ROMANCE: THE SHEIKH'S GAMES: A Sheikh Romance (14 page)

All of that dust, the desert heat. It stood out in her mind like an egg in a gunfight. It just didn’t make sense. She was here for the time being, like an amusement park. That’s all this was. It’s all it could be. Still, she was going to enjoy every minute of it so she made sure to not let it get to her. She’d have plenty of time to feel down about it once she was home and it was over.

He continued taking her around to shops, and monuments, explaining the history of different buildings and how the city grew into the metropolis it was. He even took her to the tallest building in the city which he told her, with no small amount of pride, he owned. That was his office near the top. He offered to show her, but again, she refused. That was too deep into his life. Too real. Let that be his place.

She was just happy to have this chance to see how the other side lived, to really live the big city life she’d been dreaming of her whole life. Even if she ever made it to the city, she knew it would never have been as amazing as this.

Being here with him wasn’t just a good time. It was a gift. He treated her like a lady, as though she was someone he was proud to have beside him. With her cheap dress next to his tailored suit that probably cost more than her car, she felt like she slummed him down, made him look as cheap as she felt. But despite that, he walked proudly and with the largest smile on his face.

He was actually nervous, to boot. Excited in the way he showed her things, but stumbled over his words here and there. Hesitated when reaching for something if he thought he would accidently touch her. After all the work he put into getting her to go out with him, it was so cute how nervous he actually was to have her. When the evening finally wound down, she decided she was going to end the night on a final note.

One last thing she needed to mark it as the perfect night. As they settled back into the limo, she said, “I’d like you to take me home now.”

It was late, so he looked a bit sad that the evening was over, but he understood. He nodded and pushed the intercom button over his head, but she reached out and touched his leg.

“But tell him to go slow.”

Xavier looked at her for a moment, that telltale expression of hopefulness and hesitation, but she just held his gaze and gave his leg a small squeeze. Xavier did as she asked and when they were under way, she climbed onto his lap, straddling him.

“I’ve had the most wonderful time. I want you to know that.”

He rested his hands on her waist, settling them just above her hips. “So have I. I’ve never enjoyed someone’s company so genuinely.”

She leaned down and kissed him sweetly. The kissing slowly ramped up to more passionate motions, their hands gripping more, their breathing increasing. She felt his excitement grow under her, and she couldn’t stop from smiling. The last thing she wanted to think about was John, but in that moment it was impossible not to make the comparison. Every time she and John were together, she had to work to get him even interested. Nothing made her feel less wanted.

Now here was this man, this perfect man, and he was ready to go just from kissing her. She moved her hips and just took some time enjoying the sensation of his arousal. Soon, though she couldn’t wait any longer, and knew she didn’t have a lot of time before they reached her house. She moved off of him just long enough to remove her panties and gave him a smile.

Like an excited teenager, he removed his jacket and tossed it aside, then quickly undid his pants and pushed them down. She grinned at the sight of him. It was a beautiful thing, and she couldn’t wait to have it. Aimee straddled him again, this time reaching down and taking him in her hand. His eyes closed as he took a deep breath.

“A simple thank you would’ve been enough,” he said with a smile. Aimee leaned down and kissed the side of his neck just under his ear.

“This is my simple thank you,” she whispered. She then guided him into her and lowered herself down.

The breath was driven from her in a rush at the feeling of him. The intensity of the moment was almost more than she could bear. He was wonderful, the feeling of being with him indescribable. It was the very definition of surreal. Aimee brought herself up and lowered down on him again, re-experiencing the sensations.

He buried his face between her breasts, holding her close to him as she began a slow, smooth rhythm. Aimee wasn’t some starry eyed teenager. She’d had sex before, but every time before it was just that: sex. That moment with Xavier, the feeling of his hands on her body, the feel of his shirt against her skin, his breath against her neck as he kissed her, it was the truest sense of connection that she’d ever dreamed of. In that moment, for just that time, they were together.

