Giving herself a mental shake, she returned to her train of thought. She waved a hand around them. “This. Marrying you. Being a green-card wife. If you’d have told me a year ago this is where I’d be I would have had you institutionalized,” she laughed.
Bahir’s expression was thoughtful. “Life is certainly full of strange twists and turns, isn’t it? If you’d have told me this is where I’d be, buying a wife, I probably would have accepted it and believed you fully. I’m an impossible man to love,” he said, gazing down at the sand.
Nicole frowned. “This again? Bahir, you’re a perfect catch. You’re rich and successful and handsome…” she gulped down that last word and blushed.
He glanced up at her and grinned. “So you think I’m handsome, huh?”
Nicole swatted his shoulder again. It was a conversation they hadn’t been able to finish back at the fishing village, which already seemed like a lifetime ago.
“Shut up. You know what I mean. You know what you look like. Why would you think you’re impossible to love?”
Bahir sighed. “The truth is I’ve tried in the past. Really, I have. I don’t like hurting people, as much as you may think I do with my cold-hearted business mindset. The truth is some people have to get hurt. There has never been a situation in the history of mankind where everyone wins. Someone has to lose. I guess in my mind, I just never wanted to be the person who lost my heart, so I kept it to myself. I enjoyed a woman’s company for a time, even tried to let myself open my heart once or twice, but it was no good.”
Bahir fiddled with specks of sand as he spoke. Nicole was all ears; this was the deepest he’d ever gone in a conversation about his love life.
“The truth is my business is my life. No matter who I’m with or what I’m doing, my job is with me at all times, knocking at my brain, ensuring I don’t forget what I need to do to continue to grow. I always figured if I met the right woman, she would quiet my mind enough to allow me to put her before my career, but that’s never happened. It might never happen.”
Nicole placed a gentle hand on top of his, stopping his busy fingers as they continued to toy with the sand. “It doesn’t always have to be that way, Bahir. You’ll find the right one, someday. Everyone finds balance in their life at some point. Maybe love can help you find yours.”
He stared at her for a long moment then. He didn’t want to say it out loud, but since they’d headed for the beach, he hadn’t thought about anything else but having fun with Nicole. It was certainly a first. Could she be the one, truly?
Leaning in, he pressed his lips against hers for the second time that day. She scooted a little closer, allowing him to wrap his arms around her and deepen the kiss.
With that, Bahir gently laid Nicole down, and the two of them made love as the stars began to twinkle overhead and the waves caressed the shore.
Wrapped in the circle of his arms, Nicole tried not to think about how unreal all of this was. She wasn’t his wife, really. Or was she? It was all so confusing. Not wanting to spoil the moment, she nestled close to him as the sea breeze passed over them, falling into a deep, contented sleep.
TWELVE
Nicole shivered.
She was cold and stiff, and as she cracked open an eyelid, the first thing she noticed was a very particular absence.
Bahir was gone.
She sat up, raising a hand to her eyes as she stared out at the ocean. The sun had risen, but it wasn’t far above the horizon, and it was clearly early in the morning. Glancing around, she realized that the picnic basket and food had been cleaned up and taken away.
It wasn’t exactly the nicest way to wake up after a night of passion. She frowned as she tried not to compare herself to the other women Bahir had left behind, just like this. The ones she’d sent flowers to and tried her best to console while he went on about his business as though nothing had ever happened. Had she really been so foolish as to believe that she could be an exception?
Nicole took a breath, attempting to clear her head. She slipped back into her swimsuit and wrapped her towel around herself, rising and dusting sand off the blanket. She told herself not to come to any conclusions until she talked with Bahir, and made her way back to her bungalow, opening the door and setting her things down. Still no sign of him anywhere.
Fighting a rising wave of disappointment, Nicole took a hot shower before she dressed in her jeans and T-shirt once again. She pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail and slid her room key and cellphone into a back pocket before heading to the main lounge. Maybe Bahir was getting breakfast?
When she opened the door she found him instantly. He was seated at a table, ignoring a steaming cup of coffee and a muffin while perusing a newspaper. Nicole approached him slowly, and when he looked up, his eyes were oddly blank.
“Nicole. Good to see you. I trust you slept well?” his tone was conversational, but distant, like they were back at the office.
With a pang of disappointment, Nicole realized that she was exactly like all those other women to Bahir, and she had been foolish to think otherwise. The only difference was that she now had to stare at his stupid, perfect face every day. At least the others got to avoid him after he broke their hearts.
Nicole cleared her throat, not wanting Bahir to see that he had any power over her. “A little chilly, but I slept all right, thank you.”
Bahir nodded, putting down his paper and taking a sip of his coffee. “I got a call from our pilot this morning. We’re ready to take off as soon as you can pack your bags.”
“I’d like a bite of breakfast first, if it’s all right with you,” Nicole said, her tone clipped.
Bahir shrugged. “Sure, by all means. We have a few minutes before we should head out.”
Nicole’s heart sank as she walked over to a small buffet and spooned some fruit and eggs onto her plate. She made a cup of tea, and then reluctantly joined Bahir at his table. He had picked up the newspaper again and was reading it, completely ignoring her. As she took her last bite, he glanced up.
“Oh good, you’re finished. Before we go, can you open up your notes and type up this letter for me? Reading this story reminded me that I need to address…”
“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.