Yes, this was the woman he remembered, Rian realized. This was the reaction that he wanted, needed, craved from her! When her fingers touched his neck, he felt his control slipping. With every ounce of control within him, he pulled back. As he looked down at her, Rian noticed that her lips were swollen, her eyes dreamy, and he could still feel her trembling with the same need he felt.

  Unfortunately, the buzzer on her desk buzzed and he knew that he couldn’t proceed with his plans. Not here. Especially since his plans included tossing her over his shoulder so that he could take her back to his penthouse and make love to her until she couldn’t move.

  Her eyes popped open at the sound and she looked around as if she didn’t remember where she was. He liked that! A lot! At least he wasn’t the only one struggling to retain control when they touched.

  “I know you have clients,” he told her, conceding that point at least. “So, we’ll talk more about this over dinner.” With that, he moved towards the door. “But Amilee, I’ve waited years for you. I’m not willing to keep waiting.”

  Amilee stared at the closed door, startled by his words. A less cynical person might assume that he actually desired her. That he was impatient to be with her.

  But just as that hope began to bloom, another image overrode the first. Razeen. The memory returned and reality came thudding back to her. “Not again,” she whispered furiously. Picking up her phone, she sent a text message.

  “Emergency meeting! Need advice!”

  Almost immediately, two messages chimed. “Lunch!” Annie, who worked on the ground floor of the building in the bakery, texted back. “I’ll be there too!” Kate replied. Kate owned a boutique a few doors down from Annie, in the next building.

  “Thanks! Park across the street?” It was their usual place to meet whenever they met for lunch during the warmer weather. Of course, those were few and far between in Chicago. The winters were brutally cold and windy while the summers could be stiflingly hot. Thankfully, it was a glorious spring day with temperatures in the mid-seventies. Amilee had needed a sweater on the drive into the office this morning, but by the time lunch came around, it would be warm enough for them to sit on a park bench. Of course, they’d need to get there early enough to get a park bench. On a beautiful, sunny day like today, everyone who worked in the downtown office buildings would emerge to enjoy a few minutes of sunshine.

  Chapter 7

  “Thanks for meeting me,” Amilee said, hugging Kate and Annie.

  They both sat down on a park bench, but Amilee resumed her pacing.

  “What’s going on?” Kate asked, peering into the brown bag and taking out one of the sandwiches that Amilee had bought at the deli down the street.

  Amilee ran a hand over her stomach, clutching her own sandwich while Kate rummaged through the deli bag to find Annie’s lunch.

  Annie and Kate unwrapped their sandwiches while Amilee paced along the sidewalk in front of the bench. They munched and Amilee paced. Several times, Amilee lifted her forefinger into the air as if to say something, then stopped and continued pacing.

  “She’s going to explode,” Annie whispered as she leaned towards Kate.

  Kate nodded, wrinkling her nose as she popped another chip into her mouth. “It’s going to be messy too!”

  Amilee paused long enough to glare at her friends. “That’s right. Laugh at the single chick. I know that you two are deliriously happy with your hubbies and,” her eyes dropped to Annie’s protruding belly, “are eagerly expecting your first child. But have a bit of sympathy for me. I just…!”

  “If you’d date occasionally, maybe you’d find a keeper too,” Annie interrupted.

  That halted Amilee’s pacing and she laughed weakly, letting her head fall back as she stared up into the trees. “Actually, I’m betrothed.”

  She lifted her head and stared at her two friends, enjoying their startled glances.

  “Betrothed?” Annie echoed, lowering her sandwich until it rested on her swollen belly. “As in, engaged?”

  Amilee shrugged and wobbled her head. “It’s sort of the same thing.”

  Kate and Annie were staring wide-eyed at her, jaws nearly in their laps.

  Amilee sighed, her chin dropping to her chest. “Actually, it’s a bit more formal than an engagement.”