They moved together, both relishing in the sensations of their bodies, both working for the pleasure of the other. She didn’t feel obliged or an object to him. He appreciated her for who she was, wanted her for exactly who she was, and being with him there, like that, was what sex was always meant to be.

Until now, she’d assumed she would never have it. Every bump in the road was felt throughout her whole body as it jostled them. Her entire body worked itself up to a sensitive frenzy. Finally, after she’d lost all sense of time, she felt her orgasm build inside of her in a rush, as though it had been waiting for something only to spring it on her in an ambush. She clutched to him as she moaned, grinding herself down on him as her ecstasy overcame her.

He suddenly grabbed onto her, groaning and bucking his hips in sharp, heavy motions and she felt the bursts of heat inside of her. That tipped the balance, bringing her own to the fore in a wild rush. He continued to move with her, helping her finish hers through to the end, and when it was over, she rested her head on his shoulder and struggled to regain her breath.

Sitting there in his arms was the most comfortable she’d ever been in her life. Normally after the act it was time to go, but in that moment leaving was the last thing she wanted to do. Unfortunately, it was only a few minutes before they pulled up to the café. Aimee planted a dozen more kisses on his lips and around his face before saying goodbye.

He stood there watching as she walked up the dirt road that eventually led to her house. She knew because, even though she didn’t look behind her, she never heard the car pull away.

Despite how sad she was knowing she couldn’t see him again, she couldn’t help but smile.

Xavier spent the rest of the night in a haze. He wasn’t ready to go home, not after the incredible time he’d had. He had Roland take him around to a few bars in the city. After a few drinks and striking up random conversations with people, he finished off the night feeling like he was on drugs or something.

He’d actually found someone that liked him for who he was, and not just because he was rich. The way she refused his gifts blew him away. It hadn’t been a test, he genuinely wanted to buy her things, to lavish her in the one thing he had a lot of, but she wouldn’t have it. She was just happy being with him. He hadn’t done anything for her that she’d asked her other than showing her a good time, and she slept with him by the end of it.

That had been probably the most unexpected thing for him. He never suspected she would’ve wanted to do anything like that, but he was certainly not complaining about it. The whole thing had been so sensual and amazing. He’d never had sex that felt like it had meaning to it. It wasn’t just sex, it was an experience. The next day, Xavier couldn’t focus on work in the least. He did what he had to in order to get through his day, but that was about it. He couldn’t wait to be off so he could go see her.

He’d sent her a text saying good morning, but never received an answer. Almost obsessively he checked his phone throughout the rest of the afternoon. He left it face-up on his desk so he could see it flash if she texted him back. She never did. As his day was winding to a close, he sent her another text, but she didn’t reply to that one either. When he was finally home, he decided to call her.

Yes, it may have seemed a bit clingy, at least in his own mind, but one phone call a stalker did not make.

It didn’t matter, she didn’t answer.

Xavier hung up and paced the halls of his mansion as he undressed and tried to think of what to do. He’d never met anyone that made him feel so good about who he was, or that seemed to light up just by the fact of him being himself. For the life of him he couldn’t just let that go. If ever there was a time to sacrifice a bit of pride and, yes, he had to admit, some self-respect as well, this was that time.

Xavier dressed in his riding leathers and headed out to that small town to see the woman that had won him over. It was a long drive to see her, but this time he felt a particular sense of anxiety over it. The whole time he thought of what he would say, how he could convince her of whatever was keeping her from him. Then of course he would convince himself that he was overreacting. She was likely fine, just busy. He needed to understand that not everyone lived and breathed to serve him. He would laugh to himself for how absurdly he was behaving. Then, a few miles would drift by, and his mind too would drift to all the reasons she wouldn’t want to see him again.

She’d had a good time, didn’t she? It seemed like it to him. Perhaps he was blind to anyone’s needs but his own. Round and round his mind went.

