Chapter 1
London
Five years later
“So, just like that, you’re telling me it’s over?” Danna Spencer-Harris asks again. “We had plans, Kamal. I wanted you to go to the Oscars with me. I got a special invitation.”
I look at the woman I’ve been with for the last month.
I could stop her and tell her to leave. It’s what I want to do, but there’s no point in making this situation any more depressing than it already is, so I allow her to let off steam as I sit on the edge of my desk with my hands in my pockets to quell this unwanted encounter.
I thought I had been clear on the phone call we had yesterday. Apparently, I was wrong.
It was fun hanging out with her at first. Danna seemed like an easy-going woman willing to accept what I had to offer: thirty days of pleasure, agreed upon verbally under stipulated rules.
I learned that, after that period, my partners start building expectations, so the thirty-day deadline is irrevocable.
I make everything clear from the very beginning. The problem is that, even if they agree with me, they always think they will change my mind.
I’m a workaholic—not only as the head of state in my Emirate, but in my companies as well. In the little spare time I have, all I want from the women I share a bed with is physical gratification.
Danna is the daughter of an English duke and an aspiring actress.
She claimed to be an independent woman when we first met, saying marriage was not in her plans.
However, that speech lasted until our third week together.
The closer we got to the end, the more desperate she seemed to be to convince me that we were meant for each other.
She crosses and uncrosses her legs, giving me a nice view of her lingerie, which, I must admit, is a weakness of mine. Seeing the woman I want covered in silk and lace makes me feel like I’m unwrapping a delicious gift.
That’s not the case now.
Danna and I have nothing in common other than being sexually compatible. And if I’m being honest, I’ve been wishing for the last few days that time would go by faster. The novelty, as well as my desire for her, is gone.
“Aren’t you going to say anything, Kamal?”
I stand up and close the distance between us, just so she doesn’t have any doubts that what I’m about to say is serious. “You knew what the deal was.”
“Yes, of course,” she says, giving me a lopsided smile. When I first met her, I thought that was a mysterious smile. Now it just looks artificial and pretentious. “But agreements can be broken.”
“Not for me. I don’t go back on my word.”
“The media is already speculating about both of us. They’re talking about a serious relationship, and my father has started having expectations.”
“I have no control over other people’s delusions. You know there’s no truth in us having a serious relationship.”
“Why not?”
I don’t hesitate. “When I marry, which shouldn’t be anytime soon, it’ll be with a woman who comes from the same culture as me.”
She stands up as if I have slapped her. “You’ll never find a woman in your country who will satisfy your sexual appetite. You’ll look for me again, Kamal, and then it’ll be too late.”
She gets the purse that, when she arrived, she strategically left open on the couch, just wide enough for me to see the sex toys inside of it, and slings it over her shoulder. “Last chance.”
“Goodbye, Dana. Have a good life.”
After she leaves, I spend a moment enjoying the silence. I hate loud people, no matter their gender. Worse than that are those who use drama as a weapon.
The door flies open again, but this time it’s Adil entering without knocking.
“She looked like she was about to kill someone,” he says, smiling.
When it’s just the two of us, we’re not the Sheikh and his advisor; we’re friends.
I shrug. “She created a fantasy and lived inside it. I’m not responsible for what others think.”
His smile grows. It’s not the first time we have witnessed the fury of one of my exes. “Changing the subject, your new assistant has just arrived in the building.”
“You would make an excellent head of security,” I scoff.
“Keeping you alive will always be my priority, whether it’s my job or not.”
I know he’s being sincere. Fate didn’t make Adil a blood relative, but I consider him as much a brother as my two biological ones, Irfan and Zarif. In fact, I get along better with him than with the latter.
I think about the woman who will help me navigate Western culture. I had forgotten we’d scheduled one last interview with her. Well, Madeline will have to wait until I get back to the office.
“She’s beautiful.”
“I’m not hiring a mistress. Miss Turner’s beauty doesn’t interest me.”
“Is that why you didn’t want to see any pictures?”
“Yes, what difference would it make? She was referred to me by Christos Lykaios[3]. She’s his wife’s cousin.”
“Which just goes to show that beauty is genetic. With all due respect, your friend’s wife is gorgeous. If you don’t plan on getting involved with her, maybe you should reconsider hiring her. I found her attractive in the pictures, but nothing compares to the video.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I watched her through the security cameras.”
“There’s a name for that kind of fetish.”
He laughs. “I know, and I’m not ashamed of my preferences behind closed doors. There’s nothing sexier than a confident woman showing off.”
“Needless to say, my assistant is off-limits, Adil. I hired her so she can help me understand more about Western habits and traditions, as some of their social niceties confuse me. It’s just for that and that alone,” I emphasize. “Madeline Turner will do.”
“From what you’ve told me, she thinks she’s coming for a last interview, right?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to give a definitive answer, but from what Christos told me, she will do. I have the contract ready, by the way. The family is part of Boston’s high society, which means they are well-educated and know the etiquette foreign to me.”
“A sexy socialite? Almost irresistible. Too bad she’s off-limits. In other news, Danna sent pictures of the two of you to an English celebrity magazine.”
I make a gesture with my hand, indicating that it doesn’t matter. “She told me the media was speculating, but I knew the information came from her.”
“Desperate because your relationship was coming to an end?”
“Something like that. Or she thought she would pressure me into making our connection public.”
“Which just proves you don’t know her.”
“No one is really capable of knowing another just by living together for a month. Which is precisely why my contracts only last that long.”
“Are you already thinking about who will be next?”
“Not yet,” I say, heading for the door. “After the way Danna left, I need a few days to breathe.”
He follows me. “Not even anyone in sight?”
“What’s with you today, Adil?”
“Nothing. Maybe watching your new assistant stirred my heart, turned me into a romantic. Where are you going?”
“To find Irfan. He wants to buy a new yacht from the company of the Regent of Amasitano[4] and he wants my opinion.”
“Prince Vicenzzo’s yachts are the most luxurious on the market.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll trade mine for a bigger one too.”
“Wait for me—I need to get some coffee. I haven’t had any yet and I can’t think properly without my daily fuel,” he says, and I stop walking. “Want one?”
“I hate those paper cups.”
“You’re such a snob.”
“Okay. Get one for me too, but don’t put on the lid.”