carried the burden of the secret from Club Rouge for over a month, and her desire and need to follow that lust had led her to ruin. She needed someone to know just how deeply drawn to Zahir she was, how fully linked they were. “You don’t even know.”
Her brother offered her a pained smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “I will know if you tell me more about it.”
“You know that night at Club Rouge? I wasn’t just moping up on the roof.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s kind of hard to explain, but I wasn’t completely myself. I’d had so much with the Pabst and then even more with the cosmos. Then there was the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on there, and he was the only guy who seemed to put any effort into his costume. He had all these regal sheikh’s robes, and we…I…please just don’t make me say the rest out loud.”
Her brother blanched. “You don’t have to say much else. I think I can fill in the blanks nicely,” he said. “Was that Zahir? I mean, what are the odds?”
“Maybe he knows the same frat guys as you do,” she said, shrugging her shoulders ruefully. “I realized exactly who he was when I went to my interview, but I’d had that huge, ornate mask on and he never seemed to get it. I was a fool. I was chasing my passion and now I’m just a mess.”
Her brother hugged her then and rocked her in his arms, shushing her a bit as he did so. “No, you’re really not. I’m the dumbass who took you out to a party on the worst day of your life and thought that it might actually help you. I’m the complete tool who left you to go hang out with his ex-frat bros. And I should have known all along that something bigger was going on. I mean, so much for twin instinct or anything else, right?” he said, hugging her again.
She shook her head and buried herself deeply in her twin’s embrace. “You’re here now, and I couldn’t face Mom and Dad right now. Mom is like psychic, and she’d figure far too much out before I said even one word. I can’t do that at all. You gave me a place to stay and a great shoulder to lean on. Hell, you’ve even been fetching me food and chocolate all week. I can’t top that at all.”
“Maybe I enable you, but you’ve had the shittiest month or so that I can imagine. Just rest, sis, and we’ll figure it all out in the morning.”
“I’d like that.”
***
“You should be happier,” Fairuza said, her tone clipped.
Zahir could discern the censure in her voice. That came as no surprise to him. She’d glared at him ever since Addison had left the palace. She’d warned him not to play with her emotions like this, and he’d thought he could balance everything, that he could make it work for everyone. He should have known better. He should have known that there was no way to keep everything in check. But he’d wanted it all, damn it, and now he only had the financial gains. They felt weak and pale in his grasp.
He leaned back in his chair and gazed daggers back at her. “I’m thrilled. I’m ecstatic. I’m practically on cloud nine that now Clayton’s business is plummeting and half of our fellow oil sheikhs are suing him to smithereens. It’s made acquiring his company quite the steal. See a pun and a mission accomplished.”
His sister shook her head and began to pace a bit, her high heels clacking efficiently on the tile beneath them. “You don’t need to be so sarcastic.”
“What is there to be happy about? It’s been weeks since Addison left and everything else feels pointless.”
“You have all the steel now that Amun Petrol could ever want. I…you need to either move on—”
“I can’t!” he shouted, slamming his fist against his desk so loudly that he feared for a moment the glass top would shatter upon impact. It shivered there for a moment but seemed to maintain its integrity, much to Zahir’s relief. “I can’t just get over her.”
“Then, brother, I was going to say that you need to make it up
Her brother offered her a pained smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “I will know if you tell me more about it.”
“You know that night at Club Rouge? I wasn’t just moping up on the roof.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s kind of hard to explain, but I wasn’t completely myself. I’d had so much with the Pabst and then even more with the cosmos. Then there was the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on there, and he was the only guy who seemed to put any effort into his costume. He had all these regal sheikh’s robes, and we…I…please just don’t make me say the rest out loud.”
Her brother blanched. “You don’t have to say much else. I think I can fill in the blanks nicely,” he said. “Was that Zahir? I mean, what are the odds?”
“Maybe he knows the same frat guys as you do,” she said, shrugging her shoulders ruefully. “I realized exactly who he was when I went to my interview, but I’d had that huge, ornate mask on and he never seemed to get it. I was a fool. I was chasing my passion and now I’m just a mess.”
Her brother hugged her then and rocked her in his arms, shushing her a bit as he did so. “No, you’re really not. I’m the dumbass who took you out to a party on the worst day of your life and thought that it might actually help you. I’m the complete tool who left you to go hang out with his ex-frat bros. And I should have known all along that something bigger was going on. I mean, so much for twin instinct or anything else, right?” he said, hugging her again.
She shook her head and buried herself deeply in her twin’s embrace. “You’re here now, and I couldn’t face Mom and Dad right now. Mom is like psychic, and she’d figure far too much out before I said even one word. I can’t do that at all. You gave me a place to stay and a great shoulder to lean on. Hell, you’ve even been fetching me food and chocolate all week. I can’t top that at all.”
“Maybe I enable you, but you’ve had the shittiest month or so that I can imagine. Just rest, sis, and we’ll figure it all out in the morning.”
“I’d like that.”
***
“You should be happier,” Fairuza said, her tone clipped.
Zahir could discern the censure in her voice. That came as no surprise to him. She’d glared at him ever since Addison had left the palace. She’d warned him not to play with her emotions like this, and he’d thought he could balance everything, that he could make it work for everyone. He should have known better. He should have known that there was no way to keep everything in check. But he’d wanted it all, damn it, and now he only had the financial gains. They felt weak and pale in his grasp.
He leaned back in his chair and gazed daggers back at her. “I’m thrilled. I’m ecstatic. I’m practically on cloud nine that now Clayton’s business is plummeting and half of our fellow oil sheikhs are suing him to smithereens. It’s made acquiring his company quite the steal. See a pun and a mission accomplished.”
His sister shook her head and began to pace a bit, her high heels clacking efficiently on the tile beneath them. “You don’t need to be so sarcastic.”
“What is there to be happy about? It’s been weeks since Addison left and everything else feels pointless.”
“You have all the steel now that Amun Petrol could ever want. I…you need to either move on—”
“I can’t!” he shouted, slamming his fist against his desk so loudly that he feared for a moment the glass top would shatter upon impact. It shivered there for a moment but seemed to maintain its integrity, much to Zahir’s relief. “I can’t just get over her.”
“Then, brother, I was going to say that you need to make it up
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