  “You’re engaged,” Kate whispered, then closed her eyes and shook her head, only to open her eyes again so that she could gawk at Amilee. “You’re betrothed?!”

  “To whom?” Annie interrupted. “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell us that you were seeing someone?” she demanded, sounding hurt.

  “I haven’t dated anyone,” Amilee reassured both of them. “I was betrothed when I was twelve years old.”

  Kate choked. “That was seventeen years ago!”

  Amilee laughed, but it wasn’t an amused sound. “I know. I had to sign the damn betrothal contract in front of a couple hundred people! And in the frilliest, ugliest pink dress imaginable.”

  Annie leaned forward. “Who is it?”

  Amilee bit her lip, clutching her still-wrapped sandwich closer to her chest. “The Sheik of Abidnae.”

  There was another, longer, silence. This time, it lasted so long, Amilee began to feel uncomfortable with their continued staring.

  “That’s sort of the reason why I never dated anyone. Why I turned down every guy you two tried to set me up with over the years.”

  “Because you were eng…uh…betrothed…to the freaking Sheik of Abidnae?” Kate whispered, then looked around as if to ensure that no one in the park could overhear. “Is it a secret betrothal?”

  Amilee laughed. “No. It’s not a secret.” She sighed, pressing her forehead with her thumb and forefinger. “In fact, he’s here, in town. Now. He came to my office this morning.”

  That statement caused another long silence as her friends stared up at her. Finally, Kate broke the silence when she ate another chip.

  “What did he want?” Annie asked, balancing her sandwich on her stomach as she listened.

  Amilee started pacing again, unable to keep still as she remembered what Rian had said this morning. “He says he’s tired of waiting for me to come to him. He wants the wedding to take place immediately.”

  “Wow!” Kate whispered, snatching the sandwich off of Annie’s stomach and taking a bite.

  “Hey!” Annie yelped. “That’s mine!”

  “You weren’t eating it and yours looks better than mine.” She turned back to Amilee. “Isn’t that sheik guy kinda hot?”

  Amilee smiled crookedly. “Yeah. He’s incredibly handsome. But…” she bit her lip, then realized that she was squishing her sandwich and sighed, tossing it into the garbage before turning back to her friends. “The thing is…he kissed me. A long time ago.” She hesitated, rolling her eyes. “Oh, and again, this morning.”

  Katy took another bite of Annie’s sandwich, her eyes wide. Annie was much more verbal in her surprise. “He kissed you?”

  “Yes.”

  Kate prompted, “And?” then crunched on another chip.

  Amilee blinked. “And…what?”

  Kate and Annie chuckled as they shared a knowing glance before turning back to her. “Was it enjoyable?”

  Amilee’s shoulders dropped. “Yes. Too enjoyable.” She ran a hand over her forehead. “That’s sort of the problem.”

  Kate leaned forward, shaking her head, causing her dark curls to dance around her shoulders. “Let me get this straight. You’re engaged to a handsome man that you’ve been absolutely faithful to for…too long. He kissed you this morning and it was ‘too enjoyable’ but there’s a problem?”

  Amilee groaned, her hand fluttering over her hair. “The thing is, he doesn’t know me. He doesn’t have any real interest in me. He gives me gifts that are very pretty, but…but he is just as surprised by the gifts as I am when I open the box.” She wiped away a stray tear. “And yes, when he kisses me, it’s amazing and I lose myself in it, but…” she bowed her head. “After our first kiss several years ago, less than five minutes later, another woman, someone I absolutely loathe, was draped all over him.”

  “Did he kiss her right after kissing you?”

