The Sheik's Scandal (The Raminar Family Book 3) Read online

  The Sheik’s Scandal

  By Elizabeth Lennox

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  Copyright 2021

  ISBN13: 9781950451272

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited, unless you have the direct consent of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from “Tempted by the Prince”

  Chapter 1

  Interminable meeting. Rubbery chicken with a…she frowned curiously at the congealed “sauce” and shuddered. The chicken was covered in some sort of mess that was…it was bad. Then there was the flat soda, uncomfortable chair, and pointless discussion.

  Yep, this meeting checked all the boxes, Talia thought as she smothered yet another yawn. Without being too obvious, she checked the time, relieved to discover that the meeting was scheduled to end in five minutes.

  The meeting was being held in a private room in one of the city’s finest hotels, one that Talia’s family owned. But she hadn’t mentioned that fact to any of the other attendees. She wasn’t here as Princess Talia el Raminar of Izara. She was here as the head of her country’s social services, to learn about innovations in public services over the past year. Unfortunately, this speaker wasn’t discussing innovations. His topic was a continuous complaint about a lack of government funding.

  Talia shifted in her chair and glanced up as the hotel manager pushed open the heavy doors of the meeting room and stepped inside. Talia realized that the manager was trying to catch her attention.

  Suddenly, Talia’s heart pounded against her ribs as her eyes locked onto the man behind the manager walking through the lobby. He wasn’t a hotel employee. No, this man was too…strong. Powerful! Authoritative, she corrected. And fascinating! Who was he? She felt her muscles tighten and her stomach do an odd little flip.

  At the same moment that she noticed him, the tall, ominously fascinating stranger turned his head, his eyes latching onto hers and their gazes locked. She caught her breath, startled by the intensity she saw in his dark eyes. For a long moment, Talia felt…captured! In the back of her mind, Talia wondered why he didn’t look as transfixed as she felt, but that didn’t matter as her heart thudded and her body melted with the heat coming from his gaze.

  And then he was gone, the door to the private meeting room silently closing as the hotel manager moved through the tables to her side.

  Released, Talia took a slow, deep breath, letting her lungs fill with much-needed oxygen. Wow! She’d met hundreds of men over the years, but never had she felt so captivated. That man, whoever he was, had an intensity about him that was…startling.

  The manager began to whisper something in her ear, but the audience politely clapped, overpowering his words. Talia clapped as well and the manager pulled back, understanding that his words would have to wait.

  Ten minutes later, the meeting ended and Talia gathered her purse and notebook, her assistant, Rachel, stepping closer to fill her in on the next meeting.

  “You have a meeting with the head of the Department of Education in twenty minutes,” Rachel explained efficiently. “Since you’re going out tonight, I’ve blocked off several hours for yourself, and I have the salon at the hotel standing by in case you’d like a manicure or stylist before your evening with your college friends.” She clicked on her tablet. “I’ve heard very good things about the sal…” she stopped, blushing. “Right. Your family owns the hotel,” she laughed with a small shrug. “Of course the salon employees will have exceptional skills.”

  Talia smiled back at Rachel and nodded, thinking that the woman was such a blessing. The woman was only a few years younger than Talia and hadn’t been working with the Izara government very long, but she seemed to have a world of experience at doing just about everything. And she always managed to anticipate Talia’s needs. “Thank you, Rachel,” she replied, moving through the lobby of the hotel. “You should join me later,” she said, walking through the lobby but her eyes darted around, wanting one more glimpse of the intriguing man. “My treat. Do you have plans for tonight while I’m out?”

  Unfortunately, the man wasn’t anywhere in sight. Rataqaha! Talia eyed her assistant carefully, smiling when the woman simply shrugged. “I have a good book that I’ve been wanting to read, Your Highness,” she replied. The woman was even efficient with her words. “No need for a mani-pedi when the characters in the book won’t even notice.”

  Smothering a yawn, Talia muttered an appropriate response. She was so tired. Tired of the meetings and tired of boring meals. She wanted…excitement! She wanted to go out and do something fun and adventurous!

  “Have you ever gone sky diving, Rachel?” Talia asked, then wondered why her mind had gone to an activity so outrageous. It wasn’t as if Talia would ever jump out of a plane. Nope, she didn’t have a death wish, but the idea of something exciting…such as spending the evening with an intriguing man…was tempting.

  Rachel cracked up, her grin transforming her pretty features into true beauty. Those green eyes sparkled and the sunshine coming in through the hotel’s large windows made her auburn hair sparkle.

  “No! Absolutely not, Your Highness. I’m terrified of heights, so I’ll keep my feet firmly on the ground.”

  Talia laughed as well, agreeing with her assistant. So, why was Talia even thinking about sky diving?

  Because she wanted an adventure. She was pretty sure that the need for adventure was a fairly recent need. One that had, potentially, been sparked by a handsome man with dark, penetrating eyes.

