The Sheik's Secret Bride (3 page)

Laura turned, her eyes wide with surprise and excitement at their boss’ words.  A moment later, she yelped with delight as she turned and gave Callie a huge hug.  “You did this, didn’t you?  Old Dragon Lady is finally giving me a chance and it’s all because of you.”

Callie hugged Laura back but shook her head. “No, Laura, it’s because you’re a hard worker and you’re really good at your job.”

Laura jumped up and down with excitement.  “Okay, I know you’re lying but go, get out of here so I can prove myself.  Old Dragon Lady is giving me a chance and I’m going to shine!”  Laura danced out of the office, apparently thrilled with her new responsibilities, even if they were only temporary. 

Callie laughed, excited for her lovely friend.  She and Laura hit the gym during their lunch breaks as often as possible, which generally meant only about three afternoons a week.  But she and Laura had a lot in common.  Well, Laura didn’t have a rambunctious, adorable four year old, but they were both single, both loved computers and design work and Callie loved Laura’s mind.  The woman really was a genius when it came to inspiring design work.  Callie knew that their work environment didn’t help their dating status.  The two of them really needed to get out and socialize more, meet men or at least other women who might know normal men.

Laura popped her head back into the office just as Callie was picking up the keys from the desk.  “If that sexy delivery guy comes in, the one who has been hot for you for the past six months, I’m going to tell him that you’re not only available, but you’ll meet him for a drink next week.”

Callie opened her mouth to object, but Laura was already out the door.  And really, what was the harm?  Callie truly did need to get out and meet men.  Luca was growing up so fast and he needed a man’s influence.  She was doing her best, but he constantly asked about his father, wanted to learn to fish and camp, things Callie had no clue how to do, nor did she have any desire to do.  She’d had one grueling experience ‘roughing it’.  She would never, ever subject herself to that again. 

She was packing up her bag, stuffing a few work things in that she could finish up tonight after Luca was tucked into bed.  Callie had to be fair about this camping stuff.  Her experience hadn’t been camping.  It had been….well, it had been a nightmare and camping was supposed to be fun.  She shuddered at the idea of being around bugs and worms and creepy crawly things.  She hated bugs after her experience, totally lost it when a spider crawled into her apartment.  The first time it had happened, she’d totally freaked out, running out of her apartment screaming.  If it hadn’t been for her sweet building maintenance guy coming to her rescue, she might have been institutionalized that night.  As it was, she was standing out in her hallway screeching with Luca in her arms.  He’d been just a baby at the time, but her screeching had woken him up, as well as the other tenants on the floor.  All of them had tried to help her calm down but it had been Mike, the maintenance guy who had stormed into her place, bat in one hand and a grim expression on his face as he tried to figure out what was going on. 

When she’d told him that there’d been a spider, everyone on the floor had looked at her as if she were a crazy female that needed valium.  All except for Mike who simply walked back into her apartment, found the spider and killed it. 

Ms. Fisher had let her stay in her spare bedroom that night.  Mike had ensured that someone came to spray for bugs the next day and several of the other tenants had teased her for her sleepwear over the next few weeks. To them, it had all been a hilarious night but for Callie, it had been traumatizing. 

She picked up her bag and the keys, ready to head out of the office, eager now to start a real vacation.  It suddenly occurred to her that Mike was always close by, fixing things in the other apartments on her floor.  She was thinking it was strange that the building always felt so empty now.  One by one, the tenants had moved out of the building.  Surely others still lived there now.  It wasn’t just her and Ms. Fisher, was it?  That would be crazy, to have a building with only two tenants? 

But she never saw any of the other residents.  It was a prime apartment building with great access to the highways, grocery stores and entertainment areas.  It wasn’t the tallest but it was in a great location just outside of Washington, D.C. in Arlington, Virginia, with extra-large bedrooms, renovated kitchens and great views of the city and the Potomac River.  So why didn’t she see the other residents?  There used to be people coming and going from the front door all the time.  But it occurred to her that even the parking lot seemed deserted now.  There were cars filling up the lot, but she never saw people coming or going to them.  Very odd, she realized. 

Three hours later, after collecting Luca, packing up bags and hitting the grocery store, she pulled her car up and parked it to the side of the driveway, her eyes wide as she took in the magnificent lake house.  From this angle, the house was two stories but she could see to the left and right of the enormous house, that there was a third level that was accessible from the back or from the inside.  There were so many windows, she wasn’t sure how anyone could afford to cool the house down in the summer.  Hopefully they were the thermal windows. 

She was starting to think that they were at the wrong house when Luca jumped out of the back seat.  Her head spun around and she jumped out after him, worried that he might hurt himself in the unknown area. 

“Luca, slow down!” she called out as her son sprinted out of the car towards the house.  He stopped and looked back at her eagerly, his little body almost shaking with excitement and energy. 

