That Tuesday evening, she got a call from her close friend and office colleague, Naira, who had lived all her life in Nur Sultan. She was born in Nur Sultan to an Indian national father and a native Kazakh mother who met in the city when his father joined an engineering project.
Naira is the Executive Assistant to the Project Director (PD, for short). She claimed her boss left for Dubai that Tuesday to attend the meeting there the next day. In his haste, he forgot the documents Naira had prepared for him to bring, and had called Naira to follow, or send someone in her stead to bring them to him.
Naira could have emailed and had them printed in Dubai with his PD. However, his boss yielded. He can't do the tasks alone without help, he said.
Besides, the pre-signed original contracts of about ten sets should have arrived soon. Those are the contract copies the client will sign-on, and already pre-signed by one signatory confined in the country. They had allowed him to sign in advance because of his circumstances; witnessed by his co-signatories, and video recorded for authenticity and legality. Except for him, all the others will be in Dubai for the contract signing, including the PD himself.
Last, according to Naira, his boss depended on her to take the minutes of the meeting. He can't do it without her, or anyone she will send in her stead. When bosses become too reliant on their assistants, they seem lost without them. Naira needed her help.
She can't go to Dubai, for these reasons. One, she had never traveled outside of Nur Sultan, and her parents would surely not allow her to travel alone to another country. Two, she doesn't know Dubai and she, Yasmin, had lived in the United Arab Emirates for years. She's familiar with Dubai. She knew the place like the back of her hand, as they say.
Can she please help her and her boss in this predicament? She was going to book Yasmin's flight as soon as she agreed. They will hold the meeting in a hotel. It will start at 8 a.m. However, the client provided a breakfast buffet an hour earlier for the participants. Naira will text the Event Manager of the hotel to include Yasmin's name on the list of participants as soon as she had booked her flight. She will also book her a hotel room so she can freshen up and change. She'll stay for the night and travel the next day. Yasmin can return on the same day. The PD, however, agreed to Naira's request to let her rest in a hotel that night.
She had to attend in a business suit, bring her laptop, phone, chargers, power bank, micro recorder - everything she can think of, that she may need. She instructed Yasmin to collect her ID from the welcoming desk since all the participants must wear them at the venue at all times. And last, if she could bring some of her boss' medicines she's keeping with her, in case he had forgotten to bring any. Naira wasn't able to check with him before he left, she said.
She will meet her at the airport to give her the documents and the pills.
"Please, Yassi, I owe you this one. You will be much more useful to my boss than me. You're in a place you are comfortable in," Naira begged.
"And you still have a valid driver's license there, too. You can rent a car and drive the boss around, or you can at least suggest places, he can go to if he asks. I will be your servant for a day when you return," Naira kept on.
Yasmin was thinking deeply if there was something urgent on her desk before she agreed.
"Okay then, book me. Remember to give my name to the Event Manager, because I plan to devour a hearty breakfast when I get there early. So, what time shall I leave from here then?" Yasmin asked.
Yasmin started opening her wardrobe and yanking clothes off the hangers onto her bed.
"I will call you back in a jiff! Thank you, thank you. Start packing your things then. I will book an airport cab to pick you up and bring you to the airport. I will meet you there. I owe you this one, Yassi. I will remember." Naira said gratefully.
"Big time! Draft the contract, before I get back because I will surely collect." Yasmin teased.
As soon as Yasmin consented, Naira, on the other end, was dancing, seemingly so pleased that Yasmin agreed.
"I will call you back, and thanks again," Naira said hurriedly.
As soon as Naira got off the phone, Yasmin hurriedly packed. She'll have to travel casually in jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers, and change in her hotel room. She made sure that all the gadgets that she will need are ready. She packed her suits, and although she had intended to bring pants only; she included a skirt as well. Naira hadn't been more specific. Aside from her bare essentials as a young woman, she packed her black, 2-inch high heels for her business suit, a nightie, and a black evening dress, just in case there will be dinner with her management team.
She had thought of sending a text to Jamil but worried she'd wake him up, just to read her text message, when he had just hit the sack right before Naira called her. He had said that he had a very tiring day. He would like to retire early. She'll just do that tomorrow morning; there's enough time, she decided.
