His Irresistible Darling Read online

  ***

  Jumal opened his car door for her before striding round to the driver’s side and speeding out of the underground car park, anxious to get Pippa home and out of his car. He could smell her scent on his jacket and knew that it was going to linger in his car for the next few days and drive him crazy. Correction: crazier. He’d have to have it valeted again despite the fact it was spotless.

  She looked over at him with a quizzical look on her face as they sped through the deserted city streets and out to the low-rise buildings of the suburbs. “What?” he asked.

  “You know the way to where I live?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

  “Of course,” he replied, like it was obvious that he’d know where all his employees lived. “I went to see it before I rented it for you. I had to make sure it was appropriate.” He shrugged his shoulders, dismissing her question, but hoped she’d just accept his response and assume that his role as boss meant that he’d know where all his staff lived…right?

  But he caught her still staring at him from the corner of his eye, seemingly unconvinced by his response. “What?” he asked again, turning his head towards her briefly.

  “Nothing,” she said, turning her head back to the front. “I just assumed someone else had sorted it all out. That’s all.” Her voice was quiet and he could barely hear her over the throb of the car’s powerful engine.

  Ten minutes later he waved at the gate guard, who clearly recognised him, and pulled up in front of her apartment complex. He jumped out to open her door, offered his hand to help her out with her bag and file and escorted her to the steps of her apartment before stopping and turning to face her, pocketing his hands. “Goodnight, Pippa.”

  “Night, sir.” He watched her take the final steps up to her front door but she abruptly turned back and shouted, “Jumal.” She seemed surprised that he hadn’t yet moved away. “Oh, er by the way, thanks for the job, er I mean placement. I know you did it as a favour to Matt, but thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, bowing his head slightly before adding in a lower voice, “but I didn’t do it as a favour to your brother.” My reasons were much more selfish, he silently added as he turned away, sensing her eyes on him from her porch.

  Chapter Three

  Pip had just started to turn her key in the heavy front door when she felt a presence behind her. She gasped and started to turn before being paralysed as soft lips grazed behind her ear. Her breath hitched but she was held in place by strong hands at her hips, pinning her tightly between the door and a tall, hard body.

  “Allah forgive me but I need you.” Jumal. His gruff, whispered voice vibrated against the shell of her ear, made her instantly wet and her inner muscles clench in the most sensitive part of her body. Her knees weakened beneath her but the strength in his arms held her up.

  Her hands seemed to move of their own volition to cover his hands at her hips; her head fell back and to the side against his firm chest. Her neck exposed to him. He accepted her silent invitation and took complete control of her body, running kisses up her neck as she closed her eyes and maximised the sensations her body was feeling, unable to turn around.

  Someone groaned; she wasn’t sure who but as her traitorous body was responding to his touch like a cat in heat, it was likely her.

  “Hmm, so goddamn wrong but I just don’t care any more.” He moaned against her skin as he brushed his chin over the sensitive part where her neck met her shoulder, her body set alight at the feel of his slight stubble—huh, she had the strangest thought that she’d been wearing a jacket earlier. She must have taken it off in his car.

  “Going to hell but at least I’ll have tasted you before I go,” he murmured. God his voice was amazing and much better when it wasn’t yelling at her in the office.

  She squirmed involuntarily as he moved his hands from her hips to her inner thighs. He used his foot to part her legs further, their bodies so tight that she could feel his body’s excitement against her lower back. She braced her hands against the door and pushed back against him harder, delighted by his strangled moan in response.

  For a fleeting moment she worried about her neighbours, but when his fingers moved tantalisingly over her damp knickers all such worries were forgotten…and merely added to her excitement.

  “Oohhhh—” This time she knew for certain that the moan belonged to her as he pulled her lace knickers to one side and slid one and then a second finger into her tight slickness.

  “Come for me, Pippa. Come now.”

