Marrying the Sheikh (3 page)

Ella could tell there was something more there. But, she told herself, that wasn’t her concern. Her job was only to take care of the wedding. The marriage was their business. Sensing the discomfort of the moment, Ella turned her attention to the details of the wedding.

“Well,” she said, picking up her drink. “We’ll just have to make sure that you do that. Now,” she went on, trying to lighten the mood. “Tell me all about Eleuthera.”

FOUR

The jet landed about forty-five minutes later and was met by a driver from the hotel. Karim escorted Ella off of the jet, onto the runway, and into the waiting car.

“You’re going to love this place,” he said, more excited that she had seen him all day.

They drove along the single lane, flat road and took in the scenery. To the left were little homes and bungalows dotting the sloping landscape and to the right lay the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

“You’re right,” said Ella as she watched the waves roll in against the white sand beach. “I do love it.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Karim said, smiling.

The car arrived at the resort and rolled down the crushed gravel driveway, making a soft rumbling sound that always reminded Ella of old money. As they rounded a corner and passed a throng of palms, Ella spotted the hotel.

The green and blue clapboard siding gave the building the appeal of old-world charm. The wood was faded from the sun and salt, but the white trim looked like it was freshly painted, making the contrast rich and warm. The front of the building displayed a simple portico entrance flanked by two brick columns with windows on either side. The whole building looked smaller than Ella’s apartment. She couldn’t imagine how they would fit the 300 guests that Karim and Nadia had invited into such a small venue.

“Here we are,” said Karim as he hopped out of the car and held his hand out for Ella.

She smiled and placed her hand in his, trying to ignore the electricity she felt as their skin touched. She emerged from the car and walked with Karim into the simple structure. Once inside, she began to see why Karim and Nadia had chosen the resort.

The lobby was small and cozy, with a short wall of counter top for check-in and a few rattan chairs scattered about for arriving guests. The deep cherry wood floors complemented the ambiance of the lobby perfectly and gauze curtains and wicker furniture tied the whole look together. Ella was impressed with the inviting air of the place and didn’t think she could have designed it better if she tried. But she still couldn’t see how the tiny boutique venue could hold so many guests.

“Well,” Karim asked, beaming down at Ella. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” Ella said, following him through the lobby as he waved briefly at the clerk. Karim's staff members stayed behind and chatted with the hotel staff as the Sheikh kept moving through the hotel.

“Really,” Ella continued. “The grounds, the old-world charm. It’s all truly lovely, Karim. But…”

She was about to express her concerns about the size of the venue when they arrived at the back room of the hotel. After walking through two large cherry doors, Karim and Ella entered what might ordinarily be called a ballroom. Except this was no ordinary ballroom.

If Ella could think of one word to describe it, she would have said atrium. Except that it didn’t have a glass roof. Instead, each side of half of the room was built with floor-to-ceiling windows that opened like French doors. The back of the room also had a wall of the same windows, but these folded together like an accordion, opening the entire room up to a flagstone patio and the beach and ocean beyond. From where Ella stood at the entrance to the room, it appeared as if the room led straight into the deep blue water of the Caribbean.

“Oh my gosh,” she said, blinking several times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. “This is incredible! I mean, this…” Ella paused as she attempted to take it all in. “This is absolutely magnificent. The use of the wood and stone and how they play off the natural lighting. And the ocean… oh my goodness, the ocean!”

Ella had planned many weddings in her short career. She had organized events at some of the swankiest locations in the world. But none had the appeal of this. The simplicity of the venue combined with the natural beauty of the little island made this location ideal.

“I’m impressed,” Ella said turning to Karim. “I think this will do just fine.”

Karim smiled. He knew Ella would love it. And now that he had her approval, he could leave her to handle the arrangements and get back to New York and his busy schedule.

“Great!” he said, walking over to her. “Nadia was here last month with her family and approved of the venue as well, so I think we're good to go.”

