She sat down but she didn’t wait for him to take control.
“I understand we are to be married at the end of this week.”
“Yes.”
“Were you going to bother telling me?”
“Of course. It is not a subject for idle chatter, although my sister obviously believes so. It is business. And that is why I wished to meet with you now. To complete the paperwork.”
“Marriage equals paperwork. Interesting.”
“No more unusual than your own marriage.”
“At least I played an active part in that.”
“Here. You need to sign these.”
“What are they?” She didn’t bring them to her nor attempt to read them.
“A pre-nuptial. If you leave within five years, you forfeit everything.”
“And that’s traditional Bedu culture is it?”
His eyes glittered. “No. In traditional Bedu culture the woman becomes a property of the man. But we no longer live in the Dark Ages—”
“Could have fooled me. I thought that was what you wanted—to own me, to do what you wanted with me.” She felt her breath quicken.
“I have no interest in a one-way transaction. That will give me no satisfaction. I want you willing; I wish to enjoy your enjoyment.”
A memory flashed into her mind: of his fingers touching her lips as they sucked in ragged breaths, of his eyes watching her face intently as she climaxed and of how, only then, did he come to his own intense climax. She breathed in sharply and willed herself to focus.
“Transactions, business. This is what it all comes down to with you isn’t it?”
“Yes. Never think it is anything else.”
“I wouldn’t. I doubt you’ve an ounce of genuine feeling or affection in you.”
He gazed coolly at her for one long moment before continuing. “Why do you fight this, Anna? Here, take the papers and sign.”
“I’ll read them first.”
“Then do so.” He rose and walked over to an intricately carved cabinet. On top of it was a small stove heating a coffee pot. Two small cups sat beside it.
“Coffee?”
“No thanks.”
She leant over the desk, one hand propping her chin as she read through the papers and tried to ignore the fact that Zahir was two feet away from her and watching her closely.
She didn’t have to concentrate hard; the papers were as familiar to her as a daily newspaper. From her law studies at Cornell she knew that he’d been more than fair to her in the pre-nuptial agreement. She’d entered this marriage with no assets and, if she divorced after five years, would leave an extremely wealthy woman.
But she didn’t care about wealth. Could she sign her life away? But it wasn’t about her life was it? It was about Matta. In the past twenty-four hours she’d discovered that Matta was home. That this was the best place for him to grow up into the man she knew he could become. She’d been worried about Zahir’s harsh influence. But even that view had changed since she’d seen Zahir in his own environment with the people around him who cared and respected and admired him. And the way he was with Matta.
A vision of Matta’s joyous face, as Zahir had swooped him up and placed him on his shoulders, would be imprinted in her memory forever, made all the more vivid by the acute fears that had preceded it.
She had to do her best for her son and if that meant signing her life away in order to be able to watch him grow up, then so be it.
She signed and pushed the papers away from her.
“No questions?”
“I know these documents, I studied them, I know the implications. I’ve already agreed to them in spirit. There, now you have it in black and white.” She rose from her chair. “So if that’s all, I’ll go to bed.”
“No. Not quite all. You haven’t read the other set of papers.”
She looked down in surprise. She’d assumed they were nothing to do with her. She’d assumed the only thing Zahir wanted was the pre-nuptial agreement. And he’d got that.
She didn’t move but narrowed her eyes and looked up at him suspiciously.
“What are these about?”
“Read them and see.”
She flicked them open and read.
Wide eyed she simply stared at him. Her heart thudded and she could feel the heat of excitement flood her body. Her hand trembled as she folded them lengthwise again and sat down, unable to believe what she’d just read, unable to say a word.
“I’m sorry. I thought that this would be something you would want.”
He’d mistaken her lack of speech for displeasure. But still she couldn’t trust herself to speak.
“You don’t wish to complete your legal studies at Riyadh and Paris?”