The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(48)

The camera light went on again, and she was back in character.

“Amir is one of the sweetest people I know, but he is definitely a little…out of touch. One time, I tried to get him to open a tin can for me. Didn’t know how,” she laughed.

She could hear Amir having his own interview across the kitchen.

“Kaye is such a sweet girl. She’s beautiful and funny. She just really doesn’t know how to pick up on my cues, though. Like, when a man wants breakfast, make him breakfast!”

She glared at him from across the room, and he blew a kiss at her, the expression dripping with sarcasm. All of it was caught on camera.

“All right, now let’s get the two of you sitting side by side, talking about your relationship,” Jesse said.

He led them toward another living room, which housed an array of luscious smelling flowers, the open windows letting in the scent of the sea breeze. Amir and Kaye were placed side by side, and he reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. Her fingertips tingled where he touched them.

“Okay, now tell me a funny story about how you met,” Jesse said, turning the cameras back on.

Amir glanced down at Kaye and smiled.

“Well, Kaye here was being a bit of a mess on the dance floor—doing this American…chicken dance thing?—and it was my duty as a man of Al Rayyan to ensure that she didn’t make a total fool out of herself.”

“Amir,” Kaye scolded, nudging him playfully. “That is not at all what happened. There was actually a man that wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Amir’s expression turned stony. He looked ferocious in an instant. While disconcerted, Kaye continued on as though the behavior was totally normal.

“The guy was hounding me all over the floor. He lured me into a corner and was about to lay his hands on me when, out of nowhere, this guy swooped in and saved the day.”

She nestled a little more closely into Amir’s side, breathing in the clean scent of him. He smelled like soap and clean linen, and it was the most comforting smell she had ever experienced. Amir was tense beneath her touch.

"I would have beaten that man for his behavior, stalking a woman like that. He had no place to behave in such a manner. Fortunately, I was able to get that point across with as little violence as possible.”

“And saved the day,” Kaye gushed, beaming up at her “fiancé.”

Amir smiled warmly down at her, his brown eyes filled with an adoration that seemed so real, Kaye was almost fooled herself. She reminded herself to tell him to seriously consider a career in acting after the show wrapped.

“Cut! That’s good guys, really awesome. Let’s get you doing some scenes in some other parts of the house, okay?”

Kaye nodded, and together she and Amir spent the rest of the day filming scenes that would constitute their everyday life as a couple in love. While they showed affection toward one another, Amir never kissed her.

“Where I come from, that’s just not a way we show affection before marriage,” he explained to the camera.

Kaye nodded respectfully.

“There are so many ways to show love. Besides, it will make that first kiss even more special, won’t it babe?”

Amir nodded, twirling Kaye and tugging her into his embrace, where he dipped her.

“Like dancing, for example,” he said.

He was dashing and charming, but there were so many elements to the reality show version of Amir that weren’t even close to the man he was off camera. It was a fascinating transformation. When the cameras turned off, he lifted her back onto her feet, stepping away.

“You’re really good at this,” Kaye told him, her voice laced with admiration.

Amir shrugged.

“Thanks. I’ve been around enough actors to know the ropes a bit. Also, Merle drilled my character into me pretty hard, and we all know what happens when we disappoint Merle.”

There was a general chuckle that echoed around the room.

“That should be good for today. We’ll film some evening scenes tomorrow night, and do some cutting and editing tomorrow morning, so you should expect us to start setting up sometime in the afternoon. Sound good?”

“Sounds great. Thanks for everything, Jesse,” Amir said, holding out a hand for Jesse to shake, which he did.

“No problem, man. You guys make it easy. Kaye, great job today. I think we’ve really got a hit show on our hands. You two have great chemistry on camera.”

Kaye felt a small blush creep up her cheeks.

“Thanks, Jesse.”

He nodded.

“We’ll have Jen arrive a little earlier than us tomorrow to get you both camera ready, okay?”

“Sounds good,” she replied.

With that, Jesse and the rest of the crew packed up their supplies, leaving the larger pieces in the front courtyard.

As she got ready to leave, Kaye remembered with a start that she hadn’t thanked the Sheikh for her gorgeous new car yet. She turned to him, beaming.

“Sorry I didn’t have time to say so before, but thank you so much for the car. It was really sweet of you, and I appreciate it so much! I love her; she’s gorgeous. I need a name, though!”

Amir returned her grin.

“Happy to help. We can think up a name tonight over some dinner, if you want?”

Kaye gave him a confused look.