The Sheikh's American Bride (The Sharqi Sheikhs Series Book 2) (4 page)

Claire met Taleb outside the law library for their tour. She loved the library and spent most of her time there as an undergrad. It was her home away from home, as Kim called it. While Taleb may be passionate about museums and art, for Kim it was old libraries with heavy wood desks, row upon row of books, and the marvelous smell of musty antique paper.

They barely exchanged greetings as he had his head buried in his phone. Looking at him, he was again dressed in tailored slacks and a fitted polo shirt.

Since it was a warm day, instead of her usual baggy pants, she was wearing an old pair of jeans that she had cut off to make shorts and a long t-shirt. As she was running out the door, her hair had tumbled loose from her ponytail, so she decided to leave it down.

“At least you are punctual this time,” he said to her as she rolled her eyes at him.

“What is your obsession with time?”

“My time is precious and I cannot afford to have it wasted.”

“Time is to be enjoyed, not counted,” Claire countered.

Taleb looked at her for a second before ushering her into the large library. Walking into Langdell Hall, Claire began giving him the scripted tour that they give to all incoming students. As she walked him around, she talked about the history, the architecture and many of the university’s illustrious alumni. Walking past a series of Greek columns, Taleb looked up toward the ceiling.

“NON SVB HOMINE SED SVB DEO ET LEGE,” he read aloud as he puzzled over it.

“Not under man but God and Law,” Claire translated. “It’s attributed to the conference of James the First and the Judges of England. The outcome was that cases were to be decided by the courts and not by the King in person.”

“Did you learn that when you came to work here?” he asked.

“No, actually, in college. Here to be exact. Where I received dual bachelor degrees in legal studies and library science and graduated cum laude. I also had almost enough units to receive a minor in Latin, but I didn’t pursue it.”

“I’m impressed,” Taleb told her.

“You should be. If I didn’t have to work while I was in school, I might have made summa cum laude. There’s much more to Harvard than finding a wife, Taleb. You should stick around and find out.”

As the two walked past students, the women were obviously staring at Taleb. Some even greeted him, but he seemed lost in thought and ignored them. Claire shook her head.

“I am still not over the fact that you threw out your ice cream – perfectly good ice cream!”

“I already told you that there were too many calories in it,” he replied to her as she laughed. She had never met a guy who counted calories.

“Taleb, I am sure you could stand to have ice cream once in a while.”

“I have a strict diet. That is why my body is like this,” he responded as he gestured to his body and struck a pose.

Claire stopped and looked him up and down, seeming to scrutinize him from head to toe as he preened in front of her. While he was indeed impressive and seemingly every woman’s fantasy, including her own, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of finding out how much she wanted to run her hands over his body or that he had already served as the leading man in some of her naughtier fantasies.

Shrugging her shoulders, “Eh, you look all right,” she told him before she quickly turned to continue their tour. She had to keep from laughing when she heard his sputter.

“Woman!” he began.

Unable to keep it inside her, Claire turned to face him as she continued to walk backwards. Grinning at him, her giggle turned into soft laughter as Taleb wagged his finger at her before chuckling.

“Okay, I admit it, you look good. But how is it that you’ve never had Ben and Jerry’s?”

“I had an… unusual childhood,” he said slowly. Claire raised her eyebrows. His vague answer made her more curious.

“How so?” 

“My mother was only twenty-five when she died, leaving three young boys to be raised by my father, who was a strict disciplinarian,” Taleb ventured.

Claire gasped. “I am so sorry. Did he ever remarry?”

Shaking his head, “Oh no. He was…angry that she left us. We were expected to be men before we were ever boys. Life was about education, hard work and success.”

Claire tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, “My parents divorced when I was eight and I was raised by my father.”

“So, then you understand.”

Shrugging her shoulders, “Not really. I mean things were great in the beginning. I couldn’t understand why my mom…why my mom didn’t want me,” Claire paused. “But my dad was good to me. Great in fact,” she rushed on.

“Is that where you developed your love for this Ben and Jerry’s ice cream?”

“No, that came later. My dad remarried and instead of it being the three of us, my stepmom had me sent off to boarding school. I thought that when I got accepted to Harvard that my dad, you know, would be proud of me, but they didn’t even come to my graduation.” Claire hung her head.

Talib hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up, “We are much alike in many ways,” Taleb told her, his gaze intense.

“And we are also very different. For you, you want to control…everything. I’ve had to learn the hard way that when other people are involved, things rarely go my way.”

Narrowing his gaze, “Some things should be controlled,” he told her. “I cannot leave everything to chance.”

“Like finding a wife?”

Taleb ran his hand through his hair, “Life is too short and uncertain not to achieve all that you want.”

“And you want a western wife?”

“Yes, I do.”

“One that meets your ridiculously strict criteria.”

Taleb looked down at Claire. “Enough. As you have stated, while we may have both grown up without a mother, we are different people with different expectations. I want a wife by my twenty-fifth birthday and you want…ice cream.”

Fury began to simmer deep inside her as she stared at him open-mouthed. “You didn’t need to be insulting. And for the record, Kim spoke so highly of you, I just have to say that you are nothing like she described. In fact, you seem like an entirely different person. Good luck with the wife hunt.” Turning, Claire began to walk away.

