Sadiq turned and buzzed the box outside the metal door. He spoke something into it and Hannah heard a loud click as the door unlocked.
“Come,” he said as he took her hand and led her inside.
Hannah walked through the door and down the stairs into a dark, smoky club. It was like something out of a movie. The floors were dark wood, polished to a fine shine, the tables covered in crisp white linen tablecloths. Small lamps were centered on each table and a velvet rope stood along the back wall, separating the standing room from the table guests.
“Wow,” Hannah said, admiring the formality of the place.
“I told you, the subculture is growing. And mostly among the wealthy.”
Hannah liked the sound of that. That usually meant better contacts and connections. Maybe, if she played her cards right, she would meet someone with ties to the recording industry when this was all over with.
Hannah watched as a dark-haired young man appeared from behind the stage.
“Raffi,” Sadiq said with a grin as he walked over to the man and slapped him on the back.
“Sadiq, good to see you, my friend.”
Sadiq introduced Hannah to Raffi and they spent a few minutes in the club talking about Hannah’s upcoming performance. After they left, Sadiq took Hannah to visit several other trendy spots in the city before they returned to the limo.
“Off to Katnuk, Naasir,” Sadiq said when they slid back into the limo.
Hannah watched as Shimab disappeared from view and they once again headed out onto the long roads along the desert.
They arrived in Katnuk thirty minutes later. Hannah stepped out of the limousine and was confronted with the fragrance of a thousand delicious foods.
“Oh my goodness! That smells so good!” she said, looking down at the market in the center of the valley.
“You just wait!”
Sadiq led her between the bustling stalls as they tried small bites of the myriad foods on offer. Hannah tast
ed flavors she had never experienced before, while Sadiq laughed at her reaction to the spicy foods of his homeland.
They walked side by side, talking and laughing, as Sadiq taught Hannah more about the history and culture of his country. As the day wore on, they found themselves outside the bazaar, walking among the ruins. They wound in and out of remnants of buildings built centuries before, coming to rest on large slabs of concrete that had once been steps down into a colosseum.
The sun began its descent behind them and as they talked, it flooded the market in the valley, lighting up the entire basin in a bath of bright gold.
“That’s spectacular!” Hannah said.
Sadiq watched the reflection of the light in her eyes and felt himself drawn even more to her. “That’s why they call it the Brilliant City,” he said, wanting to move closer to her.
“It’s a fitting name. It’s remarkable,” she said softly as she stared down at the valley.
They sat in silence awhile longer as the sun slowly disappeared behind them and the cool desert air rose up. Hannah felt the crispness of the night come over her and shivered. Sadiq saw her chill and took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She was surprised at the gesture, but grateful for the warmth of his body. She knew it went against everything she had told herself—to keep her distance, to remain professional—but feeling his warm body against hers just felt so good. She closed her eyes and let herself melt into him as he tightened his grip around her.
Neither one of them said a word, but they both felt there was something happening between them; they just weren’t sure what it was and where it would lead. A while later, they got up and walked back to the car arm in arm. Naasir opened the door and nodded to Hannah as she slid inside. Then he winked at Sadiq, who scowled playfully back at him, before closing the door behind them.
Sadiq and Hannah rode home with the sunroof open, watching the night sky fill with a million stars as they sat in each other’s arms without saying a word.
TEN
The rest of the week passed by in a flurry of sight-seeing and mixed signals. Hannah and Sadiq would start each day acting casual and professional with each other and by sunset they would be holding each other close in a way that neither of them could argue was strictly employer–employee.
Hannah tried to follow Sadiq’s lead, but he didn’t seem to know what he wanted at all. One day he would be holding her tight, or brushing her hair off her face, almost as if he wanted to kiss her. The next he would keep his distance and try to joke and play all buddy-buddy. By the end of the week, Hannah had had enough.
Her first performance came just in time. She had had her fill of seeing the sights and had certainly had enough of trying to figure Sadiq out. She was ready to get back to work. The show was being held in the same club that Sadiq had taken her to in Shimab. Naasir drove Sadiq and Hannah to the city and parked in the alley just outside the covered door of the club.
“Isn’t this a bit conspicuous?” asked Hannah, knowing what Sadiq had said about jazz still being an underground subculture.
“No, it’s fine. You see, I don’t get out here.”