The Sheik's Arranged Marriage (10 page)

The good news was
,
if she wasn’t going to be subtle, he didn’t have to be either. “Miss Martin,” he began,
then
gave her a contemptuous once-over. “While I appreciate the thought…”

His voice trailed off because at that moment Honey Martin folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head back. Her nose got scrunchy as she stared at him. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Heidi?
His Heidi?
The Prune Princess, as Malik liked to call her? What was going on?

The blood left his head, making him feel as if he was going to pass out. He sucked in a breath as he tried to absorb what was happening. This was Heidi?
In that dress?
With that body?
She’d looked great in her riding clothes but that was nothing compared with this. What the hell was she doing here?

“Jamal,” she asked, sounding concerned. “Are you all right?”

She’d forgotten to change her voice, he thought with some still-working part of his brain. And she’d called him Jamal, not Prince Jamal. Obviously Heidi was not very good at this game of hers.

“Yes. Thank you. But I will take that drink. Scotch on the rocks, please.”

“Of course.”

While he sank onto a white cushion in the center of the sofa, she poured his drink,
then
hobbled over to hand it to him.

He couldn’t believe this was actually happening to him. What was she thinking? Was she concerned that he would be unfaithful to her? Was she trying to trap him? Jamal frowned as he took a sip of his drink. While the idea had merit, he couldn’t see Heidi being anything but direct with him. Wouldn’t she just ask first, before attempting this elaborate scheme?

He didn’t know if he should be furious or burst out laughing. His wife was acting the part of a seductress—at least he thought that was her plan. She wasn’t very good at it, which was nice to know. But his main question remained. Why?

She settled into one of the club chairs and gave him a bright smile. “Better?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Should he say something or play along? Jamal opened his mouth to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing,
then
closed it. Maybe he would wait and find out where she was going with the charade.

If nothing else, he was getting a view of his wife he hadn’t had before. Those ugly shapeless dresses of hers had been concealing an impressive body. He eyed her breasts and wondered why she’d never gone braless around him before. She had great legs, he thought, studying her thighs. Then he returned his attention to her face.

The transformation was impressive. He didn’t care for the red hair, but the curls flattered her. She must be wearing contacts, which explained the incessant blinking. Her eyes were green. He preferred her natural hazel. But her makeup emphasized her pale skin while highlighting her pretty features.

She was as lovely and appealing as she’d ever been. He found himself getting turned on just looking at her. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her, then touch all of her, both under and over that slip of a dress. But he didn’t. He didn’t know why she’d transformed herself on the outside, but he doubted she was any different on the inside. The last he’d heard, she hadn’t changed her opinion of sex, and he wasn’t about to humiliate himself again.

“I’m really enjoying my visit to El Bahar,” she said, clasping her hands together in front of her. “It’s my first time. I’m here with my brother.”

“You have a brother?”

“Actually four.”
She gave a low laugh. “I’m the middle child, and the only girl. It was a mess, let me tell you. I had to learn to be just as tough as the boys so that I could survive. It was quite a life lesson.”

Where was she coming up with this stuff?
he
wondered. Had she sat down one evening and written a history for “Honey Martin,” or was the personal past from someone she knew?

“My youngest brother, Steve,” she went on, “is here studying oil production. He’s going to be taking over that part of the family empire.” She flashed him a smile. “I guess compared to what you’re used to dealing with it’s not much of an empire, but we like it.”

He wasn’t sure of his next line. Heidi stared at him expectantly, blinking every half second or so. He wanted to tell her that he was confused as hell. He wanted to say it was okay for her to take out her contacts and put her glasses back on, that he actually liked her in glasses. He wanted to say a lot of things. Instead, he decided to keep playing along.

“So you’ll be in El Bahar for a while?” he asked, wondering if he sounded as inane as he felt.

“Oh, yes.”

She wiggled in her seat. He wasn’t sure if that was to get more comfortable or if she thought the move was sexy. Actually it did make her breasts sway back and forth, but he was trying not to notice.

“I’ll be here for quite some time. While Steve is off learning his trade, I’m on my own.”

“Does he stay here in the suite with you?”

She looked blank.
“Who?”

“Steve.
Your brother?”

“Oh.” She blinked several times.
“Ah, no.
He has his own room here at the hotel. In fact, I rarely see him. He prefers it that way.”