Ella flinched at the choice of words Karim used. Bride’s don’t approve of venues. They fall in love with venues. They see a location and just have to have it. That’s how it is with brides. But apparently, not with this one.

“So,” Karim touched Ella’s elbow lightly and directed her back out of the room. “I’ll leave you to get the information you need from the staff, and I’ll be heading back to New York.”

Ella looked at Karim with a confused look on her face, and he saw her concern and stopped her before she could speak. “Don’t worry about a thing Ella. You can reach me by cell or email at any time.” He kept walking, ignoring her attempts to protest. “I’ll have the jet return this evening to take you back to Miami or New York, your choice.”

Finally, she mustered up the courage to interrupt his Highness. “Um, I'm sorry but I don’t feel comfortable about this. I'd prefer that you stay with me so we can go over the arrangements together.”

Just as Ella spoke, a strong gust of wind picked up and the palms trees outside danced wildly, banging their fronds against the window. Ella jumped and Karim reached out a strong arm to comfort her. She pulled away sharply, remembering that she needed to keep her professional distance.

Ella knew that her job was to plan the wedding for Karim and Nadia. But she needed their input. Leaving her here to handle all of the arrangements without either one of them to provide approval would just be a disaster waiting to happen. She had tried that once with a Hollywood couple that was too busy to help with the arrangements, and she wasn't about to make that mistake again.

“That’s not how I work,” said Ella, standing her ground while trying maintain a level of respect and courtesy to Karim. She didn’t care if he was royalty. And good looking royalty at that. She wasn’t about to let herself get bullied into a situation that could backfire on her.

“Listen,” Karim said, rolling his eyes as he turned to face Ella. “I know you may not have done things this way in the past, but this is different.”

Ella tried not to let her anger show. How dare he roll his eyes at her?

“We are not ordinary clients,” Karim said, as Ella felt her blood boil. “And,” he went on, “this is not an ordinary wedding.”

Ella had to agree with him there. They certainly weren’t ordinary clients. Even the most difficult of her clients had treated her with a modicum of respect. And Karim was right about it not being an ordinary wedding. Aside from Karim and Nadia holding each other’s arms as they descended from the jet, Ella hadn’t noticed one ounce of affection from either of them. Now that she thought about it, the few times that Nadia had joined their phone conversations, it had been from another line; she hadn’t even been in the same location as Karim during those calls. Ella began to wonder if these two ever spent any time together at all.

She shrugged off her thoughts, reminding herself that their culture was completely different from hers. Maybe they bride and groom were not allowed to spend time together before the wedding. Ella decided to let it go, realizing that she might never know the answer to her questions.

“Karim,” she said slowly as the wind picked up outside of the lobby. “I appreciate that you and Nadia are special clients and I respect the enormity of responsibility that brings with it. And I assure you that my only goal is to accommodate you both and make this wedding exactly what you want it to be.”

A large palm frond banged against the window causing Ella to jump again. She looked outside and saw the bright blue sky had turned to an angry gray.

“But, in order for me to do my job to the best of my ability,” she continued, “I absolutely have to have active input from my clients. Or,” she said, smiling in vain, “at least one of my clients.”

Karim looked down at Ella with concern on his face. He wanted to stay, there was no denying that. There was something about Ella that made him want to abandon his responsibilities just for one day, even though that went against everything that he believed in. Karim always put work first. Perhaps, he thought ruefully, that’s why he hadn’t met the perfect girl and settled down. Perhaps that’s why he ended up with Nadia. Perhaps that’s why he was so excited at the thought of abandoning everything and spending a whole day on a paradise island with a woman he barely knew but couldn’t stop thinking about.

Karim shook himself out of thought and slipped back into his professional demeanor. “Listen,” he said, not wanting to offend Ella any more than he already had. “I know your job is very important and I understand that you need our input.”

He paused as he stared into her emerald-green eyes. He knew he could get lost in those eyes so easily. Again, he forced himself back to reality.

“But I cannot make that commitment to you,” he paused and motioned toward the window. “At least not today.”