  Amilee shook her head again. “No. Well, yes. But the way she was pressed against him, plus I noticed that his hands were on her hips and…oh, I left as quickly as I could. That was right before I started my third year of college.” She resumed pacing, the words flowing now. “The agreement was that we’d be married as soon as I finished my education. At the time of the agreement, there was no expectation that I’d actually attend a college or university. The assumption was that I’d finish high school then attend a finishing school that would prepare me for my public life. After that, I’d be married and we’d start having babies and…” she shuddered, “and he’d go on living his life exactly as he wanted while I remained the dutiful, blind wife that ignores his mistresses and pretends that everything is wonderful and happy and…UH! I can’t stand that woman!” she snapped, her hands fisting at her hips as she paced some more. “I hate her with every fiber in my body. And I hate him even more because I know, I can just tell by the familiar way they touch each other, that they were lovers!” Amilee made a rude sound as she pivoted and paced the other direction. “She makes my skin crawl. And the fact that he now wants me to drop everything, to go back to Abidnae and marry him, to pretend that my life is over simply so that I can produce babies for him and for the country so that there is an heir and a spare…it’s just wrong! I’m not going to do it!”

  There was a round of applause from Annie and Katy, who were delighted with their friend who, until this point, had been entirely non-emotional about men and dating.

  Amilee blushed, chuckling at her friends. But she loved them.

  “So, what are you going to do about it?” Kate asked, taking another bite of Annie’s sandwich, ignoring Annie’s glare.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure how to get out of the betrothal. I don’t want to put my father into a difficult situation. He’s head of the intelligence agency in Abidnae. If I back out, then what will happen to his career?”

  Kate waved a hand dismissively. “Let your father deal with that. He’s the one who put you into this situation. Let him get himself out.” Annie nodded her agreement and snatched the sandwich back before Kate managed to steal another bite.

  “Yeah,” Kate agreed around a mouthful of her own sandwich, pointing to Annie. “What she said.”

  Amilee chuckled. “I’m supposed to meet him for dinner tonight.”

  “Call and tell him that you’re not going. That you’re not interested in marriage to a man who will cheat on you and end the call.”

  Amilee smiled, relishing the thought of saying that to Rian. But a moment later, she shook her head, dismissing the idea. “I don’t think it will be that easy.”

  Annie patted her tummy and fished an apple from the deli bag. “You won’t know that until you tell him. And do it over the phone. You’re stronger when you can’t see someone’s eyes.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Kate chuckled. “You’re a sucker for puppy-dog eyes, Amilee. And you know it.”

  “I am not!” she gasped.

  “You are!” her friends replied in unison, then high-fived each other, grinning like the lunatics they were.

  Kate continued, “Every time one of your clients has a problem, they give you that look and you melt into mush.”

  “I’m a good therapist!” she asserted, putting her hands on her hips.

  Annie lifted a hand. “You’re an amazing therapist…because you melt at their words. You care about them. Each and every one of them. You could have a serial killer in your office, sitting on that uncomfortable sofa that you love so much and…”

  “My sofa is uncomfortable?” Amilee asked, eyes wide with surprise.

  “It’s like concrete,” Kate answered, and took another bite as Annie continued.

  “…and your clients spill their guts to you because they know that you truly care about them. What’s more important, is that when you give them your sweet, caring look, they want to get better in order to help you feel better. And that’s one of the reasons you’re such a brilliant therapist. You care and the clients you help sense your concern and it soothes them deep down inside their soul where they need that healing. And they get better.”

  Kate nodded. “Yep. What she said.”

  “I’m quite eloquent today, aren’t I?” Annie asked Kate.

  Kate nodded her enthusiastic agreement. “Yes indeed!”

  The two ladies turned to look at Amilee. “So?”

  She stared at both of them. “That’s your answer? I should just call him so that I can’t see his eyes? I tell him I can’t marry him and, because he’s such a great guy, he’ll just go about his business, head back to Abidnae, and find someone else to marry?”

  Annie and Kate looked at each other. “It sounds like a good plan to me,” Kate said with a shrug as she ate another chip.

  Annie shrugged. “The alternative is to find some place to hide out for the rest of your life. I doubt that’s what a good therapist would do, though.”

  Kate nodded. “Sort of the coward’s way out.”

