My Insatiable Sheikh - Marian Tee Page 0,10

words just because, but he actually did as asked, and in moments his black SUV was parked by the curb and just a short distance away from my dorm.

I turned to him then, my conscience not letting me leave until I had the words out. "So...um...thank you." I fought against the urge to throw up and forced myself to continue. "You could've embarrassed me back there, but you didn't." Gaaah. This was so hard. "So...thank you." And with that I was done, thank fuck.

"I'm sorry."

He was?

"I didn't quite get that," the sheikh drawled. "Could you say it all again, and possibly with a bit more groveling—-"

"Fuck you, seriously. Fuck you."

But of course the SOB only laughed, impervious as always to all insults. "Your gratitude is unnecessary, Ms. Teller. I only said nothing because it also suited me to let Damen's wife draw her own conclusions. She's a good woman, but it's best not to have her involved in our business."

"How do you know those two?" I tried to sound all casual as I asked this, but the way his gaze bored through me made it obvious he was aware of my ulterior motives.

"If you're thinking of using either of them to find out who I am," he said dryly, "you can kiss that thought goodbye. Damen is honor-bound to keep my identity a secret, and as for your professor, she simply knows me as "sheikh" as well." His lips twitched when he saw me shoot a dubious look at his direction. "You may ask them if you wish," he offered. "I only hoped to save you from some embarrassment."

I couldn't help bristling at his words. "What do I have to be embarrassed about?"

"Apologies," he said at once. "I had assumed you'd find it embarrassing if your professor finds out you are not in possession of the name of the guy you're fucking—-"

Yeargh!

I got out of the car without another word and slammed the door as hard as I could. Asshole. Jerk. Bastard. But even as I called him all sorts of names as I angrily strode off, I couldn't help wondering once again...would he or wouldn't he?

I had my answer when I reached the front steps of my dorm, and I heard his car race away.

He wouldn't waste time coming after me, and I hated myself for even caring if he did or didn't.

My phone started ringing when I made it to my room, and in spite of all of the crazy things that had happened, I couldn't keep my heart from doing a mini backflip when I saw the caller's name flashing on the display screen.

I cleared my throat before answering the call. "Hey."

"Hey."

Johnny's voice was just as I remembered: warm and friendly, with just a hint of gentleness that never failed to make me feel feminine. The sound of it transported me back to the day we first "met", and the memory made me smile.

It had been months after Dahlia's single-handed demolition of my previously ordinary but happy existence, and I had been miserable as fuck.

None of my friends were still talking to me, and photos of my name being immortalized on the walls of the boys' locker room as the girl to call for blowjobs had made the rounds on social media.

If I could've talked to Greg about it, then my trauma might not have lasted as long as it did. But since I also had to keep everything a secret from my dad, the pain and anger just seemed to pile up inside of me until I felt like I was a pressure cooker about to burst.

But because I had always been the practical sort, I also knew that letting my rage consume me wouldn't benefit anyone. To "fix" myself, I had taken advantage of toll-free helplines that offered phone counseling, volunteered for community service to remind myself that other people still had it worse than me, and afterwards, when I earned my first paycheck from my part-time job, I had also decided to invest in a portable Nintendo gaming console and started playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

And honestly?

Even after all these years, I'd say that was still one of the best decisions of my life. There was just something about the game that calmed the fuck out of me, and I had enjoyed it so much that I started for looking online for other players to connect to.

The way this game worked, you were a mayor of your own town, which you could build and