Myra Nour - As You Wish (Ellora's Cave)

by james

  “His name was Ali.”

  Nick chuckled; he couldn’t help it. “That’s a well known name.”

  “Yes,” she grinned. “Even in my land it was, but he was an uncommon boy.”

  “Boy?”

  She nodded. “He found me when he was ten years old. My lamp had been buried in a sand dune for a century. Ali was hunting for buried treasure.”

  She laughed and he did along with her.

  “He was very disappointed when he found out I could only fulfill sexual wishes. Of course, at that age, he had none.”

  “But he grew up.” Nick was really interested in this story and hoped it hadn’t ended badly for Amira. She seemed very fond of the boy.

  “He had a few wishes, once he reached maturity. But Ali fell in love with a neighbor at eighteen.” She smiled gently. “After that, he had no further wishes.”

  “And no further use for your services?”

  Amira’s smile held. “For a short while he forgot about me, until his bride cleaned my lamp one day.”

  “What happened?” The possibilities were endless. A woman and young bride. Did she let loose with hidden desires?

  She laughed softly. “Oh, Yasmine was in shock. At first she was angry with Ali, mostly because he kept my secret hidden. But she had a kind heart, and she liked me. She invited me to stay with them.”

  “Huh?”

  “Like a family member. I lived in a small room they built for me. I ate with them, and herded the goats. I even helped raise their many children.”

  “You liked it?” he asked softly, sure by her happy expression that this was so.

  “Yes,” she whispered, her eyes shining with tears.

  “Why are you sad?” He patted one of her hands.

  “Because, it was the happiest I’ve been since I loved Omar.” She took a deep breath. “Humans die, as Ali and Yasmine eventually did.”

  Who was Omar? Only Amira’s sadness kept him from asking.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Did you live with one of their children—after?”

  She shook her head to the negative. “They did not wish to tempt their children, in case my secret was ever discovered. Through magic, I made myself look older as Ali and Yasmine aged, so the children and neighbors wouldn’t grow suspicious.”

  Amira paused, staring at the counter. “After Yasmine passed, Ali discussed things with me. We decided that I would say I was going to live with distant relatives. After Yasmine’s death, having a single woman living with them would seem improper. Even though long ago Ali had proclaimed I was a distant cousin.”

  “Poor Ali. It must have been hard, losing you both.”

  She sighed. “It was, but we both knew his death was near too. Ali had no will to continue without his Yasmine.” She glanced up at him, tears slipping unashamedly down her satiny cheeks.

  “He took my lamp back to the sand dune in which he’d found me. It was a very hard journey for an old man.”

  “But he loved you.” Nick said softly.

  “Yes, he did. The only Master I can truly say—did.” She took another cookie, but had a hard time chewing. The crumbs seemed to stick in her throat.

  “I watched his passing. He was much loved by his children and friends. He had a grand funeral with much weeping.”

  He squeezed her hand, not knowing what to say.

  Her eyes came back up, the tears had dried on her face. “You are loved by your family, correct?”

  He nodded, not sure where she was going with this.

  “And, I’m sure you have many friends who are fond of you?”

  He shrugged. “A few.”

  “Who will mourn my passing?” Her eyes had turned hard and introspective.

  “But…you live forever, right?”

  “Exactly.” Her jaw clenched in anger. “I will live past the time of the last man, as long as I stay djinn. No one will miss me, love me, or ever know I existed.”

  Nick was stunned. She was right. All the Masters she’d ever had would be long gone. No one would be left who knew or remembered her. Men had a legacy in their children, a way of remembering those long gone from this Earth. Amira would never experience such things.

  “Did you want a family, before you became a genie?”

  Those lovely golden eyes looked molten with emotion as they stared into his. “More than you would ever guess.”

  Nick took a quick swig of beer. God, what did you say to a person—being—like Amira? How could he or anyone else ever hope to console someone with such a sorrowful future stretching in front of her for an eternity?

