Shira entered the terminal and quickly looked around for her co-workers and bosses. As the assistant marketing director for The Addams Group, she had been instrumental in helping the firm to land its most lucrative marketing campaign ever – Jewel Oil.

The company was owned and operated by the Sheikh of Jawahara and his brother, Prince Khalil Mehmed El-Jawhara. Being the younger son, Khalil was not in direct line for the throne, that honor belonged to the eldest son, Kamal.

Shira spied Rick and Damon standing in front of the security area and waved as she hurried in that direction.

“Glad you could make it,” said Rick, giving her a large welcoming smile.

“I’m so excited. Is everyone else here?”

“Well, about that – it’s just going to be you this time around.”

Shira shook her head, “But I thought the entire team was coming along.” She was confused that plans had changed so quickly.
And go to Jawhara by herself? No way! She’d never even been to Canada or Mexico, yet alone a country thousands of miles and several oceans away!

“It’s actually a good thing,” replied Damon, “It seems that word about our deal with Jawhara has spread and late last night I received calls from to other Arab nations who would like us to work on bids for their marketing campaigns as well.” Damon was grinning from ear to ear as he finished speaking.

“Really?! That’s great!” Shira exclaimed. This is what her bosses had been hoping for. International exposure and a client base around the world.

“Really!” answered Rick. “Anyway, there are delegations flying in from those countries over the next several days and the team is frantically pulling together those presentations.”

Shira’s heart dropped as she quietly asked, “Does that mean you’d like me to stay as well?” She had been looking for to seeing Kale again. She swallowed down her disappointment, not wanting her bosses to see how much she was really hoping they still intended to send her.

“That sacrifice will not be necessary,” came a familiar voice from just behind her.

Whirling around, Shira found herself looking up into the laughing brown eyes of Kale. “What are you doing here?” she asked, just before she found herself swept up in his muscular arms.

Hugging her close felt amazing, but remembering where they were, he quickly set her back down on her feet. “I am here to personally escort you to Jawhara.”

“But you said you needed to help your brother…” Shira tapered her speech off. She had spoken to Kale almost daily since his premature departure several weeks ago. They had talked about almost everything and she had grown attached to the man of character standing in front of her.

“Kam has everything well under control at this time. Besides, we are less than twenty-four hours away from Jawhara.” Turning to address her bosses, he shook their hands, “Gentlemen, thank you for everything. I will assist Miss Malone in getting her office set up and see that she has everything we discussed.”

Shira watched, confusion clouding her brain, as she listened to Kale and her bosses discuss her future.
It didn’t sound like she was only going for a short visit!
Looking at both Rick and Damon, she didn’t miss the glances they both threw her way as Kale finished discussing their travel plans.

“Kale, what..?”

“Come, Shira. The pilot is anxious to begin our flight, as am I.”

“But my luggage…”

“Has already been taken care of. Ahmed was waiting for it and has already delivered it to the jet. Say goodbye.”

Shira turned to her bosses, not liking the knowing grins upon their faces, and dutifully replied, “Goodbye.”

“Have fun, Shira. Take a few days to get acclimated and then give us a call. Rick and I have some ideas of what kinds of information and footage would work best in the ads.” Damon gave her a brief hug but quickly removed his arms at the low growl coming from Kale.

Shira looked at him over her shoulder, startled by the fierce look upon his face. When Rick pulled her to him for a brief hug, she watched, amazed, as Kale’s eyes narrowed and his fists clenched.

Before she could question him, he pulled her from Rick’s arms, wrapping one arm around her waist and anchoring her to his side. “Gentlemen.”

Khalil did not like seeing another man’s hands upon Shira. He found he was very possessive of her already, a good sign indeed. He had enjoyed their phone conversations over the last several weeks and was determined to make her fall in love with Jawhara and bind her to himself.

Protocol demanded that his older brother must marry first, but Kamal had already chosen his bride-to-be. Erin Malone, Shira’s cousin and roommate, might not know it yet, but she was destined to become the next Sheikha of Jawhara. Kamal had decided he wanted her, and his brother always got whatever he set his mind on. Always!

Escorting Shira through the security gate and customs booths, he then led her out to onto the tarmac to the private jet that was waiting to fly them to Jawhara. He glanced down at her several times, taking note of her wide eyes and the bemused expression upon her face. Shira didn’t appear to be one for surprises!

“Watch your step,” Kale told her as she began her ascent up the steep steps.

“Kale, I…” Shira began, stopping on the first step and turning to look at him.

