Taken by the Sheikh

You are useless--totally and completely useless. I cannot imagine why I ever thought you were up to the demands of this job.You claim to have a degree, and an MBA, and yet you cannot do the simplest thing you are told." On and on went the harsh, critical voice of her Lebanese employer, while Sadie dutifully bowed her head beneath the weight of the venom being directed towards her, all too aware that if she looked directly at Madame al Sawar now the other woman would see all too clearly the angry hostility in her own eyes. And Sadie could not afford to givemadamethe opportunity to threaten, as she had done many times already in the two months that Sadie had worked there, to withhold the wages still owing to her. To be accused so unfairly and so vindictively was bad enough, but to have to stand here and be berated in a voice loud enough to carry to the rest of the al Sawar householda traditional Arab household, where loss of face was something to be dreaded and avoided at all costsmade it even worse. It was typical of her employer, Sadie recognised, that she should choose to accost and accuse her while she was enjoying her legitimate lunch-break in the peace of the pretty courtyard garden of the al Sawars traditional Moorish-style Zuran home. Sadie knew perfectly well that, although she could not see them, most of household staff would be lingering in the shadows of the building, listening to their employer hectoring her assistant. Not that they couldavoidhearing what was going on, withmadamescreaming and shouting so loudly. The whole street could probably hear, Sadie reflected mis- erably. She wasn't the only recipient of her employer's vile temper. Scarcely a day went by withoutmadamelosing her temper with someone. Sadie could have defended herself against her employer's unfair accusations, of course, and told her that she did indeed possess both a First Class Honours degree and an MBA. And she could have told her, too, that as much as Madame al Sawar regretted employing her it couldn't come close to her own regret at having taken the job. But the truth was that she simply couldn't afford to lose this jobnot withmadamehaving con- sistently refused to pay her since she came here. "I have no use for such a deadweight as you in my business. You are dismissed." "You can't do that!" Sadie burst out, panicked out of her determination not to be forced into a verbal battle. "You think not? I assure you that I can. And don't think that you can walk out of here and get another job,"madamescreeched. "Because you can't. The Zurani au- thorities impose very harsh measures on illegals who try to take work from the locals." Illegals! Now Sadiehadto stand up for herself. "I am not an illegal," she protested. "You know that. You assured me yourself when I took this job that all the nec- essary formalities would be completed on my behalf. I remember signing the necessary forms'sadie was be- ginning to feel slightly sick with panic now, as well as from the heat burning down on her exposed head. She was being made to wait and listen tomadameranting in the full burn of the sunlight, whereasmadameherself remained in the shade. Sadie could see a smug look of satisfaction in the older woman's eyes as she affected nonchalance with a dismissive shrug. "I do not remember saying any such thing. And if you try to claim as much now, it will be the worse for you." Sadie could hardly believe what she was hearing. She had thought her situation bad enough, but that was nothing to what she was facing now. With no job, no money, and no legal status here in Zuran her situation was dire indeed. And it had all seemed so promising at the time Six monthsJordan, Penny is the author of 'Taken by the Sheikh ' with ISBN 9780373126033 and ISBN 0373126034.