SHEIKH DENIED - completed

Chapter Two

Nothing was working out as she thought it would be.

Four weeks of this, and she'd go spare. Not even her first week was up, and already she wanted out. There was no way she can go back to Zaid, after what she had put him through. All her friends were married with young children. Her family was so involved in their own lives, it was nearly impossible to even get together as one family. 

The noise - she had forgotten how noisy her family was, while Zaid was so serene, quiet, and peaceful. Calming.

"Excuse me," she smiled at her friends as she went to answer her ringing phone. "Hi," she greeted warmly, knowing who it was by the tune. Zaid. Her heart doing a little happy dance.

"Hi?" a deep voice come back surprised.

"Sorry, how can I help you Zaid." She was so happy to get away from the overwhelming friend time. They only talked about their kids and family. Not interested in her world of travelling. And she had travelled, she came to realise. She had been to so many fascinating countries and seen so much at his side. 

What had she been thinking?

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked casually, taking her completely by surprise. 

He rang just to say hello literally, when she wanted him to take her away from all this mundane nonsense. Not that she didn't like kids, but not wanting to listen to it all afternoon long. She had expected it to be like it used to be. Girl chatter. Clothes. Movies. No, just how little Drew cooed his first word. Or sweet, adorable Mandy took her first step that all her friends oohed and aahed over, making no sense of it at all.

"Of course," she forced, all smiles as her old school friends listened in, and watched her while seeing to their young children. Multi-tasking. She was only good at work. Seeing this man's need that she was missing desperately. "Do you need me?" Please say yes. I need a break, she wanted to scream as she walked away.

"No, no, of course not. Krissy is doing a marvellous job. If you ever decide to leave, I have the perfect replacement."

Her life just died with those words. 

The noise around her was just a din, while her heart roared in her ears, like thundering waves crashing against a dead, and broken body as her heart pounded in her chest that tightened in pain. "I still owe you two years. A contract, one I plan not to break," she said softly. 

She looked into her future to see none.

"Maybe we need to look into that Charlotte," he said softly. No growl. No arguments. The bottom of her world just fell away to swing around and walk further away, so no one could hear.

"I'm so sorry about my meltdown. I didn't mean it, sheikh."

"Are you, Miss Charlotte, apologising to me?" he asked astonished.

She paused to look down at her feet to smile. No slippers, just runners to go with her jeans and a casual yellow top. "I guess I am," she said. "I'm sorry. Please don't take this away from me," she begged to have silence. Her whole world was collapsing. The grass wasn't greener on the other side. In fact, horrifying to be precise. She was happy in her job. "I would see the contract through," she said more firmly.

"I could pay you out," he offered, breaking her heart.

"I don't want your money!" she snapped, then took a deep breath. "No, you just want me gone, now you have her," she hissed. "Is that why you rang to give me my notice? If so you can..."

"No!" His harsh answer knocked the wind out of her sails, raking a hand through her hair. What was she doing? She never raised her voice at him. Never hissed at him, and never argued, until lately, it seemed.