The Reluctant Princess Read online

  I became nervous as we readied for bed, wondering if the Prince would try to seduce me, even though I had not yet agreed to marry him. But I had my bath in peace, and by the time I’d climbed onto the pallet and curled up, he still hadn’t entered the tent.

  This time it was Nedira who slipped under the covers with me and warmed my back, and I fell into a doze, comforted by her body heat, and the way she occasionally stroked my hair.

  Once again, I was awoken late by the sound of low murmurs. It was Farah’s turn to accompany the Prince to bed, and I heard their low laughter and chat as they undressed and slipped beneath the covers.

  I lay there for a few minutes with a pounding heart, determined not to look, but curiosity triumphed over my better nature. I rose, parted the silk partitions, and peered through.

  I watched them arouse each other, captivated once again by their tender lovemaking, although the Prince was different with Farah, a little less gentle, a little more enthusiastic. Farah, for her part, threw herself into it with passion, and my jaw dropped at the way she responded to him, her hunger to have him evident.

  This time he stimulated her with his fingers while he kissed her, spreading her legs wide and sliding two fingers inside her before returning them to the top of her pussy where he massaged in slow, firm circles. Farah appeared to find this pleasing, and it was not long before her cheeks flushed and she murmured something to the Prince that made him stop.

  He rolled her onto her side away from him, then moved up close behind her. Pushing up her leg, he paused and gave her a sound slap on the bottom. I jumped, but Farah just laughed and scolded him. In return, he nibbled her earlobe while he guided his cock between her legs. In only a few moments, he pushed his hips forward and slid inside her.

  I covered my mouth with a hand to stifle my exclamation, watching as he made love to her. He slid his hands around to cup her breasts and squeezed her nipples until she arched her back and pushed her breasts into his hands, begging for more. He thrust harder, faster, and it wasn’t long before Farah came, her body clenching with the series of pulses I remembered from watching Nedira.

  The look on the Prince’s face made me catch my breath—tenderness mixed with triumph, a satisfaction that he had given his wife pleasure, and then he came himself, his arms tightening around her as he spilled his seed.

  I sank back onto the pallet and curled up behind Nedira, snuggling up to her to borrow some of her warmth. With Nedira the Prince had been gentle, with Farah playful. What would he be like with me?

  Was I really considering marrying him? Could I spend the rest of my life here in this sandy, dusty land, sharing my husband with four other wives and who knew how many other women?

  It was not something I would ever have thought lay in my future. And yet, for the first time, the thought did not fill me with dread.

  *

  The days continued in much the same manner. Whereas the long journey from Bavaria had seemed interminable, and I’d dreaded opening my eyes every morning with the notion of a day’s travel ahead of me, I began to look forward to the day ahead.

  Nedira and Farah were pleasant company, and all three of us enjoyed it when the Prince joined us.

  I also got to know some of the slaves better, as they were always very careful to ensure we did not want for anything. Malik, the first one I had met, was a tall, quiet man, deferential and gentle, always ready with a smile and uncomplaining with whatever anyone asked of him.

  Jasim was younger, a little shorter and slimmer, and he seemed full of life. The women were obviously fond of him, and it surprised me too how often the Prince spoke to both the men, clearly holding affection for them.

  I continued to talk to them all about their country and learn what I could during the day.

  And during the night, I continued to learn about other things.

  The night of the second day of travel, I woke as usual from my doze when the Prince entered the tent around midnight. This time, the pallet next to me was empty, and I arose and peered through the partitions to see that both Nedira and Farah were with him.

  I watched, puzzled and shocked, as the two women undressed at the foot of the bed. The prince took turns to kiss and stroke one while watching the other disrobe, and my jaw dropped yet again at the realization that he was going to take them both to bed.

  Nedira and Farah climbed onto the pallet willingly, lying together, and the Prince lay on the other side, propped up on the pillows, and watched as they began to kiss and touch one another.

  I could barely breathe. I had not known this kind of thing happened. I watched the women kiss and stroke each other tenderly, taking obvious pleasure in each other’s bodies, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  My gaze drifted to the Prince’s face. He was clearly enjoying the view, smiling as the women kissed, and occasionally he reached out a hand and stroked it along Farah’s back and over her hip.

  At one point, he took a strand of her hair and held it like a brush, running it across her shoulders, and I saw him chuckle as he tickled her ear with it. She lifted her mouth from Nedira’s and turned to glare at him. Nedira shook her head and said something. Farah nodded, and the two of them rose up and pressed the Prince onto his back.

  Laughing, he acquiesced, and I watched as Nedira leaned over him and kissed him, while Farah trailed her lips down his body to his eager cock. She admired it while she stroked him a few times, and then I watched, fascinated, as she closed her mouth over the tip and slid her lips down the shaft.

  The Prince groaned and slid a hand into her hair, holding her there as he thrust up with his hips. I’d hated it when my husband had forced me to do that, and had spent most of the time fighting against gagging and wanting to turn and spit, but Farah appeared to relish the task, and his cock soon shone with her saliva.

