Seduced by the Sheik Read online

  Quickly, Harper pulled herself out of her contemplation of the man’s ridiculously long, dark lashes. “I’m sorry!” she gasped and took several steps backwards. “I’m just…I’m so tired and you’re the third person who has told me that I’m not who I am and…well,” she sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as she admitted, “it’s been a really long day.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest during that explanation. “Again, I must apologize for my bad manners. You should have been shown directly to your rooms and provided refreshment. That was my fault, as I am eager for you to meet my nieces and help me discover how to help them.” He pressed a button on his desk and, a moment later, the door to his office opened.

  “Rashid, please show Doctor Ross to her room. Call the chef and have him deliver food. Doctor Ross is tired and needs rest before she and I discuss the issues she’ll be working on over the next several weeks.”

  Rashid bowed, then turned to Harper. “This way, Doctor Ross,” he said, gesturing politely.

  “Right,” she said, and started towards the doorway. But she felt too light. Something was wrong. Looking down at herself, she noticed her clothes were a wrinkled mess. She wished that she’d taken a few moments on the plane to tidy herself up.

  Her tote bag appeared within her line of sight. Looking up, she realized that the giant was holding it in front of her. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out nervously to take it. Those long, tanned fingers seemed innocuous, but for some reason, her mind filled with images of those fingers touching her.

  Shaking her head to rid herself of the outrageously inappropriate images, she hitched the tote’s straps over her shoulder. The weight brought her back to the present and she nodded with what she hoped was a polite acknowledgement of his assistance, then turned to follow the other man out of the office.

  As soon as she was outside of his range, she could breathe more easily. For several steps, she was silent, trying to shake off the weird sensation that the air was somehow calmer out here in the hallway.

  “Who was that man?” Harper finally asked.

  Rashid paused, his hand resting on a doorknob as he looked back at her, startled. “That was Sheik Amit bin Raminar.” Then, with a flourish, he opened the door to a suite that was larger than her apartment back home. “Please relax and I’ll ensure that food is brought to you at once. If there is anything you require, you need only ask.”

  Harper stepped into a room that looked to be straight out of “Arabian Nights”. There was a sunken sitting area with silk and velvet sofas and several huge pillows on the floor, surrounding a beautifully carved wooden coffee table that was larger than her kitchen table at home. She noticed the steps leading down to a sitting area and the lovely, lattice-style windows that looked out over another lush courtyard. She caught sight of a lovely dining table surrounded by six chairs, and what looked to be a fully stocked bar with every conceivable type of liquor. Sitting on the counter was a pitcher filled with cold water, with fruit floating in it to make it even more refreshing!

  She spotted several closed doors, and then a bed. Not just any bed. No, this one was huge! Absolutely huge! It looked like a small island! And it was covered in colorful satin sheets with about a dozen pillows in muted, dark colors. “Oh yes!” she sighed. The water was forgotten as she dumped her tote bag onto the floor and moved towards the bed. “Sleep!”

  “Doctor Ross?”

  Harper shrieked as she spun around, searching out the newest interruption to her desperately needed sleep.

  The servant jumped about a foot into the air, her eyes wide and terrified.

  Harper brought a hand to her heart and held out her other hand as if she could somehow steady the servant from ten feet away. “I’m sorry!” she gasped. “So sorry! I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  The servant blinked, and quickly recovered, folding her hands in front of her. “My apologies, Doctor Ross. I’m here to help you. I’ve already drawn a bath for you and ordered food for your refreshment.”

  As Harper’s heart slowed down, she considered a bath. Yeah, a bath sounded pretty nice right about now. Then her eyes drifted back to the bed. “I might just…”

  The sound of someone else entering the apartment, although not from the door through which she’d come, caused her to swivel around. Another servant arrived carrying a large platter of food, and Harper’s stomach growled.

  “That smells divine!” she sighed, not sure if her hunger, her need for a shower, or sleep would win out.

