Shiemir Alonwei gasped, looking like a fish out of water. His hazel eyes bulged and his chest heaved. "Treacherous man. You weasling—"
"I’d be careful what you say if I were you. My guards outnumber yours. Although a bloody coup is not what I had in mind, it is a method I do not abhor, if the occasion calls for it. Higher men have breathed their last for insulting me."
Leuj stood up and puffed out his chest. He waved his hand, dismissing the Tarafian ruler. "I have other matters to attend to, matters that concern Ferria and Honn. Irnia will grow beyond any nation in the seventh sector. You will see if you’re smart enough to hold your tongue and not get killed."
The Oemir sauntered out of his parlor and crossed the gilded hall, listening to Shiemir Alonwei floundering. "See him out!" Luej barked to one of his servants. "Be sure he does not return to my gates without his daughter."
The blue clothed boy darted away to carry out his orders, mumbling the required words of compliance, "Yes, my Oemir."
He wondered what it would be like to hear those words from Sima’s pert lips. Would it take months to seduce her? Weeks? Hopefully not days. That would be such a waste. No, she will fight my conquering as she fought my kiss. I’ll woo her in a different way, with promises and luxuries her father never bestows on her, freedom, respect and lust. I will make her want me.
Leuj returned to his balcony. From his vantage, he watched the doubled suns rising higher above the Pelian Sea. The water glowed blood red, and the sky burned in hues of pink above it. A thick wash of rain clouds hung in the air, mingling with the city’s smog. The scene looked beautiful to the Oemir, and he wished Sima stood beside him to share it.
Chapter Four – Shiemir Alonwei
Sima rolled over and woke. Razi lay beside her, his brown eyes half open and a smile already teasing his full lips. He’d opened a curtain at some point because the morning light showed in a muted mauve tone across his dark skin. She felt his warm hand against her bare back, his fingers stroking her in tender circles. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," she said in a breathless whisper, too afraid to move and ruin the moment.
Razi’s grin widened. "I’ve been lying here, watching you." His hand delved down, crossing the sway of her lower back and halting on the curve of her buttocks. A firm squeeze made her gasp.
"What do you want to do this morning?" His gaze heated roved over her exposed chest. "Tell me."
Sima’s lips parted, but she held her words in. I want you to make love to me all morning long, to push my legs wide and bury your cock inside me again and again until I scream your name. Her pussy contracted and moistened her entry. The warm feeling caused her to suck in a tight breath.
"You’re blushing again. You do that a lot." He pulled her hips toward his, and she felt the bulge in his pants poking below her navel. This time it felt harder, more insistent. "What are you thinking?"
"Thinking? Um." She bit her lip, letting one hand stray to his chest. Fingers curled and searched there in the nest of hairs. He smelled musky, almost spicy. Perfumed traces of soap and cologne clung to the air around him. "I’m thinking you’re handsome."
He chuckled low in his throat.
"Maybe I could lay here and stare at you all day." She let her forefinger make its way to his nipple. She touched the silver ring there tentatively, wondering if it felt sensitive. The thought of piercing such a tender place alarmed her.
"Do you want to touch me in other places?" Razi murmured. He thrust gently against her. She felt the line of his hard-on.
"Is that what you want?" Sima tugged at the silver ring, making him wince.
"It’s about you, not me."
She let go and groaned. "You make me want things I know are wrong." She dropped her hand between them and shook her head, trying to empty it of lust and passion. "We should get up and have breakfast. After that, I need to decide where I will go from here."
"Oh." His single word reaction held disappointment. "I feel so unwanted." He forced his lower lip out in a petulant pout. "I must be too old for this job. Now Hicklan will send me to the mines for sure."
"Stop it." She hissed. "You’re picking on me."
He laid the back of his hand across his brow. "My life of degradation and lust is over." He choked out a wet sob, stifling the snicker that followed.