Kale steadied her on the narrow step with his hands upon her waist, “Don’t be concerned,
habibiti
. Everything will work out just fine.” Using his hands to turn her back around, he gave her a gentle tap on her rear to get her moving again, “Up you go. Watch you head, I wouldn’t want you to injure yourself before we get airborne.”

Oo00oO

Shira carefully stepped inside the private jet and gasped at the sheer elegance of the furnishings. Luxurious seating arrangements were scattered around the space, covered in butter-smooth leather with thick, plush carpet that begged her to remove her shoes and sink her toes into it.

A slender and elegant attendant stood towards the back of the space, dressed in a sleek navy blue uniform with her hair pulled tightly back at the base of her neck. Shira looked at her face, hoping for some sort of recognition, slightly alarmed when the young woman ignored her presence, only coming to life when Kale entered the plane behind her.

“Good afternoon, Your Highness.”

Shira turned to Kale, a question upon her face, “Your Highness? But I thought Kam…”

“All Crown Princes are referred to in this way. Kamal’s correct title is Your Majesty. I trust you can remember that?” Kale looked at her and when she nodded, smiled and gestured for her to take a seat.

Shira chose a seat near the window, watching with interest as Kale spoke to the attendant in Arabic before joining her. “Rihana will bring you some refreshment as soon as we are airborne.”

Shira nodded, still trying to understand how the plans had changed so quickly. “Did Rick or Damon call you?”

Kale took the seat next to Shira, taking her hands in his and chafing them slightly. “No. It had already been decided that I would fly your team out in our private jet. When Rick and Damon explained the need for them to stay behind, along with the rest of the team, I offered to make myself available to you and help facilitate your work in Jawhara.”

Shira nodded, looking up into Kale’s eyes and quickly becoming lost in their warmth. Feeling herself sway towards him slightly, she fought the urge to lean against him. The feelings his hands were creating in her body were quickly becoming hard to ignore. She glanced down at their joined hands and was transported back to the last time his hands had touched her.

They had celebrated the end of the negotiations between her company and his country and had retired to his hotel room after several hours of dancing at local clubs. Shira had been full of energy and enthralled with Kale’s attention.

She had been secretly trying to attract his attention during the months of negotiations, but he had kept her at arm’s length. When she had walked into the banquet hall, he had immediately captured her attention and kept her close to his side the rest of the night.

They had just settled themselves upon a rug in front of the fireplace, sharing lingering kisses and touches when his phone had rung. Cursing, Kale had answered the phone, growing still and silent as he listened. Evidently, a major catastrophe was brewing in his country and he and his brother were needed to fly back immediately.

He had given her once last smoldering kiss, full of promise and longing, and then asked his driver to take her home. He had programmed her phone with his direct line and had called her almost every day since then. Talking to her for hours about his childhood, her upbringing and their dreams and hopes for the future. He had been amazed at how much they had in common and quickly become enamored of her.

When Kamal had instructed him to fly to America and escort the Addams Group team back to Jawhara, he had called Rick and Damon and made sure Shira was one of the team he would be escorting. Talks had quickly escalated from a visit to setting up another office in Jawhara. Rick and Damon had not missed his attraction to Shira, nor hers to him, and had suggested that Shira might be a good candidate to stay on in Jawhara and manage their first international office.

Kale had kept his enthusiasm for the plan to himself, secretly rejoicing that his task of convincing Shira to remain in Jawhara long-term would not be that hard. Based upon her reaction only moments before in the airport terminal, the long-term plans for her employment hadn’t been discussed with her yet.

Kale would make sure that Rick and Damon corrected that as quickly as possible. He wanted Shira to grab hold of this adventure and start making plans to stay in Jawhara – permanently.

The Sheikh’s Troublesome Bride (The Jawhara Sheikhs Series Book 2) Download today!

Excerpt from ‘CEO’s Pregnant Lover’ (Download Instantly – Click here)

“HR, Janet speaking. How may I he-”

“Janet? Trent. I need you to send up a replacement for Pam. Her daughter was injured in an accident, and she just left to go take care of the children and such. I’ve no idea how long she will be gone, so send me someone that you weren’t planning on firing at the end of the week.” Trent said matter-of-factly. He didn’t really care if she fired twenty people each week; if they couldn’t do the job they could find somewhere else to work.

Janet Marshall worked as the head of HR for Coldwell Enterprises. She was not only a friend, she was the toughest woman Trent had working for him. She was also his second cousin and married to his best friend from college. While Janet didn’t have to work another day in her life, she enjoyed managing people and understood Trent in a way others didn’t. He was as alpha as they came, she’d never met a more dominating, arrogant man until Trent had come along.