  “May I retire to my lamp?”

  “Sure, do whatever you want.” He clenched his fist on the bottle as she turned into a foggy mist.

  * * * * *

  Why did Nick have to be so kind? It made her sorrow run even deeper. If he had acted callous to her story, she could have turned her anger at him into other feelings. As it was, he had even become upset with her. She wrapped her arms about her bent knees and wept. Cried for Ali and Yasmine as she hadn’t done in millennia, then wept furiously for herself as she’d not done in centuries. She could almost hate him for that.

  The next day, Nick lifted the lid of her lamp, as had become his habit.

  “Good morning, Amira. Please come and go as you wish. I’ll be late tonight, I have an important meeting at work.”

  She appreciated her Master being thoughtful and informing her of his schedule. Otherwise, she might have worried when he didn’t return home after work. She did take him up on his offer and spent the day lounging around his apartment. It wasn’t especially exciting, but at least it was a change.

  Amira had fallen asleep on the couch when she heard his key in the lock. Nick said “hello”, then told her he was off to bed. He did look tired. She was disappointed. She enjoyed their conversations.

  Choosing to do something really different, she decided to spend the night on the couch. Well, not too different, this had occurred just recently. Of course she’d fallen asleep in Nick’s arms, but the memory was so pleasant, she hoped to recapture the essence of it.

  The couch was not too comfortable, but was fine after she fetched several soft pillows Nick kept in the closet. Sleep was hard to grasp. Her mind kept returning to her Master’s arms holding her. Finally, she waved a sleep spell over herself.

  In the morning, Nick seemed shocked to find her relaxing on the couch. He fixed coffee and offered her some, but she refused. She would blink Turkish coffee for herself once she got ready to get up. She felt way too lazy and content, watching Nick prepare a quick breakfast.

  “Will you be late tonight?” she asked as he walked toward the door. He looked so handsome in his modern suit.

  He hesitated. “Not sure.” He slipped out quickly without saying another word.

  Nick acted rather strange, but then she still had trouble figuring him out sometimes. Amira shrugged. Perhaps he had impending business matters overtaking his thoughts.

  She puttered around the apartment for hours, going through his things and familiarizing herself with each item. That got boring though. Running a hand over a dresser, she found a minute amount of dust. It was an aggravating problem she’d noticed about Texas. Dust seemed to creep over everything. Of course it couldn’t compare to the fine granules of sand that blew in her true homeland, but it still made keeping things clean a chore.

  Amira smiled. She knew how she’d spend her day. Cleaning. Not really caring if she got her clothes dirty, but realizing they were not optimal for the task ahead, she materialized clothing more suited to the job. Jean shorts would do nicely and a soft cotton top.

  She was pleased once she waved her new clothes on, but then there was the problem of cleaning supplies. Searching through Nick’s cabinets, she found Mr. Clean and Lemon Pledge. Both would do nicely.

  Amira chewed her bottom lip. She had a problem. Nowhere could she find an old rag to use. She pulled out Nick’s dresser drawer, but hesitated over his T-shirts. H
e probably wouldn’t like her to riffle through his things and then use whatever she wished.

  Sighing, she ran her eyes around the apartment. If only she could blink up a cloth, but that would be out of her jurisdiction to do so. She could conjure a whole harem, including pillows and satin sheets, as long as it was encompassed by her Master’s wish. Clothes for her body were okay. Amira fingered the soft material over her chest and smiled.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nick was having a hard time concentrating at work. His thoughts sometimes revolved around the luscious women he’d encountered, thanks to his genie. But most of the time, his mind latched onto Amira herself. He admired her beauty, her kindness, the way she handled the sadness in her long life, and the sweetness that seemed to be her fundamental nature.

  This morning, he’d found her stretched out on the couch, still in the emerald green harem costume she’d worn the day before. It didn’t matter that the material was crinkled, she looked as lovely as the day he’d first seen her. Her face was more relaxed in the morning, and she’d greeted him with the sweetest smile.

