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.
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.
“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.”