There was something about being in Monty"s arms that made her feel feminine yet protected, but not in a suffocating sort of way, not overbearing. There was something comforting about his desire. The way he could stroke her wants and longings, fuel the flames, make her yearn for things she hadn"t ever thought about. Make her want to do things she would never have considered doing until she met him.
For two weeks she had wanted to be independent, enjoy her life to the fullest. She didn"t just want to be the youngest daughter of King Yasir or the future wife of Sheikh Valdemon. She had wanted to be Johari Yasir in a way she had never been before. She had wanted to do things she"d never done before without anyone watching, protecting and judging. For the first time, she felt a sense of freedom by stepping out on her own.
And then Monty had entered the picture. The only things she knew about him were that he was from here in the States, he was a highly successful businessman, he was wealthy, handsome and he wanted her. And she wanted him, as well. The man who was showing how much pleasure could be shared when two people"s lips and tongues touched, stroked and entangled...like theirs were doing at this precise moment. The man who was showing just how she could feel his warmth and his heat from being held in his arms. Was it wrong to want, to desire and to experience this with him? To have, to hold and to pleasure?
When he slowly pulled his mouth back, ending the kiss, she automatically dropped her face upon his chest. His hands cupped the back of her head in a display of tenderness so profound she couldn"t stop the shivers from moving through her body. His hands shifted and began to slowly caress her back as they both continued to pull in deep breaths. She closed her eyes, thinking the way she had responded to him was outright scandalous, totally outrageous. But she would do so again and again. She was filled with so many emotions, too numerous to name but all stirred by him.
"Jo."
There was something about the way he said her name that sent trembles rippling through her body, shivers of pa.s.sion escalating through every limb. Instead of answering she leaned back and looked up into his face, met his gaze. What she saw was intense heat, blatant desire and everything else that told her she was a woman that he wanted. It was there for her to see. Unhidden. Blatant. His features all but spelled it out to her.
She had a feeling that it was his intent for that kiss to be just for starters. How could he want her so much? Surely he could tell she had no experience with this sort of thing and was merely following his lead.
"Yes?" she whispered, as sensations threatened to overwhelm her at the thought that he wasn"t through with her yet.
She had a feeling there were more kisses in store for her and that he had no qualms about moving things to another level. She might be a virgin but when it came to what men and women did together intimately, she wasn"t clueless. Although she had to admit this was the first time she had felt so much tingling in certain parts of her body, especially the area between her thighs. Monty had accomplished just what he"d said he would do, which was to make her forget that her future was already planned with another man. A part of her knew that everything she envisioned sharing with Monty were things that she should wait and share with the man she would marry.
Too late, she thought, as she traced her bottom lip with her tongue. She could still taste Monty there. It was a taste like no other. And then there was that steam of heat he emitted that seemed to touch her flesh, reminding her she was a living, breathing woman being s.e.xually awakened for the first time.
He reached up to frame her face with his hands while staring deep into her eyes. "Come fly away with me. Let me introduce you to fun of a different kind. A very sensuous kind of fun," he whispered in a voice that intoxicated her senses.
"Fly away with you?" she asked, needing to make sure she had heard him correctly. She didn"t repeat the words he"d said about introducing her to fun of a different kind. A sensuous kind of fun. The thought of that sent pa.s.sionate shivers up her spine.
A heavy silence fell between them as she stared up at him with her heart thumping wildly in her chest. And then he spoke again, to respond to her question. "Yes, I want to take you away, Jo. Spend time with you. Do things with you."
She suddenly felt dizzy and her heart began pounding faster. She could imagine what things he wanted to do with her. He was a wealthy international playboy, whose business had him jet-setting all over the world. He was used to getting any woman of his choosing, and for some reason he had decided he wanted her. Why he had made that decision she wasn"t sure when it was obvious she lacked the experience he was probably used to. Evidently he wanted a change of flavor and saw her as a novelty. But then, didn"t she see him as a novelty, as well, after living such a sheltered life?
Sensuous fun.
The idea of engaging in an affair with him was shocking and she should be recoiling at the very thought. But if she didn"t jump at the chance now, when would she have another opportunity? There was no doubt in her mind that Sheikh Valdemon would only consider her as his personal possession. A woman whose main purpose was to birth his heir. She was someone he was to pamper, coddle and treat like the queen she would be. Her husband-to-be would not give her the consideration Monty was offering. He would have mistresses to perform that task. He would expect her to be happy and satisfied with a loveless and pa.s.sionless union. But she wanted more. She wanted pa.s.sion even if the thought of ever being loved by Sheikh Valdemon was hopeless.
