Haroun was surprised by the request, and felt the briefest moment of regret, but then he said, "It is agreed. My uncle, the sultan, will make it so, Amir Khan." The Gods! He had looked forward to the little blossom, Bahira, in his bed. He would have treated her well. The vizier would have then been in his power. Now he must find another bride, but no matter.
"Are you in agreement, my lord Sultan?" the khan asked gently of the white-bearded old man. He watched cynically as Haroun bent to whisper in his uncle's ear. He could see the sultan was not really pleased with what was transpiring, but finally he nodded.
"It is agreed, Amir Khan. You will have my daughter, Zuleika, as your concubine, and General Sabola shall have Bahira for his."
The startled blue eyes of the vizier's daughter met the furious violet eyes of the princess of Dariyabar, but Zuleika knew better than to voice her outrage at this betrayal in her father's presence. What had made the khan deceive and mislead her? Was he really so stupid that he had not understood her proposal? She swallowed hard, as her anger threatened to burst forth and overwhelm her.
"We will return to our encampment with our prizes now, with the sultan's permission, of course," Amir Khan said, bowing.
Again the sultan nodded.
Now Zuleika spoke up. "What of my servants, and my possessions?" she asked boldly.
"I am not prepared to host a gaggle of females," the khan replied sternly. "You may share a servant between you. She will come tomorrow, and bring all your possessions with her. Is that agreeable, my lord?" He looked directly at Haroun.
"Indeed," Haroun nodded, smiling broadly. "I shall send Rafa to you, cousin, and you, vizier, will see that your daughter's things are packed up for Rafa to carry as well."
"Then it is settled," Amir Khan said in his deep, rough voice. He looked directly at Zuleika. "Come, woman!" he commanded her.
"Where is my litter?" Zuleika demanded. "Surely you do not expect me to walk like some slave woman!" Come, woman? He dared to address her as if she were nothing? Ohhh, he would pay for his words, and for his deceit! She glared angrily at him from her silver stool.
So she had a temper, the khan considered, amused. He struggled to maintain himself in the face of her outrage. The plan she had presented to him last night was well thought out, but not quite perfect. He hoped she would not kill him before he could explain the strategy he had devised to compliment her cleverness. His features retained their sternness. Without another word he stepped forward, and pulling her up from the dainty stool, he threw her over his broad shoulder and began to stride from the sultan's audience chamber.
He had taken her by surprise. She had never thought that any man would act in so barbaric a fashion. But he is a barbarian! her inner voice shouted at her in her outrage. Her dignity was in tatters now anyway. She pounded on his back with her balled-up fists as she was taken from the audience chamber. Free of the great hall he began to chuckle, and Zuleika, outraged ever further, swore at him in rather colorful language that he had not suspected a princess of Dariyabar would know.
Sabola looked to Bahira, and held out a hand. His handsome features were serious, with no hint of humor. Bahira reached out and took the hand, startled at the jolt that almost stunned her when their fingers touched. The sudden surprise in his brown eyes told her that he had felt it too. The Gods! Bahira thought with amazement. This man is my true mate. How very odd that such a thing should be, and yet I know it is so. With a reassuring smile at her father, and the sultan, Bahira walked from the hall with the khan's general. When they reached the courtyard where the khan was now mounted upon his stallion, Zuleika seated before him, they found the khan's guards awaiting them as well.
"You are a monster!" they heard Zuleika say furiously.
"Shut your mouth, woman!" the khan replied, and then he bent and whispered in her ear. "I will explain when we are free of the city."
"There is nothing you can say to me that I will believe," she hissed back at him. "You have betrayed me! You have betrayed Dariyabar!"
His big hand reached up and locked itself into her hair, thus preventing her from moving. His mouth took hers in an almost brutal kiss that left her breathless. "Be silent, Zuleika," he murmured low against her lips, "or I shall be forced to beat you. I may anyway, just for the pure pleasure of it." His dark eyes held hers.