Jamal forced himself not to smile. He decided to let her off the hook. “Maybe we should go get my car.”

Heidi brightened. “What a good idea. It’s down in the parking garage. I’ll go with you.” She rose unsteadily to her feet,
then
seemed to sway as she regained her balance.

“Maybe I should go by myself,” he said, eyeing her high heels doubtfully. Would she be able to walk that far without tripping? He didn’t want her hurt on his account.

“No. I need to sign for it.” She led the way to the front door, then stopped and looked around. “I need a key for the room.”

Jamal spotted her handbag sitting on a chair in the corner. He collected it for her,
then
held open the door to let her through first.

Once they were in the elevator, he didn’t know what to say. What did Heidi—in the guise of Honey—expect from him? That he would be interested in her? Did she really think that less than two weeks into his marriage he was going to cheat on his wife? He’d never been unfaithful in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now. He kept returning to the thought that she was testing him.
Which didn’t make any sense.
She had no reason to doubt him. So was she really trying to seduce him? He wasn’t sure if he should be pleased or wary.

They reached the parking garage, and the elevator doors parted. Heat hit them like a wave. Between the outside summer temperature and the open areas to allow ventilation for car exhaust, the cool air didn’t stand a chance.

Heidi gave him a quick smile,
then
fished in her purse for the parking ticket. She sashayed over to the attendant on duty.

It was, Jamal noted with some chagrin, the first time she got the walk right. She didn’t stumble, she didn’t lean, she just moved with the regal grace of a beautiful woman in high heels. Her long legs
strutted
their stuff, and the short skirt swayed back and forth as it flirted with her thighs. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Three more parking attendants materialized, all of them vying for possession of the parking ticket and the opportunity to retrieve Heidi’s car. The only good news was that she was completely oblivious of the sensation she caused.

Jamal moved to her side and slipped his arm around her in a gesture designed to both protect and possess. Then he shot the young men a warning look, and they backed off.

After taking the ticket from her and handing it to one of the attendants, he drew Heidi back toward the elevators. He pushed the call button. “You’d be more comfortable upstairs. It’s too hot down here.”

She plucked at the bodice of her dress. The completely innocent movement gave him a brief look at her bare breasts, which made his throat go dry and the rest of him heat up hotter than the parking garage.

“I’m actually dressed to endure the heat,” she said brightly, forgetting to lower her voice into the sultry tone.

“I can see,” he murmured.
As could the waiting jackals.
He had to get her back to the safety of the room. If he didn’t, he was going to have to blow her cover to get her to cooperate. “But this is no place for a woman like you.”

“Like me?” Her voice squeaked.

“Yes.
Delicate, sexy and very beautiful.”
He gazed down into her eyes. “I’m thrilled that fate has brought us together.”

“You are?”

“Aren’t you?”

She stared up at him. Her green eyes watered a little, but she didn’t seem to be blinking as much.

“Don’t you sense destiny’s hand in all of this?” he asked, focusing most of his attention on her, but still aware of their interested audience.

“Okay. So you want to see me again?”

He smiled slowly, giving her what one of his dates had called his “come let me make you melt” smiles. “With every breath I take.”

She swallowed. “Wow, you’re good.” She took a step back. “I mean, yes, I would like to see you again. You can reach me here at the hotel.”

“I’ll be in touch,” he said.

The elevator doors opened. He hustled Heidi inside and pushed the button for her floor. Then she was gone.

Jamal stood there feeling as if he’d been run over by a truck. He was still confused about all that had happened. One of them was crazy, and he couldn’t say for sure it wasn’t him. What was going on?

“Sir, your car?”

He turned and saw that his new sleek, silver Lamborghini was parked at the curb. He tipped the attendant and slipped behind the wheel.

He didn’t notice the hand-carved wood accents or the specially designed dash and control panel. He barely acknowledged the smooth purr of the engine as he put the car in gear and headed out of the parking structure. He was too caught up in the mystery of his wife’s game. What on earth was she up to?

Heidi danced across the room and hugged
Fatima
. “I did it,” she announced. “It actually wasn’t too horrible. Well, it was a little horrible. But I didn’t trip or
fall,
and I’m pretty sure I fooled him.”

Fatima
held her close,
then
released her. “Good for you. I knew you could do it. Now sit with me, and tell me everything.”

