His Indecent Proposal (Sold To The Sheikh 1)

"Stupid bitch! You ruined my car!" The words cut through her shock and Mia realized that the driver that had slammed into her from behind was already out of his car. The impact had driven her car through the four-point stop, but just barely. With shaking hands, Mia unbuckled her seat belt and turned the key in her ignition to shut the car off. Looking in her rear-view mirror, she saw someone-presumably the other driver-stalking back and forth, throwing his hands up in the air every so often. The adrenaline surged in her system once more as she reluctantly opened the door. She swallowed against the tightness in her throat and stepped out of her car.

Gathering up the tatters of her courage, Mia stepped cautiously towards the rear of her car. The driver of the car behind her was still striding around in almost-circles, muttering and occasionally shouting in anger at no one in particular. He was tall and slim, his black hair brushed back from his forehead, and in at a glance, Mia thought the man had had at least one parent from an Asian country. He was dressed in a sharply tailored suit that was probably worth more than her monthly pay, and up close the car he had slammed into hers-barely dented-was even more obviously expensive than she had originally thought. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly.

The man wheeled around. "Am I okay? You destroyed my car you fucking idiot. Do you have any idea how much it will cost to fix this?" The man gestured at the barely tended front end of his car. Mia cringed, glancing at the much more damaged back bumper of her own car. The turn signal had shattered, and her trunk would never be the same again.

"You're the one who hit me!" she said, anger stirring up inside of her.

"I hit you? What were you, asleep at the wheel?" the man was moving around in fast, agitated circles, pacing in front of his car, shaking his head. "It wasn't a light, it was a damned stop sign, all you had to do was look and then go!"

"For your information," Mia said, her anger increasing as the man's tirade became more and more irrational, "there are almost always cops at this intersection and they ticket anyone who doesn't come to a complete stop!" She looked around, wishing that those very same cops had taken the opportunity to be there to witness this particular incident. "It's not like I can afford a freaking ticket!"

"Can you afford to fix my car?" the man glanced at Mia's sedan, scowling. "Your maximum probably won't even cover the deductible on getting this fixed."

"You. Hit. Me," Mia countered. "If anyone is going to pay for this, it's going to be you." She was shaking, adrenaline surging through her veins, making her heart thunder in her chest. She could feel tears prickling in her eyes and willed them to stay where they were at least until she had gotten out of the unpleasant man's presence; the last thing she wanted was for him to see her crying.

"I'm going to pay? Bitch, I have more lawyers than you probably have cats at your house?" Mia was still looking forlornly at the incredible damage to the back end of her car when the man's voice came to a stop.

"I don't have any cats," Mia said absently.

"No, no of course not." Mia glanced at the man; where just moments before he'd been yelling, stomping along the side of the road, explosive in his anger, now he was watching her with a strange look in his eyes. "Look, I overreacted, I'm sorry." Mia stared at the man in unabashed amazement at the sudden change in his demeanor-and the apology that came with it.

"It's-I mean, I can understand you're probably shaken up," Mia said, shrugging.

"No, no, it's unforgiveable," the man insisted. "It was all my fault; I wasn't paying attention, and you're right about that stop sign." Mia blinked.

"I just?" she cleared her throat. "I'

ve seen a lot of people pulled over right here." Mia swallowed. "So I try to make sure not to give them an excuse."

"That's smart of you," the man said. "How rude of me, I didn't even get your name." Mia shook her head, trying to jolt herself out of the multiple shocks she'd sustained in the last several minutes.

"Mia," she said, extending her hand cautiously towards the man. "Mia Campbell." The man shook it.

"Rami al-Hassan," the man replied, bowing over her hand and giving it a gentle, barely-there kiss. "I want to apologize again for ruining your evening with my stupidity." Mia extracted her hand from his grip, smiling nervously.

"It happens," she said as graciously as she could. She couldn't understand what had come over the man. Maybe he's just one of those moody kind of guys. Maybe he's having a bad day and this is what he's usually like, not the way he was before.

"I insist that you let me take care of this," Rami said, gesturing from his car to Mia's. "It was my fault, and I should take responsibility for it." Mia's eyes widened as she felt a little wave of relief wash through her.

"I think that would be okay," Mia said, blinking in surprise.

"Please give me your phone number so I can make the necessary arrangements," Rami said, smiling down at her. Mia frowned, trying, in her addled state, to remember her number. After a moment it came to her and she recited it, smoothing her hair and clothes nervously. "Do you think you can make it the rest of the way home?" Mia looked at the damage to her car; it was all in the hind end, away from the machinery that made the car run.

"I should be able to make it," Mia told him, giving herself a little shake.

"I'll call you once I'm able to get some details about having your car fixed," Rami said, smiling at her again. "Please let me know if you have any pain or injuries. I'm so sorry, again." He took a few steps back and Mia took her cue to get back into her car. Mia shook her head again as she walked to the driver's side door.

She got in and put the key back into the ignition, still marveling at the sudden change that had come over the man who'd hit her. "This has been some day," Mia muttered to herself as she started the car. Rami's tires squealed on the pavement and she watched as his sleek, hulking sports car darted around her and moved off down the road. Mia shook her head again, unable to quite believe the whole situation that had just unfolded, and pulled onto the road proper, making sure she didn't end up getting hit a second time as she turned the car-a little shaky, but still operational-towards her block, and her home.