Olivia Gates - Claimed by the Desert Sheikh

“What?”

“With the pressure off Qadir, the king is going to try to find Nadim a suitable bride. Knowing Nadim, he’ll agree and that will be that.”

Maggie poured them each a cup of coffee. “You aren’t in love with him. Maybe you need to let the whole prince thing go.”

“Maybe. It’s just I’d be a really great princess.”

Maggie noticed her friend sounded more resigned than heartbroken. Maybe a distraction would help.

“I desperately need your help,” Maggie said. “Would you have time to go back to that consignment place? I have a fabulous wardrobe of T-shirts and nothing else. I don’t want to embarrass him. Qadir is going to be taking me places other than the garage.”

“Good point.” Victoria stared at her for a long time. “Sure, we can go shopping, but I have a question first.”

“Which is?”

“Are you sure about this? Have you thought it through?”

Maggie didn’t understand the question. “Are you saying Qadir might not want to pay me the amount he’s agreed to?”

“Not at all. I’m sure the money will be transferred with no problem. I was thinking more about not getting involved.”

With Qadir?

Maggie immediately thought about their brief but powerful kiss. He made her quiver with the lightest touch. She told herself it was nothing more than chemistry and circumstances. She would be fine.

“It’s a business deal.”

“So it seems. Just remember that princes aren’t like other men. Keep your heart safely protected.”

Maggie laughed. Her body she could worry about but her heart was safely out of reach. She’d been hurt too much to ever give it again.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Qadir nodded to himself as he read the screen. All was well. Not that he expected less, but confirmation was always pleasant. He saved the information. His phone buzzed.

“Yes?”

“Sir, there is a Victoria McCallan to see you. She has no appointment but insists it’s very important.”

Qadir’s male assistant didn’t sound convinced of the fact. Qadir hesitated. Victoria was Nadim’s secretary. Why would she need to come here? Still, the woman had never bothered him before. He could afford to give her a few minutes of his time.

“Send her in.”

Seconds later an attractive blonde walked into his office. “Thank you for seeing me, Prince Qadir. I know you’re busy.”

He offered her a seat, but she shook her head. “I prefer to stand.”

He rose, as well. Interesting. “How may I assist you?”

Victoria drew in a breath. She was visibly nervous, although she seemed to be trying to hide her upset.

“I want to talk to you about Maggie,” she said. “I know about your deal.”

Any natural instinct to aid turned cynical as he eyed the woman. Maggie had innocently shared the information of their deal with someone she perceived to be friend. Now Victoria sought to use that information for herself. Typical.

His brother Kateb was right—too many women were out for what they could get.

He waited for her to continue.

“Maggie isn’t going to handle this well. She’s not girly. She doesn’t do the hair and makeup thing. She doesn’t have the right clothes.”

“But you do.” He wasn’t asking a question.

“What? Of course I do, but that’s not the point. She’s blunt and funny and sweet. She cares about people. Going out with you means getting mentioned in the papers. Maggie isn’t going to like that.”

Women didn’t often confuse Qadir, but he now found himself at a loss. “You are concerned about your friend?”

Victoria’s gaze narrowed. “Of course I care about my friend. Why else do you think I’m here?”

Her question hung in the air. He saw the exact moment she realized what he’d been thinking. Her back went stiff. Her mouth thinned.

He waited for her to start defending herself or even yelling at him. Instead she sucked in a breath and continued.

“My point is, Maggie is playing out of her league. You need to make sure she doesn’t get trashed in the papers. And don’t spring stuff on her. She’s never done anything like this. She’s going to have to figure it out while she goes. This is a tough time for her. She’s dealt with a lot of loss in the past few months.”

Victoria obviously knew about Maggie’s father. He wondered if she knew about the old boyfriend.

As he listened to Victoria talk he realized he had never considered Maggie’s feelings about the situation or how she would react to being thrown into his world. He’d seen her as someone he liked and enjoyed spending time with. He knew her to be honest, which made her the perfect candidate for his pretense. He should have considered whether his plan might hurt her in any way.

“She needs a makeover,” Victoria said.

Qadir stared at her. “A what?”

“A makeover. Maggie’s pretty, but she’s the country mouse. She needs a new wardrobe. And someone to teach her how to wear makeup and do her hair. Maggie’s proud and sweet. She doesn’t deserve anyone asking why someone like you would bother with someone like her.”

He didn’t like Victoria saying that. “No one who knew Maggie would ask that question.”

“I agree, but we’re not going to be dealing with people who know her, are we?”

As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. “I will see to it.”

“Good. Look on the bright side. How often do you get to meet a beautiful woman who has no idea how great she is?”

Victoria was right, although he found himself hoping Maggie didn’t change too much through the process.

“There’s one other thing,” Victoria said as the nervousness returned.

He waited.

She raised her chin. “You can’t hurt her. She doesn’t deserve that. You can’t use your position or power against her.”

Annoyance filled him. “You challenge my integrity?”

“Among other things.”

“I am Prince Qadir of El Deharia. No one questions me.”

“Then this is going to be a bad day for you.”

“I can have you deported.”

“I don’t doubt that. Maggie is my friend and I don’t want you to hurt her.”

She trembled. He could see it. Yet she didn’t back down. She faced him, knowing she could lose her job and be sent home in disgrace.

His opinion of both women increased favorably. Victoria for being so willing to protect her friend and Maggie for inspiring such loyalty.

He wondered if Nadim had ever noticed the firebrand lurking behind Victoria’s blue eyes. It was his cousin’s loss if he had not.

Qadir walked around the desk and touched Victoria’s shoulder. “I will not hurt your friend. Maggie is doing me a favor. I have no intention of making her regret her decision to help. We have a business arrangement. Nothing more.”

Victoria shook her head. “That’s what she said. It always starts out sounding so sensible, right up until someone gets hurt.”

“But I don’t want to,” Maggie said, a distinct whine in her voice. “I don’t like shopping.”

Qadir laughed. “You are the first woman to ever say so.”

“I’m sure there are other women who don’t like to shop,” she muttered, wondering if she could fling herself out the limo’s rear door and survive the impact. She would probably end up with a few scars but they would be better than an afternoon spent shopping. She shuddered at the thought.

“If you are to spend time with me, you need an appropriate wardrobe,” he told her. “You came prepared to work on cars, not date a prince.”

She knew he was right. She didn’t have any clothes to wear to all the events he’d mentioned. She needed a decent wardrobe to be able to fit in. But shopping?