by Holly Rayner
Nicole shrugged, keeping her expression blank. There was no use in taking the side of Bahir’s imaginary foes. He could argue into thin air for all he wanted, but it wouldn’t change the fact that they were going to be stuck in Dubai for nearly a month.
“Apparently not,” she answered, and Bahir sighed.
“Well, I suppose we must learn to be patient then. Are you free this weekend?”
Nicole lifted an eyebrow. “Why?”
Bahir grinned then, his expression impish. “Because I’ve just booked us a flight to a remote island so that I can marry you, and I was hoping that you might be free.”
Nicole laughed then—out of nervousness or actual mirth, she didn’t know. The whole situation was ridiculous.
“Let me check my schedule, and I’ll get back to you.”
“I am your schedule,” Bahir said, his grin firmly in place.
Nicole couldn’t help herself. She smiled back at him. “Well, then I guess I’m free.”
“It’s a date,” he said, and Nicole rose.
“I guess that’s one thing you could call it.”
“Why, what else would you call it?” he asked as she turned and headed for the door.
She turned and looked at him one more time. She didn’t want to say the first word that came to her mind: a disaster. Instead she grinned, hiding her disquiet.
“A wedding?”
Bahir’s eyes glowed with an emotion Nicole didn’t want to name. It couldn’t possibly be lust. Could it?
“It will be perfect, Nicole. I’ll make sure of it.”
With that, she left him continue picking through the mountain of paperwork his visa fiasco involved, excited to busy her mind with anything else but his gorgeous face. It was nearly impossible to believe.
By the end of the weekend, she would be the Sheikh’s wife.
EIGHT
Nicole stared at her phone.
It would be a good time in Seattle to call her brother—not too late, not too early. He’d probably just be sitting down at the breakfast table for some cereal that was way too sugary.
She squared her shoulders, preparing herself. Nicole had never once lied to her brother, at least, not about the big things. Little lies? Sure. She knew how to tell a white lie when the occasion called for it; she would be doing just that when Ryan imminently received a mysterious job offer. She reminded herself of that as she picked up the phone and dialed her brother’s number, turning her chair to face the window.
“Hello?” he said, his voice groggy.
“Are you still sleeping?” Nicole asked, her voice incredulous.
Ryan grunted. “Who wants to know?”
“Your sister. You should be awake and productive by now,” she said.
“Kind of hard to do when you’re unemployed, sis. I have to say, this whole sleeping in thing is really starting to grow on me.”
“Really?” she asked, trying not to sound disappointed. She wanted her brother to succeed more than anything.
“Of course not, Nic. I’m dying here. I’ve got another interview lined up, though, so that’s something. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Really, where?” she asked, just as Ryan sneezed into the phone. “Gross! Ryan, just because I’m thousands of miles away doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cover your mouth when you sneeze.”
“My bad. Anyway, to what do I owe this honor?”
Nicole gulped. She could do this. She had to.
“I wanted to share some good news with you,” she said, hesitating.
Ryan yawned loudly. “Oh yeah? I like good news. What’s the haps?”
“I’m getting married this weekend.”
The line went silent. Nicole waited for a response, but after a minute of nothing she finally spoke again.
“Ryan? You there?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m just processing this. Nicole, I didn’t even know you were dating anyone.”
Her stomach sank. She could hear the hurt in his voice, and wanted to make it better, but she knew she couldn’t. Instead, she tried to explain herself.
“We didn’t want anyone to know because of who he is,” she said, trying to decide what else to say.
“Who he is? Why? Are you marrying Brad Pitt?”
Nicole laughed, though the sound was forced. “I’m pretty sure Brad Pitt’s been married for quite some time, Ry. No, actually I’m marrying my boss—Bahir Al-Jabbar.”
More stunned silence. This conversation was going pretty much exactly as Nicole had expected it would, which was why she had waited until the end of the day to make it.
“Bahir Al-Jabbar? The man who’s made your life a living hell these past six months? The one you’re desperately trying to escape? Hey, aren’t you being considered for another law firm? Nicole, what’s going on?”
“Nothing! It…it was all just a front. I didn’t want people to know that we were romantically involved, so I played up my dislike of him a little…”
Nicole hated lying through her teeth. As a lawyer she had been taught how to bend the truth to serve her own purposes, but this was different. This was her brother—the one friend she could always count on—and it killed her to hear the disappointment in his voice.