Ella looked outside and saw the rain start to come down.

“I have engagements in New York that I must attend to. But I promise you,” Karim said, his face softening as he spoke. “I promise you I will make time to come back here with you and work out all of the details.”

Ella was about to speak when a staffer ran over, soaking wet from the rain. “Your highness,” he said, out of breath from running from the waiting car.

Karim looked at him and spoke. “Djaron, tell Stephen to ready the jet. We will be heading back to New York momentarily.”

The man opened his mouth to say something but Karim dismissed him and turned back to Ella. “Okay, so we’re agreed? We go back to New York today and schedule another trip back here in, say, a week or two?”

Ella flinched at the sound of thunder cracking overhead. The storm had picked up and the wind was causing the shutters to bang loudly against the wood siding of the hotel.

She nodded at Karim, unable to answer. Ella had always had a fear of thunderstorms. She loved warm weather and had even contemplated moving to Florida when she started her business. What better place to plan weddings than a state where it's summer all the time? But deep down she knew she couldn’t live in a place that was at risk for hurricanes six months out of the year.

Karim grabbed Ella’s hand and led her out the front door of the lobby and into the waiting car. They closed the doors and sat inside, waiting for Djaron to start the engine, when the radio went off.

The pilot’s crackling voice came over the line, saying something in Arabic, and Ella watched as Djaron and Karim looked at each other, not saying a word. When the radio went silent, Karim sat back against the lush leather of the limo.

“What is it?” Ella asked, sopping wet from the heavy rain.

Karim looked at her and spoke. “It’s too late. The storm has already closed in. We can’t get off the island until it breaks.”

“What?” Ella asked, unable to believe what she was hearing. Couldn’t leave the island? For how long? She knew that spring storms could last a day or more on the tropical islands. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.

Well, she thought. It seemed like she might be stuck on a tropical island for a day or two with Karim. Things could be worse. Things could be much, much worse.

FIVE

Another strong gust of wind came rushing at them, rocking the car. “We better get back inside,” Karim said, looking at Ella.

She nodded and opened her car door. The two ran inside just as the sky opened up and a deluge of rain came down.

“Whew,” Karim said, shaking his thick black hair. “That was close.”

Ella laughed, looking down at her sopping wet suit. “Too close,” she said, wiping the water off of her as Djaron ran to the hotel clerk to get towels for them all.

“Well, I guess you get me after all,” Karim said, drying himself. Ella watched as he ran the towel over his face and peeled the wet suit jacket off, revealing a white dress shirt that showed off his muscular physique.

She swallowed hard, trying not to stare but unable to keep her eyes off of him. “Um,” she said, finally breaking her eyes free. “Yep, looks like I do.”

She dried herself off and handed the towel back to Djaron. “Thank you,” she said as he bowed slightly and disappeared behind the desk.

“So, let’s get started,” Karim said, pointing in the direction of the glass room they had been in just moments before.

They began walking in that direction when a short man in a hotel uniform stopped them. “I’m sorry,” he said, holding his hand up to them. “You can't go in there.”

Karim and Ella looked at the man with confused expressions.

“Why not?” Karim asked, and as if on cue, the lights flickered on and off.

The man looked up at the ceiling and then back at Karim and Ella. “The power is going to go out and we have sent all but a few staff members home. Our concierge will not be available until after the storm has passed.”

Ella’s body sagged; no concierge meant no wedding planning. How ironic, she thought. First she had the concierge and the venue, but no Karim. Now she had Karim, but no venue or concierge.

“Well, it looks like we’ve got only one option,” Karim said, looking quite happy that the wedding planning had been put on hold.

Ella looked at him and saw he was nodding in the direction of a brightly lit room adjacent to the lobby. “The bar?” she asked, cautiously.

“Yep,” he said, pulling her by the hand. “What better way to kill time?”

They walked into the bar and sat at a table by the doorway, far enough away from the windows to be safe from any flying debris.