  The servants eyed Harper nervously, not sure if she was crazy or what.

  Harper laughed, although her amusement was mostly her exhaustion rearing its ugly head. “I’m not crazy,” she promised. “Just so tired and hungry that I can’t think properly.”

  The two servants shared a wary glace, not sure if they should believe her or not.

  “Thank you for the food. I’ll…” she gestured at random. “I’ll jump in the shower and will get something in a moment. Just give me five minutes.”

  The first servant looked confused. “You don’t want a bath?”

  Harper longed for a bath, but shook her head. “If I get into a bath right now, I’d probably fall asleep and drown. A shower will be fine.”

  The servant disappeared into the bathroom and Harper realized that she was turning off the water. She hadn’t completely recognized the sound a moment ago. Then more water started and Harper suspected it was the shower.

  The servant appeared again, bowing as she addressed Harper. “Your shower is ready, ma’am.” A moment later, she disappeared. The other servant had already slipped away and Harper blinked, startled by their quick footed departures.

  With a chuckle, Harper walked into the bathroom, stripping off her clothes as she went. She peered around the corner and sighed with happiness at the enormous shower with multiple nozzles. “Oh my!” she gushed as she stepped under the warm water. There were several bottles of shower gel in various scents and she soaped herself with one that smelled like roses. The shampoos available were like washing her hair with silk and she closed her eyes, feeling the luxury pour over her, rinsing off the last day and a half of chaotic packing and travel.

  She didn’t linger long in the shower though and dried herself off with a warm, fluffy towel. Since she had no idea where her luggage was, she couldn’t change into clean clothes, so instead, she wrapped herself in the white, fluffy robe hanging on a hook by the shower.

  The food called to her next and she filled a plate with the spicy, unfamiliar dishes. “Oh, this is excellent!” she sighed. When she’d eaten enough to ease the gnawing hunger, she put the plate down as her exhaustion overwhelmed her. She was clean and her stomach was full, so instead of worrying about the dishes and getting the extra food back to the kitchen, she padded barefoot to the bed and collapsed into the pile of satin pillows, pulling one close to her stomach. A moment later, she was sound asleep.

  Amit stepped through the doors, scanning the room, looking for the good doctor. For the past several hours, his concentration had been shattered. The image of the lovely woman who had dared to poke his chest and berate him for…hell, he couldn’t even remember what she’d been yelling at him about. Initially, he’d been too astounded by her beauty. Then he’d been shocked that she’d dared to yell at him. No one yelled at him and the fact that she dared only increased her beauty. Why the hell had he liked that?

  Perhaps because she’d been so lovely. Despite the dark circles, her cat-like, sapphire eyes glowed. That mouth couldn’t be the mouth of a celebrated psychologist, he’d thought. That mouth belonged on a stripper! Or maybe a high priced call girl. Doctor Harper Ross was…gorgeous! She’d hidden her figure behind a frumpy white shirt and severely cut dark slacks, but add in a pair of dark-rimmed glasses and the good doctor could have taken the place of any actress in a porn movie! Her gorgeous blond hair had been pulled back into what might have been a sophisticated twist, but the hours traveling had caused several tendrils to slip out. Add
in the softly smudged mascara around those startling blue eyes and the heart shaped face, full, red lips and her voluptuous body, and…!

  When he found her, he froze, tensing as if he were about to step into battle. She was lying on the bed, surrounded by pillows. The terrycloth robe had parted to reveal long, shapely legs that were angled against the satin sheets a la Marilyn Monroe. As his gaze moved up those shockingly long legs, he spotted a shadow at the edge of the neckline. His fingers itched to move the edges of the robe apart, to spread her out and examine her body in more detail. She was sultry, even in her sleep.

  With a muttered curse, Amit turned on his heel and walked out. He wasn’t a voyeur and watching a sleeping woman, no matter how beautiful, was wrong. He hadn’t meant to invade her privacy. He’d meant only to talk to her, discuss her assignment, and perhaps introduce her to his nieces so that she could evaluate their behavior and give him a plan to bring their smiles back.

