Sheikh's Pregnant Lover Read Free Page A

down at her, hands clasped in front of her conservative, ankle-length navy dress with the Emirates logo stitched onto the collar.
    “Would you like anything to eat or drink before we descend?” she asked politely.
    “Some seltzer, thanks.” Madeline pressed the button on the side of her leather seat and raised it back up to a sitting position. Now that she was awake again, her stomach was beginning to knot itself with nerves, and she didn’t think eating was a good idea. But seltzer would help settle her stomach a bit.
    “Very good, Miss Anthony. I’ll be right back.”
    As the flight attendant bustled away to retrieve her drink, Madeline looked out the window of the private jet Vanessa had insisted on sending for her. The clouds hovering outside her window were tinged with the reds, pinks and yellows of sunset, and Madeline bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t fallen asleep on the plane. She was going to be up all night at this rate, and she had to be up early the next morning for her new job.
    Jesus Christ. I’m starting a new job tomorrow. In Dubai .
    The flight attendant handed her the drink, and she sipped it slowly as she pondered how much life had changed. Just last week she was hunting for a job and frantically planning a wedding while desperately trying to save her failing relationship. Now there was no relationship and no wedding, but she had a job, at least temporarily. Her first real job since finishing her internship, and it was in a foreign country.
    Oh well. At least if you totally bomb out, you’ll have Vanessa to catch you.
    Madeline straightened her shoulders. She was not going to bomb out. Sure, maybe this job was only going to be for three weeks, but she was going to be working on a new IVF procedure that could potentially revolutionize the medical industry. If she pulled it off, it was going to look damn good on her resume. This was the sort of thing that could make or break her medical career, and she was not going to screw it up.
    No pressure.
    The pilot ordered Madeline and the flight attendant to put on their seat belts and prepare for landing, so she did as he asked and settled into her seat to watch the descent. As they descended through layers of cumulus and Dubai came into view, some of her anxiety began to melt away. She took in the sprawling city-state in awe, its gleaming skyscrapers and manmade islands jutting out of the desert country like a futuristic oasis. A river divided the city through the center, winding its way to the sparkling coastline. Spearing up through the heart of it all was the Burj Khalifa, and below it was the tropical blue waters of Dubai Fountain—two of the most famous attractions that drew tourists there year after year, or so she’d read. A burst of excitement brought a smile to her face—she wanted to ride up to the top of that tower. She could just imagine herself standing up there, looking down at this amazing city as the hot wind brushed against her cheeks and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She would have to make sure Vanessa took her there as soon as possible.
    As they drew closer to the airport, the spectacular view was lost amongst the snaking highways and clustered buildings. Soon enough, the plane’s wheels touched down on the tarmac, and as the plane raced across the runway, wind roaring outside the fuselage, Madeline’s pulse raced with excitement. She was finally here! As far away from Jason as she could get, and just a few minutes away from hugging her best friend. For someone who’d just broken up with her longtime fiancé, life wasn’t going too bad right now.
    As the pilot came to a complete stop and signaled it was okay to disembark, Madeline vowed that she was going to have as much fun as possible. True, she couldn’t be as wild and crazy as she could have if she’d gone to Vegas due to Dubai’s laws regarding alcohol consumption and dress code, but it was a beautiful country with lots to do and see. She was going to make the most