Sheikh's Hired Mistress (11 page)

Aziz followed her down the hallway to the west wing. There were several large rooms in this area, and while they hadn’t gotten around to all of them yet, Aziz had expressed a preference for work to focus on one room that would be in use for social functions. It had large transom windows facing west, and currently only a few pieces of covered furniture. The crew had painted that morning, and Laine was extremely pleased with the result.

“We did a light blue on the side walls.” Laine pointed to either side. “The floor has been refinished, much needed…”

Aziz nodded, looking at everything she pointed to.

“And on the back wall, catching the light as the sun sets…” Laine turned.

“Oh my!” Aziz leaned over with a short bark of laughter. “You painted the Tree of Life!”

Laine sputtered. “
I
didn’t paint it. I would need three years of painting classes to even get close to this. No, I
had
someone paint it.”

“This is gorgeous. This is…I didn’t know how much I needed a room like this. We’re having a gala here in a month, and this will be absolutely perfect!” Aziz pulled her close and kissed her cheek.

“I thought you would like to be able to reflect on it whenever you liked. Especially without your entourage of bodyguards following you. Plus, I think the artist did a lovely job of capturing the tree and the way the colors of the sky spread out.”

“Someday you must paint me something,” Aziz murmured into her ear.

“Again, years of classes…”

“I could arrange that.” Aziz reached around her and caressed her breasts.

With a soft laugh, Laine guided his hand down her belly and into her slacks. He grinned, rubbing his hand over her mound in a circular motion as he met her lips with a firm kiss. She began to pant with excitement, feeling lit up by his seemingly tireless desire to touch her.

Over the past few days, it had seemed like the only room in which Aziz might not be interested in pursuing her was her own, and perhaps only due to his promise never to go in there without her permission. Now, she felt him growing hard against her already and the needy throbbing between her own legs. She’d thought her body might have a limit for these kind of indulgences, but Aziz had a way of coaxing moans out of her that she hadn’t known were there.

She half-turned to meet his kiss, keeping one hand over his between her legs and quivering as his long, deft fingers stroked up and down the sides of her sensitive lips. She gasped as her muscles gave a little preemptive jerk in anticipation.

“Aziz…” she breathed hopefully.

Aziz pressed his forehead to hers and then guided her to lean on one of the extravagantly large sofas, still covered by a dropcloth. Eager and desperate for more, Laine held onto the back of the sofa, spreading her legs willingly. Aziz’s hands moved over her plump buttocks, as though feeling them for the first time. Laine gave an impatient whimper as he slowed his pace to massage them with deep, circular strokes of his thumbs.

After his pants dropped, Aziz moved his hands back around to her front to unbuckle her belt and guide her slacks down.

“I’m ready, I’m
so
ready,” Laine babbled.

Aziz hummed against the back of her neck as he unbuttoned her blouse and then freed her of it. He moved his hands up her back in a long, slow motion, causing her to arch her back enticingly.

“You are, aren’t you?” Aziz rubbed against her. “You fit me so well.”

Grabbing her hip, he pushed his thick erection inside her. She cried out softly and then begged for more of him. Aziz bowed over her, kissing her back as he buried his length inside her. His thrusts were long and leisurely, filling her deliciously with every teasing stroke.

Keening for Aziz to take her harder, Laine pushed back against Aziz and gripped the drape. He reached around her, taking her womanhood in hand once more and fondling her in time with his thrusts.

She came, sweating and gasping, to the clever ministrations of his fingers. She shuddered and tensed, and then went limp for a moment when he pulled out and spilled himself over the drape on the floor.

Laine laughed and leaned back against Aziz. He kissed her cheek and found a clean spot on the floor for them to lie back sated.

“My beautiful tiger,” Aziz teased. “So frisky.”

“More and more every day.” She sighed into his chest.

Aziz combed her hair back with his fingers, then frowned a little and tilted his head. Laine looked up curiously and then covered her forehead and the scar there with her hand. Truthfully, she’d entirely forgotten about it for most of her time here. Why did he have to get interested in it again now?

