Read Sheikh's Ex-Girlfriend (Khayyam Sheikh Series #1) for Free Online

scandal if the sheikh came unannounced to a small release party, but as he had found out, the evening was meant to be a game as much as it was anything else, a minor pretense to celebrate a novel.
    He tightened the mask around his face, glancing at himself one more time in the mirror.
    It didn't matter how he looked. He knew very well who he was and what he wanted. Now he was going to go find Ella, and nothing would stand in his way.
    ***
    The release party was being held at the Tamara Seif Library, one of the oldest libraries in the city. It was a gorgeous structure with a dome of cobalt glass arching over the receiving area where the guests were circulating. Ella made a private note to come back during the day, when she could see the library at its best.
    The moment she arrived, she was swept up in a round of socialization and trade talk. Dalal was an international city in many ways, and in addition to the Arabic that she spoke well, she also had to find her rather rusty French and her rudimentary German. She startled more than one person who was surprised to hear a blonde white woman speaking so confidently in Arabic, and she thought she could see the beginning of the professional respect she needed from her peers.
    This is going well, she thought. I feel a little less like the little match girl surrounded by all the wealthy people.
     She turned to make her way back to the banquet table when suddenly a hand was snaked around her elbow. She looked up at a man dressed in a tuxedo and wearing a black mask. His teeth were very white, and she blinked at the way he smiled at her.
    “A drink?” he asked, offering her a flute of champagne.
    She hesitated for a moment, and then took it with a smile. She was no drinker, but she didn't mind having a prop in her hands.
    “It's turning into quite an incredible night, don't you think?” her companion asked. “Yusef's work is getting quite a reaction.”
    “It is, and he deserves every bit of good press he can grab,” she said enthusiastically. “I finally made the time to read his book, and it's so incredibly layered, so very lovely. It's a triumph of language as well as plot, and I do not say that lightly.”
    “Oh? Did you read it in Arabic or in English?”
    “Both!” she said with a laugh. “I read them side by side, and not only is the translation exquisite, there are such nuances that it was well worth my time. I can't remember the last time that I enjoyed a work more …”
    She was so excited to talk about the work of the new writer that she didn't realize that she was being guided to a darkened corner of the library, a small alcove between two tall shelves that rendered her and her companion nearly invisible to the rest of the room.
    “… and I truly do think that he has a lot to offer an international community. I know that the publisher he is with is a small one without international distributing, but I am definitely looking to change that—”
    “That's wonderful,” her companion interrupted, and she looked up, startled at the change in his tone. “But that's not what I'm looking to talk about right this moment.”
    “Oh, really?” she asked. “What are you looking to talk about then?”
    To her dismay, she noticed that she was backed against the far wall of the alcove. Over his shoulder she could see the rest of the party, but it looked astonishingly far away. Her sixth sense for danger started going off, and she licked her lips nervously.
    “I simply wanted to tell you what a beautiful woman you are, and how brave, to come to an event all alone.”
    Her laugh was bright and entirely false. “Call it my American pluck,” she said, “but really, I've been attending events alone for my entire professional career. I'm used to it. I'm pretty independent, and I really love getting to know new people.”
    His chuckle was dark and earthy, not altogether pleasant. “Really? You are interested in making new friends?”
    “Yes, and as a matter of fact, I