The Arabian Mistress

‘Is it?’

‘That law was not made to allow a child to rampage out of control! I was reluctant to deprive Rafi of the nursemaids who have looked after him since he was a baby but I see now, it must be done. He has to be taught how to behave.’

‘What age is he?’

‘Four…old enough and bright enough to know better. I shall deal with him.’ Tariq headed for the door like a male with a target and a definite purpose in mind.

Faye rushed after him. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘I can see what you think I’m going to do but you’re wrong,’ Tariq spelt out in impatient reproof as he read her anxious expression. ‘I may know little about children but I hope I know enough not to repay violence with violence. I will talk to him and remove certain privileges as a punishment.’

‘I’m sorry about what I said a moment ago. It’s just I was upset about the whole thing…but Rafi’s awfully young and, having lost both his parents, probably very unhappy—’

‘I know these things but I also fear that he has his mother’s cruelty in him.’

Left standing, Faye chewed at her lower lip, wondering why she felt so troubled and why on earth she should feel so involved. It was nothing to do with her and she was certainly no authority on childcare. However, she was terribly relieved that Tariq had been furious about the episode which she had witnessed. At least, she hadn’t been totally wrong about his character the year before when she had honestly believed that, with very little effort, he might walk on water…

Fourteen months ago, Adrian had been invited to his commanding officer’s wedding at which Tariq had been the guest of honour. Heavily pregnant at the time, Lizzie had decided to stay home and Adrian had asked Faye to accompany him instead.

‘Come on, sis,’ Adrian reproved when she tried to turn him down. ‘Since Mum died, all you’ve done is hang out with horses. I know you’re shy but you need to get out occasionally.’

The day of the wedding, Adrian’s car refused to start and, much to his dismay, they had to use Faye’s ancient little hatchback instead. A poor passenger, her brother honed her nerves to screaming point during that drive. Her less than pleasant day out then got going with a real bang when, stressed beyond belief in her efforts to find a parking space at the church, she reversed her car into Tariq’s stretch limo.

As aghast as if she had killed somebody, Adrian leapt out and started shouting at her. ‘What do you mean you didn’t see it? It’s as big as the blasted Titanic!’

Welded to the bonnet of her car to stay upright and shaking with reaction, Faye stared in even greater horror at the dark-skinned excitable men erupting out of the limo. Then the passenger door opened and Tariq climbed out with un-hurried grace. Silencing his bodyguards, he strolled across the tarmac to where her brother, who had his back turned to him, was still ranting.

‘How could you do something so stupid?’ Adrian was seething.

But Faye’s attention had already been captured by the tall, dark, incredibly handsome male smiling at her. A smile that literally talked. Sympathetic, concerned, charming. Her heart started beating very fast. From his wonderful smile, her gaze travelled upward to encounter spectacular lion gold eyes that made her feel breathless, boneless and pretty much mindless too. Within seconds of first seeing Prince Tariq Shazad ibn Zachir, Faye was mesmerised.

Ignoring Adrian, Tariq strode straight to her side. ‘You’re suffering from shock. You must sit down.’

‘B-but…but your car—’

‘It is nothing. Please do not consider it.’

He urged her back to his limo where a guard already had a door open. Guiding her down on to the edge of the leather seat, he murmured something in his own language in aside and then said to her, ‘Try to calm yourself. Nothing that need concern you has happened.’

‘Your Royal Highness…er…’ Adrian began in a strained and apologetic undertone from behind him ‘…Prince Tariq…my sister…er…well, I’ll see to her, no need for you to be bothered…’

‘Thank you but I am not easily bothered.’ Tariq passed a crystal tumbler of iced mineral water into Faye’s hand. He gazed down into her eyes and her heartbeat went so far into earthquake mode she felt literally dizzy. He smiled again. Straightening, he then turned to extend a hand to her brother and speak to him.

It was Adrian who then hurried Faye back out of the limo. Walking away from Tariq, all Faye was able to think about was whether she would ever get to speak to him again. She felt…sent, no longer grounded on solid earth. Butterflies in her tummy and excitement pulsing through her in a crazy flood.

‘I’ve never thought about it before but I suppose you are quite beautiful.’ Her brother treated her to a frowning appraisal inside the church. ‘Nothing like looks saving your skin, sis! You reversed into a giant stationary vehicle that a blind man could have avoided. Yet His Royal Highness chose to insist that his limo was parked in the wrong place, that non-existent sunlight must have reflected off your mirror and that he will pay for the repairs to your car!’

‘Oh…is he…is he really a prince?’ she muttered.

‘About as real as they come,’ Adrian said drily. ‘Commander-in-chief of his own army and acting feudal ruler of the Gulf state of Jumar. Hamza, his father, is supposed to be on his last legs and Prince Tariq has already taken on all of the old man’s public engagements abroad.’

Her heart sank at that dismaying confirmation for even the smallest spark of common sense warned that a male of that status was out of her reach, but still curiosity had to be quenched. ‘Married?’

‘No. What’s that to you?’

‘I was just wondering. He’s awfully nice—’

‘Nice?’ Adrian grimaced. ‘Look, I may not have actually spoken to the chap before today but, according to what I’ve heard, he’s faster than a jump jet with women! Thankfully, you’re far too young to interest him.’

‘Too young? I’m nineteen next month!’

‘Oh, wow…’ Adrian rolled his eyes, unimpressed. ‘Well, you’re still safe as houses. I doubt that Prince Tariq is the kind of creep who takes advantage of starry-eyed kids!’

A fateful and unfortunate conversation which within the space of hours led to the first outright lie which Faye had told since she had outgrown childish fibbing. At the reception, Adrian soon abandoned her for the more convivial company of his fellow officers and Tariq strolled over to speak to her. ‘May I join you?’

And even a year on, Faye had to admit that lying never came so easily or so naturally to her again. For the first time in her life she wanted to impress a man and not with the image of some starry-eyed kid, and she knew she had only that one chance for there was little likelihood that they would ever meet again.

‘Hardly anybody knows you here but one who does referred to you as a teenager.’ Tariq made that lazy comment only after asking her if she was fully recovered from the episode in the church car park.

‘People really do lose track of the passage of time when they don’t see you for a few years.’ Hugely aware of his lustrous dark golden eyes resting on her, she ran far from idle fingers through the glossy fall of her silvery fair hair. She knew he could barely drag his admiring attention from her crowning glory and she gave him what she hoped was a mature and yet teasing smile. ‘I may not be that tall but I’m actually twenty-three years old.’

‘You don’t look it,’ he murmured frankly.

‘That’s the fresh country girl bloom,’ she told him, batting her eyelashes.

And that was it, that was how easy it had been. Her sole objective had been that she should not be excluded from attracting his interest by her age alone. She had not thought further than that, had foreseen no potential problems in the future because at that point, before he’d even asked her out, it had not occurred to her that they might have a future of any kind.

‘I would like to see you again,’ he said then.

‘When?’ she prompted, ditching her attempt at older woman cool.