“We still need the map from Charles,” Anna reminded William.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get both maps.”
William walked Anna home and then turned on his heel to Charles’s house. He made a pit stop to Haji’s apartment and unlocked the door with the key Haji had given Anna.
Stepping through the apartment, everything looked exactly the same as the last day he and Anna had seen Haji. He slowly made his way around the apartment, not wanting to touch anything just yet. Haji was very meticulous about his possessions and although his religiousness was slowly fading, William still felt the presence of Haji in the apartment. He walked to the windows in the front room and opened them, letting the loud sounds from the bazaar below fill the quiet room. He studied the people down below, wondering if any were grieving the death of someone they cared about just as he was.
With a sigh, William closed the window and then left the apartment. He made sure to lock the door behind him and continued on his way to Charles’ house. He was once again met with Charles’ maid, who looked quite disheveled and surprised to see William.
“I will get him,” the maid said when William asked to see Charles.
When Charles came into the reception room, he looked just as disheveled as the maid. William put two and two together and rolled his eyes.
“Really, Charles?” William asked with a frown.
“What?” Charles said. His face had turned red. “Listen, if your wife was all the way back in England and you became lonely, you’d probably do the same thing.”
“I would never stick my cock into a woman that is not my wife,” William said. He was actually repulsed by the suggestion.
“Yeah, yeah,” Charles said. “You’ve come for the map, aye?”
William nodded and followed Charles to his small study. Charles closed the door behind them, creating the most claustrophobic space William ever had the displeasure of being in.
“It was a struggle,” William said, walking to his desk and picking up the new and improved map. “But I did it.” He handed the map to William. “What do you think?”
William whistled. “Impressive. This map we can definitely follow. Thanks, Charles. I really appreciate it. And I know Anna does, too. I can pay you now or—”
“Pay?” Charles interrupted. “Nonsense. We’re friends. When are you and Anna leaving? I have someone who can get you anything you need.” Charles wrote down the name and address of his associate and wished William a good journey. “And I’m sorry about your friend. I know you and Anna were very close to him.”
“We were,” William said. “Thank you. I’ll visit your friend tomorrow.”
William was too tired and hungry to continue on. The sun was beginning to set and all he wanted to do was eat and sleep.
He made his way through Cairo back to his and Anna’s house. Inside, Anna was busy at the stove preparing dinner. Why she didn’t hire a maid to do it and other things around the house was beyond William’s guess. They had a maid in England, but let her go shortly before coming to Egypt. He wished they kept her, or at the very least, hired a new one.
“You’re back!” Anna raised on her tip toes and kissed William on the lips. “Was Charles able to remake the map?”
William nodded and held the map up. “He was. He also gave me the name of someone we can get supplies from.”
“My hands are dirty. I don’t want to hold it. I’m glad Charles could remake it. It makes me much more excited about this. Speaking of, when are we leaving? Haji told us to leave Friday but I imagine we can leave any time of the week. And why Friday?”
William chuckled at Anna’s ramblings. Whenever she was overwhelmed or excited, she rambled on and on.
“I think we should get our supplies, look them over a good time, and then figure out from there when to leave. We’re not on anyone’s schedule but our own.”
Anna agreed and finished dinner, making herself and William a plate. They ate in silence, with Anna eating properly and quietly and William scarfing down his food noisily.
“Do you want another plate?” Anna asked, giggling.
“No, I’m fine.” William paused. “Well maybe I could go for another plate.”
Anna laughed. There was no man in the world who could make her laugh as much as William did. When they got married, she was afraid the marriage wouldn’t work. William’s family was wealthy but he wasn’t cut from the same cloth. He had dreams of going to India and Egypt to explore the ancient ruins. His father wanted him to continue the family business. But now, six years later, Anna couldn’t be happier.
Even when her husband ate his dinner like a maniac.
*****
“Wow. You allow her to go with you?”
Anna glared at the man named Abdul. He was the one Charles said would give them all the supplies they needed for their journey.
William looked from his wife, who was just about ready to bash Abdul’s head in, to Abdul, who was genuinely surprised to see a woman.
“Um, yes,” William said slowly. He didn’t know what else to say so he chose to remain quiet, hoping it would save not only Abdul’s life, but his as well.
“Crazy! You know where my wife is? She is at home with our children, where women should be,” Abdul said.
Anna rolled her eyes and bit her tongue. Cultural differences between the British and Arabs were numerous but Anna had immersed herself in the country enough that she didn’t get mad about comments like the ones Abdul made.
“How long is your journey?” Abdul asked, getting back down to business. He led William and Anna through his shop to the back courtyard. “You have to be fully prepared to go into the desert.”
“Two hundred miles is the length of our journey,” William replied. “We come to another town after five days, so we need to be completely supplied for the first five days.”
Abdul nodded and opened a storage room. “These are things I save only for Brits, since they pay more. Everything is the best quality. Take whatever you need and then we can discuss price.”
