JENNY
The Buraj suit was completely different to the rest of the palace. It contained nothing modern at all, instead walking into it felt like stepping back in time. The floor was covered in the most beautiful and intricately woven Persian carpets she'd seen so far. Red and gold cushions were positioned on the floor around small, low carved wooden tables and the arched walls were covered in spectacular mosaic patterns. It wasn't really a room so much as it was an entire wing. It had a massive lounge, small dining area and was probably the size of her entire apartment block.
A four-post bed carved out of dark wood with golden inlays stood in the middle of the floor draped in thick purple and gold blankets. On the far end of the room she saw a sunken bathtub; well, it looked more like a small swimming pool. Someone had filled it and steam was rising and falling rhythmically in the warm breeze coming from the large open window on the other side of the bath.
"It was built in 1862 by my great, great, great grandfather for his wife on their wedding night," Zayn said running his hand over the large bedpost. "He had this bed specially carved for her."
"It's beautiful."
This was the ultimate honeymoon suit, and she was staying in it with the most gorgeous man alive. This was, by far, the strangest moment of her life.
"So now what?" Jenny turned to face him feeling nervous.
"Now what indeed." His voice was playful, yet loaded with all sorts of dark and dangerous suggestions as he took a slow and deliberate step towards her.
Logically Jenny knew she should fight all the desire she was feeling for him. But it was proving very hard to snap out of the sexual spell that she was fast succumbing to.
"Just because we're sharing the same room, doesn't mean we're sharing a bed." Jenny tried to sound as firm, but was failing. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"I wouldn't dream of letting you sleep on a couch, Jenny."
Jenny. The way he said her name was intoxicating.
"I'll sleep on the couch, if that's what you want?" Zayn asked meaningfully.
"Of course it's what I want!" She said. But the more she backed away, the more he stepped towards her.
"Are you sure?" Zayn's voice was little more than a whisper now.
"Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Then why did you agree to come to this room with me?" he asked.
"It was only an act. I couldn't refuse the key your mother was giving us!"
"Only an act?" Zayn pressed with a devilish grin plastered across his stupidly good-looking face.
"Yes. An act!" she folded her arms. "Besides, I like sleeping on couches." She didn't really. Who the hell did?
"Really?" Zayn had advanced towards her so much that he now had her back pressed into the cold, hard wall. She was trapped.
"But your eyes tell a different story." He leaned in and whispered.
"What story?" she asked nervously.
"That you want me as much as I want you." Zayn leaned in let his lips brush hers.
"God you're presumptuous!" She pushed him away, trying desperately to conceal the rush of sexual awareness that had hit her like a mood-altering drug.
"I'm pretty sure I'm not misinterpreting the situation, Jenny."
"I'm just acting. I'm a good actress. That's my job... acting...um...." He moved towards her again. Clearly her first push hadn't been message enough, so she did it again. But this time he didn't budge and as her hands touched his chest, the yearning overwhelmed her.
ZAYN
Zayn grabbed her hands and held them to his chest, in what was the most intimate moment of his life. He was vacillating between pure lust for her and something else. Something he couldn't quite define yet, or even vaguely understand.
Were this any other woman, he would have ripped her clothes off already. He'd be exploring her body with his hungry hands and mouth. He'd have picked her up and thrown her onto the bed, or slammed her against the wall. But this wasn't a normal situation, and she wasn't just any woman. She deserved to be treated differently.
"I... I'm sure the couch will be fine then." He kissed her forehead, deciding that he wouldn't push her anymore and sat down on the couch and began untying his shoelaces. "But if you don't mind, I'd really like to take a bath before bed?"
"Sure, I'll go and wait outside," she moved towards the door but Zayn's voice stopped her.
"You can't, it'll look suspicious."
"But, it's... there's no wall." She stuttered, her eyes flicking from him to the bath and back again. It was so endearing that he couldn't help smiling at her.
"Well, don't look then." He teased playfully as he walked over to the bath and started undressing himself on the way. He tossed his shirt to the floor knowing full well the reaction that usually elicited. He looked back over his shoulder just in time to see Jenny slap her hands over her eyes and turn away from him. God she was fucking adorable and the desire to play a little game with her was far too tempting to resist. He turned around again and walked back in her direction again.
"It's just a chest, Jenny." He stopped in front of her and physically pried her hands off her face, forcing her to look at him. "It's not like you've never seen a man without his shirt on... or have you?"
