ROMANCE: THE SHEIKH'S GAMES: A Sheikh Romance (112 page)

“You guys!” she said. “What are you doing here? It’s so good to see you!”

“You didn’t think I’d miss my little sister’s graduation did you? Actually it was Nick’s idea.” said Matt, smiling.

She turned her full attention to Nick then and kissed him full on the mouth. “I missed you so much,” she told him.

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” he said. “Congratulations.”

She kissed him again, this time to confirm that he was really standing in front of her.

“Hey, come on,” said Matt. “Take it easy. I’m standing right here. That man needs his lips for smooth talking clients, he doesn’t need you ripping them off his face.”

Riley laughed and did her best to restrain her affection. After six months, it took a lot of will power.

“Matt, you look amazing. You’re all healed up.”

“Yup, neck still gets a little stiff every now and again, but otherwise I’m fit as a fiddle.”

She turned to Nick again and when he smiled at her, she couldn’t help stealing one more kiss.
Sorry, Matt,
she thought,
I’m seizing this day.

THE END

From across the nightclub, April’s eyes met those of the handsome stranger’s again. And once again, she quickly returned her attention to the pink cocktail in front of her.

It was bad enough that she had had to tell her fiancé that she was working late just to spend some time with the girls, now she found herself swapping glances with a stranger across a club that she should have outgrown years ago.

The man sat surrounded by what she imagined were his business associates, along with their partners: tall, spindly women who looked like they had stepped straight off the catwalk of a high-end fashion show. The man himself sat alone, a part of the happenings at his table, but somewhat aloof to them, distracted, lost in his own thoughts and stolen glances in her direction.

She glanced up to see him smiling at her and felt her lips mirroring his. His fingers were wrapped around a glass of whiskey on the rocks, but he barely seemed to touch the drink. The ice had all but melted and the condensation trickled down the outside of the glass, moistening his fingers. He seemed completely oblivious to this.

“You’re totally checking out the guy in the suit, aren’t you?” said Marisa.

“What? No!” said April, but Marisa seemed to have the uncanny ability to read her mind, so denying it was pointless. “He is cute though, isn’t he?”

“He must like you, he’s been looking over at you all evening. You should talk to him.”

“You must be joking,” said April. “I already had to practically sneak out just to be able to come out with you and Tracy tonight. Can you imagine what Brian would say if he found out I was here talking to other guys?”

“No offense, sugar, but that man of yours needs to get over himself. What’s the big deal about coming out with us once in a while? We never get to see you anymore.”

April toyed with her drink, studiously avoiding Marisa’s piercing gaze. “I know. He never used to be this way. I don’t know, he’s
changed
lately.”

“Changed? Or maybe you never saw his jealous side until he put that ring on your finger.”

“He’s not that bad, Marisa. I still love him.”

“Oh really? Tell me again about how he won’t let you go out jogging until you put long tracksuit pants on. You’ve never given him any reason to be jealous, but he treats you like you’re out prowling for other men or something.”

April thought about the last time she had told him she was having a ladies’ night. He had totally freaked out, called her all sorts of terrible names until she had had to cancel because her make-up had been ruined by the tears of rage and frustration she had felt. She had come close to leaving him then, but promised him one more chance.

“I don’t mean to interfere, April, I really don’t, but this isn’t healthy. You need get out of there. If he can’t handle being in a relationship with a beautiful woman like you, he doesn’t deserve you.”

“I don’t know, Marisa. He can be really sweet as well. He’s just had a hard time at work lately. Things will settle down and he’ll be back to normal again soon, I’m sure of it.”

“Whatever’s going on with him, you have to let him know that it’s not okay to treat you this way.”

April knew Marisa was right. Marisa was a six foot tall, drop dead gorgeous, half Puerto Rican, half African American woman whose mere presence demanded a man’s full attention and respect. She knew a thing or two about what made men tick, yet deep down inside, April held onto the hope that Brian was just going through a rough stage.

“He deserves one more chance, Marisa. After everything he and I have been through.”