“Sounds good. Thanks,” William said.
Abdul nodded and left the room.
William and Anna immediately began their search. Anna found several canteens that would be extremely useful while William examined a machete.
“Think we’ll need this?” He asked Anna, holding up the large knife.
“Um, possibly,” Anna replied. “For protection, I suppose.”
William nodded his head. There was no telling what they’d encounter so the machete was probably a good thing to have.
“Maybe we should get camels,” Anna said as she rummaged through a clay pot.
“We’ve never used camels before,” William said.
“I know.” Anna nodded her head. “But that’s because we’ve never traveled as far as we are about to travel. We’ll be carrying lots of supplies and food as well. I think we should get two camels, maybe even three. You’re good with camels.”
William couldn’t argue with his wife’s logic. He was ashamed he hadn’t thought of it first, but that’s why he was so grateful for Anna. Not only was she beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world to William, she was incredibly smart. There were few women in England, in any, that were able to converse in Arabic or brave the harsh Egyptian desert for ancient relics. Anna was in a league of her own and William couldn’t be any prouder.
“We’ll get the camels the morning we leave,” William said.
After an hour of going through everything in the storage room, William had assembled everything he and Anna needed onto a cart and waited for Abdul.
“I’m becoming more excited now,” Anna said with a smile. She was never before scared to go on an expedition, but this one was different. With Haji’s death still very fresh in her mind, she thought that it would be bad luck to continue with the trip. But what she didn’t tell William was that she dreamed about Haji the night he died, and he told her to go to Hisyut and learn the history of the ancient city.
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br /> “I’m glad you’re excited.” William wrapped an arm around Anna’s waist and pulled her close, giving her a peck on the lips. Public displays of affection were generally discouraged in the Arab world, so William made sure to see if anyone was looking.
Abdul emerged from the house and Anna listened quietly as he and William negotiated a price for the supplies. William was normally a good negotiator, but Abdul was ruthless. He refused any amount William suggested, even when William promised a percentage of the profits made from any artifacts they brought back. When they finally did agree on a price, Anna silently thanked God. She was close to leaving her husband and going home.
“I think we should leave Monday,” William announced as he pulled the cart of their supplies home.
“That leaves us three days to get ready. I think we can do it.”
William smiled at his wife. “Of course we can! We are the Bettencourts!”
Anna burst into a fit of giggles and she didn’t stop until they reached home.
*****
Monday came too quickly for Anna. The readiness she had felt just a few days before had faded and she now found herself scurrying around the house, getting the final things she needed. William had gone to get the camels they would be taking with them, leaving Anna all alone to make sure everything was set before they took off.
It was during this time that she wished Haji was still alive. She would’ve gone to visit him and he would’ve reassured her everything was okay as he had done in the past. Anna wondered if the absence of Haji’s presence was what was making her feel so anxious and unprepared.
When William returned, she pushed away all of her negative feelings. The last thing she wanted was William to call of their expedition. She was absolutely looking forward to it and didn’t want to ruin it.
“These are fine camels,” Anna said when she went outside and examined the three beasts. They all looked healthy and the large humps on their backs meant they could go quite a while with no food or water. But they were bringing plenty of food and water with them, which was the reason the camels were needed in the first place.
“You have the maps, right?” William asked Anna.
She nodded and held up her satchel that contained the maps and other important things they would need that fit inside. “We need to head west.”
“Should we say goodbye to anyone? It feels wrong just…leaving.”
“The only person we would say anything to anyway was Haji,” Anna said. “And he’s not here anymore. And it’s not goodbye. We aren’t dying.”
William chuckled and finished hitching up the camels. He had to get everything they carried perfectly balanced or else they wouldn’t even move.
“Are you going to ride or walk?” He asked Anna.
“Walk,” she replied. “They’re carrying enough things.” She rubbed the nose of one of the camels who lowered its head to sniff her head.
“Well, then. We’re off!” William yelled out.
They made their way west through the city, occasionally getting glances from natives and foreigners alike. Once they were outside of the city, the temperature rose a bit and Anna removed the hot overcoat she had worn.
“You could always walk naked,” William said with a wink as Anna adjusted her wide-brimmed hat.
“That would certainly increase my chances of getting sunburn,” she said with a chuckle. “I know how much you would love for me to walk naked.”
William couldn’t deny that. His cock became harder by just the thought of his wife’s naked body. He hadn’t been inside of her for quite some time and he was just about going crazy. When they set up camp whenever they stopped, William would have her his way. Hard, rough, no mercy. It was how he liked it, and most importantly, it was how Anna liked it.
“How are we doing so far?” William asked Anna.
She opened the map and studied it. “I think fairly well. We can rest by mid-day and then sleep wherever we stop. Then continue tomorrow.”
William nodded.
They continued on for several hours until the desert heat became too much and they had to sit and take a break. Although they carried a lot of water with them, they still had to manage it wisely until the next town. William used one of the camels for shade and Anna did the same. As William began to hitch the camel’s back up, the wind began to pick up.