Giggling, she reached back to tug a pillow free, and slapped its fluffy surface against his face. "Very funny."
"Hey!" He pushed her backward. She bounced on the mattress. "You want to fight with me?" Razi stole the pillow from her and hit it across her thigh. "You’re no match for me." He smacked her again.
She wriggled away and fell off the bed. "Ouch!" Rubbing her backside, she started to get up. She braced herself on her hands and knees. "Bad landing."
He dived after her, and smacked the pillow against her ass. "You just need practice."
Turning on him, she burst out laughing. "This is…so weird," she struggled to say between giggles. "I bet no one ever wants to have a pillow fight with you."
"This is the first time, but there’s a first time for everything." Razi chucked the pillow at her face. She dodged, narrowly escaping the attack. "What are you hungry for? I know it’s not me."
"Hmm." She stood up, turning her back to him. "Pancakes with butter, syrup and strawberries."
Razi crawled across the bed and rolled off the side. He stood and slipped his hands around her waist. "Pancakes it is. No strawberries unless you want me to go out."
She sighed when he hugged her. Though his cock seemed less apt to jut against her, she still felt its shape bulging into her butt cheek. It had been some time since she felt turned on by a man. The memory of Leuj and the night he’d pressed her against a bench in her father’s garden came to mind. His tongue had cruelly invaded her mouth as if he sought something precious within. Sima’s skin went cold. Leuj. The reason I escaped. I hope I never see him again.
"Is something wrong?" Razi murmured in her ear. "You just tensed. Want a massage?"
"No. I’m fine." She placed her hands over his. "Yes for the massage, but after breakfast."
"You want breakfast in bed?"
"The sign did say meals served in bed. I read that part." She blushed.
"Just not the rest. I see how you are. The way to your heart is by feeding your stomach." He released her, and threw up his arms. "I’m nothing more than your cook." Laughter hung in his sarcasm.
"You’re a sexy cook." She turned, feeling less uncomfortable standing naked in his presence. His eyes reflected none of the revulsion her first lover seemed to have for her shapely figure. "Go make me three pancakes, sexy cook. Do it now!" She pointed at the door, attempting to glower as her father often did.
Razi widened his eyes and tucked away his smile. "As your servant, I must obey." He bowed low and stood. "Be right back."
As he walked through the doorway, she studied his ass. It would be nice to hold that. She silently remanded herself, and went to the bathroom. The cotton clothes were dry at last. She pulled on her lacy underwear and her slacks. The bra was too fine for a commoner, but she doubted anyone would check beneath the shirt she pulled over her head. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she ran a travel brush through her long hair, straightening out the slight curl.
The tempting scent of frying batter permeated the air. Razi hummed while he worked, and she listened, admiring his voice. She tossed her hair over her shoulders, and went back to the bed. Sinking into the spot he’d slept in, she could smell him on the covers. His spicy aroma tortured her. "What would it be like to have a man like him?" she wondered aloud. "I guess I can have him, but what would that make me?" Leuj entered her thoughts again. "Yes," she murmured. "I’d be no better than him. No, thank you." She leaned into the pillows, and closed her eyes, content for the moment to listen to Razi’s voice.
"Ready!" he announced as he entered the room.
Sima opened one eye. "Mm. Looks like heaven."
"Don’t I?" He winked at her,
and sat on the side of the bed. "Get up, my mistress, and let me feed you."
"Ha, ha. I can feed myself, but you can eat too." She scooted upright and took the laden plate from his hands.
"Can I?"
She nodded and sliced a chunk from her stack of pancakes. "Eat, eat. You’re wasting away before my very eyes."
"Can I eat anything I want?" He placed his hand over her crotch, and narrowed his gaze.
"Uh…" She shoved food into her mouth, her eyes wide. Chewing kept her from answering, but she had to swallow eventually. "That’s not nice."
"How do you know? Have you ever tried it?" His fingers curled and released, and she could feel it through the comforter.
