Marrying the Sheikh (2 page)

THREE

The trip to Miami was just what Ella needed. Even though spring was just around the corner in New York, it was still only in the 50s and very rainy. The April showers had cast a dull, gray cloud over all of Manhattan and had made the stunning architecture of the city look muted and boring. The bright blue Florida skies and lush green palm trees were a balmy salve to her gloomy mood.

She knew what else would cure the blues. A good man. What was it Hannah had said to her before she left? Oh yeah, Ella remembered. Hannah had told her to keep her eyes and the top two buttons on her blouse open. But Ella wasn't like that; she had always prided herself on her demure femininity. She knew she was pretty, but she never flaunted it, and she always aimed to dress professionally and respectfully.

When she got off the plane in Miami, Ella realized she stood out like a sore thumb. She had been to the city before, but never during spring break. The airport was filled with college kids wearing short shorts and halter tops, their tans deep and rich, their hair blond and flowing.

She met with her clients, Corinne and Brock, early in the day and spent the rest of the afternoon strolling down South Beach. Ella liked to have a good time, but with her hectic schedule, she usually called it a night around midnight and got up by six o’clock. As she walked through the busy hotspot, she noticed that the bars were just starting to roll as she was making her way back to her hotel for the night.

Ella rose bright and early the next day. One of Karim’s staff had been assigned to collect her from her hotel and bring her to the airport to meet Karim and Nadia before they boarded another plane to the island of Eleuthera. She was greeted by a friendly Middle Eastern man in a driver’s uniform and ushered into a waiting limousine.

They arrived at the private air strip just fifteen minutes later. The driver jumped out of the front of the limo and opened the back door for Ella, before escorting her to a private VIP boarding area. Within minutes, a small jet came into view above. It came lower and lower, approaching the air strip, until it placed its wheels on the tarmac and bumped along, coming to a halt right in front of the boarding area.

Ella began to step forward toward the door that separated the boarding area from the tarmac, but the driver told her to wait, muttering something about royal protocol. Ella stood still as the jet door opened and two guards made their way down the stairs. Each guard stood perfectly still, their brass epaulets glistening in the bright afternoon sun. Ella assumed they were part of the Sheikh’s royal army, but she couldn’t be sure.

She watched as a young woman dressed in a pale pink skirt suit appeared at the top of the stairs. Ella immediately stood taller, trying to get a better look at the woman she assumed must be Nadia. She had dark hair and slight features and wore a simple pillbox hat in a rose pink shade that matched her suit. She descended the stairs quickly and stood next to one of the guards. When she was in position, all three turned toward the top of the stairs and saluted.

Ella blinked as the driver signaled that it was time for her to step outside.

“Oh,” she said, rather confused. She had met several dignitaries and famous people in her few years as a wedding planner, but she had never been in the presence of royalty of this kind.

The driver escorted her to a spot at the bottom of the stairs, where a small red carpet had been laid out. Ella stood perfectly still, not sure whether she should salute or shake hands. She decided to stand at ease with her hands behind her back. Once the other staff members were at their designated areas, Karim and Nadia appeared at the top of the stairs, arm in arm.

Ella inhaled sharply when she saw them. Karim was as handsome as ever, maybe even more so in his regal attire. The image of him standing there looking royal and powerful made Ella’s skin tingle. Maybe it was the afternoon sun, she thought. At least, that’s what she hoped, reminding herself that Karim was a client. And a client that was about to be married to…

Nadia Al Jalal stood poised next to her husband-to-be. She was exquisite in every way. Her jet-black hair was tied in a loose braid that revealed a graceful neck and trim figure. She wore a thousand-dollar Vera Wang dress and held a simple clutch in her perfectly manicured hands. Her eyes were as black as coal and her sharp features looked as if they might have been sculpted by Michelangelo himself.

“Announcing His Royal Highness, Sheikh Karim al-Qadir bin Zayed and his betrothed, Miss Nadia Al Jalal,” one of the guards said.

Ella got it now. She realized the lady in pink must be Nadia’s assistant, or attendant or something. Different cultures called them different things. In any case, she was Nadia’s right hand girl.

The guards and the woman in pink raised their hands to their foreheads and saluted the Sheikh again as he saluted curtly back. Karim then let Nadia’s arm out of his and held her delicate hand as he escorted her down the stairs and onto the red carpet below.

Ella felt her heart pound in her chest. Okay, she thought. Don’t get excited, now. You’ve already met Karim. And this is just another client. Maybe a royal client, but another client just the same.

Karim led Nadia over to where Ella stood and removed his hand from hers. He waved his arm out in front of Ella as if she were some sort of prize Nadia had to decide if she wanted to accept.

“My darling, this is Ella Jones,” he said, smiling brightly at Nadia. Nadia stood perfectly still, not batting even one thick eyelash.

Ella cleared her throat, still unsure how to greet her, but decided to go traditional. She held out her hand to shake Nadia’s and hesitated while she waited with no response.

Nadia looked blankly at Ella and after several seconds, placed her hand limply in Ella’s, smiling almost imperceptibly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Ella said politely, wondering if she should curtsy or not.

Karim jumped in to break the awkwardness between the two women. “Ella, so glad you could meet us! I can’t wait to show you the resort! We just have to go through a quick customs check and we’ll be on our way.”

