“Sheik Amir, that is fair, thank you.” Sara bowed to him and left the room. Tariq narrowed his gaze. She deliberately thanked Amir so she could make it obvious that she was ignoring him, just as she had done at the mall when Fiddah was there. He watched her walk out of the office. His eyes could not help but rest on her bottom as he contemplated what she looked like without her clothes on. He looked away before Amir caught him. He wouldn't know how to explain it. He started talking about his lunch with Fiddah. Amir laughed. He knew his brother's views on love. The world had failed to convince him otherwise.
Adiva walked in with a tray of refreshments. She placed it on the table and asked if they needed anything else. Amir told her that he did not want anything. Tariq did not offer a response. He simply grunted instead.
Sara returned to her office and started researching El-Sultari. She wanted to prove Tariq wrong. There was potential and it was worth checking it out. Tariq probably shut down the idea because it came from her. She really wanted to prove him wrong. She wanted to visit the field but she knew she could not do that herself. Amir would authorise it but would not let her go alone. She smiled at the thought of Malik. He was the perfect person to go with her. After all, he was in charge of the oil fields.
* * * *
It was finally Friday. The last day of the workweek and the last late work night! Sara was happy. She was not used to working such late nights and it was exhausting. She could not wait to get the work over and done with so that she could start her weekend, kick back and relax.
She had worked with Amir every night and he laughed at how tired she got. He kept saying that she was too cute. Sara never understood how she was cute but it didn't bother her. That Friday, Amir had a mysterious appointment he needed to go to. Sara manned his appointments and she was unaware of this one.
“Sir, you're being too secretive,” Sara said to Amir. He laughed and ruffled her hair.
“I am not,” he said.
“Then why do I not know about this appointment? And why aren't I coming along?”
“You're working late,” Amir replied as he kept inching towards the door. Sara placed her hands on her hips and stared at him.
“A date?” Sara asked him.
“I shall see you on Monday,” Amir smiled mischievously. Sara laughed and bid him farewell. She knew that he was going on a date. He seemed to be quite the ladies man. She was going to grill him about him it on Monday. She took the files she needed from his desk and locked his door before she headed back to her office.
After what seemed like hours and hours of work, Sara decided to walk around the building. She needed to stretch and relax for a bit. The place was deserted. The only people who were there were the security guards. Even Adiva was not working late. Sara frowned. She wished that she were home or out with the twins.
Sara dragged her feet as she walked around the building. She didn't even care what she looked like, nobody was there to see her. She was wearing a black knee-length, pencil skirt and a white camisole that was not tucked in. Her hair was not tied up and her long curly hair rested on her back. She had taken her heels off. She turned a corner and saw the light on in the conference room. She growled silently. Who had not bothered to switch the light off? She dragged her feet and headed towards the conference room to switch the light off. She walked into the room and towards the light switch. She was in her own world looking at the ground.
“Can I help you with something?” A deep voice sounded from behind her. It startled her as she squealed and turned around quickly.
“Oh gosh,” she sighed with relief. It was Tariq leaning on the table reading some paperwork. He was wearing grey pants and a white shirt. A couple of buttons were unbuttoned, revealing the top of his chest. “You scared me,” she scolded.
“Do you need something?” Tariq asked her. Sara shrugged. She didn't really expect him to be polite to her.
“I saw the light on and I came to switch it off because I thought no one was in here,” Sara replied. Tariq was analysing her. She looked untidy and she was barefoot!
“Why are you barefoot?” He could not help himself. He had to ask her.
“I was wearing heels all day. My feet hurt,” Sara's tone was not friendly. She was trying her best not to snap at him. He did not respond to her. He studied her silently. “Working late?” Sara asked. She caught his gaze and felt uncomfortable. She slowly inched for the door. He didn't respond to her as he felt like she was asking an obvious question. Sara placed her hands on her hips.
“Why is it you can never answer me or even act polite towards me?” Sara asked him. She couldn't ignore it anymore. He always felt the need to be that way towards her and she had not done anything to him. On top of that, she was tired and had enough of his attitude towards her.