The Magus arrived first, his arrogant chin leading as usual. Since our arrival in Jerusalem, the white that once streaked his hair had widened into broad swaths. What had him so worried?
“Sit down.” I pointed to the least opulent chair in the room, a dun-colored skin stretched over a simple frame.
“This is a delightful surprise, your Excellency.” The Magus wore a tight, anxious half smile. “You’ve not required my services since you came to Israel.”
Actually, I never required his services.
“Now I do.” I folded my arms and settled back in my chair.
The Magus fussed with the amulets around his neck. “King Solomon!” He jerked forward, then fell to his knees.
Solomon and I exchanged a glance, the kind longtime friends shared. Meanings conveyed without a word.
Solomon sat down with ceremony, as though the chair next to mine were a throne. “Arise and be as you were.”
The Magus sank into his chair, worry stretched across his face.
“You are the Magus.” He gestured to the Magus’s amulets.
“I am.”
“How are you enjoying your stay here?” I asked the Magus.
“Very much.” The Magus straightened up. “King Solomon has a fine court. I had the distinct privilege of meeting several of his court magicians. I’ve learned much from them.”
Solomon blinked. “They shared their secrets?”
“No.” The Magus paled. “Some. Not many. A few. Different methods only.”
Solomon nodded. “Did you share yours?”
“Huh?” The vein in Magus’s forehead bulged out. He flapped his hand dismissively. “Of course, of course. This is a trade mission after all.” He lifted his Hand of Miriam. “All religions have their talismans, sacred stones, amulets, and holy incantations. Of course, I have been careful not to be a nuisance like the Oracle. She mingles with the townsfolk and sticks her nose into all sorts of things.”
My lips twitched with annoyance. “What kind of things?”
The Magus shrank into himself. “She asks questions about the Lord God.”
“Seems harmless.” I myself spent countless hours discussing gods with Solomon.
“Unless it leans toward the dark arts.” The Magus lowered his voice. “The Oracle is obsessed with plagues, fallen angels, and the Lord God’s prophets. She should know her place, not meddle with unfamiliar deities and rituals she knows nothing about.”
“Commandeering your purpose, is she?” Solomon arched one eyebrow.
“She’s nothing but a soothsayer.” The Magus bristled with insult. “Most people will never live long enough to see if her prophecies are accurate.” He sat tall and patted his chest. “I am a master of the elements; of fire, water, earth, and air.”
I’d heard enough. “I’m glad you are enjoying our stay.” I clasp my hands and nodded. “You are dismissed.”
The Magus rose, his earlier unease replaced with his usual conceit.
Solomon waited until after the Magus left. “What was that all about?”
“You have the best instincts of anyone I know. What do you make of him?”
“I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him. Is that why you brought him? Because it was safer than leaving him in Ma’rib without you?”
“That is precisely the reason. Tell me, how did you reach such a quick judgment about him?”
“I notice details others overlook. A wince, a nod, a change in pitch. Men and women excel at lying with their mouths. Their expressions and gestures rarely lie. The Magus’s words did not match his movements. He told several lies.”
“Which ones?”
Solomon listed them. Solomon’s magicians would never divulge a secret. The Magus spoke flattering words through a tight throat. He avoided answering a question with deflection, by accusing the Oracle of inappropriate behavior. Solomon rubbed his chin. “What wrongdoing do you suspect him of?”
My eyes dropped to my lap, and I twisted my rings. Should I be truthful? I set my hand over my flat belly. “I believe he may have cursed my womb.”
Solomon rose from the chair and kneeled before me, his eyes soft with love and compassion. “I love you, Bilqīs. When my Lord God decrees it, he will open your womb.”
“I love you so much it frightens me.” I cupped his face in my hands. “Nonetheless, baby or not, I cannot stay here forever. My people need me.”
“I need you.” Solomon turned his cheek and pressed a kiss into my palm.
“And I need the seed of the only man I will ever love.”