  How had he acted? Uncommunicative. It was true he had the meeting that night, but even if he hadn’t he would have thought up some excuse not to go home on time. Amira was taking up too much of his thoughts. He had to shake off this spell he’d been under since meeting her.

  Nick nodded when his co-workers broke up the discussion for a coffee break. He sat in the conference room alone, thinking. Had she put him under a spell? Nick went over everything that’d happened since he met her. No. He really didn’t think so.

  Amira was a magical being and sometimes the air around her seemed to glow with power, an unseen thing. But he didn’t believe she’d cast a spell on him. He’d not been prompted by strange feelings to do things he normally wouldn’t have. His wishes had been exactly what he would want.

  He smiled. True, she had tricked him a few times, he was sure of that. Creating one hundred women to fuck had to be classified in the trickster handbook. And Rachel. He was sure there was deception involved in that dealing, and he intended to ask Amira the next chance he got.

  When he walked in the door that evening, he was totally shocked. Amira stood next to his TV, her back turned to him. Her tight, round backside was barely covered by a pair of shorts. Her legs were long and gorgeous, the thighs sleek, the calves delicately shaped. She was nude from the waist up.

  “I’m home.”

  “Oh!”

  Her exclamation told him that she hadn’t been expecting him. She turned quickly, a white ball of material in one hand.

  His mouth dropped. Her breasts were perfect. At least a size C cup, and their fullness didn’t droop a bit. In fact, they were round and pert. Nick gulped, his eyes examining the pale pink areoles. Even as he stared, the nipples hardened, as if in reaction to his gaze. The color tuned darker, a delicate rose.

  Nick licked his dry lips. How he wished he could suckle on those beauties.

  “Oh,” Amira repeated, but with a different intent. She crossed her arms over her breasts. Each globe was held in a hand, the flesh pushed up over her palms.

  “I’m sorry, Nick, I didn’t know it was so late.”

  He couldn’t take his eyes from her breasts, even though it was impolite and she half-covered them now.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “That’s all right. What were you doing anyway?”

  She laughed. “Cleaning.” She waved one hand with the white material. That one breast bounced free, calling to him like a Siren’s song.

  “Oops.” Amira frowned and repositioned one arm so it covered both breasts. “Let me fix that.” With a wave of the free hand, a top appeared over her breasts. It was a cropped white cotton shirt and stopped just below her breasts. She hadn’t bothered with fashioning a bra.

  Her beaded nipples thrust against the thin fabric. It was the sexiest damn outfit he’d seen on her to date. But, he wouldn’t have minded if she’d chosen to stay shirtless.

  Dragging his eyes from her chest to her face, he asked, “Do you always clean in the nude?”

  “I have shorts on.” She crinkled her brow.

  “Yes…of course, I meant partially nude.” That’s not really what he meant, he wasn’t sure where he was going with this. A sudden image of Amira completely naked flashed through his mind. She was facing the wall, as she’d been when he entered, her lush bottom begging for attention, her ripe breasts swinging as she vigorously dusted the TV. His cock pushed against his pants painfully.

  Get a grip!

  “You never did answer my question,” he pointed toward her. “Why the bare chest for cleaning?”

  A giggle shot from her, even though she tried to cover it with one hand. “I could not find a cleaning cloth, so I used my shirt.” She shook out the white material. It was a shirt similar to the one she had on now, just a bit longer.

  “Um, you know, Maria is going to be pissed.”

  “Who’s Maria?” She swiped at a corner of the television.

  “My maid.”

  “Oh dear,” she dropped the cloth, then quickly bent and retrieved it. “I did not mean to take the woman’s livelihood from her. I was bored.”

  “Amira, it’s fine. She’ll just have less to do when she comes Wednesday.”

  “Why hasn’t she been in?” She walked into the kitchen and he wondered what she was up to.

  “Maria’s been on vacation, she’ll be back tomorrow.” Amira came toward him with a beer in hand.

