Stolen By The Sheikh (Interracial Romance) Read Online Free Page A

on the small table next to the window. He removed the lid to show her the contents, and cleared his throat saying, “I hope the food is to your liking. I’m not sure what your feelings are about our cuisine, but we employ some of the finest cooks in the region. They can also make many American dishes for you, if you prefer.”
    Dani bristled. She was furious, but she was also still terrified, so she felt that she had to suppress her rage. “It looks delicious. Thank you.”
    He was watching her expectantly, as if he wanted her to sit down and dig in while he was still there, but she didn’t move. She wanted to keep as much physical distance between herself and this terrible brute of a man as possible. How could he possibly expect her to sit down and eat a meal in his presence? He was responsible for her kidnapping. He had nearly raped her the night before. And now he was holding her hostage. She now controlled next to nothing about her life, and she’d be damned if she was going to give up this last tiny little bit of autonomy. She would eat alone or she wouldn’t eat.
    The Sheikh shrugged helplessly and said, “I guess I’ll be going, then. Please let me know if I can do anything at all to make you feel more comfortable. I feel badly that your first impression of me was less than it should have been.”
    Dani was completely bewildered. Did this guy have multiple personality disorder? Was it a trick? She couldn’t understand how he could kidnap someone, try to rape them, and then act contrite, as though he cared anything about her comfort, with no mention of ever letting her go. He must be a madman. She kept silent, and he left without another word.
    As soon as he was gone, Dani sat down to eat. The tray contained enough food to comfortably feed at least three people, and the unfamiliar flavors were delicious. As she ate, her mind began to drift. It was only midday, and she was going to have to find a way to fill the hours. What could she possibly do, trapped in this room with nothing but censored TV shows to entertain her?
    In the end, she decided to kill time by taking a bath and getting dressed. She filled the swimming pool sized tub and spent a good hour trying to relax her body and mind, submerged in the steamy water. When she got out, she spent a long time trying out the enormous variety of body products and cosmetics that filled every drawer and cabinet. Then she wandered over to the dresser and started going through the drawers. There were so many options that it was almost like going on a shopping spree. Under different circumstances, she would have been giddy. After slipping into a perfectly fitting pair of designer jeans and a tank top, she noticed that there was a closet that had somehow escaped her notice until now. She opened the door and gasped. There were hundreds of shoes, organized by style and color, handbags, scarves, hair accessories, and rotating racks of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. She flipped through the jewelry and adorned her wrist with a Tiffany bracelet, then found the matching necklace. Next she moved on to rifling through the hangers filled with designer gowns. When she reached the back of the closet, she found a section of hangers that sent a chill down her spine. There were a dozen burqas hanging in a row.
    She remembered going shopping with her father. She had been allowed to wear her long maxi sundress, but when they reached the market, he had tossed her a couple of large scarves, one to cover her hair, and one to drape around her shoulders and arms like a shawl. There were only a few women not wearing burqas, but all had their heads covered, sleeves to the wrist, and skirts to the ankle. Was he going to let her dress normally within the confines of the palace and dress her up in a burqa if he ever took her outside of these walls? Would he eventually start making her wear them all the time? She didn’t know how it worked, and the not knowing was more frightening than any of