by Holly Rayner
“Sure,” Nicole interrupted, taking her phone out. She tapped open the app and began typing as Bahir dictated an email he wanted sent out the minute they got signal back.
As she worked, she fought to control her feelings. It didn’t matter how he behaved. None of it mattered, so long as Ryan got a good job, and she could go on with her life perhaps a much richer woman. The thought of taking money from Bahir made her nauseous now. There was no way she would sell herself out like that. The situation had become instantly unbearable, but on a deserted island, she had no choice but to carry on.
When Bahir finished he thanked Nicole and then stood.
“I’ll go get my bag and call for a car. Can you be ready in ten minutes?” he asked, meeting her gaze with a steady stare.
How could he do it? She wondered. How could he make love to a woman with so much passion, only to pretend, hours later, that it didn’t happen?
“Sure,” she said again, and Bahir nodded before turning on a heel and heading towards his bungalow, by way of the concierge.
Nicole waited until he was out of sight before she went to her own room again and closed the door behind her. There, in the quiet privacy of her own bungalow, she released the sob she’d been holding in all morning, pressing her fist to her teeth to repress the sound. She cried, hard, for a few minutes before brushing away her tears and hurriedly tossing her toiletries into her bag. When she got to the white dress she’d worn the day before, she hesitated for a moment, then ripped it to shreds.
THIRTEEN
By the time Nicole met Bahir back at the front, her face was clear of emotion. Her bag was strapped to her shoulder, and she held onto it for dear life. When the car arrived, Bahir slid in first, followed by Nicole, who did her best not to touch him in any way as she stared resolutely out the window, saying nothing. When they got to the airport, Jamil was waiting for them.
“Mr. Al-Jabbar! We are all fixed and ready to go. I can’t apologize enough for the delay.”
Bahir gave the man a cordial smile, though he was still distant. “It’s all right Jamil. Just try and keep us in our seats this time around, eh?”
“Of course, sir. Right this way.”
Jamil ushered them toward the plane, taking their bags once again and opening the cabin door. The interior was as beautiful as Nicole remembered it, and she tried not to think about the last time they’d been there together, with her sitting on Bahir’s lap. Avoiding his gaze, she stared out the window.
She heard him clear his throat. “Nicole, about last night…”
Nicole stared back at him then, her expression icy. “Don’t worry about it,” she said.
“But…” his expression was hesitant, but Nicole had been played enough times to know when it was happening again.
She held up a hand. “I get it. You needed to consummate the marriage. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been believable. Now if we get questioned by government agents, we can both be honest about it.”
“That’s not why I…”
“Bahir,” she said firmly, silencing him.
She thought back to a time when she’d been scared to speak in his presence. Now, she could barely stand to hear whatever lame excuse he had for brushing her aside. She didn’t need his excuses or pity. Nicole was smarter than that. She didn’t have time for lies.
“I said don’t worry about it. Let’s get back to Dubai and we can go on like this never happened. That’s what you want, right? Don’t let me distract you from what’s important.”
She pulled out her headphones and plugged her ears with them, turning on some loud music to distract herself from the anxiety in her belly and the throbbing of her broken heart. She hadn’t wanted to fall in love with Bahir, and now she would have to cure herself of it, if she wanted to save herself.
The flight was surprisingly short, considering the enormous elephant in the room that weighed on both passengers. When they descended into the airport back at Dubai, Nicole waited as long as she could before taking her headphones out.
“Nicole,” Bahir said, and she finally forced herself to look him in the eye again. His expression was still unreadable, and she hated him for it. “I’ve arranged for you to head back to Seattle today. I’ll need someone over there to look after things while I’m stuck here, and there’s no one I trust more than you.”
She stared at him. Bahir had never traveled without her; he’d always insisted that he couldn’t work without her by his side. Now, after this, he was sending her away. It was enough to make her scream, as much as it was also exactly what she wanted. At present, going home was the best thing Bahir could give her, even if he was probably doing it just to get her out of his hair.
“OK,” she said.
After a moment, she couldn’t resist indulging her curiosity. “When did you have time to schedule a flight, anyway?”
Bahir shrugged. “We got signal back about halfway through the flight. Once I had service, the world opened up again.”
“Back to the real world we go, then,” Nicole said with a frown.
Bahir looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it.
Good, Nicole thought. She didn’t need his excuses. Even sex was a business deal to him, and she shouldn’t have let herself get swept up in it. She had no one else to blame but herself.