  She knew that the stranger was long gone, but as they walked to her next meeting, Talia scanned the area, looking for him. Would he still be here? Was he in one of the smaller meeting rooms? Or had he left the hotel completely? Who was he? What was he doing here? He’d looked…powerful. Yes, that was a good word to describe the man, even though she’d only glimpsed him briefly through the open doorway. There’d been a sense of confidence about him that caught her attention. For some reason, she thought she recognized him, but for the life of her, Talia couldn’t place him.

  Then she dismissed the idea. Surely she would have recognized a man that powerful. Maybe if she saw him again, closer than across a crowded room, she’d be able to place him.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t see him again and she had another meeting on the other side of town. Stepping into the back of the black SUV, Talia sighed with disappointment, unaware of her wistful, longing glance back at the hotel. No one had ever seized her attention like that before. She was twenty-seven years old and, ideally, she’d love to find a man she could care for and marry, have a future with. But as a royal princess, m
eeting men was far more difficult than one would think. She met men all the time in her line of work, but none had ever generated even the smallest spark of romantic interest.

  Until today, she corrected with a secretive smile, her eyes lighting with remembered fascination. She’d probably never see that man again, but Talia felt a glimmer of hope for her future. Until today, she’d thought that she was broken because she hadn’t felt anything beyond mild interest in the men that she’d met at the various royal functions. But seeing that dark, tempting stranger’s intense gaze, Talia had felt…something she’d never experienced before.

  She’d felt his interest too, which was just as nice.

  Santos stepped into the conference room, tensing as the hatred he carried for the man already in the room hit him like a thud to his chest. No words were spoken as they eyed each other from opposite corners of the elegantly appointed conference room. It was as if they were angry predators, circling each other, calculating the odds of an attack…or merely for the upper hand.

  Crown Prince Gaelen el Raminar of Izara, the country north of Padar, stood about equal in height, but where Prince Gaelen was broad and bulky with muscles, Santos was lithe and fast! Still strong, but not as obscenely packed with muscles. Santos knew that he could easily take the bastard in a fight. Any kind of battle! Physical or mental, he added.

  The image of the stunningly beautiful woman from the lobby popped into his mind. That same ferocity he’d felt when he’d seen her moments ago reared its head now, although for very different reasons. Five minutes ago, he’d wanted to abandon this meeting in order to go to that woman, to find her and possess her. Never before had he felt such a powerful need. Those eyes of hers had seemed startled at first, then they’d softened, her lips had opened ever so slightly, as if she were just as startled about the spark of electricity that traveled between them. He wanted to go back and grab her, fan that spark until it burst into a bright flame and then a roaring fire. He wanted to take her back to his country and…!

  No, he couldn’t do that. His country was…dangerous. Santos would never subject a woman to the dangers he currently faced. Maybe in a few years, once he’d discovered the traitor in his government.

  Pushing thoughts of the beautiful woman away, he focused on the man in front of him. Younger by about a year, Santos knew that Crown Prince Gaelen el Raminar would not be an easy adversary. Santos doubted the man would concede anything during these negotiations.

  Good! Santos felt a violent need to protect his country and, after seeing the lovely, mysterious woman, his primal need to protect and defend was primed. After years of tensions, which sometimes bubbled up into violent, sporadic attacks along the border with Gaelen’s country of Izara, Santos was ready for battle, even if it happened at a conference table instead of on the battlefield.

  Regardless, this bastard was going to discover that Santos was equally adept in both environments.

  “Raminar,” Santos snapped, barely concealing his animosity. For the moment.

  “Fazir.” The introductions might have concluded with those two words, but the mental circling had just begun. Santos wasn’t aware of his lips curling into an almost feral smile, but he was aware of the deep, primal surge of satisfaction at the knowledge that he was finally confronting a worthy adversary.

  “Shall we begin?” Gaelen suggested.

  Santos nodded. “Of course.” Both men settled into a leather chair, facing off on opposite sides of the polished conference room table. Different from the battlefield, but Santos knew from experience that peace negotiations could be just as dangerous.

  Chapter 2

  The nightclub’s music pounded rhythmically and the irritating, flashing lights created a false sense of intimacy. Talia sipped her over-priced cocktail of…ingredients she didn’t recognize, pretending to smile as her friends laughed about…something that they thought was hilariously funny. Obviously, Talia had lost track of the conversation. She’d known these women since college. Back then, the four of them had done so much together, including hitting all of the nightclubs on the weekend. Her memories of those weekends were of fun and laughter, dancing and flirting with the various men at the clubs.