“You lied because you didn’t want people to know you were dating your boss, and now you’re marrying him this weekend? Where? How did this happen?”
“It was, uh, a spur of the moment decision. We’re in Dubai right now and decided it would be fun to elope on this secluded island not far from here. I just wanted to tell you before it happened, in case the papers find out. I didn’t want you to find out that way.”
“OK…” Ryan said, drawing out the word. “Well now I know. Do you want me to tell Mom and Dad, or are they going to be kept in the dark, too?”
Nicole cringed at his tone. Ryan was angry and disappointed in her, and he had every right to be. Nicole told herself that she would make it up to him by getting him an amazing job and a chance to live his own life. Someday he would forgive her for this. It would all be worth it in the end.
“You can tell them,” she said, sighing. “Look, Ry, I didn’t want to upset you guys. Just know that I love you and I plan on having a big party to celebrate when we get back. We’re just having some trouble with Bahir’s visa right now, but as soon as it gets sorted out we’ll be home to celebrate together, OK?”
“You never told me he was having trouble with his visa,” Ryan said.
“Do I tell you everything that’s going on in my work life?”
“No, but you don’t think it looks fishy that he can’t get back into the States and all of a sudden you’re in love and getting married in a foreign country without telling anyone?”
Damn him and his perceptiveness.
Nicole turned defensive. It was the only realistic response to his insinuation, which just happened to be exactly correct.
“I love him, OK? That’s all you need to know. I know what it looks like, but that’s not it at all. Bahir is a good man with a good heart, and I intend to love him until the day I die,” she said.
It might have sounded a little melodramatic, but for some reason she wanted to lash out at her brother and his caustic tone. She wanted to feel justified in what she was about to do. She wanted him to stop sounding so damn suspicious and disappointed. Nicole was capable of living her own life, even if her decisions didn’t make sense to those she cared about. At least, she could tell herself that, for the moment.
“Really?” he asked, after a brief pause.
Nicole sighed. “Really. Now go do something productive with your day before I have to fly back and kick your butt out of bed myself.”
She’d hoped her joke would lighten the mood a little; with no way to see his face, it was tough to say if it had worked.
Finally, Ryan sighed. “Well enjoy your wedding then. I guess we’re not as close as I thought we were.”
That might as well have been a knife straight to her heart.
“Ryan, please…”
she begged.
“Bye, Nicole.”
Just like that, the conversation was over. Somehow it had managed to turn out much worse than Nicole had imagined.
She stared out at the twinkling city lights as they shimmered under a bright, white moon. She heard someone clearing their throat by her doorway, and swiveled her chair around to see Bahir standing there.
She stared at him through blurry, tear-filled eyes. “You heard that?” she asked, her voice quavering.
His expression was somber as he strode into the room and stood by her desk. “I did,” he said quietly.
They gazed at one another in heavy silence until Nicole’s running nose couldn’t take any more. Reaching for a tissue, she blew her nose into it as another tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’d better get going. I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow and I really could use some rest,” she said, standing and moving to walk past Bahir.
His gentle hand on her arm stopped her, and she glanced up into his eyes, which were piercingly clear.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, lifting his other hand and wiping a tear streak from Nicole’s reddened face, causing her to releas a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
“It’s all right,” she said, but Bahir shook his head.
“No, it’s not. When I made this arrangement, I didn’t realize the effect it might have on you, on your family. I was thinking only of myself, and I didn’t have you to tell me that I was in the wrong because you simply wanted to help your brother find a job. I was foolish,” he said.
Nicole held a finger against his soft lips to silence him. She’d never stood so close to him before. She tried not to breathe in his musky cologne.
“I wouldn’t have agreed if this wasn’t something I was willing to do. There is no need to blame here. Yes, I’ve shocked and disappointed my brother, but in time he’ll get over it, and we’ll all move on. Everyone will get what they want, in the end.”
She stared at the floor as she gave her little speech, trying to convince herself. She could feel the pull of Bahir’s stare and, after a heartbeat, was unable to resist looking back up into his eyes.
“Will they?” he asked, and she nodded.