Chapter 14
“You let him kiss you?” my cousin asks.
I woke up early to call her because I couldn’t go meet the Sheikh at the office without venting to someone first.
“You heard me perfectly the first time, Zoe. And it wasn’t ‘I let him kiss me.’ I kissed him back. And as much as that makes me stupid, I don’t regret it. It was the best kiss of my life.”
“He shouldn’t have done that.”
“You don’t have to be so protective. When you met Christos, you were only eighteen and he was thirty-five, nearly twice your age, but that didn’t stop you two from being together. That’s not the problem.”
“Then what is?”
I tell her about the situation with the boisterous woman I now know as Danna Spencer-Harris.
“Ugh, I know who she is. Insufferable. An actress wannabe, if being an extra counts, and a duke’s daughter.
She looks like a princess, but when she opens her mouth, she’s arrogant and unbearable.
I had the displeasure of crossing paths with her once at one of Vanity’s fashion shows, and I wish I could erase the event from my memory. ”
“Why?”
“She made a scene, accused one of the staff members of stealing her purse. In the end, she found it in the backseat of her limousine.”
“Jesus!”
“How a man of Kamal’s caliber could get involved with someone like her, I’ll never understand.”
“She’s beautiful, Zoe. What he’s looking for doesn’t include having a good heart.”
“Yeah, for sure. Anyway, Madeline, her speech just sounds jealous, like a woman who’s been turned down.”
“I know. And that’s precisely the reason I left. I don’t want to become a ‘Danna’ in his life.”
“You did the right thing. Now you just have to make sure not to repeat the mistake.”
I fall silent because being a liar is not one of my flaws.
Zoe takes a few seconds to understand. “Oh my God. Don’t tell me you plan on repeating it.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in bed.”
“Out of anger?”
“No. Remembering the kiss. It was incredible, Zoe. I’ll never forget it.”
“God, Maddie. What do you intend to do about it? There’s no chance that getting involved with him will end well.”
“I know, but based on what I’ve learned about him so far, he won’t give up on pursuing me.”
“The million-dollar question is: do you want him to give up?”
“No.”
“I already knew that.”
“You did?”
“Yes, ever since you told me about your first encounter.”
“What should I do? The attraction I feel for him is irresistible, but I need the job.”
“The job is the least of your worries, Maddie. I know you said you don’t want to work for Christos, but as a last resort, if the situation becomes untenable, he will find a position for you.
That’s not the issue; the issue is how your heart will be at the end of this story, because the ending is certain.
He made that very clear, and from what you told me, his brother, Zarif, just confirmed it. ”
“Yes. I hate the idea of having a deadline. Imagine dating someone for thirty days and then being ‘fired’ because the alarm went off, signaling it’s time to say goodbye.”
“The alternative is for you to stand your ground and refuse to give in, but from personal experience, men like Kamal and Christos don’t give up on what they want.”
“The difference is that Christos was crazy about you. He always has been, from what you told me.”
“And your Sheikh wants sex.” She pauses, increasing my anxiety.
“To be honest, all men their age want sex at first. We’ve talked about this.
Teenagers and younger people like us dream of romance.
For guys like them, who have already lived and experienced a lot, it’s more convenient to jump from one branch to another. Unless . . .”
“Unless what?”
“I’m afraid of giving you advice that might hurt you later.”
“Please tell me. I’m completely lost.”
“What if you turn the tables?”
“What do you mean?”
“Make a counterproposal and protect your heart.”
“I don’t understand.”
“What makes women fall in love is not sex, no matter how good it may be, but the companionship. Innocent and inexperienced as you are, having a first relationship with someone like Kamal can be devastating for your heart.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking.”
“On the other hand, if you don’t even try, you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering what it would have been like. If you’re going to lose your virginity, let it be with someone worth it.”
“I’m listening.”
“Give yourself one night.”
“What?”
“He proposed a month, but that could hurt you because during that period, he’ll probably treat you like a girlfriend.
He’ll sleep and wake up by your side, take you out to dinner, and shower you with gifts.
The chance of your heart being shattered at the end of those thirty days is nearly one hundred percent. ”
“And what would be the alternative?”
“When he tries to seduce you again, take the reins. Say that you’ll be his for just one day or one night, maybe both. But when the sun rises the next morning, it’s over.”
Fifteen minutes after hanging up, I’m still staring at the device, my mind running through her words over and over again.
They’re making more sense to me by the second. It’s a way to find out what it’s like to be pleasured by the hands of an experienced man who drives my body wild and also shield myself from hurting.
Zoe is right. In a month, I could fall for him. In one night, I wouldn’t.
I’ll have fond memories of a passionate encounter, but I won’t get the illusion in my heart that there could be a future for us.
I get up from my bed happy with my decision.
I carefully choose the outfit I’ll wear today. I don’t know when I’ll put my plans into action, but I can at least tease him.
Zoe told me that after what happened yesterday, the Sheikh is probably expecting me to look sad and needy like all the women he’s been with.
However, they didn’t have a plan—I do.
I will give Kamal the same he’s willing to offer: my body. But with a new deadline.
Perhaps the time has come for the Sheikh, who’s used to having everything at his disposal, to taste his own medicine.