LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Jesus.” He clenched his fists at his sides.

      She offered a tight-lipped smile and tsked. “Well you can imagine how that went down. I know he meant to let me out after a while. He was so upset but since then…” she paused and he sensed a cold shiver reverberate through her body “…I’ve never liked confined spaces, but fifty floors up is fifty floors up and I’m not that much of a fitness freak so…” He felt her shrug her shoulders.

      Jumal quickly calculated that Matt would have been about eighteen. The same age as you’d have been, he reminded himself needlessly. Next time he saw his friend, he’d have a thing or two to tell the fool, but she interrupted his thoughts.

      She chuckled softly and he glanced over to watch her face. “You should have seen Mrs H chasing him around the house with her broomstick. It was hilarious and I’m sure she only did it to make me giggle. The woman was a lot faster on her feet back then, nearly caught him a couple of times.” She chuckled again to herself, no doubt at the memory. “He made it up to me though—took me out for ice cream and let me buy a toy I wanted.”

      He let his head fall back against the wall. “No change there then,” he joked.

      “Hey,” she said nudging him back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      “Oh nothing,” he said turning his head again to meet hers. “Just that he still adores you and you have him wrapped around your little finger. You and Ana now. Poor misguided fool.”

      She shrugged her shoulders innocently. “What can I say?” A cheeky smile adorned her face. “I’m adorable and he clearly loves being wrapped around Ana,” she said, wiggling her brows comically.

      Jumal tipped his head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. You certainly are, he thought.

      “I’ve heard a lot about Mrs Henderson from Matt over the years, met her a couple of times but just briefly. She sounds quite a formidable woman and not someone to have as an enemy.”

      Pippa let out a short laugh. “You got that right. I’m sure the best way to sort out any warring factions around the world would be to send her in with a plate of her home-made scones. She’d either bang their heads together until they saw sense or feed them so much they wouldn’t remember what they were arguing about.” She shifted around, presumably trying to get comfortable. “So do you like being an only child?” she asked changing the subject.

      “Sure, there was no one to argue with and I was spoilt by my mother but, on the other hand, being the only son of a sheik comes with certain expectations and responsibilities. It might have been nice to share the burden of expectation with a brother but my mother didn’t get pregnant again. So it was always just me.”

      And his father had never let him forget the burden of carrying on his family tradition.

      “Are you talking about carrying on the family name?” she pressed.

      “Not just that, although that’s certainly a major factor,” he admitted tilting his head slightly. “It’s just that it would have been good to have had the option of doing something else with my life—you know, it was always expected that I would be a business entrepreneur, have social standing in our community and take on the title of sheik. I had to fight tooth and nail to keep my interest in horse breeding and racing alive when I was younger. Plus, I kind of felt the pressure to make them proud, seeing as though I was their only child. I carried around a lot of pressure from expectation growing up. I didn’t really have much of what you would call a normal childhood.”

      Important decisions about his future such as his education had been made for him by his father, without recourse to him. It was the way it had always been. Jumal’s pleas to stay in the Middle East and attend the same further education establishments as Malik fell on deaf ears. It was simply good fortune that his father’s unilateral decision to send his only son off to England at the age of eighteen for his university education had worked out so well. Jumal had made lifelong friends and finally asserted some degree of independence before the demand for his return to Dubain was issued. Of course that friendship with Matt had led to him meeting Pippa, which had led to his life being turned upside down…

      ***

      Pip had never heard him speak so openly or frankly, and she was intrigued to hear so much about his personal life and decided to press the advantage. A full account of his prolific business achievements could be easily accessed on the Internet but his private life—nada. The little she did know about him had come via her brother who seemed keen to respect and guard his friend’s privacy.

      “Still, I bet your parents are proud of you,” she pushed on. “When I spoke to your mother a few weeks ago she was gushing about your future bride and you giving her grandchildren.” A particular conversation that had made her nauseous and want to smash the phone handset on the desk at the same time.

      Jumal reached out and grabbed hold of her forearm. “She said that?” But he quickly dropped his grip, no doubt having noticed her startled expression.

      “Hmm-hm,” she replied, still shocked by the contact as he dropped his head and brushed imaginary lint from his suit trousers. She subconsciously ran her hand over where he’d just touched her. Other than a polite handshake here and there, this was the first time that he had ever really touched her…

      “So tell me more about your role as a sheik. It’s fascinating and so different from anything in my country.”

      “Hm, well it’s varied and actually, thinking about it, it’s not too dissimilar to your Mrs H acting as confidante and peacemaker or mediator back in your own Yorkshire village. On a practical level, which is where I prefer to focus, I give advice to the elders on business trading, the economy and how we can make sure that Dubain continues to thrive and develop for the benefit of all our people.” He crossed his ankles before continuing, “Much as it pains me to say, my father was actually quite unique in passing over the title to me whilst he was still alive. Usually, sheiks hold on to the position until their death, unwilling to give up the power even if they are hospital-bound and senile.”

      “You don’t get on with your father?” It was a statement but she phrased it as a question, still spurred on for more information from him.

      “No. But I don’t want to talk any more about him. Anyway, there’s still plenty of work to do but we’re getting there slowly and the foundations have been laid for Dubain’s future. We’ve come a long way from a small shack as our airport and one hotel to what we’ve got now.”

      She tried to hide the disappointment at his decision to put the barriers back up. “Yeah, you can say that again. I saw the framed pictures at the airport when I was waiting to get through passport control. It’s amazing to see the pictures when this was all just desert with small tent villages and fantastic beaches. I can’t believe how much you’ve already achieved in just ten years or so.”

      “The villagers are called Bedouins and there are still a few in the desert a couple of hours north of here. When I go there it’s like stepping back in time. The pace of life is slower and their priorities are so different; family is everything. There, you can just draw breath and relax.”

      “Doesn’t it all get too much? I mean your work here and then being pulled all over to sort other things out as sheik?”

      “No. I find it relaxing. It helps me focus my mind on what I’m trying to achieve for Dubain. We have an increasingly young working population choosing to stay here and raise families now that we can provide work in the shipbuilding yards and ancillary companies—rather than leaving for the usual ports of Dubai or Qatar—and we need to make sure we provide them with a progressive country.” Pip was enthralled as he spoke with such passion. “But I don’t want to achieve it at the cost of our history and tradition. Did you know that the archaeologists have discovered over twenty sites on the island dating back to the late Stone Age?” he asked rhetorically. “We can have both and I’ve put plans in motion to make sure we do.”

      “You

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