CHAPTER FOUR
Somewhere in her dream there was a bell ringing. Insistently and loud. Gemma rose up from the depths of sleep and opened her eyes and glanced at her cell phone on the bedside table. The clock on the display told her it was four in the morning. She glanced toward the partially opened curtains. It was still dark outside.
She sat up and ran a hand through her messed up hair. She wondered who could be calling at this time.
Gemma picked up the phone and pressed it into life.
She heard a familiar voice at the other end of the line. "Gemma?" It was Natalie. One of her best friends. In fact, one of the only ones in her life to whom she could really tell everything in confidence. In this day and age, that was a precious thing to have.
"Natalie? What is it? Do you know what time it is?"
"I know. Sorry to wake you, but this is important. More than important, in fact."
There was an urgency in Natalie's voice that took Gemma by surprise. She sat up and leaned back against the bed's soft headboard.
"What's wrong?" Gemma asked.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. But, I have to say. If you were planning on making a splash while you are in Qazhar, you definitely succeeded."
Before Gemma had left, she had talked with Natalie about this being a big opportunity to make a fresh start. If anyone understood how important this trip to Qazhar was to Gemma, it was Natalie.
"What do you mean?" Gemma asked, now completely awake.
"Have you seen what's been posted about you?" Natalie asked. Her voice was breathless with excitement.
"No. Should I?" Gemma replied.
She heard a snorting sound from the other end of the line and she was sure Natalie was trying not to laugh. "If I was you, I'd check it out."
Gemma put her call onto speaker and opened up her social media feed.
There was the post she'd made on arriving at the apartment. She'd tried to make it as fun as all her other posts, but without giving away too many intimate morsels of gossip.
But then, Gemma saw something that caused a sudden chill to sweep through her.
"Can you see it?" Natalie asked, her voice tiny and thin over the cell phone's speaker.
Gemma stared in disbelief at the display of her phone. She didn't say anything. All she could do was gaze at it, feeling the color drain from her face.
"Are you still there?" Natalie asked.
"I'm here," Gemma replied, realizing her voice was already cracking with emotion.
"What do you think?"
Gemma was silent for a moment, trying to take in what she was looking at.
"Is it true? Are you going out with that sheikh?" Natalie squealed. "Gawd, he is so gorgeous. Tell me it's true. Please," Natalie yelled down the line.
Gemma cleared her throat and drew in a deep, calming breath. Her heart was pounding as she read the words and, more importantly, looked at the photos which were now all over her social media feed and everyone connected to it.
Like, literally everywhere and everyone!
There wasn't just one image, or one message staring right back at her. There were images of her and the sheikh smiling at each other, drinking champagne surrounded by guests; of the sheikh holding the door open for her as she stepped into what was obviously his own personal limo. There was even the selfie she'd agree to pose for outside the hotel.
But, worst of all there were images she wanted to reach down and erase. Those were the pictures, in sharp detail, of her hand being kissed by the sheikh. And the expressions on her face and the face of Sheikh Ahmed gave just completely the wrong impression about what was going on between them. If you believed those images, you'd be convinced she and Ahmed were already an item.
Gemma felt her throat tighten and, for a few moments, she could hardly speak.
"Looks like you hit it off, Gemma," Natalie said.
"It's not what it look like, Natalie," Gemma replied.
"Are you kidding me? That guy looks like he has the hots for you. And no mistake," Natalie said.
Gemma stifled a low moan. This couldn't be happening. She clicked on a few links and saw that the images were everywhere and people were already commenting on them. There was even a hashtag. "Gemmawithsheikh". When she clicked on that, she saw the full extent of the disaster. As far as everyone was concerned, this was it. After months of denials, weeks of false rumors, Gemma had finally found someone she liked.
"No," Gemma groaned out loud.
"You okay?" she heard Natalie asking.
Gemma was relieved Natalie couldn't see her face, right now. If she could, she would have recommended a swift call to the nearest medical center.
"I'm fine," Gemma replied.
"Tell me more about this mysterious sheikh," Natalie demanded.
Gemma sighed heavily. "There's not much to tell," she replied.
Natalie groaned. "I don't believe it. He is so hot, and you're telling me there are no beans to spill?"
"Really, Natalie," Gemma insisted. "There's nothing going on."
There was a stunned silence at the other end of the line. Then Natalie spoke: "But, what about the pictures?"
Gemma sighed. "I know how it looks," she said. "But it really is pretty innocent."
Natalie scoffed. "There's nothing innocent about the way he's looking at you in those pictures. Talk about burning hot."
Natalie laughed, but Gemma didn't find it in the slightest bit funny.
This was a complete disaster. As she read the growing list of comments, Gemma could tell that there was a mixed reaction to the photos.
Some people thought like Natalie. That Ahmed was one of the hottest guys they'd ever seen, and that Gemma had struck gold.
Others weren't so generous. In fact, although the photos had been up no more than a few hours, there was already a backlash growing. Some people thought that Gemma had betrayed them, that she had portrayed herself as some kind of glamorous, but squeaky-clean role model, since she'd resolutely avoided any relationships or entanglements with the opposite sex during most of the time she'd been famous online.
And now she had betrayed their trust by showing herself to be nothing more than a gold digger. The very opposite of what she'd portrayed herself to be.
Betrayal was the word she started to see more of the further she scrolled through the reactions which had been posted.
Betrayal?
Who did they think she was? What did they think she was? Didn't they realize she had a life of her own to live? That she had as much entitlement as them to live her life the way she wanted.
But, most of all, didn't they realize that none of it was true. But, really Gemma knew she only had herself to blame. She had been the one to deliberately cultivate the story that had helped give her all the fame she currently enjoyed.
