The chatter stopped, and they gazed, half-frightened, at her.
"Cyra, you have one hour to prepare yourself. Go now and do so."
13.
AS THE FIVE wide-eyed girls watched, Lady Refet led Cyra to the waiting litter. For months they had planned and dreamed of the moment when one of them would be chosen to go to their master"s bed. Strangely they were happy for Cyra. Though each was a trifle envious that she had not been chosen, at the same time, each was glad she was not to be the first wide-eyed girls watched, Lady Refet led Cyra to the waiting litter. For months they had planned and dreamed of the moment when one of them would be chosen to go to their master"s bed. Strangely they were happy for Cyra. Though each was a trifle envious that she had not been chosen, at the same time, each was glad she was not to be the first Picking up the litter, the slaves moved swiftly down the hallway to the prince"s quarters and through the bronze doors that led to their lord"s apartment In the silence of the dimly lit corridor, even the rea.s.suring patter of the slaves" feet on the tiled floor could not still Cyra"s pounding heart Setting the litter down before a carved wooden door, the eunuch who accompanied them whispered, "Go. Our lord awaits his pleasure."
On trembling legs, Cyra allowed herself to be handed out of the litter, and, reluctantly pushing the door open, she entered the prince"s chambers.
It was a pleasant medium-sized room, with a tiled stove in a corner, its fire glowing softly. The walls were hung with thick Kir-Shehr carpets in hues of blue, green, and red. Highly polished bra.s.s lamps cast a warm glow, and beneath her feet which seemed to have turned to ice, she felt the softness of another rug.
The room was Spartan in its furnishings, yet rich in its accessories. To the left was a raised marble dais the color of cream, upon which rested a square bed with gold-colored velvet hangings. By the door sat a large wooden chest banded in gilded leather. In a far corner was a low, round table surrounded by multicolored silk cushions. A tall silver censer filled with fragrant burning aloes stood by the bed Directly in front of her, the room opened into a private garden facing the sea. His voice came to her from the garden.
"Come here to me, Cyra."
Entering the garden, she fell to her knees, her head touching the ground. He raised her up and gravely kissed her on the forehead.
"Never prostrate yourself before me again. It is the act of a menial slave, not an intelligent woman."
"Thank you, my lord."
He led her to the bal.u.s.trade overlooking the sea. "The moon on the water cannot rival your beauty, my dove."
"Thank you, my lord."
He scrutinized her closely. "By the Prophet"s beard, they have decked you in the traditional finery, have they not?"
"Yes, my lord."
A smile on his lips, he fingered the veils, and she shivered.
"Are you cold?"
"Yes, my lord."
"No wonder. These garments are meant to reveal, not to warm." He laughed softly. "At the foot of the bed is a woolen robe. Wrap yourself in it"
Reentering the bedchamber, she removed the six veils that covered her and slipped into the soft, white wool robe. It fastened beneath her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and fit as if it had been made for her. Moving to return to the garden, she saw the prince standing in the doorway watching her. He, too, wore a long, loose woolen robe.
"Warmer now?"
"Yes, my lord."
"So far this evening you have said Yes, my lord" three times, and Thank you, my lord" twice. You have been much more articulate on other occasions."
Looking at him, she whispered, her voice close to tears, "I am sorry, my lord."
He gazed at her a moment A devilish look entered his eyes, and he moved swiftly toward her. Sobbing, she ran from him, to be stopped suddenly by the sound of his laughter.
"I thought so," he said. "You are still frightened of me. Rest easy, my sweet Cyra. I have yet to force a woman-though once I was tempted."
"Oh, my lord. I am so ashamed! Please forgive me."
Moving to her side, he gently put his arm about her. "Come and sit by me, little virgin." Drawing her down on a pile of cushions, he continued. "Now listen to me. Do you know why I went away after our meeting at the pool?"
"I thought you were displeased with me."
"No, I was not angry. I was afraid Afraid that if I stayed near you, I should forget my promise to you and possess you by force. Do you smell the aloes, my little one? And do you see through the windows a full moon? Did I not promise you these? Mine are not the actions of a man bent on rape, my precious little fool."
"I did not think, my lord"
"Which, I have noted, is very unlike you, Cyra. Could it be that you perhaps return some of that which I feel for you?"