  Yes, sir…

  The man had magic fingers that were about to make her come apart in less than a minute. Abracadabra one…two…

  BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!

  Whoa whoa whoa, what the hell was that bloody noise? Was it a neighbour’s car alarm?!

  “No, No, NO!” she complained as she came violently awake. Her arm shot out aimlessly towards her bedside table, knocking her glass of water and the blasted alarm clock to the floor.

  A dream, just a goddamn dream… She felt robbed and utterly cheated. She hadn’t even got to come in her first wet dream!

  She slumped back against her pillows and slapped her palms against the duvet, completely deflated but highly aware of the delicious, if unsatisfied, ache between her legs and the sheen of sweat decorating her brow. She shivered involuntarily as a chill swept over her body from the air conditioning and decided to ignore the fact that she’d had a naughty dream about her boss—her brother’s best friend. Nope. She’d think about that later. Much later. It could be filed under “Forbidden Fantasy”.

  With a roll of her eyes she remembered setting her alarm early so she could make a start on going over the contract Jumal had thrown on her desk last night.

  “Agghh,” she complained to no one, throwing back her duvet and stumbling over her discarded shoes on her way to her kitchen/diner. “Ouch. Bloody shoes,” she cried out as she then stumbled over her lazily discarded bag. She treated herself to a mug of hot chocolate, grabbed the file from her bag and settled herself at her kitchen table, elbows resting, propping her head up on her hands, and decided that this activity might actually cure her infatuation!

  ***

  As his alarm clock turned six a.m., Jumal finally conceded that he wasn’t going to get any sleep. He’d watched the hours tick by since finally getting into bed four hours or so ago, without a wink of sleep.

  He absently ran his hand over his head as he made his way to the kitchen to grab a coffee and tapped the note he’d seen late last night from his housekeeper reminding him that she was now away for an extended holiday. She was travelling to California for her daughter’s wedding and to help with the final organisation and hen party or whatever they called it in America. He grimaced and shook his head as he recalled Ana and Matt’s wedding, preceded by the stag weekend in London. He still couldn’t face drinking whisky.

  As promised, his housekeeper had filled his fridge and had made frozen meals for him with notes stuck to them telling him how long to microwave. He didn’t have the heart to explain that he could actually cook and enjoyed doing it when given the chance. It was obvious that the woman missed her daughter and Jumal was happy to meet her need to care for him in substitution. Her note also reminded him that the plumber was coming back to fix the guest bathroom water supply and she’d given the spare key to the concierge. “What would I do without you, Maria?” he mumbled, before filling his cup and leaning back against the kitchen counter. His mind wandered yet again back to the image he’d seen in his mind all night. Pippa Darling. Her angel-like pixie face, long dark hair with a fringe she constantly blew out of her pale blue eyes—eyes framed by her strangely attractive Buddy Holly-esque thick black-rimmed glasses. At all of five foot three, she was adorably sexy and in his opinion, her breasts were perfect regardless of whether they were “boosted” or not. He found himself smiling at the image in his head and chastised himself yet again, “She’s too damn young. End of…” He slammed his cup into th
e dishwasher before heading for the shower.

  ***

  After an hour and a half, Pip’s eyesight was blurred and her head ached. She dropped her head to the table and gently banged it in despair. She decided to shower before coming back to have one last look over the contract and finalise the notes on her laptop. She needed a break. Terms in the contract just weren’t making any sense to her. No doubt they were completely understandable to Miss Tall Dark and Sultry.

  As she leaned against the cool tiles of the shower and allowed the hot water to pound over her aching neck muscles she cast her thoughts back to her decision to approach Jumal and take the step of leaving England. She had never been one to take the easy route or allow an opportunity to pass by and even at her relatively young age, she’d travelled both with her parents as a child but more independently once she’d finished her A levels. Her parents were a lot older than most of her friends’ parents but they hadn’t been stifling or overprotective; instead they’d encouraged their daughter in her desires to travel and undertake just about every hobby and sporting activity possible. Whenever she got homesick, which was usually just after she’d spoken to her brother and Ana on Skype, she would mentally slap herself and remind herself just how lucky she was to have such an opportunity.

