Marrying the Sheikh (7 page)

Ella took her eyes off of the skyline and looked directly at Karim. Man, he looked good. But he was smiling. Why was he smiling, she wondered? Ella was fuming mad and his smug face just enraged her further.

“I’m not making any promises,” she said with a finger pointing at Karim. His smile widened, and she looked at him, shaking her finger as she spoke. “But I will promise you this. My rate just doubled!”

She turned and stormed out of the office with a signed invoice for the cake and a modicum of her integrity left.

Karim watched her disappear down the hall and sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head as the smile took over his chiseled face.

ELEVEN

Ella managed to cash in a couple of favors and get the Plaza reserved for the date Karim and Nadia had selected. She worked double time changing all of the arrangements, sending out corrected invitations and ensuring that all of the vendors were able to meet the new accommodations.

A week after her encounter with Karim and Nadia, Djaron called Ella and asked her if she could attend a photo shoot the couple was having for a well-known society magazine. Ella obliged, figuring she could get one of them to sign off on a slew of new invoices while she was there.

She arrived at the shoot with her attaché full of paperwork and the sole intention of staying in the background. The photographers were busy fixing Nadia’s hair and adjusting the lighting while Karim stood next to her looking incredibly bored.

Ella spotted Djaron and called him over to her. “I thought they already did all of their engagement shoots,” she said, unsure why they were having another professional photo session.

“You're right,” Djaron said, squeezing Ella’s hand in greeting. “They did. But this one had to be rescheduled. It’s one of the most important because this magazine has the widest circulation in the Middle East. Since this wedding will unite two of the region's wealthiest and most powerful families, it is only fitting that they announce their nuptials here, as well.”

The shoot began and Djaron and Ella watched from the wings. Around twenty minutes later the photographer told everyone to take a break, and Karim smiled and called Ella over. Nadia rolled her eyes and looked away when she saw Ella come near.

“Hi Ella,” Karim said, friendly once again. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Nadia looked at Ella, scanning her from head to toe. “Yes,” she said curtly. “Since you’re here, why don’t you make yourself useful and go get me a coffee.” Nadia snapped her fingers and turned back to the stylist that was working on her hair.

“Nadia,” Karim barked at his fiancée.

“No,” Ella jumped in, putting her hand up. “It’s okay, really.”

She turned and ran to fetch Nadia her coffee.
Just three more weeks,
Ella said to herself. Three more weeks and this will all be over.

She returned and handed Nadia the coffee. Nadia took one sip and then held it out to Ella, expecting her to hold it while she posed for more shots.

“Um, okay...” Ella said meekly.

“Nadia, stop treating her like that!” Karim said sternly, and Ella froze as she watched the interaction. “Ella is not your servant, Nadia! She's been hired to plan our wedding, not run errands for you!”

Ella swallowed hard as she saw Nadia’s face change from hard to stone cold. Nadia glared at Karim and then at Ella, looking back and forth between both of them as the corner of her lip turned up and nostrils flared.

The heat of Nadia’s gaze caused Ella to squirm. She placed the coffee on a table next to the photographer and sneaked back into the wings with Djaron. Nadia kept staring at Karim as he fumed silently beside her.

“Please,” said the photographer, looking at his watch. “Can we please get back to the shoot? We’re almost done.”

Nadia shooed the stylist away and slipped back into her perfect pose. Karim glanced over at Ella with an apologetic look on his face, never once smiling for the camera.

When the shoot was done, a few awkward poses later, Nadia disappeared with her attendants, leaving Karim alone under the lights.

Djaron nudged Ella and the two of them walked over to him.

“Well,” Djaron said, jokingly, “That went well.”

Karim rolled his eyes at Djaron. “Yeah, just like everything else with Nadia.” He turned and looked at Ella. “I’m so sorry for that, for how she treated you. No one deserves to be treated like that.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine. She’s probably just tense with the wedding coming up and all,” Ella said, making excuses for her. She knew Karim didn’t love Nadia, but it wasn’t her place to talk bad about her.

“I have the car waiting for us,” Karim said, and began to escort Ella downstairs. “Djaron, can you please take these invoices back to the office and get them paid right away?”

“Certainly, sir,” Djaron said, accepting the stack of paperwork that Ella had brought with her.

When they reached the first floor Karim held the door to the building open for Ella, and as she stepped through she saw the limo waiting by the sidewalk. Djaron held the door open and closed it once Karim and Ella had slid into the leather seat in the back.

“So, you got the Plaza?” Karim asked, smiling slyly at Ella.

She smiled back, once again feeling that familiar ease she had felt when she first met him. “Yep. It wasn’t easy, but I got it.”

“Well,” Karim said as he watched Ella, feeling his heart stir. “They said you were the best.” He laughed as he said the words.

“Thank you,” said Ella, feeling more comfortable with every passing moment. As they drove along the busy city streets, she felt inclined to ask why Nadia reacted the way she did.

“She’s jealous,” Karim said matter-of-factly.

“Jealous?” Ella asked, incredulous. What on earth could Nadia be jealous of? “Of me?”

Karim laughed at Ella’s humility. She couldn’t see why someone like Nadia would be jealous of her, but Karim could, to him it was obvious. Ella was successful, independent and down to earth. She knew what she wanted and she wasn’t afraid to go for it. She was honest and fun to be with. And she was a knock-out.

“Yeah, you,” said Karim, feeling more drawn to Ella with every passing moment.

