The pair made their way inside and Amie was once again blown away by the opulence of the place. The foyer was beautiful, with white walls and smooth textures. She barely had time to turn and admire her surroundings before Malik ushered her up the spiraling staircase, where the first doorway led them through to a sprawling bedroom suite.
“Obviously, we won’t be sharing a room,” Malik said quietly.
“You mean, this is all yours?”
He exhaled in exhaustion and looked around the room. “All mine…” he repeated, almost dismissively. While Amie was beyond impressed, Malik couldn’t even bat an eyelid at the riches that awaited him in the Middle East. If she had a bachelor pad like this, Amie thought there’d be no way she’d go back to Chicago, especially not to work in real estate.
The halls leading to Amie’s guest bedroom had the same smooth white walls and gold trimmings that she’d seen downstairs. The passage had beautiful murals framed in gold moldings; intricate and majestic. Hanging tapestries lined down the hallway along with chandeliers and luxe sofas, all with red cushions.
Down the hall, she could see something that looked like a drawing room. Before the pair could reach it, however, Malik stopped in front of a set of white double doors.
“This will be your room while we’re here. Your belongings have already been unpacked for you, and you’ll find a fresh selection of makeup, hair products, clothes, and—”
“—panties?” she interrupted with a laugh.
She managed to make him blush. “Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “All that stuff. Help yourself, sleep well, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Amie nodded and slowly closed the door behind her. “Goodnight,” she said through the crack in the door.
“Goodnight.”
SIX
As the door clicked shut behind her, Amie turned to marvel at her new bedroom; it was as extravagant as the rest of the estate. Beige and red carpeting covered the floor, complex patterns flowing through it. In the center of the room was a bed with a dark red canopy behind it. There was a large, antique vanity next to the bed, and next to that sat a group of chairs made with the same wood and fabric that decorated the canopy, all sat around a dainty tea table.
Rummaging through the dressers, Amie found a tank top and pink pajama pants which she promptly put on. It felt so good to be out of her formal dress. She made her way into the attached washroom and stared at her drained face and fallen curls. She quickly washed her face but couldn’t quite be bothered with trying to remove her mascara.
She stepped back into the bedroom and flopped into bed, hoping for some much-needed sleep. She settled into the comfortable down-filled blankets and quickly turned the lamp off.
It felt strange being in someone else’s bed, and slowly Amie’s mind began to wonder. What kind of scandal had happened between him and his family that would make his sister and father so insanely resistant to getting to know her? What tension was there that Malik would take freezing Chicago winters over a palace and endless warm nights?
She tossed and turned for hours, trying to get comfortable. She knew she’d have trouble sleeping; she always did. Throw in jet-lag, the strangest acting gig imaginable, and a rumbling stomach and you get one exhausted but unrelentingly awake Amie.
After hours in purgatory, Amie finally gave up on sleep and started wondering if she might be able to find some herbal tea in the kitchen, or a bag of chips. Really, either would do.
She tiptoed out of bed and made her way into the hallway. The whole house was quiet and dark. She did her best with the limited lighting to find her way down the winding, intricately-carved staircase. The more she looked through the house, the more she believed it had come straight out of a book of fairytales.
Her feet hit the cold tiles of the foyer and within a couple of steps Amie was in the kitchen. Luckily for her, all the cupboards were well-stocked with food. She grabbed a plate from a shelf and began loading it with pita bread, carrots, hummus, a meat skewer, and a large helping of baklava. Juggling her large plate, along with a glass of milk, she walked into the living room only to be startled by the sight of Malik, sitting in an oversized chair.