The Shiekh's Virgin Mistress (11 page)

I bumped up my chest in amusement, “Yeah right, as if mom.  As fucking if!”

“Well, you never know.. Times have changed.  You never fucking know!”

We both giggled and laughed and our mutual tension eased.  Mom never swore, so when she did, I knew I was seeing her younger, wilder, full of hope self, and that gave me hope for my future.  Maybe I could learn from this and it wouldn’t ruin the rest of my life like it felt like in this moment.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I returned to school and Julie was delighted to have me back.  She’d stayed during break because she worked in town.  She wasn’t supported by her family financially and was on a full scholarship.She was one of the most brilliant women I knew, but also full of life and fun, and she made it her mission to distract me with activities and outings on a regular basis. 

Her plan worked, and I was soon back to my studious self, with the small addition of the new adventurous Anna peeking her head out once in a while.  I thought of my lost Shiekh daily, and continued to tell myself that he was the best man ever to take me at that moment in my life.  My heart broke, but it also broke open and I was no longer the lackluster, one dimensional law student I’d once been. 

“We’re going to this conference at the end of the month.” Julie announced at breakfast. 

“You’re telling me?” I muttered into my coffee cup.

“Yup, you have no choice.  It’s all the way out in Southern Cali, we need some sun and surf and maybe a nice tanned boy body to play with.”

“What’s so important about this conference?” I still wasn’t fully awake and the thought of playing with any other man, other than Omar, seemed wrong to me.  I figured I might eventually meet someone else, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to go out and troll for one. 

Julie’s eyebrows waggled and she giggled, “You need to get back on the horse sweet pea.”

I grunted and rolled my eyes and then affected a lazy, bored expression.  “Not gonna happen.  I am back to chaste and virginal for the foreseeable future.”

She pouted.  I snorted on the inhale and went back to looking at the brochure.  “Okay fine, no boys, no flirting, that aside, this is where some of the top businesses in the country recruit.  And since you and I are almost finished, fingers crossed we pass the BAR with no problems, not that I think either of us will have any problems, we are after all the two smartest girls in the entire fucking school.” She sipped her coffee and continued, “So, I booked us a room at the Hilton, you need to give me a grand to cover the week and for your half of the plane ticket, and you’ll need some for eating, but we can eat cheap, or…”

“Or what?”

“Wellllll,” She always stretched out her words when she was plotting something in her head, “Well, you bring enough for your meals, I will probably flirt my way to a few free ones.”

I sarcastically mocked her, “You’re such a whore!”

She wiggled in her chair, “In all the best ways!”

I did love her shame-free attitude and I shrugged and nodded in agreement.  “Okay, I’ll get you the money by tomorrow.  I need to hit up mom for it.  Dad still isn’t talking to me.”

I did like the idea of being recruited so I wouldn’t need to canvas for a job.  I only had the remainder of this last semester too, and then I was free to do as I pleased and would no longer be under the rule of my parents.  I would be making my own way, making my own mistakes and finally be responsible for myself. 

The month sped by, and both my day and night dreams were still consistently cluttered with visuals of Omar.  Whenever I thought of him, my body would wake up as if someone flipped a light switch.  The rest of the time, I was as cold and numb as I’d ever been.  I missed him in an intangible, hard to describe way, but at this point, with no communication whatsoever over the past four months, I was beginning to believe he had been a onetime thing, a great experience that wrecked me, but also resurrected me. 

He’d said that was how he felt too, maybe that was all it was, just a way to wake us both up so we could move on in life and know that intense passion was indeed a real thing, and not to settle for anything less in our future relationships.  I thought of my mom, and how she’d cocooned herself, dwelling in a past that never manifested, and living with those memories as her only solace.  I felt for her and I decided she was a cautionary tale.  I would not settle.  I would wait and maybe someday.  Someday.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO-EPILOGUE

Julie and I arrived in San Diego and it was warm and sunny and as close to paradise as I could imagine.  It was early spring, and back home had still been covered in a thick layer of snow and ice.  California though was heavenly and the daily temps hovered right around seventy.  We immediately went to the beach and laidin the warm sand and my skin soaked in the vitamin D.  I felt good, and happy, and for the first time in five long months, I didn’t feel as if I might crumple into tears at the drop of a pin.

The first couple of days of the conference were mostly lectures on the current economic climate of our country and how we as new attorneys could both work within and then stretch those boundaries.  It was interesting to hear how each new generation of attorneys changed both the political and economic system in our country.  I hadn’t realized we were considered so influential because of our youth and fresh new insights.

The third day I’d signed up for a discussion on international law.  There were three Americans on the panel and six advisors from other countries.  When I took my seat, I noticed that two of the men were Arabs, and my breath caught.  Neither were nearly as handsome as Omar, but still my heart stuttered at seeing their chocolate skin and black wavy hair. 

I settled in and got out my pad to take notes.  My heart continued to beat erratically and I took long, yoga breaths through my nose.  My insides began humming too, that invisible harp chord vibrating deep inside my belly.  I found that odd; I’d not felt anything close to that feeling since Omar had plucked that particular string months prior, and not all since. 

I shifted in my chair and readjusted my jeans so that the seam wasn’t pushing up into me.  I tried to focus on what the lead speaker was saying, but I could hardly hear him.  I readjusted my position in the chair yet again, and nothing was helping.  Maybe I was getting sick?

The room was packed with people, and I’d gotten there late and was near the back.  I decided to quietly duck out and get myself in order.  I excused myself as I slid into the aisle and then I walked quickly out the swinging doors of the conference room.  The hall was full of people waiting for a lecture in one of the adjoining rooms and my lungs tightened down.  I suddenly felt claustrophobic and my eyes blurred with tears. 

I swung around to head in a different direction, away from the press of bodies blocking the elevator, and I ran head long into a solid wall of human chest.  I noticed how nice the fabric of the suit was, and the silk of the shirt underneath.  I was a mess at this point and really didn’t know what was happening. 

I apologized to the suit and the chest my face had just hit, and went to turn.  Two big hands came to my arms and held me fast.  It was then that my head filled with a familiar scent and that invisible harp string vibrated again, this time it jumped and leapt and my knees went wobbly.  Then I looked up.

“Hello Sarah, my goddess.”

SEQUEL COMING SOON!

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