Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Tarif couldn’t help but shake his head. “We haven’t even started anything yet, and you’re already considering the end of our relationship?”
Anisah was bemused. “Why would you say something like that?”
And now the sheikh was just as bemused. “Are you saying I’m wrong?”
“You know you are. I would never propose a relationship with you, Your Highness. You are one of the king’s vassals, and I am nowhere as important. Such a relationship would not be proper!”
Tarif’s lips swiftly pressed together to contain his smile. “Let me get this straight, anisdi. It is not proper to have a relationship with me—-”
“Naturally!”
“But it is, err, proper to have your fingers wrapped around my cock?”
Anisah turned red, and she stammered, “No, of course not, you know what I—-” Oh, curse him! Annoyed at the way he seemed to delight in twisting her words, she decided to surprise him by letting go of his manhood and was rewarded by the sheikh’s groan of disappointment.
He immediately reached for her, but this time she hid both her hands behind her back, and her lips curved in a sweet smile when she saw the grimace on the sheikh’s handsome face. “May I now continue, Your Highness?”
“If I say yes, will it mean having your hand back on my cock?”
“Only when we are done discussing my conditions—-” Anisah’s voice was prim. “And you swear to agree to them.”
“Then I don’t have a choice, do I?” Tarif asked dryly. “So go on. You were saying about the end of our, err – how do you wish for us to refer to this if it is not a relationship?”
She shot him a suspicious look – she had a feeling the sheikh was secretly laughing at her – before saying finally, “I believe the term ‘affair’ is more than appropriate.”
“An affair that’s appropriate,” he reflected pensively. “Isn’t that an oxymoron of sorts?”
He had a point, but Anisah decided it was also a point best left ignored, and so she asked quickly, “May we resume, Your Highness?”
“Of course, anisdi.”
His lips twitched as he spoke, but Anisah decided to take the higher road and ignore this as well. “Going back to my previous discussion, Your Highness, I was actually referring to how I would prefer you to end things.”
“You wish to specify the way I should terminate our affair, is that it?”
“Nem, alshaykh.”
“And your preference is?”
“To end it, I only ask that you tell me so privately, and I will accept your decision without question.”
“And if you were the one who wished to end it first?”
“I will show you the same courtesy, of course.”
“Then I agree to your second condition as well.”
“Shukrahn, alshaykh.” And now here came the most difficult part. “As for the last condition – I would just like you to know that this is the most important one for me.”
Tarif’s gaze narrowed. “Go on.” The word ‘money’ came to mind, but he shoved it aside as swiftly as the thought occurred to him. This was Anisah, after all. She could never be so crass, but she could be adorably odd—-
“You must promise not to do anything that will make me fall in love with you.”
And he was right.
Tarif stared at Anisah.
Was she serious?
But when the silence continued, he said incredulously, “How do I even—-” He saw her start to square her shoulders in a combative stance, and he changed his mind, saying instead, “Alright, I understand.” It was a lie, but he knew it was also the only way to get Anisah to stop scowling at him.
“I mean it, Your Highness. This is non-negotiable—-”
“Is falling in love with me that bad?” he couldn’t help asking.
“We both know it is,” Anisah said seriously. “And because you’re more experienced and somewhat irresistible—-”
Tarif frowned. “Somewhat irresistible?” he couldn’t help echoing. That rankled a bit, especially since he had a feeling if it were another Al-Atassi sheikh in front of her, she would not have even needed such a qualifier. In her eyes, those damn men could do no wrong, while Tarif could do nothing right.
Anisah ignored the interruption, declaring, “It’s your job to make sure it never happens, sheikh.” And because the sheikh seemed to be taking things too lightly, she added warningly, “I am not joking, Your Highness. I know of women who have literally fallen into depression after you broke up with them.”
“Surely you exaggerate—-”
“Unfortunately, I am not.” She shot the sheikh a challenging look, asking, “Do you remember Susan Perth, the former wife of the Canadian ambassador?”
Tarif frowned. “What of her?”
Anisah started to enumerate the headline-making actions of the ambassador’s ex-wife, all of which had been attributed to the woman’s inability to get over the end of her affair with the sheikh. Tarif did his best to concentrate, but instead he found himself increasingly distracted by the way Anisah’s sweet, perfect breasts bounced delightfully as she passionately made her case.