by Holly Rayner
Ryan.
This was her chance. Her brother was sitting at home without a hope in this world…and now she could give him one.
She looked back at Bahir, determined. “If I decide to do this, I want you to offer my brother a job. He’s graduated from Stanford with a business degree, and he would make a valuable asset to your company.”
“Consider it done,” he said, flippant. Would it really be that easy?
“I want you to know that he is legally blind. It doesn’t detract from his ability to work, but it would seem other employers have a difficult time accepting that when they meet him,” she said, her tone defensive.
Bahir shrugged. “Why should I care about that? If the man can conduct business, who cares if his eyes work or not?”
Nicole nearly cried at that comment. Her brother had struggled so hard to prove himself worthy in a cruel world, and now he might actually have a chance to succeed. But still, marrying Bahir? Her expression faltered.
“Look,” Bahir said, leaning over and taking her hands in his.
She stared at their joined hands, fighting to ignore that tingling sensation that made itself present once again.
Bahir released one hand and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “I know this is a lot to ask, I do. Take some time to have a think about it, and maybe we can chat later about your answer, OK?”
He stared deeply into her eyes, then, and she looked back at him. The man she had once thought of as a human machine, incapable of holding down a relationship, wanted to marry her. After their day of fun and relaxation together, she couldn’t help but feel tempted.
“I’ll think about it,” she whispered.
Bahir grinned, his dimple popping up, quickly melting her traitorous heart. He removed his other hand and stood, heading for the door.
“Good. I’ll look forward to your response later. And I’ll look into a position for your brother, just in case.”
“Thanks, Bahir, for considering that,” she said.
Bahir stood at the door, his expression pensive. “There’s a lot I’ll need to learn about you, if we’re going to pull this off,” he said thoughtfully.
“Yes,” she agreed, her tone distant as she still considered what could really happen if she agreed to such a wild proposal.
Bahir smiled one more time. “Well, I really ought to get going. Let me know how it goes at the Embassy.”
And just like that, he was gone.
Nicole stayed seated on her couch, staring into space for quite some time. She had never been an overly romantic person, but she’d hoped for something a little better than a green card marriage arranged by her boss. Still, it wouldn’t have to be forever, would it? There was a time limit that would free her in a few years. It would be like an investment, of sorts. And she could help her brother without him even knowing she was behind it. Stubborn Ryan wouldn’t accept the job any other way, she knew.
It could actually work.
SIX
Taking a deep breath, Nicole stood and dressed for the day. She took her time, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, wondering if she could go through with such a scheme. She thought of her brother, and the good she could finally do him. Bahir’s company was respected. If he succeeded there, he would have far more leverage in the working world.
Then there was the matter of her stupid, traitorous heart. If she were honest with herself, and she really didn’t want to be, Nicole would admit that deep down she hoped that the marriage might one day become real. While Bahir was maddening in his workaholic personality, there had always been something about him that made her heart do somersaults.
She’d try to justify it, telling herself that he was rich and handsome, and that’s what any girl would want. But she had never really cared about those things; Nicole cared about justice, and bringing good into the world.
There were times when she’d hated Bahir for decisions he’d made just to close a deal. She had almost quit during her third month working for him, when Bahir was about to displace families living in an apartment building so that he could build a new office on the site. She’d raged at him as he sat behind his desk, staring at her with a bewildered expression. Then, after she’d said her piece, he had calmly picked up the phone and made a call.
“Bruce? You know that building on 95th and Price?” He paused, and his gaze met Nicole’s. “Cancel it.”
Nicole stared at him as he placed the receiver down delicately, ignoring the raving voice of Bruce as the call was ended without his consent.
They stared at one another in silence for a moment before Nicole found her voice.
“Why did you do that?”
Bahir shrugged. “Apparently it was a bad move. What did you just say? That it would be unjust, immoral and a generally dick move? Did I quote you correctly?”
Nicole felt her face burning, but she held her head high. Somehow, she had just managed to save the homes of people she would never meet.
“Well, I stand by my argument,” she said, and to her surprise, Bahir’s lips twitched in the semblance of a smile.
“I thought you might. That argument just cost me a lot of money, Nicole.”
“Well you have plenty of it. Sometimes doing the right thing matters more.”
“True. Nevertheless, there will be a lot of paperwork involved with this cancellation, and a lot of angry phone calls to handle. I’m sure you’ll understand why I will now place that burden on your very capable shoulders.”
Nicole’s face fell. It would be a horrendous couple of weeks having to deal with the consequences, and Bahir clearly wouldn’t be taking the blame for it.
She gave him an extra-wide, false smile. “I’ll be delighted to handle that for you, sir. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Bahir turned his attention back to his computer and began typing. “That will be all. Thank you, Nicole.”
When she’d walked out of the office that day, she had realized that Bahir was, at his core, a good person. Sometimes he just needed someone to help him see outside of his profit bubble.
Somehow, over the past six months, Nicole had become that influence. She’d often wondered if those who had come before her had put in any effort to rein him in.
Nicole’s phone beeped, signaling an email. She was jarred out of her reverie and picked up the device, opening her inbox to find another email from the law firm considering her candidacy.
She tapped open the email, and read.
Dear Ms. Calvert,
We write to inform you that the final committee will be meeting this week regarding your candidacy for a position with Simon and Jenkins Associates.
