A Sheik's Spell (18 page)

Felicia was glad William had driven her into A1 Kharijah. Initially, Phillip wanted to drive, saying he had business to take care of in town. He would have noticed reticence, and tried to persuade her to talk. But her contemplative mood didn’t bother William in the least From time to time, he would begin a brief conversation, but for the most part their journey back was a quiet one.

Once they entered the estate, William dropped her off in front of the lab and drove off, saying he was going to assist George with the generator, which had broken down the day before. If George had already repaired it, they’d load it onto the truck and bring it back to the lab.

Felicia had worn a bright yellow pagnes and head wrap to A1 Kharijah, mainly because she didn’t want to call attention to herself. This was accomplished with no problem, but coming back to the estate was completely different. Almost everyone had become accustomed to seeing her in jeans and long tops around the lab. Seeing her in her colorful attire caused quite a stir, especially with Phillip.

“Well, my, ray. What do we have here? A mustard- colored desert flower? What’s the occasion, Felicia?” “Nothing in particular. I just felt like becoming one with my environment today. You should try it, Phillip. One of loose blousy-sleeved tops that show your chest and a pair of pantaloons might suit you well. You’d probably look quite sexy.”

With Najid agreeing to deliver the letters for Hassan to the message center, Felicia was feeling quite pleased with herself, and up to giving Phillip a little of his own medicine.

“Oh I would, would I?” Moving closer to Felicia, Phillip put on one of his best James Bond looks. “And would that mean you’d find me just as attractive as you find your Egyptian ‘Denzel Washington’?”

“Why Phillip, I’ve always told you, you are an attrac
tive guy. It’s just that...”

“Don’t play with me now, Felicia. I’ve been out here in the middle of nowhere for four weeks now without a woman. If you give me the slightest provocation, I might just show you how badly I’m in need of one.”

Felicia heard the joking lilt in Phillip’s voice, but she could also see a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

“Now Phillip, you know we have been Mends for a long time. Let’s not mess things up at this point”

Just for a second, Phillip’s eyes clouded over with a hurt look, and Felicia realized she could have been softer with her rejection. Placing her arms around his neck and giving him a brotherly hug, she whispered in his ear. “Phillip, we are friends. We’ll always be friends. I don’t want to hurt you, but you can’t let our close working relationship misdirect you regarding your feelings for me. ” Very softly, Phillip agreed with her, and they spent a few moments in comforting friendship.

Felicia opened her eyes as she released Phillip, to stare directly into Na’im’s golden ones, overflowing with anger. “Na’im!”

“So you couldn’t wait until I got back? Or have you two been using the lab I provided for you as your meeting place all along?”

Before Felicia could respond to his accusations, Na’im disappeared out the door.

‘ ‘Oh, sh-! I hope he’s not another hothead like Ilyas,’ ’ Phillip groaned. ‘ ‘ I heard what happened between him and George.”

‘ ‘Is that all you can think about-yourself? Why didn’t you say something?’ ’

“I was caught off guard, just like you were. Do you actually think he was going to stand there and listen to me make excuses about why I was hugging his woman. He’d only think I was lying.’ ’

“Well, you could have at least tried. I was trying to comfort you and your homey butt, remember?”

“Do you want me to go after him? I will if you want me to.”

Felicia had always known that Phillip’s bark was worse than his bite. For him to even offer to try to explain to Na’im was more than she expected from him.

“No. That’s all right. I’ll wait until he calms down and try to talk to him while we’re having dinner. Maybe then he will be in a better mood.

Relief flooded Phillip’s face. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Put some of the old female charm on him. He won’t be able to resist you.”

Felicia wrapped the floor length, sheer nightgown about her feet, as she glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time. She’d had dinner delivered to their room as usual, but one thing was missing—Na’im.

The goat dish, simmered in sesame oil with okra, red peppers and onions, looked hardly edible. It, and the molokiea, an opaque green soup, had been sitting for such a long
time, both dishes had grown cold and taken on a congealed look.

Felicia had no appetite. Her nerves were on edge and her ears strained for every sound that might be Na’im approaching the sitting room. They had been apart for four days and three nights now, and she had missed him terribly.

When Phillip had suggested that she use her feminine wiles to persuade Na’im, she thought it was a bad idea. But as time passed, and the look of anger and mistrust in Na’im’s eyes kept playing over and over in her mind, she had decided to use any method she could to get him to listen to her.

She was forcing down one of the dates that made up the small fruit dish, when she heard footsteps in the hallway. She felt a breathlessness come upon her and her stomach muscles began to contract. She didn’t know what she had expected when Na’im walked through the door, but it was not the solemn, aloof person who confronted her.

Suddenly she felt embarrassed about her near nudity. Na’im’s eyes held not even the remotest spark of desire or feeling for her. They were golden orbs devoid of anything nearing emotion, and that frightened Felicia more than anything had in a long time.

“Hello, Na’im.” Felicia waited for his reply. But there was none. He just looked at her.

“Won’t you give me a chance to tell you what was going on?”

‘ ‘If you can tell me the truth.’ ’

“I’ve never lied to you before, and I don’t intend to start doing it now.”

“Alright. You’ve got your chance.”

Felicia instinctively felt repulsed by the business-like tone of Na’im’s voice, but she told herself this was not the time to show it.

‘ ‘I was simply comforting Phillip.’ ’

“Oh. It appeared to me that he had you backed into the comer between two tables and the two of you were ‘comforting’ each other.”

“No, not really.”

“Why were you comforting him?’ ’

“It all started when he commented about my wearing the yellow pagnes. And then he...”

“What did he say about it? He didn’t like the idea of your looking good for him?”

