Alana enjoyed her bribe, a very sweet and soft kiss, the kind she loved sharing with Adam every day. The kiss, and the way he smiled at her while holding her close, reassured her that, in those moments, the rest of the world didn’t exist. In those moments, only Alana existed for him, and Adam for her. They both felt it, and they both could always feel the depth of their love with just a gentle touch or a knowing glance.
Vera, on the other hand, decided to see how long Adam could breathe while paying her bribe, and the dexterity of her tongue didn’t go unnoticed.
“You could have all that, and even more applied elsewhere you know. And I’m pretty sure that my libido is at least as imaginative as you-know-who. Your loss.”
“Agreed, Miss Vera. You are without question the Grand Prize of all Grand Prizes everywhere, and I am truly saddened that I had to refuse your offer. I will regret my decision and be sorrowful for passing up this exceptional opportunity at full erotic bliss for a great long while. Still friends?”
Vera had heard a great number of come-ons and skillfully crafted lines in her time but this one was truly touching and almost believable.
“I half believe you, so I take no offense and may, at some future date, decide to relent and give you a weekend of skillful pleasure, but only if Alana takes part too.”
Alana hugged her friend and whispered, “Let’s not wait too long. I really miss you. I know Adam does too; he’s just too shy about Hannah’s reaction to ask.”
Vera said, “Alright, alright everyone’s forgiven. But I may be in one of my moods for a few minutes. Then you’re completely forgiven, of course.”
Alana looked at Adam, and asked, “So what can you tell us, Mister?”
“I can say we’re going somewhere exotic, that it will be massively fun, that there will be wonderful hosts who you will all adore, and that there will be many surprises. Big, big, big surprises for everyone. Everything Misti has arranged is what Misti wishes for us all, you ladies particularly, and I know she wants desperately for all of us to be pleased with her surprises. Everyone will have a serious decision to make, a choice, but she believes with all her heart that it’s the kind of choice between ‘wonderful’ and ‘very wonderful’. And, one among us will get the surprise of a lifetime, courtesy of the Old Man and his very bossy ward. So, tonight is more planning for the trip, and whipping up your curiosity. Try to act surprised.”
Alana and Vera looked at each other, slightly skeptically.
Vera asked, “You are talking about Misti, right?”
Adam responded, “Misti today is a different cat now than before she got pregnant. She’s still essentially bat-shit crazy, but softer too and more loving of her coven. Even the newbie who she wants me to hire away from MI-5 right away. We’ve all changed; she has too. Let’s get to prepping and be ready to cook after the walk.”
Vera asked Adam, “Are you joining us for dinner tonight?”
“Nope. But I won’t wander off. I’ll be nearby.”
***
After the evening walk the next day, the coven plus Kendra gathered at the Misti Residence to a gorgeously presented kitchen table with linen, place settings and other goodies distributed around a crystal center piece and three red tapers. The red wine was out and decanted and Adam had planned a light dessert for afterward for those so inclined.
Misti was slightly surprised by her husband’s taste in visual presentation but wouldn’t be surprised by his culinary skills, which she suspected would be as superb as always.
Misti remarked, turning to the ladies, “I still insist he’s a girl, but he’s my girl and I love every thought he bends my way.”
Alana said, “He’s our girl too, and even if we have to share him, we never have to share his love or thoughtfulness. I think we should all toast our girl, and our chef.”
Adam was standing with his favorite kitchen apron on which had “Kiss the Cook” in bold letters emblazoned on it. Someone had crossed out the word “Kiss” and scrawled in magic marker “Shag the Cook”. All eyes turned to Vera.
“What? Why am I always the prime suspect?”
***
Adam, true to his word disappeared into the kitchen, then off to the living room to read some of his daily reports from the field, and more from the crew in Operations. The ladies settled in.
