Page 5 of The Geek and the Sheikh

"You are going to knock yourself out one of these days if you don't pay attention to where you are going," Tarek dryly commented.

"Sorry, Tarek. I was working on that security issue you asked me about and— Thanks, uh, I got that," Jameel muttered when his brother bent and plucked the phone off the floor.

Tarek scanned the clearly visible message and handed the phone back to him without saying a word. Jameel held the phone to his chest, pursing his lips to keep from making a smart-ass comment when he noticed that the amused expression on his brother's face had flared anew at Jameel's behavior.

As the youngest of the four brothers, Jameel often felt… less than his talented siblings. His oldest brother was Crown Prince Qadir Saif-Ad-Din.Qadir was tall, dark, and brooding. One glare usually had people bowing and stuttering.

Tarekheld the prestigious title Head of Military Intelligence, and he was a Cabinet Minister. Tarek had excelled in the military. There wasn't much that Tarek missed when it came to what was going on in the kingdom. The only one who probably knew more was their father, Melik Saif-Ad-Din.

Even his identical twin brother, Junayd, was an overachiever. Junayd was a medical doctor and Director of Medical for the Kingdom of Jawahir. Junayd's passion for medical research and helping people was only slightly more intense than his love of the desert.

The only thing Jameel really had in common with his brothers was their appreciation for the fair sex. Jameel suspected that most residents of the kingdom perceived him to be the least talented of the four. He wasn't a leader. He hated the strictness of the military, and he got nauseated at the sight of blood.

Well, actual blood. The fake stuff isn't bad,he mused.

While his brothers had been off doing their thing, he had found solace in the tech field. He had always preferred hanging with gamers online and exploring programming languages over the duties of royal life, which is how he had met Bugs.

He had been exploring a new game six months ago when he came across a user who used an avatar of a small smiling bug. She teased him into exploring an unreleased beta level in the game together. There had been an instant fascination with her. She tweaked the code as they played, making the game more interesting and the levels more complex.

Since that night, they had spent hours playing games, chatting, and challenging each other to write code that could wreak havoc on the world if it were ever shared. He knew by the end of the first night that he was chatting with a woman. By the end of the first week, he knew he had met someone extraordinary, and not just because of her skills. What he didn't know was who she was—only her online name, Bugs.

"Earth to Jameel, are you there?" Tarek dryly commented.

Jameel gave his brother a crooked grin and flushed. Tarek was scrutinizing his face with the same amused expression that so many people got when he spaced out for a second. He shifted from one foot to the other and looked away.

Having your brother as your boss sucked sometimes,he ruefully thought.

"I'll expect an update on the security breach in an hour," Tarek continued.

"I sent you the report thirty minutes ago. The Black Hat is a guy named Ramel from accounting," Jameel responded.

Tarek frowned. "You found who it was already? I just gave you the information last night."

Jameel grinned and nodded. "Yeah. The issue is fixed. The money he earned has been donated to a local animal shelter. Oh, and there is info on the assholes he was working for, as well. Some corporation called Atri Holdings. A friend of mine is shutting those guys down. They are going to regret thinking we are some third world country they can use as their personal piggybank."

"Well done. You've done amazing work over the last three weeks, Jameel. I guess all those years you've spent on the computer are paying off for Jawahir now," Tarek stated.

Jameel flushed, and his grin wavered. This was a hefty compliment coming from his brother. He just wished he could take all the credit for it.

"Thanks, bro. I have some other things I'm working on. I'll send you an update later," he said.

"Excellent."

Jameel watched as his brother walked away. He looked down at his phone and grinned. Cute, animated bugs crawled all over his screen. He gripped his phone and hurried to his office. He couldn't wait to put a face behind those creative little insects.

Two

Jawahir

Present Day:

Jameel eagerly awaited the notification that Bugs was online, his gaze flickering to the bottom of the screen periodically. He leaned back in his chair, but he was not at all relaxed. A familiar frustration tensed his muscles. It had been over six years, and he still had no clue who his mystery lady was, only that she continued to intrigue him.

Oh, he had dreams about her. Dreams that left him restless and unfulfilled. He had spent a considerable amount of time searching for another woman who could hold his attention as long as she had. He was beginning to doubt that Bugs was a real person.

"Damn it. Leave it to me to fall in love with an AI!"

His declaration bounced off the soundproof walls of the dark corner office he had claimed and mocked him. He pushed back from his desk and rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension. He walked over to the coffee station in the corner and poured himself a cup.

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