  After a while, the two women lifted up again, and Farah sat astride him and took him inside her. The Prince looked up at Nedira and tapped his lips and, to my surprise, Nedira straddled his shoulders, facing Farah. She lowered her pussy onto his mouth, her eyes closing with bliss as he sunk his tongue inside her.

  How many times could this man shock me? Yet again I covered my mouth with a hand and watched as Farah rocked her hips, sliding his cock in and out of her, and Nedira let him arouse her with his mouth.

  The two women leaned forward and kissed, and it was clear they were not doing so to please the Prince, as his attention was focused elsewhere. They were enjoying the act and receiving pleasure from both each other and the Prince.

  Nedira came first, stiffening atop him, and he stroked her thighs and held her as she clenched and gasped. Farah followed closely, and just as she had finished, the Prince’s climax began, and I watched the beautiful muscles in his legs and torso tighten and his hips jerk as he spilled inside Farah.

  I curled up quickly on my pallet in case either of the women came to join me, my heart thudding. Making love to a stallion was one thing I had to come to terms with. Sharing his bed with others was another. Would I be expected to do what they had just done, and kiss his other wives, let them touch me in such a manner?

  My mind spun and, exhausted from the journey and all the emotions whirling around inside me, I fell quickly to sleep.

  *

  I spent most of the following day thinking about what I’d observed, as we continued our journey through the desert. The others spoke to me often as we rode, but my thoughts turned inward as I contemplated my future, knowing I would have to make a decision soon.

  What would happen that night? What delights would the Prince create in his bed for me to watch? I couldn’t even think what he might conjure up to cause me to cover my mouth yet again.

  I wasn’t to be disappointed.

  Nedira joined me on the pallet that night, falling asleep quickly, but I roused at midnight as usual, and rose to peer through the partition, fascinated in spite of myself to see what would happen in the Prince’s bedchamber.

  Farah was alrea
dy lying on the bed, naked, and to my surprise the Prince was talking to Malik, who seemed unconcerned that one of the Prince’s wives wore no clothes. The Prince poured a couple of glasses of wine as they spoke, and then handed one not to Farah but to Malik, who took a large swallow and walked forward with the Prince to the foot of the bed.

  In the places I’d lived, servants would never share food and drink with those they worked for. It puzzled me that the Prince’s slaves were allowed to be so familiar with him.

  Then the Prince laughed at something Malik said. He reached out a hand and cupped the other man’s head, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to Malik’s.

  My eyes widened, and if my jaw had dropped any farther it would have landed on the floor. Malik was far from shocked, so obviously it wasn’t the first time this had happened. The two men kissed, long and lovingly, while Farah watched with a tender smile.

  An ache grew in my chest. Maybe there were others in the world who would have been disgusted by the things I’d seen, who would have thought it wrong for a person to share their bed with anyone other than their partner, and who would condemn the Prince for his acts.

  I could not bring myself to be one of them. There was so much love and affection between them all, I could not see what sin lay in sharing oneself like this.

  The Prince moved back and gestured to the bed, and Malik grinned, placing his glass on a nearby table so he could remove his tunic and trousers. He climbed onto the bed and stretched out next to Farah, who gave a happy sigh and lifted her face for his kiss.

  Finishing off his wine, the Prince watched them, a lazy smile on his face as Malik pulled Farah’s legs apart and stroked down her pussy. The Prince placed his empty glass on the table, then removed his tunic and trousers and climbed onto the mattress on the other side of Farah.

  I watched them both make love to her, arousing her together. At one point they both lowered their mouths to her breasts, sucking her nipples, and Malik stroked her pussy while the Prince slid two fingers inside her. Farah moaned and sighed, and I felt muscles I hadn’t known existed clench deep inside me as Farah gave herself over to them.

  She didn’t object when eventually the Prince pulled her on top of him. He lay back and guided his cock inside her, and she groaned and rocked her hips, obviously enjoying the sensation of him filling her up.

  Malik reached over to the table and retrieved a small bottle. I watched him rise and move to the end of the bed, kneeling behind Farah. While the other two kissed and Farah rocked on top of the Prince, the slave took the stopper from the bottle and poured a small amount of liquid onto his palm. I watched him oil his cock, saw the slick shaft glisten in the candlelight, and then he moved his fingers to Farah’s bottom.

  He slid his fingers down between her cheeks, and I saw her pause her movements, her eyes closing and her lips parting as he explored there. I knew the moment he’d inserted a finger into her tight hole because her body twitched, but to my surprise instead of a squeal, she gave an aaahhh of pleasure. He stroked her there for a while, and then I saw him position his cock at her tight entrance and push forward.

  I felt slightly faint, and realized I hadn’t breathed out for about ten minutes. Farah had two men inside her, both making love to her, and she was obviously loving every minute of it. I had not known men did that, nor that women allowed them to.

  I was so naive, so innocent. I had accepted that what had happened to me was the norm. My parents’ marriage had been an arranged one, as had that of most couples I’d known in England, and I had come to believe that in all relationships sex took place to create children, and was a pleasurable act for the man and one the woman had to endure.

  I could never have conceived a situation such as this. Starved for affection, I longed for a small piece of what these people were sharing, and yet I didn’t know how I would ever be brave enough to join in. How would I know what to do? What if I did the wrong thing? Would they laugh at me? Be angry with me?

