His new possessor was an enigma. It was the first time he had encountered an owner so uninterested in hearing about her three wishes. This amazed him most of all. Why was she not eager to hear of the untold riches he could impart with a mere wave of his hand?
Most of his other possessors had all but tied him down and demanded he apprise them of the wish details as soon as he had told them of their gifts. Their eyes alight with greed, they first used his body to satisfy themselves. Then they scuttled from making one wish to another so quickly, Lugal barely had time to note where and when he stood upon the earth before he was whisked back into the bowels of the bottle for another small eternity.
Most women he had known were quite unlike the gentle, funny, intelligent and exceedingly desirable Samantha. Not only had she spent time teaching him about her world, feeding and clothing him and taking him for a magical ride in her gas engine chariot, she also treated him with great consideration as they engaged in numerous rounds of fucking. She had bestowed the precious gift of allowing him to feel like a real man once again.
He liked her womanly displays of jealousy too. She tried to hide her envy when other women made erotic overtures to him with their eyes and bodies, but Lugal had made note of her discomfiture. It pleased him greatly to know Samantha was so covetous of him. Most likely it meant that she cared for him, at least to some extent.
Never had a possessor been so selfless, so thoughtful, so concerned about his needs, his likes and dislikes. Samantha Rutledge was truly one-of-a-kind. A woman he could envision making his own. Having her keep his house, warm his bed and give him rosy-cheeked children—like the wonderful, playful little goat kids of Charlie and Rosie.
His good temper soured as Lugal remembered it was not in his destiny to settle down with a good woman or be a father to her brood. He was not allowed to partake in such joys, such grand pleasures of life. He was doomed to wander and to sleep, not to live and experience love like a real man.
Samantha made him feel more alive than he had in eons. Perhaps that wasn’t a good thing. After knowing her, after hearing the sweet ring of her laughter and seeing the warm gaze of what appeared to be genuine affection in her eyes, it would be so much harder to return to his half-dead existence in the bottle. But return he must.
A hen-like clucking of voices assailed his ears. Aware of the women lurking nearby, eager for him to favor them with an appreciative nod or promising smile, Lugal paid them no heed. It had far less to do with the fact that he was permitted to engage in carnal union only with his possessor than the fact that he had grown weary of self-seeking women interested in him only as a walking cock.
While their bodies were appealing, the idea of bedding them was of more interest to his cock than his head. Or his heart.
Funny…he hadn’t thought of his heart in a long time. Why now?
“Because Samantha has touched it,” he muttered aloud.
Too many couplings with shallow, selfish women had left a bitter taste in his mouth. None of them, from queens to princesses to the most breathtaking of consorts, could even begin to compare with his Samantha.
His Samantha.
He gave a humorless chuckle. She was not his…he was hers. To do with as she pleased. But she had made it seem otherwise for him and he would be eternally grateful for that. Even if she later became infused with greed as the others had when faced with a wealth of riches, he would keep with him the memory of her kind heart and generosity of spirit.
“I’ll meet you at the table in a minute, girls. Well, hello there.”
Lugal looked up at the sound of a female’s seductive voice. An emaciated woman dressed all in pink and wearing too much paint on her face smiled down at him. He thought it odd that one so bony would have tits nearly as big as Samantha’s.
“Mind if I join you for a moment?” She slid into the booth set opposite him without waiting for a reply.
“What do you want?” Lugal asked, finding he didn’t care for this woman’s aura or assuming attitude.
“Oh…” His purposefully brusque manner had clearly caught the woman off guard. “This will only take a minute. My name’s Bunny Turner. You may have heard of me. I own Tuned by Turner, the weight-loss centers.” She gave him a gleaming merchant’s smile, fully expecting, no doubt, for him to be suitably impressed.
The name was, indeed, familiar to him. Samantha had spoken of the company and the Bunny woman who was her boss. The woman who insisted Samantha become gaunt or forfeit her employment. His eyes narrowed. Nay, he did not like this woman who had caused Samantha sorrow.
