Sold To The Sheikh Bidder

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Lauren said, as he walked out the door. She felt like an idiot as she followed him to the garage and stood there awkwardly waving goodbye.

The rest of her day went by quickly. She took Zeus to the dog park, staying longer than the day before. She didn’t reorganize Hakim’s kitchen cabinets, but she did clean the kitchen, washing the dishes from their breakfast that morning. Kayla called with an update on their work issue, and to ask her to sign a few other things. Lauren checked her email and responded to what couldn’t wait.

By mid-afternoon she was restless, so she practiced her lines for the play, using Zeus as her scene partner. The dog was attentive, if not talkative, and when Lauren checked the clock again, it was time for her to go. She fed Zeus and made sure he had fresh water, then gave him a hug and laughed when she got a lick on the face in return.

Lauren hurried home and changed into an outfit more suitable for dinner with her mother. She drove to the restaurant, one of her mother’s favorites, where she was greeted by name at the host stand. Her mother was already at her regular table, a Manhattan sitting in front of her and another waiting for Lauren.

“Sorry I’m late, Mom. Traffic was insane.”

Patricia stood and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “I’m sure you’ve had a busy week, too.”

Lauren had no intention of telling her mother that she had been working for Hakim all week, so she simply said, “It has been a little crazy.”

“Of course. I’m sure that after the attention your party received, you’ve been working on landing new clients.”

Lauren shrugged internally. Sure, they could go with that.

“We did have several potential clients at the party, and all of them called this week to either sign contracts or get more information.”

Patricia patted Lauren’s hand. “I’m so proud of what you’ve done, sweetheart. It’s not easy work, but you’ve managed wonderfully.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Lauren knew her mother was proud, but it was nice to hear her say it every once in a while.

“And I’m terribly sorry I wasn’t able to make your party,” Patricia continued. “I know it was important to you, but we had a crisis at work.”

“What happened?” Lauren took a sip of her Manhattan and sat back.

“You remember the new client I was telling you about last month? Well, their social media manager managed to flame out in a rather spectacular fashion. Picked a fight with two competing brands at the same time using the company account, and posted several things with profanity.”

“Oh, I read about that. You’re not doing anything with their social media, are you?”

“No. They insisted they didn’t need the help.” Patricia gave her a look that told Lauren just how shortsighted she considered that fact.

“So, you’ve had a crazy week, too.”

“Indeed I have. I’ve barely been home this week.”

“Well, then, let’s have a relaxing dinner,” Lauren said.

She didn’t even need to study the menu, they ate here so often. After they ordered, Lauren tried to figure out a way to ask her mother about Hakim. Her curiosity had been piqued, and she wanted to know how their fight had gotten started, and why it continued. If she could understand that better, maybe she could figure out what the right thing to do would be.

“So, tell me about the party,” Patricia said.

“It was perfect. My whole team had fun, and the auction was a huge success. We raised quite a lot for the charity, too.

Patricia nodded approvingly. “Giving back to the community can open more than a few doors.”

Lauren saw an opening. “There was one interesting thing that happened, though. Hakim Khalif came.”

Patricia’s expression made it clear that she was not pleased by that bit of news. “What? You’re not doing work for him, are you?”

Lauren didn’t want to lie, but since she was sure Patricia meant “for him” in business terms, and Lauren had been clear about not doing any work for the Khalif Group, she figured it wasn’t exactly a lie.

“No, and frankly I couldn’t figure out why he would attend our party.”

Patricia thought for a moment. “He’s up to something.”

That was the truth, Lauren thought, and so she agreed with her mother out loud. “Can I ask why you don’t like him? I know that you’re competitors, but I also know you don’t feel the same way about most of your competition.”

Patricia nodded. “It’s more than his just being a competitor. He’s not a good person.”

“Why? I mean, does he treat his employees badly? Or is he underhanded in negotiations?”