Romantic Sheikhs

Pulp publishers apparently do a nice line in incredibly ill-informed, orientalist, romantic fantasies involving oil sheikhs.

Excerpt from 'The Sheikh's Reward', Lucy Gordon, Harlequin (parent company to Mills and Boon), 2000

Fran snatched away her veil and faced him. "If you have the nerve to think that "your humble servant" is going to bow to you--"

"But I don't," he said, laughing. "That's why I took the precaution of making sure we were alone first. If my servants had seen you greet me disrespectfully I should have had to cast you into a snakepit, which would rather have spoiled our evening."

Fran regarded him. "How dare you send for me as though you had only to snap your fingers and I must jump to attention?" she seethed.

"But I'm afraid that's exactly true," Ali said apologetically. "I appreciate that you are unfamiliar with this arrangement, but don't worry. You'll get used to it."

"Not in a million years!"

There's even a fansite.

How incredibly amusing.