SIXTEEN
Morning arrived and Hannah opened her eyes to the first slivers of the El-Shakanish sun slicing across the bedroom. She looked over and saw Sadiq’s sleeping body next to hers, the sheets rising and falling with his breath. She replayed the events of the night before, remembering every kiss, every touch they had shared. Her body felt warm and tingly even as Hannah felt a twinge of panic and guilt rise up in her.
Had she crossed a line? Hannah watched him sleep as she tried to make sense of what had happened. They had spent a lovely evening on the rooftop, enjoying the delicious meal he had prepared. Then he had given her the CD and the check. The check! Hannah looked over to the nightstand and saw it right where she had left it the night before.
Sadiq had paid her a million dollars, twice the amount her contract had specified. And then he had slept with her. Well, she had slept with him. Either way, it was all so confusing. Had he taken advantage of her while she was overwhelmed at being paid so much money? Had she finally allowed him to get close because she had genuine feelings for him, or because she wanted to show him her gratitude?
Hannah didn’t know what to think. All she knew was that she had done the one thing sh
e had sworn she wouldn’t do. She had gotten involved with the man she worked for… again. She closed her eyes and remembered how terribly things had ended with Harvey. And now, here she was in bed with Sadiq. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe he sleeps with all of his singers. Maybe he was just using me…
She looked over at him again, breathing in the musky scent of his body in the warm morning air. She didn’t want to believe that he’d been using her; she’d really thought that the feelings he had for her were genuine.
At the same time, though, those feelings could have been just the result of spending so much time together—they had had such an intense experience together these last six weeks. And even if Sadiq’s feelings ran deeper, even if they were genuine, they still couldn’t go any further than they had last night; his culture, his family, his own fear would never allow it.
Hannah let out a long, jagged breath. She felt tears welling up in the corner of her eyes and knew what she had to do.
Without making a sound, Hannah slipped out from under the covers and went into the bathroom to change. She emerged a moment later and darted into her own suite to gather her bags before rolling them out into the hall.
She returned to the sitting area, sat down at the desk, took out a notepad and began to write.
Dear Sadiq,
I don’t know what happened last night. I just know that I can’t accept your money. The record you made me, and getting to know you through this experience are reward enough.
H
Hannah wanted the check so very badly, but she wasn’t willing to compromise her integrity for it. She remembered the lesson she had learned from her father when he refused to take the high-paying tech job, and she would not allow herself to be used. She was already conflicted, knowing she had acted unprofessionally; she didn’t want to degrade herself even more by accepting money after she had slept with Sadiq.
She folded the note over and tiptoed back into the bedroom. She walked to the nightstand, picked up the CD, and left the note and check behind as she walked out and closed the door behind her.
***
Fatima saw her walking out of the room and came up beside her. “Miss Green? Are you leaving already? You’re not scheduled to depart for a few hours yet.”
Hannah smiled quickly at Fatima, trying her best to avoid eye contact. “Yes, I know. I just, the flight got moved up, I mean, I needed to…” She tried to find the words but her emotions were causing her to babble.
Fatima looked at her with kind eyes and reached over and grabbed two of the bags. “I understand. Well then, let us go.”
She didn’t say another word, just walked Hannah down to the main hall. Once they arrived there, Fatima called one of the other staff members over and whispered something in his ear. Hannah stood silently with Fatima as the sun rose behind them and spilled across the bright marble floor. Several minutes later, Naasir pulled the limo up to the front steps and walked up to take Hannah’s bags.
“Good morning, Miss Green,” he said, tipping his hat slightly to her, his face kind and soft.
She looked at him and nodded. She tried to give him a smile but failed miserably; Naasir was just so nice that she couldn’t keep anything back from him.
He could tell immediately that something was wrong, but he didn’t pry. “Allow me, ma’am,” he said, taking the remaining bags out of her hands. “Please,” Naasir said and ushered Hannah down the marble steps.
She walked over to the limo and stopped as she reached the open door. She turned and looked back at the palace, watching the sun rise over the central dome. Her eyes wandered up to the room where Sadiq was sleeping and she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Then she looked across to Fatima and smiled, with tears in her eyes, telling her silently how thankful she was for everything.
She was about to turn around when Maala came running out of the house and down the steps. “Hannah! Wait!”
Hannah watched as the round little woman bounced down the marble steps and came to a stop in front of her. She was holding out a large basket covered with a white linen napkin, and Hannah could tell by the warm, spicy fragrance rising from it that it held fresh-baked delicacies and other goodies.
“Some fruit, bread, and cheese for your trip back. You can’t go home skinnier than you came!”
Hannah giggled as she bent down and hugged Maala, and the older woman grabbed her face and planted a big kiss on each one of her cheeks. As they pulled apart, Maala wiped away a tear and folded her chubby hands in front of her.
“Go now, before I cry all over your breakfast.”
Hannah felt the tears sting her eyes and smiled back at Maala. Then she turned and disappeared into the dark, cool cabin of the limo. Naasir closed the door behind her then got into the driver’s seat and stepped on the gas, slowly driving the limo down the long, winding driveway.