Heidi settled onto one of the sofas in the harem’s main room. She’d already washed the red tint out of her hair and removed her contacts. She was back in one of her normal dresses with sensible, flat shoes covering her feet.

“I was so nervous,” she admitted. “And that dress made me feel really uncomfortable. Jamal looked stunned for most of it.” She paused, remembering his reluctance when he’d first arrived. “It took him a while to warm up, but by the end he was quite friendly.”

Fatima
took the seat next to hers, and Heidi recounted the details.

“I hope I didn’t tell him too much about my fake brother,” she said. “For a couple of minutes I was afraid he was going to ask to meet him, but he didn’t.”

“You say he put his arm around you in the parking garage?”
Fatima
asked.

“Yes. It was very strange. All of a sudden he got very friendly. But at the same time, he hustled me back upstairs.”

Fatima
smiled. “Excellent.”

“Why?”

The queen looked at her and shook her head. “You are so very innocent. Who else was down there with you?”

“In the parking garage?
No one.
I mean the attendants were there, but we were the only customers.”

“Exactly.”
Fatima
leaned forward and cupped Heidi’s face. “Other men were looking at you. You had on that silly little dress, and you looked fabulous. Jamal noticed their attention and was jealous. That’s why he wanted you to return to your room.”

“Really?”
Heidi turned the thought over in her mind. “Wow. I didn’t get that at all.” She wasn’t sure it was true, either, but it was nice to think about. After all, she’d spent her whole life being plain. It would be great to finally be attractive. Especially if Jamal thought she was pretty.

“So it was a success,”
Fatima
said.

“I think so. He said he’d be in touch.” Actually he’d said he wanted to see her again with every breath he took. And the way he’d looked at her when he’d spoken had taken her breath away. The memory made her shiver…and all this without a feather in sight.

“You are pleased so far?”
Fatima
asked.

Heidi finally had Jamal’s attention. Okay, it wasn’t as herself, but it was a start. If nothing else, she would get to know him better and then use that information to make him like his wife more.
Somehow.
The plan was a little sketchy, but she would work out the details.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Heidi said and grinned.

Jamal watched Heidi bait his brother. Normally he enjoyed seeing her make Malik squirm. For some reason, she was the only person on the planet who intimidated the crown prince. But tonight he was less concerned about the content of their conversation than the fact that less than five hours ago she’d been in a hotel room in the city, pretending to be someone she was not. To make matters even more confusing, he had trouble reconciling the woman he’d seen that afternoon with the one sitting across from him at the table.

“Honey” had been dressed to tempt in a sexy dress that exposed more than it covered. Her curly red hair and green eyes had emphasized her pale skin and delicate features. She’d been teasing, smiling, and trying to be vampish with her walk and her shoes, not to mention her silly come-on lines.

Heidi was none of those things. Tonight’s outfit was a shapeless beige dress than hung on her like a tent flapping around a pole. Her hair had been pulled back in a tight bun; she didn’t have on a speck of makeup, and her only jewelry was the carved wedding band he’d slid on her finger when they’d married.

She looked no different than she had any other night, and if he hadn’t seen her performance earlier himself, he would never have believed her capable of dressing or acting like that.

Heidi glanced at him,
then
returned her attention to Malik, but he knew that she was aware of him staring at her. He forced himself to pay attention to the conversation, even though all he wanted to do was figure out the intriguing puzzle that was his wife.

“The good news is that the crown princes of El Bahar have a long and lustrous history of achieving glory in battle,” she was saying to Malik. “For example, in the third century there was one son of the king who single-handedly defeated an army of three thousand.”

Malik nearly choked on his sorbet.
“One man against three thousand?”

She shrugged. “That’s what the text says.”

“It’s ridiculous. No individual could attack so many. Not without the advantage of modern technology, and even then the odds against success are staggering.”

“I guess crown princes were just a lot tougher back then,” she said with a sigh, as if the tragedy of the disintegration of the standards was a great personal sorrow.

Jamal had to hold back a grin. He noticed the king and Khalil also looked amused. Only Malik didn’t see the humor.

“The texts lie,” he said firmly. “I’m surprised you would believe them.”

Heidi stared at him with an expression of complete innocence. “I’m sorry, Malik. It was never my intent to make you feel…”

He stormed to his feet. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it. I’m perfectly capable of being Crown Prince of El Bahar.”

