ELEVEN
The breeze became chilly as night fell, and Khaleel and Aurora agreed to end their swimming for the day.
“Let’s have dinner in the real dining room,” Khaleel suggested. “Full service, the whole nine yards.”
“I’m game,” Aurora said, looking down at her bikini. “I have no idea what I’ll wear, though.”
Khaleel smiled slowly. “Check the closet in your room. T
here should be something there for you.”
Aurora shook her head and parted ways with the Sheikh, following the corridor down to the room he had given her. It occurred to her to wonder how it was possible for the man to have clothing that fit her onboard as a contingency, but as she stepped into her quarters on the yacht, she thought that a gorgeous billionaire like Khaleel would undoubtedly have more than a few women in his life.
“He probably takes models out on the water all the time,” she said, hearing the irritation in her own voice and wondering at it. She pushed aside the little rush of jealousy that came along with the thought of Khaleel wining and dining women on his yacht, telling herself that she had only met the man the day before, and that it wasn’t likely that she would ever have anything to do with him.
Following Khaleel’s instructions, Aurora looked in the closet and saw a dress—simple, black, but almost certainly her size—hanging alone on the rack. Below it were a pair of black strappy sandals, and Aurora smiled to herself, shaking her head. She couldn’t be jealous of whoever the dress had originally been purchased for; the tags were still on it, just as they had been on the bathing suits. “Maybe he just likes to be prepared in case he meets someone,” Aurora mused hopefully.
She stripped off the bathing suit and took a quick shower to rid her skin and hair of saltwater. She dried her hair and twisted it back and out of her face, securing it in a bun with some bobby pins.
Aurora saw that her own clothes had finally been returned to her, clean and dry, smelling of fabric softener. She put on her panties, but the bra wouldn’t work with the plunging neckline of the dress Khaleel had lent her. Aurora decided to work with what she had, rather than risk her bra being visible. She finished her preparations quickly, putting on a bit of makeup from her bag—which she'd retrieved from its hiding place the night before—and slipping into the dress and sandals.
When she looked at herself in the mirror, Aurora was almost surprised at how elegant she looked. Her sun-bronzed skin, her graceful neck, and the way the dress subtly emphasized the curves of her body made it impossible not to smile at her reflection. As a final touch, she found her flower and pinned it onto her dress, admiring it for a moment before realizing that Khaleel was probably waiting for her.
She walked quickly to the dining room, her heart beating faster in her chest as she strode through the corridors. As she reached the door she saw Khaleel standing next to one of the many tables—the only one in the room that was actually set—dressed in a beautiful black suit with a snowy white shirt and a white pocket square and a deep green tie that brought out the color of his eyes, the olive tones in his skin.
He smiled broadly as she came into the room. “I’m glad it fits you,” he said, looking her up and down appreciatively.
“So am I,” Aurora said with a smile. “If I’d had to wear jeans to have dinner with you dressed like that…”
“Oh it wouldn’t have come to that,” Khaleel said, shaking his head. “Though I have to admit, I was seriously considering asking you to wear the bikini.”
Aurora laughed and rolled her eyes, approaching the table with more nervousness than she would have thought imaginable. Khaleel pulled a chair out for her and she sat down, taking a quick, deep breath.
“You know, it occurs to me that I’ve told you everything in the world about myself and you haven’t told me next to anything about your own life,” Aurora said, as Khaleel took his seat opposite her. Aurora glanced at her place setting and counted the silverware. Her parents had taken her to a few higher-end restaurants for special occasions, but there were a few items in front of her that she wasn’t sure she knew the purpose of. Hopefully I won’t have to use any of them, and they’re just for show.
“What would you like to know?” Khaleel asked, as one of the crew members appeared at the table, bearing a bottle of champagne. “Oh—by the way, dinner is another fixed menu. No need to worry about what you want to eat; I’ve given Lucas the freedom to let his imagination run free.”
The crew member, a man who looked to be about Khaleel’s age—somewhere between thirty and thirty-five—poured champagne into their glasses and set the bottle in a bucket of ice before retreating.
“What was it like growing up so wealthy? I know I’ve taken a lot of potshots about silver spoons and stuff, but I’m genuinely curious.”
Khaleel smiled and took a sip of his champagne. Before he could begin to answer her question, another member of the crew came out with their first course, and Aurora took in the sight of the delicate, almost dainty food on her plate with more than a little appreciation.
“It wasn’t so different from your childhood, I think,” Khaleel said when the server retreated, leaving them alone once more.
Aurora took her first bite and closed her eyes at the explosion of flavor on her tongue—savory, sweet, complex.
Khaleel waited for her attention to come back and continued. “Your parents expected for you to grow up to become a doctor like them, you said.” Aurora nodded, taking a sip of her champagne without looking away