CHAPTER 1

 

Melanie Harper could not believe she actually had an interview to be Sayid Ahmad's personal assistant, but here she was waiting outside his Manhattan office. Not only was he New York City's most eligible bachelor, but he was also royalty. His father was the King of a small oil rich state on the Arabian Peninsula. The one that was so small and strict in its laws that it never made the news. It was not a real country per se, but it existed as a small independent Emirate within a larger country. The area had always been under the direction of the same ruling family for at least a dozen generations, which was why very little was known about Sayid's homeland.

No one really cared though, since he had lived here in New York for years. Sayid was, for all intents and purposes, considered a New Yorker. Melanie knew all this about him because she researched her potential employer before coming to this interview. The fact he was royalty was impressive, but not nearly as striking as his good looks were, hence his eligibility status. He looked much like a young Omar Sharif, except he wore a goatee instead of a thin moustache. But Melanie told her self that she was simply focused on getting the job because she needed it badly.

Life had not been kind to her, just twenty-two years old and learning fast that simply surviving in a city like New York was demoralizing. She had no family to lean on, orphaned young and separated from her younger sister in foster care. At eighteen she bolted out on her own, never having a decent family situation in any of the numerous homes she was shuffled in and out of during her childhood. At first she wanted to try and find her sister, but having next to no money meant survival came first.

Now it was four years later and she was still barely scraping out an existence. Melanie was also close to being evicted, so she really needed this better paying job. She still could not believe how she even got this interview. Mel (the name her regulars and the few friends she had called her) had been a server at an upscale restaurant when Sayid became one of her customers. They first met when her boss told her that a special customer was seated in her area and needed VIP service, which she gladly provided.

Sayid was clearly impressed with Mel, so much so that after that first night he became a regular weekly customer. But it went farther than that; she was relieved of serving any other customers once Sayid was seated. Not only was she his private waitress, but he also drew her into conversations since he had her all to himself. He was so suave and sophisticated, yet treated her so politely that she rapidly developed a crush on him. It was like a schoolgirl crush, Mel never expecting him to see her as anything other than a serving girl.

After six weeks he offered to interview her for a position as his personal assistant. Before she could even consider the offer, he made sure she knew she would work more hours, but would make considerably more money. Mel needed the money badly enough that there was no question in her mind when she agreed to meet him for an interview. Now here she was, nervous and eager to show him she was the right girl for the position.

 

***

 

Sayid Ahmad was seated behind his desk taking another look through Miss Harper's file. He was thinking that Reynaldo might earn a hefty bonus for finding this one, since she seemed exceptional. She was beautiful, but did not have the attitude of so many American girls with looks like hers. She was five foot seven inches tall and a svelte one hundred and fifteen pounds. How she could be that svelte with thirty-eight inch double D breasts escaped him at the moment, but her file was devoid of any nude pictures of her to make a better assessment.

After meeting her for the first time he had his security chief do a full background search, knowing by the way she treated him that she was a candidate to add to his collection. The results provided a clear picture of a poor girl who had little chance to pull herself out of poverty. No family, few friends, and living a daily struggle just to keep a roof over her head. Most of the girls Sayid had acquired up until now had rough transitions into their new lives, coming down a few steps in stature. This one might find the benefit of what he planned for her a little sooner than the others, considering how unkind western civilization had treated her so far. But either way, like the others before her, Melanie Harper would learn her new place in the scheme of things soon enough.

But first came his favorite part, the seduction. This would be a very rare platonic approach, since he expected she was very inexperienced sexually if not an actual virgin. He would take the paternal/mentor approach, while showing her what a life not worrying about paying her bills all the time is like. After a few months she would become so dependent on him that when he told her they had to visit his country she would join him without a thought about it. Once they were home she would learn the real reason he chose her, just like they all did.

Sayid had often told his father that diversity is the spice of life and the quality of his collection after ten years was proof of it. But this was the last recruit for him, since his father was old and it was time to take the reins as the Crown Prince. But even though he could no longer engage in the field, he planned to continue adding to the Caucasian collection with third parties gathering them for him. He already had people looking for Melanie's younger sister; she could be the next addition should the older sister prove worthy.

Having made her wait long enough Sayid put her file in a desk drawer and then went out to the lobby where Melanie was waiting. She smiled when she saw him, but he could tell she was nervous, which was good. He would soon ease her anxiety and deliver an offer that would far exceed any expectations she could possibly have. He knew she would accept it without a thought, and it would give him all the time he needed to charm her into trusting him completely.

"Hello Mel, how are you today?" he asked her as he approached where she sat.

She stood up and said, "Fine Mr. Ahmad, how are you?" the tension clear in her voice.

"Call me Sayid, let's go talk in my office," he said, as he took her hand and led her back into his office.

"OK...Sayid," she replied, sounding tentative when she spoke, but following his lead to the seat in front of his desk.

After she was seated Sayid returned to his chair on the other side, facing her, but sitting higher than her so she had to look up at him. It was subtle, but he would feed the idea that he was superior to her in every way, in order to coax out her submissive side. All these western women think they are equals to men, he thought, but when confronted by the truth they all eventually learn that is not true at all. He stared at her for a minute or two, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes. He was intimidating her a bit, and now it was time to set her at ease.

