The Arabian Billionaire, Book Two Page 4

  Josie changed into the dress. Fiona analyzed her from head to toe wondering if the dress needed any accessories. It looked a bit too plain. Josie refused to wear jewelry. Instead she went for heels instead of flats.

  “Are you sure you don't want a necklace to jazz it up a bit?” Fiona asked.

  “I am sure. Let's leave it like this,” Josie replied.

  “Will the sheikh be there?”

  “No, thankfully.” The woman had said nothing about the sheikh's presence, so Josie assumed that he was not going to be there.

  “Makeup?” Fiona was already holding foundation and mascara.

  “Nope,” Josie refused immediately. Fiona rolled her eyes. She knew Josie would refuse, but she was hoping to be wrong.

  “Okay, let's do your hair at least.”

  “Fine, but we are leaving it curly. Straightening it will take too long.” Josie loved her hair, but it was high maintenance. Her hair was very long and thick. It was not an afro, and it was not straight. It was stuck in between. She had never favored relaxers in her hair because long-term use damaged the hair. So she was stuck with tight curls which were hard to put a comb or a brush through.

  Josie was finally done. She headed downstairs. Halfway down the stairs, she ran back up to her room. She sprayed herself with perfume. Fiona threw her a pack of mints. Josie with her poor hand-eye coordination wasn't able to catch it. She picked it up and left. The woman from earlier was still there waiting for her.

  “There is a car waiting for you outside,” the woman advised. Josie nodded and left the lodge. The driver opened the door for her. She thanked him and got into the back seat. Throughout the journey, she kept thinking of what to say. She felt nervous. It was comforting to know that the sheikh was not going to be there. That was the only thing that made her relax.

  The car came to a halt in front of tall and wide, iron gates. There were security guards at the gate. The gates were opened for them, and they drove in. Ahead of them was a big house. Josie’s eyes widened. Outside the house was a neatly cut lawn. It was spread across a large part of the yard. The car parked, and the driver opened the door for Josie.

  “Where am I?” Josie asked as she got out of the car. “Am I in the right place?”

  “You are at the Zahid residence,” the driver said to her and shut the door. Josie did not even have time to process where she was. A woman, presumably a maid, approached her and greeted her. She asked Josie to come with her.

  They headed toward the massive house. She had never been anywhere like that before. Outside the house were security guards. Josie and the maid walked into the house. Josie walked slowly staring at everything. The ceilings were high, the corridors were wide, and the windows were large. It was phenomenal.

  “Hello, you must be Miss Josie Pierce,” a sophisticated and elegantly dressed, older woman said to Josie. She looked like she was in her late fifties. Her hair was pinned up. She wore a djellaba made out of fine silk. His mother! Josie thought to herself.

  “Hello,” Josie replied nervously. She hadn't even realized that they had walked into the dining room. She was too busy looking around.

  “I am Adiva Zahid.”

  “Nice to meet you. The sheikh's mother?” “Oh-ho, dear.” Adiva laughed. Even her laugh was elegant. “I am his grandmother,” she said. Josie looked shocked. Grandmother! This woman looked too young to be his grandmother. “Take a seat, dear,” Adiva said to Josie.

  Josie and Adiva sat down at the table. A much younger, beautiful woman who seemed the same age as Josie walked into the room. She kissed Adiva on the cheeks and sat down. For a moment she analyzed Josie and then smiled at her.

  “Hello, I’m Leyla. Jamal's sister,” the girl said. Josie was speechless. What was happening here? She was meeting the sheikh's family.

  “Hi, I’m Josie.” The sheikh's—she just knew him. The sheikh’s acquaintance. Employee.

  “Amir and Malik told us you would be joining us for dinner tonight. You work with Jamal, I hear.”

  “I'm just an intern at the company. I came over with my university.” At that moment Malik and Amir walked in. Josie was regretting coming. She wished she had pretended that she was unwell. The sheikh's brothers greeted her and sat down.

  “So pleased you could join us, Miss Pierce,” Malik said.

  “Happy to be here,” Josie said.

  “That doesn't sound convincing,” Amir said.

  The sheikh walked in with an older woman. Josie felt like her heart was in her mouth. He wore grey, tailored pants and a white polo. The top buttons were opened exposing his almond skin. Josie was not expecting him to be there, she was hoping that he would not come. The sheikh saw Josie sitting with his family. He was not aware that she was coming.

  “Our mother, Lady Zahid,” Amir introduced the beautiful older woman who was with the sheikh. Josie smiled and stood up to greet her. Lady Zahid held Josie by her shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks. Josie felt so awkward. She was not used to this.

  Malik and Amir had invited her over so that they could see how she would be around the sheikh. Tariq said she could handle him; they wanted to see just how. They also wanted to see if and how Jamal would be affected by her presence. So far he was not pleased by seeing her in his family home.

  “You know Jamal of course,” Malik said with a smirk on his face.

  Chapter 8

  The maids served them traditional Arabic food. They poured out wine for everyone. When they tried to pour wine for Josie, she refused. The sheikh was both surprised and intrigued. He looked at her and noticed that her hair was different. It was actually brushed. She wore it down, and it suited her. Of course he would never tell her that. She was also wearing a dress. He had never seen her in a dress before. The neckline of the dress exposed her silky, mocha skin. It was distracting; he had to look away.

  “Not good with alcohol, dear?” Adiva asked her.

  “No, ma'am, I do not drink at all,” Josie replied. She waited for everyone to pick up their cutlery first. She did not want to pick up the wrong fork again.

  “Please call me, Adiva.”