Marisa opened her mouth to say something, but then her eyes drifted across April’s face and settled on a spot over April’s shoulder.

“Oh shoot,” said Marisa. “Don’t look now, but Brian just walked in. Speak of the devil.”

“What?” April felt tendrils of anxiety twisting in her belly. They seemed to have taken up a permanent residence in there ever since Brian had started acting so strangely. April strained to keep her eyes on Marisa and away from the entrance, while Marisa hid behind her hand.

“Seriously, April, that dude is psycho.”

“What’s he doing?” asked April.

“He’s looking around. Damn it, I think he saw us. Here he comes.”

The trouble had started about two months ago, a whole six weeks into their engagement. She kept looking for signs that the old Brian was still lurking in there somewhere. He had to be, yet all she saw was the scheming, paranoid, insecure shell of a man that he had become. What had happened to change him? Though she had wracked her brain for something that she might have done to have justified his change of character, she could think of nothing. Instead what kept coming popping up at the back of her mind was that black hole of time when he’d gone away with his college buddies for the weekend, those long, painful two days when he had disappeared with no contact and returned a different man altogether. He hadn’t even spoken about his trip. They were supposed have gone fly fishing in Maine, yet his outdoor clothing had come back folded and dry in his backpack and his shirts had smelled as if they’d been washed with a brand of fabric softener she’d never used before.

She’d asked him about it casually, but his only response was a vague reply about the poor weather and bad service at the laundry. She wondered if maybe his paranoia had begun rubbing off on her for her to suspect anything strange about that particular weekend. Maybe she was thinking too much about it. Maybe Marisa was right, he’d just kept this side of himself under wraps until then.

Marisa cleared her throat nervously as a hand landed on April’s shoulder. April consciously fought the urge to flinch under his touch.

“Why’d you have to lie to me, April?” came Brian’s brusque and commanding voice.

“Are you following me?” she asked. “How did you know we were here?”

Brian ignored the question. “Why the hell are you dressed like that?”

“Leave her alone, Brian,” said Marisa. “She doesn’t belong to you.”

“Stay out of this,” snapped Brian.

April turned in her seat to face him. His eyes were bloodshot with alcohol and his shirt and hair were in equal states of disarray. “Brian,” said April. “You’re drunk, leave us alone. I’m a grown woman for crying out loud.”

“You’re coming home with me,” said Brian.

“No,” said April. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you stop behaving like a jealous teenager.”

Brian yanked the back of the chair on which April was sitting and she felt it teetering onto two legs. Before she had a chance to react, a man’s body had wedged itself between her and Brian, stabilizing the chair before it spilled her onto the floor.

“Is there a problem here,” said the man to Brian. It was the handsome stranger who had been stealing glances at her.

“Yeah,” said Brian. “It looks like you’re the problem, buddy.”

Brian shoved the man’s shoulder, but the momentum was quickly redirected as the man sidestepped and Brian stumbled forward.

“I’m going to ask you to leave,” said the man.

Brian laughed. “Are you going to make me?”

“I’d rather not have to, but you don’t seem to be giving me much choice.”

Brian reached out once more and gripped the collar of the man’s jacket. The man’s eyes remained calm and focused and in one swift movement, he gripped Brian’s fingers and twisted his arm behind his back. Without a further backwards glance, he led Brian towards the door.

“April!” shouted Brian. “Tell this clown to…” But his voice quickly faded as they marched away. From behind, they looked like a pair of old pals, one helping the other through the crowd after too many beers.

Marisa’s wide eyes locked onto April’s. “What the heck was that? That guy was like a ninja, did you see that?”

“How do you think Brian knew we were here?” asked April, but before Marisa could answer, the guy in the suit was returning, looking unfazed.

April and Marisa watched stunned as he walked casually over to them. April gawked at the tall stranger as he came to stand at their table.

“Hi,” he said. “Are you okay?”

At that moment, April and Marisa’s friend, Tracey, returned from the bar with a fresh round of drinks. “Hey, guys,” she said, looking the handsome stranger up and down. “Did I miss anything?”