Misti began, “I had thought until today of just asking all of you to be ready for a trip abroad for a few days this week beginning Thursday morning. You know, clear your schedules, and get ready for a surprise. But in speaking with the Old Man, he seems to think that I need to tell you what this is about beforehand; this isn’t a birthday-type surprise, it’s much, much more. I guess I assumed everyone, except possibly Kendra, would be delighted with the purpose of the trip, but now I realize I was wrong. I should never have presumed what you might want or need.”
Kendra was puzzled. “Why would I, in particular, not be delighted if everyone else was?”
“When I tell you about this, you’ll understand right away. I think.”
Misti had invited Kendra because she, and Adam had grown close quickly, ever since the night the coven discovered the existence of Adam’s mysterious but yet unmet minder, presumed, for no good reason, to be a woman. Since Kendra’s chat with the ladies after that episode, the unlocking of the gene, and the reorientation of her neural pathways, small, but positive changes had taken over Kendra’s life. The changes, all of which she welcomed but didn’t fully comprehend nor fully appreciate yet, had placed Adam and his presence in her life into a new and wholly different perspective. Suddenly, as her friends had said many times, she no longer viewed him as the disgusting “other” gender.
He was different.
She too was now different.
Misti thought that she might be interested in the unique thing to be offered, but it might also be way too soon. Misti and her coven had watched as Kendra and Adam grew closer. How they spent hours walking and talking often “crossing the bridge” and remaining seated at the closest bench, laughing and carrying on as if they had known each other since childhood.
None of the ladies were jealous in any way; the pair hadn’t consummated a physical relationship, and even their mind excursions were still somewhat sparse. More than anything, the coven was simply puzzled and curious. However, nobody, not even Vera or Misti, would intrude to ask what the camaraderie was all about.
Misti said, “Let me explain.”
Chapter 21
“Those of you who wish will depart this Thursday morning early on a Charter jet bound for Saudi Arabia. We will land in Riyadh, go through Customs and Immigration, refuel, then immediately depart for the small Kingdom of Nabataea. It is wholly located within the territorial boundaries of Saudi Arabia as a somewhat autonomous region, but subject to Saudi law. The Kingdom and its people were thought to have died out as a culture many centuries ago yet quite the opposite is true; until recently, the Kingdom had steadily maintained a population of over two hundred fifty thousand souls, many more until the last century.
“Due to new Saudi laws, demanded by the Wahhabi clerics who doubted the sincerity of the Nabataean Muslim clerics, young Nabataeans had begun to be forcibly relocated throughout the Saudi Kingdom and married off to the native Arab population. Marriage for these Nabataeans with other Nabataeans was decreed to be strictly forbidden, and their return to the Kingdom of Nabataea also banned on penalty of death. Sadly, there were now only slightly over one hundred twenty thousand ethnic Nabataeans existing on their traditional lands in their traditional ways at or near the capital city.”
Hannah asked, “Are we going there to do something? Plan something?”
“Yes, that too. But for two other reasons too. One was my idea and the other, which is far more dangerous in so many ways, was that of the Old Man. Who else?”
Vera, always the suspicious one, asked, “OK. Then tell us what you can say. Why the secrecy?”
“Well, you are all invited to an amazing wedding. There will not be man
y guests, at least I don’t think so, but will take place in an amazingly beautiful setting that will be truly unforgettable. The King’s Palace is where we will be staying, and I can assure you that it makes any five-star resort look like a shack. The attendants are lovely and kind and will make us all most welcome. The King and the Queen and the King’s two brothers will officiate and bless the marriages. It’s exciting!”
The ladies all looked at each other wondering if Misti had lost her mind. Nabataea? They had never heard of the place. Saudi Arabia? This country was on everyone’s list of the last place on Earth for an educated, liberated woman to visit. This wasn’t an exciting vacation to an exotic and far away land. This was somehow punishment, perhaps from a past life.
Vera interjected into the deafening silence. “At least tell us who is getting married? Prince Harry? Please, please, please make it him at least.”