Solomon clasped my hands in his, kissed each fingertip. “Perhaps my Lord God and your Almaqah want us to enjoy each other’s company for a bit longer. This is their way of postponing your leave-taking. They know the minute you are with child you will return to Sheba.”
I nodded and blinked back tears.
“Trust in our gods. They know what is best.”
We kissed deeply, a press of lips and tongue transcending mere passion and lust. It was the kiss of devotion, honor, forbearance, understanding, and respect. A kiss of Oneness.
“Have faith, my love,” Solomon whispered when our lips parted. “By the way, I have a special surprise for you.”
CHAPTER 56
“It’s not much of a secret place if the guards know the location,” I said from under the shade of the patterned howdah.
“The royal guard is sworn to secrecy.” Solomon, riding his camel alongside me, took a sip from his water skin.
“Why are we leaving the luxury of the palace to stay in a tent?”
“Not just any tent.” He wiped his mouth. “And because it’s my private sanctuary. A place where I feel closer to God and am able to revel in the glory of His creation undisturbed.”
“Does this sanctuary of yours have a bath?” The wind left me feeling gritty and the dust had already managed to seep through my clothes.
Solomon chuckled, a deep wonderful sound, the weight of his voice more soothing than any neck massage. “We’re not far, my love. Then you can see if it meets your demanding specifications.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “What kind of leopard rides a camel?”
“The kind that hunts at night.” I looked behind me to where Nasreen sprawled inside a custom howdah, atop her personal camel, the only one permitting the pampered feline to do so.
The trail wound around tilled fields, craggy hills, and tree-thick hummocks. We passed goatherds driving their goats homeward, and shepherds taking their sheep to graze.
The trail thinned, our camels plodding forward in a single line. We rounded a bend and entered a narrow gorge hidden behind a thick copse of trees. The sheer sides rose skyward and seemed to close in on us. The tight gorge ended at a crevice little more than two camels wide.
A happy grin splayed on his face. Solomon looked over his shoulder. “One way in.”
My jaw dropped when I saw what lay beyond. Surrounded on all sides by high plateaus, the valley was green and lush. There was one enormous, brightly colored tent and several smaller ones in the middle near a large square cistern of dazzling blue water.
“Where will the guards sleep?” I looked behind me. They were gone. “What happened to them?”
“The guards set up camp in the grove. It’s just us, my love.”
“No servants?”
“Only two, a husband and wife who keep this place ready for me.” Solomon stopped the camel and breathed deeply. “This is where I come to remember who I am and renew my purpose in life. This is God. The sky, the plants, the water, the valley. I am a man, powerful and revered, yet only mere flesh and blood. This place keeps me humble.” His eyes sought mine. “I have never brought another person here. But since you are my heart, it is only fitting that you share my soul.”
Had I not been on a camel I would have held him in my arms. Instead I set both hands over my own bursting heart. “Words cannot express my gratitude at this privilege.”
Solomon beamed back at me. “Let’s go!�
�� He gave the camel a swift swat with the stick and galloped into the valley with a jubilant yell that came from the depths of his happiness.
I followed behind, his exuberance releasing my own joyful enthusiasm.
Once arrived, Solomon leapt from his camel. “Jump, my love.” He held out his arms.
I swung my legs over the howdah and fell into his embrace. Solomon crushed his mouth to mine, our intertwining tongues a promise of lusty indulgences to come.
“This is my oasis.” Solomon set me on my feet and swept his hand about the camp. It was a secret paradise, a lush sanctuary of sun and shade, splendid with fruit trees, herbaceous plants, and fragrant flowers surrounding a shimmering pool. I was marveling at it all when it struck me. There was not a single statue, not a bit of decoration other than nature’s own ornamentation.
Solomon squeezed my hand. “Come, you’ll appreciate this.” His voice reminded me of an eager child. He led me into the enormous tent. “What do you think?”
Not a glimmer of gold, silver, copper, or gems could I find. Only rough-hewn furniture with nary a chisel necessary for its purpose. Crude wood bowls and cups were set on the table. All pillows and blankets were sun-bleached, unadorned, and patternless. There was no trace of the luxury-loving king.