"Before we even start I want you to know that I informed Reynaldo about wanting to interview you for a position. He was fine with it, telling me he thought you were destined for better things than serving food," Sayid said.

"Thank you Sayid, but I told him too," Mel replied, not sure why he mentioned that.

Then he followed with, "Forgive me, but in my country it is considered a matter of respect to check with a current employer before pursuing one of their employees. I know in America it is not that way, but he is also my friend so it was honorable on two levels to talk to him first." It wasn't even close to true, but he was starting to show her he did not necessarily follow local conventions even though he lived here.

"I understand, I would never do anything behind a friend's back either."

"I'm sure you wouldn't, I can usually judge a person and you seem like one who values loyalty. What other traits do you value?" he asked her.

He caught Mel off guard, but she recovered quickly and said, "Integrity, honesty, hard work, and respect for authority."

"Admirable traits all of them, but what about a sense of humor or compassion?" he asked in return.

"Oh, I thought you meant work traits, in a friend I look for those other qualities."

"I see, that is very practical. Now do you have any experience as a personal assistant?"

"Um, no sir, I'm not really sure exactly what it is honestly."

Sayid laughed and then asked, "Can you use a phone and tablet to maintain my schedule for me?"

"I think so," she answered, feeling suddenly intimidated by him.

He kept laughing as he said, "I think so too, but the hard part of the job is the hours. Can you be available 24/7?"

"I guess so, but I'm not sure what you mean?" Mel answered feeling very confused.

"Do you have a long term lease where you live?" he asked, knowing the answer already thanks to his security man.

"No sir, not at the moment."

"Would you be willing to take a room at my place? I have plenty of extra space in the penthouse suite of the Ritz Carlton Hotel."

Mel stared at him in total shock, is he serious? She wondered.

"Live in the penthouse...with you?" she finally stammered.

Now he was just smiling at her as he said, "In the same place yes, but this is strictly for business reasons. My schedule is rather chaotic and having you nearby will facilitate your ability to keep up with me."

"Yes, of course, business, hectic hours...got it," she answered with visions of what it would be like to live in a penthouse swirling in her imagination.

"Is that a yes? Do you need a minute? A glass of water?"

"Um, no, I mean yes, I mean you caught me off guard. So you want me to move into the penthouse of the Ritz?" Mel replied, needing to hear it again to believe it.

"Yes, you will have a large private bedroom and bath, as well as access to the other amenities the penthouse has to offer," he answered, seeing the star struck look in her eyes.

"That sounds very nice," she said, still in shock.

"We will also need to get you new clothing, you cannot live at the Ritz and be by my side in public in what I suspect is your relatively modest wardrobe. Please do not take offense, consider it a new kind of uniform."

Still trying to digest what he was saying, Mel said, "This sounds like you are investing a lot in me, but I have no experience as an assistant." Now she was far less confident, given what he said. She thought she could handle this challenge, but living in his world seemed suddenly daunting.

"You are a smart girl, you will learn how to meet my needs, so what really is scaring you Melanie?" he asked her.

"Working for you means living in a whole new world, and I am not sure I will fit into it," she answered, surprised that she admitted it.

"For someone trying to get a position this is a strange approach," he said, baiting her a little more.

"It's just that, as you know, I live a rather...modest life," she answered, almost saying she was dirt poor. "I would love the opportunity to work for you, but I don't know if I will fit the image you have."

"Let me be the judge of that, now to put you at ease here is my offer. You come to work for me for a month, and if at the end of it you want out I will make sure Reynaldo takes you back and you can live with me until you find a new place. Does that make the choice easier?"

"I guess so, can I have some time to think about it?"

"What is there to think about? Offers like this don't come around often and thinking about it too much can ruin it. So I require your answer now!" he said. The last sentence was emphasized enough for him to see her look of surprise. This was a crucial moment in his assessment of her, would she acquiesce to this demand?

It took her a moment to recover from his answer, and though the little voice in her head warned her not to, she said, "OK, I accept your offer Sayid."

He was quite pleased that he was right about her; she needed someone to make decisions for her. From now on he would teach her to respond to him and his needs, and soon she would learn to anticipate them. Their initial meeting ended after she had recorded the list of things she needed to do to get ready to work for him. As she left the building she still wondered what she had gotten into, but somehow she felt he would make it an exciting adventure for her.

She was right, and in less than a week she was living in the Ritz, wearing a whole new designer wardrobe, and going places with him she never even knew existed. It really was a whole new world, but Mel was almost always with him and that reassured her. After four weeks and the end of the probationary period he asked her what she wanted to do, and of course she chose to stay with him. Life was suddenly exciting and her old worries were fading away under the brightness of her new life.

Sayid was satisfied with her progress over the first couple of months. He slowly instilled a need to please him in the malleable Melanie, and like all young girls, she followed his lead like an obedient puppy. He did all this in an above board business-like way, but he could see that she had a growing attraction to him. He could have easily seduced her once the second month had passed; she was so drawn in by his lifestyle that she became deeply enchanted by him. But he had decided before hiring her that this one would wait until she was ready to fully commit to him, the way he preferred.