Tabitha

Chapter 7

Tabitha

I paced my hotel room, cellphone in hand, while anxiously awaiting Linda's phone call. She'd been in a meeting earlier and could not take my call. I also sent her a long text with snapshots of Zakhar's contract. Normally, I would turn down something so ridiculous but having someone like him by my side was probably what I needed most.

Gary knew I didn't have a powerful person in my corner and every attorney I contacted said he was a solid part of my company and there was nothing I could do. I offered to buy him out of his shares, but he refused the amount I offered because he knew I couldn't afford his price. I was at my wit's end and Zakhar was my best option. But I needed my best friend's approval. She would know if this was some bullshit. I also needed a lawyer to look at it and I knew one right here in Dubai.

When the phone chimed, I almost jumped out of my skin. Being startled, my hand shook as I answered. "Hello?"

"Sis, I got stuck in that darn meeting, but OH MY GOD, I got your message!"

"Is there trouble at work?"

"No, we just reshuffling."

As COO for a food processing and distribution company, she was always busy. I'd invited her to join me when I started my first business, but she declined. Over the years, she'd worked to reach new heights in her company of which I was very proud. Now she was next in line to become CEO and her accomplishments has proved that.

Linda was gobsmacked. "Girl, he asked you to marry him?"

"Babes, it wasn't a proposal."

She snickered. "But he asked you to be his wife and that's not a bad thing. I did some research as well as asking Ian who this man is, and I am blown away."

"Yes, he's one of the most powerful men in this hemisphere."

"Listen Sis, this man can protect you and do things for you no one else can. I know you don't like such things and you're probably looking for Mr. Right, but trust me, marrying this man is the right thing for you."

I still wasn't sure. "You think so?"

"Have you two kissed?"

"No, are you crazy?"

"Remember in high school we tested how we really felt about a guy? If we were repulsed so much that we wanted to hurl, it's a no go. If the kiss is okay, we can be friends and if we get butterflies, we have a winner. So long as you don't feel repulse to the point of wanting to throw up, you can make it work."

"Are you saying I should kiss him?"

He did say he wanted to kiss me, but I was never one to make the first move. The man was handsome and smelled delicious. His mouth was scrumptious when I thought about it. Would it be so bad kissing him? And it would tell me how I really felt.

"Yes, just do it."

"Okay, I'm meeting him tonight for dinner, so I'll do it."

"That's my girl! Go get your man. Whooohoooo!"

I laughed at her antics over the phone. "Your ass is crazy."

"But you love me."

"Bye!"

I spent the rest of the day shopping and site seeing, enjoying the city, eating lunch at a sidewalk café, getting snacks by a street vendor. I usually don't eat street food, but if I was going to do something as dangerous as kissing someone like Zakhar, I had to get some practice in.

Zakhar

My men had picked up the girl from school. I could see the terror on her face which amused me. She should have thought twice before getting involved in my family. If she was innocent, then she had nothing to worry about.

I sat in the chair her parents offered me while they stood silently by. The parents looked as though they were about to shit their pants while my new assistant stood by my chair with a deadpan expression.

‘So your daughter is pregnant. What happens now?" I ask, only trying to be civil.

I was about to get married, this was good practice to not be as dastardly as before. I didn't know if I could pull it off, but I would damn well try.

"Pregnant?" her mother gasped and turned to her daughter. "You're pregnant? Is this true?" when there was no answer she grabbed her daughter's shoulder. "Answer me!"

"Yes momma."

Her mother seemed distraught and held her head between her palms. "What are we to do now?"

"It's simple, there are two options. Your outcome will depend on the result," I explained, trying to be as reasonable as possible. "We will do a paternity test to determine if the child is of our bloodline."

"W-w-what will happen to our daughter?" her father stuttered. "Will she have to marry him?"

"You would love that, wouldn't you?"

"No sir."