When they stepped off the plane, Nicole noticed there were two cars waiting for them by the main gate. One would take Nicole to Dubai’s major airport, the other would take Bahir back to the office. And life would go on as it always had, with one small little hiccup.
Nicole had to fall out of love with Bahir, the cold-hearted businessman with only one agenda: himself.
She walked quickly to her car, but froze when she felt Bahir’s hand reach out and touch her forearm. She turned, her eyes full of hurt and confusion that she didn’t bother to hide.
“Take care of yourself, OK?” Bahir’s eyes were pleading, but Nicole had no idea what for.
She nodded, unable to look at him again, and slid into the backseat of the car, slamming the door tight behind her. She didn’t look back as the car pulled away, but she imagined Bahir was watching her go. She realized instantly that that was a foolish thought. Bahir cared nothing for anyone but himself and his company.
She knew then that he had been right after all. No woman in her right mind could ever love him.
FOURTEEN
A week went by, Nicole communicating with Bahir primarily through email. On the few occasions when they did talk on the phone, it was brief and to the point, and she ended the call as quick as she could. Fighting to patch up her wounded heart and ego, she kept her silence, acting as though everything were normal and busying herself with notes and correspondence through the night until she fell asleep on her desk.
It wasn’t exactly a way to live.
One morning she was sitting in on a shareholders meeting, taking notes, when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to check the number, and realized who it was. Excusing herself, Nicole stepped out of the room and answered the call, pressing the phone to her ear.
“This is Nicole Calvert,” she said, her voice professional.
“Nicole, it’s Will Simon, from the Simon and Jenkins Associates. How are you?”
Nicole’s heart skipped a beat.
“I’m well, thank you, Will. How are you?”
“Doing great, doing great. Listen, I’m calling because the firm has finalized its decision, and we’d like you to join us.”
“You do?” Nicole asked, then cursed inwardly. Be a professional, idiot!
Will laughed. “Of course we do! You’ve got a damn good track record, and your experience with Futurescapes International speaks volumes of your ability to get into the right places. We’d like to offer you a junior partnership with the ability to grow as time goes on. The position offers full benefits…”
Nicole listened while Will went on about the benefits of the position. She could be a lawyer again. She could be
free of Bahir, and all of this personal assistant nonsense. Nicole took a breath, feeling completely and totally overwhelmed.
“Thank you for the offer Will. I’m very excited about this opportunity, but can you give me a day to think about it?”
“Of course, I completely understand. Can we expect a call from you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.”
“Great. I look forward to speaking with you again. And Nicole?”
“Yes?”
“Congratulations!”
Nicole grinned. “Thank you, Will. Truly.”
She ended the call, her phone lowering as she stared into space. She had a lot to think about that afternoon, but at present she still had notes to take at that shareholders’ meeting. While Nicole had one foot out the door, she wasn’t one to skimp on work that needed to be done. She reentered the boardroom and continued her notes.
***
Later that day, Nicole sat in her office, thinking. She hadn’t heard anything from Bahir about a job for her brother, and she hadn’t heard anything from her brother either. Then again, she’d texted Ryan once when she’d got back from Dubai and hadn’t heard back. It was entirely possible that he was too busy to reply, but it didn’t help her stress levels.
Then, of course, there was that pesky marriage to Bahir.
As much as she’d tried not to think about it, she was tied to Bahir no matter how distant he chose to be from her. Could she really walk away after something like that? After all, he obviously had.
Seeking distraction, she stood and walked over to Bahir’s office, determined to stay busy with some files he had left for her to sort there. When she walked through the door, her heart stopped.
To Nicole’s utter shock, Bahir was sitting in his chair, looking right at her. Her disloyal body immediately reacted to him—her stomach filled with butterflies, her head swam, and her heart began racing. She fought to hide all of this as she gazed at him, and the silence stretched on.
“You’re back,” she said finally. It was all she could think of in a pinch.
Bahir rose and walked slowly up to her, facing her as he stopped a small distance away.
“I am,” he said.
His voice washed over her, and she hated herself for wanting to throw her arms around him. She took a deep breath as, instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close.
“I’m sorry, Nicole. I’m so sorry.”
Nicole stood rigid for a moment, trying not to allow herself to feel, but she couldn’t help it. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, breathing him in. God, she’d missed him.
“Why?” she asked, with tears in her eyes as he finally pulled away, keeping his arms around her middle.
“I was scared,” he whispered. “I’ve never felt like that about anyone