"Would it sway your decision if I promise to let you decide what activities you would want to partic.i.p.ate in?" he asked, reclaiming her attention.
She wondered if he considered sharing a bed an activity. "No matter what they are?"
He nodded. "Yes, no matter what they are." And as if he"d read her mind he added, "And when we"re in residence anywhere, you will be given your own bedroom until you decide differently."
"And if I never decide differently?"
A smile touched his lips. "You will."
His statement, spoken with such confidence, pretty much said that he saw her as a challenge he intended to overcome. A woman he planned to seduce. "I just met you yesterday," she said softly, reminding him.
"And I just met you yesterday, as well. You"ve kept a lot of information about yourself private and so have I. If it will help matters I will tell you everything you want to know about me, but then I"d expect you to do the same. Otherwise, I"m Monty and you"re Jo."
His hands then tightened around her waist. "I"m also a man who wants you but is willing to wait. A man who wants to take you places, will make sure you enjoy yourself immensely. I would never force myself on you, I would never take what you don"t give, and I will keep you safe. So will you fly away with me?"
Instead of giving an answer, she moved away, crossed the room to look out the huge window that showed New York-The Big Apple. The same one she had taken a big chunk out of last night and today with all the excitement she"d had...thanks to the man who she knew was watching her closely.
When she heard him making a move toward her she quickly turned back around and held up a hand. "No, please stay over there, Monty. I can"t think when you"re near me."
A s.e.xy smile touched his lips. "All right."
She turned back to the window frowning. She wondered if this was one of those times when Cel would have cautioned her about giving too much information. Possibly. However, in this case she couldn"t help it since what she"d told him was the truth. She couldn"t think when he was near her. And now the same man who could overpower her senses wanted to whisk her away in his private plane with a guarantee for some sensuous fun.
And she was leaning toward taking him up on his offer.
Would she accept his offer or would she turn it down?
That question ran through Rasheed"s mind as he took a sip of his wine and glanced across the room at Johari as she stood at the window deep in thought.
As the future king of Mowaiti, his expectations for his future bride would be for her to turn it down. She had already violated protocol by even being alone with him, allowing him to kiss her not once but twice and being anywhere unchaperoned and without a bodyguard. However, he had an unsettling notion that she would accept. It seemed that she had no problem being rebellious, breaking rules and placing herself in situations he could only define as inappropriate.
But then on the other hand, a part of him, the part that was deeply attracted to her beauty and was l.u.s.ting after her body, hoped that she would would fly away with him. He was more than ready to introduce her to all those things he would have taught her anyway after they"d gotten married. Her defiant behavior as well as his intense desire for her made waiting for the wedding no longer an option. fly away with him. He was more than ready to introduce her to all those things he would have taught her anyway after they"d gotten married. Her defiant behavior as well as his intense desire for her made waiting for the wedding no longer an option.
He wanted her in his bed now.
"Monty?"
He glanced over at Johari again. Met her gaze. Felt her heat. Could almost taste it. He wanted to taste it. Intended to taste it. "Yes, Jo?"
He watched her breath in deeply. Watched how her b.r.e.a.s.t.s moved as she did so. An image popped into his mind of those b.r.e.a.s.t.s, uncovered, exposed, bare, and ready to be claimed, tormented and devoured by his mouth.
"I"ll go with you but only on one condition."
He stared at her, slightly annoyed that she thought she could set stipulations. "And what condition is that?" he asked, taking another sip of his wine.
"That you teach me how to please a man."
He cleared his throat after nearly choking on his wine. "What did you say?"
She didn"t speak for a moment. He figured she was trying to get past what was probably a shocked look on his face. "I said that I will go with you if you promise to teach me how to please a man."
He swallowed. That"s what he thought she"d said. He had planned to do that anyway, but to hear her suggest it was sort of unnerving. Women groomed to be wives didn"t ask such things. They didn"t even think it. "Why?" he asked, slowly crossing the room to her, needing to look in her face when she explained herself.
He came to a stop in front of her. Her eyes were as bright as the sun rising over the Persian Gulf and as serious as a heat wave in the Sahara. "I will be getting married soon."
He nodded, thinking that he of all people knew that. "And?"