“You speak of the business that requires healthy, well-rounded people to starve until they become scrawny?”
A startled look came across the woman’s face, then she broke into cool, guarded laughter.
“Oh, I see. You’re joking,” she said. “Anyway, we’re always looking for new faces and…” her eyes licked him, “new bodies, to use in our magazine and TV ads. You’d be perfect. Do you model?”
“I do not understand.”
“Have you posed? For photographers.”
Lugal frowned. “I have posed for sculptors who have immortalized my likeness for others to admire.”
“Mmm, I can certainly see why they’d want to.”
Her laugh was low and husky, but it did not reach her eyes as it did when Samantha laughed.
“Interested? The pay is good. And…” she gave him that distinct lustful look again, “there could be fringe benefits.” One of her thin eyebrows arched. “If you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I know. You wish for me to fuck you,” Lugal said, not bothering to curb the sneer tainting his lips.
Her jaw dropped, but Bunny Turner regained her composure quickly. Unlike Samantha, she was no innocent.
“Well, I…now that you mention it,” she focused her hungry brown eyes on his gaze, “we could each benefit from a mutually satisfying, discreet romp in the sheets.”
“Nay. Such a romp would not be possible,” Lugal advised her. “I belong to another woman.”
The woman’s fingers reached across the table and walked up his forearm. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Lugal beamed a grin when he saw Samantha returning to the table. Bunny’s back was to her and so she apparently mistook Lugal’s smile as a positive answer to her suggestion.
“Oh, good. I see that we can come to terms,” Bunny said.
“Bunny…what are you doing here?” Samantha asked when she reached the table and saw Bunny sitting in her place.
With a slow turn of her head, indicating her irritation at being interrupted, Bunny gave Samantha a disdainful perusal.
“Hello, Sam,” she said with a bland, uninterested smile. “How nice to see you. I do hope you’re not planning to eat anything but a salad here.” Chuckling, Bunny wagged a chastising finger at Samantha. “You’ve got a good amount of weight to lose, missy.” She puffed out her cheeks and patted her flat belly.
Lugal’s saw Samantha’s face turn crimson. He felt his blood simmer in response. For some reason this woman seemed to enjoy making Samantha feel unattractive.
“We’ll talk another time, Sam,” Bunny said, dismissing her. “As you can see I’m tied up right now.” She reached across the table, covering Lugal’s large hand with her small, bony, bejeweled one in a possessive gesture.
Samantha stood there, her mouth open as her gaze followed Bunny’s hand. It was clear to Lugal that she felt intimidated by this bold boss of hers.
“Buh-bye, then,” Bunny said, waving with the fingers of her free hand and turning her attention to Lugal.
“Um, actually,” Samantha said, “you’re sitting in my seat, Bunny.”
Now it was time for Bunny’s jaw to drop. “Excuse me?”
“My seat,” Samantha repeated, gesturing to the booth with an apologetic smile. Lugal wondered why she felt the need to feel contrite when it was Bunny who had errored, and not her.
Bunny’s cool manner slipped as incredulity took
over. “You two know each other?”
Samantha nodded. “He’s…Lugal is…”
“Samantha is my girlfriend,” Lugal stated, his eyes on Samantha as he took her hand, caressing it, before bringing it to his lips and brushing a kiss across her knuckles. He was pleased to see the heated flush of humiliation dissipate from Samantha’s cheeks. The pleased and grateful smile she gave him was worth more than gold.
“Sam?” Bunny said the name as if she’d been struck by a bolt of lightning. She looked at Samantha, aghast. “He’s your boyfriend?”
“Yup. Lugal’s my main squeeze.” She gave him another beautiful smile, lifting his hand to her soft cheek for a brief touch. He didn’t know what it meant to be a main squeeze, but it sounded good coming from Samantha.
“Did I not tell you I belonged to another woman?” he reminded Bunny.
The server, the official one as well as her competitor, brought their platters and beers to the table.