Misti smiled. “Nope, even better. It’s you. All of you. The King of Nabataea has agreed to dissolve my marriage to Adam and marry all of us ladies here who wish to be wed to him. Illegal as hell in most of the world but not in Nabataea. Of course, the marriages are only legal in Nabataea, but well, we can’t have everything. What do you think? Any takers?”
All the ladies covered their mouths with their hands restraining the sheer delight, and immensity of the surprise. A few weren’t sure they heard Misti correctly. They hugged and kissed and were speechless.
All were speechless except Kendra.
She immediately said, “I’m in. We can leave right now if you’d like. But don’t leave me behind.”
“You’re sure?” asked Misti.
“Never been more certain in my whole life.”
“Vera? I wasn’t sure you be comfortable with this. Or Hannah. Or Noki for that matter. I don’t mean to create any discord or pressure. I just thought …”
Vera said, “I can only speak for myself and, I think, for Hannah just so she doesn’t have to fret over what she has always wanted since she met the boy king. I know she would fumble with this if she had to speak, not wanting to hurt me in any way by the fulfillment of her deepest desire. So, our answer, together and separately, is yes. Yes, yes, yes. The wedding night will be interesting, I mean do they have beds that big in the Kingdom of Nabataea? But aside from that little conundrum, does this mean I now get more ‘shag-time’ with the lad?”
Hannah said nothing, but the small rivulets of tears that trickled down her cheeks and the embrace she gave her wife told the assemblage of ladies everything they needed to know about Vera’s kindness.
“Noki? Adam tells me you aren’t, shall we say, very physical very often with him any more. Would you prefer to opt out?”
“Nope. It’s my destiny to always be at Adam’s side, as is yours and everyone else at this table. While I see no need for the ceremony, I understand it’s important for all of us to express an outward sign to the world of our commitment to each other and to Adam. We should, however, call it something new; rid ourselves of the legacy of the word ‘marriage’ and all that it implies. That’s my only wish.”
“Then we shall do as you request, and we shall all have a hand in renaming the legacy word into something new, something more us.”
“That leaves you Alana. What say you?”
“I am now and always will be Adam’s woman. Like Noki, I need no ceremony nor any piece of parchment to make that so. I see everything I need to know every day in his eyes and every time we kiss or touch. I think we all do, and I especially know that Hannah feels this more deeply than she will ever admit aloud. So, I’ll say it for her.”
The ladies stopped dead in their mirth. Alana continued.
“Hannah and I share one attribute that all of us as a group do not. We have all spoken of this before, so no disrespect is intended; it’s old news.
“Misti is Adam’s teacher, guide and protector in a world he fails sometimes to comprehend at all. Without her, none of us would be here right now. She will bear his children, but motherhood was never her desire, though she often told Adam it was.
“Noki has moved beyond the physical world to the realm of the ethereal. Her path is to guide and teach Adam’s mind, not his body. She will bear him two more children and will never bond with another, male or female.
“Vera has never sought to bond with anyone other than her wife, Hannah. She has no use for men, though like Misti, she makes an exception for the one male she doesn’t in any way comprehend. She desires Adam more than she admits, not because he’s a man, but because he is Adam.”
Alana paused.
“But two of us, Hannah and I, both desire Adam in the old-fashioned way. We love him and would gladly have him all to ourselves, make babies, live in the country in a bucolic setting, and live out the rest of our lives in peace. Hannah knew that would, and could, never be. It was a dream, an illusion. What Hannah and I want, perhaps better said, wanted, cannot ever be what we most desire. But we can have most of it. This doesn’t impugn any of our sisters here assembled, only that we must now fully realize and accept what we must do with and for Adam, whom we all love. Differently, but we all, in our own unique ways, can no longer be separated from him. The void left by his permanent absence would destroy us all.”
“What about me?” came the query from Kendra. “Where do I fit in?”
