Wrapped In Pleasure - Brenda Jackson [91]
“Everything is fine, Jake. With Alex’s assistance Johari was found in New York,” he said, leaning back in his seat. “In fact I’m on my way to her hotel to pick her up. We’re dining together tonight.”
“So the two of you have officially met? She knows who you are?”
“Yes, we’ve met, but she does not know my true identity.”
Rasheed then told Jake of his decision to not reveal his identity to Johari. “And just so you and your family know,” Rasheed went on to add, “I’ll be using my Madaris name for a while.
“You’re an honorary member of our family, Rasheed. My family will always be grateful for how you interceded to keep Christy out of harm’s way, virtually saving her life.”
Rasheed remembered that incident and was glad things turned out the way they had. He and Jake talked for a few minutes longer and then they ended the call. As he tucked his BlackBerry back in his jacket, the driver pulled in front of Johari’s hotel. They had agreed to meet in the lobby and as soon as the car came to a stop and Ishaq had come around to open the door, Rasheed got out and swiftly walked into the hotel. He tried to ignore the fact that he was very anxious and excited about seeing Johari again.
Johari walked off the elevator and grinned when she saw Rasheed standing in the atrium. She was intensely aware of him as a man. There was something about seeing him standing there that stirred something deep inside of her. He gave off vibes that were powerful, dominant, so elemental male that she almost missed a step when she began walking toward him.
She recalled her naiveté as a young girl after being told of her future and the man she would share it with and how accepting she had been of the decision. It was a decision made by a grandfather who’d died only months after her birth. She had envisioned her husband-to-be would appear at some point in her life to assure her that as his wife he would love and protect her. That never happened.
It became obvious that although Sheikh Valdemon would obediently fulfill his grandfather’s wish as she was doing with hers, their life together would not be the storybook romance she desired. And now as she gazed upon the man she had met only two days ago, who would be the only man she would consider suitable, she knew her parents would never accept him in her life. Her brother Jamal had already stretched the limits by marrying a Western woman. And although King Yasir loved his American daughter-in-law dearly and cherished the two grandchildren she had given him, Johari knew that when it came to her, he expected her to marry the person she was promised to.
As Monty moved to meet her, his strides were sure and confident, and the look on his face told her, even with her limited knowledge of men, that he would be the kind of man who, if he ever fell in love, would love hard and be a protector for life as well as someone who could be adored and admired. She felt envious of the woman who would claim his heart. And from the number of women who were pausing with their full attention directed on Monty as he made his way across the room, she wasn’t the only one thinking that way.
When Monty reached her he took her hand in his and whispered, “Once again your beauty has taken my breath away, Jo.”
She couldn’t stop the smile that touched her lips from his words. “Thank you for the compliment, Monty. You look handsome, too.” She meant every single word and wondered if irresistible was his middle name. Mainly because he was that and more.
Holding firm to her hand, he led her from the hotel to the private car waiting out front. The New York night was abuzz with energy. Flashing bright lights, the sound of car horns and people conversing while walking on pavement, she had only been here for a few days but whenever she came out at night the sights and sounds simply amazed her. There was nothing quiet and slow about this place, and as she slid into the back seat of the waiting limo, she knew there was nothing quiet and slow about the man who slid