“Oh dear! Which one of Pam’s daughters was hurt?” Janet asked with obvious concern in her voice. Pam had worked for the company for as long as she could remember, first as Trent’s father’s personal assistant, and now for Trent. She was one of the nicest women Janet had ever worked with and she only hoped that her daughter wasn’t too badly hurt.

“Susan,” Trent replied, thinly hiding his impatience.

The timing couldn’t be worse as Trent was in the process of acquiring a large production company in Europe and the contracts that had been drawn up by his European office were in chaos. He had been in the process of finalizing his corrections when Pam had announced that she must leave immediately. He needed these contracts fixed today!

“Oh, no. And she just delivered twins a few months back. That poor woman,” Janet commiserated over the phone. “Don’t worry about it; I have just the girl in mind. She’s only been working here for about six months, but her reviews are excellent.”

Janet was thinking of the young woman she had hired a little over six months back. Janet had interviewed her and been surprised at how mature she seemed for someone only twenty-four years old. Smiling to herself, she tried to envision how Trent would react to the young woman who wore her hair like a fifty year old, clothing that didn’t fit her body, or compliment her natural coloring, and honestly had no idea of just how attractive she could be. On top of all that, she was the most capable woman Janet had hired in months.

“Whatever - just send her up after lunch. I’m right in the middle of negotiations for that buyout in Germany, and Pam didn’t have time to make the corrections on the contract yet. I need them by 3 o’clock - if not sooner.”

“Not to worry. I’ll go tell her now and then send her to lunch. I assume that I can offer her the same benefits and salary that Pam was drawing?”

“Of course.” Trent started to hang up the phone when he heard Janet call him back. Sighing, he put the phone back to his ear and answered, “What?” Damn it, he had work to do. He didn’t have time to chitchat with Janet; that’s what her husband was for. He’d mention just that fact to Shawn next time he saw him.

Janet took a breath and thought about keeping this information to herself, but then she decided that Trent would want to know. “Shawn and I went to that symphony fundraiser last night.”

Trent waited for her to continue, and when she didn’t, he impatiently replied, “And? I assume it was a smashing success and all that.”

“It was, but that wasn’t my point.”

“Well, get to it. I have work to do and so do you.”

“I saw Marco Bresi there.” Janet said in a rush, holding her breath for the explosion she assumed was coming. When nothing happened, she paused, letting Trent digest what she had just told him. Marco Bresi was a very wealthy, and very influential businessman in Europe. He and Trent had a past marked with tragedy and Marco had stayed in Europe for the last three years because of it. Janet had been shocked to see him back in the States, especially in Denver.

Trent was silent as he let Janet’s words sink in. Serena’s father was back in the states. Trent immediately tamped down on the emotion that threatened to sideline his focus. He hadn’t thought of Serena for several months now, and wanted to keep it that way.

Serena Bresi had taken the fashion world by storm at the age of sixteen. Three years after that, she had met Trent at a fundraiser in New York City and they had fallen madly in love. At least, Trent thought she had been in love with him as much as he had been with her.

Their love affair had been the subject of all the social magazines and the paparazzi had hounded them mercilessly. When Trent had taken over Coldwell Enterprises from his father, he had immediately used his many contacts in Europe to expand the company overseas.

Everything had been going smoothly, or so he thought. Serena had signed a contract with a large fashion house in Milan and had temporarily moved to Italy. Trent had missed her, but had so many things on his plate in the states, that the time had just seemed to slip away.

Four months later, he had flown to Milan to surprise Serena for the weekend. He had gone straight to her flat, flowers in hand, surprised to find her home in the middle of the afternoon. The surprise had been on him, however, as she had answered the door with the arms of her current lover wrapped intimately around her.

Trent had been so furious, he had immediately left and returned to the airport. His private jet had been airborne several hours later. Serena had called him repeatedly, but he had ignored her calls. Trent valued honesty and loyalty above all else, and her betrayal had hurt him deeply. He had let it be known to the media, that they had decided to break things off, but were still friends. He’d had no wish to tarnish her reputation in the publics’ eyes.

When she had called him three weeks later during the middle of the night, he had reached for the phone, unaware that she was on the other end of the line. Having been caught off-guard, he had listened as she tearfully apologized and begged for his help. It seemed that she had just found out she was pregnant and expected Trent to come to her rescue. Trent knew there was no possible way the baby was his since he hadn’t touched Serena for over five months.