“Is this the real you?” I asked, wrapping my arms around Solomon’s solid waist.
“A part of me. I appreciate simplicity and complexity equally. Both are beautiful.” He kissed my forehead. “Unfortunately, I spend too much time with one and not the other. Both are needed to restore the balance needed for wisdom and peace.” He swatted my bottom. “Ready for a swim?”
I shucked my leather slippers, pulled my dusty dress over my head and, laughing, raced naked out of the tent toward the pool.
How long had it been since I’d felt this free? Not since before becoming queen. I reveled in this liberty. Free from curious eyes, judgmental minds, and rigid rules. I dove into the pool, my body and spirit baptized by this brief unrestricted freedom.
I rose from the depths to find Solomon swimming after me. I dove back under and swam away. Solomon snatched my ankle and hauled me back. We broke the water’s surface gasping for breath and laughing like children.
I wrapped my legs around Solomon’s hips and plunged onto his rigid cock. He nibbled my neck, his hands gripping my ass, and pushed deeper.
Solomon slipped. Lost his footing. Intertwined, we sank to the depths where we drew breath from our kiss.
We were not fish. We rose, gulping the air and splashing each other.
Solomon arced a stream of water from his mouth and floated on his back. His hard cock stuck out of the water like a dorsal fin.
“A fuck fish!” I pointed before swimming away.
Solomon caught me at the side of the pool and impaled me with a splash. We fucked slowly, leisured thrusts all the way in and out, until we cried out to the sky and splashed with release.
Solomon pulled out, turned around, and patted his shoulder. “Get on.”
I climbed on his back and he swam thirty lengths across the pool and back. We emerged from the pool and collapsed on a blanket of soft grass, our faces turned to the sun’s warm rays.
“I’m starving,” said Solomon.
“Your wish is my command.” I rolled over and sat on his face.
Solomon lapped my cunt, flicking his tongue over my clit, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Then he stopped.
Stopped!
And pushed me off.
CHAPTER 57
Solomon stalked toward the grove of fruit trees.
“You can’t just stop.” I raced after him, my cunt throbbing.
“You’re so greedy. The greediest lover I’ve ever had.” Solomon walked beneath an arbor twined thick with vines. “I’m surprised you only keep three men . . . your stallions as you call them.”
I dug my heels into the soil and put my hands on my hips. “You have six hundred wives and three hundred concubines!”
Solomon spun about. “None as greedy as you.” He lunged, grabbed me, and threw me over his shoulders. “I think you should be punished.” He smacked me open-palmed on my naked plump ass.
I reached down and seized his cock. “Put me down!”
“You’ve been a naughty queen.” He smacked me again, and this time the sting surged straight for my swollen clit.
“Ouch!” I yelped.
Solomon rubbed my ass. “A very naughty girl.”
He slapped me a third time as he traipsed into a small glade in the middle of the orchard, where he stood me upright on the grassy carpet.
Solomon knelt down to praise my sanctum with his gifted tongue. I blessed his devotion with my honeyed nectar and moaning gratitude. He slapped, licked, slapped again, until my knees wobbled and my fingers dug into his scalp. The fruit trees swirled around me, their fragrant blossoms blurring until my joy erupted and gushed into his mouth.
“Get on your knees,” said Solomon.
I dropped down, my legs weak, and presented him my stinging ass. Solomon plunged into my depths, both hands on either side of my ass, fucking me hard and fast, until we both cried out our gods’ names. I collapsed, my cheek pressed to the grass, Solomon atop me.
A moment later he rolled off and held me tight as I rested my head on his arm. We stared up at the pink cloud-streaked sky.
“Imagine you could have anything you desired. What would you choose?” asked Solomon.
Wealth, power, respect, and love. I had these. “Unlimited wisdom and understanding of everything.”
“That’s all?” Solomon chuckled.
“Eternal life would be nice too.”
“Like God.”
I pinched his nipple. “Flesh and blood is ephemeral. Our lives are no more than a speck of sand on a beach. What is a god made of that they live forever?”
