Skye saw him first and, swimming over to the shallow end of the pool, came partway up the steps and held out her hand in invitation. She was like a goddess standing there in her nude young beauty, and he could feel his desire rising. He held his arms out and the two slave girls scrambled from the pool to remove his robe. Nude, his desire became visible to all. Skye’s blue eyes twinkled and, throwing him a saucy look, she dove back into the pool, giving him a delicious view of her sleek flanks. “Leave us!” he growled to the two girls, and dove after Skye.
He was amazed to find what a strong swimmer she was. She laughed mischievously at him and dove beneath the water to emerge in midpool. His own laughter sounded now. “Where in the name of the seven djins did you learn to swim like that, you vixen?”
Her blue-green eyes widened innocently, and she shrugged. “Alas, my lord Khalid. I know not. Are you not afraid to take such a wife to your bosom? Who knows what else I may know?”
He swam over to her and, gently, with a restrained passion that she instantly sensed, he took her face between his thumb and forefinger. His golden amber eyes regarded her gravely. “I am not afraid to take such a wife to my bosom, Skye. Whatever surprises are in store for us will only serve to make our life more piquant. I love you, my little lost one. I love you!”
Slim white arms slid up around him. Her small round breasts pressed against the dark furred mat of his chest as she offered him her lips. “Khalid, be sure, I would not hurt so good a man. You are all I know, and I should be lost without you, but is that enough foryou? I can offer only myself, and I do not even know very much about who I am.”
“What is between us is good, Skye. Your lovely body responds well to mine. We like each other, and more couples than not have started life together with less. Do not fear, my love. You do not cheat me. It is a good bargain we make between us. Your concern for me does you credit. But now, my beautiful one,” he swept her up in his arms, “I want to make love to you again.”
She wiggled, wet and protesting, against him. “It is morning!”
“A most delightful time,” he agreed, laying her on the sun-warmed tiles that surrounded the pool. He straddled her.
“Someone will see us, Khalid,” she protested.
“No one would dare to disturb us,” he growled. His staff was hard and seeking against her thighs. “I want you, Skye. I want your tempting little body. I want you hot and sweet and yielding beneath me,” he whispered against her ear. She shivered deliciously as his tongue explored her ear, and shivered again as he moved downward along the scented length of her neck, biting gently at her silken shoulder. Skye soon forgot the bright sunshine. Khalid’s hands were on her hips, stroking and stroking the fires of her passions. He suckled at her breasts, drawing a cry of pleasure. “Open your legs for me, now, my love,” he murmured. “That’s it, my darling, take me into your fiery sweetness. Ahh … Skye, your little honey-oven is made for me! Hold me tightly, my love! Ahhh!”
His words aroused her greatly. His hands never stopped loving her body, and when his great rod entered into her she felt filled to overflowing with him. His body movement was strong and rhythmic, each stroke bringing her nearer and nearer to sweet oblivion. She climbed higher and higher. Then she was caught in a jeweled whirlpool, and she heard a long soft woman’s cry mingled with a great masculine sob.
Her next conscious thought was that the sun was hot on her face, and she heard water lapping against the tiled sides of the pool. She opened her eyes, and looked about. He lay on his back, eyes closed, but his voice brought a furious blush to her cheeks. “You were made to pleasure a man,” he said, “and I am grateful that that man is me. After we have breakfast, I shall see Osman the astrologer, and he will tell me what day this week is most favorable for our marriage. I am having Jean draw up papers freeing you, Skye.”
She pressed herself into the curve of his arm. “Oh, my Khalid, you are so kind to me! I swear I shall make you a good wife!”
He smiled and caressed her. “I know you will, my love,” he answered her.
They breakfasted on yogurt, green figs, and boiling-hot Turkish coffee. Afterward Skye returned to her own apartments, and Khalid el Bey welcomed Osman, who greeted him by saying, “So, my old friend! You have finally fallen in love again.”
Khalid laughed. “I have no secrets from you, do I, Osman?”
“The stars tell me all, my lord. And they tell me some things about your love that you might be interested in knowing. She comes from a green and misty land to the north, a land peopled by strong spirits and great psychic forces. She was born beneath the sign of the ram which, like all fire signs, is a strong and passionate one.”
Khalid el Bey leaned forward eagerly. “How can you know all this, Osman?”
“Because, my lord, such a woman has recently appeared in your own chart.”
“I want to marry her.”
“I cannot stop you, my lord.”
“You do not sound enthusiastic, Osman. What is it you are not telling me?”
“She will not remain with you, Khalid. It is not her fate. Her fate is back among her own people, and so it is written in the stars. There are many men in her life, but she will always steer her own course, rule her own destiny. One man in particular stands out in her life. Their paths have crossed before and will most assuredly cross again. It is with this man that she shares her soul, my friend, not with you. Can you not just enjoy her while she is with you? Why must it be marriage?”
He was shaken. The astrologer had always been accurate. “Will it make any difference if I marry her?”
“No, my lord, it will not.”
“Then I shall marry her. For I love her above all women, and would place her above all women.”
“And when she leaves you, will you let her go?”
“She will not leave me, Osman. She will not leave me because of the children she will give me. She is not a woman who would abandon her babes. She will give me children, won’t she?”
“I cannot be sure, my lord. She will be mother to several children, but without a comparison of her exact birthday and yours, I cannot tell you for certain.”
“She will bear me sons!” he said positively, and Osman smiled faintly.
