by Holly Rayner
“Nothing at all?”
Hannah always felt a little awkward when she told people she didn’t drink. It wasn’t that she couldn’t drink, she just never liked the taste of alcohol, nor how it made her feel. As a singer in a jazz club, that often put her in awkward situations.
“Well, it’s just that I don’t really drink,” she said—if she was going to be with this guy for six weeks, she may as well just get it out of the way now.
“Nothing? Like not even juice or water?” Sadiq asked as he turned toward her with a bottle of water in each hand.
Hannah rolled her eyes and grinned at him. “Yes, I drink juice and water.”
“Okay. I mean the whole not drinking thing wouldn’t be terribly bad, considering my country is in the middle of the desert, but it is a little odd. I’ve never a met a girl that didn’t drink at all.”
“You know what I mean,” Hannah said, grinning as she took the water from him. “I don’t drink alcohol. It’s just that I don’t like the way it makes me feel, all out of control and all.”
Sadiq sat back down, cracked his bottle open and took a long sip. “I know how you feel. I don’t really drink either. In fact, when I have to attend social events where there’s a champagne toast, I usually get Naasir to switch it out for ginger ale.”
“Really?”
“True story. I do it all the time.”
Hannah looked at Sadiq and wondered what other secrets would be revealed in their time together.
“So, I thought we might take advantage of the twelve-hour flight to discuss some of the agenda for the next six weeks.”
Hannah nodded excitedly and Sadiq began going over the details of what he had arranged for her upcoming performances. When they were done, her head was spinning; she would be traveling to dozens of different venues and clubs throughout the country, playing at establishments of all kinds. Jazz was not a popular genre in Sadiq’s homeland, but demand was growing.
“What kind of set list did you have planned?” Sadiq asked Hannah as the sky outside grew dim.
“Well, I haven’t really had much time to think about it.”
Sadiq jumped to his feet and went over to the wall beneath the television. “If you won’t think it too pushy of me, I’ve already come up with a few ideas.”
Hannah simply nodded and smiled at how enthusiastic the Sheikh had suddenly become.
“I’ve downloaded some of my favorites onto my phone. Why don’t I play them for you and you can let me know what you think? No pressure or anything.”
He grabbed a remote control tablet and moments later the sounds of a classic jazz instrumental came streaming through concealed speakers. Hannah closed her eyes and sank deeper into the sofa, letting the tunes fill her up. She recognized the beats of Nina Simone’s backing band and started humming the tune out loud.
Sadiq stood across the cabin, watching as Hannah breathed the music in and softly sang along with the tune. He felt his stomach flutter and put a hand on it to try and stop it. What was that feeling? Maybe it was turbulence or he was reacting to the altitude; perhaps it was just the deep, soulful music he was hearing. He told himself it must be one of these things, but he knew better.
How could Hannah not see how incredibly talented she was? Sadiq let himself fall into the groove from across the room. Hannah’s foot tapped gently on the plush carpet and Sadiq found himself tapping his fingers on the counter. Darn, she was good. And she was so beautiful, too. He had noticed that the moment he went into the Blue Moon.
It had been a Friday, several weeks before he actually approached her. Sadiq had gotten Naasir to help him sneak away from his security detail as he so often did, and Sadiq had come across the Blue Moon.
The moment he walked in, he knew he had found the voice he wanted to take back to El-Shakanish. It was sultry, steamy and soulful, and it was coming out of one of the most beautiful women Sadiq had ever seen. He found a seat at the bar and stayed for the entire set and then for the set after, sung by a curvy black woman. But it was the first woman, that red-headed, green-eyed Venus that had touched Sadiq the way the greats had when he’d first started listening to jazz.
Now here she was, doing it again. Only this time, she was on his jet, flying with him back to his country. Sadiq had only intended to ask Hannah to come as a performer, but when she’d accepted his offer, he had felt a spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, her visit might turn into more than that.
Who was he kidding, though? In all of Sadiq’s 28 years, he had never even gotten close to having a serious relationship. His critics had always called him a rich playboy, and maybe they were right, but deep down, there was something inside him that wanted more, that yearned for meaning and substance.
When he’d heard Hannah sing that first night, when he’d seen her standing there on the stage, it stirred up emotions the like of which he had never felt before. And now he was feeling them all over again.
“Okay,” he said, breaking the spell. “How about this one?”
Hannah snapped out of her trance and sat up straight. For a moment, she had forgotten where she was, and who she was with. She wasn’t on stage singing for a crowd, she wasn’t home alone singing to her own music, she was on a jet with a sheikh. The whole thing was just so weird.
“Sure,” she said, standing up in an attempt to wake herself up. The more uncomfortable she was, the less chance she’d have of letting her guard down in front of this guy, this really hot, rich, super-nice guy. Yeah, stay uncomfortable, she thought.
