The Office Slave (Erotic - Red Hot Fantasies) (7 page)

Especially his best friend.

They reached the small gazebo near the edge
of the water that her father had built when he'd realized how much
she liked this place. Evan helped her up the single step. The water
rippled along the shore, and a loon's lonely cry echoed across the
water.

Then Evan took both her hands and gazed into
her eyes. The heat in those forest green eyes sent her stomach into
somersaults.

He cleared his throat. "Crystal, I have
something I need to tell you."

by Opal Carew

Held captive by a domineering sheikh…

…
and made to pay for a crime she did not
commit

Angelica couldn't believe that hopping off a
plane during a refueling stop to search for one-of-a-kind souvenirs
could lead to so much trouble. Now she is detained in an exotic
country by a devastatingly handsome sheikh... and ends up in his
harem.

Caution: Includes a little f/f, lots of hot
m/f and a heart thumping, romantic, sexual adventure you won't soon
forget!

Angelica couldn't believe that hopping off a
plane during a refueling stop to search for one-of-a-kind souvenirs
could lead to so much trouble.

She sat staring at the glossy mahogany
desktop in front of her, wishing she still wore the light, cotton
sundress she'd donned this morning. The unaccustomed heat pressed
down on her like a heavy blanket, smothering her last few ounces of
energy. She scooped up her long hair so the breeze from the
overhead fan would cool her neck. The small relief it gave seemed
an intense pleasure compared to the rest of this dreadful day, and
she closed her eyes to savor it. This long, robe thing she'd been
forced to wear covered too much of her, as far as she was
concerned. She'd undone the top few buttons, but perspiration
glazed her back and dripped down between her breasts.

Why hadn't she stayed on that darned
plane?

She heard the door behind her open, and then
close with a firm thump. Despite her curiosity, she sat still in
the stiff, wooden chair, determined not to glance around.

Who was it this time? Hopefully, not those
two goons who had dragged her here. She had explained to them that
she'd done nothing wrong, that in fact, she'd been the victim of a
robbery, but they'd barely understood a word she'd said or they'd
chosen not to. She couldn't be sure.

They'd kept her sitting here for at least
two hours, with no regard to her comfort. Right now, she should be
safely aboard her homeward bound flight to Toronto. Asleep.

The newcomer's presence seeped through the
room, filling her with tension. As the seconds drifted by,
curiosity overwhelmed her.

She twisted around to look.

The man who stared back at her was the most
sinfully gorgeous man she'd ever seen. Raw masculinity emanated
from his tall, muscular body. His dark hair flowed to his broad
shoulder in waves, accentuating his square jaw, softened by full,
yet masculine lips.

He had the most stunning eyes. Intense.
Dark. Penetrating.

And intimidating.

His gaze swept over her, making a few stops
along the way. On the open buttons down the front, making her
intensely conscious of the fact that, at the angle he saw her, the
swell of her right breast was visible. On the sash she'd added to
cinch this loose, frumpy robe at the waist. On her crossed legs.
She had pulled the robe up to her knees in an attempt to cool off,
knowing she revealed less leg than she had in her sundress, yet
suddenly she felt shamelessly brazen.

Finally, his gaze pivoted to her face. The
intensity of it disturbed her.

He strode across the room and settled behind
the desk, laying a manila folder in front of him.

"Who are you? And why am I here?" she
demanded.

"I am Kadin and I am the one who will ask
questions."

His voice was quiet, but filled with
authority. The fact that he spoke English sent a wave of relief
through her, followed immediately by frustration. She had a dozen
or more questions to ask. She'd already missed her flight out of
here, and her wallet, passport, and luggage had been stolen. She
still had her purse, at least, she had until they'd brought her
here and confiscated it, but she had no money.

Where would she stay tonight? How would she
buy a ticket to get another flight home? And if she succeeded in
getting a ticket, how would she get across the border without a
passport?

Her frustration turned quickly to anger.
"Look, I was dragged here against my will and I demand that—

"Silence." His eyes flared to a fiery black.
"After what you have done, you have no right to demand
anything."

"What I've done?" she shot back, ignoring
the chill rushing down her spine at his intimidating tone. "I
haven't done anything. You don't seem to understand—"

"I understand very well." His sharp glare
fixed on her as he extended his arm toward her.

A large green pendant on a gold chain hung
from his hand. An emerald. Actually, the largest emerald she'd ever
seen. She reached out to touch it, but he snatched it into his
fist.

"This is Dhiya's. As are the clothes you
wear now," he stated flatly.

Her eyes widened. "So you know who robbed
me." Relief washed through her. "I guess that means you've caught
her. Great. I'd really like to get my things and ..."

His dark eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't play me for a fool. Why was my
beloved Dhiya's pendant in your purse? Why was she seen boarding a
plane wearing your clothes, traveling on your ticket, using your
passport?"

Her jaw tightened. She didn't like the sound
of this. This situation looked like trouble with a capital 'T.' She
had to straighten this guy out right now.

"I already explained to the other men that I
went into the washroom and this woman—"

He slammed his fist on the desk, the sharp
sound reverberating through the room like a gunshot.

"Silence!"

She gulped back the rest of her explanation
and stared at him. Quietly.

"That's better. Now, you will listen."

He stepped from behind the desk and paced,
his hands folded behind his back. His white robes billowed as he
strode back and forth.

"As I see it, there are two possibilities.
One, you were involved in kidnapping Dhiya and transporting her out
of the country. Two, you helped Dhiya at her request, taking her
necklace as payment. Either way, you are in grave trouble. Both are
an insult to me and my family."