“Wanna see the lake!” he called to her, his dark eyes, so similar to his fathers, staring back at her with a pleading look.  Okay, so that wasn’t like his father, she thought.  Zahir had never pleaded with her.  He was too alpha male, too dominant.  He had never asked, he took.  And she’d given!  Oh goodness how much she’d given him.  Their nights had steamed up the bedroom as he demanded more and more of her, shown her the delights of both his and her body and…she shook her head, trying not to think about him anymore.  It was just his return last night that had brought back all of those memories. 

Thankfully, she hadn’t heard from him again.  Hopefully, her sudden absence from work and her apartment would convince him that she couldn’t be with him and he’d move on. 

Callie looked at the car loaded up with supplies and suitcases, then at the lake visible through the trees.  Luca was so excited to be out in the sunshine, why not just let him run?  With a sigh, she turned away from the car, not wanting to unload it just yet herself.  Her son had the right idea, she thought.  “Okay, let’s go,” she said and almost laughed as the little guy jumped up with eagerness. 

“There’s a pathway around here, Momma.  Let’s go!”  He was almost around the corner when he looked back at her.  With his normal, devilish grin, he sprinted back to her, grabbed her hand then tugged her along with him.  “Come on, Momma.  Hurry!”

Callie laughed, starting to feel his enthusiasm as the tension of the last day eased out of her.  Goodness, Marcia had been right on target.  The closer they walked to the lake, the more her strain drifted away.  This was good, she thought.  They could relax, eat yummy food, she wouldn’t worry about her weight this week and they could enjoy the huge batch of cookies Luca and Ms. Fisher had baked up yesterday. 

“Hold up, Luca,” she called, laughing as he easily skipped down the rock pathway while she had to carefully maneuver her way.  “You’re smaller so you can do this faster.  I’m an old woman with tender feet and I’m definitely not as nimble on these rocks as you are.”

Luca was such a sweet little guy.  When he realized his mom was having problems, he came right back up to her and grabbed her elbow and hand.  He was trying hard to be a gentleman, but his aide was actually making her laugh harder and causing them to slow down more. 

Once they’d made it to the long, wooden dock, he dropped her hand, too eager to explore.  “Look at all the fish!  Can we catch them and have some for dinner?” he exclaimed as he laid is body down on the deck, his head hanging off the edge. 

Callie warily looked down from her standing position, not as daring about being close to the elements as her son.  There were a bunch of silver fish swimming around, less than an inch in length.  “I think those are called feeder fish, honey.  The bigger fish eat those and then we catch the bigger fish to eat.”

Luca looked up at her, his eyes squinting as he absorbed this information.  “So where are the bigger fish?” he asked. 

Callie pointed to the deeper water.  “I suppose they are out there, waiting for you to jump into the water.”  She shivered with revulsion at the idea of actually swimming in the murky lake water.  Callie hadn’t considered that when she’d agreed to this type of a vacation.  She supposed she’d have to get into the water.  There was no way she’d be able to keep him out of it now that they were here. 

She looked into the water warily.  Maybe she’d get used to it. 

Her eyes skimmed along the shoreline as a truly horrific thought occurred to her.  Were there snakes in the woods?  Oh goodness, what had she gotten herself into?  Of course there were snakes! 

Luca was completely oblivious to her snake controversy and jumped up from the dock, not even bothering to dust himself off.  He’d investigated the water, ran around the pathway and now, as most young boys his age, he was on to the next thing to investigate.  “Where are the cookies?” he asked.

Callie laughed again, relieved to think about something other than bugs and snakes and other creepy things that were in or near lakes.  “They’re still back in the car.  Think you could help me unpack?  Bring everything into the house?”

He had already found a rock and was pulling it up, trying to see what was underneath it.  But with the promise of cookies in the near future, he let the rock fall back onto the dirt.  “Yep!” he said and jumped up onto his feet.  “Race you back up!” he said and a moment later, he was zipping back up the hill.

Callie followed at a more leisurely pace, thinking it would be really nice to bottle up his excess energy.  She’d had another dream last night so she hadn’t slept very well.  She’d thought those dreams were fading away, but only one kiss from Zahir and they came right back, just as powerful as before. 

Somehow, she’d have to get over him.  She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. 

At least last night’s dream wasn’t that horrible nightmare she used to have.  Those were worse although neither the erotic dreams of being in Zahir’s arms nor the nightmarish dreams of being trapped in a dirt pit would allow her to fall back to sleep.  Maybe she should see someone about the nightmares.  They didn’t seem to be fading in intensity.  They were just as real now as when they were actually happening. 

With a sigh, Callie pushed the issue out of her mind as she rounded the corner of the house once more, thinking this was a pretty isolated house.  Just exactly what she needed.  It would be a fun week with just her and Luca, swimming in the cove, laughing and cooking whatever they wanted.  She ran a hand over her thighs, refusing to think about those extra pounds she’d gained and couldn’t seem to get rid of.  She didn’t have to impress anyone, least of all Luca.  He accepted her just the way she was. 