“I think a sandstorm is coming!” William yelled to Anna over the roar of the wind. “I’m going to tie the camels together and tie me and you together just in case.”
Anna nodded and huddle closer to William. Sandstorms were common but as this one became stronger and stronger, Anna felt herself become scared for the first time since they left the city. The winds increased and the sand piled up around them. Anna struggled to hold onto William because even though they were tied together, she was afraid they could be blown apart.
Breathing became difficult even though Anna had a net around her hat. She heard William coughing and feared he would choke to death. Squeezing her eyes and mouth as tightly as possible, Anna prayed to God, hoping He would answer her prayers and cease the sandstorm. She also begged Haji to protect them and it seemed like he did. The winds died down and the sand settled where it was blown. Anna slowly opened one eye and surveyed the landscape around her.
“You okay?” William asked through a fit of coughs.
Anna coughed herself. There was sand stuck up her nose and in her throat. “I’m fine. Wasn’t expecting that.’
“Neither me. We should be used to them now,” William said with a chuckle.
The camels were unscathed. A sandstorm was nothing to them and they got back up on all fours, ready to go.
“Is the compass still pointing us in the right direction?” William asked.
“Shouldn’t it always?” Anna said.
William shrugged his shoulders. “I think so.”
They continued on, not wanting to delay themselves any further. As the sun set, the weather went from extremely hot to cool in a short amount of time. Anna put her overcoat back on.
“I forgot how cold it gets in the desert,” she said, shivering.
“We’ll walk until the sun completely goes down and then rest for the night,” William said.
Anna sighed with relief. She was exhausted. The sandstorm had surprisingly taken a lot of her energy and she wanted nothing more than to lie down in her fur-lined tent. It was made especially for Anna for the bitterly cold desert nights and she was glad William spent the money for it.
“Ah, this feels good,” William said after he finished setting up the tent in record time and laid down on the plush covers. “That sandstorm was crazy.”
“Biggest one I think we’ve been caught in,” Anna agreed. With a mischievous grin, she trailed her hand from William’s chest down to his drawers. She rubbed his soft cock through his drawers until she felt him getting hard and put her hand in his drawers.
“Is this what you want?” William asked. He could barely see Anna in the pitch-black desert but he didn’t need to see her. Every inch of her body was already embedded in his mind.
“I want you,” Anna whispered.
William rolled on top of his wife and kissed her like he never kissed her before. Anna moaned beneath him and widened her legs, opening herself to him.
William helped her remove her panties and he settled on his stomach. He didn’t even need to see that her cunt was wet and swollen and ready for him. With a swipe of his tongue, William tasted Anna’s need. He stuck his tongue inside of her tight hole, licking up all of the juices that flowed out of her.
With a soft cry, Anna came. Her legs trembled and she rocked her cunt against William’s mouth until she was fully satiated. She pushed William so that he laid on his back and settled herself between his legs, just as he had done to her. She swirled her tongue around the head of William’s cock, feeling a sense of pride when his eyes closed and he rolled his head back. Anna stopped teasing and finally took William’s cock down her throat, getting a
loud moan from him. She suctioned her mouth as she went up and down and used her fingers to play with his balls.
Not able to take it anymore, William rolled Anna back over and buried himself to the hilt inside of her tight, wet cunt. They both cried out and continued to do so as William pounded into her.
Anna’s orgasm hit her suddenly and she clenched her walls tight around William, milking him for all he had. William collapsed on top of her and they lap that way, him partially suffocating her.
“I needed that,” William said.
Anna laughed. “You mean we needed that.” She paused and smirked. “I think I’ll need it again.”
*****
“I think we’re lost,” Anna said.
They had been walking for three days now and there was only sand for as many miles as they could see with their eyes. Their provisions weren’t terribly low but Anna was getting worried. They weren’t supposed to come to the first largest town in five days but there were several villages in between that would enable them to restock.
“Don’t start to panic yet, dear.” William had to remain strong in front of his wife but even he was becoming skeptical of ever finding one of the villages. He was convinced the sandstorm had in fact thrown them off course and now he had to figure out what to do next.
“I’m not panicking. I’m just…concerned.” But Anna couldn’t lie to herself or William much longer. Visions of them dying in the desert flashed through her mind. No one would find them. They would be lost, buried under meters of sand.
After hours of alternating between walking and riding the camel, William finally spotted a settlement not more than sixteen kilometers away.
“We can do this,” he said to encourage Anna. “Just a couple more miles and then we’ll rest for the whole day.”
Anna summoned the remaining strength she had left and continued on. The settlement became larger and larger and soon, Anna came to see that it was in fact quite a large town. Nothing as big as Cairo, but the town was bustling when she and William arrived with their three camels.
People stopped what they were doing and stared as William and Anna slowly made their way through the main street.
THE HEALING HEART Page 106