She could not turn away from him. "You would not dare," she gasped, but she wasn't really certain.
"I am Amir Khan, my princess, and after last night there is nothing I would not dare to retain you in my possession," he told her, and then kicking his stallion lightly he finally looked away from her as they began to move off, through the palace gates and out into the city.
Sabola had mounted his own big stallion, and reaching down he pulled Bahira up with him. She nestled like a small bird in the curve of his thick, muscled arm. "You are very beautiful," he told her as they rode. "I like your blue eyes, and the red lights in your soft hair. Are you afraid?"
"Of course not," Bahira said, smiling up at him. "The moment we touched, my lord, I knew you were he for whom I have waited since my birth. I am yours, and will not question the gods in this." She gave him a sweet smile.
Sabola, the fiercest of the khan's warriors next to Amir Khan himself, felt his heart contract at her words. He had known many women in his time, but he had never loved. He had never even been certain what love was until this moment. "I will always care for you, Bahira," he told her tenderly.
"I know you will," she answered, and then she put her head upon his chest, hearing the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her ear. He was very big. She wondered if he was big all over. She suspected she would soon know.
They reached the khan's encampment, and wending their way through the tents they finally stopped before the khan's pavilion. Dismounting, the two men lifted the girls down from their horses. Zuleika attempted to strike Amir Khan, but he ducked the blow, and then yanking her over his knee smacked her bottom several blows, causing his men to burst into guffaws of laughter. He dragged her kicking and swearing into his quarters, Sabola and Bahira following behind.
When they had reached the relative privacy of the interior, Amir Khan said, "Are you going to allow me to explain without shrieking at me, or must I gag you and tie you to a tent pole?"
"There is nothing you can say to me that would explain your betrayal, you devil! I offered you Dariyabar upon a silver-nay, a golden-platter, and you have scorned it! I cannot believe you are that stupid. Are all barbarians such blockheads, my lord?"
"If I had insisted upon marrying you rather than having you as a concubine, Zuleika, it is likely I should have never left your father's audience hall alive. And if I had, my days, and yours, would have been numbered. Prince Haroun is a sly fellow, but he would have understood the threat I posed as your husband."
"So you decided that you would rather fuck me, and return to Khanistan with your tail between your legs!" she accused.
"No, I decided I should fuck you to both our pleasures, and then take Dariyabar, kill your cousin to prevent his threatening us, and lastly, marry you in your father's house with the old man by our side," he told her.
"But by dragging me in such barbaric fashion from the palace you have forced me to leave Kansbar behind, you great fool!" she cried.
"Will not your Rafa number it among the possessions she brings you?" he asked. "I assume your servant knows the secret of the bowl?"
Zuleika nodded.
"And your cousin does not know about the bowl?" he continued.
"No. I do not think so, though what my father will say to him now that I am no longer there, I do not know! Ibrahim's greatest passion, even greater than his love for my mother, is Dariyabar. Kansbar is Dariyabar's guardian. He may now tell Haroun of the genie. If my cousin gets his wicked hands on the bowl, you have no hope of gaining the city," she told him.
"Your father is old. His memory is not good. It is not likely he spoke with your cousin the moment you departed. He will mourn your
going, for now all of his children are gone from him. Rafa will be here tomorrow. I will send a company of my own men to bring her safely to us. Tonight is for pleasures you and Bahira have never tasted." He smiled at her.
"I do not trust you now," she insisted. "How can I? You might have told me last night of what you planned."
"I did not know last night. I did not even know this morning, for Sabola will confirm that I told him we were to marry this day. We even bathed for the occasion, Zuleika. It was just before we were to leave for the city that it came to me that if your cousin believed everything he has planned and schemed for is coming to fruition, it will be easier to overcome him. The genie can gain the city for us, but we must together defeat Prince Haroun, my princess."
"You are, I am learning," Zuleika said, "a far cleverer enemy than I anticipated, Amir Khan. How can I be certain that if I allow Kansbar to aid you, you will not deceive and delude me once again?"
