Sheikh's Marriage of Convenience

by Ella Brooke

  “I’ll buy you ten more,” he promised her, and then she was only wearing her underthings on the bed beneath him.

  “Well,” he said, after a moment, and Danielle blushed.

  Elise DuConte had made a face at the underwear Danielle had bought in the United States, but she hadn’t said anything. Danielle thought that her own underwear was fine, but the Parisienne apparently thought differently. Along with her full wardrobe had come a box full of lacy and satiny underthings. Most were practical enough to wear every day, though they were more luxurious than anything that Danielle had worn before. This set definitely wasn’t.

  The sheer black mesh revealed more than it concealed, and she knew that Faris’s eyes were drawn to the darkness of her nipples behind the lace, the secret curls of hair between her legs. For a mad moment, she wanted to cover herself, but then the look of hunger on his face warmed her too much to care.

  “Perfect little thing,” he purred. “I had no idea that my translator was so very adventurous underneath her quiet exterior.”

  She might have said something about that, but then he was kissing her again, his hot mouth traveling down the center of her sternum, stopping to plant a gentle kiss on each breast through the mesh. The fabric felt as if it was barely there at all; she could feel the heat and the dampness of his mouth so clearly through it. Even that brief contact made her nipples harden with pleasure, but then he was kissing his way down her lean belly, only pausing to hook his finger through the waistband of her panties and to slide them down her legs.

  Before Danielle could even think of covering herself, he had spread her legs and settled between them. She whimpered at the idea of being so very naked in front of someone, but he purred with pleasure, stroking the dark hair between her legs for a moment before sliding his fingers along her slit. She tensed, but then she realized he was simply running his fingers along the edges of her sex, slowly and with such gentle pressure that she sighed and relaxed into the mattress. He was so gentle that when he slid his finger along her clit, there was no shock at all. Instead, there was only a wave of pleasure that seemed to press through to every part of her.

  She whimpered as he bent his dark head down to taste where he had touched, and his fingers ventured below, to probe at her entrance. The sensations were beautifully new, amazingly breathtaking, and she gave herself up to them. His skilled mouth worked over her taut and untried flesh, and the pleasure surged higher.

  When the first tremors started shaking her frame, she almost fought it. Danielle thrashed and shivered, and somehow, her hands landed in his hair, pulling even as he spread her legs wide. He was relentless, and she knew that whatever happened next, she had absolutely no control over it at all. She threw her head back, straining toward something that she had never felt before and at the same time almost terrified to take.

  She balanced on that peak for several long moments, and just when she thought that she would go mad with the sensations that he was making her feel, she tipped, the pleasure washing over her with a tidal wave of sensation that made her shout.

  Her climax broke over her, carrying her away and making every part of her shake. Somehow, his mouth was still working over her, making her whimper and shiver as he slowed and paused. Danielle’s eyes were wide open, staring down at the man who had made her feel such a thing.

  The experience was entirely new to her, and she felt as if she were stripped raw, made anew.

  “Fa… Faris…”

  He looked up, and the grin he gave her was pure hunger.

  “Just a moment, beautiful. I need to prepare myself first.”

  For a moment, she had no idea what he was going to do, but then he knelt up, pulling a condom from his pocket. He hadn’t taken off his clothes at all, which bothered her for some reason, but before she could think about it, he was pulling his cock out. It was dark and hard, and there was a drop of liquid at the very tip that made Danielle lick her dry lips almost hungrily. She watched with fascination as he drew the sheathe of latex over his erect flesh, and then he came down over her again.

  She could smell her own arousal on his skin, and when he leaned down to kiss her, she could taste it as well. It was something that she had never thought of, but now it sent another surge of need through her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and when he lightly bit her earlobe, she whimpered for more.

  “You were so wet and wanting for me, beautiful, I do not think that I can wait any more…”

  Danielle barely had time to register the warning in his words, and then he was entering her hard and fast, sheathing himself in her body to the hilt.

  All of the breath left Danielle’s body with a rush, leaving her silent for a moment before she cried out. The pain was like a blade slicing through the pleasure, making her dig her nails into his clothed shoulders reflexively.

  “Danielle? Danielle, what’s the matter?”

  “Nothing, nothing,” she gasped. “Please, nothing, don’t stop…”

  Even as she spoke, the pain was subsiding, turning into that same warmth that had suffused her before. In a matter of moments, it was only a memory of soreness, something easily forgotten as she took in the pleasure of being utterly filled with him, of his weight on top of her.

  “Danielle?”

  “Please, it’s fine now,” she whispered, looking up and trying to let him see the truth in her eyes. “Please, I don’t want to stop…”

  She could see the doubt in his eyes, but then that hunger that had lurked in him since she had touched his thigh rose up again.

  “God help me, but I don’t think I can…”

  He started to move, drawing almost all the way out of her before surging back in. The power and motion of his body made her whimper with need, and when he quickened his pace, she wrapped her legs over his thighs, reveling in the coarse weave of his slacks against her sensitive skin.