"Let me eat." She cut another bite and speared the layers with her fork. "You’re distracting me."
"I just like to see your face turn pink." He climbed over her, settling at the side of the bed, his arm touching hers. "But I can watch TV if my hints bother you so much."
"Good idea."
He stuck out his lower lip in a comical pout as he reached to the bedside table for the remote. The slim slice of metal and touchscreen reminded Sima of her father. He often worked on long trips, huddled over his computer, drumming the touchscreen like a man possessed. Razi tapped out the commands. The wall slid open before them, revealing a hidden screen. A preprogrammed channel flashed porn. He clucked his tongue. "Who left the channel here? What kind of hotel is this? I must complain to the management when we check out, dear."
She laughed at him and kept eating.
Razi channel surfed before finally settling for the late morning news. Sima lost interest and looked down at her food. The weatherman reported more rain and chilling winds at night. Light, computer-made music filtered the space between news subjects. She took a large bite into her mouth and chewed slowly, ignoring the newscast. Just then, her father’s voice echoed through the speakers. She choked.
"… one hundred thousand shens to the person or persons that return her safely to me. My daughter is precious. She means everything to me. Please…"
"Shit!" she shouted. "Turn that off!"
Razi watched the screen more avidly. "Why, dear?"
She reached for the remote, but he held it away, just out of range, a wicked grin on his lips.
The reporter came on, her droning voice a low monotone. "Sima Alonwei, the Shiemir of Taraf’s daughter and only child was last seen in Irnia’s southern district. Reports claim she was running from her bodyguards…"
"Turn it off!" She clenched her teeth.
Razi’s brow furrowed. He slid off the side of the bed and sauntered toward the screen.
Sima cringed. The news channel flashed a picture of her in the red dress Leuj gifted her the day they met. I hate that dress! She dropped her plate on the bed and went to the bathroom to get her purse. Thinking fast, she opened the medicine cabinet and crammed three travel packs inside. With a glance at herself in the mirror, she realized how terrified she looked. She zipped the small clutch closed, and bent to find her boots.
"Going away, dear?" Razi’s voice held that playful tone despite the news channel’s revelation.
She raised her head and frowned. "Yeah. It’s been great, but you’ll turn me in." She pulled on her second boot and stood. "Looks like it won’t work out between us. Nice meeting you." She ducked beside him, ready to run again, but his fingers caught her upper arm, holding her back.
"Sima?"
"What?" She stared straight ahead at the doorway leading to the hall.
"Don’t go." His thumb moved up and down across her skin. "You’re safe here." He looped his arm around her waist, urging her back. "I promise."
"A hundred thousand is a lot of money. You could buy your freedom with that. A summer home on beachfront property and a maid to keep it clean." She felt stiff standing there, scared and anxious to disappear.
"Who else saw you come in?" He hugged her close as if he cared for her safety, but she didn’t think he could, not so soon. It just wasn’t feasible. Few people she’d met cared for anything but themselves.
"The guy at the counter." She looked down and noticed the small bump on his forearm, the chip beneath his skin. Razi and I are the same, she realized. The only difference is that he has that, and they can find him if he runs.
"No one else?" he asked, his mouth close to her ear. "You’re certain?"
"I waited to be sure the street was empty before I crossed it." Sima lunged forward, but he drew her tighter, holding her still.
"Don’t go out there blind. Ailen won’t turn you over. We have no cameras here, and what happens in these rooms is private."
She turned in his arms to peek up at him. "It’s a lot of shens. You know it, I know it. Please, let me go."
"If you go out there now, the police will catch you. They’re crawling the streets if your face is all over the news like that." He leaned his forehead against hers. "Think. Where will you go? How will you get there?"
"I don’t know." She let out a pent-up breath. "Shit, Razi. I don’t know. I can’t go back though, not this time."