  Matt’s whirlwind romance with the world-famous super model Ana Harper aka her sister-in-law, had taken even her by surprise and made her look closely at her own future. Matt was now a father with another mini Darling already on the way; he was a successful businessman in his own right and had never been happier. She honestly wasn’t jealous of her brother and his new family, never that, but he’d always been there for her, particularly after their parents’ deaths. However, she couldn’t keep relying on him and assuming he would be there to pick up the pieces as she raced through life like a whirlwind. She needed to gather her inner strength and assert her independence once again—make a stand on her own. Even if the very thought of a new environment with new work colleagues in a foreign land and unfamiliar culture had made her nauseous and brought back the panic and dread of her earlier life experiences.

  ***

  “Afwan! Oops sorry, oh pardon me, sorry, afwan! Oh heck was that your bag? I’m so very sorry—agghh—”

  Pip sighed heavily and blew her fringe out of her eyes as she finally dropped down into the window seat of the heavenly air-conditioned Metro Rail, letting her bags fall to the floor. She knew she was still blushing and had already apologised profusely to the man sitting next to her in the aisle seat and whose lap she’d sat on as the metro started to depart with a sudden jerk. She was pretty sure she’d also clobbered him on the head with her fully packed lunch box.

  She’d had to run for the bloody tram as, being sleep deprived, she’d forgotten the report for Jumal on her first attempt to leave her apartment earlier and had to double back.

  She took a deep calming breath and looked out of the window to the long stretch of sun-drenched beach and sparkling deep blue sea. She smiled longingly at the children laughing and running away from the breaking waves. It was a game she and her brother had played on many happy holidays when they were children, before he’d grown too old for such childish games and instead discovered girls and got his driving licence. She loved this journey to and from work on the metro and chose to take it despite having the car.

  She was still captivated by the warm colours of the island set in an enviable position just off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. There were pockets of perfectly manicured greenery amongst the cool high-rise glass jungle metropolis but the main colours of the land were the warm reds, browns and burnt orange of the mountains and dunes, which set the perfect contrasting natural backdrop to the business district of central Dubain. The dry heat had hit her like a solid wall when she’d first stepped out of the air-conditioned airport but she’d quickly acclimatised and now shivered when she thought of the bitter, hard winters of her home in the isolated Yorkshire moors—although she did miss the greenery. The people of Dubain were welcoming in the extreme and smiled encouragingly at her when she tried to speak Arabic with mixed success. She rested her forehead against the window.

  She was distantly aware of her neighbour clearing his throat. “I’m Jake by the way.” Her napping was interrupted by the sound of an American accent. She turned and met a friendly smile and shook his offered hand.

  “Oh hello. I’m Pippa. Pip.”

  “Nice to finally meet you,” he said before continuing, “I’ve seen you quite a few times on the tram. I think we must live and work near each other. I’ve been meaning to work up the courage to introduce myself. When you fell into my lap I thought it was as good a sign as any that I should finally say hello. So, hello.”

  She felt herself blush again. “I really am sorry about that. I think I fell over that lady’s bag,” she said, nodding over the aisle.

  “No worries. Sadly, it’s not every day that a beautiful woman falls into my arms.” He offered her a boyish grin.

  “Well, thanks for catching me. So you’re American?”

  “Yep. Born in upstate New York. I’ve just moved over here and started work at Goldbergs as a trader; I tried for a New York post but they wanted more experience so I thought I might as well gain it here.”

  “Well, welcome to Dubain. I’ve only been her a few months too, so I know it can be quite daunting and difficult to meet people our age.”

  As they continued to chat, Pip tried to keep an eye out for her stop. Having nearly missed the tram, there was no way she was going to miss her stop, but she was enjoying Jake’s easy company.