"You cannot," he said, "unless you trust me."
"What guarantees can you give me, what proof of your honor, if indeed barbarians understand honor?" she demanded.
She was a worthy opponent. She would make him a commendable wife. The children from their loins would be strong, and have integrity. Daughters as well as sons. "I have not lied to you, Zuleika," he said.
"But you did not tell me everything," she countered.
"It is a mistake I will not make again," he promised her. "It is not in my nature to lie. I am simply not used to a woman as an equal."
"I am superior to you, barbarian," she snapped, but she found she was somewhat mollified, especially when she focused on his tight leather pants. He was the most breathtaking man.
"Do you wish me to spank your round little rump again, you wildcat?" he asked pleasantly, but there was a look in his eyes that she did not like.
"I am hungry," she told him. "Do you mean to starve me, my lord? And what of my poor Bahira?"
"I am hungry, but content otherwise," Bahira said mischievously.
The khan clapped his hands, and immediately two elderly male servants appeared bearing trays of food. There was roasted lamb, and to Zuleika's surprise, fresh fish from the sea. There was a bowl of saffroned rice with plump raisins and almonds. There was yogurt, and a platter of peaches, melons, grapes, pomegranates, plums and oranges. There were small honey cakes. The khan motioned them to the pillows that were set about a low and square ebony table banded in polished brass. They sat, and their cups were filled with a sweet heady wine. They ate, and when they had finished the servants brought bowls of scented water in which to wash their hands and faces, handing them linen cloths to dry with.
"You are more civilized than I had anticipated," Zuleika said.
"Do you call all people not of Dariyabar barbarians?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered him simply, and he laughed.
"Why do you want a window on the sea?" she wondered.
"For trading purposes," he told her. "It is trade that brings a people their wealth. There is much in the interior lands, especially furs and gems, that are desired by those beyond your shores. And then, too, a seaport offers us the chance to easily go forth and conquer other lands that can be of value to us. I intend to build a navy."
She nodded. "You are an intelligent man, Amir Khan."
"Are you still angry with me?" he asked her.
"No, but that does not mean I trust you either," she told him candidly. Her gaze turned to Bahira, and she smiled. "It would appear that Bahira is content to give herself to your general. Sabola is a most impressive man."
"You find him attractive?" the khan said.
"Of course I do. He is. I have been taught to admire all beauty in all of its forms. So has Bahira. We have been companions and friends our entire lives."
"How old are you?" he asked.
"We are sixteen," she answered him. "We were born but two days apart. Bahira is the elder," Zuleika explained.
"And she is a virgin too?" he inquired.
"Of course," Zuleika told him.
"Good. I would have Sabola gain the same pleasures this night as I will gain from you," the khan replied. "I would have you both remove your robes for us now."
The girls' eyes met, surprised, but then they both arose, and divested themselves of their silken robes. Where Zuleika was tall, and slender but for her plump breasts, Bahira was pleasingly rounded with full breasts, full hips and thighs. They kicked their slippers off almost in unison.
"Undo your hair," the khan ordered them.
The two girls complied, laying the jewels from their tresses upon the table and fluffing out their long hair so that it showed to its best advantage. Each had hair that fell to just below their hips.
"Now you must both disrobe for us," Zuleika told the two men.
They complied without question, and Bahira could not help but admire both men quite openly.
Amir Khan said softly to his friend, "She is eager. She must be first with us, eh?"
Sabola agreed, nodding. "Your princess is so in control of herself that she will need more priming."
"We shall see that she has it," the khan said with a grin. Then he turned to the two girls. "It is known that girls who are close to one another, sisters or friends, it does not matter, toy with each other as their curiosity grows. I think it is so with you two despite your excellent education in the amatory arts. Certainly you were not satisfied with a simple tutorial in passion. Surely you have played with each other's breasts, and other succulent parts."
Neither Zuleika or Bahira said a word, but their cheeks were warm with their blushes.
