The Sheikh's Tamed Bride (The Sharif Sheikhs 2)

11

The lunch shift at the lounge was busy. Since Rashid had apparently introduced himself to her boss as her fiancé in order to get her out of work, news of her engagement had spread.

Unfortunately, Fatima was also working the lunch shift.

“I see the princess is joining us,” Fatima said snidely as Mila tied her apron around her waist. “I’m surprised to see you here, or did you want to rub your diamond ring in my face before you left?”

“Go away, Fatima,” Mila said tiredly. “After today, you’ll never have to see me again.”

She had started to twist the ring off her finger to put it on her necklace so she wouldn’t lose it when Fatima grabbed her hand. “I know that he can afford better than that,” she laughed. “Are you sure you two are engaged? He probably hands out those rings when he tosses his lovers aside.”

“Excuse me?” a low voice said. “I’m looking for Mila?”

Fatima’s nasty smile immediately softened and brightened, and she batted her eyes. Disgusted, Mila turned around and faced two handsome strangers. Something about them looked familiar, but she couldn’t place them. “I’m Mila.”

“Of course you are.” The one with the goatee took her hand and kissed it. “You are simply stunning. No wonder Rashid can’t stop talking about you.”

He winked at Fatima, and the smile instantly vanished from her face. Growling, she whirled around and stomped away.

Mila couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re already my favorite people.”

“We definitely want to be your favorite people. I’m Karam, and this is Arvio.” The speaker searched her face as if he expected her to recognize them.

She cringed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are.”

“That’s all right,” Arvio said quickly. “We’re Rashid’s friends. We wanted to meet you in hopes that you’d help us out

with something.”

Mila frowned. How could she help them? Based on their expensive suits and charming smiles, they probably had just as much money as Rashid. “What can I do for you?”

“We want to throw Rashid a surprise engagement party. He’s been busy with the arena, and we’ve been giving him a hard time about trying to be responsible. I’m afraid we’ve been in a few fights over it, but we want to show our support. He’s our friend,” Karam explained. “We wanted your input while we planned, and we hoped that you might get him there for us.”

Her eyes lit up with delight. “A surprise party? That sounds like a great idea! He’s been under so much stress. I would love to!”

“Great. We were thinking of holding it at the arena. We already reserved one of the rooms under a false name so he wouldn’t suspect anything and spoil the surprise. If you could get him there Wednesday night at eight, that would be a huge help.”

Mila loved the idea. Taking out her notepad, she jotted her number down. “This is such a wonderful idea. I’m so glad that you guys reached out. Please call or text me with your party ideas.”

Arvio smiled as he took it. “You are going to make the best wife for Rashid.”

“Really? Sometimes I think that we clash too much, but underneath that gruff exterior is a sweet man.”

Karam snorted, and Arvio elbowed him. “Sorry. It’s hard for us to see Rashid as a sweet man. We’ll let you get back to work, and we’ll be in touch.”

Mila couldn’t help her excitement as they walked away. She wanted to do something to show Rashid that she could be involved in his life, and maybe this was a good first step.

Taysir, the head of security for the arena, stood in front of the desk in Rashid’s office. Rashid read over the report and took a deep breath.

“Are you sure?”

“We snapped these photos yesterday.” The stoic man spread a few large photographs in front of Rashid. There he could see Karam and Arvio, gathered with a group of men in the middle of a crowded room and exchanging money.

Rashid’s headache got worse. “That could be anything,” he muttered. Having a little fun with women they weren’t allowed to have was one thing, but illegal gambling? Surely the men he used to call friends wouldn’t go that far.

“How would you like to proceed? Should we call the police?”

“No.” Rashid closed his eyes and leaned back. “I want proof before we go to the police. They come from wealthy families who could face ruin if we get this wrong. Ask around. See what you can find out. Discreetly, of course.”