The Sheikh's Stubborn Assistant (The Sharif Sheikhs 3)

Despite all their support, Katie couldn’t go to Mila, Liyah, or Amira. She even hid her feelings from Sahaar to ensure that her hostess didn’t call for backup. Instead, she hid the pain and punched in the number for the airlines on her cellphone in an attempt to buy another ticket.

Apparently, all the seats were booked for all planes heading to America, and they were booked for the entirety of the next week.

Pissed, knowing that this was Khalid’s doing, she bought the earliest ticket that she could and figured she could pass the time sightseeing. She wanted to see the Miracle Garden and visit the beach. There were a few museums that she hadn’t toured yet, only applied to, and she wanted to see the aquarium.

For the next week, she wouldn’t be a woman desperately trying to get a job or establish a life. She could just be a tourist. It would hardly be enough to erase the pain, but it would be a start.

Pulling out her phone, she called the one woman who wasn’t immediately connected to Khalid and made plans with Fatima. Katie would be the tourist, and Fatima agreed to be her guide.

“It’s for the best, you know. Khalid isn’t like his brothers. He would never marry someone so beneath him,” Fatima said causally as they strolled along the beach. “Not that you don’t deserve a good man, but Khalid is a traditionalist. He’ll marry someone his parents approve of.”

“Right,” Katie said miserably. Her relationship with Khalid was the last thing she wanted to talk about, but Fatima always seemed to be able to wrench it out of her. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I don’t think it’s his parents who are the issue. I’m just a toy for Khalid. Nothing more.”

Fatima gasped. “And you fell in love with him! I told you!” She sounded almost triumphant. “Just because Mila and Liyah were able to sink their claws into his brothers doesn’t mean that Khalid is an easy target.”

“What?”

Fatima’s laugh sounded forced. “Oh, that came out wrong. I love Mila and Liyah. They saw something they wanted, and they went after it. Asad and Rashid never knew what hit them. Americans are exotic here—but Khalid is different. He’s not so sentimental. If you’d listened to me from the beginning, you wouldn’t have to flee Dubai now. If you had left him alone, you’d be a rising star in the art world.”

Katie couldn’t help visibly flinching at Fatima’s harsh words. Not for the first time, she wondered why she hung out with Fatima. The woman had been so friendly in the beginning, but now she seemed to enjoy taking potshots at Katie.

Maybe that was just Fatima’s nature. Shoot straight. Tell it like it is.

It wasn’t like the woman was wrong. If Katie hadn’t fallen for Khalid, if she’d held out a little longer for a job where she was appreciated for her brains, then maybe she really would be achieving all of her dreams.

Fatima, elaborately casual, continued. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. You’re leaving, and you can start over somewhere far away from Khalid.”

“Is that so?”

Katie stiffened, and Fatima stopped short as the familiar male voice interrupted them from behind. Khalid walked slowly around them with a hard expression on his face. “I know you, don’t I? You’re the waitress from the lounge, the one who made Mila miserable after Liyah married Asad.”

“What?” Katie frowned. “What is he talking about? You told me that you and Mila were friends.”

“We are.” Fatima laughed nervously. “She was probably just joking around. I was promoted to manager right after Liyah’s wedding, so it took us awhile to find our groove—but I was very happy for her when she married Rashid. Two lucky ladies.”

“Lucky?” Khalid narrowed his eyes. “My brothers found the loves of their lives in those two women.”

Katie’s heart slammed in her chest. It was the first time that she’d ever heard Khalid speak about Mila and Liyah and their marriages to Asad and Rashid in such a positive light.

“Of course.” Fatima’s voice went up a notch. “I’m very happy for them.”

“You need to leave,” Khalid growled. “Right now. And you’d better pray that I don’t decide you are the reason that Katie is leaving the city.”

Horror crossed Fatima’s face, and she turned to flee, but Katie reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. “Did you befriend me just to get back at Mila and Liyah?” she asked, hurt welling inside. “Or did you think that you had a shot at Khalid?”

Rather than face her, Fatima pulled out of her grasp and hurriedly walked away.

Betrayed and humiliated that she’d been so duped, Katie refused to turn and face Khalid. Instead, she hugged her arms around her body and started to slowly walk away.

“Katie, wait,” he said hoarsely. “I know that Fatima has been filling your head with nonsense, but now that I know the root of the problem, we can fix this.”

“Root of the problem?” Angry, Katie whirled around. “You still don’t get it, do you? Fatima is a horrible person, and yes, she made me feel lower than low, but she is hardly the root of the problem. The problem, Khalid, is us. You may be happy with the way things are, but I’m not.”

“Katie . . .”

“No.” Struggling to keep the tears from falling, she held up her hand. “I should have said this before. Maybe it would have helped you understand why I have to do this. Khalid, I love you. I love you, and I know that you don’t love me. I can’t be angry at that. I can’t force you to feel something for me, but you have to let me go. Keeping me around just because the sex is good is unfair to me.”

His eyes widened. “You love me?”