She toured her apartment for one last check, ensuring that she had shut off the electrical sockets and water taps properly. Now, she'll have to wait for Naira's call. She's very sleepy too, but she can sleep on the plane since it's a six-hour trip to Dubai from Nur Sultan. The flight leaves before 10 p.m., and she'll get there at a little past 4 a.m. She had better hurry since she has to check in at least two hours before the flight. She'd better check her bag once more. That's when she remembered that she'll be meeting Jamil again.
"Should I bring one of the massage oils?" she mused.
She misses Jamil so much. And she thought Naira shouldn't owe anything to her; it's the other way around. She should thank her instead. Then she realized something. Could Naira be sending her so she could meet up with Jamil again?
"Oh, my!" she thought.
Indeed, she's giving them a chance for a one-night stand, she realized.
"Naira, you sly, devious, lovely, and considerate friend," she smiled.
Naira finally called. The airport cab is on its way, and she'll be at the airport entrance when she arrives.
***
Naira was at the entrance of the airport when she arrived. Yasmin secured the documents inside her laptop bag and the medicine case in her shoulder bag. Then, she stood looking at Naira and hugged her tight.
"What?" asked Naira.
Yasmin kissed her on the cheek.
"You're wicked, but I love you," Yasmin said.
"I realized now, that you are giving me a chance to see Jamil again," she continued.
Naira laughed.
"Anya and I worried. You haven't been your happy self lately. It had been too long since you last saw him. So, go girl. It's just one night, but at least, that will warm your heart for a while," Naira said.
As she was saying this, she was rubbing Yasmin's upper right arm with her left hand. They hugged again before Yasmin rushed inside the airport terminal. They waved goodbye.
***
Naira and Anya had been worrying that Yasmin must miss Jamil so badly. It had been three months already, and he hadn't visited since Yasmin had moved into the apartment. Her friends even caught Yasmin in tears one time, although she insisted that she's just starting a cold.
When her boss called that Tuesday, and asked Naira to travel herself, or send someone to Dubai to help him out, she immediately volunteered Yasmin, even without consulting her. She forced her boss, though, to agree, to book her return flight the following morning. This is to give her and Jamil a night to spend together.
Naira called Anya to tell her this. Anya was as excited, too, but worried that she would not go. Naira challenged her to a bet, favoring a yes on her part. And should Yasmin consent, Anya will have to do the baking that weekend. Anya agreed. She believed Yasmin would not consent. That explained why Naira was doing her celebratory dance, on the instant that Yasmin consented. She could have gone to Dubai herself, as she had already done that once before, but she will give her friend a chance to spend a night with her boyfriend.
***
Naira booked Yasmin at a hotel close to the hotel venue for the meeting, so she wouldn't have to worry about being late for the meeting, in case there was traffic congestion. She arrived just in time for breakfast after collecting her ID from the desk. She focused on the meeting. Her mind was on the documents with her, and the medicines she had to hand over to the PD when she sees him. She saw their management team on one long table near her breakfast table and waved at them. They waved back and motioned for her to join them. She carried her plate and coffee cup as she did so. She handed the PD both the documents and the medicines, then enjoyed her full, hearty breakfast.
When the meeting venue opened to let the participants in and asked everyone to switch off their phones, it was only then that Yasmin remembered; she hadn't messaged Jamil yet that she was in Dubai. She was exactly standing before the usher, who was asking her to show him she switched off her phone. But not only that, they were issuing number tags for their phones. They will have to keep them out of their possession until the meeting is over by almost the end of the day. Yasmin can't do anything now. She'll just have to text Jamil after 4 p.m.
***
By lunchtime, she joined her team sitting by the glass walls near the front parking area of the hotel restaurant. A black SUV parked exactly in front of Yasmin's and her colleagues' table. As soon as the driver left his seat to open the car door at the back, Ibrahim froze. Right before his eyes in the hotel, was the woman who's been haunting his dreams and desires. As soon as his boss entered the hotel's main door, he pretended to have left something in the car. He opened the car door but only to take a picture of the woman from inside the car. He then called his friend Kamal to tell him about this. The man had been confiding to his closest friend that he saw a very attractive woman on the same evening he fetched Jamil from the airport, and since then have been wishing to see her again. He sent the picture to Kamal as evidence that he is telling the truth!
Kamal was joining some friends for lunch at the grill bar in another hotel. He was just sitting down opposite Jamil when the text came along with the photo. Kamal, in contrast to Ibrahim, was a very easy-going and friendly person. He talks a lot too.
