Desert Heat

Chapter 3: ARRIVED

Nearly an hour after the plane had taken off and the altercation with the woman at the airport, Aziz found that he was still very frustrated that such a woman would embarrass him like that. He knew that he could not expose himself as the prince of Hamidin because the media would certainly blow the matter out of proportion.

Aziz grabbed his bottle of water from the table and drank it. Something about the way that woman stood up to him sent a chill down his spine. No one had ever spoken to him with so much boldness; back in his home country, he would not quarrel with damming her to death.

He smiled at the idea of sentencing someone to death for simply voicing their opinion; at times, he forgot just how much power he had in both the United States and back in his home country. Now that he thought of it, no one had ever challenged him—not even his stepmothers dared.

For now, Aziz shut his mind to rest; this trip would be a long one, and being back home to the kingdom that he had left ten years ago would drain him of all energy. Just thinking about all the customs and traditions tired him, but for now, there was only one thing left to do, and that was to wonder who would take over after his father’s death.

**

Lily marched towards her mother, making it clear that she was not one bit happy. The last thing she wanted was to start her assignment on a bad note, but thanks to an annoying man, that happy mood was ruined.

“What happened, my dear?” Her mother asked her, and Lily was in no mood to explain to her mother, but even she knew that there was no escaping her.

“Some guy, mother,” she told her mother irritably. This reaction caused her mother to raise a questionable eyebrow.

“So, you have fallen in love?” Her mother asked her, sending Lily to roll her eyes at her.

“Mother, I might not be the most romantic person in the world, but I am sure you know that love does not work like that. I am also sure that one cannot fall in love with someone who irritates you on the first day.” Lily informed her mother, who simply smiled back at her daughter.

“Well, my dear, with love, no one can tell. So tell me, was he hot?” Her mother asked her, and deep down, Lily knew that her mother had asked the right questions. Now that Lily thought of it, the man was handsome; she constantly had to stop herself from jumping onto him and devouring the arrogant man.

Oh, Mother, if only you saw how breathtakingly handsome he looked, Lily thought to herself, careful enough not to say those words aloud to anyone, not even her mother.

“Hello!” Her mother clapped her hands together right in front of Lily’s face.

“Yes, Mother,” Lily responded, trying to play the matter as though it were nothing other than her being in her thoughts.

“I asked you a question”, her mother reminded her, and Lily was well aware of what her mother was asking.

“Mother, I don’t know; I was not paying attention to him. All I know is that he bumped into me and spilled his coffee on me. Can you believe that he did not apologize? Rather, he blamed me for something that was his mistake and not mine”, Lily told her mother as she tried to get the remainder of the coffee stain off her clothes before she boarded the flight.

Lily looked up at her mother, who was quietly staring back at her.

“What is it, mother?” She asked her mother, who simply flashed a smile back at her daughter.

“Mother, I hope that you are not getting any ideas,” Lily questioned her mother, who raised her hand as a sign of surrender.

“No, I am not, but I would like to know one thing. Is the man Middle Eastern-looking— I don’t know, maybe black hair, hazel eyes, and high cheekbones?” Her mother asked. Lily’s pupils grew in size. Her mother was accurate.

“How did you know? You saw the fight, didn’t you?” She questioned her mother, as that could be the only way that her mother could describe the arrogant man so perfectly.

“No, I did not see the fight,” her mother simply responded, leaving Lily to wonder how else her mother would have known what the arrogant man looked like.

“Then how do you know what he looks like?”

“I paid for the man’s coffee, the same one that he spilled on you,” her mother responded, leaving Lily to let out an annoyed breath.

“Can you believe it, and he actually dared to warn me about how important of a man he was, yet he could not even afford to buy himself a cup of coffee?” Lily let out a sigh, annoyed that she had let him intimidate her a bit.

“Enough now, Lily. You are going to miss your flight all because of a man that you might never meet again,” her mother warned her, and she knew that her mother was right; there was no use in spoiling her chance at a promotion over someone that she might never set her eyes on again.

“You are right, Mother; I should forget about him. Come to think of it, what are the odds that I will ever set my eyes on him?” Lily questioned.

“That’s my girl.” Her mother cheered her on, and Lily was thankful for the encouragement from her mother.

Her mother walked her to the security gate, and both women shared their last goodbyes; her mother shared a tear or two, but Lily shared none. All her life, she was used to it; she always kept things inward, and she never allowed anyone to see how deeply hurt she was.

She looked at her mother one last time and waved goodbye, for Lily was about to start a new journey of her own.

