Sheikh's Stand In (7 page)

Mikal laughed at her pert questions. "First, I think we did very well, and yes, I think that people walked away with a better idea of what it is I want to do. After all, I'm not trying to tear down what their families stand for. I'm just trying to make those families more sound, healthier."

Vivian thought for a moment. "You're not answering my question of whether I was besotted enough."

"No, and the truth is that no one would believe me if you were. I have … let's say a slightly irregular reputation when it comes to romance. I don't do very well with women who simply let me run over them, and that means that I've turned away enough girls to make people wonder. You aren't going to give me an inch, and that is why you are perfect for this job."

Vivian grinned at that. Somehow, she liked the idea that Mikal liked a woman who would give him a bit of a challenge. Being a demure little housewife had never appealed to her, and finding a man who didn't care for it either was refreshing.

"You know, you're a catch," she decided. "For the right person, but yeah. The girl who ends up with you is going to be very lucky."

For a moment, she wondered if she felt Mikal tense up next to her, but she dismissed it as being something she had simply imagined. That couldn't be right.

"I hope she thinks so as well," he said, and there was a bit of stiffness in his voice, but then he changed the topic.

"Do you like Ethiopian food? There is a place that I am quite fond of, and I'd like to take you there if that pleases you."

"I don't know if I like Ethiopian food yet, but I am more than willing to give it a shot. Lay on, MacDuff."

***

As he folded a small piece of buckwheat flat bread around an aromatic mouthful of stewed goat, Mikal was wondering if he had made some kind of serious mistake.

"Here," he said to Viviana, who was watching him with avid eyes. "Open your mouth."

With a delicate touch, he popped the morsel into her mouth, making her eyes widen for a moment before they closed with pleasure. He realized that simply watching her take delight in the small bite was enough to arouse him, and he hastily looked away.

"That was delicious," she exclaimed, and either she was unaware of the effect that she had on him or she was politely ignoring it. As perceptive as Viviana was, it could go either way.

"Good," he said honestly. "That's the way people feed their lovers in Ethiopia; it's a gesture of great love and faith."

"Oh, now you have to let me try."

With the deft touch that he had grown to adore, she folded a small bit of carrots and cabbage into the flat bread and offered him the same. The touch of her fingertips against his lower lip sent a sensual shiver through his body.

"Very good," he said, and he wondered if he had put some of what he felt into the words because she blushed a little and looked down.

"Thank you for taking me here," she said as they started in on their meal. "I think I really needed some space. It's funny, I can promote my own things from morning to night, but doing something like this, something that really matters, it's exhausting."

"Maybe it's exhausting because you care so much," he offered. "I saw you speaking to those men, and I could tell that you really do mean what you say. It's inspiring."

She waved his compliments away, shaking her head. "I'm a good actress," she said, a little more soberly than he was expecting. "I have had to sell all manner of things and look like I believed it."

"And you don't believe in what we are doing?" he asked, strangely crushed. He knew that she approved of what they were doing, but he supposed that that didn't mean that she thought he would really pull it off.

She hesitated. In that moment, it felt as if she were making a decision, and he didn't understand what it was. Without thinking of why, Mikal took her hand gently.

"It's all right if you don't," he started, but she interrupted him.

"I do," she said. "Of course I do. Everything you're trying to do here, I believe in it, and I want it to come true. Truly. However, where my suspension of disbelief fails is when I talk to these old blowhards who really do see their wives and their daughters as a kind of property. They believe that they provide for them well enough, and if other men don't provide nearly as well, then that's not their problem. Of course, it's men of all types and nationalities who believe it, but when I'm trying to convince them otherwise … it's a little exhausting."

Mikal laughed, a little relieved. "Well, that's lobbying, I guess," he said, shaking his head. "What you were doing before was more like acting. This is something you believe in, so you're lobbying. It's much less glamorous, doesn't pay nearly as well, and has far fewer perks, I bet."

At his words, she slid her eyes up and down his body, tightening her grip on his fingers a little. "Well, it has one perk that I'm pretty excited about, I'll be perfectly honest …"

Mikal's heart started to beat a little faster. They had been so busy for the last few days that there had been no chance to engage in the more sensual side of their little charade. If he hadn't been busy late into the night, it was Viviana who had a career to manage, albeit one that she was currently running remotely.

"Well, one of the most powerful and enduring traditions is that a man's devotion to his wife's pleasure is something that will reflect very well on him in paradise …"

She laughed a little, shaking her head. "Are you just making that up?"

"Not at all," he murmured. "Many ancient texts speak of how important it is for a man to tend to his wife's pleasure. Man and woman together must run a household, whether that household is the small apartment above the rug maker’s shop or a household as grand as the palace itself. Unless man and wife are in sensual accord, there can be no real success, no real harmony."

"I see," said Viviana, looking intrigued. "What does a husband need to do to ensure his wife's satisfaction?"

"Well, I would think that would depend on the wife …" Mikal leaned in, keeping his voice low. "I suppose she would need to tell him … perhaps in great detail … how she needs to be pleased in order for real harmony to reign throughout the household."

"Yes … harmony. That is precisely my goal here."

There was no telling where they would have gone with that if the waiter hadn't returned, all smiles, to make sure that the Prince and his fiancée were having a good dinner. It reminded the two of them that they were in public, at any rate, but throughout the meal, they kept glancing at one another, smiling like teenagers with a secret.

This was an experience that Mikal had never had before, not really. Viviana recalled memories of being an awkward teen nerd, but there was a pleasure to having gotten over that, to learning more about how he had grown, and how she had as well.

