The Harem

by Paul Preston

  Jeremy led me, still yawning and a little groggy, down a long hallway and into a private room. It was a very pretty and well decorated bedroom, with light green pear-colored paint that gave the room a soothing, peaceful ambiance. Even though I was alone in a bedroom with a man I hardly knew, I wasn’t afraid at all, for some reason. There was a large bed in the center of the room and a table with two chairs placed in front of a vanity mirror. A rectangular gift box, very professionally wrapped, was placed on the center of the bed. We sat down at the vanity table and Jeremy reached out and held hands with me. He smiled and stared into my eyes for a long moment.

  “I’m so glad you came. I said that already, didn’t I? I don’t know why you make me so nervous. Do you mind if I call you Eve?”

  “No, I don’t mind, Jeremy. That’s what my friends used to call me, growing up.”

  “I’d like to be your friend too, Eve.”

  Finally, I had to tell him the truth. I let go and folded my hands tightly across my lap.

  “Jeremy, there’s something… I’ve been neglecting to tell you.”

  “You’re not a virgin?”

  “No, it’s not that.”

  “You’ve fallen madly in love with me?”

  “Jeremy!”

  In the mirror I could see my face had turned red. I slapped him lightly on the shoulder and held my hand there for a few seconds. As I did it, it seemed like it was someone else’s hand flirtatiously touching him. As soon as I became aware of what I was doing, I withdrew my hand.

  “OK, the truth…I’ve met you before… at church, over two years ago, at little Georgie’s confirmation. I think he was your… ex-wife’s nephew. Remember? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until now. Please don’t be mad.”

  Jeremy sat back in his chair. He didn’t seem upset at all and had a twinkle in his eyes.

  “My, my, my, aren’t you a sneaky girl, Eve! Pretending all this time we had never met.”

  “I know I should’ve told you when I first met you at Starbucks. And… that I knew about the divorce. I’m so sorry.”

  Like a gentleman, he brushed the embarrassing incident aside.

  “Oh, don’t worry about it, Eve. I suppose by now all of Rockville knows I’m a cuckold. Am I growing horns yet?”

  “Please don’t be embarrassed about it, Jeremy.”

  “It’s hard not to be, Eve.”

  “It was hardly your fault that your wife cheated on you.”

  I explained to Jeremy how I accidentally saw his picture on that naughty website and felt compelled to make contact with him. I told him that even though I was inexperienced in these matters, I thought having sexual contact without emotional intimacy seemed rather empty to me. I told him I came to his home tonight to pray with him.

  “Are you trying to save my soul, Eve?”

  “I know I don’t really know you very well, Jeremy, and I can’t begin to understand how painful it was for you when you saw your ex-wife having carnal relations with another man, but I don’t see how creating this “Harem” and engaging in meaningless and indiscriminate sex can help you heal your broken heart.”

  “Have you come here to heal my broken heart, Eve?”

  His words and the hypnotic way he looked at me made my stomach do flips. I felt these goose bumps run up the backside of my arms and my heart started racing again. I tried to take a deep breath, but it was like I couldn’t take any air into my lungs. Dear Lord, what was happening to me? I tried to stay focused.

  “I’d like to try to help you, Jeremy. I’d like to say a little prayer with you. Do you mind?”

  “That’s very kind of you. I don’t mind at all, Eve. No one has ever prayed for my soul.”

  He reached out and I took his hands in mine. I slipped off my chair, kneeling at his feet. He followed and kneeled close to me on the floor. I could feel the soft material of his robe brush against my skin. Our bodies were extremely close to each other. Before I bowed my head, I noticed his eyes were wide open and he was looking at me in a funny way. I shut my eyes and prayed…

  “Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, I ask you to give my brother, Jeremy, wisdom and clarity, to help him in his recovery from the pain of his divorce from Debbie. In your everlasting mercy, may you give him the strength to heal his broken—”

  Suddenly I felt Jeremy’s soft lips lock onto mine and his strong arms wrap tightly around my body, pressing me firmly against the hard muscles of his chest.

  The long fingers of one of his hands slipped through the strands of my hair and closed in a fist, pressing on the back of my head, holding my lips steadily against his. I kept my eyes shut but inadvertently opened my lips slightly. I felt his tongue force its way through the small opening, and in a swirling wet embrace, wrap around my tongue. Jeremy picked me up off the ground like a feather and sat me on his lap on the edge of the bed, pressing on the back of my head more firmly and closing his lips around the tip of my tongue, sucking it into his mouth with such passion that I thought he wished to swallow it. It was easily the most romantic kiss of my life, the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. I put my hands lightly on the swollen warm pectoral muscles of his chest and pulled back to catch my breath. After a few shallow breaths, I opened my eyes.

  “Jeremy…it’s not right. We can’t—”

  “No. We can…”

  I felt his fist close tighter in my hair and he gave me another long hard kiss. He laid me back upon the bed, pushing the gift box to the side and loosening the sash on his robe. I could feel the warmth of his bare chest pressing into me. I felt myself melting into his hot skin. There was no escape.

  Though I was ashamed to admit it, the truth was… I wanted this moment with Jeremy ever since I first saw him at church, years ago. I realized now it was never my intention to heal him with my prayers, but with my pounding heart. I thought of the other women he had invited to his home and wondered if they had already been with him tonight. Of course, they had. I instantly put the thought out of my head and gave myself over to the sensual kiss, the passionate tight embrace. I knew at that moment I wanted to be more than friends with Jeremy, even if it was considered a mortal sin before the Lord.