  Unfortunately, even back then, Talia hadn’t enjoyed the dancing and drinking as much as her friends. But she’d wanted to be included, so she’d gone with them and, in many ways, she’d had fun. She loved dancing, but not the heavy drinking. And while her friends had often gone home with the men they’d met at the various clubs, Talia hadn’t. The idea of having sex with a complete stranger just never appealed to her.

  A flash of the man from the lobby raced through her mind, but Talia pushed the image away. Again. She’d never see him again, so what was the point of thinking about him?

  Forcing her mind to concentrate on the conversation, she took another sip and leaned forward, trying to understand what her friends were talking about.

  Odd, but her friends hadn’t changed all that much in the years since college. Looking at the three ladies, Talia wondered why they felt the need to dress in short, tight dresses and drink so heavily. They were professional women now, all with good careers. They were all dating someone seriously, so why were they here? Why was it their goal tonight to flirt with as many men as possible?

  “Talia! Drink up! You’re behind!” Desiree called out, leaning forward, her eyes sparkling with an overindulgence in the expensive cocktails and an almost frantic attempt at excitement.

  Talia brightened her smile and took an obedient sip of her martini. Was there something wrong with her? Was she broken because she didn’t find clubbing and dancing and drinking to excess fun anymore?

  Her heart ached when her older sister, Orella, came to mind. Orella would have loved this nightclub. Orella probably would have been out on the dance floor, smiling flirtatiously at the five or more men vying for her attention. Orella knew how to catch a man’s eye. She’d laughed and loved and had wonderful, wild adventures!

  But Orella had died in a tragic car accident with her husband. They’d been going too fast along a narrow stretch of highway in the Italian Alps and their car had slammed into…Talia shook her head, sending away the painful images.

  Talia’s thoughts turned to Elsa and Ellora, her sister’s twin girls who were still working through the devastating loss of both of their parents. Would they grow up to be adventurous like their mother? The girls were adorable and sweet and Talia loved spending time with them. She sincerely hoped that Elsa and Ellora didn’t grow up craving the constant attention of men, or the need for the next adventure or adoration of people in places such as this nightclub.

  Unfortunately, the small girls had stopped talking for a time, their grief too intense and their inability to cope with that grief had left them silent, trying to emulate Talia and her older brothers who had needed to appear stoic in public during the funeral. They’d also discovered that Orella, in her petty, selfish way, had told the sweet, vulnerable girls that they were chatterboxes and their constant questions were going to kill her. Those were the last words that Elsa and Ellora had heard from her mother before she’d died and they’d taken them to heart.

  Thank goodness Amit, her oldest brother and ruler of Izara, had thought to hire Harper, a trained psychologist with expertise in grief counseling. And thank goodness those two had fallen in love. Talia’s features relaxed into a genuine smile for the first time that night at the thought of Amit and Harper. They were so madly in love, it was wonderful to see. Amit had always been such a gruff, silent man, the burdens of leading the country weighing heavily on him. Then Harper had arrived and her smile and insight had brightened everyone’s world, especially Amit’s.

  Those thoughts, and the jealousy that stabbed in the vicinity of Talia’s chest whenever she thought about Amit’s happiness, caused her to flinch. Looking around at the club, the pounding lights and the inebriated patrons, Talia sighed. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t the daring and adventurous type. Talia hated nightclubs. She hated the
overwhelming music that never seemed to change and she wasn’t a heavy drinker, so not even alcohol could make this night worthwhile. She might have enjoyed this scene when she was younger, but she’d moved on. She’d grown up!

  Looking around with disdain at the other patrons, Talia needed to accept that she was the boring, unadventurous type. The responsible one. Already, it was past eleven o’clock and she had meetings scheduled for eight o’clock the next morning. Plus, she’d been up early this morning, sitting in meetings for most of the day. So why was she still here? Why had she agreed to come out with her college friends tonight?

  Because her friends had called and convinced her that it would be fun. They’d convinced her that she needed to relax and “let loose” for a while. They’d guilted her into coming tonight, whining that Talia had abandoned them too often.

  This kind of scene wasn’t fun. With a shock of clarity, Talia realized that this had never been fun. She’d enjoyed being included and had tried to fit in. But in reality, she simply wasn’t this kind of a person.

  Setting her half-finished martini down on the low table in front of her, she stood up, catching her friends’ attention. “I have to go, ladies,” she announced.

  “No!” Cary whined, standing up with a slight wobble on her five inch stiletto shoes. “You can’t leave now! We haven’t even started dancing!”

  “Seriously, Talia, you can’t go,” Jessica chimed in, standing as well, although with better balance than Cary. “Why don’t you look around and check out some of the men? There are tons here. Surely one might tempt you into staying for a bit longer.”

  The group giggled and Talia got the impression that they’d been laughing at her single status. That suspicion only cemented her desire to leave.

  “No, I just…”

  “Ooh!” Desiree interrupted, pointing her drink across the dance floor. “Look at him! He looks…dangerous!”