***

  The jet's interior was the height of luxe; expensive-looking wood grain covered the cabin walls, along with smooth leathers and soft taupe fabrics. In the main area was a clutch of leather recliners with mounted tables in between. Across from the seats was a long sofa, covered with a scattering of taupe pillows. Amie thought absently that the carpeting alone was probably worth more than her entire apartment. Off the living area was a bedroom with a queen bed and silky-looking linens. She was almost in shock at the amount of furniture that was inside the small luxury jet.

  “Wow,” she said plainly as Malik ushered her to one of the recliners. He sat her down and she blanched; staring down at the chair. “Sorry,” she winced, “I can’t sit sideways. It’s… a thing. I can’t do it on trains and I almost definitely can’t do it on a jet…”

  Malik reached behind her and adjusted the seat so that it faced forward. “You sure are making this whole diva actress thing come to life.”

  She blushed. “I’m… so sorry.”

  “Just kidding,” he grinned and sat down on the seat beside her. “Sort of.”

  With that, Malik introduced her to three of his associates; Jessica, Clint, and Samuel, as well as the pilot and co-pilot. She exchanged pleasant hellos and watched as they dispersed and went to their respective seats. Before long the jet took off and, once the aircraft stabilized, Malik undid his seatbelt and leaned into Amie.

  “So,” she chuckled, “Am I allowed to ask how long the flight is?”

  “We’ll be on board until much, much later tonight, for sure; about 15 hours,” he said casually.

  Amie tried not to make a face. Don’t be a spoiled actress. She looked her new agent up and down. He wore dress pants and a loose button-up that currently had the top two buttons undone; no tie. Her eyes widened as a fresh worry occurred to her, but before she could protest he said, “We have pajamas, undies, all that stuff at your disposal.”

  “Did you just say ‘undies’ to me?”

  He laughed. “Is that a problem?”

  “You can’t say ‘undies’ to me—you’re my boss!”

  “Speaking of which,” he said, taking two cups of coffee from one of his assistants and passing one of them to her. The assistant set a tray with cream and sugar on the table between them and promptly left.

  Malik sipped his coffee for a long while before continuing. “I’d like to talk to you a little bit more about the role, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Perfect,” she agreed.

  “The role actually begins the moment we land. As I said earlier, you’ll be playing the role of a wealthy heiress; bride-to-be to a prince from a country with a rich history, unique culture, and beautiful countryside.”

  She nearly burst out laughing. It was a good thing she was confident in her acting chops because this role couldn’t be further from the reality of her life. Wealthy heiress? Since moving to Chicago, she’d never had more than $200 excess in her bank account. Struggling for years to find acting roles, buying a tube of mascara felt like a splurge. Refocusing back on Malik’s directions, she began to feel giddy.

  “What?” he said, a choke of laughter in his voice. “You’re making a face.”

  “No! No face!”

  “I hired you because I believe you’re a fantastic actress who’s up to the challenge.”

  She laughed into her hands. “Thank you.”

  “This is going to take a lot of skill and a considerable amount of improvisation on your part. Saying that, you just need to follow my lead and we’ll be fine.”

  “Oh! I didn’t realize you’d be taking part, too.”

  “What, you mean I don’t scream ‘actor’ to you?”

  She shrugged. “You don’t really scream ‘casting director’ or ‘real estate guy’ either, so…”

  “A man of mystery, I’ll take it.”

  The two laughed and slowly the cabin went silent once more, aside from the constant hum of the engine.

  As the hours passed, Amie found she had all manner of things to do to pass the time. The jet was outfitted with a television, an extensive collection of movies, old and new, as well as Wi-Fi and a small library. Malik gave her a brief tour of the jet and after several hours of polite, occasionally flirty chit-chat, Amie finally decided to get some shut-eye. She sprawled across the queen bed, unable to believe just how comfortable being on board a jet could be.

  By the time she awoke it was almost time to land. Malik had walked in and gently woken her, and she freshened up in the washroom before meeting him back in the bedroom.

  “I have something to show you that I’m told is something of a… thrill, to women.”

  She tussled her hair with her fingers and raised a curious brow. “Am I going to have to put on a sexual harassment video?”

  “Trust me, you’ll like it.” He grinned and pulled open the closet doors to reveal the most intensely decorated closet Amie had ever seen, bursting full of a range of gorgeous gowns and professional attire. “Since we’ll be landing shortly, and our performance is about to begin, it’s important that you look the part.”

  “Oh my gosh…” she gaped; her eyes practically glistening with cartoonish sparkles as she ran her hands along the sequins, lace and feathers. “W-well,” she stammered with delight. “What kind of scene are we going into? What should I choose?”

  “Think… meeting the parents. Nothing too sexy, but still suitable for a warm climate.”

  “Warm climate, hmm?”

  She skimmed through the vast wardrobe, resisting the urge to salivate, and eventually settled on white kitten heels and a floor-length navy blue gown with capped sleeves. She felt like the combination of navy and white screamed classy lady, while the silhouette of the dress said success.

  “Warm climate,” he nodded. “I suppose I should tell you now that we’re headed to my home country, Rabayat.”

  “Rabayat…” she repeated with some hesitation. “Which is…?”

  “It’s a small nation in the Middle East,” he laughed. “With that, said I’m sure you have a lot of questions for me, and we’ll get to those shortly, but for now I think it’s best you compose yourself and get ready for your opening night!”

  When Malik had left the room, Amie slid into her gown. She had just enough time to refresh her curls and makeup before Malik was calling for her to fasten her seatbelt in preparation for landing.

 

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