  “That is impressive that you do not drink,” Lady Zahid said to Josie.

  “Do you like working with my brother?” Leyla asked.

  No I hate it! Your brother is a jackass, Josie's subconscious shouted out. Josie had to put on a fake smile. “It's a great opportunity—one that I am grateful for,” she said.

  “You don't like working with him,” Adiva observed. Josie wanted to deny it, but her tongue failed her.

  “What makes you say that?” Josie asked curiously. Josie ate slowly, she was trying to be careful and not do something embarrassing.

  “Most women around my son have the same look. Their eyes sparkle. They can't sit still in his presence. They can't stop staring at him. You don't do any of that,” Lady Zahid said. Josie wanted to laugh. Those women are crazy.

  “He's a bit mean,” Josie could not help but say it. The sheikh looked at her like she was crazy, and then he burst out laughing. She sounded like a little child.

  “Did I steal your toy?” the sheikh said sardonically. Josie narrowed her eyes at him.

  “My point exactly,” Josie said. Amir and Malik looked each other. It was about to begin, what they had been waiting for.

  “I admit my grandson is like that,” Adiva said.

  “If you get used to him, he's a good guy,” Leyla defended her brother.

  “You are biased,” Adiva said.

  “He is a good guy though.”

  “No one is disputing that fact, sweetheart, but you have to admit he's arrogant and stubborn.” Jamal looked at his grandmother like she was a traitor. She had just called him arrogant.

  “Unfriendly, judgmental, overconfident, rude,” Josie said. It was like word-vomit. She could not stop it from coming out.

  “You must have really annoyed her,” Adiva said to her grandson. She found the whole thing amusing.

  “Mind what you say, Miss Pier
ce,” Jamal said.

  “Tell us about yourself, Josie,” Lady Zahid interjected.

  Josie told them her age, where she grew up, about her degree. Adiva found it impressive that she was an engineer. Talking about herself was better than fighting with the sheikh, which was all they did in each other's company. Leyla and Adiva asked a lot about Josie. Josie was happy to answer them. Being asked questions was good, it avoided the awkward silences.

  After dinner the maids served them with a cinnamon date cake and ice cream for dinner. Josie had never eaten a cinnamon date cake. She was intrigued to try it. She loved trying out new foods.

  “This tastes really good,” Josie said. “What type of a cake is it?”

  “Cinnamon date cake, never had any?” Leyla asked. Josie shook her head. “It tastes lovely. It's one of my favorites,” she added.

  “Everything is your favorite,” Amir said to her. Leyla frowned at him. Amir laughed. “It is true, little sis,” he added.

  “Leave her alone,” Jamal said to Amir. Josie was surprised to see the sheikh come to her aid.

  “There is nothing wrong with having a big appetite,” Josie said.

  “Thank you,” Leyla said.

  “It's not big though; it's massive,” Malik said.

  If they thought her appetite was massive, then clearly they had not seen Josie's. They all laughed and teased her.

  “Thank you for having me,” Josie said as she prepared to leave.

  “It was lovely having you,” Adiva said.

  “It was,” Jamal said sarcastically.

  “Jamal!” Adiva yelled out.

  “It was a pleasure seeing you too,” Josie returned the sarcasm. Adiva and Lady Zahid looked at each other in shock. Adiva was most certainly enjoying it. She had waited so long to see a woman that could work his nerves.

  “I'll see you to the door,” the sheikh said.

  “Please don't.”

  The sheikh grabbed her arm and pulled her. He walked out of the room dragging her behind him. Josie tried to fight him off, but it was no use. He was much stronger than her. “Let me go!” she insisted as they walked through the hallways, but he did not listen to her or even respond. He opened the door to some room and threw her in there. He shut the door behind him.

  “What is wrong with you?” Josie yelled out and tried to slap him, but he caught her hand.

  “I told you to never disrespect me like that,” Jamal said.

  “So you manhandle me?” Josie was outraged. How dare he? The sheikh pulled her closer to him. He stared at her body. That black dress was very tight-fitting. That dress exposed her shape to him. That black dress was causing him to feel aroused.

  “Let go of me,” Josie whispered. Her breath rate increased as she got closer to the sheikh. That polo he wore gave her a glimpse of his musculature. He was all man, and it aroused her. It caused her to feel pressure in places she did not want to feel because of this man.

  He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist instead. He gently pulled her closer to him. Josie gasped when their bodies touched. He slowly dipped his head forward. Josie searched his eyes. He caressed her face with his other hand. He pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were so soft. He pulled back and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed. He inhaled that sweet scent of hers again.

  He kissed her again. This time the kiss was longer and more passionate. He claimed her with his lips. He slid his tongue into her mouth, and she welcomed him. Josie put her arms around his neck. She rubbed the back of his neck, and he groaned. He pulled her even closer to him. Josie moaned. She felt her knees go weak. She despised this man, but this man kissed her like no other ever had. Just from his lips touching hers, she felt the sensation all the way down to her feet. If he was not holding her against his body, she would have fallen down. His kiss made her weak. His touch lit her body on fire. The pressure inside her built up.

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  Other books by this author

  Please visit your favorite eBook retailer for the other books of D.C. Chagnon

  Other Books in The Arabian Billionaire Trilogy

  The Arabian Billionaire, Book One: Arabian Seduction

  The Arabian Billionaire, Book Three: Arabian Touch

  The Fairytale Ending Series

  Fairytale Ending, Book One

  Butterfly Kisses Series

  Butterfly Kisses, Book One: Fluttering

  Off the Treadmill Series

  Book one: The Depression Machine