“Taleb was right. You are a dick,” she mumbled under her breath before heading back to her room. Even if he did not want to speak to her, he did not need to kick the door shut like that. It was rude. He should at least have said good night or something.
Walking into her quarters, she sighed, as she got ready for bed. She had to admit that this was the best teaching job she ever had. Not only did they pay her well, but they included both room and board. Changing into her nightgown, she climbed into her plush four-poster bed and snuggled under the covers. Yes, things could be far worse, she told herself.
As she tried to sleep, Kim found herself tossing and turning as Karim’s dark eyes were imprinted in her mind. She just could not seem to forget about them. She then remembered him half-naked, working out in the courtyard as her mind wandered to how his body glistened with sweat in the early morning sun. She knew nothing good was going to come from thinking about him but she could not help it. She tossed and turned ordering sleep to come to her, but it remained elusive.
Sighing, she sat up and pulled on her robe. Maybe something to drink would help calm her down. Walking downstairs, she went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk. Sipping it slowly, she wandered back towards the stairs.
As she passed Karim’s office, she saw that he still had the light on. Given the time, she assumed that he had merely left it on, so she opened the door and walked inside to turn it off. She faltered when he looked at her in surprise.
“What brings you here?” he asked her. He stared at with that dark gaze again, as his eyes swept across her body taking in her attire.
Suddenly feeling foolish for barging in, “You are working quite late. Do you want any help or anything?” Kim strived to be casual but she could feel her voice failing.
“No, I am fine.”
“Are you sure? I do not mind.”
“I do. I prefer working alone. Leave me,” he said sternly.
Kim immediately regretted her offer of help after his curt response. What was she thinking? After everything that both Amare and Taleb told her, of course, he would not want her help.
Seeing his gaze sweep across her again, Kim realized that she wasn’t dressed and quickly tightened the tie on her robe. Clutching her milk glass, she nodded mutely before backing out of the room and shutting the door behind her.
Leaning against it, she kicked herself for not thinking. What must he think of her, walking in there dressed in her nightclothes? Thoughts of being just another woman throwing herself at Karim flitted across her brain as she cursed aloud. Standing tall, she downed the last of her milk, set the empty glass down on a sideboard and stalked back upstairs. She would not make that mistake again.
Chapter Six
The next day was Kim’s day off and she was excited to be able to spend some time at the girls’ orphanage where she tutored them in English. Having grown up in the foster care system in the States, she was lucky to have a mentor in her life that helped her find her way and encouraged her to finish school and go to college.
Even though her time here would be short, she hoped that maybe she could provide some sort of guidance to these girls. As she was on her way out, she ran into Amare and another woman. Kim smiled and greeted him.
“Hey, Kim, leaving already?” he asked her.
“Yes, I am heading over to the orphanage.”
“This is Zara, Karim’s PA,” Amare said to her as he introduced the women. “This is Kim, my English tutor,” he said to Zara.
Kim looked at Zara. She was a couple of inches taller than she was and much curvier Dressed in a black high waist skirt, a white blouse and black high heels with her jet-black hair tucked into a high ponytail and with her flawless make-up, Zara looked glamorous. She was the complete opposite of Kim.
“Hello, Zara,” Kim said with a warm smile on her face.
“Hi,” Zara replied flatly. Her tone was unfriendly as she slowly looked Kim up and down. It was obvious that she was studying her. Kim immediately felt awkward and unsure what to say next.
Dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and flats, which made her look significantly shorter than Zara was, Kim could see the obvious differences between the two of them. Kim rarely wore high heels and admired women who could pull it off.
When she did, it was a disaster either for her or anything she managed to crash into. She readily admitted that she liked being casual and did not bother to dress up. Mostly because she didn’t know how. Her straight brown hair was held back in a band and she was told that her blue eyes were the colour of the Mediterranean Sea, although she had yet to see for herself.
While she couldn’t tell how long Zara’s hair was from how she wore it, she could see that it was thick as it appeared to be threatening to burst from the hairband she had wrapped around it. Her green eyes swept over Kim as if she were an item for sale.