“I am so sorry about the wait,” the woman said, addressing Lugal as if Samantha and Bunny weren’t there. “There was a problem in the kitchen. Your beers are on me, big guy.” She winked and left, whispering with the other server and giggling.
“I’m sorry, Bunny, but if you don’t mind…” shrugging, Samantha gestured to her food on the table.
“Oh…yes…of course.” After removing her hand from Lugal’s and clearing her throat, Bunny slipped out of the booth and Samantha sat in her place.
“Before you depart,” Lugal said, “know that Samantha will not be living a life without ninda.”
“What?”
Lugal noticed that when Bunny frowned, only her lips moved. Her forehead was strangely smooth and still.
“Bread,” he clarified. “And butter. And real ruffled cream and sugar. She will not do without these pleasures just to please the absurd directives of Tuned by Turner.”
“I beg your pardon?” Bunny blustered.
“Lugal!” Samantha gasped. “Oh, he doesn’t mean that, Bunny. Lugal has trouble with his English, that’s all. Trust me, I’ll get that thirty pounds off in time, don’t worry.”
Bunny eyed the table and smiled. It was the oily, false smile of a crafty snake. “Not eating like that, you won’t. And beer too?” She tsked as she shook her head of stiff, oddly colored, blonde-ish hair. “Remember, you have six weeks, Sam.”
“You would allow yourself to become like a frail, undernourished bird to appease this woman?”
Samantha gave a small, tentative smile. “She’s my boss, Lugal,” she said, just above a whisper. “I have no choice if I want to keep my job.”
“Bingo,” Bunny said with another unpleasant smile. “I have to be going. I have friends waiting. Unlike you, Sam, I’m having the BSS salad, sans dressing, in case you’re interested.” She shifted her gaze to Lugal. “And my offer still stands. All of it.”
“Offer?” Samantha asked Lugal.
“Yes. Your employer has suggested that she and I engage in fornication,” he explained. He didn’t have any uncertainty in openly mentioning the fact. After all, this Bunny woman showed no hesitancy in bedding another woman’s man.
“That’s a lie.” Bunny’s face twitched as she gasped. “I did no such thing! I merely offered him an opportunity to model for TBT ads.”
Lugal noted Samantha’s lips curling into an amused smile.
“I’m sure you’re mistaken, Lugal,” she said with a wink. “You see, Bunny is married. She has a husband. I’m sure she would never proposition you, no matter how unbelievably sexy you are.”
“Indeed,” Lugal said, understanding at once the game Samantha played. “Then I must not have heard your boss correctly. And it is a good thing. I would hate to discomfit her by rejecting her proposition because she is too scrawny for my tastes. I won’t have to tell her that I like my women full and lush like you, Samantha.”
“Well, I…how rude!” Bunny said, huffing and puffing.
“By the gods!” Lugal gave Samantha a look of surprise and he could tell she was trying not to laugh. “I did not realize your boss was still here. I’m afraid have misspoken yet again.” Inclining his head, Lugal said to Bunny, “My apologies. Good day to you, Bunny Turner. Our food grows cold.”
“Oh my God,” Samantha said once her boss marched off in a royal huff. “My ass is so fired.”
“I like to talk about your beautiful ass,” Lugal said. “You mean that it is hot?”
“I mean I’m going to lose my job. Be without employment. All because of you!” she accused, pointing at him.
Lugal noticed that her expressive hands were beautiful even without jewels such as those her boss wore in abundance. But it would certainly please him to adorn each kissable knuckle with a priceless bauble, just the same.
“You troublemaker, you.” Laughter spilled from Samantha and her big blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “This is all your fault. You’re not as dumb as you look, mister.”
“Dumb?” Lugal smiled.
“You pretend to be clueless. Ignorant,” she clarified. “But you’re not.”
“Is that so?” Offering her a devilish smile, Lugal sipped from the beverage Samantha called beer. “Kash-gin! Barley ale,” he clarified. “I have not tasted this since I can remember. He downed the entire frosted mug in a matter of a few gulps.
