Page 40 of Bred By the Sheikh

I looked good.

Actually, I looked very good.

“I’ll take this one.”

The stylist smiled.

“Excellent choice.”

Back upstairs, I showered again, redid my hair, and applied the makeup I’d packed in a rush because apparently some part of me had believed mascara would become strategically important in Dubai.

At seven fifty-five, I stood in front of the mirror. Sapphire silk skimmed my body beneath bare shoulders, my strawberry-blonde waves fell down my back, and my freckles were still visible.

I almost changed my mind about the dress.

Then I remembered Tariq looking at me yesterday after I told him I was nervous. He hadn’t told me I shouldn’t be nervous or pushed me; he’d listened.

I picked up my small bag and left the guest wing.

***

The rooftop terrace looked different at night.

The city spread below in glass and light, but the dinner table had been set farther from the edge near the planters, where the space felt private rather than theatrical.

Candles flickered inside low glass holders.

There was no orchestra, flower wall, or line of staff waiting as though I were arriving for a coronation, just a beautiful table for two beneath the open night sky, with discreet fans stirring the heavy summer air.

Tariq stood when I stepped outside.

His attention moved over me slowly, and awareness prickled across my bare shoulders.

He wore dark trousers and an open-collar black shirt, the sleeves fastened neatly at his wrists. Without the suit jacket and room full of executives, he looked less corporate but no less powerful, and definitely no less dangerous to my decision-making.

“You chose that.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, I did.”

His eyes returned to my face.

“You look beautiful.”

Warmth spread across my cheeks.

“Thank you.”

One of the attendants stepped forward and drew back my chair while Tariq waited until I was seated before taking his own.

Staff poured water and left us with the first course, then retreated far enough that I no longer felt watched.

I glanced at the table.

“You resisted feeding twelve people.”

“This required negotiation.”