Sighing and trying to push the disturbing dreams out of her mind along with all of the other confusing issues, like Zahir and her job, she hurried up the path.  This week was going to be simple and easy.  Looking up, she realized that she couldn’t see Luca any longer.  “Hold up, honey.  I’ll unlock the car.”

His sweet face appeared back around the corner of the house.  “Mom, the car is gone.”

Callie rolled her eyes.  “No teasing today, Luca.  Mommy’s too tired.”

“Another dream?” he asked, coming down the pathway and taking her hand.

Callie stopped in her tracks, putting her hand on his head gently.  “How did you know?”

The little guy was older than his four years sometimes.  “I hear you crying at night sometimes,” he explained. 

She bent down to his level and hugged him.  “I’m sorry, my man.  I didn’t know that I was waking you up.”

He wrapped his arms around her neck and smiled at her.  “It’s okay.  I’m going to grow big and strong and I’ll protect you.  Once I’m bigger, you won’t have the nightmares any longer.”  He turned serious again as he said, “But the car really is gone.”

She still thought he was teasing.  He loved playing pranks on her and she squeezed his back slightly.  “Of course.” 

Callie stood up and took his hand as they walked the short distance to the driveway.  When they turned the corner of the house, she stopped cold.  Her car was gone!  Her car with everything in it.  All their clothes, food for the week, her purse, credit cards…her phone…everything! 

“Where’s the car?” she gasped, trying to think back.  Had she parked it somewhere else?  Did they walk up to the wrong house?  Callie spun around, trying to find the car but it was pretty hard to hide a vehicle.  It sort of stood out so it wasn’t like someone could be playing hide and seek in the woods with her car. 

Even the keys to the house were in the car!

“Oh no!” she whispered to herself, trying not to let Luca know how panicked she was.  Phone!  She needed to get to a phone and call the police. 

“We can go inside Momma,” Luca was saying, tugging at her hand.  “Why don’t we just call Mike?  He always knows what to do and how to fix things.”

Callie followed behind him simply because she was so stunned that she’d stupidly left everything in her car.  Now her son was at risk and they were stuck in the forest with no one close by.  But she knew there were other houses.  This was Lake Anna.  There were houses everywhere along the waterfront and even complete neighborhoods. 

When that thought struck her, she started to breathe a bit easier.  Sure, it would be a hassle, but they could walk a bit and find someone who could help….

“See?  The door’s already open.”  Luca walked into the house and whooped it up.  “Wow!  Momma, come see!  This place is huge!”

Callie forced herself to step into the cool, dark interior of the house, immediately grateful for the air conditioning.  Why would Marcia’s parents leave the house unlocked?  That seemed extremely strange.  But she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  She entered and looked around for a phone.  She had to call the police, fast!  Maybe whoever had stolen her car could be stopped before they got too far away. 

“Okay, honey.  I’ll come and look, I just need to make a quick phone call.”

She picked up the phone and started dialing but something…she couldn’t put her finger on it but there was a tension in the air.  Callie looked around the house, her senses suddenly on high alert. 

Something was wrong! 

“Luca, come here, sweety,” she called out.  Luca looked back at her with a question in his eyes. “Just come over here, love.  I need to…”

“Hello Callie,” a deep voice said from behind her. 

Callie’s hand gripped the phone and the blood drained from her face.  That voice!  No, it couldn’t be!  Please, don’t let it be him!  Of all the people in the world, please don’t let him be standing behind her again!  She’d come all the way out here to avoid this man!  How could he be standing right behind her?

“You look good,” that voice said and there was no way she could ignore that sensation any longer.  Spinning around, the phone fell from her nerveless fingers and she gripped the edge of the table.  Breathing was a luxury as the extremely tall man from her past came out of the shadows just as he had in her apartment so recently.  Her first thought was that he looked better than good in the casual clothes.  He looked…amazing!  She’d never seen him in casual, only a suit or…well, naked. 

His eyes practically singed her skin as they traveled from her blond hair down to her toes, hesitating at her breasts that were pressing up against the tee-shirt that was too small after so many washings not to mention nursing a hungry baby for twelve months. 

He came closer and her body tingled, her nostrils flared, trying desperately to catch his scent.  But she was too confused and her knees were shaking so badly, surely he could see them giving way. 

“You can’t be here,” she whispered.  “It’s impossible.”

“And yet, here I am,” he retorted, lifting his war roughened hand to caress her cheek gently. 

With those words and his touch, Callie lost it.  Perhaps it was her fitful sleep or the terror of her car being stolen, putting Luca at risk.  Or maybe it was just this man standing in front of her after she’d come all this way to avoid him.  But she lost it.  The world simply blacked out and she felt herself falling.  And then nothing.