The bartender smiled politely and came over to take their drink order. When he was gone, Karim began talking.

“So, what made you get into wedding planning?” he asked with what seemed to be genuine curiosity.

“Well,” Ella said slowly, unsure how much she wanted to reveal. She was always careful not to cross the professional line, but there was something about Karim that caused her to flirt with doing just that.

“I actually graduated with a degree in design,” she said, playing down her achievements.

“Really? Where did you go to college?” Karim asked, just as the waiter set down their drinks.

Ella fidgeted with her drink and looked away. She never liked bragging about herself, but this was different. Karim was royalty. There probably wasn’t anything she could say that would make him uncomfortable.

“Columbia,” she said, taking a long sip from her cocktail.

“Columbia University?” Karim asked with wide eyes.

She was surprised at his response. Why was he so taken aback that she went to Columbia?

“Yeah,” she said. “Why?” She tried to hide her annoyance but the cocktail was hitting her pretty quickly and she knew she was loosening up.

“Well,” Karim said, flashing a gorgeous smile her direction. “It’s just that, well,” he tried to choose his words carefully. “It’s just that you don’t hear of many wedding planners who went to Columbia.”

“And exactly how many wedding planners do you know?” asked Ella, defiantly.

Karim laughed. “Okay, you got me there!”

They continued to talk about Ella’s choice to leave E.J. Munford and venture out on her own. Ella told Karim how she got her start with Hannah's wedding and how the business had taken off really well. She talked about the financial security her business gave her and how fortunate she felt being able to meet so many people and travel to so many places.

“And what about the people,” Karim said. “What do you think of the brides and grooms you work with?”

The bartender came over and refreshed their drinks. Ella took a sip so as to stall before answering. She didn’t want to be rude or criticize anyone she had worked for; their relationships were their business. But at the same time, she felt like she could be honest with Karim.

“For the most part,” she began. “I like my clients. They are usually really happy, really in love. I mean there are the uptight ones; the ones that hover over me every second. When that happens, I wonder why they hired a wedding planner to begin with!”

Karim laughed and watched Ella as she spoke. He took in her beautiful face, her soft features and full lips and was drawn to the depths of her emerald-green eyes. He was entranced by the way she played with her long brown hair as she spoke, twirling it between her fingers.

“Then there are the ones that know exactly what they want and aren’t willing to give an inch. They have everything laid out perfectly and all I have to do is follow their instructions to a tee.”

“Well, that must make your job easier,” said Karim.

“Sometimes. But when I can’t meet their expectations exactly, it can be really difficult to get them to compromise.” Ella took another sip of her drink as the wind kicked up outside. “Wow,” she said, noticing the strength of the storm. “It sounds like it’s getting worse out there.”

Karim nodded and took a long sip of his drink. He leaned in on the table, close enough so that Ella could feel the heat of his breath when he spoke. “And what about us?”

Ella sat frozen, sensing something between her and Karim, but unsure if it was her imagination, the drinks or something genuine. She felt so good sitting across from him, sharing a drink, talking. It was as if they had known each other for a long time. There was sense of comfort and security that neither of them could deny.

Her gaze snapped to the window as she heard another strong gust and a loud bang. The lights flickered on and off again and she took a deep sip of her drink to calm her nerves. Ella could feel the alcohol soothing her as the warm liquid filled her up. She sat back, feeling more relaxed as Karim went on.

“So,” he said, prodding. “So what do you think of us? Of me and Nadia?”

“Um, I guess I just don’t understand...” Ella hesitated and took another sip from her drink before continuing. She opened her mouth to go on and was interrupted by a huge bang from the windows.

The crash caused her to jump out of her seat and her drink went flying. Karim jumped up as glass from the lobby window came flying across the floor.

“Quick!” yelled the bartender. “Come with me. You must get to a safer place!”

Karim grabbed Ella by the arm and followed the bartender out of the bar and down the hall to one of the rooms.