Trent had been repulsed and hung up the phone without replying. Two days later, he received news that Serena had driven her car off a bridge. Her suicide note made it seem that Trent had refused to do the right thing and marry her, and that she couldn’t bear to shame her family by having a child out of wedlock.

Marco Bresi, Serena’s heartbroken father, had managed to keep the suicide note out of the media, but had vowed to get revenge for Serena’s death. He blamed Trent for causing her death. Trent had thought of telling Marco the truth, but didn’t think that her grief-stricken father was in any position to listen at the time so had kept silent.

True to his word, Marco had started to go after Trent, keeping their feud to the business world, thus far, but Trent knew that it was only a matter of time before Marco started trying to attack him in his personal life as well. Now that Marco had personally come to Denver, it seemed that time had arrived.

“Did you speak with him?” Trent asked.

“He didn’t give us a choice. He made a point of cornering us during the intermission. Trent, there was such hatred in his eyes when he asked about you. I know you and Serena broke up before her death…”

“Janet, let it go. I told you then, and I’ll tell you the same thing now. What happened between Serena and myself was between us. I will not discuss it and as she’s dead, there really is no point. Marco believes some things that are not true. I’ve tried to correct his thinking, but he doesn’t want to hear it. That is on him.” Trent took a breath and then continued, “Now, we both have work to do. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?”

Janet wondered if she should just let it go like Trent had commanded, but then pushed forward anyway, “Trent, he asked me to deliver a message to you.”

Trent clenched his jaw and then looked to the ceiling before asking Janet to continue. Whatever the message was, he assumed it was more threat than anything and part of him felt bad that Janet and her husband had been put in the middle of his and Marco’s feud.

“Tell me.”

“He warned me that you were going to get what you deserve and that I should tell you to watch your back very carefully. He also mentioned a company called Global Tech. Does that mean anything to you?”

Trent cursed softly and quickly pulled his keyboard towards him and pulled up the information on the company they were currently buying out. When he scrolled down through the list of shareholders, he cursed again. How could he have missed something like that? Marco Bresi’s company owned thirty-two percent of the stock. No wonder he was in the states. He must have gotten wind that Coldwell Enterprises was in the process of negotiating a hostile takeover and was already talking with bidders, for when the company was split apart. The current shareholders stood to lose a lot of money when that happened.

Trent had dealt with Marco trying to derail other business negotiations, and Trent had made it a point to stay away from any company attached to the Bresi family name. He had no wish to harm Marco or his family, and didn’t have time for complications with this current negotiation.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he held his breath and then let it go in a rush, “Janet, don’t worry about it. I’ll handle the problem. Get me that assistant.” Trent hung up the phone and then went back to reading the contract in front of him, making marks with a red pen as he went. He would deal with Marco later. Right now, he needed to finish these contract papers.

Janet shook her head as she said “Goodbye” to a dead line. Trent exasperated her with his ability to be rude without trying. One of these days she hoped he learned to curb his impatience, just a little bit. Shaking her head, she placed the call that would bring Trent’s stand-in assistant to her office and hoped that whatever Marco Bresi was planning would fail before it got off the ground.

*****

Trent Coldwell was the CEO of Coldwell Enterprises. If someone were to ask what the company did, the answers would vary. Coldwell Enterprises had many interests, but mainly purchased failing companies and then either sold them off in pieces, or turned them around and made them leaders in their market. They did their job very well.

At the age of thirty-one, Trent Coldwell was one of Denver’s most eligible bachelors, never lacking for female companionship, but never being seen with the same women for more than a few weeks. The fact that he was richer than Croesus didn’t hurt his eligibility either.

Trent Coldwell had inherited the company from his father upon his retirement, and had immediately implemented changes. He had successfully taken it from a small regional firm, and created an international mega-company with interests worldwide.

Not known for his patience, he briefly thought of calling Janet back and making sure that she was sending him someone who knew how to work and wouldn’t burst into tears at the first sign of criticism. He was a perfectionist and expected the same from his employees. He often spoke his mind and had been told by more than one employee that he should take lessons in how to communicate effectively. Trent scoffed at the idea. He communicated fine. He told people what to do and they did it. End of story. He saw no reason to explain his requests as he was the boss and as they worked for him, it shouldn’t matter why he wanted something done. His employees were paid to take care of the job to the best of their ability. Deciding that he would just send the girl away if she were unsuitable, he went back to reading his contract.

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