An Inconvenient Marriage (Married to a Prince) by Kat Attalla Read Free Book Online Page A

you’re not.”
    “You’re right. I’m not. But neither are you.”
    “I’m not going to discuss this with you.” She rose from her seat and put her phone in a fully stuffed, oversized purse. What was it with women and their need to tote their entire lives around with them?
    “It must be awkward to discuss other men with your husband.”
    “No more difficult than explaining about your wife to your harem of woman.”
    Did he detect a note of jealousy?
    His name had been linked to more than a few women recently, but if his sex life had been as active as rumored, he wouldn’t be able to walk upright. And he wouldn’t be as hard as a horny teenage while glancing at his prim little spouse. He really needed to take her shopping before the press made a sport out of her overly conservative wardrobe.
    “Do you have plans for today?” he asked.
    “I will have to check my calendar.”
    “In other words, nothing. Make sure you wear something that is easy to get off."
    “Excuse me?” she sputtered. Her cheeks flushed.
    “We’re going shopping.”
    Her green eyes widened. “We?”
    “Yes. Think Julia Roberts and Pretty Woman.”
    “She was a hooker?”
    Hooker. Wife. Not much difference to him. Both cost a lot of money with no return on investment. At least he used to believe that. With all Lilah agreed to take on to honor the father she never knew he might have to change his mind about her.  But judging by her scowl, she wasn’t about to change her mind about him. Did he really care for the few short months they would play out the charade for their families?
    Hell, yes.
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    Having lived her last five years in New Jersey, with more shopping centers per square mile than any place in America, Delilah had been to her share of trendy malls, but City Stars surpassed any she had ever seen. Sami led her to an exclusive shop on the third floor called Butterfly. The lobby resembled the Hanging Gardens of Babylon with colorful namesakes fluttering behind a huge glass wall. The sweet, floral scents surrounded her.
    Customers were greeted at the door with tea and scones. Sami hadn’t exaggerated when he compared it to the shops in Rodeo Drive.  While she would have preferred to peruse the racks—alone—they were seated in a private viewing room while the current collections were presented to them. Or should she say Sami, since he seemed to be the one the saleswomen hoped to impress. What started out as mildly amusing, became downright insulting. Especially since he could hardly turn his attention away from his IPad.
    “You must do a lot of shopping for women’s clothing,” she said.
    “Not really. My mother and sister suggested it for the privacy.”
    One clerk presented two, gaudy and overly proofed dresses to Sami for inspection.  “I’m not the customer.” With an annoyed grunt he came to his feet. “I’m going for coffee. I’ll be back in a while.”
    Please take me with you, her mind screamed but he left without a backwards glance.
    The staff, now completely attentive to her, showed the finest in French, Italian and American fashions. Clothes she had seen only in Vogue Magazine or on the Red Carpet. Clothes she could neither afford nor carry off. Although Sami offered to pay, she did not want to be indebted to him.
    Shopping was not her ‘thing’.  Many of her coworkers planned their weekends around the seasonal sales. Delilah viewed it as a sporadic necessity. She stuck with simple, timeless styles in muted colors that didn’t change from year to year.
    “Boring,” a saleswoman named Reem said.
    Had she spoken the words aloud? “Excuse me?”
    “Don’t you want color?”
    Delilah looked over the choices again. The styles, which could be dressed up or down with colorful scarves or accessories, made sense to her. “These are fine for me.”
    “What about your husband?”
    The question surprised her. “What about him?”
    “Don’t you think you should try to be a bit more