  Amilee bit her lip, her hand stroking her stomach before pushing her glasses higher up onto her nose. “I suppose it’s the first step.”

  “Exactly,” Kate agreed with a firm nod. She reached around Annie’s big belly to grab the bakery box that Annie had brought. “What did you bring us for dessert?”

  Amilee stared at her friend. Normally, Kate wasn’t a big eater. But today, she’d not only eaten her sandwich, but half of Annie’s, and was now perusing the bakery options? What was going on?!

  “You’re pregnant!” Amilee gasped, covering her own stomach with one hand and pointing at Kate’s with the other. “Admit it, you totally are!”

  Annie turned to gauge Kate’s reaction, then gasped herself. “You are!”

  Kate beamed and nodded as she selected the licorice filled donut with mint icing. “Yeah. Charles and I took the pregnancy test two days ago, but…” she shrugged. “We aren’t going to tell anyone yet because it’s too early. But I can’t stop eating! I’m hungry all the time!”

  Annie laughed, rubbing her swollen belly. “I know how it is. This little guy makes me hungry twenty-four seven! I eat like a horse and so far, I haven’t gained any weight. My doctor is actually concerned about my lack of weight gain.”

  Amilee knelt down in front of her friend, touching Annie’s knees. “Is everything okay with the baby though?”

  “Yes,” Annie said, still smiling. “He’s fine. We had a sonogram last week and he’s developing extremely well. I’m just hungry all the time. Just like Kate.”

  “Oh Annie!” Amilee said, leaning forward and kissing her belly. Kate leaned over as well and the three women started hugging, laughing, and crying all at the same time. It was a curious sight for the passersby, but the three friends didn’t care. This was a special moment and Amilee felt a surge of protective love for her two friends who were both expecting their first child.

  There was also a hint of jealousy. She wanted a family. Being an only child, she’d always longed for siblings. She’d begged her parents to give her a brother or sister, but her father was always so busy. And then…well, after her mother passed away, her father hadn’t been interested in dating. His job and the pressure of his work made dating an issue.

  As the three left the park, heading back to work, Amilee couldn’t help but think that she might have had several children by now, if she hadn’t witnessed Rian with Razeen so many years ago. She would have married him right after college, or maybe after grad school, and she’d be happy. Oblivious to his cheating ways.

  Alas, she had seen that moment. And several others over the years. It wasn’t until that one kiss that she’d thought about the other times that Razeen had touched or laughed with Rian. It was as if she knew something about Rian that no one else did.

  Sighing, Amilee looked at her calendar for the rest of the afternoon. She had several more clients before she could head on home. But once there, she had a good bottle of wine from the cache her father had sent her last summer. She’d open one of those bottles and give Rian a call. Annie and Kate were right – it was time to set her expectations, which were none, since she expected nothing to happen between herself and Rian. She’d tell him that their betrothal was off and she’d wish him well as he looked for someone else to take her place.

  He’d probably be relieved to be done with the betrothal. He most likely had several other women who were ready to take Amilee’s place as the next queen of Abidnae.

  With a heavy sensation in the region of her chest, a sensation that she couldn’t seem to shake all afternoon, she worked with her clients, smiling when they told her of their successes over the past week, and nodding in understanding when they admitted their struggles. For each, she listened carefully, mindful of not falling for puppy dog gazes, and gave them additional exercises to work on over the next week.

  Chapter 8

  “I’ll just be firm and precise, state my case, and that will be the end of it,” Amilee declared, pulling the pins out of her hair as she kicked her black heels off. They landed somewhere in the corner of her den, not to be found again until the next time she needed them. Which was probably tomorrow, but she’d worry about that when she got there. Tonight, she had other things to worry about. Such as unbetrothing herself to a man she didn’t really want to marry!

  She’d called Rian from her office, but he hadn’t been available to speak with her. The aide she’d spoken with had warned Amilee that Rian would come to her apartment tonight. No matter how much Amilee argued, the results remained the same; Rian was on his way here.