Chapter 9 : The Prince Will See You Now

Lyla

Prince.

That word kept rattling inside of my head.

"Wow!" Melanie put her hands against the window and looked out onto the busy streets that we passed by. "This place is amazing, Lyla."

I nodded vaguely, looking out my window with a sense of dread looming over me.

Prince?

There was no way. That had to be a nickname, right?

Maybe the stewardess was giving me a subtle warning by telling me he acted like the prince whenever he was on board their flights. That had to be it. No way a damn prince bought my virginity online.

Wasn't that some kind of scandal waiting to happen?

Prince Rashid.

Oh my god, it sounded so official.

Panic was setting in again, so I pushed down the thoughts and turned to look outside my window to admire the city's beauty along with Melanie. I had to say, the scenery was incredible.

Coming down in the jet, I didn't get a chance to look at anything out the window before we landed because I'd been so exhausted from my sleepless nights. I would've loved to watch all the beautiful skyscrapers come into view and marvel at the water features I knew this country was famous for.

I hoped Rashid let Melanie and I wander the streets while we were here, and I wasn't confined to his room all day. We hadn't exactly discussed the sex part yet or how often I was expected to perform for him, but I hoped he'd at least let me recover after the first few times.

My only expectation so far was that since he was offering us hospitality at his house, he would take care of Melanie well while I was… otherwise preoccupied. I didn't want her to be forced to marvel at the outside world from afar.

If I couldn't leave, I wanted her to at least be able to experience Dubai. Even if it was without me there with her.

So far, though, Rashid seemed… pleasant, if not a little impatient for my arrival.

I tried not to let that go to my head, but the few times on the phone when we'd talked to hammer out the details of me coming over here, he seemed eager. Now, that could be because he was going to be getting laid very soon, or it could be for an entirely different reason altogether. But whatever it was, it made butterflies kick up in my stomach, regardless.

I'd never actually been on a proper date before. Sure, I'd tagged along with a friend as an awkward third-wheel or a last-minute add-on for a double date, but none of that had ever gone anywhere.

Most of the time, I chalked it up to me not feeling any interest for anyone. But now, I was getting to that age where everyone around me was pairing up with someone, I felt left out and alone.

Sure, a lot of my friends were technically still 'single' but they were all actively dating around.

But me? I had nothing. Not even an ex to show for it.

I guess that made me the perfect candidate to do something insane like sell my virginity online, though. And now, as long as I fulfilled my end of the deal, I'd be a million dollars richer.

"Lyla, I think we're here…"

I looked away from my window and faced Melanie. Her hands were pressed up against the town car's window while her eyes were wide as she stared out at whatever we were passing by. I leaned over to get a better look, seeing a giant closed gate we were pulling up to.

Two armed guards stood outside of a small teller box and eyed us as the driver pulled up and rolled down his window to flash his badge.

One of the guards came over and rattled his knuckle against Melanie's window, pointing down towards the ground to motion for her to descend the glass. She tapped the button and gave the man a pleasant smile, his own hard face making us both feel weirdly unwelcome.

The guard spoke to our driver in Arabic as they exchanged papers. The other guard came around as well to look through our paperwork. Whatever was on it made them raise their brows and exchange looks before glancing back at Melanie and I.

I sunk back in my seat.

The first guard folded the papers back up and handed them back to the driver, gesturing for the other guard to walk back towards the teller box. The second guard nodded and disappeared inside of it. Moments later, the gate in front of us parted.

Melanie rolled up her window when we moved again, the hot desert air quickly swallowed up by the air-conditioned car.

I sat back in my seat, feeling a weird sense of apprehension. Why did the guard look at us so strangely?

Actually, why the fuck did Rashid have guards?

Oh, right, he's apparently a prince.

I forced my hands to remain in my lap, tucking them between my thighs to keep myself from biting my nails to death. The reality of what I was walking into was slowly setting in. My denial for the situation was making me feel completely delusional.

The car crept along the drive, passing by beautifully shaped hedges and colorful flowers that lined the well-kept grounds. I moved in my seat again to look out the windshield, spotting the giant castle-sized palace slowly getting closer and closer.

I covered my face and sank further down into my seat when a small groan escaped me.

I was dreaming. That was it. I had to be. There was no way I was going to be getting involved with an Emirati prince. That kind of thing just didn't happen to girls like me. That was the sort of situation you'd see in a raunchy TV show.

Melanie grabbed my arm excitedly and shook me.

"We're here!" she whispered to me right when the car was put into park.

I peeked through my fingers, seeing a few people coming out of the archway leading into the building—palace?

They were all dressed in some kind of formal wear that looked like uniforms. Two of them came around to pop my and Melanie's doors open for us, while the other two went around to the back of the car to open up the trunk where our luggage was.

"Welcome!" the woman who'd opened my door greeted me. "You must be Lyla, yes?"

I swallowed and nodded at her. My nerves were making it hard for me to speak at this point.