Alana responded kindly. “I don’t know except to say that it hasn’t yet been revealed to Noki or to me. But you will fulfill something important, something monumental in the history of our world. What we do know is that Adam feels it too and his love for you grows every day. He has come to rely on you, though for what we are not privy. But he listens to you, and everything you tell him he accepts as true and wise. Neither Noki nor I can see clearly what you mean to him. This has been hidden from us by Adam.”
Kendra said, “Do you wish to know what we discuss? What we share?”
“No. If it’s to be revealed to us, then it will be revealed. But you are kind to offer.”
Vera said, “Not so fast missy, I’d like to know. There are no secrets among us, save the ones kept by Adam himself for his own reasons. Reasons that protect us from his burdens and the tasks he will face alone. But among us ladies, we all have a right to know what part we play in this most luscious of adventures. That should include Kendra.”
A voice from the kitchen said, “And yet, it does not. I am afraid that what will pass between Kendra and me can never be revealed. It cannot ever be so, because it would endanger each of you greatly.”
“More than we already are?” asked Vera.
“I’m afraid to say so, but yes. I have asked Kendra for a personal sacrifice, in fact several, and she has assented to each my requests. That’s all that can ever be said.”
Adam smiled at Vera. “But if you’d like to torture it out of me, I’d be happy to oblige.”
Vera smiled back, “I guess there’d be no harm in trying. I have implements that can make you talk, you know. And I know how to use them. Or I still have the instructions; I forget.”
Adam turned to Misti and said, “And don’t you worry Misti Alarcon St. James, Kendra still says she prefers having mad sex with you and you alone. I pale in skill, apparently, and have been carelessly tossed aside.”
“Liar! I never said any such thing,” said Kendra. “I only asked for my turns too, just like the ‘in-denial’ Vera. The secrets she harbors for the only male for whom she lusts. I’ve not had a physical turn yet and I think it’s long past due. Can you make room for one more? Please?”
Misti said, “Sweetie, that’s the easiest request you will ever make of us. Yes, of course we will. However, as the apprentice and newbie, you go last. Seniority, you know. We’re strictly a Union shop.”
Kendra laughed, “That’s unfair. And it’s mean and cruel.”
Misti began laughing. “I know. Finally, I have another friend who truly understands me.”
Chapter 22
The charter landed in Riyadh on time, mid-afternoon at a private
airstrip owned by an old friend of Edward’s who could make “special arrangements” for friends of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Edward, never religiously political, had somehow always come down on the side of the Sunnis who seemed to wield great power within the Muslim world. To Adam, this derived from the great traditions of Islamic tolerance, a long tradition of erudition and from the strength of their history and religious fervor.
Radicals in the Islamic world got too much press and too much money, just as radicals in every nation seem capable of engineering.
What the great nations of the old Islamic world had once meant to the preservation and reverence for ancient knowledge along with the contributions to mathematics, medicine, and science had slid for some into the tragedies of vast car parks of abandoned status symbols, and ostentatious displays of excessive wealth. Both the Sunnis and the Shiites believed in the same God and the same Prophet (Praise be His name) Mohammed, and yet the only peoples they detested more than the Israelis were each other.
Adam had long concluded that some in the wealthy elite in Islam had more in common with Russian Oligarchs than the subjects they should have been shepherding. There was nothing Adam could do about it, nor was it their business to judge cultures or religions, but there was something that Adam and Edward could do now within the Kingdom to prevent more senseless tragedy.
The small charter was met by men in uniform who barely glanced at their passports and documents, pressing them instead about why their jet was refueling and where they were bound.
“To el Basra Oasis, the site of the ruins of Aram al Noor. My father will meet the Crown Prince there to discuss the potential for excavation and restoration.”
“Yet he does not travel with you. And you by yourself with your wife and four unrelated women. You realize our culture requires a strict dress code, and the clerics frown upon undisciplined women, unescorted by male family members. Perhaps you should thoroughly consider your present location before leaving the capital. There can be danger for those who mock Islam and the punishments are severe.”
Resolution Page 12