He turned her toward him. Her head was lowered hut he could see the blush on her checks.
"Look at me."
Shyly she raised her face to his, and he was blinded by her shining eyes. Allah, he intoned wordlessly, Allah give me the strength not to ravish her instantly. He bent his head and lightly kissed her mouth.
"You did not faint!" he exclaimed in mock surprise. "Dare I try again?"
She giggled "?es, please, my lord When you are gentle I am not afraid"
This time he drew her into his arms. Her firm young body with its soft skin delighted him. Their lips met, and what he had meant to be a short kiss lengthened and increased in sweetness. He felt her arms wrap about his neck, and then, to his amazement, her little tongue brushed his teeth. Shuddering, he loosed her.
"Little virgin," his voice was low, "little virgin, if you tempt me further, I may succ.u.mb."
"I am afraid my lord, but I am but a woman."
"My poor child" he said. "In my delight of you I had forgotten how teirifying the first venture into love can be. Undoubtedly they had drummed into you your responsibility to please me, and the fact that, should you fail, your life would be over."
Tenderly he gathered her into his arms, his lips brushing against her fragrant hair. The freshness of her scent, the closeness of her body sent a stab of desire through him. I must not hurry her, he thought, as his lips moved along her cheek.
Then she turned her face up to him, and his mouth found hers again. Their breaths mingled. Her arms went about his neck, and she pressed against him. With a groan he lifted her up and carried her to the bed.
She protested the loss of his lips as he placed her against the pillows and then lay propped on one arm, gazing down at her. His hands were clenched into fists that opened and closed violently as he restrained himself from falling on her. He bent, and tentatively his tongue explored her mouth. Then, unable to wait any longer, he moved his hands to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She quivered as his fingers impatiently opened the clasp of her robe and touched the soft flesh. His other hand now moved along the satin of her inner leg and up to the warmth of her thigh.
"No!"
Stopping, he gazed for a long moment at her full young b.r.e.a.s.t.s, flat belly, and long, slender legs. A sigh escaped him. "Ah, Cyra! If the stars could but see you thus, they would put out their lamps for shame of their own ugliness."
She moved to draw the two halves of her robe together.
"Hold!" he commanded. "It pleases me to look at you."
She paled at the sharpness of his words, then blushed, and he laughed. A bold hand cupped her breast. He could feel the dainty nipple harden against his thumb, and her heart beating wildly against his palm.
"Say my name," he demanded. "I have never heard you speak it"
"Selim," she whispered.
"Again." Releasing her breast his hand brushed the curve of her hip.
"Selim."
Reaching up, he loosened her hair, and it tumbled like a sunset over her shoulders.
"How fair you are," he murmured almost to himself. "I have known many beautiful women, but never have I seen one as exquisite as you. Little virgin, I want you. If I must wait in order to win your heart, I will wait; but by Allah, I would take you now if I dared!"
She drew him down to her. "Yes, my lord," Cyra said softly.
He looked at her wonderingly, and she smiled softly back at him. Then she was beneath him, and he heard the word "Gently" pounding in his head as his throbbing manhood entered her. Her maidenhead blocked his pa.s.sage, and, feeling her body tense, he stopped for a moment to tenderly kiss her face and stroke her silken hair. Gradually she relaxed, and in that instant he swiftly plunged through the barrier.
She did not cry out, nor did her green eyes close. Instead, they widened in surprise at the sweetness of the pain, then in wonder at the pleasure she felt racing through her body. She heard a low, animal moan and, startled, realized it came from her own throat At that moment Cyra felt herself plunged into a whirlpool of pain and delight Her lithe body arched to meet him; her young b.r.e.a.s.t.s, their nipples hard, pressed against his chest She felt him moving rhythmically within her, and as the pain subsided, she was drawn into a whirling vortex of dizzying warmth.
Suddenly she sobbed his name, and tears spilled onto her cheeks. He buried his lips in her hair, and then unable to control any longer the storm of pa.s.sion he had contained he released it into her. throbbing body.