"You did not learn to kiss so well, my princess, by merely pressing your lovely lips to a sheet of beaten gold. Sabola and I would be entertained now by the sight of you both kissing, and touching each other as you have undoubtedly done many times in the past."
Bahira did not hesitate. She slipped an arm about Zuleika, and kissed her mouth even as the princess began to fondle her friend's lovely full breasts. For several minutes they kissed and caressed one another, and then they fell upon the pillows embracing. Bahira was the aggressor of the pair. She laid her length atop Zuleika's, and pressed her mons hard against her friend's. Together the girls moved in rhythm, their little pants of desire quite audible, their lush bodies entwined as the two men watched and became quickly aroused by the sensuous sight of the virgin duet at play. They seemed to know exactly when to stop the girls, Sabola leaning over from where he was seated to push Bahira off the princess. The khan then pulled the princess up. His finger pushed between her nether lips, and he smiled. Then, to Zuleika's shock, he tied her to a tent pole with soft silk bonds.
"Wh… what are you doing?" she gasped.
"It is all right, my princess," he told her, and his big hand caressed her face tenderly. "You must not be afraid, but Bahira needs our attentions first. We will get to you soon enough. You will watch us as we play together, and then you will play with us." He kissed her lips softly, and then turned back to Sabola and Bahira.
It was disturbing, but it was also exciting, Zuleika thought. She was not at all afraid of losing her virginity, but she had never considered that she would lose it in such a manner. She focused upon Bahira and her lover, fascinated by the erotic tableau that they presented sprawled upon a coral-colored silk mattress upon a raised dais across the tent. Bahira lay between Amir Khan's long legs while he played with her full breasts and murmured in her ear, leaving little kisses upon her face now and again. Sabola slowly licked Bahira's widespread legs, murmuring with pleasure at the delicious taste of her.
Zuleika felt her heart beat faster as the man moved slowly, slowly, until his fingers pulled Bahira's lips apart, and the fleshy tongue began to lick at Bahira's most private place. Bahira's little cries of delight sent her friend's pulses pounding even harder. Zuleika's lips felt dry. She licked them several times, and then she felt the khan's eyes upon her. She met his gaze, and Amir Khan smiled knowingly. Then he bent to kiss Bahira's parted lips
.
"She is marvelous," Sabola's rough voice ground out. "You must taste her before I have her, Amir. Virgin juices are always wonderful."
The two men switched places, and Bahira's cries grew greater in intensity. "Ohh, do it!" she begged. "Please do it!"
Sabola chuckled. "Such an eager little maiden," he murmured, and he nibbled on her ear. "Let the khan have the pleasure of your juices, Bahira. You will soon enough be impaled upon my lance."
"I want it!" Bahira gasped. "The Gods, I want it!"
Zuleika could barely breathe now. The sight of the two men making love to her best friend was proving incredibly arousing. Then the khan was arising from the mattress, and Sabola's great body was covering Bahira, who moments later cried out as if in pain. Then her cries turned in an opposite direction. Amir Khan now stood behind the pole where Zuleika was tied. His hands fondled her plump breasts, and he whispered in her ear.
"Soon, my princess, you will suffer your friend's fate. Are you as eager for it as she is?" He gently but firmly pinched one of her nipples, and a thrill of excitement raced down her spine.
"Yes!" she managed to say, straining against her bonds.
He laughed. "We shall both have her, Zuleika, and we shall both have you as well." The tip of his tongue teased at her ear.
"But if one of us should have a child?" she asked him. "How can either of you be certain as to the babe's paternity, or don't you care, my lord?" The Gods! His hands were now on her belly, and she had begun to ache with her need for him.
"The wine Sabola and I were served had an herb in it that has destroyed the life in our seed this evening. It will revive tomorrow," he explained. "We barbarians like to share our women now and again. It is a hospitable thing to do. But we would have our sons be ours." His lips brushed the side of her neck. "You and Bahira are just too beautiful and too delicious not to share this night."
Zuleika and the Barbarian Page 4