The story of the straight up girl who lived her life without complicated relationships. Who lived life on her own terms.
"Gemma?" Natalie prompted. "What's the deal, then?"
"There is no deal, Natalie. I just got here, and it seems like there's been some terrible misunderstanding."
Natalie made a brief sound, as if she was momentarily disappointed. "But the photos," she said tentatively.
"You know how it is with photos online," Gemma said, "You can make anything look like whatever you want it to be." Gemma ran hand through her hair and leaped out of bed.
She began to pace, barefoot on the floor alongside the bed. "I don't know what I'm going to do about this," she moaned.
"You need to tell everyone what's really happening," Natalie advised.
Gemma frowned. "But, look at it. It's already out of control. Everyone's already made up their mind. For good and bad. You know how this works."
"Maybe if you just post a clarification," Natalie suggested. "It'll all blow over in a few days."
Natalie might have been right about that, but Gemma had other issues to be concerned about. Things far more important.
For one thing, how was Rashid going to react to this? She'd seen how he and Ahmed had faced each other down back at the hotel. This wasn't going to go down well with the man who had brought her here in the first place. Not at all.
"Even if I do post something, no-one's going to believe me," Gemma said, "They can see the photos. Even if they don't tell the whole truth, they've done enough damage, already."
"Oh, Gemma," Natalie exclaimed. It sounded like Natalie finally understood the seriousness of this. "How can I help?"
"Thanks, Natalie. But, I made this mess, and I'm the only one who can fix it. The only trouble is, I don't know how."
She made her way into the sitting room of the apartment and toward the kitchen. Maybe some coffee would clear the mind. In any case, she was still sleeping on US time. Her body clock was way out of whack.
"I gotta go," Gemma announced.
"If you need any help, you call me, okay?" Natalie said.
Gemma could hear the concern in Natalie's voice.
"I mean it," Natalie insisted. "You don't go doing anything stupid. Okay?"
Gemma laughed. "I think I've done enough stupid things for one night," she told her friend.
Then they ended the call and Gemma made some coffee for herself and went to sit on the large sofa in the sitting room. She curled her legs up underneath herself, and cupped the warm mug in her hands, sipping the brew while she tried to think what she could do.
This was a real catastrophe. One unholy mess. She'd been tempted into doing things she'd convinced herself she should avoid at all costs.
But, maybe she'd underestimated the sheikh who had caused all this trouble with his insistent attentions.
Sheikh Ahmed.
And he had been very persistent. It made her consider the possibility that he wanted more than simply to persuade her to turn her back on Rashid. Perhaps that look he'd given her in the back of the limo had been a hint at what his real motives were.
Could it be that he was really, actually attracted to her? That the whole conversation about wanting her to be his spokesperson for his own media company had been a big lie.
The thought that his interest might be more than just professional made her feel a mixture of nervousness and something else she wasn't sure she was willing to admit.
Anticipation.
She took a sip of coffee and wondered what it would be like to be kissed by those full lips; to be held by those powerful arms; to be swept up in him and be the whole center of his attentions. He had a powerful body. A strong body that held so much promise.
Gemma sighed and pushed thoughts of sheikh Ahmed firmly out of her mind.
Right now, all that mattered was the growing sense of unease at the prospect of what the coming day would had for her.
There would be an awkward meeting with Rashid, that was for sure. And then there might have to be some kind of explanation given to the media. Questions would be asked of her and of Rashid, and she wasn't sure exactly how he would respond.
But, it was the inevitable scrutiny that would be focused on her that made Gemma feel more uneasy than anything else she could think of right now.
She knew one thing. The last twenty-four hours had been intense. Almost too much.
Gemma sighed, exhaustion clinging to her. She'd been feeling tired for a long time, now. Since well before this whole endeavor had been agreed upon.
In the garden, with sheikh Ahmed, she had come close to admitting that weariness. And she had suspected he'd noticed some of it in her demeanor. She was sure he was perceptive enough to have noticed just how tired she was. And that weariness had nothing to do with jet lag.
When he'd mentioned how he could escape to the desert whenever things became too much for him, her ears had immediately perked up. She wasn't sure he had noticed, but the mention of his retreat in the north, his encampment near that little, isolated town, had tempted her with its promise of anonymity.
What had been the name of the town?
Qabiyah.
That was it.
She took her phone and opened up the map application and started to type the name into the search bar. The application completed the name for her and the little pin symbol showed her exactly where the town was located.
She squinted thoughtfully at the name. It was indeed quite a distance to the north of the city, but not too far that it was completely off the beaten track.
She clicked on the town's name and was immediately shown images, probably taken by visitors in the past.
Ahmed had been right. It was a tiny little village, with one main thoroughfare and simple dwellings that stretched outwards on the flat plain of a narrow valley.
It looked incredibly basic. Isolated and completely cut off. She guessed there would be little or no modern amenities there. She saw no indication of modern conveniences. In fact, the place looked like something out of another century.
She sighed and a thought drifted into her mind.
Just what she needed.
She guessed a place like that would give a person all the anonymity they needed and plenty of time to think. Plenty of time to regain a sense of what was the right thing to do.
But much more than that. It was somewhere she would not be recognized. There would be no cameras; no connection to the outside world.
Hadn't Ahmed told her that it was a place guaranteed to bring peace into a persons life. Just by being there.
Would it hurt to go there for a day or two? Even as she asked herself that question, she already knew the answer.
Of course, it wouldn't. No-one would even know she had gone there. And, in any case, it would only be for a few days at most.
And then she could return and perhaps things would have settled down. And, then she would have a clearer idea of what she should do.
It all made sense.
Her mind made up, she started to get ready.