The Sheik's Virgin Lover (The Sisterhood) (10 page)

Thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang and Emma was still unsure of what she should do. Darcy wasn’t the only one who was at the door with at least five different dresses. Claire was also standing outside her apartment door, grinning hugely with curiosity in her eyes. As soon as they walked in and dumped their dresses, they turned and faced Emma down. “Spill it, girlfriend. What’s going on with that guy and why haven’t you told us about it before hand?”

Emma laughed. These women didn’t cut corners, going directly to the issue. “His name is Dharran something something something and he’s the…”

“We know. He’s some sort of sheik of that huge country that has lots of oil and unimaginable money. You met him last week when your basketball crashed into his car. What’s been happening since and why haven’t you told us all about it as it happened?”

While Darcy interrogated, Claire picked up one of the dresses and held it up to Emma’s figure, shaking her head and tossing it to the side. “What’s wrong with that one?”

“You look sick,” Claire said.

“Not the right color,” Darcey said at the exact same time. “Try the green one. It will go with her eyes.”

“Why do you guys have so many summer dresses and I have zero?” she said, picking up another one while Claire pulled out a mint green creation with spaghetti straps. “I’m not wearing that,” she stated emphatically.

Claire ignored her and held it up to Emma’s figure. “You’re changing the subject. Have you kissed him yet?”

“What?” Emma almost shrieked.

Darcy turned to Claire and they both grinned. “That would be a yes. Okay, have you slept with him yet?”

Emma pushed the dress aside and picked up a pink one. “Of course I haven’t slept with him. I just met him last week.”

“I’d have slept with him!” Claire said with a teasing voice. “He’s hot!”

Emma shook her head. “Like you’ve slept with all the other handsome men you’ve dated in the past?”

Claire grimaced. “We’ve had this conversation before. Over eager hands and inflated egos.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Claire, you go through men like other people go through paper towels. How many men do you need to date before one of them strikes your fancy.”

Claire and Darcy looked at each other again, then back to Emma. “You’re changing the subject once again. So what’s wrong with sleeping with your hunk? He obviously makes you just a bit crazy. Probably a lot crazy. So what’s holding you back?”

Emma sighed and sank down onto the sofa. “He’s too…” she couldn’t think of the word to describe him. “Everything.”

Darcy and Claire sat down beside her and nodded. “And you’re afraid of getting hurt.”

“Exactly. There’s no future here with this guy. So why go down a path that might lead to heartache?”

Claire contemplated the subject. “What if there is a future?”

Emma shook her head. “There isn’t. He’s ruler of some country and I’m the director of a recreation center. Those two worlds don’t exactly mesh.”

“What if there’s just a long term love affair?”

“So I get to fall in love with him and then have him go off to marry someone else? That doesn’t sound very appealing.”

“Maybe you should just take this one day at a time. Tonight, for instance, you should spiffy up and put on that green dress, make him really be wowed.”

In the end, the enticement of seeing Dharran again was too much of a temptation. She enjoyed his company, even though it often turned out to be exhausting.

Claire and Darcy gathered up the remaining dresses, kissed Emma on each cheek and left, Claire winking at Emma and telling her to just “go for it” in her eloquent way.

Emma showered carefully, then pulled on the dress, loving the way the bodice cupped her breasts, lifted them and made them look fuller while the skirt flared out, cinching in at her waist. The color was perfect for her skin tone, making her creamy skin look darker. She piled her hair on top of her head, then added a pair of pearl earrings that her mother had given her for her college graduation. Deciding to look a bit more glamorous, Emma used all of Darcy’s makeup tricks, using heavier eye shadow and lining the top of her lids with dark brown liquid eye liner for a more dramatic impact. A soft pink lipstick finished the look and, stepping back, Emma knew she looked very pretty.

Would Dharran get the wrong impression about tonight? Was the dress too sexy?

She wouldn’t know until he got there, she told herself.

The doorbell rang exactly at seven o’clock and she picked up the matching purse and was about to sweep out the door. But she was stopped cold when she found Dharran waiting patiently for her to answer the door.

She leaned out slightly and looked to the right and left.

“Who are you looking for?” he growled and pushed her back into her apartment.

She laughed at his angry expression and stepped back inside, allowing him to see where she lived, even if she was a bit embarrassed by the comfortable, but definitely well worn furniture. “I was looking for the body guards or the servants who would have rung the doorbell for you,” she teased.

Dharran rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I am perfectly capable of ringing your damn doorbell, thank you very much,” he said a moment before he pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard and thoroughly until she was breathless and clinging to him for support.

Looking down into her sparkling topaz eyes. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

She smiled up at him. “Following orders, sir,” she chimed back and stepped away so she could spin around. “Is the dress pretty enough for you?” she asked.

Dharran laughed and caught her easily as she spun, then pulled her closer. “The dress is lovely. Will you follow all of my orders tonight so willingly?”

“Absolutely not!” she laughingly replied. “Trust me, you’re not getting lucky tonight.”

He tucked her hand onto the crook of his arm and shook his head. “Handing out challenges tonight? Feeling very brave, aren’t you?”

Emma giggled and shook her head. “No challenge. I just feel very light-hearted and determined.”

