by Carol Grace
If this wasn’t the time for Anne to ask Rafik a favor, then the time was never, she thought. “Actually,” she said. “I have a favor to ask of you, too.”
“Anything,” he said, turning to face her from the driver’s seat. In the light from the streetlight, she could see his dark eyes glowing and his jaw jutting forward. His features were strong, just like his personality. She had the feeling she could ask him anything and he’d do it for her. She thought that if he gave his word he wouldn’t let her down.
“I’m in a bit of trouble at my school,” she began.
“No,” he said, anxiously. “What is it? What can I do to help?”
“It seems that some of the parents saw me that night at the hotel when I was…uh…when you were carrying me up to your room. I don’t know how it happened, but they got the wrong idea.”
A small smile briefly played on the sheik’s lips, then he was serious. “I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I would have done anything possible to spare you the embarrassment, but I was caught in a situation that wasn’t entirely of my own making.” He didn’t say whose making it was, but they both understood that she had to take part of the blame for her condition.
“I understand,” she said, “but they didn’t understand. Though the headmistress can’t dictate what the teachers do in their free time, naturally she and the board of directors want us all to be above suspicion.”
“Of course. So what can I do? Speak to your headmistress and to the board? Explain…”
“Explain what? That I wasn’t really inebriated? After all, I did have two glasses of champagne. Or that I really didn’t spend the night with you in your bed? You can’t deny that, can you?” Anne squeezed her hands into tight fists, realizing that now was the time to ask him what really happened that night. “You say that nothing happened between us. And I believe you. I just want to know why. Was I so unattractive? Was I that unappealing? You’re a sheik. A playboy by your own admission. A man who doesn’t want to get engaged or married. A man who’s looking for women to seduce. Can you tell me what made you leave me and my virtue untouched?” she blurted. By the time she’d finished saying the things that had bothered her since that night, her voice had risen and tears had sprung to her eyes.
“Anne,” he said, taking her hands in his and stroking her ice-cold fingers until they were warm and supple. “Believe me, you were very appealing. So appealing, so seductive and so attractive that it took all my willpower to leave you on your side of the bed. To undress you and not touch your body. I know what you must think of me. You’re right, people say I’m a playboy, and I’ve earned that reputation. But even playboys have scruples. Sheiks have rules. One of them is that the woman must be awake and willing. I have never forced myself on a woman. I’ve never needed to and I never will.”
Anne let go of a breath she was holding. Her whole body was flooded with relief.
“If the day or night comes along when you are willing, then I would make love to you most tenderly, most exquisitely. I would take your clothes off, not the way I did that night but…”
Anne felt her face burning and her limbs trembling at the thought of being seduced by the sheik. “Please,” she said.
“Please what?” he said lightly. “You’ll have to be more specific. Please stop, Rafik, or please start?”
“Stop,” she gasped. “I’m not used to men like you. I don’t have affairs with sheiks, or anybody for that matter.”
“You mean you’ve never…?”
“Never. I’m a…virgin.” It was hard to say the word, but necessary. He needed to know who she was and what she was before they went any further in this strange relationship.
There was a long silence. Anne couldn’t look him in the eye. She didn’t want to see his shock and surprise at finding himself in the company of a twenty-eight-year-old virgin.
“I see,” he said gravely. “And this is because of moral scruples or…?”
“It’s for all sorts of reasons,” she said. “I don’t believe in indiscriminate sex and it’s also for lack of opportunity.”
“I don’t believe that,” he said.
She told him then about the disease she’d suffered in high school when she had to wear a brace. She told him how unattractive she’d felt. How she’d missed out on a normal adolescence. He listened gravely, and when she’d finished he told her how touched he was that she’d confided in him.
“I will treasure your confidence,” he said, tracing his finger around the curve of her cheek. “And endeavor to deserve your trust in me. Now what was the favor you were going to ask me?”
The mere touch of his finger made it almost impossible to think. But with an effort, Anne remembered what it was she needed to ask him. “Oh, yes, it was about my school and the headmistress. In an effort to explain my behavior I told her that you were my fiancé.”
Rafik smiled.
“I know what you’re thinking. That I’m impulsive and dishonest. I can’t explain what came over me. What I said didn’t make sense, but she’d caught me off guard. I wanted her to know that I was not in the company of a stranger, someone I’d just met at a wedding, for example. So I said the first thing that came into my head. After all that talk about a fiancée, the word just popped out. Yes, I know I was borrowing a page from your book. For some reason I thought it might explain why I was in the hotel that night with you in a very compromising situation.”
“Did it work?” he asked.
“I guess it did, because the next thing I knew the headmistress had forgotten how disturbed she was and she was arranging an engagement party for you to meet the staff. It’s a kind of tradition, an effort to instill the feeling that our staff is one big happy family.”
“So I’m to be a part of your family just as you are of mine,” he said.
“Only temporarily,” she assured him.
“Of course,” he said. “I’d be delighted.”
