TWENTY-TWO
Hannah hopped off the subway and walked the few blocks to the Blue Moon, taking in the familiar smells and sounds of the city. She hadn’t been down in this part of Manhattan since she had quit her job, and she had missed it dearly. The city was electric, especially at night. It was so different from anywhere else in the world—especially El-Shakanish—and Hannah was glad to be back.
As she got closer to the club, she felt her anxiety beginning its steady climb inside her. She felt her nerves begin to rattle and tried to calm herself. The last thing she could afford to do right now was run off at the mouth again.
Hannah stood outside the front door of the Blue Moon as people walked past her into the club. She smiled politely at them and shuffled her feet nervously. “Okay,” she said to herself. “Calm down. It’s just Harvey. You can do this.” She took a few deep breaths and then opened the door.
The familiar smell enveloped her the second she stepped inside. She stood frozen at the entranceway as she scanned the room, looking at the tables, the bar, the stage. Everything was the same. Even some of the guests looked familiar. In that instant, all uneasiness left her. She was home now and she knew it. All she had to do was find Harvey and insist that he give her her job back.
With new resolve, Hannah marched down the back hall toward the office door with the frosted glass panel and the word MANAGER plastered on it in black thick letters. Hannah took a deep breath, grabbed the handle and swung it inward.
“Harvey Goldsmith, I demand that you give me my job back!” she said to the figure sitting at the desk.
The dark-haired man swiveled around in his chair and Hannah saw Sadiq’s kind eyes looking back at her.
“Sadiq?!” Hannah squeaked his name out. She looked around quickly, making sure she was in the right place. “What are you doing here?”
Sadiq got up and walked around the desk, and Hannah felt her body begin to shake as he got near.
“Well,” he said, his face breaking into that sly, sexy smile. “I wanted to find you.”
“Me? You wanted to find me??
? Hannah asked hopefully. Then she remembered that it had been almost two months since she left El-Shakanish. He knew where she lived. He could have called her.
“But you had my phone number. You came to my apartment with Naasir. You could have found me anytime you wanted.”
“I didn’t think you’d answer if I called you, and to be honest I wanted to see you in person. I came by your apartment a few times, but you were never home.”
Hannah laughed nervously as Sadiq stepped even closer. She could feel the heat of his eyes on her and smell his musky cologne.
“But why are you here? In the office?” Hannah’s head was spinning. None of this made any sense.
“I knew you worked here, or at least you used to work here, and I figured maybe you’d come back—especially if, rather than sitting in the audience every night, I decided to buy the place and restore it to its former glory, to bring it back to a place worthy of talent like yours. The owner was desperate to get rid of it, it turned out, so I got lucky.”
Hannah took a step back and waved her hands by her side. “Whoa, this is, slow down, I don’t know what’s happening here.
Hannah’s heart beat heavy in her chest as Sadiq stepped even closer.
“Hannah,” he said as he breathed down on her. “Why did you leave?”
She stopped and looked up at him, unable to break free from his spell. “I left, I left, because I was confused, Sadiq. I didn’t want you to think I was using you for your money. And then there’s the whole ‘dirty little secret’ part. I mean, I can’t live like that, ducking in back doors, hiding from your family. That’s not who I am. When I woke up the next morning, after we, you know, well, I felt so confused and awful about having crossed that line…”
Sadiq took Hannah’s hands in his. “Hey, hey, hey,” he said softly.
Hannah blabbered on a moment longer, only stopping when Sadiq set his finger on her soft lip.
“You didn’t take advantage of me. I wanted to be with you. I’ve wanted to be with you since the moment I laid eyes on you. And as far as the money goes, it means nothing to me. I would have kissed you and made love to you if there was no business relationship between us. It’s not about the money, or your talent, or the performances. It’s about you. Your smile, your laughter, your kindness, your heart. It’s about all of those things that I love about you.”
Hannah blinked and looked into Sadiq’s eyes. “You, you… you love about me?”
He smiled at her and stroked her hands as he spoke. “That’s just it; I don’t just love those things… I love you, Hannah.” Sadiq bent down to kiss her and Hannah reached up to meet him but ducked away at the last minute.
“Wait,” she said, moving away from him. “What about using the back entrance at clubs? What about your family?”
“I don’t care what the culture is, anymore. I’d be proud to walk through any door with you on my arm,” he said as he walked to her. “And as far as my family is concerned, all they want is for me to be happy. After all, the most important thing is love, right?”
Hannah smiled up at him, remembering what the nurse had said. “I couldn’t agree with you more,” she said, lifting her arms up around Sadiq’s neck. She leaned forward, and took him in a passionate embrace, thinking to herself that they had all the time in the world to answer that question.