He was so confused and anxious by the time he reached the café that he didn’t even realize he was still wearing his helmet as he walked in. A young man, one of the only other servers the café employed was there to greet him.

“Where’s Aimee?” Xavier asked immediately. Then, trying to cover up the sudden question he added, “She’s not working today?”

“Nope,” the guy said. “She called in today.”

“Gotcha. Thanks.” Xavier left without even trying to keep up appearances.

She called in. What could that mean? Xavier had never been avoided in his life. Every person he met wanted to be near him, to have his attention. It was all for their own personal gain and had nothing to do with his worth, but still, the experience of someone actually avoiding him was both foreign and unsettling.

The fact that it was the woman he suddenly couldn’t imagine being without made it even more heartbreaking. Xavier went back to his bike and started it up, the weight of the machine a mirror to his own feelings. If she wanted to never speak to him again, fine. He would grant her wish. After, that was, he found out why.

He had to know how he’d failed, how he’d lost her. If he didn’t at least know that, he just knew that this feeling would tear him up inside.

What about him wasn’t good enough for her?

“You have a good day today, all right?” John said before kissing her.

Aimee was pressed against his chest as he held her in his arms. When she smiled up at him, it was the same smile she had for the last few years. He didn’t care if it was genuine or not, he just wanted her to smile. If she wasn’t feeling happy, he wanted her to at least pretend for him. To John, that’s how a person showed they cared. “Quit being such a downer all the time,” he’d say.

So she smiled, and he smiled back. After another small kiss, he turned her around and gave her a slap on the ass as she went up the steps to the café. The slap jiggled her butt and unsettled her on the inside. She hated it when he did that. It wasn’t done for a joke, it was a claiming of property.

Aimee looked over her shoulder and smiled at him again before going back into the café. The moment she crossed that threshold and knew he was gone, she deflated.

After her date with Xavier, John showed up on her doorstep that night asking a dozen questions. Where was she? Where had she gone? He’d messaged her, stopped by her house, the café, and she was nowhere to be found. Was she avoiding him? Xavier was nice, but John was terrifying.

She had to quickly make up excuses as to where she’d went off to, and had to take the next day off just so she could spend the afternoon with him. It was depressing to be shoved back into the life in the heat and the dust after such a glittering evening with someone that treated her like a princess, but she had to accept it. This was reality. This was
her
reality. She’d probably end up marrying John simply for the fact that she was too scared not to.

If she left, he’d just find her. Left. The word made her laugh bitterly on the inside. She’d never get a chance to leave again. She worked her shift and after a few hours got the shock of her life.

The sound of a motorcycle.

Was that him? Why was he here? If John saw, she didn’t know what he’d do. It was hard enough to convince him nothing was going on, but she knew he’d be hanging around town waiting for her to get off work. He was watching her and she couldn’t risk anything setting him off. The front door of the cage was a large pane of glass in a wooden frame. As Xavier came up the steps, she saw his helmeted head first, then step by step, the rest of him came into view.

It was like a mix between a horror movie and a romance. She was filled with such happiness at seeing him, knowing he existed, but at the same time she knew that his very presence meant a lot of very bad things for her if John were to find out. There wasn’t a choice to be made, she had to get rid of him.

Xavier bumped open the door with his hip as he removed his helmet. When he saw her, she saw the light brighten in his face, but he did his best to keep it controlled.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him pointedly.

“I called.”

“I didn’t answer.” It wasn’t a lie. John had taken her phone. Fortunately, she foresaw such a thing taking place, and deleted Xavier’s contact information before it happened.

“I don’t get it,” Xavier said. “I thought we had a good time.”

“We did. We
did
have a good time, and then the good time was over. Did. Now it’s a new time, and you need to go.”

“Go.” Xavier looked totally thrown off. She could see him trying to find something to say, but she caught him off guard. “What did I do wrong?” Then, all at once, his face twisted. All of the pain and sadness took on a far more angry tone. “You know what, forget it. Have fun in your little town.”