"If the child is ours, we will take full responsibility, offering your daughter the freedom to continue her education at the best university and later, a senior role in one of our companies, away from Dubai. Perhaps in Turkey, Japan, or Indonesia."

"S-s-s-sir…" the mother started, but I wasn't done talking.

I held my hand up for silence. "If the child turns out to be Daniel Kapoor's, well ... you know. Do I have to spell it out? Well, what the heck. You will wish you'd never met Nikolai Mikhailov."

"When will you do the paternity?"

I stood to my feet. "Today..."

My assistant cleared her throat. "Sir."

"Oh, I have a date tonight, so we'll take care of it tomorrow."

Tabitha

Thursday Night…

A knee length, light blue cocktail dress with silver pumps and purse to match. A diamond cluster earring was all the jewelry I needed. I wore my favorite Arabian perfume with a red lip tint that sparkled. I felt quite sexy and was hoping that Zakhar would find me desirable.

A car arrived for me and took me to an Italian restaurant a few miles away from the hotel. It was dark when I arrived and Zakhar was already there. A pretty black woman was standing beside him when I walk up to the table just as she excused herself and stepped away. I didn't see Nathan around and I was curious where he was. I would have loved to know what was going on inside that skinny head of his and why he hated me.

Zakhar puled out my chair, and I shrugged and took a seat. As I had grown accustomed to, his scent was titillating my senses. Dressed in a dark suit, his presence dark and mysterious, he had me in a choke hold the moment he seated me and returned to his chair. I didn't know what it was about the man that made me want to scream, yet I wanted to feel those lips on mine. Tonight was all about making my decision based solely on that kiss. Several times I found my eyes straying to his mouth, recalling his gest when I was in the hospital.

"Where's you assistant?" I looked around the empty restaurant. "Wait, why is it empty here?"

"I dislike gawkers, and you just met her."

"Met who?"

"My assistant, you asked where she was."

"Huh? I thought that Nathan was … no … you didn't fire him, did you?"

He gave a throaty chortle. "Of course not. He's been transferred. I am not a tyrant you know."

Was he taunting me? He said tyrant with a straight face as though he didn't know what the world thought about him. I didn't know him well, and wasn't sure that the title of ‘Tyrant' suited him or not. But from what I gather, they might be right. Time would tell.

"Shall we order?" he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I needed to get this deal over with now as my stomach was churning and my palms all sweaty. I needed to know whether we were a good fit, rather than wasting both our time. Also, I didn't want to wait three months after marriage to find out.

"Let's spend the night together," I blurted out.

With one raised brow, his eyes shifted from its usually sea foam to deep dark moss, he eyed me for a minute. He didn't answer me, but rather stared directly into my eyes. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Who was this man? Most men would show some sort of emotion upon hearing a woman requesting such a thing. This man was void of any emotion, or rather, he hid himself well.

"This is what you want?" he asked, still looking into my soul, that I almost lost my nerve.

I nodded. "Yes."

"No regrets later?"

"No."

"Very well. Let's eat first."

I was floored. "Aren't you gonna ask me why?"

"I suppose you have your reasons and would tell me eventually."

Standing abruptly, my chair scraped the tile with a grating sound. "I'm done. I'm sorry, I cannot marry a man with no emotions."

I picked up my purse and began to move away until someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I hit a brick wall as I turned to face him. Before I could pull away, his lips crushed mine in a devastating kiss. His arms slipped around my waist to hold me firmly as his lips moved over mine.

The moment our lips met I knew I was done for. In that moment I knew there was no turning back, when bolts of electricity inundated my mouth, running like waves across my face, down my neck and spreading all over my chest. He wasn't done with me. The man demanded my tongue and when he took it, he took everything with him, namely my soul, leaving me weak and breathless.

When he pulled away, still wrapping his arms around me, he whispered, "Still want to walk away?"

All I could do was move my head from side to side while staring into those soul stirring oceanic pools of his. Then he smiled, taking the balance of my being. I was his and he knew it.

"Now, let's complete our meal and talk about our marriage."