“Stop,” she whispered.

“Tell me what happened,” Aziz said gently. “I do not mind it, of course. I just wonder.”

Laine looked away.

“How could it hurt to share this secret now?” Aziz kissed over her forehead. “After all we have shared? Is it even a risk, at this point?”

Laine frowned thoughtfully, trying to decide what she should say to him, but then her eyes began to sting. This was still too hard. She should have told him that night in the rose garden or at the tree; it would have come so much more naturally.

“You talk an amazing game, but you know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen
you
take a risk,” Laine teased, twirling her fingers over his chest hair.

“You have to be kidding! You’re the one who plays it safe, cowing to your boss, staying in every night when you could be exploring what they call the City that Never Sleeps.”

“I came across an ocean and two continents to decorate your home! I put my job on the line!” Laine pushed her hair back. “Do you know how many apartments get robbed while people are out of town for a
month
?”

Aziz shrugged. “Okay. I suppose you can take a risk or two. But I’m the one who got you here.”

“Was it really that much of a risk for you? You’d already met me when you made your offer
and
done all this research on me and my work.” Laine propped herself up on her elbows. “Really, what did you have to lose? That I might say no, and you’d have to what? Get another decorator? Pay more to get me to come?”

“I suppose…”

“And when I think of it,” she said, “you had a
bodyguard
at our big fountain moment. You have
all
of this money and power. I don’t think you could possibly get in real trouble if you
tried
.”

Aziz grumbled and sat up, resting his forearms on his knees.

“I’m done with people telling me that I’m not living my life right. It’s
your
turn to take a risk.” Laine smiled.

“My
turn
? So this is a
game
? We are playing?”

“I don’t care
what
it is. Invest in an American manufacturer. Give Amin a pop the next time he mouths off. Date a woman you
love
for once. Get a cat.”

Aziz side-eyed her, rose, and crossed his arms as he stared at the Tree of Life. Laine looked up at him, admiring the view from her position on the floor, despite their argument. Then he plucked up his clothes and tossed her blouse at her dismissively before heading for the door.

“The room looks good. Keep up the good work.”

Chapter Twelve

Laine felt as though she had been struck. Pulling her clothing back on quickly, she scolded herself for trying to push a playboy like Aziz into taking things other than business seriously. He lived life for the moment, and he had done so for much longer than she’d even known him. Of course a nudge from her would do no good.

The truth was, she was still a little afraid to be truly vulnerable in front of him. Sharing what had happened to her as a girl, telling him about that terrible night that had scarred her forehead and taken her mother from her—it wasn’t such a dramatic story, in itself. No more than his own confession in the rose garden had been, and it had happened a long time ago. She had only been twelve at the time. But both events had shaped her life, as well as the lives of her sister and her father. They’d come together very purposefully around the loss, like trees intertwining as they leaned upon one another. Laine had devoted her life to being the support structure to the remains of her family, and both she and her father had done everything in their power to ensure that little Emma had all she could need or want in love and security.

If he were to ever mean anything to her, anything more than a good time and a generous employer, he would have to understand her family’s importance. But, she mused as her cheeks burned in humiliation, he’d essentially shown her that they would
never
be more than that. He didn’t even feel that way toward most of his own family. He got along well enough with Hadiya, but their relationship did not seem to be like the one Laine had with her sister. Frankly, during her time there, Hadiya had become more of a sister to Laine than she was to Aziz.

Lost in thought, Laine hurried back to her office. A strong hand caught her wrist and jerked her still forcefully.

“You little American slut!” Amin spat at her.

Laine blinked up at him with a mixture of bewilderment and indignation. “What?”

“I saw you, harlot, through the window! Bending over to Aziz, spreading your filthy legs, and not even married!” Amin was livid, his eyes twitching and his jaw held rigid. “How dare you come into our home and so brazenly spread your sin?”