“Of course you are,” she murmured. “No one is saying otherwise.
Certainly not me.
I think you do well…with your obvious limitations.”

Malik opened his mouth to offer a blistering reply,
then
he realized he was the center of attention and that everyone was having a good time at his expense.

“Jamal, control your wife,” he instructed as he took his seat again.

“Brother, work on your sense of humor.”

“Easy for you to say.
You don’t have a new sister walking around telling you that you aren’t doing a very good job of preparing to run the kingdom.”

“Just get out and defeat those three thousand,” Dora offered helpfully. “I’m sure we could rustle up an army or two.”

“Did I say three thousand?” Heidi said, pressing her hand to her chest. “I didn’t mean to. It was thirty. The crown prince defeated thirty warriors.”

Malik growled, the king and Fatima laughed. Jamal leaned back in his
chair,
pleased that Heidi was comfortable with his family. Of course she had the advantage of knowing his grandmother and father for most of her life. Even so, there were many people who couldn’t relax in the presence of so much royalty.

“Despite everything, Malik,” Heidi said as she reached for her cup of coffee. “I think you’re doing a great job.”

“Your praise means I can now sleep this night,” her brother-in-law said dryly.

The king leaned forward and laced his fingers together. “Looking around this table pleases me. My youngest son has married wisely, even though he did so without my permission. But now that I’ve come to know his wife, I understand why he was in such a hurry to claim her.”

“Thank you,” Dora said as her husband picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth.

“Khalil and Dora have given me one fine grandson with another on the way,” King Givon continued. “Jamal has also married, and I know it is just a matter of time until he and Heidi also give me a grandchild.”

Heidi ducked her head and blushed. Jamal was quick to deflect the attention. He looked at Malik and grinned. “You know where this is heading, don’t you?”

Malik glanced around at his brothers. “You two have married, and I’m single.” He stood up again and bowed to his father. “My king, I bid you good-night.”

Givon raised his eyebrows. “You can’t escape remarriage forever.”

“Perhaps not, but I can elude it for a little longer.” With that, he was gone.

The dinner party broke up soon afterward. Jamal found himself walking with Heidi back to their rooms. Once again he contrasted the woman next to him with the one he’d met earlier.

One thing was clear—he’d misjudged Heidi in many ways. The hidden depths made him curious about her. While he’d always intended them to get to know each other, so far he’d made no attempt. Perhaps he should change that.

“How are your riding lessons?” he asked abruptly as they entered their suite.

She turned to face him. “I haven’t been riding at all.”

“Because you’re not interested?”

“No, I like it very much. But I’m concerned about going out into the desert on my own, and I find riding in one of the corrals pretty boring.”

“You are welcome to join me any morning.”

Her face lit up with a happy smile. She looked as pleased as if he’d offered her the world.

“You want to go riding with me?” she asked.

“Of course.
You are my wife. It’s important that we spend time together.”

Her smile faded. “That’s what you said before, but after we were married, I thought you didn’t want to be with me at all.”

“I want to be with you,” he said honestly.

He stared into her pale, young face. Her gaze was so
open,
he could read her hope, her fears and her worries as clearly as if she’d spoken them.

“I’ll probably make a lot of mistakes,” she said.

“You ride very well.”

Her lips curved up again. “I meant with you, not with the horse.”

“There is no right way or wrong way to get to know each other,” he told her. “There is only our way.
Which will be whatever we make it.
”

She nodded. “I’m nothing like Yasmin.”

Thank God. “I don’t see that as a problem. I don’t want another woman like her in my life.”

“Just as well.
I know you’ll never care for me the same way, but I hope you’re right about us finding our own path. I would like that very much.”

Before he realized what she was doing, she raised herself on her toes and pressed her mouth to his cheek. The kiss was fleeting and innocent. Then she was gone.

Jamal stared after her, watching her bedroom door close and wondering what they’d just been talking about. He had a feeling he and Heidi had been speaking at cross-purposes. She worried about having to compete with Yasmin. Maybe he should tell her that she’d already won that one. He walked to the French doors and stared out at the sea.