We appreciate your patience as this process continues, and will be in touch soon to advise you of the verdict.
Cordially,
Janet Coolidge
Director of Human Resources
Nicole read and reread the short message. A shock of annoyance shot through her core. On one hand, she understood that legal process could take quite some time. On the other, she could be waiting forever to get an answer from these people, and by then she might already be married to Bahir. How awkward would that be? Hi honey! Just wanted you to know I was desperate to escape working for you, and now I finally got my freedom. See you tonight for dinner.
It was then that Nicole realized she would choose marriage to Bahir over the law firm she’d been daydreaming about for weeks. She was going to do it. She was going to marry her employer; she’d deal with the consequences later.
Somehow, this revelation did not make time cease to continue. Nicole dressed in a nice suit and headed downstairs to the lobby, where a car was waiting to take her to the Embassy.
SEVEN
Even after hours of waiting and filling out paperwork, Nicole had not changed her mind about accepting Bahir’s offer.
“So you’re sure there is nothing else that can be done to expedite this process?” she asked one more time.
&nbs
p; The official didn’t bother to hide his annoyance. “As I’ve said, Miss Calvert, Mr. Al-Jabbar must wait for the updated paperwork to be processed. At that point, he will be granted access to the United States again, but we cannot grant him entry until that time. If I had a better answer I would give it to you, I assure you.”
“Well thanks anyway,” Nicole sighed, picking up her pile of paperwork and heading back out the door.
She had tried to use every weapon at her disposal to fix this in a way that could get them back to Seattle sooner. Usually Bahir had her go with him wherever he went, which was the main reason why her body had no idea when it was supposed to sleep anymore.
She thought longingly of her bed back in Seattle, where she could wake up and enjoy a hot mug of coffee while looking out at the rainy city. Nicole had never realized how much she loved rain until she started spending so much time in the desert.
She walked with long strides to the open door of her company car, wanting to escape the heat.
As the driver navigated through the evening traffic, Nicole stared out the window without really seeing, only blinking back into reality as the car pulled up outside the Futurescapes office building.
When she reached Bahir’s office, she found him on the phone.
“Yes, that will do perfectly. And we will need transportation for two, please.”
Nicole waited, listening to one side of the conversation while waiting patiently for it to come to an end. Bahir spotted her standing at the door and waved her inside, where she took a seat in a large leather armchair.
“Everything will be ready by the weekend, then? Exceptional. Thank you for your efforts on this. You have a wonderful day, too.”
When he hung up the receiver, his expression was a strange combination of excitement and trepidation. Unusual, once again.
Nicole tilted her head, waiting for his explanation.
“That was a justice of the peace. I’ve asked him to prepare a wedding contract for us.”
“Oh?” Nicole said, surprised. “Last I checked I hadn’t agreed to your proposal yet.”
“Well, you know better than anyone that contracts can be undone,” he said lightly.
He was clearly referring to the instance of the canceled office deal, though Nicole wondered if Bahir knew just how many curse words she had fielded from Bruce as a result of the botched deal. Probably not.
“So tell me, do I need to call and cancel this contract, Nicole?” he asked, his question loaded.
Nicole stared down at her hands, fingers laced in her lap as she worked up the courage to look him in the eye. When she did, she felt her stomach tingle.
“No, you don’t” she said confidently, and Bahir grinned broadly. Unable to help herself, Nicole grinned back.
“So where is this justice of the peace, anyway?” she asked. It felt strange, not being able to plan her own wedding.
Bahir swiveled his computer screen around so she could take a look. An image of a secluded island took up the whole screen. It looked heavenly, with long stretches of white sand meeting turquoise waters, palm trees dotting the landscape.
“Where is this?” Nicole breathed. She had never talked about marriage with Bahir before, much less weddings. How had he known she’d always dreamed of having a beach wedding? Was it really a coincidence?
Bahir tilted the screen back in his direction a little, gazing at the scene. “A little island off the coast. I’ve arranged for a few local witnesses for us, and we should be back in Dubai by the day’s end. It’s remote enough that we won’t be noticed or questioned. I think it should do quite nicely.”
He looked at Nicole then, a hint of doubt clouding his eyes. “Do you?”
Nicole glanced back at the image, then at Bahir. There, in his eyes, she saw insecurity for the first time. He had always been so self-assured, so confident in all his dealings, but as she stared at him, all she saw was a suitor scared of rejection. She felt sure, then, that there was so much more to Bahir than met the eye. A part of her wanted to find out every last detail of who that was.
“I do,” she said, the double meaning of her answer evident to them both.
The air felt thick with tension then as time froze, then the phone rang again, breaking the spell. Nicole realized she’d been sitting forward in her seat, closer to Bahir, and she promptly leaned back, sitting up straight again as Bahir answered the phone.
“This is Bahir.”
He listened for a moment, then spoke briefly about a buyout he was working on before hanging up the phone again. He leaned back into his chair, all business once more.
“So, you’re back here from the US Embassy, correct?” he asked.
Nicole braced herself. He wasn’t going to like what she had to say.
“I am. They’re quoting us at three weeks for a renewal of your visa.”
Bahir frowned. “Three weeks? That’s the best they could do? Do they understand the rate at which my business moves?” he asked, his voice full of annoyance.
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.<
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“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.”