"Of course I have, it's just, that well, just..." she was stammering now which made him smile, "Um...just..." she repeated, he could see she was trying hard not to look at him.
"You've just never seen such a nice one." He winked at her in jest.
"Wow, you're arrogant!" she retorted.
"You like it, admit it?" he flashed her his most devilish smile, the one that usually made the distance between woman and his bed much, much, much smaller.
JENNY
She was currently finding this flirty, playful side of the prince very hard to resist. How many women had found themselves in this very position? Trying to be impervious to his charms, but failing dismally. She could do two things right now, she could fight it, or she could play along. The latter was far more appealing. She looked down at his chest and cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.
"Mmmm, it's not bad."
"Ha, not bad? Not bad?" he came closer now, " Perhaps you need to have your eyes checked."
Jenny burst out laughing and playfully pushed Zayn back again. She'd almost forgotten that he wasn't wearing a shirt, that is until her hands touched bare, warm skin. He really did have an amazing body. She especially loved those two lines that went down into his pants to his, his...
She stopped that thought dead in its tracks.
"You really are the most arrogant man I've ever met, Prince Zayn Al Khalifa Al Nasser."
"Oooh, someone's been doing their homework." His smile was deadly and the look in his eyes was enough to cause fatalities.
"I read through that file. I know everything there is to know about you." Jenny pulled her hands away from his chest, although all she wanted to do was let her finger float down his body to those ridiculously hard cut abs.
He narrowed his eyes at her, his black pupils dilated until there was almost no green left in them at all. Jenny shivered. "Not everything," he said. Then, without warning he started undoing his pants. They dropped to the floor and he began walking back towards the bath stopping momentarily to pull a bottle of champagne from his bag. He was completely naked. And he was gorgeous.
Jenny inhaled loudly, almost choking on the air. "Please warn me next time you do that!"
"Oh, so you think there'll be a next time, do you?" The playful, teasing quality in his voice was gone now. Instead it had been replaced by something far more serious.
"That's, that's... um." God, this man made her stammer. She was usually so articulate but not when she was around him.
ZAYN
Zayn knew he was getting under her skin, and he loved it.
"It's safe to turn around now. I promise." He called out once he'd climbed into the hot bath.
Jenny turned towards him tentatively, "You really are incorrigible." He could see she was trying to sound firm, and it was fucking adorable.
"And you really are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. But you probably don't believe me. Do you?"
Jenny shook her head. "No, I... I, don't believe you." She stammered looking embarrassed and coy.
"Why would I lie?" he asked looking right at her.
Jenny shrugged feebly.
"Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. I'm quite the expert when it comes to women. You might have heard."
"Oh, so now I should believe what I read in the papers?" She flashed him a mischievous smile.
"Touché!" He clapped his hands together loudly. Beautiful and witty. A deadly combination, one he hadn't encountered very often, especially in his usual pick –up spots. He wanted her so badly.
"Why don't you come and join me, it's big enough for both of us." He moved the water around with his hands causing the steam to rise and fall in beautiful wisps.
"What?" she looked genuinely shocked. "No. Absolutely not."
"What if I dared you to join me? To shrug off this good-girl thing you hide behind."
"What good girl thing?"
"I bet at school, you were the girl who finished all her homework first, sat up front and listened to everything the teacher said and answered all the questions." Zayn smiled when he saw the look of recognition wash over her face, "I bet you were the party pooper who told on the other kids for kissing behind the bleachers?"
Jenny laughed. "Only once. And that was because I was the hall monitor and they were supposed to be in biology!"
"I rest my case." Zayn smiled at her. "I knew it. I know all about you."
"Oh please. You don't know anything about me." She took a step closer to him and all he wanted to do was reel her right into his arms.
"I know you have a very misguided affinity for the color brown."
She burst out laughing and the sound did something inexplicable to him deep inside. It echoed through him, awakening parts of himself he never knew he had. This was officially his favorite sound. And he loved the way her eyes crinkled and her head fell back when she laughed.
"I bet I know more about you than you think, Jenny."
"I seriously doubt that?" She said taking another small step closer. He could see she was intrigued.
"What if you challenge me to a little friendly competition? I'll tell you what I know about you, and if I'm wrong, I won't bug you again for the rest of the weekend. But if I'm right, you'll come and join me in the bath."