The Sheikh's Irresistible Proposal

  They lay in silence for a while, relaxing in the cool air and the comfort of each other’s company.

  Hannah couldn’t take it any longer. “Sadiq,” she said quietly.

  “Yes,” he answered, still looking up at the stars.

  “What do you want to do with your life?”

  Sadiq let out a long breath and let his hands rest on his bare chest. He was glad she wasn’t asking him about why he had left so many of her shows. He didn’t know if he could go down that road right now; he didn’t want to ruin such a perfect night.

  “Well, I don’t really know,” he said. “Sometimes I look at people like you and I’m jealous.”

  “What? Why would you be jealous of me? You’re the one with a driver, a palace, more money than you could ever spend.”

  “But you know exactly what you want to do with your life, Hannah. You know what makes you happy. I don’t.”

  Hannah thought about that for a minute. Sadiq was right. She did know exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to sing. She had known that for as long as she could remember.

  “I guess you’re right,” she said, realizing for the first time just how lucky she was. “But I’d still take the palace, the driver and the money. That would be cool.”

  Sadiq laughed and Hannah looked over at him, watching his face soften as he smiled. She let her eyes trace the profile of his strong jaw, his straight nose, his defined chin. Her gaze traveled down to his broad, bare chest and his taught stomach. Then he looked over at her and she quickly turned her face back toward the sky.

  Sadiq smiled, knowing exactly what Hannah was looking at.

  “But there’s got to be something that you’ve always liked doing, right?” Hannah said.

  He looked over at her and watched her lips move as she spoke. Her long red hair spilled out over her shoulders, onto the crisp white sheets. He could stare at her all night. He wanted to pull her in close, breathe her in, kiss her and tell her how he felt about her.

  “Music,” he said nonchalantly as he turned to face the stars again. “I’ve always loved finding new talent and helping up-and-coming artists get discovered. I met a few hip-hop acts out in California and made some introductions for them. I did it as a favor really, but I found that I really enjoyed being the middle-man. So I guess that would be—”

  “An agent, or a manager!” Hannah said. “That’s exactly what they do. They take talent and producers and put them together!”

  “Well, maybe that.”

  “So why don’t you just do it? You’ve already got the money to get started. And you certainly have the connections—you could even start your own record label!”

  Sadiq let out a sigh. “Maybe, I’m just not sure…”

  “Not sure of what?” Hannah asked.

  Sadiq propped himself up on his side and looked at her. “Not sure I’d ever find anyone as talented as you again.” Sure, it was cheesy, but he smiled as he watched her face light up.

  “Well, I’d have to agree with you there. But don’t give up, Sadiq. That’s what my dad taught me. Never give up. I’ve always had a fear of being poor. We grew up with some money and then lost it, so ever since then, I’ve been afraid. But I don’t let that stop me. In fact, I work harder because of it.”

  Sadiq laid back down and thought about what Hannah had said.

  Hannah rolled onto her side. “So, I say you go for it. What’s holding you back?”

  Sadiq looked up at the stars and blinked. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. He had never talked like this with a woman before. In fact, he had never talked like this with anyone before. He felt so at ease with Hannah.

  “I guess I’m scared,” he said softly. He was afraid Hannah might judge him, but when he looked over he saw she was looking at him with nothing but kindness and compassion.

  “I’m scared of failing,” he said, finally letting go of the words that had held him hostage for so long.

  Hannah knew that wasn’t an easy thing for Sadiq to say. She watched his face as he let the words go. His eyes welled up with tears and she wanted to lean in and kiss him more than anything. But she couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of them. She only had three more nights left in El-Shakanish; she was so close to going home without crossing that line.

  “Yeah, I get that,” she said, falling back on the sheets. She reached over and found Sadiq’s hand and took it in hers. He smiled at her and pulled her in close and they closed their eyes, falling asleep in each other’s arms.

  FIFTEEN

  Hannah spent the next two nights playing back-to-back gigs at clubs in towns not far from the palace. Sadiq arrived at both performances after she did and left before she finished, and whatever closeness Hannah had felt between them that night at the hotel appeared to be gone. Or, she hoped, Sadiq was just scared of getting too close, especially since she would be leaving in a few days’ time.

  The night before Hannah was scheduled to fly home, Sadiq made plans for the two of them to enjoy a celebratory dinner on the rooftop of the palace. Hannah accepted the invitation and spent the evening wondering what to expect. Sadiq was so hard to read, hot one moment and cold the next. There were so many things about him that she didn’t understand, and she just wished he would trust her enough to confide in her.

  At seven, Naasir came to Hannah’s door at to escort her up to the rooftop. He smiled at her, complimenting her again on how pretty she looked. Hannah blushed at his kindness and curtseyed to acknowledge the compliment.

  Hannah’s actions made Naasir smile even more. With laughter in his eyes, he reached his arm out to her and the two of them walked down the palace hallway to the elevator that led to the roof. Once at the elevator, Naasir pressed the button and patted Hannah’s hand.

