Marrying the Sheikh

She let her mind drift as the vodka worked on the throbbing pain in her ankle. She thought back to the time she had spent on the plane with Karim and how easy he was to be around. She played back in her head the moment when the two of them had walked into the grand ballroom, and the hours they had spent enjoying drinks in the bar. She let her thoughts take her back to their time on the bed with the candles glowing softly in the background. The flickering candles and the storm raging outside made it a perfectly romantic setting. She just wished it could have lasted a little longer.

No, thought Ella. She knew better than that. Even though Karim had told her that there was no love between him and Nadia, she was still responsible for planning their wedding. Why? she wondered. Why would they want to get married if they weren’t in love? Sometimes weddings were arranged to satisfy the financial interests of the families. But both Karim and Nadia were from incredibly wealthy backgrounds. There would be no need for such an arrangement.

Pregnant! The thought jumped into Ella's mind and caused her to sit straight up in bed. Nadia must be pregnant! That was the only explanation. Why else would Karim, such a nice, kind and loving man want to be with someone who seemed so cold? There could be no other explanation.

Ella felt her heart sink as the realization of the situation hit her. Even though Karim didn’t love Nadia, she was having his baby, and the child would be a royal heir to the kingdom of Al-Ibran. There was no way Karim would abandon Nadia now. Even if they did get divorced at some point, if that was even allowed, Karim would forever be involved with Nadia.

The thought of Karim spending his time with Nadia and their unborn baby caused something to tighten around Ella’s heart.

“It figures,” she said out loud. “I finally meet someone who is nice, sweet, good-looking and he’s getting married!”

She fell back against the pillows and breathed slowly as the wind died down around the hotel. She fell asleep to thought of her and Karim in a custody battle with Nadia. She woke several times during the night, always returning back to a fitful sleep filled with dreams about Karim, Al-Ibran, and a future she would never get to experience.

SEVEN

Karim said goodnight to Djaron and closed his bedroom door. He turned and looked around at the lavish room, thinking it was nothing he hadn’t seen before. He was so used to the finer things in life that he didn’t think he’d recognize something extraordinary if it was right in front of him.

Except for Ella. She was extraordinary. He knew it the moment he had met her at the café. Sure, he had spoken to her on the phone several times before, but when he saw her in person, when he could feel her presence and warmth, that’s when he saw her for who she really was.

That day at the café, Karim had tried to conceal his reaction at meeting Ella. He had spent most of his adult life around women who were after one thing: his money. None of them cared about him, nor did they want to get to know him for who he was. They were frauds. They were fakes. They were willing to do and say just about anything to get in Karim’s good books.

But Ella was different. She didn’t have an agenda. Her only goal was to plan their wedding and do the best job she could for them. It was her own reputation she was concerned about, not Karim’s. It was so refreshing for him to be around someone who was genuine and pulled no punches. He couldn’t remember ever spending time with a woman like her before.

When he had invited Ella to the island, he had already known that Nadia wouldn’t be joining them. But he didn’t tell Ella that day because he was afraid she wouldn’t come. She seemed to pride herself on her professionalism and jetting off to a paradise island with just a groom might not reflect well on her reputation. But he had promised Nadia he would take care of the details. That was part of their arrangement.

At first, Karim had felt nervous around Ella. At the airport, when he had escorted her onto the plane, he had been afraid she might judge him when she saw the extent of his affluence. He didn’t want to downplay it, for fear that she might see through him, but he didn’t want to seem boastful either. He had tried his best to be himself, something he hadn’t been with a woman in a very long time, if ever. And it had worked. He felt at ease with Ella on the jet and at the hotel. Right until she had asked about Nadia.

That’s when Karim recoiled. Ella and her charm had caused him to let his guard down and reveal the truth about his feelings, or lack thereof, for Nadia. He had come dangerously close to telling her everything, and if he had stayed in that candlelit room with her for another moment, he might have. He knew if he spent any more time alone with her, he would risk revealing the whole sham.