Lily got onto the plane, settled herself into her chair, and relaxed. She tried to relax; the company had paid for her flight, and even though it was not first class, she was grateful for the opportunity. She stood up from her chair and placed her bag in the above compartment, and just as she was about to sit down, a man came and sat next to her chair.

“Hi,” he greeted her, and Lily smiled. Deep down, she hoped that this would not turn into the worst trip of her life.

“Hi,” Lily greeted the man back, trying her best to appear friendly and not grumpy with the arrogant man who had just ruined her morning at the airport. She quickly sat back down on her cramped chair and placed her earphones in her ears. She was about to sleep her entire day away and avoid thinking about the arrogant man.

**

“You know what, mister, I don’t know who you think you are, but I suggest you shove your important self where the sun does not shine because you are a nobody.”

Aziz’s eyes shot open, and he looked around his surroundings, very thankful that he was still in his private jet on his way back to his home country. The beautiful woman was still on his mind, and she had tormented his dreams and turned them into sweet nightmares.

Beads of sweat fell from his brow. Aziz could not remember the last time that a woman had occupied his mind, but this rude beauty had done just that. He hated this feeling—the feeling that someone had a hold of his emotions and he had no control.

He knew that he should have condemned this action, but just the thought of having her in his Arabian sheets beneath him drove Aziz mad.

“You are greater than this; do not let her overtake you,” Aziz whispered to himself. He straightened himself in his seat, hoping that it would make him feel more in control of the matter.

“You seem restless, my prince.” Aziz shut his eyes; it was as though Fahd knew what he was thinking or who he was thinking of. Aziz’s eyes shot wide open again, and like a swift wind, Fahd was standing right before him.

“Sit down,” Aziz ordered the older man, and he took a seat opposite Aziz. He studied the older man’s features; not once in his life had he been able to read the older man’s facial expression.

“What do you do when something takes over you?” Aziz asked Fahd. Like a wise old man, Fahd thought about his answer, smiled, and looked at Prince Aziz.

“I do not understand what it is that you mean,” Fahd asked Aziz. He knew that he could not tell Fahd what or who it was that overtook his mind. Although Fahd was a trusted servant of the royal family, one should never trust too much.

“What if there was a thought that consumed your mind? What should one do to rid himself of that thought?” Aziz calmly asked Fahd. The older man straightened himself in his seat and stroked his big beard as he thought about his answer.

“Well, my prince, I would suggest that you take it head on”, Fahd answered, but that was not enough as it left Prince Aziz more confused than he had been before.

“I am afraid I’m not following what it is that you are trying to say,” Aziz responded. A smile appeared on the corner of Fahd’s lips.

“If the matter bothers you that much, my suggestion would be to face it head-on. Face the woman that is causing you this unrest, and only then will you be at peace”. Fahd told Prince Aziz, whose response was to study the older man quietly.

“Fahd?” Aziz called out to the older man, who looked up, and their eyes met each other.

“Yes, my prince?” He answered Aziz.

“How did you know that my thoughts had been taken over by a woman?” Aziz asked him, and Fahd simply smiled back at the prince.

“I might have dedicated my entire life to serving the throne, but that does not mean that I do not know love when I see it.” That was Fahd’s final answer, but it did leave Prince Aziz feeling unsettled.

The older man was wise, and Aziz knew that, but to call this love was something that even Aziz could not believe. A man like him did not believe in fairytales like love at first sight. He had lived his entire life as a prince; not once had he seen his wicked father fall in love; he had only love for himself, and not even his numerous wives could fill that void in his heart.

“There is no such thing as love,” Aziz replied coldly. Fahd looked at him and shook his head; neither man had ever had a conversation this in-depth before.

“What makes you say that, my prince?” Fahd asked the question even though he already knew the answer.

Aziz rolled his eyes at the older man’s question because he did not know where to begin. His entire life was filled with lies, and Aziz was accustomed to mistrusting people and keeping them at arm’s length.

“Do you want me to go there? Let us start with my polygamist father, who was never satisfied with one wife, or the countless women who throw themselves at my feet the moment I mention that I am a prince.”

“My prince, I served your late father. I will admit that he made a lot of mistakes during his reign, but you have to forgive him.”

“Why should I forgive him?” Aziz asked, this time not concealing the hate in his tone. Aziz was not as meek as his other siblings, and he was not afraid to stand up to his late father, the king.

“Your father battled many demons in his life, and unfortunately, he allowed that to overtake him,” Fahd’s words were simple, but they packed a punch. Aziz looked away from the older man; there was no need to have this conversation any longer. All he hoped now was that this time, the arrogant woman would not haunt his mind any longer.