He licked the shell of her ear. “Exactly.”
He kept licking her and nibbling on her lobe, which made it impossible to think. Still she forced herself to respond to his request. “Isn’t that where the woman ends up naked?”
“Yes. Then she and the handsome sheik make love.” He straightened and smiled. “You’d be a terrific dancing girl.”
And Jamal had the handsome-sheik part down cold. Now if only the thought of doing that for him didn’t make her stomach head directly for her throat.
“And, ah, you want me to dance for you?”
“I can’t imagine anything more perfect.”
She weighed her options. There was the whole issue of being naked and then having sex. That she would leave for later. Far better to have an emotional heart attack in the privacy of her own bedroom. Which left providing an answer to his request. His fantasy. Jamal wanted her to do something that Yasmin had not done.
“No problem,” she said before she could stop herself. “Give me a few days to find a costume, maybe take a couple of seven veils dance lessons, and I’ll be ready.”
He pressed her close. “I knew you’d be the one,” he said, kissed her briefly, then released her. “I’ll be in touch.”
Before she knew what was happening, he was gone.
“Just like a man,” she muttered into the empty room a few seconds later as the door shut behind him. Now what? She thought for a second, then realized there was only one person who would know about both the dance and costume. Time for a talk with Fatima.
Chapter 10
Jamal pulled his Lamborghini into the midday traffic and tried not to think about what had just happened with “Honey.” Unfortunately his efforts to avoid getting uncomfortably aroused came far too late. Just being in the same room with her made him hard. That, combined with holding her close and kissing her, was enough to send him over the edge. He wanted her, and he liked her. It was a deadly combination.
As he navigated his way back to the palace, he told himself that this time was different. This time his wife actually seemed interested in having a physical relationship with him. Yasmin had pretended to want him while they were engaged, but as soon as she had what she wanted, she’d quickly reverted. He’d known by the end of the first month of their marriage that something was very wrong. While he and Heidi had been married nearly that long, their relationship was only getting better.
She responded to his kisses with a passion that matched his own. He’d felt her tremble in his arms. He’d tasted her kisses and her growing desire. She wasn’t anything like Yasmin; perhaps they had a chance.
Jamal shook his head. He wanted to believe in what was happening, but he wasn’t sure. Yasmin had nearly destroyed him, and he vowed that no woman would ever have that power over him again. No matter what, he would always hold a piece of himself back. He’d kept his promise all the years since her untimely death, and there had been plenty of women around to test his resolve. Some had been quite determined to win his heart, but he’d kept it firmly locked behind a wall no one was going to scale. Not even Heidi.
Heidi. Just thinking about his charming wife made him smile. She was so obviously innocent, yet determined. Except for being female, she was like no other woman he’d ever known. Of course, the women who had been around since Yasmin’s death had been there for a specific purpose. Jamal was willing to admit to himself that he wasn’t very proud of what he’d been doing for the past six years.
In an effort to forget the things Yasmin had said and the way she’d rejected him, he’d found beautiful women who desperately wanted him in their bed. He’d sought out the hedonists, the exotic, erotic women of high society and had let them seduce him. He’d showered them with jewels, gifts and trips, while allowing them the thrill of having a prince as their escort. All he had expected in return was that they want him.
He wasn’t stupid. He knew that those women were supposed to make up for what had happened with Yasmin. Yet all their yeses couldn’t take away his wife’s many nos. And in the deepest, darkest place in his heart, he couldn’t help wondering if Heidi would tell him no as well.
Still, he couldn’t resist her subtle brand of charm. He had a unique opportunity to get to know his wife as both a blushing bride and a bold mistress. He’d thought her intelligent and funny from their first meeting, but now she was so much more. She was innovative and brave and incredibly innocent. He knew he had to be careful, to make sure that neither of them got hurt, but he also wanted to see how far she was willing to go in her game. Would she really do a seductive dance for him? And if so, would she want to make love?
Jamal turned into the long driveway that led to the palace. There was one problem in Heidi’s plan, and he wondered if she’d thought of it yet. As his wife, she was both allowed and expected to be innocent. Yet as his mistress, she was going to have to have some sexual experience. The mistress could not be a virgin. Which meant she, as Heidi, was going to have to overcome that particular obstacle.
Would she try to seduce him, or would she simply end the game? He found himself hoping it would be the former, and he promised himself he wouldn’t make it difficult at all for her to have her way with him.
“You can’t be serious,” Fatima said as she arranged several starburst lilies in a magenta vase. A box of unopened long-stemmed white roses sat on the table beside her.
Heidi stood across from her, admiring the older woman’s swift fingers as blossoms were placed, removed, trimmed, then put back in exactly the right spot. She’d had her share of flower-arranging classes at finishing school, but she’d never understood the art of the whole thing.