“Whoa! Slow down. There’s no way I can carry a drunken six-foot-whatever barbarian out of here on my own. Here.” Samantha shoved his plate toward him. “Eat.”
Lugal watched Samantha separate the bread that held the circular slab of meat. She applied red and yellow sauces, then layered all the garden offerings on top before covering it all with the upper portion of bread. He did the same with his food, then fisted it, bringing it to his mouth.
At the first bite, sparks of delight prickled the inside of his belly. The taste was incredible. Delicious! Better than any food he’d eaten before.
“This is so good it is almost holy,” Lugal said. “Tell me what I am eating.”
“Meat served between two pieces of bread is called a sandwich. This sandwich is known as a burger, or hamburger. The meat is beef, from cattle. It’s ground up, patted into shape and grilled. The melty orange stuff on top is cheddar cheese and the crispy brown strips are bacon, meat that comes from a pig. Then there’s ketchup, mustard,” she gestured to the red and yellow bottles on the table, “pickles, onion, tomatoes and lettuce.”
“Amazing fare.”
“Wait until you taste the fries.” She pointed to the golden strips resting at the side of the burger.
Lugal tossed one in his mouth and his eyes grew wide. “This is so very good!” He stuffed in more, smiling his appreciation when the server placed another beer before him.
“Those are potatoes, a starchy vegetable that grows under the ground,” Samantha explained. “It’s sliced and fried in hot oil, then sprinkled with salt.” She lifted a bottle with white crystals.
“Why does Bunny Turner not want you to eat and drink such delicious food? This is as different from the twig food you gave me this morning as the sun is from the moon.”
“Ha!” Samantha made an overstated roll of her eyes. “Tell me about it.”
“I just did, did I not?”
Samantha laughed. “I’m not supposed to eat this because none of it’s on my diet. It’s fattening.” She gave her hamburger a guilty gaze, then set it back on her plate. “I’m done,” she said, pushing her food away.
“I do not like your boss. She does not have a good aura about her. And it is clear she does not like you.”
“Well, duh,” Samantha said, offering a silly expression.
“This means?”
“It means well, that’s obvious.”
“Bunny Turner envies you.”
“Yeah, because she thinks you’re my boyfriend. Oh boy, would she ever like to get her claws into you.”
“Indeed she would. But I meant that she envies you for your genuineness, for your warmth and kindness. It is clea
r she does not possess these qualities.”
Samantha’s face brightened with gladness. “That was a very nice thing to say. Thank you, Lugal.” She touched his arm and he felt the insignificant gesture of affection right down to his cock. “But, trust me when I tell you that a woman that gorgeous is not envious of little old me in the least.”
“Gorgeous?” Lugal spat a laugh. “I think not. The woman resembles a slithering snake who tries to disguise her true nature with face paint and pink garb. You are far more beautiful than she could ever hope to be, Samantha.” He watched her eyes glisten at his words. Fascinating how his speaking such a simple truth made her glow.
“Thank you.” She lowered her lashes. “I don’t even know what else to say to such a lovely compliment.” She lifted her gaze. “Misguided as it is,” she added with a smile.
“Then say nothing. Busy yourself instead by eating your hamburger, fries and beer, Samantha. It is far too enjoyable to discard. It makes me happy to see the look of pleasure on your face as you eat. It is much like the look you have when we are fucking.”
The sip of beer Samantha took almost flew out of her mouth. She swallowed it and then coughed, choking. “Shhh! Keep your voice down, Lugal. You can’t talk about…” she looked out at the other diners, “about things like that when we’re in a restaurant.”
“Things like what?” he teased, loving the tinge of pink that crept up her neck to color her cheeks.
“You’re playing dumb again, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lugal hid his smile by sinking his teeth into his delicious burger and chewing. “Are we going to the chain store to shop for pleasure restraints when we have finished eating?” he asked, hoping for another embarrassed flush of color. As expected, Samantha did not disappoint.
Her mouth full of fries, her eyes grew unnaturally wide. Then she shushed him again. He was having more fun that he had in an age.
Samantha and Her Genie Page 14
