The Sheik's Rebellious Mistress Page 0,10

tangling across his pillow, high heels and a garter belt. He"d leave those on, he thought. But nothing else.

“Inform the chef I"ll be having a guest for dinner,” he said, his body hardening with the mental image he"d formed in his mind.

Chapter 3

Electra dialed the number one more time, praying she"d reach someone this time. “Hello?” she said when an efficient sounding gentleman answered the phone. “Yes, this is Electra Knight. I was supposed to meet with King Abbas this afternoon,” she explained, her whole body tense as she waited for the response. When there was none, she continued on. “Well, anyway, I"m afraid something came up and I was unable to make that appointment. When would be the next available time?” she asked, holding her breath as she waited for a time slot a year in advance. Please let it be sooner, she prayed.

She was horrified by the response. The man"s schedule was booked up completely for the foreseeable future? “Never? I"m sorry, that"s just not possible. Either I have to speak with the man or you have to pull these guards off my duty,” she demanded, her whole body tensing with the answer. “That"s not possible! Please, just give him the message that I called and tell him I"ll meet him anywhere in the world at his convenience. It doesn"t have to be London. I"ll even be on standby for him somewhere.”

She waited, fighting the tears that threatened to drop over her la shes. “You"ll consult his calendar?” she repeated. “That"s fine. Please…thank you very much. I promise, I won"t miss the next meeting, no matter where or when,” she said.

She smiled tentatively as Gerrard got into the car beside her and fastened his seat belt. She didn"t want to talk to him, being the least favorite of her guards, but she didn"t want to create any suspicions about her evening plans. “I have to go shopping,” she said, thinking about the possible stores she would investigate. She had to find the perfect outfit for tonight. Something that shouted “sophisticated” but nothing garish. She almost smiled at the memory of their conversation regarding her career. A prostitute! Good grief, what had she been thinking?

As usual, Gerrard said nothing but for the rest of the afternoon, he followed her through several stores, standing outside the dressing rooms as she tried on clothes. She was no longer embarrassed by him, or one of the other two guards, being stationed so close and she even had the ability to laugh at the reactions of some of the store owners. This time, she was too busy trying to find something sophisticated to wear for her dinner with Dharr to concern herself with anyone"s reaction, even Gerrard"s. She heard him talk on his cell phone once or twice, but since he spoke in Arabic, she had no idea what he was discussing. As she picked up a simple black dress, she absently thought that it might have been a good idea to have learned Arabic. But it never interested her, probably a throwback to her silly rebellion. She didn"t want to have anything in common with that irritating king what"s-his-name. Learning his language might have given him too much in their battle of wills, even if he never knew that she"d acquired the skill. Well, her battle of will. He probably didn"t know she existed.

In the fifth shop, she found exactly what she was looking for. The strapless green cocktail dress fit straight across her breasts with a pretty silver, beaded scalloped edge. The rest of the dress hugged her figure all the way down to her knees. The look suggested sophistication and invitation. Exactly the right message, she thought. She found the perfect pair of sandals that gave her added height which, in her mind, translated into confidence.

Biting her lower lip as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she considered buying pretty new underwear. The dress required a strapless bra so it was pretty much a given if she was going to buy this dress.

Shrugging her shoulders, she pushed the fact that Gerrard would have to follow her into the lingerie store to the back of her mind. If he wanted to follow her in, he"d have to deal with the issue himself. She didn"t want him there, so he could stand outside if he was too uncomfortable.

She quickly changed back into her own clothes and purchased the dress, then strolled down the street until she came to the perfect