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I turned to the mirror, unsure how I felt about the dress. I could see every curve of my body through the material and the sides of my breasts. Because I couldn’t wear a bra with it, my nipples were clearly visible through the fabric and that made me uneasy. I was about to protest when Duran came up behind me and laid a triple layer jade necklace around my throat and clasped it.
“Only the best for you, princess,” he murmured.
“Thank you,” I said hesitantly.
“What’s wrong?” He met my gaze in the mirror.
I chewed on my lip. “Is there anyone else besides Ahmed coming to lunch?”
He shrugged and turned away, going to the closet to take down a shirt. “Just a few investors. Why?”
I glanced back at myself in the mirror and frowned, confused. “You don’t care if I wear this dress?”
“I picked it out for you.”
“Okay,” I said, my throat a little dry.
I went to the closet for sandals, but he passed me a pair of heels and watched me put them on. I wanted to say something, but at this point I was curious what his end game was. Was he really so secure that he didn’t care if other men saw me exposed like this? Or did he mean to share me with them somehow? The thought made my blood run cold and sent me into spirals of further confusion. How could that be when he had treated me with such tenderness and admitted he felt something for me just hours ago?
He took my hand and I followed him down the hall to the back door. Outside there was a large, covered veranda with a round table set with plates of food and cold pitchers of water and bottles of wine.
There was a tall man in a linen shirt and casual pants and aviator sunglasses. He stood by a beautiful woman in a tight, white dress and a gold headscarf draped over the dark hair spilling around her shoulders. When the man turned and took off his glasses, I could see he was clearly Egyptian and stunningly handsome. The woman leaned over and whispered something to him and they both smiled, kissing briefly before linking arms and moving across the veranda to meet us at the table.
“This is Ahmed and Adriana,” Duran said. “And this is Iris.”
Ahmed shook my hand, his smile warm. When Adriana grasped my fingers she offered me a smile of genuine happiness and I decided right away that I liked them both.
“It’s a pleasure,” I said.
“So you’re the Scavo girl,” Ahmed said. “Sorry about the unfortunate circumstances that brings you here, but I’m glad you at least got to visit beautiful Egypt. Duran loves it, so there’s no one better to show you around.”
“I haven’t been out of the compound, but everything I’ve seen has been amazing,” I said. “Duran said you both live here, right?”
“We’re staying here for a bit so I can meet Ahmed’s family,” said Adriana in a thick, Southern accent. “We just got engaged!” She held up one slender hand and everyone drew near to look at the large diamond glittering on her finger.
“Congratulations,” said Duran. “You bastard, Ahmed, honestly I never thought you’d settle down.”
Ahmed snaked his arm around his betrothed and pulled her near. “I don’t deserve her.”
“That’s true,” Duran said.
They both laughed and made their way to the table for a drink. I smiled at Adriana, feeling suddenly shy and even more uncomfortable in the revealing dress Duran had put me in. Adriana gestured to the mini Tiki bar in the far corner and I nodded, following her over and sitting down on one of the stools.
“I can make piña colada’s,” Adriana said, ducking behind the bar.
“Sounds amazing.”
I watched her mix up the drinks and take a seat opposite me, sipping from her glass. I followed suit, letting the cold, creamy taste melt over my tongue.
“They have investors coming,” Adriana said.
“I know,” I said. “Duran told me while we were getting dressed.”
She leaned back and let her headscarf fall down her shoulders, revealing her dark waterfall of hair. She squinted over at the men with a critical eye, her mouth pursed.
“Let me guess, he suggested you wear that dress?”
I nodded.