“Would you really? I’m afraid it might be awkward for you.”
“I think I can handle it.”
“Yes, I suppose you can,” she said. Why did she doubt that Rafik would be completely at ease in any social situation and charm every single faculty member without any effort?
“Then it’s settled,” he said. “We have an agreement. I suggest we seal it with a kiss.”
Once again she was caught off guard. Not that she hadn’t thought about his kissing her. While they were dancing with his body pressed against hers, it was hard not to think about kissing him. She’d imagined it happening more than once. But when it happened it was not the kind of kiss she expected. It was not the kind of kiss between two parties merely sealing an agreement. It was the kind of kiss that an engaged couple would exchange if they were madly in love. It was the kind of kiss that lovers who have been holding back for one reason or another would exchange. It was full of passion and pent-up frustration finally let loose.
Not at first. The first kiss was a mere whisper of his lips against hers. A promise of things to come. Then he pulled back for a moment and framed her face with his hands. He looked deep into her eyes as if searching for something, a sign or a wish, and then, when he appeared to be satisfied with what he saw, his lips met hers once again. This time for real.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and angled her mouth to meet his. She had never been kissed like this. So deeply, so profoundly and so passionately. She’d never kissed anyone like that either, with all her heart and soul. Somewhere deep inside her she knew she shouldn’t. She knew it was all pretend, and it would come back to haunt her some day. But she couldn’t stop herself. And she certainly didn’t want to stop him.
His kisses made her feel like she was on a fast train. It was a thrilling ride and where it would end she didn’t know or care. The ride was all that mattered. She slid into his arms from across the leather seat of his car. His lips moved to the hollow of her throat, then to her bare shoulder. She shivered.
“Are you cold?” he murmured.
She felt his lips curve in a smile against her bare skin. She tangled her fingers in his dark hair. He smelled so good. Like leather and exotic spice and fine soap. She could hear his heart pounding in time to her own. How had this happened? She, an innocent schoolteacher, was locked in the arms of a rich and experienced man she barely knew. Or did she know him better than she thought?
Then she stopped thinking and gave in to the sensations that spiraled through her. Rafik pulled her across his legs until she was in his lap. He cradled her in his arms and, as tight as it was in his front seat, she settled there as if she could stay forever. He was kissing her lips again, teasing her by slowly nibbling at them, and then his mouth was open and he was using his tongue to turn up the heat even further. Shyly she opened her mouth to him and met his tongue with hers. It was incredible. She’d never felt such intimacy with anyone. She never dreamed that something so daring could feel so right.
“I can feel your heart pounding, Anne,” he said breathlessly. “I don’t want to stop, but I must. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you in now.” She pulled back and looked down, afraid to meet his gaze. Once again he’d called a halt to what might have been. She was confused. Wasn’t the woman supposed to be the one to say no? What was wrong with her? Did she really have no morals? Didn’t she know when to say no? Was her abstinence only because of lack of opportunity as she’d said? Her face was hot with shame. She untangled herself from him and reached for the door handle. Before he could come around and open it for her, she was out of the car and on the sidewalk.
“Wait a minute,” he said catching her by the hand.
“I can see myself in,” she said, pulling away. “Thank you very much.”
“I’ve offended you,” he said. “What have I said to hurt you?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Good night.”
He stood on the sidewalk and watched her unlock her front door. She could feel his bafflement at her behavior, but she couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t explain herself either. It was too humiliating. She stood inside the darkened living room, leaning against the closed front door and listened for the sound of his car engine. When she finally heard it she sagged against the door. Her lips were swollen, her face was flushed and her whole body ached as though she’d been pounded with a mallet. All she could think was that it was a good thing they weren’t really engaged. She was relieved knowing that he wasn’t really her fiancé. If pretending had left her in this state of semi-consciousness, what would a real engagement do to her? She shuddered at the thought.
Chapter Five
The handball courts at the Pacific Heights Health Club were crowded. By the time the brothers started playing, it was almost six o’clock in the evening. Rafik was full of nervous energy. He’d had a terrible day during which he had accepted numerous congratulations on his engagement, tried to get in touch with Anne to no avail, attended some tedious meetings, and put up with his brother’s remarks. He was looking forward to beating Rahman at handball and perhaps shutting him up for a while.
After a half hour they were both tired and sweat poured off their faces. They’d each won a set and neither wanted to give up without being the victor.
“You used to beat me,” Rahman said. “Your mind wasn’t on the game tonight.”
“If you know so much, what was it on then?” Rafik asked, wiping his face on a towel in the locker room.
“Your fiancée perhaps? I still don’t know how you pulled it off.”
“I didn’t pull it off. Father made the announcement and I still don’t know what got into him. I never said Anne had agreed to the engagement.”
“Don’t blame Father. He saw what everyone else saw. You two were oblivious to the world for hours out there on the dance floor. He assumed you were serious about each other. So did I.”
“Wait a minute. Did you have anything to do with this?”