“Why is she jealous of me?” Ella truly couldn’t wrap her head around the idea.

“Because of the time we spend together.”

Ella racked her brain. She and Karim hadn’t spent any time together since the island. And even then, Nadia knew about that. There had to be more to it, but Ella played along.

Karim didn't want to admit that Nadia had caught him staring at Ella the few times they were all together. Since then, he'd been distracted and more distant than usual from Nadia; that's when she'd worked out that Karim had feelings for Ella.

“But she can be a part of this. I’ve asked her to be. You’ve asked her to be,” said Ella. “I don’t understand!”

“It's ridiculous, I know. Nadia has all the time in the world to help plan the wedding. But instead, she chooses…”

Ella remembered the fight she'd witnessed and again thought about the secret. Karim must be so torn, wanting to marry Nadia so that he does the right thing for her and the baby. And yet it was obvious that he couldn’t stand how she treated him. The sacrifice he was making was great and Ella liked him even more for it.

“I know,” she said, finishing his sentence for him.

“No,” Karim said. “You don’t.”

Ella held her breath as Karim switched seats and slid in next to Ella. The smell of his cologne filled her nose and body shivered with excitement.

“Ella,” he said. She melted at the sound of him saying her name. “It’s not what you think.”

Ella nodded, too paralyzed by him to say anything.

“Nadia has a problem,” Karim said.

Ella blinked, not understanding why he chose those words. She wouldn’t exactly call a baby a problem. Besides, it wasn’t just Nadia’s problem; the baby was both of their responsibility.

“She’s got a drinking problem,” Karim said finally and rested his head against the seat.

Ella looked at him with wide eyes, not quite believing what he had said. “A drinking problem?”

Karim closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah, a drinking problem, a partying problem; whatever you want to call it.”

“You mean,” Ella paused for a second, trying to process her conflicting emotions. “You mean she’s not pregnant?”

Karim’s gaze snapped back up to meet hers. “Pregnant?! No! Wherever did you get that idea?”

Ella felt more confused than ever. She looked around the limo and tried to organize the thoughts in her head. “When you said, back on the island, that the marriage was a sham, that it wasn't a marriage of love, that you had made a promise to her...”

Karim looked at Ella. “You remembered all of that?”

Ella looked at him and hit him lightly on the arm. “Yes. I make it a point to pay attention to my clients, believe it or not! Why did you say all of that?”

Karim looked at Ella with all seriousness. “We made a deal. Her parents were on her back to get married and mine were on my back to stop working so hard and settle down. We agreed that we would get married just to calm them down. Besides, we are from two of the most powerful families in the Middle East. The union will benefit both us and our families in many ways.”

Ella sat and listened, hanging on his every word. “We actually talked about dating, but we realized it wasn’t for us. Neither one of us felt that way about the other. So we agreed just to put on the show, stay married for a couple of year
s
—
without being involved, of course
—
and then get a divorce. By then our parents would have found other things to worry about. And any financial gains that we would have from the union would remain intact. It was kind of a win-win.”

“But…” Ella said, prompting him for more.

“But you’ve seen her. She’s so difficult. I mean, she was difficult when I knew her in school, but nothing like this. It’s because of the partying. She's getting more reckless, and it has turned her into someone I don’t want to be around at all, let alone get fake-married to.”

Ella sat back as she tried to absorb all of this information. Karim wasn’t in love with Nadia. Nadia wasn’t pregnant. The families didn’t know the wedding was a sham, and Nadia was a ticking time bomb. It was an awful lot to take in.

“I don’t understand, then.” Ella looked at Karim with a confused expression. “If there’s no love and no baby, why does she care who you spend time with?”

“Because we have a deal.” Karim looked out the window as the car sat in the thick afternoon traffic.

“I promised Nadia I wouldn’t tell her family about her drinking and partying if she promised not to tell my family about our arrangement. You see, I was the one that came up with the idea for the wedding, not Nadia. And she has been holding it over my head ever since.”

“Oh,” Ella said, finally seeing the whole picture. “So you have to do everything you can to keep up appearances until the big day?”

Karim nodded. “Yes,” he said. “And that includes cleaning up Nadia’s messes and putting up with her nasty attitude. But only until the wedding. Then we can go our separate ways. We only have to be in the same room once a year for our anniversary celebration, as is the custom in our country. No one will be suspicious if we aren’t together throughout the year. But until the wedding, we can’t let on that we are really living separate lives.”

Ella looked at Karim and her heart swelled with emotion. She felt so bad for him, stuck in this predicament. She knew that he didn’t have any feelings for Nadia, except perhaps obligation because of the promise he had made her. And he was in so deep. He was going through with the wedding to secure the family fortune and he couldn’t let his family down now.

She reached over and touched his hand without thinking. “I’m sorry,” she said.

Karim felt her touch and shivered as the warmth of her hand shot through his body. He pulled his hand back quickly, knowing exactly what that feeling was and not allowing himself to go there. He had already been having a difficult time fighting his feelings for Ella. And now, with the wedding just three weeks away, the last thing he needed was to lose control.

Ella opened her mouth in surprise, realizing what she had done. She pulled her hand back into her lap and turned toward the window. The slow city traffic lumbered by as the limo made its way up Fifth Avenue. A steady rain began to fall and Ella was reminded again of their trip to Eleuthera. Just sitting in the limo with Karim, the smell of his cologne, the rain, it was all almost too much to bear.