The Sheik's Baby Surprise (2 page)

He said something in Spanish about numbers and she turned to her client, translating the information for her.  The woman said something back and Jina turned to the man, staring at his chin. 

Jina waited as patiently as possible for the man’s response, but there was only silence.  Finally, with irritation, she looked up at him, not sure why he wasn’t responding. 

When the man winked at her, she couldn’t stop the blush that formed.  “That’s better,” he said in Spanish.  “Your eyes tell me that you’re still furious with me, but that’s okay.  I have it on very good authority that I am gifted at soothing angry tempers.”

Jina’s mouth dropped open and she glared at the man, shocked by what he was implying.  “Are you saying…”

“My stables have many spirited mares.  All they need is a firm hand to show them how to behave and they are putty in my hands.” 

Jina’s eyes narrowed.  “Are you implying that I am like a horse?  An animal?”

Her client’s phone buzzed and the woman lifted her hand, excusing herself.  Jina’s mouth dropped open as she watched her only shield walk away from her. 

Standing in the middle of a crowd, she felt her heartbeat increase, her mind frantically trying to find a way to get away from this man.  When her client disappeared into the hallway, she glanced back up at the tall man, her stomach cringing with the triumphant look in his eyes.

“It appears that it is just you and me now,” he told her, switching to English.

Jina shook her head.  “No.  I am definitely not standing here with you.”

“I know you’re afraid,” he commented, taking her hand and tucking it onto his arm, leading her through the people.  “But there is no need to be nervous.”

“I’m not afraid of you!” she lied.  She wasn’t really afraid, so much as terrified out of her mind.  Why could he make her feel so much with just a touch?  What was it about this man in particular that got her so riled up in different ways?  It was a mystery that she didn’t even want to solve.  He was the enemy!  He was one of those wealthy people who thought he could move through life with impunity and she avoided them like the plague. 

“I’m not afraid of you, sir,” she said with as much calm as she could muster under the circumstances.  “I just don’t want to speak with you.’

“That’s too bad,” he tsked.  “Because we’re going to talk.  And we’re going to get to know each other.”

Jina pulled back but he simply placed a hand over hers, keeping her hand trapped by his.  “No.  We’re not.  You don’t seem to understand, sir.  I don’t like you.  I don’t like what you represent and I definitely don’t like the way you are manipulating this situation.  Every step you take, forcing me to follow you, is only reinforcing my dislike of you.”

Malik chuckled, surprised by the vehemence in her voice.  And he had no doubt that she was being completely honest with him.  Oh, she was affected by him.  Just as powerfully as he was affected by her.  And they would eventually become lovers.  But he was definitely going to enjoy the challenge of understanding this woman.  A novel experience, he thought.  He rarely cared to understand his lovers except for what they wanted in bed. 

But this woman, he wanted to understand completely.  “So tell me, what has made you such a cynic of men in this world?”

She clenched her teeth tightly.  “Perhaps it is the way they manipulate the rest of the world to suit their purposes?” she suggested, looking around at the way they were now in an isolated area of the ballroom.  “Or maybe it is your arrogance in thinking that I want to be alone with you.”

He shook his head.  “I am very aware that you do not want to be alone with me, my dear.  But perhaps we should first introduce ourselves before we continue our mating dance.”

She gasped and pulled back.  “I am not dancing with you!  And mating…” she struggled to even say the word, it was so out of the realm of possibilities.  “That’s definitely not going to happen.”

He leaned closer, slipping his hands into his pockets.  “Ah, you’re just throwing out more challenges.  I think I should warn you, I truly love a good challenge.”

She cringed inwardly.  He did look the kind of man who would rise to any challenge placed in front of him.  “You’re like a bull with a red flag, aren’t you?’

He chuckled softly.  “Oh, you have no idea.  And your red flag is snapping and catching my attention.”

Jina’s body was trembling, her muscles tense with a strange feeling.  This man was too confident for her.  And too arrogant.  So why was she so painfully aware of him as a man?  Why couldn’t she simply give him a polite set-down and move on with her job?  “Please, just leave me alone,” she told him firmly and started to walk back into the ballroom. 

“I can’t do that,” he said, stopping her retreat with his words. 

“You can.  You just won’t.”

He shrugged one of those massive shoulders encased in a perfectly tailored suit.  “However you’d like to define it.  We’re not finished.”

She looked away, unable to hold his confident gaze.  “Even if I ask you politely?”

He smiled slightly.  “You could try it.”

Jina knew that he wouldn’t care how prettily she wrapped up her request, he was going to try and pursue her.  “Well, then, I guess the race is on, sir.”

She walked away at that point, feeling strong and powerful since she’d gotten in the last word. 

Jina spied her client just as the woman walked back into the ballroom and headed in her direction. 

The woman smiled at Jina.  “What do you think of our guest of honor?’ she asked in a sly voice.

Jina looked back at her, not sure what she meant.  “Who is the guest of honor?” she asked, but she knew!  It was him! 

The woman nodded at the man who was staring right back at Jina, a look in his eyes that told her that she hadn’t had the last word.  Not by a long shot! 

“That is Sheik Malik Amari del Nader of Sarkit, one of the most powerful men in the region.”  The woman chuckled as they both watched Malik as he lifted his glass to them from across the room.  “And a charmer if ever there was one.”

Jina’s mouth fell open slightly.  She’d known that he was powerful but, good grief!  A sheik?  Couldn’t he have been simply a prince or something boring and obnoxious?  Why did he have to be the head honcho of everyone?  Even neighboring countries followed his lead! 

“Oh no!” Jina murmured. 

“What’s wrong?”

Jina pulled her gaze away from the man and turned so that her back was to him.  It didn’t stop her awareness of the man, she could still feel the heat of his gaze, but at least she wasn’t facing him any longer.  That was something, she told herself. 

