The Sheikh's Tempting Assistant (Sheikh's Meddling Sisters 1)

“Okay.” She ran upstairs and grabbed a sweater, her camera, and her cross-body bag, then headed back to the foyer where Raheem waited. “Where exactly are we going?”

“A famous world-wide hotel and resort chain has purchased land near the royal family’s holdings and they have filed plans to put up a five-star resort on the site. Before they can break ground, however, royal approval must be given. Feraz is far too busy to do it and Rehaj is only concerned about the financial aspect and not the aesthetics, so that leaves me.”

“What about your sisters?” she asked as they walked out to the Range Rover once more.

“Oh, they could care less about the hotel at this stage. Wait until the spas are up and running, though, then look out.” He sighed. “Besides I asked them all and they turned me down.”

“Oh.” Laura chuckled. Twenty minutes later they pulled up to a barren piece of land cordoned off with yellow caution tape. Heavy machinery and workmen dotted the area. Raheem got out, then helped her down. The air was warmer today and the sun was out, heating her skin even more. Good thing she’d put on extra sunscreen this morning, otherwise she’d be in trouble.

They entered a small construction trailer set up near the perimeter of the site and three men—all Scandinavian and blond—rushed over to shake Raheem’s hand and bow to Laura. They introduced themselves as the architect of the project, a representative from the hotel corporation, and the on-site project manager.

“Let us see what you have in store, gentlemen,” Raheem said, leading Laura over to a table in the back of the trailer covered with architectural drawings and schematics.

“These are so cool,” Laura said, staring at the mockups of the exterior of the hotel and the sketches of the rooms. At Raheem’s inquisitive stare, she said, “My mom ran her own interior design business, before she got sick.”

“Interesting.” He handed her more drawings to look at. “What do you think of these, Miss Bliss?”

She went over everything from lighting fixtures to wall coverings to carpets. It was fun, reminding her of when she’d been little and rushing around at her mother’s side as she’d gone on buying trips for her store or consulted with clients about decorating their homes. Surprising how much of that stuff stuck with her after all these years. Fond memories swelled inside her. As if maybe her mother wasn’t truly gone. Maybe a part of her lived on inside Laura.

“Thank you for your help with these,” Raheem said to her during a break. “Takes beauty to know beauty.”

Warmth spread through her again, but of a completely different kind this time.

Once they’d gone over and approved all the interiors, they moved on to the exteriors of the building. And here is where the problems began.

“We’ve had to make a few adjustments from our original plans submitted, sir,” the architect said. “Unfortunately, once we were on-site and able to see the land up close, our first choice of placement for the hotels’ foundations has turned out to be completely unsuitable. Too much sand and not enough supporting bedrock beneath. Thus, we’ve chosen to move the foundations to this spot here.”

He pointed to a spot on the map in front of them.

“No. That’s unacceptable.” Raheem frowned. “If you put it there, that will block the family’s view of the lake from our private wing of the palace. I’m sorry, you’ll have to choose someplace else.”

A heated discussion between the two men began and soon Laura and the others had drifted to the opposite end of the trailer to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. To help ease the awkwardness, Laura turned to the hotel representative and smiled. “Have you begun working on the marketing for the project yet? Prince Raheem has hired me to help with a project to build tourism in the area. We might be able to collaborate on some things to mutual benefit.”

“Ah, yes. That sounds wonderful,” the man said. “Our goal is to team up with local vendors to give our guests a one-of-a-kind travel experience they can only get here in Djeva.”

“Oh, that sounds fantastic.” She told them about the caves and Raheem’s planned wildlife refuge and how both might be good locations to add to their roster of excursions for guests. She was just finishing up her conversation with them, when Raheem appeared at her side.

“Ready?” he asked, checking his watch. He looked aloof and stern. “I need to get back to the palace for another meeting.”

“Uh, sure.” She said her goodbye to the men, noticing that Raheem gave them all only a curt nod, then followed him back to the Range Rover. “How’d things work out with the foundations?”

“He told me Feraz has basically already assured him that we would go along with whatever they chose to do. So, my hands are tied, it seems.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Laura said, climbing into the backseat beside him. “It will be a shame to lose your view of the lake.”

“Yes. Well, we’ll see about that.” They took off in a cloud of sand and dust. “I have things I need to discuss with my brothers when I get home. But at least my wildlife refuge is safe.”

9

A week went by and Laura found herself busier than ever. Between meetings with local ecologists and trips to various sites around Djeva, she was in the city or on the road more than she was at the palace. Which was probably a good thing, given that she’d finally called her boss at the production company and told him what was going on. He’d blustered and berated her until she’d mentioned the deal she’d made with Prince Raheem to secure their production company exclusive filming rights. That took most of the wind out of his sails. Plus, she’d managed to finagle a bit of wiggle room for herself in there too, stating that if she became unhappy with the production company’s treatment of her during their stay in Djeva, Raheem would revoke their filming privileges indefinitely. That shut him up for good.

Still, she didn’t trust the guy. He was far too greedy and self-indulgent for his own good and she wouldn’t have been surprised to see him show up one day at the palace, demanding to see her. So her being gone was good. The fact she’d gotten a nice tan and also spent each day learning all she could about Djeva’s natural resources, beautiful architecture, culture and wildlife, was all icing on the cake. What’s more, all these people were suddenly coming to her, instead of her having to hunt them down. Raheem’s name and family connections went a long way.

All of it made her realize how lacking in resources her usual position at the production company was. Once this was over, she planned to sit down with her boss and have a nice, long discussion about what she expected from them in the future. Thanks to the money Raheem was paying her, she could afford to speak her mind. If the production company went along with it, fine. She’d continue to work for them. If not, well, she didn’t need their job anyway.

As she snapped photos of the passing desert out of the window of the Range Rover she was being chauffeured around in today, Laura hoped her work on Raheem’s project would also help to boost her standing professionally as well. If she could do well and help his wildlife refuge succeed, then perhaps other high-profile clients would consider hiring her as well. After all, she had a long future ahead and the funds she made from this job would only last so long.

Laura smiled, staring out at the line of distant sand dunes. It really was beautiful here and this place was going to look spectacular on film. She couldn’t wait to get back to the palace to show Raheem her shots from the day.