The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(6)

At his admission, I waited for the punch line, the cracked smile, the wiggled brow. But Rashid sat across from me and looked anything but playful. So, instead of declaring outright that I didn’t believe him, I decided to try another tactic.

“I’m no queen in waiting, but I am queen of that phone shop you met me at. Manager, actually. It’s not much, and it’s definitely not what I wanted, but things ended up okay for me, despite the circumstances.”

“Oh?” he studied my face with curiosity.

I kept my gaze on my hands, my tensed lines of fingers.

“I was going to school to become a neurologist, but my mom got sick and I had to help pay for her treatment as well as caring for my dad—he’s been wheelchair-bound for a few years, now. It’s been a lot of hard work since, but I don’t regret it for a second.”

I looked up fiercely at him so there was no doubting my words; it was something I had to remind myself of from time to time, after an especially long day at the shop.

But Rashid didn’t look like he was doubting me at all. No, there was something else in his face, an expression I couldn’t quite read.





Chapter Seven





Rashid




At her intensely spoken words, all my pretenses fell away. The next time our eyes met, I knew. I had to tell her the full truth of why I was here, why I had asked her on a date.

“I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you.”

Just then, our spaghetti arrived and was set down in front of us, interrupting my confession.

The waiter smiled at me. “Would Monsieur or Madame like any Parmesan?”

I nodded while Lacie shook her head, and the waiter swiftly grated the cheese over my steaming bowl before leaving the table once more. Lacie and I sat there for a minute, not moving, the weight of my words hanging over our heads. I took a long swig of my drink, then spoke.

“I have a proposal for you.”

More silence followed, and, as her face contorted in disgust, I realized just what the poor girl must be thinking.

I leaned in and lowered my voice. “Sorry, that came out wrong. Not to sleep with me. But…to marry me.”

Now, her face had gone from appalled to just plain flabbergasted, so I soldiered on, determined to finish before she bolted from the restaurant entirely.

“No, I’m not crazy and I haven’t been struck with a fatal case of love at first sight. Let me explain. Everything I’ve told you is true; my father is the ruler of my home country and I am in line to be ruler next. What I didn’t mention is what I need to do in order to become head of state—what I wasn’t even aware was required of me, until a couple days ago.”

So far, she looked about as shocked as before, so I decided I might as well just say it: “I need to marry a virgin bride.”

Now, her face was transforming again, but I wasn’t going to let her decide just yet, not before I’d gotten my last words in.

“It’s an absurd, sexist, archaic law, and I fought against it, but the supreme council won’t award me the position if I don’t meet this requirement. Once I’m ruler, I plan to abolish the law, but until then…”

Suddenly, I realized I’d forgotten to mention the most important thing of all. I took a breath as I carefully formulated my next words.

“You’re the first virgin I’ve come across, which seems pretty serendipitous. You seem like a bright, kind woman, so I’d like to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. One where I get my virgin bride, and you get the financial support you need—for both yourself and your family.”

Still, the poor woman was gaping at me like I’d just told her that fairies were real, so I wrote the amount I was willing to offer her on a napkin and slid it over to her. At this very inopportune moment, the waiter returned.

“And how are you two enjoying your meal?”

The answer was obvious in our tense faces and untouched meals, but I gave him an easy smile.

“Fine, thanks. In fact, we were thinking of maybe you packing this up to take home and getting us the bill.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I glanced at Lacie. “What do you think?”

Her still-stunned face managed a shaky nod.

Once the waiter finally sped off, I turned my attention to Lacie. I took her hands, which were clammy.

“I’m sorry for throwing all this at you at once—I realize how out-of-the-blue and overwhelming it must seem. But, please, just consider my offer tonight. Think it over, eat some spaghetti, and let me know. I fly home tomorrow at noon; I can give you my cell number now.”

By the time I’d entered my number into Lacie’s phone, the waiter was back with the bill and had boxed up our food. After I’d paid, we stopped at the door of the restaurant. I tried to catch Lacie’s eye, to no avail.

“Can I get you a cab home?”

She still wouldn’t meet my gaze.

“I can get the bus, thanks.”

“Okay, Lacie, I…” I took a step forward so that we were face to face. “I just wanted you to know that I’m not just asking you because you’re the first virgin I came across. You seem like a genuinely good woman, and although we don’t know each other well, we would have a little time to become acquainted before the wedding.”