“I yelled at him,” Jina finally admitted.

The other woman laughed and clapped her hands together.  “Oh, this is going to be a delicious afternoon!” she said.  “Let’s go,” and she surged into the crowd once more.

Jina thought that she was going to be dragged right back to the man’s group, but her client had business to conduct and moved towards her prey, mingling with the other guests.  By the end of the event, the woman had accomplished some amazing victories and Jina was in awe of the woman’s negotiating skills. 

“You were wonderful,” her client said, shaking Jina’s hands.  “I can’t wait to work with you again.”  A twinkle entered the older woman’s eyes.  “But I think you have some unfinished business, don’t you?”

Jina refused to look over at the man who had been staring at her.  Every time she looked up, the man was in her line of sight.  All afternoon, he’d tormented her, tried to distract her.  But she’d won!  She’d finished her job and she’d done well despite his annoying habit of always glancing her way.  And her irritating habit of reacting with a shiver every time she looked back at him. 

“Not at all.  If you don’t need me any longer today…” The woman glanced behind Jina’s shoulder.  “Oh, I don’t think so.”  A moment later, the woman was gone and Jina was left trembling with awareness. 

Malik watched the fascinating woman her facial expressions and body movements, the way her eyes flashed from one person to another. It was all so fascinating! He also loved the way this woman tried to hide her femininity. Those rosebud lips, covered in a neutral lipstick, couldn’t hide the sensuousness of her nature.

He was doubly impressed when he listened to her translations. Never before had he heard a translator come across with such precision, such attention to detail. First, he would have her in his bed. When he was tired of her, which would inevitably happen, he would hire her on as a staff member. She was exceptionally beautiful and amazingly talented. A perfect combination for his bed and his staff.

He would start by taking every single one of those pins out of her long dark hair, tangling his fingers through the soft tresses. He would then take her to one of the exclusive boutiques in Paris, drape her lush figure in soft fabrics. He also wouldn’t mind taking a knife to that’s drab, shapeless black dress that she was currently wearing. The ridiculous garment covered her from her neck all the way down to below her knees. A woman with a figure like that should be wearing silks and lace. She should be hovering over him as she debated which part of his body to caress with that rosebud mouth of hers.

Malik took a deep breath and pulled his gaze away from his current prey. His body was reacting too strongly to this woman. He never lost control! But with this beauty, with her soft, lilting voice translating the melodic Spanish to her client, his body couldn’t help but become interested.

So instead of watching her, he let his eyes drift over the rest of the guests at the function. There were several other world leaders here tonight. None of whom he really wished to speak with at the moment. He supposed that he should mingle a bit more, but after having seen that woman, hearing her voice, he dismissed all of the political issues he needed to deal with at the moment. His entire focus was on planning this woman’s seduction.

Free at last!  Jina set her cup of coffee down on a nearby table and moved towards the door. The opposite door from where that horrible man was standing. She wanted nothing to do with him. As she slipped behind another group of lingering guests, she forced her eyes to look only towards the doorway.  Escape. There was absolutely no way that she was going to allow herself to scan the room one more time. Every time she done that over the past two hours, her eyes had clashed with that man’s dark gaze. She was finished with him! She was finished with all of the arrogant men who thought that they had the right to simply buy a woman for the night. Oh, she supposed that money rarely exchanged hands. It probably happened occasionally, but the women in this room were after a bigger prize. And the men in this room knew what the ultimate prize was.

She wasn’t ready for marriage though. And even if she was, the men in this room thought themselves too high and mighty for a simple working girl like her. She knew her place in the caste system. The men and women that attended functions like this with the movers and shakers of the world - they were the powerbrokers, the wealthy and influential women and men who made the decisions that affected people like her.  She would not be offered a position as a wife.  No, her offers would be much lower on the social hierarchy.  Too often in her line of work, the men assumed she was available for additional “services”.  That offended her! 

She wouldn’t mind so much if the men would just accept her professional capacity. But too often, the men thought that she was theirs for the taking, they just needed to come up with the right price. It was more than a little disgusting, but it was also just one of the trials of her job. She’d have to learn to deal with that aspect diplomatically.

Jina hurried down the hallway to the locker room where the employees and consultants could store their coats and purses in lockers. She quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside, eager to get home and slip into something more comfortable. She was still a bit damp from her miserable arrival earlier today and dreamed of a pair of slippers, sweat pants and a bulky sweatshirt.  All dry!

She had less than two hours until her next assignment so she hurriedly opened her locker, grabbed her purse and her rain jacket as well as the pathetic excuse for an umbrella. The rain had died down during the event, but she could once again hear the thunder booming. She only wished that she’d remembered to bring a different pair of shoes. She never should have bought such cheap, suede shoes.  Or more specifically, wanna-be suede.  They’d looked so good in the store though! 

With a sigh, she stepped out through the employees’ door and popped the button on her umbrella that lifted the protection over her head, cringing as the metal blades expanded with reluctance. 

“Great,” she mumbled under her breath.  A broken umbrella, barely wearable shoes and a damp dress.  “Lovely day.”  Dark, mysterious eyes popped into her mind but she pushed them away.  She wasn’t going to think about that man any more.  He’d taken up way too much headspace already. 

Looking down at her shoes, she wished she’d spent her money more wisely.  Jina wasn’t sure if these pathetic pumps would make it all the way to her house.  It wasn’t as if she’d paid $1000 for a pair of Prada shoes. Not that she wouldn’t love to be able to afford a pair of beautiful Prada pumps but that wasn’t in her budget at this stage of her career. A cheap pair of black suede shoes that fit her feet was about all she could handle at the moment. Soon!  Her client base was growing, people were requesting her now. Very soon, she would be able to increase her hourly rates and make more money.