  “I don’t know if I can hold back,” he growled, and even that sent a rush of pleasure through her. She could feel his lips against her ear, and all she did was hold on to him more tightly.

  “Don’t,” she said. “I want you to feel as good as I did, as good as you made me feel…”

  Her words unlocked something in him, and he groaned, pushing into her even harder and faster. She could feel the passion welling up inside him, making him shake just as she had, and then with a great roar, he spilled, his large form shaking over her.

  He shook over her for several long moments, and all she could do was stroke his back, touching him gently as he slowly stilled.

  After a long moment, he pulled back slightly to look at her.

  “Are you all right?” he whispered, and she nodded, smiling up at him.

  “Better than all right,” Danielle whispered huskily, and he smiled, but she wondered if there was something doubtful there.

  “Stay right there,” he said, and with careful motions, he pulled out of her. She felt oddly empty after they had been so close, but she didn’t have time to think about it before he levered himself off the bed. She watched, feeling colder than she should have as he made his way to the bathroom. She could hear water running for a few minutes.

  The pleasure was finally wearing away, and she was left with the cold aftermath of what had happened. With her head clear, she could see that there was no new Danielle, no bolder version of her that was about to be born. Instead, there was just her and the weight of what they had done together hanging over her.

  Before she could start really worrying, Faris came back, his clothes straightened and buttoned and a washcloth in his hands. Some of her fears were allayed by the way he smiled at her and settled next to her on the bed.

  “Will you open your legs for me, beautiful?”

  She was confused by his words, but it was easier to do as he said than question him. Biting her lip, she lay back and parted her legs, wondering what he was going to do. When he pressed the hot, damp towel against her most tender flesh, she hissed with surprise for a moment, and then she relaxed
as he started to stroke her with the most gentle of motions. The sleepy pleasure that rose up from being cleaned and tended to made her eyelids droop, and she didn’t look up again until he pulled away.

  “That felt good,” she said, sitting up. Briefly, Danielle wondered why she felt so nervous now, after they had done so many intimate things. For the first time since her clothes had come off, she felt naked and exposed, and a part of her was strangely dismayed by the fact that he was still dressed, if slightly rumpled.

  His white teeth flashed in the dim light.

  “I am glad that felt good,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that I took some care. It has been a while for you, hasn’t it?”

  “What?”

  She blurted out the word in surprise, and he laughed a little.

  “There’s no need to be shy about it,” he said kindly. “You were tense, you had some trouble relaxing. It is only fair to assume that it has been a while since your last lover?”

  She wanted to protest that she had never had a lover before, that this was all so very new to her. In that moment, she wanted his arms around her, holding her close again, but she held herself back. That wasn’t what adults did after they had sex, was it? Surely she should stay as calm as he was? Her own experience rose up inside her like some sort of monster that she needed to slay, and she took a breath.

  “I… I suppose that is fair to say.”

  For some reason, Faris chuckled.

  “There is no need to be so shy about it, beautiful,” he said. “I understand. You are a professional woman trying to distinguish yourself while you are far from home. I like a woman who is choosy with her company.”

  She smiled lamely at that, but her belly was beginning to churn. This wasn’t what she had expected at all. She wondered frantically what the new Danielle would do with all of this, but now she could tell in a way that she hadn’t been able to do before, that it was all a silly dream. There was no Danielle except for her, and she was beginning to think that she had made a mistake.

  “Now, are you all right?” he asked.

  Danielle wanted to tell him everything that was in her just then. She wanted to tell him that she had never done this before, and now that she had, she was filled with doubt and nerves. Dear God, he was her boss. What would this mean for them? What would happen when they were back in the office together?

  She wanted to bubble over with words for him, telling him what she felt, what was going on in her head, but instead, she pasted a bright smile on her face.

  “I’m good,” she said, and when it sounded a little shaky, she repeated it. “I’m good. That was… I had a good time.”

  He frowned at her, and she felt even more naked under his gaze.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “You look a little nervous.”

  “It’s been a while,” she said vaguely. “And, well, it’s been a bit of a long day…”

  To her relief, he at least seemed to understand that, and he nodded.

  “All right. I’ll leave you to rest, but before I go, there is definitely something that I want to say.”

  She held her breath. She didn’t know what she was hoping for, but there was something tenuous and frail in the air, something strange paired with a need that filled her.

  “I want to let you know how very amazing that was, and I promise, it won’t affect us when we walk back into the office.”

  Danielle blinked. This wasn’t what she had been expecting at all.

  “I respect your work, and honestly, I respect the person you are. I want to make sure that you know that. What we did here will not reflect poorly on you in any way, and if you don’t want it to come up again, it won’t.”

  His words seem to swirl around her like fall leaves, so quick and nimble that she couldn’t grasp any of them. She was still as he leaned in to give her another kiss, this one on the cheek, and then stood up.

  “Get some sleep,” he said with a faint smile. “There’s going to be a lot to do tomorrow.”