“Everything.”
“Explain everything?” I asked.
“If I knew I would walk with God.”
“Your God walks?”
Solomon rolled over, propped his head on his fist. “If he chooses.” His stomach growled.
“Does your god get hungry?”
“As much as I do.” Solomon flashed his thousand-sun grin.
We left the orchard and sat at a simple table set for the evening meal in front of the tent. The husband and wife caretakers were like magical specters, unseen and unheard, yet anticipating our every need.
Solomon and I ate honeyed lamb stew and thick bread while star after star appeared, until a multitude twinkled overhead.
In the distance, I saw Nasreen’s shadow leap from a tree and slink into the darkness.
“She won’t eat my guards, will she?” asked Solomon.
“Why not, you ate a queen.” I pushed a morsel of lamb between his lips. “She’s tame enough.”
After the meal, we lounged on a low bed beneath the night sky.
“Shall we sleep out here tonight?” I snuggled next to him. “I haven’t slept under the stars since…”
It all came back. The sounds, the smells, my anguish and fear. The cold rage of revenge coursing through my body. I should have found the murderers by now. I should have located Momma’s head. But except for King Hasan, I had let the murderers walk into a mirage and disappear.
“What’s wrong?” Solomon turned his head. “You whimpered.”
Tears rushed down my cheeks as I sobbed in Solomon’s arms. I told him everything. About my Momma’s murder, finding her headless, my revenge against King Hasan, the search for the five murderers, and knowing that the traitor lived in my palace, undermining me and waiting for the perfect time to strike.
“I dismissed all my father’s advisors.” Solomon stroked my hair. “But you could not have done that. Our circumstances were much different.”
“I should have—”
“Don’t.” Solomon sealed my lips with his finger. “A king and queen must have no regrets. We must learn from an experience, become better. Having regrets simply dim
inishes our inner strength.”
I flung my arms to the heavens. “You said this place made you stronger. It makes me feel weaker.”
“Embracing and understanding your weaknesses is strength. Own your weakness. Move forward into it and through it. Gather its power and make it a strength.”
I rolled to my side, our faces nose to nose. “How?”
“Your love for your mother and rage for the murderers kindles the fire inside of you. A smokeless fire. Don’t you see? No one sees the anger simmering inside of you. Use that advantage.”
I was smokeless fire. My beauty, intellect, and temperament concealed my ever-present anger and anguish over Momma’s death. No one saw the flames or felt the heat. “Am I that sphinxlike?”
“Yes, and it’s one reason you were able to seize control. People are sheep in need of a shepherd. You’re not just a shepherd, but a beautiful one glowing with radiance and supremacy. You had only to lift your shepherd’s crook—”
“You mean King Hasan’s bloody head.”
“Or sword.” Solomon smiled and wiggled his nose across mine. “To lead them from tyranny into peace for them to become your obedient flock.”
All the guilt and shame over not finding Momma’s head flew out of me like a bat from a cave. The night swallowed my regrets, and calm resolve filled the space left behind. “I like it here.”
“I like it better with you.”
We drifted asleep in each other’s arms.
Only nocturnal predators were awake when Solomon’s hand stroked my body, and his cock bumped against my bottom. He fondled my breasts, rolled my nipples between his thumb and finger until I was wide-awake.
Solomon sat up, his legs straight out. “Ride me, Bilqīs.”
My ass on his chest, my hands on his knees, I lowered my cunt over him and swallowed his length. Solomon’s hands held each breast as my hips gyrated and rocked a slow rhythm into him.
That night we explored many new positions. Most defied description. His cock was long, he was strong, and I was flexible.
The last position had me howling my orgasm to the crescent moon. Solomon laid me on my back and lifted my legs until they were over my head. He sat on me backward as though I were a human chair, my thighs his fleshly grip. His cock penetrated deep, pinning me to the bed. Pinioned and powerless, sensation took over and crested me atop wave after wave of rapture.
Confessions of a Sheba Queen Page 26
