Chapter 21
“I don’t think I heard that right,” Madeline says, looking shocked.
I study her face and the trembling hand as she picks up her glass to check if she’s serious, but she seems genuinely so. “I’m a Sheikh, Madeline. I would never let my child be raised away from me. I also cannot allow a child to be born outside of marriage.”
“Oh my God! It doesn’t matter whether they were born inside a marriage or not. Children are children,” she replies.
“Perhaps in your culture. Among my people, he would be excluded from society.”
“I told you . . .” She takes the glass of water and drinks most of it. “This conversation is ridiculous. I can’t be pregnant. It was just once. But hypothetically, what if we’re very unlucky and—”
“Unlucky?”
“What would you call two people who agreed to have a weekend affair and end up with a baby as a bonus?”
I’d call it fate if it really happened.
However, I stay silent because I don’t usually share my thoughts. “Go on.”
“What if I’m pregnant? You don’t know me, you have no reason to trust me, but I swear I would never prevent you from seeing our child.” She covers her face with both hands. “God, just talking about it makes me sick.”
“Why?”
“How can you ask that? Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not to me.”
“Let’s start with the fact that I’m only twenty-two and just got my first job. If I’m pregnant, the father of my baby just happens to be my boss too. From where I’m standing, that’s plenty of reason for me to go crazy.”
Weighing my next words, I pay careful attention to her reaction. “On the other hand, you would never have to worry about money again.”
Madeline pushes the chair back so fast it almost drops do the floor. “How dare you? I—”
Before she finishes the sentence, my cousin Qasim, the owner of the restaurant, approaches. “Kamal, now I understand why you didn’t call me in advance to say you were coming. You were afraid I’d see this beauty with you and steal her from you.”
I stand up to hug him but warn, “She’s mine.”
“His assistant,” Madeline adds, and I give her a stern look.
My cousin laughs. “I already like you, Madeline. Although I believe his answer more than yours.”
“Why?”
“Kamal would never be this close to a beautiful woman like yourself without making her his.”
Damn it! That was the last thing I needed to be said to the woman who might be carrying my child.
“Not to be rude, sir, but His Excellency Sheikh Kamal’s personal life is none of my concern.”
He ignores her bad mood. “You’ve got the looks and a strong personality too. If Kamal doesn’t take you, I will,” he says facing Madeline. “I’m Qasim, love. What’s your name?”
“Madeline Turner.”
“American?”
“Yes.”
“Welcome to our world, gorgeous.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?” I ask, already impatient with all the flattery directed at Madeline.
“As a matter of fact, I do. She’s waiting for me at my apartment. It was a pleasure, beautiful Madeline. If you change your mind about this grumpy guy, I can take you on a tour that isn’t in Turkey’s tourist guides.”
“Get lost, Qasim.”
He raises both hands in surrender and leaves with a smile.
When I sit back down, Madeline is looking at her own lap. “I’d like to go, Kamal. I don’t think I can eat anything.”
I stand up to help her up. When I try to put my hand on her lower back, she dodges and stares at me.
“I’m polite enough. I was raised to be a good girl, but I swear to God, if you touch me again, I’ll make such a big scene that it’ll be heard in your Emirate.”
I let her vent because I know I deserve it.
Once inside the car, she fumbles with the seatbelt, and I take it from her hands to fasten it for her.
“What part of ‘don’t touch me’ didn’t you understand?”
“It was a test.”
“What?”
“What I said in the restaurant was a test to see how you’d react.”
She moves as far away from me as possible in the seat. “Did I give you any reason to think I’m after your money?”
“You’re not a child, Madeline. Put yourself in my shoes.”
She looks at me silently for almost a minute, then sighs tiredly. “Seriously, I understand your concern, but I’m not after your money or anyone else’s.”
My intuition tells me she’s telling the truth. “I believe you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that if you’re pregnant with my heir, we’ll have to get married.”
“But you don’t want to marry me.”
“Well, right now, I don’t want to marry any woman.”
“Great. I don’t either. Problem solved.”
“It’s not that simple, Madeline. I don’t think you understand what it would mean to be the mother of my child. I have enemies. The child would be a target anywhere without the protection of my country.”
She looks horrified. “You’re at risk? I mean, I know about security measures, but I thought it was just protocol. There’s a real threat?”
“Yes. Several attempts on my life have been diverted.”
“Oh my God!”
“There’s nothing to worry about. If we really have a baby on the way, I’ll take care of both of you.”
Minutes later, when the car parks in front of my palace, I tell the driver to leave.
Madeline turns to face me. “What’s wrong?”
“We have an agreement.”
“I don’t think we should . . .” she starts, but I can see in her eyes that, despite all the craziness our lives might turn into very soon, the desire hasn’t vanished.
“If you’re pregnant, you’ll be mine forever. Otherwise, I only have today and tomorrow. I won’t give that up.”
I expect her to protest. Instead, she unbuckles her own seatbelt and surprises me by straddling my lap. “I’m still mad at you.”
“I know, but you want me as much as I want you.”
“Yes, but if you want me to uphold my end of the agreement, you’ll have to uphold yours: once we get back to London, and until I’m sure whether I’m pregnant or not, you can’t touch me.
I don’t want to fall in love with you, Kamal.
But you’re right about today. Take me as you wish, as many times as you want. I won’t deny you anything.”