Grabbing her arm, Taleb stopped her before she took two steps. “I apologize. I have much on my mind and I agree, I should not have insulted you. You have accomplished much with your life despite the lack of a mother.”

“I had Kim,” Claire said quietly warning herself not to sniffle in front of him.

Smiling at her, “And she is a wonderful influence on both of my brothers,” he told her, as she returned his smile. “Which is why I need to find a wife.”

“Before your twenty-fifth birthday.”

“Yes.”

“Which I’m presuming is soon.”

“Yes.”

“Well, it sounds like you have your work cut out for you.”

That was the most real conversation they had ever had. Claire was surprised that he had opened up to her and other than Kim; she had never shared her feelings about her father with anyone else until now. It was odd but she was enjoying talking to him.

As they stood at the top of the stairs on the mezzanine level looking out onto the main floor, Claire watched Malil jog up the steps toward them carrying some files.

“Greetings, Sheik Taleb.” Malil said formally as he reached the top step. Glancing to Claire, “Miss Anderson.”

Claire raised her eyebrows. She had forgotten that Taleb was a sheik. He certainly didn’t act like the leading man character in her favorite romance stories.

“Hello, Malil,” Taleb replied in a plain tone, giving nothing away.

“Could I have a word?” He looked at Claire and then back at Taleb. Malil seemed cautious as if he was unsure about interrupting them.

“It's alright,” Taleb said to him. Malil nodded and then looked down at the documents he was holding.

“I have found some potential candidates,” he told him.

For his wife?
Claire asked herself. So, Malil was helping with the search. Normal people did not look for wives like that. But then again, Taleb was a rich man from a rich, elite Middle Eastern family. There was no way he was going out onto the street to search for a wife or using Tinder. Of course, he would have someone else do that for him.

“How many?” Taleb asked.

“Three,” Malil replied. “But they’re strong matches.”

Talib raked a hand through his thick hair, “And they definitely fit my criteria?”

That damn ridiculous criteria;
Claire thought to herself. There were plenty of beautiful women in the world that did not fit his criteria. It did not make them any less desirable. Taleb was simply too picky.

“Yes. I have their information right here,” Malil told him, gesturing to the files.

“Show me,” Taleb demanded.

Claire stood to one side as Taleb read through the files. Unable to ignore what was going on, she went up on her toes so she could look over his arm at what he was reading. Each file had a picture and some basic information. Claire watched Taleb's facial expressions as he read their information. He looked intrigued.

Claire wanted to laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was. She also wanted to step in and discourage him from meeting them. It was in her best interest to do so, but how? Taleb looked up from the files.

“They're definitely good matches,” he told Malil as he smiled and nodded.

“She isn't a natural blonde,” Claire pointed out. Taleb looked at her. “You can see her roots,” she added. He looked back down at the picture. After a few moments, he nodded and handed the file back to Malil.

“You are right,” he said to her flatly. Claire was surprised at how quickly he changed his mind. They both examined the next picture. The next woman was definitely a natural blonde. That was not the problem this time.

“There is no way she is five feet eight inches tall,” Claire said about the next woman.

“You don't think she is that tall?” Taleb asked her. Malil stood there silently, watching Claire and Taleb looking at the choices he had brought.

“No, I do not. Look at those heels; she’s probably closer to five six.” 

Taleb grunted and handed the file back to Malil. “You are right once again,” he said.

“Why do you want a tall woman anyway?”

“I want my children to have great genes.”

Claire raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? You are already thinking about children too?”

Taleb nodded. “I plan right until the end. I do not half-ass anything. Besides, tall women are naturally more attractive than short women are.”

He probably likes long legs
; Claire thought to herself, as she felt self-conscious about her height. She never minded being short. Until now. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the next photo.

“She is perfect,” Taleb said, tapping a finger on the file.

“As if there is such a thing,” Claire replied. The woman was quite beautiful though – a platinum blonde and elegantly tall.

She stared at the photo and noticed that she was holding a Chanel bag. Claire herself could never afford one or any other designer bag but then again, she preferred her backpack. The longer she stared at the bag, the more she could see something was off.

“Wait. The letters are too close,” Claire pointed out.

“What letters?” Taleb asked. He looked confused.

“On the bag.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s a fake.”

“Okay…” Taleb still looked confused as he stared at the photo. Claire shrugged her shoulders.

“I don't know, I mean if she is from a prestigious family, then surely she can afford a real Chanel bag,” she stated. Taleb raised an eyebrow.

“So you think that she is lying about her background?”

Claire nodded. “It is a possibility,” she answered, holding her breathe and awaiting Taleb’s reply.

Taleb and Malil exchanged a glance.

“Women know how to spot these things,” Malil ventured. Taleb stared at the picture before sighing heavily and handing the file back to him. Claire's eyes widened. She could not believe that she had successfully put him off all three women. She sighed with relief.

“So what happens next?” she asked him.

“We keep looking.”

Malil nodded. “I will find more candidates. This time I will double check their background,” he stated as Taleb nodded.

“Miss Anderson seems to have sharp eyes. We might need to borrow them in the future.”

Swallowing, Claire tucked her hands in her pockets, “Anything I can do to help,” she told them, relieved that he would be starting over on his search
.
Malil bowed his head to Taleb before he left.