A staff member led them back into the boarding area and to a clerk waiting behind a desk. Once their passports were checked, they were given the all-clear to board the jet now bound for Eleuthera.

“Okay, so…” Karim said, turning to Nadia. “I guess we’ll see you in a few hours.”

Ella stood at the end of the counter, confused. She watched as Karim smiled at Nadia and Nadia turned on her heels and exited the room with the lady in pink in tow.

“Okay, let's go,” Karim said, waving his hand out in front of him to let Ella pass.

She smiled, still confused at what was happening, but not wanting to press the issue. Maybe it was something to do with their culture. Ella felt like she had a lot to learn with this couple in a very short amount of time.

She walked past Karim and got another whiff of his musky cologne. The sun hit the goosebumps on her arm as she emerged from the cool room into the warm Miami air. They walked back to the jet and Karim stood back on the red carpet, waiting for Ella to pass.

“Me first?” she said, placing her hand on her chest. She had been on private jets before, but never with royalty.

Karim laughed, showing his brilliant white smile and the kindness of his eyes. “Yes, you first.”

Ella blushed and placed her hand on the railing. She climbed the steep staircase slowly with Karim just steps behind her. When she got to the top, she paused and sucked in her breath, blinking at the opulent sight in front of her.

The interior of the jet had been designed in the most elegant fashion; the doorway opened into a large living area complete with wooden floors, white and black leather furniture and a marble-faced fireplace. A glass bar flanked one wall while a seating area with an ivory chess board and mirrored bookshelves lined the others, surrounded by the windows that ran the length of the cabin on both sides.

“Whoa,” was all Ella could say. She had seen luxury, but nothing that even came close to this.

Karim smiled as he arrived at the top of the stairs behind her. “Go ahead,” he said, placing his large hand in the small of her back. She jumped at his touch and looked over her shoulder at him quickly.

His handsome face smiled down at her as one dark curl of hair fell onto his olive skin. Ella swallowed hard and smiled up at him, then looked away and stepped into the cabin of the plane.

“So here is the living area,” Karim said, gesturing vaguely around them. “There's a mini-bar behind this door, feel free to help yourself to anything. And in here,” he opened a cabinet in the wall, “this is our home theater.”

The cabinet contained dozens and dozens of movies. Ella’s eyes grew big as they were drawn to her favorites: Gone with the Wind and The King and I.

“Oh my goodness, you like these, too?” she asked, running her finger along the spines of the cases.

Karim laughed. “Yeah, I grew up on those. My mother was a sucker for old movies, and I guess I kind of got hooked.” He rolled his eyes as he closed the cabinet. “Nadia hates them. She’s more into the new stuff.”

Ella felt a pang in her heart. From the outside, Nadia and Karim looked like the perfect couple. But the more she was getting to know them, the more it appeared that they were like so many of the other couples she had worked with: perfect on the outside and a complete disaster behind the facade.

“So, I don’t mean to pry,” Ella said, choosing her words carefully as they moved to another room. “But why isn’t Nadia coming with us?”

“This is our dining room, which doubles as a conference room,” Karim said, ignoring her question as he kept talking. “We always travel with a full staff so if we get hungry, we can have what we want.” He motioned to small galley kitchen behind the dining room, adjacent to which was a bathroom.

Karim walked Ella further to the back of the jet. “And here is the sleeping cabin.” He opened the door to reveal a large sleeping cabin complete with a king-sized bed dressed in black and ivory linens.

“Wow,” Ella said, realizing she must sound like a little kid. “That’s really something. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Well,” Karim said, “My family likes to live comfortably. And we have the means, so why not?”

Ella smiled and nodded. “Why not, indeed?”

They made their way back to the living area and Karim motioned for Ella to have a seat.

“About Nadia,” Karim began to say as he fixed a drink for Ella and himself.

“No,” Ella interrupted, realizing she probably crossed some sort of protocol line by even asking. “I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business, really. It’s just…”

“Just that you’ve never planned a wedding without the bride?” Karim asked, smiling those stunningly gorgeous eyes at her.

A voice came over the intercom and alerted them it was time to be seated for take-off. “Please be advised that air traffic control has warned of a storm heading our way later this afternoon. We should plan to leave early to avoid the bad weather, sir.”

“Thank you, Stephen,” Karim said to the intercom, and the light blinked twice and went dark.

Karim finished fixing the drinks and came over to the sofa, and Ella felt her heart flip in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was the jet taking off, the luxuriousness of her surroundings, or the nearness of Karim, but there was something that was causing her to feel completely out of sorts.

“No, it’s okay,” Karim said, referring to Ella’s question. He placed the drink on the table in the center of the U-shaped sofa before sliding into a spot across from her and sipping on his cocktail.

“It’s not a cultural thing or anything like that, really,” he said as if he could read her mind. “It’s just that Nadia had another engagement that conflicted with this. And this was the only time I could get down here. Besides,” he said settling back into the supple leather of the seat, “I think she likes me handling the details. She’s pretty busy with...” he hesitated and took another sip of his drink. “Anyhow, it's the husband’s job to take care of his wife and I guess that’s what she wants me to do with the wedding.” Karim looked down at his drink and spoke again, this time much quieter. “Even though we’re not married yet.”