  I watched Malik stroking his cock through Farah’s tight entrance, while the Prince thrust up inside, his face creased with pleasure, and suddenly I could bear it no longer. Their joy in each other was too much.

  I turned from the partition to find Nedira lying on her side facing me, and her eyes were open.

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  My heart shuddered to a stop. What was she going to say? Would she berate me for spying on them all?

  She lifted the blankets and beckoned to me. “Come back to bed.”

  Shaking, I slid onto the pallet beside her, and she lifted the blankets over us.

  “Are you angry with me?” I met her brown-eyed gaze.

  A touch of pity crossed her expression, and she raised a hand to stroke hair away from my face. “Why would I be angry?”

  “Because I was watching…” I swallowed nervously. “I have watched you all every night.”

  Her lips curved. “I know.”

  I stared at her. “Pardon?”

  “I know,” she said. “We all know. The Prince knows you watch him.”

  Horror filled me. “Oh no. Is he angry?”

  She laughed. “He wants you to watch, Eleanor.”

  “Why?”

  “First, he believes the mind is a powerful tool, and if the mind is turned on, then the body will be turned on too. And second, he wants you to understand what he is offering you.”

  She stroked my cheek. “We know you have been treated badly in the past. You think to hide it from the Prince behind a veil of rebelliousness, but he can see you are terrified. Your previous husband is lucky he died, because the Prince was ready to tear him limb from limb.”

  I was shocked that she seemed to think he’d seen through my act. “Why?”

  “Because he sees you as his. I know you are not yet married, but he wants you, and in his mind you belong to him already. He is very protective of his wives, Eleanor. If you marry him, you will be above all others, and nobody can touch you without his permission.”

  I rubbed my nose. “Like Malik?”

  “The Prince encourages his slaves and concubines to join in with us sometimes in the bedchamber. He likes to watch others give and receive pleasure. But you should know that no other man is allowed to make love to you the way he does. Do you understand?”

  I wasn’t sure, and she must have seen my uncertainty.

  “You watched Farah with Malik and the Prince?”

  I nodded.

  “You saw what Malik did?”

  I remembered how he had spread oil between the cheeks of her bottom and inserted his cock there. “Yes.”

  “The Prince must be certain that any children his wife bears are his. Therefore no other man will ever enter you vaginally. That is the Prince’s prerogative, and one he defends fiercely. But other than that, he encourages us to play with others.” She grinned. “It is fun.”

  I must have looked terrified, because her smile faded and she reached out her arms. “Aw, Eleanor. I meant to reassure, not scare you.”

  Tears rose and choked me as she hugged me. “I am sorry. I am overwhelmed, that is all. Until I came here, I thought passion and love in marriage a creation of bards and poets. I did not believe it could be real.”

  “It is very real.”

  “I can see that.” I sniffed. “I cannot tell you how it touches me to see not only the Prince so affectionate, but also how you are with each other.”

  She kissed my forehead. “He encourages us to care for one another. Any discontent or rivalry makes him very unhappy—Farah can tell you that.” She chuckled.

  I curled up in the warmth of her arms, listening to the murmurs of the Prince with his lovers the other side of the silk partition, the beautiful sounds of their lovemaking as they reached their climaxes together. “Are you happy, Nedira?”

  “Very. It is best to be open with the Prince. Tell him how you feel. He wants to make us happy, and he is willing to go to great lengths to satisfy us. When he found out I was also inter
ested in stargazing, he made the effort to include me in his nightly observances. He didn’t have to do that.”

  She stroked my hair. “Now why don’t you try to get some sleep? We have only two more days of riding, and then we will arrive at Samarkand. I am sure once you see the splendor of the Palace and meet the others, you will make up your mind.”

  I turned onto my side away from her, and she moved close to my back, lending me her heat, and stroking my arm and hair as I began to doze.

  The other side of the partition, the Prince, Farah, and Malik grew quiet. I imagined them curled up together in the same bed. I could not share myself like that. Could I? I was still too frightened that I wouldn’t be able to satisfy the Prince.

  I had no idea how to act like Farah, how to pretend to enjoy loving two men at once. How could I ever be brave enough to do what Nedira had done, and make love to Farah and the Prince at the same time?

  I couldn’t help but think that the Prince assumed that because I wasn’t a virgin, I possessed more experience than I actually did. He would assume I had tried different positions, and that I knew how to please a man. That I understood how to achieve an orgasm.

  I felt stupid and ignorant. It wasn’t the first time that I wondered what I had done wrong in my marriages. Maybe I should have tried harder to please my husbands. Perhaps then I might have experienced some of the bliss that Farah and Nedira obviously felt.

  I couldn’t imagine feeling anything but hatred for the men who had forced themselves on me, but maybe that was just another fault in my character.

  Stifling tears, I fell asleep.

  *

  I expected the next day to be much the same as the previous one—hours of riding with Nedira and Farah interspersed with the occasional visit by the Prince. But from the moment we set out, he rode over to join me, and to my surprise he stayed by my side the whole day.