The man’s name was Max Connor. He explained to April that he had merely escorted Brian out and instructed the bouncers not to allow him back inside.

“Do you work here or something?” asked Marisa.

The man smiled. “Something like that.”

“I’m sorry he caused a scene,” said April. “Is he okay?”

“He’s going to wake up feeling like hell tomorrow, but they’ll take it easy on him. We called him a cab. Is he a friend of yours?” asked Max.

“My fiancé,” said April, wishing for all the world that she had had the sense to see this side of him before that had become his title.

Max nodded as though he understood all this without being told.

“Well,” he said, tipping them a salute, “I’ll leave you ladies to the rest of your evening.”

“Wait,” said Marisa. “Why don’t you join us for a drink, it’s the least we can do.”

Max smiled, “I’d love to,” he said, “but I’m about halfway through an incredibly boring meeting and if I’m not there to hurry things along, it might carry on all night.”

One more charming grin and he was gone, casually taking up his place at the table of smart men and women who now seemed to be bickering over something. His gaze caught April’s once more and in them, April sensed his regret at not being able to spend the rest of the evening with her and her friends instead.

That was your last chance, Brian,
she thought,
and you blew it.

“Guys,” said April. “I’m going to head home. I think I have a difficult conversation with Brian ahead of me and I’d like to get it over with.”

“Wait,” said Tracey. “Don’t go. He’ll still be drunk and you don’t know how he’ll react. Why don’t you crash on my couch tonight and face him tomorrow morning?”

“I don’t want you guys to call ladies night over early on my account,” said April.

“Girl, my buzz died the moment Brian showed up. Come on, let’s end this ladies night with a good old fashioned slumber party at Tracey’s place.”

They left Club Veil in time to see a somewhat subdued Brian being bundled into a taxi by a bouncer with forearms the size of Brian’s neck. Brian seemed to be done resisting. Instead, he wore the petulant expression of a scolded child and April caught a glimpse of his sulky face as the taxi pulled away and drove off into the night.

“Come on,” said Tracey. “Forget about him for the time being. We can watch Glee on Netflix. And by the way, there’s nothing wrong with how you’re dressed, you look amazing.”

April looked down at her dress. It ended barely above her knees. Even the cut was modest.

“I just don’t get it,” said April.

Marisa put her hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing to get, girl. The guy is nuts. Forget about him.”

An hour later they were back at Tracey’s place with a fresh bowl of popcorn in front of them, wearing comfy clothes that Tracey had lent them. April remembered a time when ladies’ nights had ended at three in the morning after dancing for hours like the world was ending. Now it was barely eleven and she felt as if the world
had
ended and she was trapped in some limbo twilight version of the life she once had.

She tried to let go of these feelings while Tracey and Marisa added their commentary over the show they were watching. She even managed a smile or two, but looming in the back of her mind was the conversation she was going to have to have with Brian, and tried to compose it as best she could. She’d begin with,
Why don’t you tell me what really happened that weekend you were away?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Brian. He was clutching his head in his hands, sitting on the edge of the couch where she had found him sleeping when she came home. He must’ve had just enough presence of mind the night before to stumble through the door and crash land there before passing out. While he remained motionless, she went upstairs and packed her things. They were renting the house and with her gone, he’d have to either cover the rent by himself or find a smaller place. Either way, she knew she would not be spending another night there. She didn’t know where she would go just yet, but she’d work it out. What she couldn’t fit in her suitcase, she’d fetch sometime when he was at work.

She loaded her suitcase into the trunk of her car before waking him up to talk.

“Brian,” said April, “I know something happened that weekend, because ever since then you haven’t been yourself, and quite frankly, I don’t like the person you’ve become. Last night was the last straw, Brian. I’m ready to leave. So you can either tell me the truth or lie to me again while you watch me walk out the door.”

Brian’s red-rimmed eyes focused and April saw them transition from guarded, to panicked when he realized he could no longer defend his actions, and finally to resignation.