He thought about Yasmin, about how she’d wanted everything the marriage had to offer—everything except him. She’d been interested in the parties, the jewelry,
the
clothes. Heidi, on the other hand, didn’t seem
very
taken with any of that. She certainly hadn’t done any shopping.
At least not for herself.
She’d bought some sexy things for her other persona. In fact, she—

The truth slammed into him like a car going sixty miles an hour. His breath left his lungs as if he’d been tossed across the room and had landed flat on his back. Event by event, he went over what had happened that afternoon.
The sultry voice, the provocative dress and conversation.
Heidi was trying to win him, but not as herself. She didn’t think she had what it took, so she’d invented another woman to get his attention.
Someone who was supposed to be all that she was not.
He who had always believed that women weren’t interested in princes for their personality had found the one woman who had everything else—the money, the position, the palace—and wanted one thing more…

Him.

The next morning Jamal wasn’t any closer to understanding why Heidi felt the need to win him. Maybe he had it all wrong. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part. After all, while he didn’t ever want to fall in love again—loving Yasmin had made him vulnerable and he let her play him for a fool—he did want his marriage to be pleasant for both him and Heidi.

He paced the length of his office as he again went over all that Heidi had done to create her charade. There were dozens of details, not the least of which was how she’d gotten her hands on his Lamborghini. The irony was that he’d been so caught up in Heidi’s
game,
he’d barely noticed he was driving his new car when he finally got into it. Not once in his life had a woman ever had that kind of effect on him.

Which didn’t answer the question of how she’d done it.
Which meant she probably hadn’t done it alone.

He paced past his desk and paused by the large window overlooking the rear gardens. Who would have helped her? Two names came immediately to mind—Fatima and Dora. In fact, he vaguely recalled hearing stories about how Fatima and
her
husband, the late king and Jamal’s grandfather, had come to fall in love. Something about her tricking him into thinking she was a part of his harem and a woman he couldn’t live without. Yes, his grandmother had had a part in this. And she would also have all the answers as to why Heidi had felt the need to play this game.

He walked to his desk and picked up the phone. After calling the harem, he requested that his grandmother come see him at her earliest convenience. She readily agreed—after all, he couldn’t go to her. Even though she was the only resident of the harem and had been since she was a young bride, no man was allowed beyond the golden doors unless he was a eunuch. Not even the king had seen that part of his palace.

He told himself to get some work done while he waited, then wondered who he was kidding. He wasn’t in the mood to do anything but find out the truth. Then he wanted to spend some time with Heidi to discover more about the woman who had gone to such effort to get his attention. The question was, did he want to see Heidi first, or the sexy, if slightly inept, Honey?

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
Fatima
said a half hour later as she sat on one of the leather sofas in a corner of his office and smiled at him.

He’d had the foresight to order her favorite tea and some of the English biscuits she was so fond of, and now she nibbled on one of the butter cookies.

“
Fatima
, I need to know what’s going on,” he said. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together. “It took me all of five minutes to see through the disguise. Heidi is many wonderful things, but she’s not much of a femme fatale.”

“Is that so bad?” his grandmother asked. “We’ve experienced that kind of woman before in this family.”

He knew they were both thinking about Malik’s wife.
The woman whose name was never spoken aloud.

“I’m not complaining,” he said earnestly. “I’m confused. I want to know why Heidi felt she had to do this. With that information I can figure out the best way to handle the situation. I don’t know if I should tell her I know or play along.”

“I see your point,”
Fatima
said, then sighed. “All right, yes, Dora and I helped her transform herself into the lovely Honey Martin. The idea came about because Heidi is convinced she could never attract you otherwise. She considers herself rather unskilled in the arts of seducing a man.”

“She wants to seduce me?” he asked, not able to believe he was having this conversation with his grandmother of all people.

Fatima
sipped her tea. “Yes. She’s under the impression that she’s made a terrible mess of things with you, and she wants to fix that. At first I wanted to recommend a conversation to clear the air, but the more I thought about transforming her, the more I liked the idea. Playing Honey will give Heidi confidence as a woman. She’s bright, articulate and very funny, but she doesn’t understand that she’s actually very attractive and appealing.”

She fixed Jamal with a stern stare. “I trust you’ve been able to see past her dreadful clothes to appreciate the charms of your new bride.”

“Absolutely,” he said sincerely, not daring to admit that he’d been a little blind about Heidi’s physical attributes until she’d flaunted them in that pitiful excuse for a dress.