"Calm down." He started walking backward to the bed, and Sima’s boots dragged across the carpeting. "Let me help. Just stop and let’s talk about it. Maybe what you’re running from isn’t that bad."
"He’s bad enough."
"Ah." Razi reached back with one hand to lift her plate. Placing it on the bedside table, he sighed. "Tell me about him. What is so bad about this man you run from?"
Chapter Five – Questions
Razi held onto Sima. The red light from dawn shone on her cheeks in a false blush. He liked her embarrassment. It was a refreshing trait. Her greenish-brown eyes held a look he knew well—the desperate need to escape. Since becoming a ward of Hicklan, he’d met others who wanted out. The thought of running never excited him, not until last night when she suggested it. Do I want out of this? The feeling of hunger biting into his stomach was an old memory, one so distant he’d nearly forgotten its pain. When Irnia’s harsh winters came, he had his choice of warm clothes, a roof over his head and a woman warming the bed. It seemed a fool’s path to run.
"His name is Leuj." Sima bit her bottom lip.
He felt the urge to kiss her. "Oh? You mean Oemir Leuj?" He rubbed her back with one large hand, trying to set her at ease.
"Yeah, that’s him. I guess you might have heard of the guy, ruler of all Irnia, tyrant, swindler, assassin."
"His name sounds familiar. I think he’s been on the news once or twice," Razi joked, and he felt her calming. She seemed to like his sense of humor. Most women didn’t. They came to the district for one thing, and he became that one thing until they moved on. "And he is your fiancé?"
"Yes." She laid her hand on his chest, a gentle touch too tentative to stir the heat it did. "How did you guess?"
"Mm." Razi leaned back into the pillows, taking her with him. "I am very wise. Wise beyond my years. I watch channel nine a lot." He winked, and she giggled. "What do you know of Oemir Irnia?"
"He has three wives, and he kisses badly. Like a man starved." Sima’s frown hinted that she knew much more.
"He had five wives once," Razi blurted. "One died mysteriously, and the other disappeared. She is probably dead as well. Every one came from a political treaty." He paused to push a lock of brown hair away from her face. "Leuj likes his possessions though. He wants what he thinks is the best. Just a few days back, they had a story about the statue of Nimmet. He wanted it and paid through the nose to obtain it. You must be very special for him to want you."
"No. I’m not special. He wants treaties with my father. Leuj is expanding his little empire, and he’ll take Taraf if he can. A marriage to me lets him do just that without war."
"Then you should marry him," he murmured, though he didn’t feel any truth in his words.
"I don’t want to marry him."
"There are things I do that I don’t want to do. Sima, you must look at the bigger picture. His three wives do not argue with hi
m. They stay in their palaces and he let’s them have lovers and riches, all that they desire. His wives are well cared for. Is that such a bad life?"
She lowered her gaze, and pulled her hand away. "You sound like my father," she whispered. "I suppose I’m selfish."
Razi swallowed hard. How can she question so much? "Think about it. That’s all I’m saying."
She squirmed out of his grasp to sit cross-legged beside him. Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, and her angry gaze pierced him. There was something about her he didn’t understand, couldn’t place, and it excited him.
"No." She balled her fist and shook it at him. "I won’t go back. They’ll have to catch me and drag me there. Who are you to give me advice? Look at you!" She shook her head. "You’re happy here. You like living as a slave. That’s all you are. Some company’s property, no better than an animal. What will happen when you’re too old to perform your tricks?"
"That’s not nice," he shot back. "Now you’re being petty. This is a good life, better than what I was born into. You’re used to being waited on, getting whatever you want." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You don’t know what it’s like to be poor, to have nothing. I gave up my life for my family."
"I’m leaving!" She scrambled off the bed, her face reddening in a different way. Razi watched her stomp toward the doorway. "You’re just a whore. A stupid, naïve man who takes whatever he’s given and doesn’t question anything. Stay here and be happy in your ignorance!"
Nimmet, Goddess of Love Page 3
