His Irresistible Darling. Sarah Randall
“And hold Jumal’s calls,” Faridah called, not bothering to look back.
Pip waited for her to get out of earshot before whispering, “God I hate that woman and her new-season Chanel handbag.” She watched Faridah stalk towards Jumal’s office…correction, her fiancé’s office, in her tight black business suit and heels, swinging her briefcase with confidence. “Whenever I see her I think of Cruella de Vil. The woman is a bully,” she continued solemnly, “and I hate bullies.”
Faridah was just so full of her own self-importance, Pip thought. Her feelings towards Miss High and Mighty had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she was also Jumal’s fiancée. Nope, nothing at all to do with that little gem.
What the hell did Jumal see in that tall, beautiful, intelligent woman? Height was so overrated in her opinion. Good things came in small packages…right? Or had her mother just been talking a load of rubbish? God she missed her mother.
***
“I have a charity polo match in a couple of weeks. Can you make it?”
“Oh no, sorry, Jumal. The next few weekends are going to be a real pain for me. I need to travel out to Dubai.”
He watched her sigh as she tilted her head to the side. She looked genuinely sorry that she couldn’t make it but Jumal had been hearing similar excuses for some time now, and he was beginning to think Faridah was having second thoughts about their engagement.
He got the feeling that her heart wasn’t in their relationship any more and possibly lay somewhere else. Not that he had any proof, just a gut feeling. It was strange, though, that this wasn’t what caused him to toss and turn in bed at night. Nope, someone else not a million miles away was the sole cause of that frustration…
“Here’s the contract,” she said, passing the file of papers over the desk and into his hand. “I’ve gone over it and liaised with my opposite number in the Dubai government and hashed out the details. This is the final version ready for signature. No need to check it. I’ll set up a joint meeting for it to be signed,” she told him as she fiddled with her Blackberry. “How’s your diary for a visit to Dubai the week after next?”
“Yeah that’s fine. Speak to Pippa about my availability,” he agreed as he flicked through the file.
“What?” she gasped, looking up from her Blackberry, surprised. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather I just access your diary to make the arrangements? You know how flighty Miss Darling can be and I really—”
Jumal looked up from the papers to see her flick her long straight black hair over her shoulder and pop one hip forward.
Jumal felt his hackles rise. It was one thing for him to criticise Pippa but another for someone else to do it, even if that someone was his fiancée. In reality, he kind of enjoyed Pippa’s feisty attitude. She was the polar opposite to Faridah, who was always calm, cool and collected in everything. He was sure nothing could get under her skin and in the short time that they’d been engaged she hadn’t once caused him to drop his head into his hands and curse like a sailor.
“No,” he interrupted. “It’s Pippa’s job to sort out such things. You can liaise with her. She’ll be fine.”
Faridah huffed at him and waved her hand. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll see you at your parents’ place tonight for dinner. Your mother called me earlier. Eight o’clock sharp. Wear your grey pinstripe suit and pale blue dress shirt,” she ordered as she turned away from him.
He narrowed his eyes and watched her stride purposefully towards the door.
“And for pity’s sake put on a tie,” she called over her shoulder before closing the door.
He hadn’t missed the fact that she’d come and gone without so much as a kiss or embrace. Hell, they’d barely made eye contact during their entire conversation…and he wasn’t placing the blame for the lack of intensity entirely on her slim shoulders.
Jumal hated being told about such arrangements third-hand and at the last minute. He’d had it with people making decisions about his personal life for him. The rebellious part of his character challenged him to get on his motorbike and head out to his home in the desert with his horses, leaving his fiancée and parents to enjoy their evening on their own. It was likely they wouldn’t even miss him. They could try to organise his personal life better if he wasn’t actually there to pass comment or offer an opinion. That was precisely how he’d acquired his social-climbing fiancée… He was the sixth in line to find out about it after both sets of parents and Faridah had decided his future without him over dinner one evening. At the time though, just after he’d returned from his visit to Melville House and being reintroduced to Pippa, it had suited him. A fool proof distraction from where his real interest lay…thousands of miles away in the middle of nowhere in the North Yorkshire moors. Sod it, he thought, and brought up his email account.
***
Pippa scowled at Faridah’s back as she stood waiting for the lift to arrive at the fiftieth floor. She leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her desk and dropping her chin into her hands, pondering if she could get away with accidentally throwing her pen at Miss Tall and Gorgeous’s back. Her devilish scheming was interrupted by the ping of her email.
To: Pippa Darling
From: Jumal Aldabbagh
Subject: Tonight
Pippa,
Lots on with the Dubai deal. Need you to work late tonight. If you have plans you’ll have to cancel. I also need you to call my mother and tell her I can’t make dinner tonight.
Jumal
CEO, JAA Enterprises
Great, just great. She was already convinced that his mother didn’t like her and no doubt she’d somehow be blamed for his cancelling dinner.
She penned her reply.
To: Jumal Aldabbagh
From: Pippa Darling
Subject: Re: Tonight
Yeah sure, no problem about tonight, sir. I’ll just cancel all my plans. (Heavy sarcasm intended.)
Are you happy for me to come up with an appropriate excuse for your mother as to why her only son can’t make dinner?
Pip
Personal Assistant to Jumal Aldabbagh
JAA Enterprises
Having received his positive reply, she picked up her phone and placed it between her shoulder and ear whilst looking over at Melina with a wicked glint in her eye.
“Oh no, I know that look. Whatever you’re thinking isn’t a good idea, Pip. Stop baiting the tiger. He’s gonna turn and bite you,” her friend warned whilst shaking her head.
“What?” she asked, innocently. “He shouldn’t make me do all his dirty work.”
She ignored Melina’s soft reply reminding her that that was actually part of her job description.
Eventually, the butler connected her call to Mrs Aldabbagh.
“Yes, sorry, Mrs Aldabbagh, I know it’s late notice and Jumal is just so sorry but he can’t make dinner tonight. The doctor could only offer him an emergency appointment tonight and of course he needed to get it seen to as quickly as possible. I think Jumal said something about some oozing and all. Yuck.”
Pip had to hold the phone away from her ear at his mother’s retort.
“What was that?” she checked, gingerly returning the phone to her ear. “Oh yes of course you can speak to him, I’ll just put you through. Nice speaking to you again, Mrs Aldabbagh.”
She punched in his extension number.
“What?” Jumal