Claimed by the Desert Sheikh: The Sheikh and the Pregnant Bride / Desert King, Pregnant Mistress / Desert Prince, Expectant Mother

“Maggie isn’t going to handle this well. She’s not girly. She doesn’t do the hair and makeup thing. She doesn’t have the right clothes.”

“But you do.” He wasn’t asking a question.

“What? Of course I do, but that’s not the point. She’s blunt and funny and sweet. She cares about people. Going out with you means getting mentioned in the papers. Maggie isn’t going to like that.”

Women didn’t often confuse Qadir, but he now found himself at a loss. “You are concerned about your friend?”

Victoria’s gaze narrowed. “Of course I care about my friend. Why else do you think I’m here?”

Her question hung in the air. He saw the exact moment she realized what he’d been thinking. Her back went stiff. Her mouth thinned.

He waited for her to start defending herself or even yelling at him. Instead she sucked in a breath and continued.

“My point is, Maggie is playing out of her league. You need to make sure she doesn’t get trashed in the papers. And don’t spring stuff on her. She’s never done anything like this. She’s going to have to figure it out while she goes. This is a tough time for her. She’s dealt with a lot of loss in the past few months.”

Victoria obviously knew about Maggie’s father. He wondered if she knew about the old boyfriend.

As he listened to Victoria talk he realized he had never considered Maggie’s feelings about the situation or how she would react to being thrown into his world. He’d seen her as someone he liked and enjoyed spending time with. He knew her to be honest, which made her the perfect candidate for his pretense. He should have considered whether his plan might hurt her in any way.

“She needs a makeover,” Victoria said.

Qadir stared at her. “A what?”

“A makeover. Maggie’s pretty, but she’s the country mouse. She needs a new wardrobe. And someone to teach her how to wear makeup and do her hair. Maggie’s proud and sweet. She doesn’t deserve anyone asking why someone like you would bother with someone like her.”

He didn’t like Victoria saying that. “No one who knew Maggie would ask that question.”

“I agree, but we’re not going to be dealing with people who know her, are we?”

As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. “I will see to it.”

“Good. Look on the bright side. How often do you get to meet a beautiful woman who has no idea how great she is?”

Victoria was right, although he found himself hoping Maggie didn’t change too much through the process.

“There’s one other thing,” Victoria said as the nervousness returned.

He waited.

She raised her chin. “You can’t hurt her. She doesn’t deserve that. You can’t use your position or power against her.”

Annoyance filled him. “You challenge my integrity?”

“Among other things.”

“I am Prince Qadir of El Deharia. No one questions me.”

“Then this is going to be a bad day for you.”

“I can have you deported.”

“I don’t doubt that. Maggie is my friend and I don’t want you to hurt her.”

She trembled. He could see it. Yet she didn’t back down. She faced him, knowing she could lose her job and be sent home in disgrace.

His opinion of both women increased favorably. Victoria for being so willing to protect her friend and Maggie for inspiring such loyalty.

He wondered if Nadim had ever noticed the firebrand lurking behind Victoria’s blue eyes. It was his cousin’s loss if he had not.

Qadir walked around the desk and touched Victoria’s shoulder. “I will not hurt your friend. Maggie is doing me a favor. I have no intention of making her regret her decision to help. We have a business arrangement. Nothing more.”

Victoria shook her head. “That’s what she said. It always starts out sounding so sensible, right up until someone gets hurt.”

“But I don’t want to,” Maggie said, a distinct whine in her voice. “I don’t like shopping.”

Qadir laughed. “You are the first woman to ever say so.”

“I’m sure there are other women who don’t like to shop,” she muttered, wondering if she could fling herself out the limo’s rear door and survive the impact. She would probably end up with a few scars but they would be better than an afternoon spent shopping. She shuddered at the thought.

“If you are to spend time with me, you need an appropriate wardrobe,” he told her. “You came prepared to work on cars, not date a prince.”

She knew he was right. She didn’t have any clothes to wear to all the events he’d mentioned. She needed a decent wardrobe to be able to fit in. But shopping?

“Can’t we use the Internet?”

“No.”

“We could send them my measurements. Wouldn’t that work?”

“No.”

“But there—”

“No.”

She slumped back in her seat. “This really sucks.”

He laughed.

They pulled up in front of the exclusive boutique where she and Victoria had come before. Maggie had a feeling they weren’t going to be checking out the consignment room.

“Not here,” she told him. “It’s too expensive.”

He turned to her. “Maggie, do you know how much I’m worth?”

Not even a clue. “A lot?”

“Exactly.”