  Instead, he found himself in awe of her beauty. With a resigned sigh, he returned to his office, determined to get some work done. Unfortunately, the vision of her asleep on the bed lingered behind his eyes and his body tightened with awareness. Another curse and he turned, startling his guards, as he headed towards the gym. He needed a good workout to get those images out of his mind.

  Chapter 2

  Harper stepped out of the luxurious suite, tugging her brown jacket straight. Having slept for twelve hours and devouring a delicious breakfast that had been delivered to her room, she was more in control and ready to tackle her assignment.

  Her next issue was figuring out how to begin her assignment.

  The hallway outside of her suite was long and empty. She wondered where to find someone who could explain her assignment. Harper knew that, due to her research on grief in small children, she was here in Izara to help two girls who had lost their parents suddenly. But…where would one find these girls?

  Because of the urgency of this assignment, she hadn’t had time to do much research on this country. She knew that it was powerful in the region, as well as in the international economy, but she wasn’t one to follow the news that closely. She read articles about psychology, about sociology and medicine, keeping abreast of the latest studies in her field. On any given day, Harper read through the larger headlines to find out what was happening in the world, but she preferred to focus on issues closer to her home as well as issues pertaining to her patients or her students and the classes she taught at the university.

  “Oh, for the familiar comfort of my normal routines,” she whispered under her breath.

  Instead of hibernating in her room for a few more hours, Harper straightened her shoulders, looked around, then decided to go right. Thankfully, she ran into a servant a few minutes later. “Excuse me,” she called out, hoping that the servant spoke English. She knew a smattering of Arabic, but not enough to communicate clearly.

  “Yes, ma’am?” the servant replied.

  Harper pulled out the contract and double-checked the name on it. “I’m looking for someone by the name of Rashid. I’m supposed to meet with him about…”

  “This way,” the servant replied immediately and started walking.

  Harper blinked, startled by the abrupt response, but hurried to follow the servant. They went down two more hallways, then ended up in what she assumed were the administrative offices of the palace. Everyone looked to be industriously working at their desks. They passed by small offices and larger open areas filled with cubicles. Finally, the offices became larger and then they stopped outside of an area that looked vaguely familiar.

  “Mr. Rashid is here,” the servant said, and gestured towards the closed door.

  “Thank you,” Harper said, but the servant was already gone.

  Tentatively at first, and then, because she hated being scared of anything, she knocked again, with more force. She was half expecting that giant to answer her knock, but smiled with relief when the smaller man she’d met yesterday opened the door.

  “Hello, I’m…”

  “Yes, Doctor Ross. Please, come in!”

  Harper was startled, but also relieved that she was in the right place. She tugged her tote bag higher on her shoulder and tentatively stepped into the room. The man behind her closed the door and, almost immediately, the low hum of productivity disappeared. In its place was an ominous, tense silence. Looking around, Harper noticed a large desk on one side of the room that must be Rashid’s. There was that big, heavy door with guards on either side of it that she’d entered yesterday.

  Now that her mind was working again, she knew that the huge man behind that door was very important. She also remembered that she’d yelled at him. Harper even seemed to recall poking the man in the chest! “Oh no,” she breathed, earning a startled glance from Rashid. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  The man barely hesitated before he opened the door and announced. “Doctor Ross is here, Your Highness.”

  Harper cringed.

  “Send her in,” that slightly familiar deep voice called out.

  So much for a reprieve, she thought. But her professionalism came to the rescue and she squared her shoulders, pasted a professional smile on her face and, when Rashid stepped out of the way, she nodded to him as she moved deeper into the office.

  The office was just as lovely as it had been the day before. The early morning sunshine streamed down over the beautiful courtyard plants and the enormous desk was still in the same place it had been the previous day.

  And yes, the huge man that she’d yelled at was sitting in that leather chair, watching with narrowed eyes as she walked towards his desk.

