The Sheik's Rebellious Mistress by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

knowing it would be Dharr. “Hello!” she sing-songed.
     
    “Good evening, sunshine. What are you doing this weekend?” he asked and her heart skipped a beat when she heard the smile in his voice.
     
    “Hmmm….” She started off saying. “I have loads of laundry to do and I might weed the garden. What areyou doing?” she asked.
     
    “How about if I send someone over to do your laundry and weeding for you and you come skiing with me?” he suggested.
     
    Electra laughed, delighted with his skiing idea but unwilling to have him pay someone to do her laundry. “The skiing is a deal. The other stuff, no way.”
    “Why not?” he asked. “Because I can do my own laundry and my grandmother would kill me if I dug in her garden so it was just a way to tease you. I actually don"t know the difference between a dandelion and a lily.”
    “Good. Give me your address and I"ll have someone pick you up tomorrow morning,” he said.
    Electra"s mood immediately dropped. Why did they talk about this each time he wanted to see her? Was this going to become an issue? Or was there some way she could make him understand how important this job was to her?“Dharr, I can"t leave tomorrow. I have to work,” she said softly but firmly.
    He was equally firm. “No. You don"t need to work. Quit your job and come skiing with me. I"ll take care of you.”
    Electra suppressed an angry response, remembering her grandmother"s advice on how she needed to control her temper. “That"s not possible. I like working and, with the amount I get paid, money isn"t really the issue.”
    There was a long pause and Electra waited tensely for his response. She desperately hoped this would not be the end of their relationship. If he was adamant, would she give up her job? Was she that pathetic with her need to see him? To be with him? No! She couldn"t do that. Her self-respect was on the line here and she would just have to firm up her resolve. There was no way she could live without this job. As addicted to Dharr as she knew she had become, she also was addicted to the thrill of her position and the laughter of the children, not to mention the love of seeing their fascination with the world and with learning.
    “What are you telling me?” he said, his voice suddenly ominous.
    Gripping her phone tightly and closing her eyes so she could remain firmly in control of both her anger and her resolve, she explained as patiently as possible, “I"m telling you that I have to work tomorrow. If you still want me to go skiing, then I"ll catch a plane out tomorrow afternoon when school lets out. But I won"t let you pay for my plane ticket either.”
    There was a long pause before he said, “I can see we forgot to have our conversation last weekend. Fine, call me with the details of your flight and I"ll have someone meet you,” he said. He gave her a phone number and then rung off, but Electra could tell that he was still angry with her.
    Electra had trouble sleeping that night, thoughts of their brief conversation running through her mind. The man thought he could have everything his way but she was going to teach him the art of compromise, she vowed. He was obviously extremely wealthy and with wealth came power and power meant getting his own way. It was time for a wakeup call. And she was definitely the woman for the job.
Toward dawn, having gotten no sleep as she tossed and turned, she wondered if she was really the right person to take Dharr down a peg or two in his arrogance. Maybe he"d just move on to the next woman, someone who would be more compliant.
    The thought of Dharr holding another woman made her stomach churn with anger and disgust. She hated the idea and wanted to rip out the unknown woman"s hair. She was being silly, she thought as she tossed the covers back and stumbled to the shower.
    The water revived her muddled, sleep deprived mind and several cups of coffee during the day helped as well. But the moment she stepped onto the flight to