She looked away briefly and then directed her eyes to him. "And the more I know, the more my husband will appreciate me."
His brows rose. "And why wouldn"t he appreciate you? You will be his wife."
She hesitated before giving him an answer, and he figured she was trying to decide how much information to share with him. "It will be an arranged marriage, which is not uncommon in my country. The man I am to marry will be allowed to have a mistress, as many as he wants. Although it is our way, I"m too possessive to accept something like that. I thought I would be able to, however, I know I won"t and unfortunately, it will cause problems with my marriage."
Yes, it will cause problems, he thought. It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest she get over it because he would would have a mistress. In fact he would have more than one. No wife could compete with a mistress when it came to bedroom skills and shouldn"t even try. Everyone had their roles. A wife was a wife and a mistress was a mistress. A man would not expect his wife to behave like a mistress. have a mistress. In fact he would have more than one. No wife could compete with a mistress when it came to bedroom skills and shouldn"t even try. Everyone had their roles. A wife was a wife and a mistress was a mistress. A man would not expect his wife to behave like a mistress.
"Do you want to cause problems in your marriage?" he decided to ask.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "But I can"t settle for anything less than a man who will be faithful to me. That is why I want to learn everything I can."
He felt he needed her to understand. She was setting herself up for failure. "Even if I agree to what you"re asking, you will never learn everything, Jo."
A determined look settled on her face. "As long as I know what"s important to him. It shouldn"t be hard to keep him happy because of his age. He"s old."
Rasheed raised a brow. "He"s old?"
"Yes, he"s fifteen years older than me, so I would expect most of his good days are gone already, over and done with. So I wouldn"t have to know a whole lot to keep him happy. Just the right right stuff." stuff."
Rasheed didn"t say anything. He hadn"t recovered from what she"d said about his age. "How old is he?" He knew the answer but asked anyway.
"Thirty-nine."
He shrugged. "I don"t think that"s old."
Johari wrinkled her nose. "I disagree," she said, as if she had made up her mind about it and it wouldn"t be changed.
"If he"s had mistresses for as long as I"ve heard he"s had them," she went on, "then he"s probably well worn-out by now, although I"m sure he probably doesn"t think so. I need to convince him that he is and from now on, I will be enough for him. But I"ll need to back up that claim with knowledge of the things a man would like."
Her voice had gotten stronger. Was filled with more conviction, he thought. He tried to keep the hard line from forming on his lips, but more than anything he needed to make her see reason. He had no problems teaching her anything she wanted to learn, but he didn"t want her to be disillusioned and think for one minute it would matter in the bedroom. The bottom line was that he intended to keep his mistresses.
He pulled in a deep breath. It seemed that Johari was going to be more trouble than he originally thought. What she was thinking was utter nonsense, a waste of good time and energy...on her part but not on his. He would enjoy every moment teaching her things. But in essence it wouldn"t change a thing, although she a.s.sumed she could wrap him in so much pleasure that he"d be convinced he only needed a wife and no one else. He shook his head. For the love of Allah, there wasn"t that much pleasure in the world.
That realization played on his conscience. Could he let her believe that? He looked at her and decided, yes, he could. It would be a hard lesson but one she deserved for not returning home to plan their wedding. Had she done the right thing, neither of them would be here now.
"So that is my condition, Monty. Will you take it?"
Rasheed felt it was time he taught his rebellious fiancee a few important lessons and he would enjoy doing so. In the end, when he revealed his true ident.i.ty to her, she would see just what a mistake she had made in thinking she was clever enough to outwit her family and outsmart him.
He met her eyes and saw the soft, innocent plea in their dark depths. She had no idea what she was asking for. He had to be certain. "And you"re sure that is what you want?"
"Yes, I"m sure."
He waited for a few moments and then he said, "In that case, my driver and I will take you back to the hotel. I suggest you pack up your belongings and get a good night"s sleep. I"ll come to the hotel in the morning to pick you up at eight o"clock. We will fly out of New York by nine."
She nodded. "Where are we going?"
A smile touched his lips. "First stop is to my private villa near Brazil. And your lessons will start tomorrow."
"Thank you."
He blinked. She had actually thanked him. Did she not understand the seriousness of what she had agreed to do? What she had asked of him? He inclined his head. Out of curiosity, he decided to ask, "Won"t your fiance expect you to come to him on your wedding night a virgin?"