  Because Harper had always been an excellent student, she’d never been called to the principal’s office. But she imagined that this experience was very much like what all those belligerent students dealt with as they were confronted with their misdeeds.

  “Um…” she glanced over her shoulder when she heard the door snick shut. Clearing her throat, she lifted her chin, doing exactly what she’d advised several of her patients over the years to do; accept what she’d done wrong and apologize for it.

  “Your Highness,” she started, but paused when the dark eyebrow lifted over those strangely lovely eyes. Her heart fluttered alarmingly as she wondered how a man with such a savage presence could have such beautiful eyes. It was the lashes, she decided, tilting her head slightly.

  “Doctor Harper?” the man prompted.

  Harper jumped, realized that she’d been caught staring, and shook herself to push away those distracting thoughts. “Right. Um…” she cleared her throat, looking down at the floor. But because she didn’t like the subservient mannerism, she lifted her head and looked him directly in the eyes. “I need to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday,” she told the man, ignoring the slight curl of his lips. Lips that seemed…cruel. In fact, his whole face appeared cruel. It was only the hazel eyes and those crazy long lashes that softened his face, making him seem…well, definitely not approachable. But absolutely dominant!

  “You were tired,” he finished for her.

  Harper watched as he leaned forward, the movement straining the material over his arms and she swallowed hard at the evidence of his muscles. Good grief, did the man bench press elephants?

  “Are you ready to meet my nieces?” he asked, pulling her attention away from his muscles.

  Harper licked her lips. “Um…yes. But, before I meet them, could you tell me more about the situation?” At his nod, she continued, “The message I received before accepting this assignment was only that the girls had lost their parents and had stopped speaking. But I don’t know how old they are, how the parents died, who their closest relatives are, what’s going on within the family, if they have any other siblings or relatives living with them.” She waited, but he didn’t respond. His thin lips pressed together and she saw the closed off look in his eyes.

  “I’m not trying to pry, sir…uh…Your Highness,” she corrected, stepping closer. “My goal
is to understand the family dynamics. Having this information prior to meeting the girls will give me valuable information that will help me understand, and give me the background to guide the girls in our conversations.”

  The man stilled, his eyes narrowing further as she spoke. Harper moved forward, her passion for her work banishing her fears and his effect on her senses.

  “Sir…I mean, Your Highness…children’s behaviors don’t happen in a vacuum. You see…”

  Amit lifted a hand, stopping her passionate explanation. Her ardent questions were just one button too many for him. The first had been watching her walk into his office, her hips unconsciously swaying as she moved. It had taken him a moment to bring himself back under control because she’d literally taken his breath away.

  It had nothing to with her outfit and everything to do with the woman underneath those hideous clothes. If he had the power, he would banish the miserable white blouse and stiff, brown slacks to the trash heap. How did such a stunningly beautiful woman find such awful clothes? Her white shirt wasn’t wrinkled today, but it was buttoned up almost to her neck. She probably thought that the subdued professionalism gave her a serious look. Unfortunately, her beliefs were wrong. Her demure clothing only enhanced her image as a stunning, very expensive call girl and he had ridiculous fantasies about her throwing those dark-rimmed glasses away, pulling the pins out of her long, blond hair as she tossed it around and…

  Damn it! He had to get his mind out of the gutter. He was acting like a horny teenager! This woman was a renowned psychologist with a vast wealth of knowledge. She was here to do research and help his nieces. Nothing else!

  “Please, have a seat,” he offered, not daring to stand up because his reaction to her figure and those soft, full lips, not to mention his active imagination, was having a prominent effect on his body. He needed a few minutes to get himself back under control.

  Unfortunately, when she sat down in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk, the stunning woman leaned forward. With anyone else, the gesture would be fine. But when Doctor Ross did it, and yes, he was using her professional name to try and remind himself of her role here, she looked…eager. Not eager to help his nieces, but eager to reach out and touch him, to kiss him and…