The Sheikh's Forbidden Jewel

Part 10-Chapter 9

So that was what they meant by "mind-blowing".

Georgina lay still, blinking against the bright morning sun, and tried a few more adjectives for size. Satisfying didn't even begin to cover it. Earth-shattering. Life-changing. She stretched, relishing the soft fabrics against her bare skin. She was aching in places she didn't even know existed. Who knew soreness could feel that good?

And shame? Nowhere to be seen. She'd broken all her self-inflicted rules, and enjoyed every second of it. Her previous experiences could never have prepared her for this. A few fumbles with over-eager university boyfriends, Oliver's perfunctory lovemaking... She'd thought she had some knowledge of men, of sex. She had known nothing.

The door of the en-suite bathroom banged open, jamming the breath in her throat. Idriss was striding out, wearing a towel around his waist. And nothing else. Georgina repressed a sigh. No one had the right to look that good first thing in the morning. Fresh warmth stirred between her thighs as she contemplated his bronzed body, the play of muscles under his skin, his aquiline features...

His smile whacked her straight in the solar plexus.

"Hungry?"

She nodded, suddenly ravenous. He pressed a button, hidden inside a mosaic on the wall.

"Breakfast's on its way. I hope you like them large."

This was, for Idriss, another novelty. He always treated his sexual partners with the utmost courtesy and generosity, but expected them to be out of his bed and life by the morning. He never shared breakfast with them. Breakfast formed part of work, an opportunity to strike deals with men, sometimes women, like him. Morning people, who jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn, because the world was there for the taking. Who did not loll among the sheets with a fresh conquest, just to eat with her. But this time when the laden tray arrived, and the maid had departed, he found he'd no desire to decamp to his office and the piles of work that awaited him. Instead he fed Georgina fresh fruit and pastries, and watched her devour every morsel with the hunger of a woman who's been exercising all night. A hunger that matched the other appetites she'd revealed in the past hours.

A spot of butter shone at the corner of her mouth, and he couldn't resist the temptation to lean forward and lick it clean.

Georgina closed her eyes as fire raced through her skin. He had total control over her. One touch, and she melted under his fingers. Which was why she had to pull away.

"Stop." She batted him away with her croissant. "I haven't got time for that."

She wasn't Alex. She wasn't Idriss, either, she didn't have millions to cushion her. She couldn't afford to take an entire day off.

He didn't reply, only nibbled her earlobe in a way she found both infuriating and arousing.

"Idriss, please." She was aware she didn't sound as firm as she should. "I've got a party to organise and money to earn."

His brows furrowed.

"Why do you need money so badly, Georgina? Is your business in trouble?"

The genuine concern in his voice increased her embarrassment. She could never tell him about Alex. That secret was not hers to share. She fiddled with her hair, unwilling to meet his penetrating gaze.

"Not really. But I could do with some extra cash."

Idriss picked up his mobile from the marble-topped bedside table.

"How much?"

Georgina stared at him. Surely he wasn't suggesting what she thought he was suggesting? He swiped the screen with a languid finger.