The Sheikh's Collection. Оливия Гейтс

demands as far as Piper was concerned. “How do you propose we do that when you risk someone within these walls leaking that information?”

      “The staff normally practices absolute discretion,” Rafiq said, mirroring Adan’s words from the day they discovered Sam existed. “Yet it would be foolish not to believe someone with lesser responsibility in the palace could sell the information to the highest bidder. Therefore it is paramount you both act as if you are a wedded couple at all times. We will issue a press release stating you were married at an undisclosed location prior to the pregnancy.”

      As she regarded Adan, Piper couldn’t quite contain her sarcasm. “Would that be all right with you, dear?”

      He shook his head. “None of this is right, but I do believe it is a viable plan, at least for the time being.”

      She saw her control over the situation begin to slip away. “Do I have any say in the matter?”

      “Yes you do,” Rafiq said. “You are free to refuse and leave immediately. With your company’s crew.”

      A not-so-veiled threat. She mulled over a laundry list of pros and cons while Adan and the king waited for her answer. If she didn’t agree, they would lose the contract, and that could send the struggling business into a free fall. If she did agree, she would have to stay on for at least a month immersed in a massive lie. And most important, she would be charged with contacting her grandparents to break the news before someone else did. She could only imagine her grandfather’s reaction to either scenario. Then again, if she went along with the marriage pretense, she’d have the opportunity to stand up to him once and for all if he gave her any grief. She could finally be her own person and control her own life—for at least a month. Not a bad thing, at that.

      A few more seconds ticked off while she weighed her options. The one bright spot she could see coming out of this entire debacle had directly to do with Adan. Being his make-believe spouse could come with some serious perks.

      She drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly and said, “I’ll do it.”

      Adan looked caught completely off guard. “You will?”

      “I will.” She rose from the chair and managed a smile. “Now, if you gentlemen would please excuse me, this pretend wife needs to make a call to her very real grandparents.”

      Adan stood and returned her smile. “Feel free to use my private study next door.”

      “Thanks. I believe I will.”

      Piper did an about-face, strode into the hall and prepared to lie.

      * * *

      “Have you totally lost your ever-lovin’ mind, sweet pea?”

      Oh, how she hated her grandfather’s pet name for her. But Piper had to admit she was enjoying his shock. She’d never seriously shocked anyone in her sheltered life up to this point, at least not to this extreme. “No, Poppa, I’m quite sane. I would have told you sooner about the marriage but it was rather spontaneous.” And pure fiction.

      “When did you meet this character?”

      Lie number one. “Quite a while ago, when I was in the U.K. last year.”

      “And you didn’t bother to tell me this when you knew full well I was sending you to his country? That dog just don’t hunt.”

      Lie number two. “We’ve kept our relationship quiet because we didn’t want other contractors thinking I could influence the bidding process.”

      “And you don’t have an influence over the bid now that you’ve gotten yourself hitched to him, sweet pea?”

      Lie number three. “Not at all.”

      A span of silence passed before he responded. “I guess there’s nothing I can do about it now, but at least it’s good to know he’s got royal blood and money to burn.”

      Of course that would be Walter McAdams’s main concern when it came to her choice in a life partner. It always had been. “I’m sure when you met him back in Chicago you realized he’s a very charming man.”

      “A charming snake,” he muttered. “Of course, your grandmother’s all atwitter over this. She wants to talk to you, so hang on a minute.”

      Piper heard him put down the receiver, followed by muffled conversation before someone picked up the phone again. “My little sugar plum is a married woman!”

      Enough with the overly sweet endearments, she wanted to say, but kept her impatience in check. “Yes, Nana, I finally took the plunge.” Headlong into a humongous fabricated fairy tale.

      “I saw a picture of him on the internet, Piper. My, my, he’s a good-looking young man. When did you two meet?”

      Piper was frankly sick to death of fibbing, so she decided to try on the truth. “In a hotel bar. I attempted to seduce him but he didn’t take the bait. He’s quite the gentleman.”

      As usual, her grandmother giggled like a schoolgirl, a good indicator she didn’t believe what she’d heard. “Oh, child, you are still such a cutup when it comes to boys. And you don’t have to tell me any details right now.”

      But she did have to tell her more truths. “Nana, Adan is a very public figure, so you might hear a few rumors that aren’t exactly accurate.”

      “What kind of rumors?” she asked with obvious concern.

      She could trust her grandmother with some of the facts, even if the woman was a little too steeped in Southern society. “First, you have to promise me that whatever I tell you, it has to remain strictly confidential.”

      “Sugar, you know how I abhor gossip.”

      An advantage for Piper in this gossip game. “All right. You’re probably going to hear that we’ve had a baby together.”

      Nana released an audible gasp. “Did you?”

      Heavens, the woman wasn’t thinking straight. “Do you recall me even remotely looking pregnant over the past few months?”

      “Well, no.”

      “Precisely, because I wasn’t. Adan does have an infant son, but obviously I’m not his mother. That said, as far as the world knows, Samuel is my baby. The biological mother’s identity is a well-kept secret and has to remain so for reasons I can’t reveal.”

      “Is she an actress? Maybe a singer? Oh, wait. Is she a call girl?”

      Piper had no idea Drusilla McAdams even knew what that was. “Don’t worry about it. I just need you to refuse to comment on anything if any reporters track you and Poppa down, and keep everything I’ve told you to yourself. Can you do that, Nana?”

      “I certainly can, sugar plum,” she said. “And I’m so proud of you, sweetie. It’s admirable you’re willing to take another woman’s child and raise it as your own.”

      “I learned that from you, Nana.”

      A span of silence passed before her grandmother spoke again. “I have never regretted raising you and your sister, Piper. I do regret that Millie could never be a decent mother to you. But that’s mine and your Poppa’s fault. We spoiled her too much, maybe even loved her too much. She never had a care in the world aside from herself.”

      She still didn’t as far as Piper could tell. She’d barely even seen her fly-by-night mother over the past few years, let alone established a relationship with her. “You were very good to me and Sunny, Nana. Millie is responsible for her behavior, not you. And I don’t believe you can ever love anyone too much.”

      “Only if they can’t possibly love you back, honey.”

      Her grandmother’s words gave her some cause for concern. If she happened to stupidly fall in love with Adan, she wondered if he had the capacity to return her feelings. Probably not, and she certainly didn’t intend to find out. Sadly,