“How has business been going?” Hussain asked him.
“Sharqi Jewels is progressing well. After his forced retirement, my father wasn’t particularly cooperative explaining some of the files, so there has been considerable work figuring out exactly what is going on financially.”
“I can only imagine.”
The receptionist walked into the office with a tray of tea, which she placed on the desk. Karim took a sip of his black tea before he spoke.
“There is much to do but we are no strangers to hard work,” he said.
“Yes, indeed,” Hussain replied as he laughed.
Both men were from powerful families. The Tazeems had their hands in oil and spices while the Sharqis had their hands in jewels. As the eldest sons, both men put the growth and prosperity of the family business before their own personal lives. They were very similar in many ways, which was why they were so close.
“How is the spices industry these days?” Karim asked.
“Good.” Hussain nodded and drank some of his tea.
“And the business with my father?”
“That is all well too.”
Karim shook his head. “My father is a particular man,” he said. A few months ago, Karim’s father had reluctantly gone into business with Hussain and to his surprise, it had become quite profitable.
“That may be the case; however he is a good business man.”
“His ways are so outdated; I was trying to decipher his old business accounts the last few weeks.”
Hussain started laughing. “And how is that going?” he asked.
“Not very easy, I tell you.”
Talking about those business accounts reminded Karim of Kim. He was surprised that she had taken it upon herself to help him out with them. Even though he did not want to admit it, he was grateful. She had helped him a great deal and saved him a lot of time.
She had surprised him when she came onto him the night before. He had never thought she was the forward type. If he did not need to be at the office early that morning, he would have made love to her again.
The short time they had spent together over breakfast had been distracting as he found her sweet scent intoxicating. He would have loved to continue with the teasing and watch as he brought her pleasure. The small noises that she made as she writhed beneath him were arousing and he couldn’t wait to do it again.
“As long as it is working out,” Hussain said with a smile. “So listen, I have a favour to ask of you.”
Karim blinked a few times. “Yes, anything,” he said. This was not the time Karim had been caught thinking about Kim.
“You remember Cassie?” Hussain asked him.
“Your Western woman?” Karim asked as he looked at Hussain with a narrowed gaze.
“Yes, her.” Hussain smiled and shook his head.
“What about her?” Karim asked. The couple of times that he had met her, he found her too American for his taste.
“When she was younger, she used to walk past this jewellery shop every day. She fell in love with a particular ring.”
“Okay?” Karim furrowed his brow. He wondered where Hussain was going with this.
“Well, I need your help in locating that ring,” Hussain said. Karim raised his eyebrows and put his cup on the desk.
“What? You are not thinking of marrying this woman are you?” he asked. He went from being confused to being shocked. He stared at Hussain with his eyes widened and waited for an explanation. He was really hoping that Hussain was not going to propose.
“You look surprised,” Hussain replied.
“I am surprised. What happened to the man who did not believe in marriage?”
That was another thing that Karim and Hussain had in common. They both did not believe in love and they did not want to get married either. They never wanted to be tied down to anyone, especially a mere woman.
Hussain sighed before he responded. “That man met Cassie.”
“Even after you found out that she was a spy?” Karim questioned.
“Well she did not sabotage me in the end. She actually helped me.”
“It does not change her initial intentions. This is why women cannot be trusted.”
Hussain laughed loudly. “That was how I used to think; however things are different now. I found someone worth trusting and loving.” Karim leaned back in his leather chair and stared at his friend.
“So, you want me to locate some kind of ring, so that you can marry a spy?” Karim had been aware of how Cassie and Hussain had met. He had been surprised that Hussain stayed with her, even after he knew that she was an industrial spy. Even though she had changed her ways, Karim would have never been able to trust her after finding out her original intentions.