Laine pulled her hand back, but could not free herself. “Aziz was hardly complaining.”

“You are singlehandedly bankrupting our family of our traditions!”

On an instinctual level, Laine was afraid. Amin was nowhere near the height of his brother, but he was larger than she by a few inches. On a rational level, however, she laughed.

“I’m just one woman. How could I
possibly
be the grain of sand to destroy this utterly fucked-up machine?”

He smacked her. Hard. She touched her cheek and blinked dizzily.

“You are responsible for your own actions,” she managed, struggling to lift her gaze. “And so is Aziz.” He might come after her again. And this palace was so large that she couldn’t count on Aziz to hear and come to her defense.

“You do not speak back to your betters, woman,” Amin said.

Laine moved to get away from him, and he grabbed her arm again.

But a well-dressed New York woman didn’t get through life without taking a self-defense course or three. Especially not one who has a dad checking up on her every day. In one motion, she turned her arm in his grasp, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind his back.

“What? What are you doing?!”

“I could break your elbow from this angle. That would be fun explaining to your wife, wouldn’t it?” Laine laughed softly. “Somehow, I have a feeling the women in this family would not be impressed with what you’ve done here, even if they agreed in sentiment with my ‘low’ nature.”

“You should not be—!”

“I will be perfectly honest in saying that I don’t give a fuck what you think I should or should not do.” Laine put more pressure on the joint, getting a bit of pleasure in hearing Amin groan. “Tend your own damn garden, Amin. If you want more responsibility, show Aziz you can take it on. Start your own business. Make your own path. Don’t come into this house stomping around like the world owes you anything! And don’t you
dare
put your insecurities onto
me
!”

In a calculated risk, Laine let Amin go and pushed him away from her before she turned and walked swiftly down the hallway. Amin had proven himself a bit of a coward. He’d taken a blow from Aziz with no recourse, and he’d waited until Aziz was out of earshot before confronting her. He didn’t follow her.

Laine retreated to her room and sat on the bed, finally beginning to breathe easily again. She curled her legs underneath her, wondering how all of this had fallen apart so damn fast. Maybe it was inevitable. Any interior decorator knew you needed a solid foundation or structure to build on. How many dreams had she shattered when clients came to her with plans that didn’t match the bones of the house? It was her job to sell them a new dream, to translate their dreams into the possible.

She hadn’t been prepared to be the impractical one.

She slipped out of her clothing and headed for the shower. She had been very aware of the situation she’d been walking into. She had gotten to create gloriously beautiful rooms, like the west wing ballroom and the grand dining room, but she had let Aziz into her heart. She’d known she would, in spite of all the reasons not to. The fact that both of them had nearly died before reaching puberty wasn’t enough to build a relationship on.

Laine washed as she thought it over. She kept thinking as she dressed in fresh clothing, a T-shirt and jeans from home, and as she began to straighten up her room and pack.

By the time she approached Aziz’s office again, she had decided. This time, she didn’t wait. She simply announced herself and told him that her time here was finished.

Aziz rose and strode over to her quickly with alarm in his eyes. “You cannot leave. The job isn’t finished!”

“I never said I’d been here a month. I said I would come to get the feel of the palace, and I have. And I said I would begin the planning while I was here, and I’ve done that, too. There’s no point in my staying here any longer.” Laine lifted her chin. “I have a life back in New York, Aziz.”

Aziz’s brows screwed together as he took in her words. Then, his jaw tensed and he clenched one hand. “It is a sad life, Laine. A life with a job working under a pitiful man!”

“I don’t see the difference anymore,” Laine said coldly.

Aziz opened his mouth to argue, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. Finally he managed, his volume increasing with each word: “I have taken you into my home. I have afforded you every luxury. I have given you the opportunity of a lifetime!”

“And I have worked for you and tolerated your indecision, but that is
over
now.”

“It’s over!” Aziz laughed. “
You
say that it’s over!”