  Somehow, she managed to see him to the door and lock it after him. After that, without any other idea of what to do, she went to find her pajamas and lie down. In the dark, Danielle stared up at the ceiling, still trying to figure out what had just happened to her. Her body buzzed with pleasure of everything they had done together, and if she let herself think about that too long, she could feel the ache for more right underneath it.

  She had always thought her bed was wonderfully comfortable and pleasant, but right now, she was unable to feel it as anything except cold. The realization of what she had done sunk in, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. After years of not understanding why people did the mad, stupid things they did, she had finally felt a deep passion that could not be ignored… and she had lost her virginity to her boss.

  Danielle hugged herself tight in the bed, wondering why she felt so alone. Nothing had changed, and if he was willing to keep it professional in the office, that was all to the good, wasn’t it? Then why did she feel as if her heart was breaking? Why did she feel as if she was never going to be warm again?

  Finally, toward dawn, she fell asleep, and her dreams were misty and forgettable, giving her a brief break from her misery.

  *

  Faris deliberately kept himself from thinking of anything much as he walked back toward his own quarters. It was only when he swiped the key card through the slot that he realized he shaking. With a muttered curse, he stripped to his skin and turned the shower on as hot as he could. It didn’t help. He could still remember the silken slide of her skin against his, feel the shiver of desire when she looked at him with eyes that seemed as clear as rainwater.

  Under the hot spray of water, he groaned. She had called something out of him, something dark and strong and passionate. He had never experienced anything quite like it before, despite his sexual exploits over the years. With a single moan, a twist of her body, and her beseeching eyes, it felt as if she had taken hold of something deep inside him, and now he could not find his way free.

  After drying off and stretching out in his bed, Faris could only come to one conclusion. He had never slept with anyone like Danielle before. There was something about her that set his body on fire, and now that he had tasted her once, a part of him wanted to return to touch her and to feel her rest in his arms.

  The idea troubled him. Faris liked to think of himself as a man who did well by his lovers. He left them satisfied, he bought them lavish gifts, he showed them a good time, and he made sure that they were pleased in bed. Somehow, he had a feeling that if he offered Danielle a diamond bracelet it would hurt her.

  It would be for the best if they continued as they were, he decided. Life was complicated enough for him, and right now, he certainly didn’t need someone as sensitive as Danielle involved with him. She wasn’t the type of woman he usually went for, and there was nothing wrong with that. Getting involved with her, well, at the very least, he would lose her talents in the office, and at the worst…

  He didn’t even know what might happen. Faris rolled over in bed, telling himself to let things go. There was no reason he needed to think any more on it. If he were honest with himself, he had already thought more on it than he had any other woman he had had in his bed before.

  Faris took a deep breath and told himself to go to sleep. However, even as he drifted off into slumber, a part of him reached out, expecting to find a slender form and a fall of dark hair. When he only found cold sheets, a part of him mourned and did not know how to be comforted.

  Chapter Seven

  When she realized that she couldn’t sleep, Danielle got up and started braiding her hair. It was an old nervous habit from when she had been at school. Sometimes, she would be so nervous about meeting new students that she would wake up two hours early on purpose to make sure she had plenty of time to do the intricate braids she liked best.

  She showered, and when her dark wet hair was cascading down over her shoulders and back, she looked at her naked form in the mirr
or.

  God, no wonder he didn’t want to stay the night, she thought with an edge of despair. No wonder he had lit out so quickly for his own room.

  She had seen the women that Faris usually kept company with. One of her coworkers at Transglobal had been more than a little fond of gossip magazines, and for a while, those magazines had been plastered with pictures of Faris with elegant women, women that the whole world found attractive and desirable. When she thought of those tall, curvy, charismatic women, she couldn’t stop herself from a pang of envy as sharp as a knife.

  No, she thought, as she started twisting her hair into a familiar woven pattern, she should feel lucky that he even paused to look at her, let alone touch her.

  She shivered. She couldn’t think too much about his touch on her skin, his mouth pressed against her most intimate parts. If she did, she would start to shiver, she would start to want, and then who knew what would happen.

  No, Danielle told herself sternly. She had been given a gift. She would be as normal as she could, she would ignore any hint of want or desire in her own heart, and she would simply pretend that nothing had happened. She knew very well that other women had much worse times when it came to losing their virginities. She had been lucky to be with a lover who was kind and considerate and then made sure that their tryst would not make things difficult on her later.

  Her fingers twined her dark hair into intricate loops, and when she looked in the mirror, she nodded. Between her hair and the dark gray dress she had chosen that day, she looked very severe and very professional. It felt a little like putting on armor, and she was very comfortable with that idea.

  Taking a deep breath, Danielle started for the office. She breathed deeply, and she told herself that the world had not ended. In fact, everything was fine. All she had to do was to get to work, do her job, and ignore the fact that thinking about her employer made her heart hurt.

  She snagged an apple and banana from the kitchen, and when she got to the office where they did business, she paused because she could hear him talking. This time, Faris was speaking French, and hearing the liquid syllables trip off his tongue made her blush.