Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,4

felt too light. Something was wrong. Looking down at herself, she noticed her clothes were a wrinkled mess. She wished that she’d taken a few moments on the plane to tidy herself up.

Her tote bag appeared within her line of sight. Looking up, she realized that the giant was holding it in front of her. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out nervously to take it. Those long, tanned fingers seemed innocuous, but for some reason, her mind filled with images of those fingers touching her.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the outrageously inappropriate images, she hitched the tote’s straps over her shoulder. The weight brought her back to the present and she nodded with what she hoped was a polite acknowledgement of his assistance, then turned to follow the other man out of the office.

As soon as she was outside of his range, she could breathe more easily. For several steps, she was silent, trying to shake off the weird sensation that the air was somehow calmer out here in the hallway.

“Who was that man?” Harper finally asked.

Rashid paused, his hand resting on a doorknob as he looked back at her, startled. “That was Sheik Amit bin Raminar.” Then, with a flourish, he opened the door to a suite that was larger than her apartment back home. “Please relax and I’ll ensure that food is brought to you at once. If there is anything you require, you need only ask.”

Harper stepped into a room that looked to be straight out of “Arabian Nights”. There was a sunken sitting area with silk and velvet sofas and several huge pillows on the floor, surrounding a beautifully carved wooden coffee table that was larger than her kitchen table at home. She noticed the steps leading down to a sitting area and the lovely, lattice-style windows that looked out over another lush courtyard. She caught sight of a lovely dining table surrounded by six chairs, and what looked to be a fully stocked bar with every conceivable type of liquor. Sitting on the counter was a pitcher filled with cold water, with fruit floating in it to make it even more refreshing!

She spotted several closed doors, and then a bed. Not just any bed. No, this one was huge! Absolutely huge! It looked like a small island! And it was covered in colorful satin sheets with about a dozen pillows in muted, dark colors. “Oh yes!” she sighed. The water was forgotten as she dumped her tote bag onto the floor and moved towards the bed. “Sleep!”

“Doctor Ross?”

Harper shrieked as she spun around, searching out the newest interruption to her desperately needed sleep.

The servant jumped about a foot into the air, her eyes wide and terrified.

Harper brought a hand to her heart and held out her other hand as if she could somehow steady the servant from ten feet away. “I’m sorry!” she gasped. “So sorry! I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

The servant blinked, and quickly recovered, folding her hands in front of her. “My apologies, Doctor Ross. I’m here to help you. I’ve already drawn a bath for you and ordered food for your refreshment.”

As Harper’s heart slowed down, she considered a bath. Yeah, a bath sounded pretty nice right about now. Then her eyes drifted back to the bed. “I might just…”

The sound of someone else entering the apartment, although not from the door through which she’d come, caused her to swivel around. Another servant arrived carrying a large platter of food, and Harper’s stomach growled.

“That smells divine!” she sighed, not sure if her hunger, her need for a shower, or sleep would win out.

The servants eyed Harper nervously, not sure if she was crazy or what.

Harper laughed, although her amusement was mostly her exhaustion rearing its ugly head. “I’m not crazy,” she promised. “Just so tired and hungry that I can’t think properly.”

The two servants shared a wary glace, not sure if they should believe her or not.

“Thank you for the food. I’ll…” she gestured at random. “I’ll jump in the shower and will get something in a moment. Just give me five minutes.”

The first servant looked confused. “You don’t want a bath?”

Harper longed for a bath, but shook her head. “If I get into a bath right now, I’d probably fall asleep and drown. A shower will be fine.”

The servant disappeared into the bathroom and Harper realized that she was turning off the water. She hadn’t completely recognized the sound a moment ago. Then more water started and Harper suspected it