Sheikh's Revenge

“No, I mean…I didn’t say it right either. You don’t have to be formal tonight, Addison. Just call me Zahir. We’re not in the office after all.”

Shit, maybe it is a date. Wait, what do I do if it is? Oh God, Addison, play it cool.

“Then I think that’s fair. I’m serious. Is running the oil company the only thing you want to do? If you didn’t have to take care of your family’s massive empire, then what would you do?”

He stilled and frowned, looking out of the window and she watched as the lights of Dubai played over the planes of his face, those sharp and irresistible cheekbones. After a long time, he finally spoke. “I honestly don’t know. This is what I’ve always done. I was raised from a young age, both my sister and I were, to help take care of Amun Petrol and run Dubai. I never thought about other things because, honestly, they’ll never be options. My company and my people will always need me.”

“It doesn’t mean that people still don’t have dreams,” she pointed out. “Granted, a lot of people just want to be rich and famous. I think you have those two things covered.”

“It’s not always as glamorous as it sounds,” he said. “There are things I want, yes.”

“Like?” she asked, cursing a little under her breath when they hit a bump and she fell sideways and onto his lap. It was an awkward tumble, but at least it had answered one of her questions, though she wasn’t sure what else to make of this information. Addison could definitely feel the ridge of his erection, hard and firm, pressed up against her thighs. It distracted her for a moment, and she couldn’t quite remember anything else she’d been saying, couldn’t even seem to will her body to move so that she could get out of his way.

Her breath was coming in hard gasps, as if she’d run a marathon, and she felt her heart thud hard against her breastbone.

Oh, I know what I wish I could do. What I wish you knew about me, Zahir…

“I…I’m sorry,” she said, trying to slip off of him.

He reached out and soothed her unruly red curls back behind her shoulders. “No, don’t be sorry. It’s not as if you put the bumps in the road. We were talking, Addison. We can keep doing that here.”

He flexed his hips just enough to press his manhood against the apex of her thighs.

Damn him. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

One hand stroked her cheek as well. “There are definitely things I want. Someday I’d love to start a family, and if I had any job at all, I think I’d love to work with animals.”

Addison finally had enough pause to collect her thoughts. Slipping off of his thighs and back to her seat, she tried to get the conversation back into normal territory. “Animals, really?”

“We have horses at the palace. Mother raised Arabians. I also had a pet falcon and I was quite adept at hunting with them. I just have always had an affinity for the wild and nature. I think a job working outdoors and with animals would have appealed to me quite a bit,” he said, smiling back at her. “Yes, I think you can say about me that I love a wild time.”

She felt heat flare through her belly.

Oh man, I’m definitely not going to last the night.

***

“Wow this place is huge,” she said as they sat down at the black-lacquered table at Buddha Bar.

He nodded. “It’s a bit kitschy in the décor. I’m not sure I’m a fan of the giant, Andy Warhol-style Buddha pictures, but the food here is excellent and the beverages even more so. Of course, if you’d rather try an actual delicacy of Dubai, then we can go to a more traditional place.”

Addison shook her head, and he loved the way the long curls of her hair escaped every attempt she’d made to tame them. They were now falling free and were as delectable as always. “No. I’ve been here over two weeks. To be honest, I can afford the local eateries near my apartment. I’m getting to like the gyros and the lamb and the hummus, but it’d be nice to try something new. I mean, when I’m home in the States, I don’t always eat just Americana and burgers.”

“True, no man or woman could live on beef alone.”

“But you can try,” she pointed out. “I don’t have anything against it.”

He nodded back at her as the waitress came by. Maybe he was being a bit of a show off, but why learn a variety of dialects for business if he couldn’t show off. With slightly accented—even he’d admit that—Korean, he asked for the assortment of delicacies of the house, including some intense sushi options and kimchi. He also ordered warmed sake, that rare Juyondai that he could only get here unless he wanted to journey forth to Tokyo.

When she was gone again, Addison was glaring at him.

So there is truth behind that legend of redheads and tempers. I never would have known that.

“What?”

“Did you already order for me? In Chinese?”

“No.”