They kept listening to music until Naasir brought dinner through. After three courses of sumptuous food the quality of which Hannah never would have expected could be served at 35,000 feet, they sat on the sofa and watched a movie as the sun set over Europe. Hannah tried to keep her eyes open, but the events of the day had overwhelmed her and within minutes, she was asleep at her end of the sofa.
Realizing Hannah had dozed off, Sadiq got up and tucked a blanket around her. He reached under her head, letting her warm long hair spill onto his arm as he propped a pillow up against her cheek.
Hannah stirred slightly and then settled back into sleep. Sadiq stood up and watched her, mesmerized, again feeling the strange flutter on his insides. He could have stood there all night if Naasir hadn’t come in.
“Sir, I’ve turned down your bed for you.”
“The queen?”
“No sir, the twin. I’ve turned the queen down for Miss Green, should she wake up and choose to sleep in it.”
Sadiq glanced at Hannah one more time before walking back toward the sleeping compartments. “Good man, Naasir, good man,” he said as he patted his friend on the shoulder.
“Goodnight, sir,” Naasir said, smiling.
“Goodnight, Naasir.”
SEVEN
The jet landed in El Shakanish just as the sun was rising. Sadiq and Hannah got into a waiting limousine that was emblazoned with a royal emblem and state flags, while Naasir and the bodyguards followed in a large black SUV.
Hannah tried to align herself with the time as she climbed into the waiting limo. She knew she’d slept, but she still felt exhausted.
Sadiq seemed to read her mind again. “You’re still tired, aren’t you?”
Hannah smiled, amazed at his ability to know exactly what she was thinking. “Yes, very.”
“Well that’s because you only got about three hours’ sleep.”
“Three hours? Really?” Hannah looked at him with wide, red-rimmed eyes.
Sadiq smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ll be at the palace soon. You can sleep as long as you like when we get there.”
Hannah nodded and smiled politely back at Sadiq. Palace. The word sounded so foreign to her. Her tired mind replayed what Sadiq had said. “Don’t worry. We’ll be at the palace soon. You can sleep as long as you like when we arrive home, dear, darling, honey, my love.”
She must still be sleeping, she thought. Because this was just all too crazy to be real. Hannah folded her
hands in her lap and pinched her palm. Nope, wide awake again.
Through the dark tinted windows of the limousine, Hannah could see the bright sun reflecting off of something in the distance as the limo sped through the desert landscape.
“What’s that over there?” she asked, pointing to a gleaming golden dome over on a hill to the west.
“Where?” Sadiq said, taking the opportunity to slide in closer to Hannah.
“Over there, just beyond that hill. It looks like it’s getting closer. That huge dome. Do you see it?”
“I can’t see anything from here,” Sadiq lied with a grin.
Hannah looked at him and then ushered him closer to her side of the limousine. “Come here,” she said, patting the seat.
Sadiq slid even closer to Hannah until their bodies were touching. He felt her warmth on his leg and the stirring in his stomach grew stronger. He breathed in deep and let the smell of her hair fill him.
“Right there. It looks like, wait, there’s more than one dome. See? There’s several. Oh my, it looks like one big…”
“Palace,” Sadiq’s breath was hot on Hannah’s neck as he finished her sentence for her.
She turned to look at him and saw that their faces were only inches apart. Hannah’s heart pounded heavy in her chest and she lost her ability to use words for a moment. Oh my God, he smells so good, she thought.
Wait, what was I saying? What was I thinking? Why is my finger pointing out the window? Hannah fought to regain her train of thought, her body stiffening as she looked at Sadiq.
“Palace?” She tried to speak normally but was pretty sure she might have been panting.
Sadiq watched her lips move and wanted to, he wanted to… No! He slid back from her as if she was on fire.
“My palace.”
Hannah eyes grew wide. She looked out the window again, not even noticing that Sadiq had moved away from her.
“That’s where you live?” she asked, her face practically pressed against the window.
Sadiq watched her from a distance. “Yes, that’s where I live.”
“With who? How many people live with you? Like, the whole population of El-Shakanish?”
“No one.” Sadiq said, laughing and looking down at his feet. He wasn’t used to people asking him about his wealth. Everyone knew he had money, and everyone he knew had money. The girls he dated didn’t hide the fact that they expected fine things. Hannah was so different; it was refreshing.
Hannah spun around, her long red ponytail hitting the window as she turned to look at him again. The morning light caught her eyes just right and for a moment Sadiq swore they could have passed for emeralds.
“Are you telling me that you live there,” she stopped and pointed to the palace, “all alone?”
Sadiq nodded and smiled. “All alone. By myself. No one else.” He watched her expression and tried to keep from laughing. “Except for Naasir. He lives there with me. And some of my staff. Well, all of the staff. They all have apartments in the staff quarters.”
Hannah shook her head slowly and turned back toward the window. “Wow,” was all she said as they drove toward the estate.
Moments later, the limousine pulled through the large golden gates of