Page 101 of My Turkish Fling
“I have a good cyber security firm who handles that. I hired them to deal with Cem’s dick pics. The results were quite different with him, trust me. You have nothing to worry about.”
Janie narrowed her eyes. “But… why would he confess? What did you do?”
I took a breath, my chest glowing. I could never fool her. “I… played him a little.” I couldn’t help smiling. The plan had taken months and herculean effort to keep to myself.
I wanted to share everything with Janie, but I didn’t want to risk anything. She was working with the guy. The documentary had received some funding, and Gus was contracted to do more drone shots.
“Played him, how?” she asked.
“First, I took one of his filters.”
Gus had turned up at our door with a flimsy excuse of delivering drone footage he’d somehow misplaced. Janie had invited him in for a coffee, but when he noticed me, he’d changed his mind about coffee and left. But he’d hung around long enough for me to notice him fiddling with a gum wrapper. My mind connected those dots so fast I struggled to keep my face neutral. In that moment, I knew it was him. But I needed more than a gum wrapper. I needed incriminating evidence. And those camera filters sticking out of his camera bag’s side pocket seemed like the perfect fit. Specific enough, yet he probably wouldn’t notice one missing. He collected gear. He didn’t necessarily use or even understand it.
“So, you told him you found it in my bedroom or something? And he believed you?” Janie was still frowning, her head tilted.
“Well, I made it irresistible for him. I steered the conversation to small cameras and started an argument. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Gus can’t resist correcting you. I made sure what I said was a bit incorrect and he jumped in and practically bragged about how invisible and easy to use those spy cams are, how they connectto your wi-fi and keep running for days. And when I showed him the filter and told him we found the camera, he went all white. I said he has two choices. We take it all to the police or he hands everything to me. We can still take it to the police, but I wanted to give you the choice. He admitted to taking a pair of your underwear, so I guess we need to disclose that if we report the crime.”
“If it goes to the police, it’ll be in the news,” she said quietly. “And I don’t want to deal with the media.”
There’d been a couple of news stories about us since we’d returned to New Zealand, with grainy photos and speculation. Tabitha told us a reporter had approached her for a comment. She’d been proud to tell us she’d sent them away with nothing.
Janie didn’t want to hide anymore. She wasn’t bothered by anyone seeing us together, although she was still worried about my parents. They knew about us now and were planning another trip to New Zealand after Cem and Aria arrived. My brother had finished filming in Istanbul, and they’d decided to move back to New Zealand before the baby arrived. Mom’s phone calls and texts had gradually become a bit less dramatic and more practical. Now that she had flight tickets, her tone had settled down. I could only hope she accepted my union with Janie.
Because I was going to marry her. I’d made my intentions clear, even if I hadn’t asked her yet. Back in Istanbul, I’d scoured the antique shop for rings and brought back the potential contenders in my luggage. I’d carried the bag of rings in my pocket for months like a security blanket, waiting for the right moment. Truth be told, I was terrified she’d turn me down. Our financial situationwas tricky. The family situation was even trickier. We’d managed to keep our relationship mostly out of the media, but a wedding would attract unwanted attention.
“No police then,” I confirmed. “It’s all taken care of, and I don’t think Gus will try anything like this again any time soon. We can always tell Tabitha.”
Janie chuckled. “She’ll keep him in line.”
To everyone’s surprise, Tabitha had won her place in Janie’s inner circle. I still found the freakishly manicured woman rather taxing, but I could tell she genuinely cared about Janie, so I let it go. I’d never had a lot of friends, or the luxury of choosing them, so I understood.
I felt like the shipping container of Turkish antiques. Mostly worthless, with something valuable maybe hiding inside. But, as Janie liked to remind me, special and exotic in New Zealand. It didn’t bother me to be called the ‘Turkish guy’, not anymore, and I’d found a confidante in Kerim, who had decades of expat experience and was teaching me to cook the fancier Turkish recipes. I couldn’t wait to surprise Janie with my next one. She’d been doing a lot of baking and cooking lately as I’d focused on the shop renovations.
At times, I missed Istanbul. I even missed my brother. The future was uncertain, and my actions probably made no sense to anyone back home. Mom had told me I looked happy, though, and I could only hope that weighed more than the other issues combined.
“Janie,” I said, pulling the small hard drive I’d taken from Gus out of my pocket. “Will you… destroy this naughty hard drive?”
She drew a quick breath. “Oh, my God. I thought…”
“You thought I was proposing,” My mouth curved. It did that effortlessly these days.
“Well, you warned me that you would. But then you haven’t said anything.” She sounded almost hurt.
“Do you want me to propose?”
She fell silent and stayed silent for a long time. Too long.
“Janie?”
“Emir. For a long time, I couldn’t even think about it. I felt like I’d be robbing you of a chance to have a family.”
“But you are my family.”
She weaved her fingers with mine, staring at them. “That’s good. I’m starting to believe it. And I’m not too old, yet. I mean it’s possible for me to have a baby. Maybe.”
“Do you want a baby?” I asked.
“I don’t know. How do you feel about it now?”