In the split second that their souls touched he lost himself to her forever. He adored her. He could not get enough of her. She belonged to him completely, and yet it was he who felt enslaved
The moon had set and he looked over at the sleeping girl. She lay on her side facing him, one arm beneath her head His eyes feasted on her naked body-the moist pearly sheen of her skin, the coral-tipped nipples of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, the sooty fringe of her lashes against her cheek, her hair a red-gold ma.s.s of disarray against the pillows. He shuddered with hunger for her, but remembering how newly opened the bud of her maidenhead was, he rose instead from the bed and going to the door, called a slave to bring a basin of warm water, linen, cool drinks, and sweet cakes.
When all he had requested had been brought and placed by the bed, he gently rolled the sleeping girl upon her back. Dipping the soft linen into the scented water, he tenderly sponged the dried blood from her thighs. A slave should have done this, but he wanted no one else in the room to break the spell their love had created.
Finished, he pushed the basin aside and after drawing a light cover over the still form, walked out onto the terrace. Breathing deeply, he inhaled the cool air, and slowly his mind began to clear. I am in love! The words rang jubilantly in his head. Never before had Selim Khan had a real relationship with a woman. There had been soft, compliant bodies upon which he had vented his desire, but these had lasted no more than a night or two.
She had bewitched him, his little love. Never before had he felt the emotions that now a.s.sailed him. He felt loving, tender, and protective. How could one innocent little girl stir up so much confusion in a grown man"s heart and mind? He shook his head and walked back inside. He wanted to talk with her, hear her musical voice, and know that she felt the same.
Taking a cup of fruit juice in one hand, he sat down on the bed and playfully ran his other hand down the curve of her body. She murmured in soft protest and then, stretching like a newly awakened baby, opened her eyes. He handed her the cup, and she drank greedily.
"Have I slept long, my lord? I have never felt so rested."
"A few hours, little love."
He could not take his eyes off her, and she flushed shyly beneath his gaze. Placing the cup on the table near the bed, she drew his head down to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
"If you continue to stare at me so, my Selim, I shall burst into flame and become a cinder."
She looked at the man who lay contentedly on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Have I pleased you, my lord?" The power of her conquest sang in her voice.
Looking up at her, his eyes twinkling, his voice amused, he murmured. "You are incomparable, o moon of my delight!"
Realizing the foolishness of her question, she turned her face from him and giggled. The prince sprang from their couch, clutched her hand, and vowed pa.s.sionately that never had one such as she graced his bed. They both dissolved into gales of laughter, and the slaves outside the door nodded to one another that their master"s first ikbal must indeed be wise to please her young lord so much that they could laugh so happily in the midst of their love-making.
She pulled him tumbling back into the bed, and he looked down on her. "If you tell anyone of this farce, I shall strangle you," he glowered, but his eyes were laughing.
"My lord, I am well aware of your position," she answered him, and he realized their silly byplay was something she would never share with anyone, because it was theirs alone. Was it possible she loved him a little? he wondered.
Cradled in each other"s arms, they talked softly until they fell asleep.
She woke at a touch of her shoulder. "My lady, it is almost dawn," said the slave.
Nodding, she rose slowly.
"Where are you going, Cyra?"
"It is almost dawn, my lord Selim. Custom demands that I return to the women"s quarters."
"You will come again?" His eyes adored her. "When my lord commands me."
"Tonight?"
Her brilliant smile a.s.sented. "My lord must officially summon me."
"You will be summoned." He stood, picked her up, and carried her to the waiting litter. The astounded slaves kept their faces impa.s.sive as they padded back down the cold, silent corridor.
Cyra thought how frightened she had been but a few hours past Now her heart felt as if it would burst with happiness and joy.
The litter returned her to the harem where Lady Refet waited. Cyra ran to her.
"Oh, madam, I am so happy."
"And so you should be," smiled the older woman. "Now, I have ordered the ma.s.seuse, and your bath awaits. Then to bed, my child."
Cyra allowed the bath attendant to sponge the perfumed water over her, and the ma.s.seuse to lull her overexcited body and mind into a more restful state. When they had finished, Lady Refet appeared again.
"Come, dear child. I will escort you to your new quarters."
"I am not to go to my old room, madam?"
"It would not be fitting for Prince Selim"s ikbal to sleep in the quarters of an ordinary gediklis," replied the woman. "For several weeks now, my nephew has had the slaves working secretly on your apartments. They have been decorated to please just you."
"But he has been away, and returned only today."
"Yet we have had several messengers from him in that time."