“That’s not why I wore it, Na’im.”

“Well, why did you wear it? You usually wear those jeans he bought you that show far too much, but at least you had the decency to wear a long top. What made you wear that today, Felicia?”

‘ ‘I just felt like wearing it today. Na’im, don’t be angry with me.’ ’ She knew it sounded flimsy, but she could think

of nothing else to say. She couldn’t tell him the truth about why she had worn the dress without revealing to him her visit to A1 Kharijah.

Felicia had never seen such contempt on anyone’s face as she saw on Na’im’s.

“You think you can dress like that and seduce me into forgiving you for your tramp-like actions? You think that I only need to see your naked body and I will be blinded to your indiscretions? I am not a slave to your passions or to mine, Felicia. I told you once, do not rile me to the point where I would find it necessary to punish you. Then, I felt your punishment would be my own. But now I no longer feel that way. It is obvious to me that despite your other activities, you are still willing to go to bed with me. But that’s something I don’t plan to do.”

The sound of Na’im’s harsh words echoed in Felicia’s ears as he closed the door to his bedroom behind him. Tears of anguish and hurt flooded her eyes, but she wiped them away as swiftly as they tumbled down. How dare he think those things about her! Felicia felt as if she’d been stabbed in the stomach with a knife, the pain of Na’im’s rejection was so strong. Through a veil of tears, she made her way to her bed. Flinging herself across it, she cried until she could cry no more. Her pillow was wet with her sorrow. Before she drifted off to sleep, she pushed it aside, falling into slumber with her knees curled upward toward her belly. Never before in her life had she experienced such emotional pain.

Sleep was the one relief that Na’im sought, but it would not come. Out of his jealousy, he’d said things that he knew had terribly wounded the person most important to him. He’d tried to listen to her. He wanted her to give him an explanation that would take away how betrayed he felt. But instinctively, he knew she was not telling him the complete truth.

It had angered him even more to think she thought him so weak for her that he’d be able to forget the sight of her in Phillip’s arms and still make love to her. All of his life, Na’im had been known as a man full of pride. His pride had meant more to him than fame, wealth, or even love.

Na’im closed his eyes to hurry the peace of sleep, but it was as if his body felt the heat of Felicia, knowing she was so near. Those four days away from her had felt like an eternity. That was the reason he had returned early and gone to the lab. He couldn’t wait to see her. He had wanted to spend the rest of the day with her, behind closed doors, and discuss the future.

He knew her career was important to her, and that living with him at Karib would virtually bring an end to that. But he had felt he could convince her that his country needed people like her; that there would be special projects she could work on...once they started a family.

Now, Na’im feared there was a side to Felicia he had refused to acknowledge, the one thing he had warned himself about from the very beginning. She was an American, and he had experienced a pattern of infidelity and dishonesty among American females.

When Na’im had first arrived in the United States, beautiful, wealthy females were plentiful. He had been with all shapes, colors and sizes. Being an Egyptian and the son of a sheik, he was thrown into the jet set crowd, and women were available in droves.

In the beginning, he had enjoyed the wild gatherings and the different women each night. But soon it became monotonous. He began to notice the little games the women played. Some would feign coyness, playing the sweet virgin scheme. These women were looking for a man who could take over their lives and fulfill their every fantasy. Others came on strong, straight to the point, stating what they wanted, when and how they wanted it. But there was no depth to these affairs, only superficial relationships with superficial people.

He hadn’t gone to the United States to look for a wife. He had gone to learn more about the culture, but deep inside he had also felt an intelligent woman brought up in that country could be an asset as a wife.

Felicia had appeared to be different, maybe because of the circumstances under which they had met. She had shown herself to be a sensitive, giving person, with brains as well. Na’im felt he could trust Felicia, until Phillip came along.

No matter how much he mentally battered himself with Felicia’s betrayal, his body longed to be with her. Her nude, dark brown body had stood out underneath the see-through white gown, and the faint scent from her need of him, mixed with her perfume, had floated enticingly about his nostrils when he came near her. It was his physical urge to take her regardless of the circumstances that had fueled his anger.

Finally, the ache in Na’im’s loins compelled him to go to Felicia’s bedside. A panel of light from the moon illuminated her shape upon the large bed. Na’im could see that she was asleep. He could also see the tear stains that marred her velvety complexion.

He craved to reach out and take her in his arms, no matter what she had done. His thirst for her was paramount

in his mind and body. He stood there, watching, for an endless amount of time. With resolution, he hung his head, accepting that his manly pride would not allow him to do it.

Not even for the woman he loved.

Felicia found the short note Na’im had left her on the nightstand near her bed the next morning. It simply said he would be gone for the next few days.

She didn’t feel like eating breakfast, so after bathing and dressing, she headed for the lab. She could hear excessive laughter coming from the schoolhouse. She wondered what was going on.

The last time she had talked to Fatimah about the school, she’d talked about how discouraged she was. Classes had been in progress for at least a week, and she had not been able to really get the children to listen. They’d shown no real interest in their lessons, or in Fatimah’s method of teaching.

Another outburst of laughter emanated from the small building as Felicia passed by. She could see and hear Fatimah explaining something in Arabic, but the children’s eyes were all riveted to the opposite side of the room.

As she walked further, she caught a glimpse of George noisily acting out the role of a monkey. It was George’s actions that were bringing the guffaws from the children.

Fatimah opened up one of the children’s textbooks and started to read, pointing to George as an example. Then she had them all repeat the word “monkey” in English. Felicia was pleased to see Fatimah looking relaxed and satisfied. Evidently George’s presence had worked wonders for her as well as the students.