The Sheikh and the Bought Bride

“Cover yourself.”

She had lost.

There was nothing left, she thought, refusing to cry in front of him.

Kateb stepped into the hall. Not knowing what else to do, she followed him. He stopped in front of Dean.

“Your daughter has agreed to be my mistress for six months. I will take her into the desert with me until the time is up. Then she may return. You will leave El Deharia on the first flight out in the morning. You are never to step foot in this country again. If you do, you will be shot on sight. Do I make myself clear?”

For the second time that night Victoria had trouble maintaining her balance. He was accepting? Her father wouldn’t go to jail?

Momentary relief was followed by the realization that she’d, in essence, sold herself to a man she didn’t know and who obviously thought very little of her.

The guard released her father. Dean grabbed Kateb’s hand and shook it. “Of course. Of course. Good of you to see it was all a misunderstanding.” He turned to Victoria and actually smiled at her. “I guess I need to be going. That’s all right. I have business back home. Places to go. People to see.”

Victoria wasn’t even surprised. It was as if he hadn’t heard anything except he was free to go. Nothing else mattered.

Kateb glared at him. “Did you not hear me? I’m keeping your daughter.”

Dean struggled. “She’s a pretty girl.”

Victoria felt Kateb’s fury. As a man of the desert, he would hold the protection of his family above all. That a father could give up his daughter to save himself was beyond anything he could imagine.

She quickly stepped between them. She turned her back on her father and stared into Kateb’s angry, dark eyes.

“He’s not worth it,” she whispered. “Have the guards take him away.”

“No tender goodbyes?” he asked cynically.

“What would you have to say to him if you were me?”

Kateb nodded. “Very well. Escort Mr. McCallan to his room. Guard him while he packs his things, then take him to the airport.”

Victoria turned and watched her father being led away. When he reached the corner, he glanced back and waved. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, Vi. Call me when you’re back home.”

She ignored him.

Then she and the prince of the desert were alone.

“We will also leave in the morning,” he told her. “Be ready by ten.”

There was an odd taste in her mouth. She supposed it was a combination of fear and apprehension.

“What should I bring?” she asked.

“Whatever you like. You will be with me for six months.”

She wanted him to tell her that it would be all right. That he wasn’t horrible and the time would go quickly. But she was nothing to him. Why would he offer comfort?

“You may return to your room,” he told her.

She nodded and went in the opposite direction of the guards and her father. The walk to the elevator would be longer, but she wouldn’t have to worry about running into them.

She had gone halfway down the hall when Kateb called to her.

She looked over her shoulder.

“The promise?” he asked. “Was he worth it?”

“Not to me,” she admitted. “But he was to her.”

Victoria had worried she might have trouble being ready on time, but it turned out not to be an issue. The whole not-sleeping thing really helped with time management, she thought as she checked her drawers one last time. There was nothing like a run-in with a guard and a prince, not to mention the worry of being a stranger’s mistress, to keep one tense and awake. Now if only the stress took away her appetite, she could finally lose ten pounds.

She’d had no idea what to pack for six months in the desert. Nor did she know what would happen when her time with Kateb was finished. She knew she wouldn’t have a job to return to. Nadim wasn’t the type to hold the position open, assuming he would be interested in Kateb’s former mistress as office staff. No doubt Nadim would replace her quickly and then forget she’d ever worked for him.

To think she’d spent two years trying to get her boss to notice her. Not that she’d ever been in love with him, or even sure she’d liked him. From what she’d seen, he’d been a little lacking in the personality department. But he’d represented safety and security and after the way she’d grown up, both were very appealing.

Now she had neither, she thought as she sealed the last of the boxes she was leaving behind, then pushed away the fear that made it difficult to breathe. It was only six months. Then she would return to the United States and start over. She had her savings. She would start a business of some kind, make a life. She was resourceful.

At exactly 9:58 a.m., she heard people in the hallway. She’d already sorted her luggage—the suitcases held what she would bring into the desert and the boxes contained everything else. There was an impressive pile of both. She’d accumulated a lot in the past two years.

There was a sharp knock, then Kateb swept into the room.

There was no other way to describe his appearance. He moved quickly, confidently, with a masculine grace that spoke of a man comfortable in any situation. She’d thought he might wear traditional robes for their travel but instead he had on jeans, boots and a long-sleeved shirt. If not for the air of imperial arrogance, he could almost pass for a regular kind of guy—a very handsome regular guy with that wicked scar and dark eyes that made her wonder if he could see right into her.

“You are ready?” he asked.

She motioned to the boxes and closed suitcases. “No. I just stacked these here for show.”

One eyebrow raised.

Okay. Perhaps snarky humor wasn’t his thing. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m nervous. Yes, I’m ready.”

“You did not try to escape in the night.”

She noticed the use of the word try. As in “you can try, but you will fail.”

“I gave my word,” she said, then held up her hand. “Don’t say anything bad, please. My word has value. I don’t expect you to believe that, but it’s true.”

“Because your father’s does not?”

“I know, I know. Classic psychological response to living with a chronic liar. Can we go now?”

The other eyebrow went up. Note to self: Prince Kateb didn’t like snarky humor or someone else making the rules. Neither was especially good news, she thought.

Kateb said something she couldn’t hear and several men crowded into her quarters. They reached for the luggage and the boxes.

“I’m taking those with me,” she said, indicating the bags. “The boxes will be stored.” She gave the floor and room number of where they should be taken.