"Gosh! Lucky! A beauty, no wonder. Ibrahim saw the woman of his dream. Finally! The woman she saw at the airport. She's in the same hotel with him and Jamil's dad," Kamal beamed.
When Jamil took the phone from Kamal to look at the shared photo, his heart stopped. Is Yasmin in Dubai right now? Why didn't she let him know? He suppressed himself from reacting to the photo. Instead, he excused himself at once to call Yasmin. But her phone was off. He tried it several times but kept getting the same response. Then he realized Yasmin was in a meeting, so she could have switched her phone off. But he needed to warn her of Ibrahim; to let her know that Ibrahim and his father were in the same hotel as her.
He called his friend, Art, who has a relative working in the same hotel. Art confirmed that his sister-in-law, Kristine Santos, worked there. Jamil asked him to pass a message to his girlfriend, Yasmin Barbosa, one of the meeting participants, to call him immediately after the meeting. He thanked his friend. Still, that did not pacify his anxiety.
Jamil called the Front Desk of the hotel and asked them when the meeting would be over, and was told that it would end by 4 p.m. What can he possibly do? Jamil has to remove his father and Ibrahim from the hotel before the meeting will end. But how?
He called Julie, his secretary, and right in time, Julie asked him if his father was with him. People from the Customs office had arrived to meet with him. They seemed to be VIPs. He told her to ask his father's secretary, Erin, to inform his father at once. His father had to return to the office right now, he said. Jamil can't stay outside any longer.
By now, they had served their food. He went back to the table. In a little while, a pissed-off Ibrahim sent a message to his friend, Kamal, saying that he will have to go back to the hotel after dropping Jamil's father in the office. Jamil couldn't concentrate on his lunch. He hadn't even touched it at all. He was thinking about how to hide Yasmin from Ibrahim.
By this time, the meeting had ended. Kristine was right outside the closed doors of the meeting room, waiting for a chance to search for Ms. Yasmin Barbosa. Reading from the IDs, she finally found her and handed her the yellow post-it note to call Jamil at once.
How could he have known that she was here? She wondered. She was worried, especially as she hadn't even sent him a text message, to let him know she was in Dubai. Yasmin went to collect her phone from the desk and immediately called Jamil.
Jamil's anxiety was at its peak upon learning from Kamal that Ibrahim was on his way back to the hotel where Yasmin was. For the first time, Jamil wasn't able to control his worry, and as soon as Yasmin's number showed up on his phone screen, he pressed it.
"Why didn't you let me know you are here?!" Jamil asked irately.
Yasmin wasn't able to respond at once. She knew that she should have called, but why would Jamil be very furious? she wondered. Jamil followed it with an apology soon enough.
"I'm sorry. I came to know that Ibrahim saw you there. He was there with my father at lunchtime. He had just dropped my father back in the office, and he must be halfway to your hotel again by now. The man wanted to meet you," Jamil said.
"Can you hide in the women's restroom, while I think of a solution? My nerves must have frozen my brain. I couldn't think of anything. Or, can you ask Kristine, the woman who handed you the note, if she can lend you an abaya? Stay hidden somewhere. I will try to come and get you. I'll text you again," Jamil ordered.
No wonder Jamil was furious. It was indeed her fault; she thought.
Ibrahim had now arrived at the hotel, frustrated to learn that the meeting had long ended, and the people had left the hotel. Kristine, who gave the note to Yasmin, noticed that the man was furious. She asked if there was something they could help him with. Ibrahim looked at her.
"Sure, I have been wanting to meet a beautiful woman, but I missed her again," Ibrahim said sarcastically.
"What will I do now?" he continued with a smirk on his face.
Then he described Yasmin to her. Just at that point, Kristine got a message on her phone from Art asking her to help Yasmin get out of the hotel, as a certain Arab man who's been obsessing to meet her is in the vicinity. She messaged back that indeed that Arab man is right in front of her and is very furious to have missed her. Art will come for her in his car at the back of the hotel. If she could help her get into his car, without being seen by that Arab man. Kristine wasted no time and went to find Yasmin in the restroom. True enough, she saw Yasmin pacing up and down and looking anxious. She warned her that a furious Arab man is at the Front Desk, and is looking for her.
If she could wait in the restroom, while she borrowed an abaya from the Housekeeping, she said. Yasmin nodded. She told her that Jamil is a friend of her brother-in-law, Art, and he had asked Art to pick her up.
"Okay," said Yasmin.
