Sarah Randall - His Irresistible Darling

As she leaned against the cool tiles of the shower and allowed the hot water to pound over her aching neck muscles she cast her thoughts back to her decision to approach Jumal and take the step of leaving England. She had never been one to take the easy route or allow an opportunity to pass by and even at her relatively young age, she’d travelled both with her parents as a child but more independently once she’d finished her A levels. Her parents were a lot older than most of her friends’ parents but they hadn’t been stifling or overprotective; instead they’d encouraged their daughter in her desires to travel and undertake just about every hobby and sporting activity possible. Whenever she got homesick, which was usually just after she’d spoken to her brother and Ana on Skype, she would mentally slap herself and remind herself just how lucky she was to have such an opportunity.

Matt’s whirlwind romance with the world-famous super model Ana Harper aka her sister-in-law, had taken even her by surprise and made her look closely at her own future. Matt was now a father with another mini Darling already on the way; he was a successful businessman in his own right and had never been happier. She honestly wasn’t jealous of her brother and his new family, never that, but he’d always been there for her, particularly after their parents’ deaths. However, she couldn’t keep relying on him and assuming he would be there to pick up the pieces as she raced through life like a whirlwind. She needed to gather her inner strength and assert her independence once again—make a stand on her own. Even if the very thought of a new environment with new work colleagues in a foreign land and unfamiliar culture had made her nauseous and brought back the panic and dread of her earlier life experiences.

***

“Afwan! Oops sorry, oh pardon me, sorry, afwan! Oh heck was that your bag? I’m so very sorry—agghh—”

Pip sighed heavily and blew her fringe out of her eyes as she finally dropped down into the window seat of the heavenly air-conditioned Metro Rail, letting her bags fall to the floor. She knew she was still blushing and had already apologised profusely to the man sitting next to her in the aisle seat and whose lap she’d sat on as the metro started to depart with a sudden jerk. She was pretty sure she’d also clobbered him on the head with her fully packed lunch box.

She’d had to run for the bloody tram as, being sleep deprived, she’d forgotten the report for Jumal on her first attempt to leave her apartment earlier and had to double back.

She took a deep calming breath and looked out of the window to the long stretch of sun-drenched beach and sparkling deep blue sea. She smiled longingly at the children laughing and running away from the breaking waves. It was a game she and her brother had played on many happy holidays when they were children, before he’d grown too old for such childish games and instead discovered girls and got his driving licence. She loved this journey to and from work on the metro and chose to take it despite having the car.

She was still captivated by the warm colours of the island set in an enviable position just off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. There were pockets of perfectly manicured greenery amongst the cool high-rise glass jungle metropolis but the main colours of the land were the warm reds, browns and burnt orange of the mountains and dunes, which set the perfect contrasting natural backdrop to the business district of central Dubain. The dry heat had hit her like a solid wall when she’d first stepped out of the air-conditioned airport but she’d quickly acclimatised and now shivered when she thought of the bitter, hard winters of her home in the isolated Yorkshire moors—although she did miss the greenery. The people of Dubain were welcoming in the extreme and smiled encouragingly at her when she tried to speak Arabic with mixed success. She rested her forehead against the window.

She was distantly aware of her neighbour clearing his throat. “I’m Jake by the way.” Her napping was interrupted by the sound of an American accent. She turned and met a friendly smile and shook his offered hand.

“Oh hello. I’m Pippa. Pip.”

“Nice to finally meet you,” he said before continuing, “I’ve seen you quite a few times on the tram. I think we must live and work near each other. I’ve been meaning to work up the courage to introduce myself. When you fell into my lap I thought it was as good a sign as any that I should finally say hello. So, hello.”

She felt herself blush again. “I really am sorry about that. I think I fell over that lady’s bag,” she said, nodding over the aisle.

“No worries. Sadly, it’s not every day that a beautiful woman falls into my arms.” He offered her a boyish grin.

“Well, thanks for catching me. So you’re American?”

“Yep. Born in upstate New York. I’ve just moved over here and started work at Goldbergs as a trader; I tried for a New York post but they wanted more experience so I thought I might as well gain it here.”

“Well, welcome to Dubain. I’ve only been her a few months too, so I know it can be quite daunting and difficult to meet people our age.”

As they continued to chat, Pip tried to keep an eye out for her stop. Having nearly missed the tram, there was no way she was going to miss her stop, but she was enjoying Jake’s easy company.

“So have you managed to do any sightseeing yet?” she asked.

“No. Not yet I’m ashamed to say. I haven’t really got my head around the language either.”

“Well, most people have a really good understanding of English. The children start learning it straight from primary school and I think they’re starting to teach their parents too. Just try a few words a ‘ shukran ’ here and there, and most people will be happy with that,” she suggested helpfully. “Once you get settled, you should definitely take the cable car up to the summit of Mount Gaiza. The views from the top are apparently outstanding; sunset is supposed to be the best time to go.”

He pursed his lips. “You haven’t been up yet?”

“Oh no, erm. I’m not such a fan of cable cars,” she admitted to him before continuing, “I keep meaning to see if there is a track I could drive up and then hike the rest of the way to the summit.”

“Sounds good. Maybe you’d let me come with you. I’m a good hiker. Spent many a happy vacation hiking and skiing in the Appalachian Mountains back home.”

“Yeah? I learnt to snowboard there when I was travelling a couple of years back—at the ski mountain resort. Do you know it?”

Jake’s face lit up. “You’re kidding? It’s my favourite place to ski! Er…so, I was thinking of taking the ferry over to Dubai one weekend and trying out that purpose-built snow centre. Maybe we could do that together too?”

Pip stammered, “Oh er, yeah sure.”

“Sorry. I’m being a pushy American, aren’t I? I just haven’t met anyone yet that’s under the age of forty and that I can speak to without looking like an idiot.”

“It’s fine, honestly, and sounds like a great plan for one weekend.”

“So where do you work, Pip?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Right there,” she said, pointing over his shoulder.

She watched him turn and look over to the tallest of the glass skyscrapers in the distance she had pointed towards.

He turned back to her and arched a brow. “You work for him ?” He nodded his head back towards the tall glass tower, his face a mixture of horror and admiration.

“I do indeed. So do you know Jumal?” she asked.

“Oh no, not personally. I’ve just heard about his rep at work. Is he as bad as they all say?” He was looking at her like she was his hero for working with the mighty Jumal Aldabbagh.