  “Well, Miss Green, enjoy your dinner,” he said as the doors swooshed open.

  Hannah looked at him, surprised. “What? You’re not coming up with me?”

  Naasir shook his head. “No, ma’am. I am not. Now go, enjoy yourself.”

  He scooted Hannah into the waiting elevator and smiled kindly as the doors closed, leaving her alone with her nervous thoughts. When the doors opened again, Hannah stepped out into the evening air and looked at the scene waiting for her.

  The table they had eaten at before had been transformed into something out of a romantic movie. Tea lights hung from the large sun shade, making the underside twinkle in the light breeze. The table was covered in a royal blue cloth and sparkling silver and white place settings. Two large glasses filled with bubbling ginger ale sat next to their plates. And standing to the side, wearing tailored suit pants and a fitted dress shirt, open at the collar, was a smiling and adorably handsome Sadiq.

  “Welcome to your end-of-tour dinner,” he said, with a smile on his face.

  Hannah held her hands to her mouth in shock as she walked over to the table. Her skirt flitted around her knees and the ruffles on the cap shoulders of her shirt danced in the breeze.

  Sadiq was in awe at how stunning she looked. It was as if all of the hard work of the past six weeks had washed away and she was finally able to fully relax. His heart ached a little, wishing she could stay longer. He would love to spend more time with her without work interfering. But, he was still afraid, of so many things. Sadiq shoved the thought out of his mind and focused on Hannah and the dinner that awaited them.

  “Miss Green,” he said as he pulled her chair out for her.

  Hannah looked up and smiled at his gorgeous face. She sat down and caught a whiff of his musky cologne as he put his arms on the chair behind her and pushed it in gently.

  She looked down at the empty plates in front of her and then to the side where a large serving tray awaited.

  “Maala isn’t serving us tonight?” she asked with curiosity.

  Sadiq walked over to the cart and opened it, revealing mounds of food and delicious smells that tickled Hannah’s senses.

  “No, she isn’t. She didn’t cook for u
s tonight, either.” Sadiq lifted Hannah’s soup bowl off the table and brought it over to the serving tray.

  Hannah watched with amusement. “You mean to say, you cooked this?”

  Good-looking, rich, funny, and he could cook? He was killing her, now. Hannah was glad she was leaving in the morning, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to resist her feelings any longer. She was barely holding on as it was.

  “Well,” she said, trying to keep things light. “Aren’t you the mysterious one. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?”

  Sadiq placed the piping hot soup in front of her and Hannah inhaled deeply. A mixture of curry, ginger and other spices filled her senses, warming her from the inside out. She picked up her spoon, dipped it into the soup and brought it to her mouth, savoring the rich, full flavor as she closed her eyes.

  Sadiq filled his bowl and sat down across from her, watching with anticipation. “Well?” he said. “What do you think?”

  Hannah opened her eyes and looked at him as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Are you sure Maala didn’t make this?”

  The Sheikh cocked his head to the side. “Ha, yes I’m sure.”

  Hannah gave him a half smile and then filled her spoon again. “It’s delicious. Really, Sadiq. I can’t wait to try whatever’s next.”

  They talked about the tour and how successful it had been as they ate the meal Sadiq had prepared. Towards the end, as he cleared away the dishes and poured coffee from the carafe, she felt herself beginning to get sad. The evening was winding down and that meant her trip was, too.

  “Now, before you go,” Sadiq said, for the first time making reference to the fact that this would be their last evening together. “I have something for you.”

  Hannah felt her heart skip in her chest. Did he buy me a gift? Did he get a huge diamond ring designed especially for me and now he’s finally going to tell me he loves me?

  He reached down under the table cloth and pulled out a flat, square package, wrapped in gold foil paper and tied with a simple white ribbon. On top of it was a piece of paper folded in half.

  Hannah scrunched her face up as he handed it to her. Was it possible to get a huge diamond ring in a box like this? She doubted it.

  “Open it,” Sadiq said with childlike enthusiasm. He was smiling from ear to ear.

  Hannah took the package and pulled the piece of paper out from under the ribbon. She unfolded it and sat up straighter in her chair, looking down at the check with unbelieving eyes as she read the amount it had been written out for.

  Sadiq watched her reaction and smiled even wider.

  Hannah looked up at him with the largest eyes he had ever seen. “Sadiq?”

  “I told you the tour was a success. You were a success. And you are worth every penny.”

  Hannah didn’t know what to say; she couldn’t believe that she was holding onto a check for a million dollars, twice the amount she had been promised.

  She set the check down on the table and sat back in her chair, her mind spinning. A million dollars. The things she could do with that kind of money. She could pay off all her debt, get a real apartment, with a real terrace, focus purely on her art without having to worry about paying the bills. No, wait, she could buy a studio and record her own songs. She tried to think clearly but the rooftop started to spin.

  “Are you okay?” Sadiq said.

  “Yes,” Hannah said as she put both her hands on the table to steady herself. “I’m just…”