“I have no control over other people’s delusions. You know there’s no truth in us having a serious relationship.”
“Why not?”
I don’t hesitate. “When I marry, which shouldn’t be anytime soon, it’ll be with a woman who comes from the same culture as me.”
She stands up as if I have slapped her. “You’ll never find a woman in your country who will satisfy your sexual appetite. You’ll look for me again, Kamal, and then it’ll be too late.”
She gets the purse that, when she arrived, she strategically left open on the couch, just wide enough for me to see the sex toys inside of it, and slings it over her shoulder. “Last chance.”
“Goodbye, Dana. Have a good life.”
After she leaves, I spend a moment enjoying the silence. I hate loud people, no matter their gender. Worse than that are those who use drama as a weapon.
The door flies open again, but this time it’s Adil entering without knocking.
“She looked like she was about to kill someone,” he says, smiling.
When it’s just the two of us, we’re not the Sheikh and his advisor; we’re friends.
I shrug. “She created a fantasy and lived inside it. I’m not responsible for what others think.”
His smile grows. It’s not the first time we have witnessed the fury of one of my exes. “Changing the subject, your new assistant has just arrived in the building.”
“You would make an excellent head of security,” I scoff.
“Keeping you alive will always be my priority, whether it’s my job or not.”
I know he’s being sincere. Fate didn’t make Adil a blood relative, but I consider him as much a brother as my two biological ones, Irfan and Zarif. In fact, I get along better with him than with the latter.
I think about the woman who will help me navigate Western culture. I had forgotten we’d scheduled one last interview with her. Well, Madeline will have to wait until I get back to the office.
“She’s beautiful.”
“I’m not hiring a mistress. Miss Turner’s beauty doesn’t interest me.”
“Is that why you didn’t want to see any pictures?”
“Yes, what difference would it make? She was referred to me by Christos Lykaios[3]. She’s his wife’s cousin.”
“Which just goes to show that beauty is genetic. With all due respect, your friend’s wife is gorgeous. If you don’t plan ongetting involved with her, maybe you should reconsider hiring her. I found her attractive in the pictures, but nothing compares to the video.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I watched her through the security cameras.”
“There’s a name for that kind of fetish.”
He laughs. “I know, and I’m not ashamed of my preferences behind closed doors. There’s nothing sexier than a confident woman showing off.”
“Needless to say, my assistant is off-limits, Adil. I hired her so she can help me understand more about Western habits and traditions, as some of their social niceties confuse me. It’s just for that and that alone,” I emphasize. “Madeline Turner will do.”
“From what you’ve told me, she thinks she’s coming for a last interview, right?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to give a definitive answer, but from what Christos told me, she will do. I have the contract ready, by the way. The family is part of Boston’s high society, which means they are well-educated and know the etiquette foreign to me.”
“A sexy socialite? Almost irresistible. Too bad she’s off-limits. In other news, Danna sent pictures of the two of you to an English celebrity magazine.”
I make a gesture with my hand, indicating that it doesn’t matter. “She told me the media was speculating, but I knew the information came from her.”