He tried not to think about how he felt about all of this being fake. To her, it looked as if it was an amazing game, one that she was having a splendid time playing. If he were honest, he would have to say that it was an excellent game as well, one that he was learning to play even better with her by his side. However, there was a dark shadow cast over the entire thing whenever he remembered that it was temporary.

Mikal ate his delicious food, and he did his best not to remember that this after all, was all going away.

CHAPTER FIVE

The next day there was to be a luncheon that Mikal had warned her would be a little dull to say the least.

"And when I say dull, I mean that we're going to be lucky if we don't end up bored to tears. However, there are a number of people here that I think could be quite helpful if we can just get them on our side …"

"Well, no one likes to listen to or to be convinced of anything at a dull party," Viviana said with a frown. "Why don't you let me try to speed things up a little?"

Mikal might have looked a little dubious, but he nodded his agreement. "All right, just let me know what you need."

"The guest list, guest biographies, and a list of the people you want to get on our side."

Viviana's prompt reply seemed to shock him, making her laugh.

"Seriously, beloved, you don't ask for Viviana Johns unless you want startling productivity …"

She spent the rest of the morning engrossed in the information he procured for her. It wasn't ideal, but it was fascinating, and she now could see the bigger picture. She could see who was related to whom by marriage or business, she could see old feuds and new rivalries.

"At the event the other night, I was playing your little accessory," she told him on the ride over. "And that's all very well and good. That's what you needed me for, and I certainly do not mind. However, I'm invested now, and I want to be all-in. That means that I want to help, and fortunately for us, this is exactly where I have a lot of experience."

Mikal nodded. "I trust you," he said simply. "If you say you can help, I believe you."

"You better," she said teasing. She didn't fault him. She knew what her reputation said about her, that she was a party girl who cared more about style than substance, but sometimes, that was exactly what made her so effective. After all, if a self-centered little fashion plate could understand something, why couldn't some big important politician?

When they got to the luncheon, she immediately got to work. She greeted older politicians with just the right degree of deference and excitement, she got them talking, and then she linked them up with each other. The research that Viviana had done earlier had told her who would get on well with each other, and her excellent memory prevented her from making any serious mistakes.

She reminded herself that she wasn't working solo this time, and she made it a point to return to Mikal on a regular basis, showing herself to the perfect love-struck fiancée. He saw what she was doing right away, and after giving her a startled, grateful look, he got to work himself, presenting his legislation and his reforms as earnestly and as truthfully as she knew he could be.

The luncheon lasted a good four hours, and over the course of it, she thought that she and Mikal were only seated for about half an hour of it. Otherwise they were on their feet, lobbying for their interests and doing what good they could.

At the end, Viviana was a little disappointed to head back to the palace on her own. Mikal was wrapped in a post-lunch session that seemed distinctly men only. She did her best not to pout as he waved her on.

Ah well, he can't say that I'm not earning my keep …

The luncheon had been a great success as far as she was concerned, but it was a relief to get back to the quiet of her rooms. She stripped off her wrap and her dress, enjoying the air-conditioned cool of the room in her lacy bra and her silky tap pants. Viviana stretched a little to loosen her joints, and she was just looking at getting back to work when she heard a rapid footstep in the hallway.

Without even a knock, Mikal burst into her room. He crossed the floor with a few giant strides, and before she knew what he was about, he had snatched her up in his arms, giving her an enormous hug, and planting a big kiss on the crown of her head.

"You are a miracle," he crowed. "I have never seen anyone work a room like you have, and you are absolutely nothing short of a saint …"

"My hair, compliment my hair, too," she teased, her eyes sparkling with humor.

"A gorgeous flame that humiliates all that try to compete with it," he promised, letting her back down. "But seriously, do you have any idea what you did?"

"Of course I do," Viviana said smugly. "This is my job, remember?"

It wasn't, really. Until this point, her skills had been all about getting women to purchase the products that she was selling or to improve a reputation that had been tarnished in some way. This time, it felt as if she was doing good in a way she never had before, but she didn't want to bring that up to Mikal for some reason.

"You're so good at it," Mikal said, nuzzling at her neck. "I can't even believe it …"

"Believe it, handsome man," she breathed, sighing as he nuzzled the sensitive skin behind her ear. "And if you want me to keep it up, you better keep me happy …"

"I am pleased to sacrifice myself to the cause," he said, lifting her up and carrying her to the bed.

She sighed with pleasure as he stripped her underwear from her body. Ever since their pact, he had been in her bed and spending the nights with her. She had wondered if they would grow tired of each other, but there was no sign of that happening yet. Every encounter was like discovering each other anew, and each night that passed, they were only more intoxicated with each other.

"Oh my god, you feel so good," she murmured, as he ran clever hands down her hips and along her thighs.

"I want you to feel better than that," he said, and he raked his nails lightly over her sensitive flesh.

She growled with impatience. She wanted more and faster, but today he seemed content to tease her, eager to make her beg for the final climax that he could give her so easily and with such enthusiasm.

When he brushed his fingers across the taut skin of her belly, she could no longer take the fact that he hadn't stripped at all. She reached for his clothing, all but tearing them off in her haste. When he laughed and tried to help her, she brushed his hands away, intent on doing it herself.

When Mikal was as naked as she was, she wasn't done. Instead, she pushed him onto his back on the bed, straddling his thighs as she looked down at him. With her eyes wild and her vivid russet hair streaming down her back, she knew that she must look like a wild woman. From the wide-eyed, appreciative look that Mikal gave her, she could tell that it was something he liked rather a lot.

"I think that I'm done being teased for a little while," she said softly, watching the way his green eyes dilated black with pleasure. "I think that I want to be the one to make you squirm, the one to make you lose control."

Mikal's eyes danced with pleasure, but when he spoke, his tone was affectionately condescending. "If you'd like," he said. "If you think you can …"