"By the way, I'm Kristine. Please wait here," Kristine said.
"Yasmin, and thank you," she replied.
Ibrahim went inside his car but did not leave the vicinity. He intended to wait in his car. Kristine took Yasmin to the back of the hotel to wait for Art to pick her up. When Kristine saw the car turn towards them, she opened the car for Yasmin and took back the abaya from her. Yasmin thanked her. Art took Yasmin to her hotel, where she will wait for Jamil.
Yasmin got a text message from Jamil ten minutes later, saying, 'on my way up now.' Yasmin stood by the door and glued her eyes on the peephole. As soon as she saw Jamil nearing it, she opened the door and let him in fast. He hugged her tight, and long before finally kissing her. They walked towards the bed. Jamil removed his suit and tie before lying down on his back. He closed his eyes and motioned for her to sit on the bed.
"I had never been this tense in my life. I couldn't even breathe until Art told me, he got you and on your way to your hotel," Jamil sighed.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I really am. I could have texted you last night, but I worried I'd wake you up again when you have just slept," Yasmin said apologetically.
"I would have preferred to be advised in advance rather than later. Please never worry about disturbing me at all. I'm your boyfriend, almost your husband as you've said so too last time. Don't you ever think at all, you are disturbing me, please. Anytime, let me know everything about you," Jamil said.
Then pulled her on top of him and kissed her lips.
"I'm so glad you came. I've really been missing you terribly but I can't even spare a day," Jamil said.
"If I wasn't at the grill bar for lunch today and Kamal hadn't been there, I wouldn't have known that you're here. I owe him, otherwise, Ibrahim could have met you today, and I do not know how I could have handled the situation," Jamil explained.
He moved his body to pin her down on the bed and kissed her longer. This time, longingly.
Then Jamil removed his lips from her and lay on the bed, pinning her thighs with his right leg and her breasts with his right arm. He closed his eyes and stayed in that position for a long time. Yasmin closed her eyes as well. It could have been his anxiety since he saw her photo on Kamal's phone. He hadn't even eaten his lunch. He had been busy finding ways for her to escape from Ibrahim, who had returned to the hotel when he could have used that chance to pick her up himself. Planning Yasmin's escape plan earlier drained Jamil mentally and emotionally. He had slept, and Yasmin closed her eyes too.
"I'm famished. I hadn't eaten at lunch today. Can you order something for us for dinner, sweetheart?" Jamil asked Yasmin when he woke up.
"Okay," Yasmin obliged.
She changed into that black evening dress she'd packed since aside from the nightie, these were the only clothes she had brought with her. It was too early to be wearing her nightie, and besides, Jamil was not in a romantic mood, she said. They ate soon after. Jamil still seemed dazed, she thought. Then, Jamil gazed at Yasmin lovingly while eating.
"I am very concerned. Kamal had mentioned Ibrahim liking you so much as to want to kidnap you the next time he saw you. That did not sit well with me. I'm worried about your safety. I don't want you coming to Dubai without me knowing," Jamil said.
"Please, sweetheart. Let me know beforehand whenever you come to Dubai. I don't trust the guy at all," Jamil insisted.
"I will," Yasmin said.
Yasmin had seen him. Ibrahim is muscular, his abs even bigger than Jamil's. He is taller too, but he has that air of arrogance. According to Jamil, Ibrahim thinks so highly of himself that he scoffs and smirks at people when displeased. Being a full-blooded Arab, he is hostile and temperamental, at most times.
He also planned on meeting the father of the girl his father wanted him to marry five years ago. The girl must be about twenty years old by now. Still, she is not Yasmin. He had better do something. He'd like to make it official that he is Yasmin's man.
And it has to happen soon before anything tragic happens to Yasmin or himself. Because if Ibrahim will kidnap Yasmin, he'd kill the man first, even if it would mean death or jail time for him. He doesn't want things to come to this, but now, he'd defy his father come hell or high water.
Yasmin had been staring at Jamil's facial expressions while eating. She shuddered at the very dark expression she saw. She's never seen his dark side at all. She had known him for so long. Jamil had always been sweet and romantic. He was gentle and caring. He won't hurt a fly, as they say. However, the expression she saw just now. He was ready to fight or even kill anyone who would dare hurt her.
Still, Jamil had eaten little, even though he had said that he hadn't eaten at lunch, and was starving. Yasmin forced him to eat some more. She moved her chair nearer to him.