"Great," she had the same accent as Rashid, but a little thicker. "Let's get you inside, the prince is waiting for you."

Prince.

There was the final nail in my coffin.

I was going to be having sex with a goddamn prince.

***

When Melanie and I were ushered inside, I couldn't help but stop in the middle of the foyer in awe at how incredible the inside of this place was.

High ceilings arched over us with beautiful paintings covering the entire expanse of the room. Natural light poured in from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the doorway, filtering in golden light that gave the room an inviting and homey atmosphere.

The tile under our feet was composed of a beautiful pattern that looked like blue porcelain flowers stamped into the center of each square. There were long hallways on either side of the foyer, stretched for what looked like miles down each way.

The woman who'd helped me out of the car, Imane as she'd introduced herself as, gestured for Melanie and I to follow her.

"The prince is waiting for you in the sitting room."

I grabbed Melanie's arm, trying to smile at her when she shook me excitedly. Well, at least one of us was having a good time.

We shuffled after Imane, both of us taking in the incredible artwork lining the hallway leading down. However, nothing stuck out as each step closer felt like a step toward my Maker.

I don't know why I suddenly wanted to back out of this deal now that I was here. It wasn't because the reality of the situation was finally hitting me, but more that I knew Rashid was a prince made the pressure of having to do this way more intense than I thought it would be.

For some reason, my mind was more okay with me sleeping with a weird older man than with a prince. What did that say about me exactly?

Imane pushed open two twin doors to a large sitting room and ushered us both inside. I spotted an ornate couch in the center of the room, facing a large unlit fireplace. It made me want to laugh a little at seeing something so out of place. What use was a fireplace in the middle of a desert?

"I'll let the prince know you're both here. Please take a seat."

"Thank you," Melanie spoke for me and herded me over to the couch.

When I reached it, my legs gave out from under me, causing me to flop onto it in a less graceful manner than I meant to. Imane bowed to both of us before heading out the doors and leaving them open in her wake.

I sagged into the couch and tried to calm my intensely beating heart down.

"I can't believe he's a prince, Ly. A prince!" Melanie spoke to me in a hushed tone. "What are the chances?"

Apparently, pretty damn high, is what I wanted to say to her.

What comes out is a single grunt.

Fuck, could I really do this? Could I sleep with a prince? What if he wanted to tie me up and choke me out, or do something weird like lick my blood while he fucked me? Weren't royals always into some weird and super fucked up shit?

My stomach churned. My inexperience in this area was really going to bite me in the ass. There was no way a goddamn prince would ease me into any of this. He'd most likely tie me up tonight and fuck me until I either screamed or he came.

Hopefully, he was a quickie kind of guy.

Talking from down the hall caught my attention. Forcing myself to sit up straight, I clenched my fists in my lap so no one could tell they shook. A crowd of people entered the room, more than I expected, and stopped right when they noticed Melanie and I.

It was three women and two men.

My eyes immediately locked on the man closest to the door. Almost like he was silently calling for me to.

He was handsome as hell. He had a warm and beautiful skin tone complimenting his dark hair and finely trimmed beard. His hair was short but long enough to be swept back away from his face. He had long lashes fanning over high cheekbones and a perfectly sloped nose making him actually look like a royal figure.

He stepped away from the group of people first, his outfit catching my attention and dragging it away from those dark eyes that stared deep into my soul. He wore a long white robe that wasn't fitted and buttoned from the bottom of his chest and up. Strangely the headscarf on top of his head wasn't there but was tucked under his arm instead.

I stood without thinking and bowed my head to him.

He let out a soft laugh. The same one I'd heard on the phone a few times and sent shivers down my spine every time. Just like it did now.

"Hello, Lyla. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

I glanced up to see a hand outstretched to me. I righted myself immediately and grabbed his hand to shake it.

I could tell my face must be blotchy and red because it suddenly felt boiling in here.

"I'd like to introduce you to my mother and sisters," Rashid swept an arm out and curled his fingers over to the three women standing by the doorway.

They slowly shuffled over, the older one—his mother, I presumed—gave me a hard once over.

"This is Lyla and her friend Melanie," he gestured to both of us with a nod. "They'll be staying here during their internship."

"Internship," his mother mumbled.

I tried to give her a reassuring smile. Keeping up the lie I wasn't about to go sleep with her son because he'd paid me a million dollars was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

"Lyla. Melanie." Rashid nodded to his mother, ignoring her comment. "This is my mother, and my two sisters, Salama and Shamsa. My other sister isn't here right now, but you'll meet her and my father soon enough."

"It's nice to meet you all." I bowed slightly to all of them. "Your, um. Highnesses."

One of Rashid's sisters snorted behind her hand.

It made me want to die inside.

"Zayed," the man leaning against the doorway straightened up at Rashid's voice. "Why don't you show Melanie to her room and take Lyla's things to hers."

I blinked at him. "Where am I going?"

He turned back to me. A small and subtle smirk worked its way onto his lips.

"You're coming to dinner with me."