are coming around to the idea of being with me. Let me show you how to be loved. I know that you haven’t experienced real love in your life, and for that I am sorry. You need to have love, as does everyone, and I am going to give you as much love as you want, Gabriella. You will have my love, the love from our children and the love from my family. You don’t need your family anymore.”

  “I know, but they are still my family. I hope that they will be able to see me get married, so I can rub it in their faces. I want to show them that I am so much better without they could ever be.”

  “You don’t need to stoop down to their level, my dear. Everyone knows how wonderful you are, and if your parents don’t, then that is there problem. As for them coming to the wedding, I don’t know about that. From what you have told me, they are rotten. Besides, you are better off without them. You are amazing and sweet, and to think you did it all without their help.”

  “I did, didn’t I…?”

  “Yes, you did. Think about it, you raised yourself...and look at you now! You are marrying a prince.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  She reaches up and kisses my cheek. I take the opportunity to pull her close to me, and kiss her with everything I have until she is breathless.

  “Wow, that was amazing, is it going always be like that?”

  “Yes, dear, I am going to make sure that you are kissed breathless everyday just to show you how much I want you and desire you. That will be my life’s goal...to make sure that you are happy for the rest of your life. Please let me do this for you.”

  “You sound so sincere. How do I do know that you won’t make me unhappy? How do I know you won’t try to control me like my parents did? They kept my nose in books instead of living life...and I want to live, really live.”