Their Virgin Concubine(19)

And after this flight, she would likely see very little of them. She would join her friend Tal and disappear into a world of numbers and PowerPoint presentations and arguments about implementation. Piper looked forward to the work. It was important to Black Oak, Bezakistan, and the world. But she hoped to have time to actually see the country, maybe even go on a date or two. But as her co-worker, even if Tal wasn’t married, he would be off limits.

Truthfully, her relationships hadn’t worked out. She’d barely dated in high school, and when she’d gotten engaged, Johnny seemed to lose all interest in her. He’d barely kissed her, much less touched her more intimately. The sad fact was that Rafe and his probing kiss had been the most erotic experience of her life.

But she didn’t have to stay virginal. Rafe and Kade were obviously quite experienced and used to casual sex. They would give her a good time, never hurt her. And, if her instincts were right, they weren’t exactly disinterested. There had been many seemingly random touches when one or the other—or both—got way too close to be normal.

But could she just ask for what she wanted? She seriously doubted either man would really come on to her. The kiss aside, they had been very gentlemanly. After their scrumptious meal, she had twelve hours left with them. But how could she choose which brother and how could she look at one after she’d had sex with the other?

The hostess, Jasmine, picked up the now-empty tray that had once held a piece of honey cake. Piper had eaten everything, deeply enjoying both the full stomach and the Mediterranean flavors.

Rafe and Kade were speaking to each other in Arabic again. They had gotten some kind of call from the palace and, for a time, they passed the phone back and forth. Now, it seemed, they were simply conferring with one another.

“Where is the restroom?” she asked the hostess.

“Follow me. I will show you the way. And when you are ready for sleep, the bedroom is just past the bathroom.”

“There’s a bedroom?”

Jasmine frowned. “But of course. The sheikh’s room has been set aside for your use. His brothers will share the smaller one.”

Piper gasped. She would have to fix that since she didn’t need very much space and had even less need for opulence.

Mind made up, she opened the door to the bathroom. Naturally, it wasn’t some tiny space that better resembled an upright coffin with a toilet, like airplane lavatories she’d seen on TV. Of course not. The al Mussad brothers wouldn’t perform their bodily functions in anything less than a palace. The bathroom was spacious and elegant and offered a lovely shower made entirely of Carrera marble that she was pretty sure could hold a whole football team. A long vanity with double sinks lined the other wall.

Shaking her head at the magnificence of it all, she washed up, glancing out the little window. The night was dark , but the moon shone like an enormous pearl, its incandescence illuminating the world. She put her head against the double paned window. She couldn’t go back to where she used to be. Really, she didn’t want to. She simply wasn’t sure which choice moved her forward.

She was changing, becoming someone she liked very much—a woman who seized adventure by getting on a plane and changing her life at the spur of the moment. Now, she wanted to be someone who knew what it meant to be loved.

Piper groaned. It wouldn’t be love with whichever of the al Mussad brothers she chose as her first lover; she knew that. But they could share affection and pleasure. She’d had so little of either in her life. Why not?

She sighed, wondering just what she’d say.

Hey, guys, I’m a virgin. Didn’t do it for religious reasons or because my hymen is terribly important to me. Just kind of got busy. I didn’t put it into my day planner, so whoops. Who wants to help me get rid of my V card?

Yep. That was sexy. Not.

Johnny’s words came back to her like an old voicemail she kept forgetting to erase. You’re just not hot, Piper. You’ll make someone a good wife someday, but I just don’t want to fuck you. I should want to fuck my wife, right? You need to find someone with lower standards.

If that jerk hadn’t wanted to sleep with her, was she seriously fooling herself that either of the two ungodly gorgeous men out there would want to? Maybe they were just being playful. And polite. She didn’t understand their customs. Maybe their behavior was the norm in Bezakistan.

With a sigh, Piper exited the bathroom. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she peeked in the bedroom. She stopped in her tracks. That was a bedroom?

An enormous bed dominated the spacious room. Lush and gorgeously draped with silk and satin in shades of taupe, cream, and soft blue, this place was something straight out of a romantic movie. That bed wasn’t meant for a peaceful night’s slumber. It was meant for feats of athleticism. And maybe with more than two people.