She shook her head in disbelief, knowing she
had to set him straight.

"She robbed me at gunpoint."

"Dhiya would never touch a gun."

"But—"

"—if you were a man, there would be many
options open to me to exact justice."

He sat on the edge of his desk facing her,
his arms crossed over his chest.

Her heart hammered loudly and the muscles in
her chest tightened painfully. Just what did he intend to do to
her? She'd heard of officials in these small countries throwing
people into prison for years because of some inadvertent
transgression. She pictured herself stuck in a grimy jail cell,
sharing scraps of food with rats.

"But I cannot bring myself to be so harsh
with a woman." He watched her with those coal-black eyes.

She let out a sigh of relief. She'd never
wanted to use her gender as an advantage, but right now, she had no
such qualms.

"What …?" Her voice came out choked, so she
cleared her throat and tried again. "What do you intend to do with
me?"

He stared at her for a long moment and his
gaze slipped past her chin to her chest. She raised her hand to toy
with the top button of the robe, at least the top button that was
still fastened.

A drop of perspiration glided slowly down
her neck. Like a breath of fire grazing her skin, his gaze seared
her as he followed the progress of the drop as it forged a path
down her chest, then disappeared between her breasts. He lingered
on the swell of flesh peeking from the deep neckline. He might as
well have been caressing her breasts physically for the affect he
was having on her. Her nipples pebbled, hardening and peaking
against the thin fabric.

Awareness shimmered through her, of his
overwhelming masculinity, and of just how vulnerable she was.

His gaze shifted to her face.

"To repay the debt of dishonor, you will
serve me."

"What do you mean 'serve you'? "

"You will warm my bed. Tonight, and for as
many nights as I see fit."

She blinked at him.

"I … beg your pardon?"

"You may well do, but I will not pardon you.
You have wronged me and you will pay with the only currency you
have as a woman. Your body."

Her stomach clenched painfully and her hands
started to shake. Oh, God. This couldn't really be happening.

"You can't mean …"

His hot gaze told her otherwise.

"But that's barbaric." Yet the thought of
this man dragging her into his arms, his mouth devouring hers, sent
shivers of excitement through her.

"Insults will not better your position."

"How long do you intend to … keep me
here?"

"When Dhiya returns, I will have answers. If
you merely helped her, then I will consider your debt of dishonor
repaid and I will let you go. If it turns out you were involved in
kidnapping her, then your situation will change, for the
worse."

"And if she doesn't return?"

His expression turned dangerous.

"You had better hope that she does," he
growled.

She bolted to her feet, her hands clenched
into fists at her sides.

"You don't seem to understand. I'm the
victim here."

"Silence."

Obviously, he wasn't going to listen. Fear
sliced through her, colliding with anger at the unfairness of it
all. There had to be some way to straighten out this whole
mess.

She glared at him.

"This is ridiculous. I have rights. I demand
to see the Canadian ambassador at once," she said with as much
authority as she could muster.

She stomped across the room toward the exit
and flung open the door. Two very large, very scary looking guards
turned and stared at her. Their expressions dared her to try and
leave. She took one step forward and they tensed. She glanced at
the long swords settled in scabbards at their waists. Of course,
they wouldn't even need to unsheathe those things. All they'd have
to do is pick her up bodily and put her where they wanted her.

"They won't let you leave unless I allow
it."

She turned to face the man at the desk.

"And I will not allow you to leave my house,
or my country, until you have paid your debt."

She swallowed the lump forming in her
throat.

Contemporary erotic short stories and
novellas

Three

Debt of
Honor

Red Hot
Fantasies series

Volume 1:
The Male
Stripper

Volume 2:
The
Stranger

Volume 3:
The Office
Slave

Volume 4: The Captive (coming soon)

Volume 5: The Bridal Affair (coming
soon)

Futuristic erotic romance

Slaves of
Love

Celestial
Soul-Mates series

Book 1:
The King
and I

Book 2:
The
Commander's Woman

Book 3:
Passion
Play

Book 4: Love Unexpected (tbd)

Book 5: Fantasy Bound (tbd)

Fantasy erotic romance

Crystal
Genie

Contemporary erotic romance

His to
Command

Illicit

Insatiable

Secret
Weapon

Total
Abandon

Pleasure
Bound

Bliss

Forbidden
Heat

Secret
Ties

Six

Blush

Swing

Twin
Fantasies

Contemporary serial erotic romances

His to
Command

# 1:
The
Chase

# 2:
The
Capture

# 3:
The
Revelation

# 4:
The
Arrangement

# 5:
The
Submission

# 6:
The
Surrender

Contemporary romance

The
Cinderella Obsession

Virgin
Spy

Virgin
Wanted

Contemporary fantasy romance

Christmas
Angel

I Dream of
Genie

Virgin
Wizard

Contemporary futuristic romance

Man of Her
Dreams

Opal Carew is an award-winning author of
erotic romance. She was named "Fresh Face of Erotic Fiction 2009"
and her books have won the Award of Excellence, Golden Leaf Award,
and Golden Quill Award. They have also been finalists for the
National Readers' Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, Laurel Wreath
Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and Passionate Plume
Award. Also, her book
TOTAL
ABANDON
is a finalist for
RT Book Reviews
magazine’s best erotic book of 2011
award.

Opal loves nail polish, crystals, dragons,
feathers, cats, pink hair, the occult, Manga artwork, and all that
glitters. She earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of
Waterloo, and spent 15 years as a software analyst before turning
to her passions as a writer. She lives in Canada with her husband,
two sons and two cats.