He took her to a lovely restaurant that was elegant without being ostentatious. There were only about twenty tables but the food was extraordinarily wonderful, with five different courses, all more delicious than the last. The service was excellent without being over the top and interrupting their conversation repeatedly. And during the entire meal, they talked about different things, Emma laughed at his stories and debacles of growing up in a palace, while she told him poignant stories about some of the kids that visited the Rec Center, about their lives and their hopes.

After the meal, he escorted her down the street to a play at one of the experimental theatre companies. They watched a wonderful performance that made the audience laugh and cry and sigh with jubilation at the ending. All except Dharran who watched politely throughout it all, clapping at appropriate times, smiling when the audience laughed but no other emotion.

Over coffee at a nearby restaurant, she asked him about the performance.

“It was well done,” was his simple, unenlightening response.

“You hated it, didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “I appreciate the theatre, but generally it isn’t my preference.”

“Why did we attend tonight then?”

“Because I thought you would enjoy it.”

She eyed him carefully. “Do you always do things you think someone else might enjoy?”

He grinned at her and leaned forward. “When it might get me what I want, then yes, I’m willing to ignore my own desires temporarily so I can get what I want.”

The question came out of her mouth before she could stop it. “And what do you want?”

“You. In my bed. Writhing with need to have me inside you and crying out when I bring you to a mind-shattering climax.”

She inhaled a shaky breath but couldn’t look away. “Dharran…” she started to tell him that it wasn’t going to happen, but he stopped her by shaking his head.

“Don’t go there. Because you know it will be a lie. You want me. I want you and what we have when we come together will be explosive. So don’t sit there and deny what we both know. It might not happen tonight, and I can see in your eyes that you’re not yet ready for us to make love, but it will happen. And probably soon.”

Chapter 6

Emma glared at the phone as it rang. She wasn’t going to answer it, sure that was Dharran again. She had to answer it though. It was her job and it could be someone in trouble. That last statement he’d made after the theatre had rocked her mind a little more than she was willing to admit to him. He’d shown her that he was going to be patient and wait for her until she was ready. But would she ever be ready for him? For what he could make her feel? She lost control when he touched her and she didn’t like losing control.

Biting her lip, she picked up the phone, her stomach clenching with anticipation and worry and something else, far more dangerous.

“Hello?” she said to the receiver.

“Hi, Emma. This is Jane from the mayor’s office. How are you doing?”

Emma sighed in relief. “Jane! It’s great to hear from you,” she said enthusiastically, then paused, “Unless the mayor wants something. Is that it?” Her enthusiasm still there, but a spark of caution entered her voice.

Jane laughed. “Actually, this is an amazing opportunity for you. Someone really high up heard about the work you’ve been doing over at the center and they have suggested a sort of international observation committee. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Emma was dumbfounded. “Are you kidding me? What do you mean about an observation committee?”

“Apparently, there’s a group of social workers who get together in different countries and study the inner city efforts that are being used to help the residents, focusing on kids.”

Emma didn’t like the sound of this. “What countries are involved?” She had a sneaking suspicion that this was more of Dharran’s manipulations.

“Let’s see. London, Paris, Dubai and Washington D.C. are the initial cities but the committee is hoping to add more cities as word gets around. I’ll send you the information. There was a bunch of literature that arrived with the suggestion that your center, and specifically you, be included as a committee member”

Emma was still suspicious, but it was starting to sound a bit more legitimate. She rung off from Jane, promising to read the information and get back to her. Apparently, the next meeting was scheduled for the following week. Why things were so near in the future, she had no idea, but it sounded like it was a worthwhile effort. If she could get more information on how to help her kids from other sources, she was more than interested.

The phone rang again and Emma absently picked it up. “Did you get the information?” Dharran’s deep voice asked over the phone line.

Emma almost dropped the phone. “What information?” she asked, her suspicion increasing once again.

“International Committee on Children at Risk. I know that your mayor’s office was going to call you this afternoon.”

Emma sighed and leaned back in her chair, not even hearing the screeching of the springs as the old metal protested the movement. “Dharran, is this something you made up just to get me to Europe?”

“Why would I want you in Europe? I want you in my bed, underneath me and begging for me to make love to you. Europe is definitely too far for me to accomplish that goal.”

Emma had to laugh. “You certainly don’t hide your mission, do you? Subtlety is not your game, huh?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been subtle about what I want from you, Emma. Are you going?”

“Going?”

“To London? Next week.”

“Probably not. Father Mike would be a better speaker.”

“The invitation was for you. Not for Father Mike.”

“You did have something to do with this, didn’t you?”

“I mentioned the work you were doing to a friend of mine.”

“And?”

“And, my friend wanted your contact information so that you could be included as a committee member.”

“And?”

Dharran laughed softly. “You’re definitely a suspicious woman, my kitten. Why do you think you don’t deserve this kind of recognition for your work? And why don’t you think some of your methods might not be transferable to other cities?”

He had her there. “And more importantly, what are those cities doing that I can adopt.”

“That’s the spirit,” he commended. “My office has made the reservations. I’ll send over the details to you electronically.”

“What?” she cried out, the chair squeaking once again as she sat up straight in her chair. “You’ll do no such thing.”

“Yes, I will. Your center doesn’t have the funding to send you to London. It’s already done, Emma. The tickets are on the way, the hotel reservation has been made in your name and the meeting schedule should be in the mail to you already. All the arrangements are non-refundable so if you don’t accept the nomination, the reservations will go unused but paid for,” he finished, knowing her frugal sensitivity wouldn’t allow her to ignore the arrangements now.