  “So have you managed to do any sightseeing yet?” she asked.

  “No. Not yet I’m ashamed to say. I haven’t really got my head around the language either.”

  “Well, most people have a really good understanding of English. The children start learning it straight from primary school and I think they’re starting to teach their parents too. Just try a few words a ‘shukran’ here and there, and most people will be happy with that,” she suggested helpfully. “Once you get settled, you should definitely take the cable car up to the summit of Mount Gaiza. The views from the top are apparently outstanding; sunset is supposed to be the best time to go.”

  He pursed his lips. “You haven’t been up yet?”

  “Oh no, erm. I’m not such a fan of cable cars,” she admitted to him before continuing, “I keep meaning to see if there is a track I could drive up and then hike the rest of the way to the summit.”

  “Sounds good. Maybe you’d let me come with you. I’m a good hiker. Spent many a happy vacation hiking and skiing in the Appalachian Mountains back home.”

  “Yeah? I learnt to snowboard there when I was travelling a couple of years back—at the ski mountain resort. Do you know it?”

  Jake’s face lit up. “You’re kidding? It’s my favourite place to ski! Er…so, I was thinking of taking the ferry over to Dubai one weekend and trying out that purpose-built snow centre. Maybe we could do that together too?”

  Pip stammered, “Oh er, yeah sure.”

  “Sorry. I’m being a pushy American, aren’t I? I just haven’t met anyone yet that’s under the age of forty and that I can speak to without looking like an idiot.”

  “It’s fine, honestly, and sounds like a great plan for one weekend.”

  “So where do you work, Pip?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

  “Right there,” she said, pointing over his shoulder.

  She watched him turn and look over to the tallest of the glass skyscrapers in the distance she had pointed towards.

  He turned back to her and arched a brow. “You work for him?” He nodded his head back towards the tall glass tower, his face a mixture of horror and admiration.

  “I do indeed. So do you know Jumal?” she asked.

  “Oh no, not personally. I’ve just heard about his rep at work. Is he as bad as they all say?” He was looking at her like she was his hero for working with the mighty Jumal Ald
abbagh.

  “Worse,” she told him, “and if I don’t get off now he’s likely to stab me in the loo with the toilet brush.”

  At his bemused look she added, “Private joke.” And she moved to gather her belongings together. She stood and her new friend offered a gentlemanly hand for her as he moved into the aisle.

  “Oh, here’s my card,” she said, digging it out of her handbag and handing it to him. “Email or call me. If you fancy it, my friend is organising my twenty-first birthday party next weekend. I don’t have all the details about what she’s planning, but I’ll give you her contact details and you’d be very welcome if you like.”

  “Sure. That’d be great,” he said eagerly. “Good to meet you, Pip.”

  “And you,” she replied, smiling. “Gotta go, see ya,” she called to him, looking back over her shoulder as she jumped off the metro.

  ***

  “Here you go, sir.”

  Jumal glanced up from his work as the file of papers landed heavily with a “thwack” on his desk next to his hand. For the last hour he’d been trying to concentrate on a new business proposition but failing miserably.

  He sighed inwardly and pulled his chair closer to his desk, trying to hide his body’s inappropriate reaction to her, which was now annoyingly automatic. He reached for his glass of water on his desk simply to give him time to get control.

  “What’s that?” he finally asked, his eyes focused back on his laptop.

  “My summary of the Dubai government contract as you asked, sir.”

  He looked up to meet her eyes and saw her gulp. Christ was he that scary? He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms and tilting his head.

  He raised a brow at her. “You’ve done it? Already, after the night we had?” He didn’t bother to try to keep the surprise from his voice.

  “Well, er yes. You said you wanted it done. So it’s done. I couldn’t sleep anyway.”

  “You couldn’t sleep either huh?”

  “What?” she gasped, clearly startled by his disclosure.