Married to a Billionaire (Completed)

CHAPTER: 6

Dinner with Sheikh-Amir would be a mistake. Especially given the fact that every time she looked at him today, she could not help fantasizing about what she had seen of him in the gym earlier, wondering about how he might taste, how he might feel, his muscled body tight against her. She floundered for the first excuse that popped into her mind. "Won't you be eating with your bride, since she missed lunch and all?"

"No. I will be having dinner with you." He took her arm and led her back towards the palace.

Distracted, she tripped on the marble step and heat prickled her cheeks. "Listen, I really appreciate the offer and all, but I think it would be best if I eat in my room tonight," she said.

"Nonsense. There is no reason for you to dine alone when you can share a meal with me."

She tried to free herself from his grip as he tugged her towards the patio doors, but could not. It seemed whatever Amir wanted, he got, whether she liked it or not. The thought seemed to irritate her and she sighed.

"What is wrong?" He stopped on the veranda and faced her. "Are you not hungry?" he asked her.

"No." Her stomach rumbled loud, betraying her. Amir raised his brow. "Okay, maybe a little," she replied.

"Good. It is settled then." He let her go, and she missed the warmth of his touch immediately.

Dammit. This was awful. Amir was engaged to be married, and she had been hired to plan the wedding, not sleep with the groom.

He smiled again, a crooked grin, brimming with masculine charm as if he knew exactly the effect he had on her. "I will leave you here so that you may get changed for the evening. Have you met Laiba?" 

Amir gestured towards a lovely young girl standing near the doorway.

"No. Not yet," she replied.

"Laiba will be your personal maid while you are here," he said.

Serena glanced from Amir to Laiba and back again. She never had a maid in her life. "Um, I don't..."

He interrupted her midway, and said, "No objections. You are my guest and will be treated as such. Now, if you will excuse me I have a few more business details to attend to before the day is done. I will see you in an hour. Laiba will help you get dressed and assist you with anything that you may need."

Serena stared after him as he strode off down the hall, then turned to Laiba with a polite smile. "Okay then. Guess we should get back to my room."

An hour later, Amir paced the length of the dining room. He had given the kitchen staff complete instructions for tonight's meal. Now all he needed was his dinner guest.

The door opened and he turned to see Serena enter. She kept her gaze lowered as if she was nervous, and it allowed him a chance to study every inch of her gorgeous appearance. Laiba had done an excellent job of helping his little American, dress the part.

The skirt of her long, pale blue gown, swirled around her ankles like ocean waves, their shade a perfect match for her light blue eyes. Her long honey gold hair was artfully styled into a sleek French role, with a few stray curls left loose to graze her shoulders. Everything about her looked perfect, except for one thing. "Where is your hijab?" he asked her.

"You mean the headpiece? Your maid wanted me to wear."

"Our customs state, your head should be covered."

"Yes, but I am only visiting. I am not from your country. Therefore, I am not subject to your rules," Serena replied.

Rules or not, there were many things he would like to indulge in with her. Tonight was for them to get to know each other better. There would be plenty of time for her to get acquainted with their customs later. He held her at the elbow and steered her towards the patio doors once more. "This way, please." 

He guided her out into the verandah, and she halted, looking around. "I thought we were having dinner?"

"We are." He led her around the corner and to a small ramp that climbed into the trees.

"Up there?" She gave him a skeptical look. "Are you serious?"

"Seriously." He took her hand and led her up on the ramp, keeping her beside him, in case she stumbled due to her high heels. "Be careful," he instructed.

They climbed the ramp and his amusement at her reaction grew. By the time they reached the top and stepped off onto a narrow deck, high above the gardens below, her eyes were wide and sparkling and her cheeks were flushed a lovely pink, and Amir could not ever remember seeing a more beautiful sight. Her voice vibrated with astonishment. "Awesome! A treehouse?"

"Yes." Amir grinned, seeing her excitement.

"It is so cool!" Serena grabbed his arm. "Can we go inside?"

"Of course. That is where we are having dinner." He pushed open the doors, then waited for her to enter. Candles glowed all around them. Jewel-toned couches and pillows filled small seating areas around, the four corners.

Two male servants and an older chef in a white dress stood by another doorway. They bowed when Amir entered then began preparing for the feast. Amir escorted Serena to one of the sitting areas and they settled on a soft velvet seat.

Serena gazed around in obvious awe. "This place is amazing."

"You have my permission to come here whenever you would like." She seemed more relaxed tonight and he wanted her to remain that way. A relaxed, happy woman would make a relaxed, happy bride. And a happy bride would always say yes to her groom's proposal. 

"Thank you." Serena smiled. "I appreciate the offer."

He was about to respond when his cell phone buzzed. He pulled it out to find several messages filling the screen. He had felt the phone vibrating on the way up, but had thought that if he ignored the calls, they would stop. But apparently, he had been wrong.

"Do you ever take a break from work?" she asked him. "You always seem to rush from one emergency to the next."

"Work is my escape. My solace from everything. It has always been this way," Amir replied.

"Always? Even when you were small?" Serena asked him.

"No. That is true. But things change. People change, Serena."

"Or things change people," Serena replied.

Amir then said, "Come with me." He grabbed her hand and led her to a balcony looking over the gardens. "You see the grand fountain over there? When I was young, like most eight years old, I thought I was invincible. I climbed right to the top and jumped off, pretending to be my favorite superhero. At that age, you do not understand."

She gasped and laid her hand on his forearm. "What happened?"

"I landed with my leg beneath me on the bottom of the fountain. My leg broken in three pieces."

"Oh, God!" Her expression filled with genuine concern. "At least you didn't have any long-term effects from it."

"No. Everything healed as it should, but it happened at the beginning of summer. It meant I had to stay inside and rest for the next three months. I had excruciating pain. To get my mind off it, my father suggested I use the time to apply myself to my studies and get ahead of my classmates. He said that focussing my mind would help me deal with the pain."

Serena asked him, "Did it work?"

He nodded. "I completed an entire grade that summer. While I concentrated on my studies, my leg didn't hurt as much. Since that time, work has always come first."

"Sheikh, would you like me to pour the wine now?" one of the servants asked.

"Yes. Also, tell the chef he can serve the food, then you may all retire for the evening." Amir said as they returned to their seats.

Soon, the servants carried out half a dozen plates of food, and deposited them around the table, along with two bottles of wine.

Amir led Serena to the table and got her seated then took the spot beside her. He poured them each a glass of wine. She downed hers rather quickly. He refilled it and smiled. "You better drink it slowly. It is much stronger than it seems."

"Really?" She took another sip. "It's good. Taste's like fruit juice."

They ate their food and talked about their childhood and laughed. He felt so comfortable with her that once they had finished their dinner, he leaned back and placed a hand on Serena's shoulder. She didn't pull away. This close he could stroke her silky soft skin and smell her scent, lemon, and spice.

She leaned towards him for a brief second, her lips parted and her eyes half-closed, then sat back and shook her head. "I think I need some fresh air."

Amir watched her walk out onto the deck and lean against the railing as she gazed up at the starry sky. He knew he shouldn't follow her. He should stay inside, and keep things between them as he had intended, a marriage in name only. A marriage that would help him to secure his position on the board. But he followed her anyway.