  “Thanks, sweetie.” He took it from her, staring at her firm abdomen before taking a sip. The fine golden hairs across her stomach drew his attention. How he ached to run his hand along the silken length of her abdomen. He turned and stared at her lamp. “We’re going to have to do something with that.”

  “What?” She came around from behind him and stood beside him.

  He smiled at her charming face. “Unless you wish to have a new Master, we’d better hide it or something. Maria has a penchant for polishing metal objects.” He knew that his maid ran a dust cloth over the silver frame even though he kept it polished. He’d seen her do it.

  Amira’s eyes went to her home. “I…could change its appearance.”

  She hadn’t denied wanting a new Master, but offering him a solution answered for her.

  “Really? How?”

  With a wave of her hand, the lamp was surrounded by a blue mist and out of it appeared a beautiful bottle—one that looked suspiciously like the bottle on I Dream of Jeannie. She went over and picked it up.

  “See, it will not need polishing.”

  Nick took the bottle from her. A shiver ran down his back. It was a duplicate of Jeannie’s. “What if Maria dusts it?”

  Amira shook her head. “It must be polished vigorously to call me forth.”

  He nodded and placed it carefully back on the TV. “Should work fine.” He turned and gazed at her. “Now, for you.”

  She shrugged, the fabric pulling across those magnificent breasts, outlining their pert shape even more. “I can stay in the lamp.”

  “No need for that.” He grinned broadly. “I’ll just say you’re a distant cousin.” He waved a hand about the room. “That will explain the clean rooms, too.”

  She clapped her hands happily.

  “I’ve got paperwork to do.” He knew his excuse sounded lame, but he had to get away before he really did lay his hands on her. And could he stop himself, once he did? He wasn’t sure.

  The next day, their ploy worked perfectly on Maria, who didn’t seem a bit upset that Amira had cleaned the apartment. At least, that’s what Amira reported to him when he got home. Maria always came during the day.

  The rest of the week, Nick used work as an excuse to stay bent over his desk and tried to dismiss Amira from his thoughts. It didn’t keep him from listening to her twinkling laughter as she watched some program on television—or from seeing her gorgeous body as she moved about the apartment. She even fixed him sandwiches Thursday, when he didn’
t want to stop and cook dinner.

  Thoughts of coming in catching her half-nude were making him insanely horny. He had to keep his distance. He had also decided he must have a grand sexual wish this weekend. Maybe submerging himself in sensuality would drive wanting Amira from his system.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nick was totally wrapped up in his paperwork this week. Amira became slightly bored and she was tired of watching TV alone. She sighed and flipped on Animal Planet. She loved animals; they were so guileless.

  Was Nick playing a game with her? One of “ignore the genie”. It seemed silly when they had just begun to connect in a very human way. She flushed as she recalled the day he’d walked in to find her cleaning. He’d been quite shocked. Was that the problem?

  Did he find her undesirable? No. Amira shook her head at herself. That was really silly. She may not have had sex in millennia, but she could still recognize lust in a man’s eyes. Was that it then? He desired her?

  Amira glanced into the kitchen, where Nick had his desk set up. His head was down and he was writing furiously. If he did want her, then that would explain a lot. He was trying to fight something that had no chance.

  She sighed. It was a fight she’d been having internally ever since she met him. They seemed doomed to unfulfilled desire. It was not a pleasant thought. Lounging on his couch, watching him periodically, didn’t seem like such a good idea all of a sudden.

  Walking to the door, she said softly, “I’m going to my lamp.”

  He turned, his look guarded. “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

  She disappeared quickly into her home. He hadn’t asked why she wished to leave, a clear message that he didn’t want her around either. Tears shimmered in her eyes and Amira swiped them away in frustration. Lying down on her couch, she blinked a sleep spell. She didn’t want to think about their situation anymore.

  * * * * *

  Amira was awakened by Nick’s call. She had no idea how much time had passed until she materialized.