While the other girls looked a little stunned at the speed in which things progressed between the sheikh and me, the professor, on the other hand, was looking at me with stars in her eyes.
“It was love at first sight, wasn’t it?”
“Let’s just say we have this really strong connection between us.” Like hate. “But I’m not sure if it’s love or something like that. There’s just so much about him I don’t know…” I looked at Professor L hopefully, asking, “Can’t you tell me more about him, Professor?”
“I’m sorry, Story. But I’ve only met him a few times, and honestly, in all those meetings, he had been an absolute gentleman, nothing like the, um, A-word you call him.”
“Seriously?”
“Maybe he just likes teasing you? You know how boys are with the girls they like.”
“Boys being the operative word,” I pointed out.
“You know what I mean.”
“So he never acted arrogant or cocky or condescending…”
The professor appeared shocked. “The sheikh? No. Never. If anything, he’s an absolute charmer and a gentleman in every way.”
Then…did that mean he was only an asshole with me?
And if he were, was that because he didn’t think I was worthy of his respect?
Hey Dad.
I tried calling you this morning, but you weren’t picking up. Sorry I’ve been out of touch lately. We’re working on this huge project at B.G. Club, and it has us super busy. That’s basically the only new thing that’s changed. What about you? Have you finally gone on Tinder like I asked? Text me when you get this. Love ya.
Message sent at 1453h to Dad
Chapter Eleven
It’s really like what the sheikh said. I’m not the kind of girl who’d take things lying down, so the moment I was done with class, I was off in a flash and spending precious money on a cab ride just to get to the apartment as quickly as I could.
Although the sheikh had given me the security code for his apartment from Day 1, it was my first time to enter his place, and I was surprised at how different our units looked. I had thought my single-level apartment rather grand, but the sheikh’s digs effortlessly put mine to shame.
His unit was split into two levels, with the second-floor hallway overlooking the high-ceilinged living room, and rather than multiple balconies, he just had one that wrapped around his side of the building…along with his very own pool.
Also, everywhere I looked, there were touches of real, 24-effing-karat gold, and the sheer opulence of my surroundings had me shaking my head. Honestly, I gotta wonder: perhaps the professor and her husband were just as clueless as I am, and maybe the sheikh was really a mob boss in disguise?
I mean, I knew there were more than a handful of sheikhs that numbered among the world’s wealthiest, but they were either a) old as Gandalf or b) easily recognizable heads of state, like the Ramilian king and his royal quartet of smoking-hot vassals.
But since the sheikh was neither…
“Asshole?” I called out rather nervously, and my trepidation grew when only silence answered me back. Shit. What if I was right? What if he did have something to do with organized crime, and someone had ordered a hit on him or something?
Shit, shit, shit.
Before I could think twice about what I was doing, I was already pulling out one of the kitchen knives and stealthily making my way up the steps. Be a ninja, Teller, I chanted to myself even as my heart started hammering. Gotta walk like a Ninja, or failing that, then, um, maybe Pink Panther at least?
The first door I opened was locked while the second door I tried turned out to be a game room and was completely unoccupied. That left me with the lone door at the end of the hallway, which then turned out to be the master’s bedroom.
Big as fuck, same touches of gold, and carpeted. The lights and the A/C were on, and the balcony appeared empty. I hovered in the doorway, wondering if I should call out again, when I finally noticed the faint sound of water running in the background.
Shit.
What if someone had snuck up on him and did a Norman Bates on the sheikh while he was in the shower?
I took a deep breath, silently prayed the Our Father in five seconds flat, and then I slowly and carefully turned the knob…
“Story?”
The sheikh was standing by the sink, his handsome face revealing a rare look of bemusement. His large, muscular body was dripping wet and almost completely naked save for the black towel wrapped around his waist.
He was staring at the knife I had in my hand, while I was staring at the gun he held in his.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
His tone instantly made me defensive, and my chin immediately jutted up. “I called out, and no one answered, so I thought something might have happened, and—-”