She shrugged. "Probably. But I"m hoping he will prefer pleasure over innocence. Wouldn"t you?"
An easy smile curved his lips. "I refrain from giving my opinion."
And he thought, for her sake, that was a good idea.
Chapter 7.
"Are your comfortable, Jo?"
Johari glanced over at Monty, who was sitting across from her in his private jet. She had flown in a private plane a number of other times since both her father and brother owned them. But there was something about Monty"s jet that was unique in that it was larger and had a lot more amenities than any she"d ever flown in. When she had mentioned it to him he"d explained it was due to the amount of time he spent in the air.
"Yes, I"m fine. Thank you for asking."
She broke eye contact with him and glanced out the window, trying to recall every single detail of last night after they had agreed to have an affair. The thought made shivers run up her spine. She had just gotten kissed for the very first time two days ago and already she was looking forward to something more.
Johari turned back toward Monty and saw he was browsing through a stack of papers he had taken out of his briefcase. She could only vaguely remember leaving his condo to return to her hotel last night. He had walked her inside the hotel as far as her room door and then, doing nothing more than placing a soft kiss on her cheek, he had made sure she had gotten safely inside before leaving.
She settled back in the soft cushions of the leather seat and nervously licked her lips, thinking this was the day her lessons were to begin, but he had not yet shown any interest in starting them. He had picked her up at the hotel at exactly eight that morning. Before he had arrived she had taken time to make a call to Cel. Although her friend was out on international waters, Johari had left a message letting her know she was on her way to Brazil with Monty. In a way she was glad she had not spoken to Cel. Her friend would have berated her for acting so impulsively and going off with a total stranger. But for a reason Johari didn"t understand and couldn"t explain, she felt safe with Monty.
She had taken more time with her appearance this morning, deciding to wear a white sundress and, from the look he"d given her, she knew she had made the right choice. But that was all she had gotten from him so far-a look and several smiles. She wasn"t sure exactly what she had expected, but to be ignored hadn"t been it. Maybe she had counted on too much too soon or maybe she was just a little too anxious for her lessons to start.
She glanced back out the window as she tried to blot out of her mind an incident she had heard about from the whisperings of her parents" household staff. A sheikh who was to marry one of the daughters of a neighboring sheikhdom had ordered his bride-to-be to undergo a physical examination before the wedding to verify she was still a virgin.
When the examination showed she was not, the sheikh had called off the wedding and taken extreme measures to humiliate the woman before demanding that she be banished to Siberia. What if the same thing were to happen to her? What if Sheikh Valdemon got wind of the fact she had not returned to Tahran as expected and believed he"d been compromised by her behavior and ordered such an examination for her?
She didn"t want to think about such a thing happening. She was depending on him not finding out anything until their wedding night, and hopefully, by then once she showered him with all the things she had been taught, she would be able to convince him that the loss of her virginity didn"t matter. She wanted to believe that her future husband would appreciate a wife with exemplary bedroom skills. But still...
She drew in a deep breath, realizing it was too late to have second thoughts now since they were probably already halfway to Brazil. The sky was a beautiful blue and they were flying high above the clouds. A few moments ago the pilot had announced their alt.i.tude but she hadn"t been paying much attention. Her focus had been on the man sitting across from her.
And speaking of Monty...
She glanced quickly over to where he sat to find him looking at her. She swallowed and tried to control the deep pounding of her heart. He was looking at her the same way he had last night, just moments before he kissed her.
"Come here, Jo."
His voice was deep, throaty, and she wasn"t sure she had heard him correctly. "You want me to come over there?"
A s.e.xy smile touched his lips. "Yes, I want you over here." He patted his lap. "Right here."
She swallowed tightly as she unfastened her seat belt. The plane had leveled off, which made getting out of her seat and walking the distance to him safe and easy. He unsnapped his own seat belt and then proceeded to shrug off his jacket and toss it aside. When she was within arm"s reach, he placed his hands around her waist and tugged her down to him, snuggling her into his lap with her head resting against his chest.
The only time she recalled being held this way by a man was when she had nearly cried her eyes out as a child of three when Jamal had left home to attend school in France. Jamal had been her hero. Her protector. The brother she adored. She had thought her world had come to an end and her father had held her tenderly while she shed all her tears. And now she was in the arms of a man who definitely wasn"t her father. In his tight embrace, she could feel the outline of his taut muscles. Hard. Firm. Masculine.
"Ready for your first lesson, Jo?"