"Sweetheart, eat. Please. I am so sorry not to have informed you I am coming," Yasmin said. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
"Forgive me, please," Yasmin pleaded.
She was now in tears, regretting her negligence, and worrying that she had even affected Jamil's appetite for food.
"Please eat, for me," she said.
Jamil took the fork this time and continued with his dinner. He would take a piece of the food and give it to Yasmin. She ate it, although she was full just so Jamil would eat some more.
Yasmin was still hoping for another romantic tryst with Jamil tonight. She told Jamil she'd take a shower hoping to entice him, seeing her freshly bathed and in her short black nightie and black laced bikini. She'll do her best to make Jamil forget today's miserable episode. Yasmin took a long time in her shower. By the time she has showered, Jamil was not in the room.
He was on the balcony, his long-sleeved polo shirt folded just below his elbows. She'll remember to always pack at least a top and bottom nightwear for him in her bag when she's with him, so he can change and be comfortable. He's too absorbed in what he was thinking. He did not even notice her presence. Jamil had stood there immobile, looking at the cityscape of lights and the traffic.
Yasmin thought of her early morning flight tomorrow. She had to be at the airport at 6 a.m., which means she would have to leave the hotel before or at exactly 5 a.m. She prepared for bed. As she can't sleep with the lights on, she switched them off. She was sure Jamil wouldn't mind. She would just have to accept that it was her fault, Jamil was in a terrible mood, but at least she got to see him again. Yasmin went under the blanket, turned to her side, and closed her eyes.
It must be way past midnight when she felt being lifted and made love to in the weirdest way. She was not naked. He intended that. But he continued to arouse her despite. It was not different from the usual except that, she's uncomfortable, as she's leaking on her underpants, and the feeling was almost intolerable; she's wet and sticky. When he finally removed her undies, including her clothes, he filled her up with his small and plucking kisses. Not a space unturned and unkissed. His lips were like a decorative stamp, imprinting the figure on the underside; not a space unstamped. He would pull those little kisses, gently tagging as if the small bites were being done with a purpose. He had turned her over to fill her entire body with them.
When she thought there's no more weird thing to note, he did another one. When he took her that night, he did it slowly. He stayed deep and throbbing inside, the pulsating sensations tickling and arousing her. All the while kissing her lips with raw passion. It was sweet and romantic like he was sharing his sensations in their union. When at last he left her body, he came in shuddering frenzy, convulsing on top of her body. It's ingratiating to see that she can share with him that sensual pleasure. They truly share a passion well attuned to their emotions. When he has subsided, he took his side to spoon her and whispered I love you several times; until he succumbed to fatigue and sleep.
Yasmin woke up at the sound of her alarm. As she tried to wiggle slowly out of Jamil's embrace, Jamil woke up.
"What time is your flight?" he asked.
"Seven," she replied.
"We'll shower together," he said.
He'll just go home for a change after he had dropped her at the airport. Yasmin turned to face him and touched his face lovingly.
"I love you, sweetheart, and sorry about yesterday. I won't do that again," she said.
"Promise to always let me know in advance if you are coming to Dubai. I cannot protect you if I don't know where you are. Please?" he pleaded.
She nodded.
"Let's shower," she said as she caressed his length and winked at him.
They took a long time to continue what they had started so late last night.
Yasmin wore the same jeans she had yesterday, a clean t-shirt, and sneakers. Jamil had to wear the same clothes, his pants, and polo, and they went down for a quick breakfast. Jamil insisted Yasmin had breakfast before she travels. He convinced her they'll reach the airport in time for her check-in.
Before Jamil drove his car to bring her to the airport, they kissed once more, a very long and hungry kiss as he groped her breasts.
Then Jamil remembered. He asked Yasmin to leave him her used underwear last night. Yasmin's eyes widened and her mouth wide open, as she looked at him, making a face at his naughtiness. He winked at her. That's why he didn't remove it from her. He had wanted her to leak her juices on it. Yasmin reached for her luggage and dropped her wet bikini in an envelope she took from inside her laptop bag. She left the envelope in her seat, so Jamil would not forget.
On their way to the airport, Yasmin told him about Naira's scheming to send her to this meeting on her behalf. Jamil was glad that Yasmin has a very understanding friend. He told her to thank Naira for him. He promised to pay her back when she visits her in Nur Sultan.
Though short, Yasmin was indeed thankful to Naira for the chance to have seen Jamil again.