“Here,” the bartender said, unlocking the room with his passkey. “Stay in here, away from the windows.”

He opened the door and basically shoved Karim and Ella into an exquisitely appointed room. The main sitting area had a wide wall of sliding glass doors overlooking the ocean. The bartender moved them past that room and into a large bedroom with a window that had been shuttered closed. They thanked the bartender and watched him leave, closing the door behind him.

Karim rummaged through the drawers, found matches, and began to light the candles that were standard in the island rooms, in case of power outages.

“What are you doing?” Ella asked from her spot on the bed. The lights flickered on and off again and the wind howled outside of the window. The only light was that of the glass block wall in the bathroom off of the bedroom.

“Just getting prepared,” said Karim as he moved the lit candles to various places throughout the room.

“That’s better,” he said when he was done. He surveyed his work and was satisfied that there would be enough light if the power went out. “Ah,” he said, holding up his finger. “One more thing.”

Ella watched him disappear from the room and emerge a moment later with two glasses and small bottles from the mini-bar. He set them on the dresser and poured the contents of the bottles into the glasses, then walked over and handed one to Ella as she sat back against the pillows.

Reasoning that there was nowhere else for him to sit, Karim slid in next to her, resting his head on the pillows. “So,” he said slowly, taking a sip from his glass. “Where were we?”

Ella smiled lazily, the alcohol dulling her senses. “Okay, that’s right. Just before we got kicked out of the bar…”

Karim laughed at her choice of words. “Yeah, but isn’t this so much better?”

Ella opened her eyes slowly and looked around. The light from the candles danced happily, creating a soft and relaxing atmosphere in the room. She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of the wax and the musky scent of Karim. She let the mood fill her and exhaled a long breath, letting her body sink into the bed a little further.

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “this is much better.”

Karim smiled wide, watching her body relax. His eyes wandered from her smiling face down to her suit jacket and all the way past her curves to her toned legs. He caught himself just as she opened her eyes and he pulled away, sitting up straight against the pillows.

“What was it that you asked me?” Ella said sloppily.

Karim stared out in front, not wanting to be drawn to her again. He was finding it hard to be in the same room with her without giving into his feelings.

“What about us?” he asked. “About me and Nadia? What do you think of us as clients?”

“Oh,” Ella said loudly, slapping her leg. “You two are one of a kind. I mean,” she laughed. “You can’t be one of a kind when there are two of you. But you are two of a kind.”

Karim smiled at her. He loved watching her talk, watching her smile.

Ella went on unprompted. “I mean, you guys are okay. Well, you're okay. Nadia, though. I don’t know. I mean, what kind of bride doesn’t want to plan her own wedding?”

Ella pushed herself to an upright position, spilling her drink as she did. Karim smiled and took the drink out of her hand as she continued to speak, more animated this time. “I guess it’s just that I don’t get you. I mean, here you are planning the wedding, and she’s, she’s…” Ella stopped and looked at Karim questioningly. “Where is she again?”

Karim laughed at the seriousness on her face. “She’s in Miami,” he said softly, not willing to offer any further explanation.

“Right, Miami!” Ella slapped her leg again. “And she left you here to handle everything. What kind of person does that?”

“I really don’t mind,” Karim said, sitting up to face Ella. “In fact, I’d rather it be that way. I’ve always been a 'take charge' sort of guy. I guess that was just part of my upbringing. When you grow up in a royal family, you’re raised with certain responsibilities and expectations. And one of them is to take care of things that need to be taken care of.”

“Well, that’s very nice of you,” Ella said. She looked away and then flopped against the bed again.

Karim looked over at her as the wind continued to howl. “What is it? What do you mean that’s very nice of me?”

“It’s just,” Ella’s face got red as she spoke. “It’s just that...it’s very nice of you to take such good care of Nadia.”

Karim was unsure where Ella was going with this. He could see the conversation had just taken a turn in a different direction. At that moment, Ella closed her eyes, and he glimpsed tears forming in the corners.