“Who, me?”
Rafik shot a glance at his brother. His innocent expression didn’t fool him for a minute. “What did you do? What did you say?” he demanded.
“I really don’t remember. In any case you got what you wanted. You can’t deny you needed a fiancée. Now you’ve got one. I can see I’ll get no thanks for helping you out. Besides I didn’t notice Ms. Anne Sheridan protesting.”
“What did you expect, that she’d stand up there in front of all those people and say it was all a mistake? She’s too polite for that. She went along with it. But I can’t say she’s happy about it. Neither am I.”
“Of course you are. It’s what you wanted. A stand-in fiancée which pleases the parents and gets you off the hook. Remember it’s just for a short time. From the looks of you two on the dance floor I can’t believe it’s much of a hardship on either of you.”
“You don’t think so? I don’t know. I can’t figure her out. Anne is the strangest girl. First she’s cool then she’s hot. She comes to the gala but she won’t answer my calls.”
“Maybe she’s busy. Maybe she’s not sitting at the phone waiting for you to call her. That would be a blow to your ego, wouldn’t it?”
“No, it wouldn’t. I don’t want a woman who has nothing to do but wait for me to call. She’s got a life and I like that about her.”
“What else do you like about her? Her red hair? Her gorgeous body?”
Rafik snapped a towel at his brother. “Enough. She’s a nice girl. But she’s not my type. She’s way too serious.” But even as he said the words, he conjured up her face, he remembered how she felt in his arms and how she responded to his kisses. She was too serious for him or was he too much of a lightweight for her?
“Have you bought her a ring yet? I’m only asking because Father asked me.”
“A ring? No, do I have to do that? I suppose I do. Aren’t you supposed to take your fiancée with you to pick it out?”
“How should I know? I’ve never been engaged. I’ll let you lead the way as always. What happens to the ring when you break your engagement?”
Rafik shrugged. “I’ll let her have it. I’ll owe her for being such a sport about it.”
“Then go for it,” his brother said.
Before Rafik could change his mind, he punched in her phone number on his cell phone. Maybe this time he’d get lucky and actually get to talk to her.
“Anne? Thank God I got you. We have to talk.”
She sounded so subdued. And she declined his offer to come by her house. She finally agreed to meet him at a bar near the health club. “But only for a short time,” she said.
“Why is that?” he asked. “You don’t have another date, do you? Remember you’re engaged to me.”
“Not really.”
“No, but…maybe we need to talk about that.” He couldn’t have her dating other men when it was imperative she appear to be engaged to him. Of course, the same applied to him, but he realized that he had no desire to date anyone else. He didn’t know many other women in town anyway, but one seemed to be all he could handle at this time.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if I dropped by your house?” he said.
“No.” Anne didn’t want him invading her privacy. His last visit to her garden had left an indelible impression. Every time she went out there she pictured him sitting on her bench. Every time she smelled the lavender, she remembered him crushing it between his fingers. “I’ll meet you at the bar you mentioned.”
He told her the address on Laguna. She said she’d be there in an hour. How could she say no again? But she was not accustomed to meeting men in bars on weeknights, or any nights for that matter.
So she went. Feeling totally out of her element, she sidled her way through the crowd of yuppies, hearing snatches of their conversations.
“Didn’t I see you
at Tahoe last weekend?”
“You remind me of someone I know.”
“I heard you quit your job. How’s it going?”
“I got laid off.”
“That’s nothing. My stock options just evaporated.”
“Did you hear about Brian? He just got made partner.”
She felt totally out of place in this world. Was this the kind of place and the kind of people Rafik frequented? If it was, it was a good thing this was a fake engagement, because if this was his scene, then they were even more different than she’d thought. Where was he? If he didn’t show up in two more minutes she was going home. It had taken her a half hour to find a place to park in the neighborhood. Now she couldn’t find him. Her nerves were frazzled. What did he want to talk about, anyway, that couldn’t be discussed on the phone?
Just when she was about to give up, she saw him in the corner at a table by himself, a glass of beer in front of him and a frown on his face. When he saw her, the frown faded. He got to his feet and beckoned her to the table.
“I was worried that you’d never come,” he said.
“I had a hard time finding a parking place,” she said, taking a seat opposite him. He was wearing a leather jacket and he looked like many of the other men in the place except more attractive than any one of them. It was the bronzed color of his skin and his coal-black hair and eyes. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to the way he looked at her. Even now. Even before they’d had their discussion, whatever it was. He looked at her with so much intensity she felt trapped by the look in his eyes. Did he do that to everyone? Was it all part of his allure that he turned off or on to women?
She studied his face. He didn’t look unhappy. He just looked a little anxious with his eyebrows knitted together. She hoped he’d forgotten how she’d stormed out of the car after the ball the other night. She realized now how immature she must have seemed. Even worse, it might have seemed that she was upset because he hadn’t seduced her the night of the wedding. Now there was a ridiculous thought.