  I had never before in my life done anything like this. But if what I was doing with Jeremy was so morally wrong, why did it feel so right? God forgive me, but I couldn’t help myself. I slipped the silk robe off his broad shoulders and it fell to the bed sheets. I put the side of my cheek against his chest and listened to the drumbeat of his heart. As Jeremy squeezed me close, the muscles of his strong arms flexed, pushing the thick blue veins out under the surface of his skin. I watched the blood surge through them, up his forearms, over his rounded biceps, and spreading out in little streams over his shoulders like the tributaries of a blue river. With my fingertip, I slowly followed the vein of his right arm from his wrist, up to his shoulder and back down his forearm again. I glanced further down and his…his manhood… made a huge tent under his black workout pants. I immediately looked away from his… erection. Jeremy made sure not to push it or rub it against me, which I appreciated. I know it was indecent of me but, against my will, my eyes kept drifting back down to look at it every minute or two. As he talked to me, Jeremy kept trying to nonchalantly adjust himself by pushing it down and making it behave, but sooner or later, like a naughty Jack in the Box, it would pop back up again. As I traced the lovely veins of his arm, he spoke in a low seductive voice to me.

  “Can I tell you my favorite erotic story? It’s actually from the bible: the story of Adam and Eve. Picture them for a moment, before the business with the snake and the apple. There they are in the Garden, happy, sexually attracted to each other, and deeply in love. There’s no need to wear clothes to cover themselves. They’re unashamed of their bodies, living in perfect harmony with each other and nature. Sexy, right? But as soon as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is introduced, the story loses its eroticism and that’s where Christianity as a religion falls apart for me, Eve. The Old Testament Go
d gives this incomprehensible command not to eat the apple, the snake tempts them, Eve takes a bite and now the two lovers are banished forever from Paradise. They become ashamed of their bodies, their sexuality, and cover themselves in disgrace. But think about this, Eve. What if we stopped the story right before God ruined paradise by imposing the concept of sin and judgment on Adam and Eve? What if men and women never became ashamed of their bodies and Paradise still existed? That’s what I’m trying to do here with you, Eve, tonight. I want to return to Paradise with you, naked and unashamed. I know you’re nervous about the contract you read. Don’t worry about it. You don’t ever even have to sign it. I know you’re worried about my taking advantage of you. Eve, I give you my word, I will not have sexual intercourse with you while you are with me and you will remain a virgin for the lucky guy that marries you on your wedding night. I give you my word, Eve…”

  I rested my head on Jeremy’s chest and continued to glide my fingertips up and down his bare arms. When he promised me that we would never have sexual intercourse, I was relieved, but somewhat disappointed at the same time. I didn’t know what to make of his version of paradise. It made me tremble inside when he said he wanted to go back to Paradise and be “naked and unashamed” with me. I’ve never been alone with anyone with my clothes off in my life. Then Jeremy said something even more provocative.

  “Of course, this is just my opinion, but I think vaginal intercourse is somewhat overrated. There are many ways to give pleasure other than traditional sex and you’d still remain a virgin for your future husband. For example, what you’re doing right now is in fact very sexy to me. You’re making my skin tingle.”

  Other ways of giving pleasure? And I’d still be a virgin? My heart was beating fast. I became shy and pulled my hand away. He grabbed my wrist, placing my hand back over the vein running over his biceps.

  “No, don’t stop, Eve, please don’t stop. It feels so good to me.”

  I slid my eyes back down his arm, following the main vein with my fingertips. My eyes drifted lower, over his tight striated abs, sneaking a peek at the tremendous bulge tenting his pants. Suddenly, I had the urge to sweep my hands just once over the contours of his private area, before returning up to his shoulder again. I had never touched a man there before. It seemed like some kind of alien life form, attached to his body, but moving independently from it, straining to be released from its black nylon confinement. I could clearly see the outline of the bulbous rim at the tip through his tight pants. I had never really looked closely at this part of a man. I found myself biting my lower lip as I stared at it.

  “Do you like what you see, Eve?”

  Completely embarrassed, I cast my eyes downward.

  “I’m sorry for staring.”

  “I like it when you look at me. Would you like to see more?”

  Before I could stop him, Jeremy pulled his sweat pants lower down his waist to the base of his… erection. I quickly reached both hands out to stop him before he could completely disrobe. My fingertips grasped the elastic strap of his waist band and my hands inadvertently brushed against his private area. Even with slight contact, it stood up even stiffer, like a soldier at attention.

  “No, Jeremy! Don’t take off your clothes!”

  “Why not? I’m not ashamed of my body.”

  “It makes me uncomfortable.”

  Jeremy relented, letting go of his pants just before they slipped over his hips. He didn’t pull his pants back up, but he didn’t lower them further either.

  “OK, Eve. I’ll make a deal with you. I won’t take off my clothes if you’ll try on this gift I bought for you.”

  “A gift?

  Jeremy smiled like an excited child and placed the silver box in my lap. I felt like it was my birthday.

  “It’s yours to take home. Wear it on your wedding night.”

  “Jeremy, you didn’t have to buy me anything. I don’t feel comfortable receiving-”

  “Open it.”

  I used my fingernail to slice through the paper and open the box. It was white silk lingerie, light as air. First I pulled out a sheer top with two paper-thin shoulder straps. It looked very short. I held it up in front of me and the light fabric went down only to my mid-drift. It was very feminine, but if I wore it, the see-through material would completely expose my breasts and nipples. I couldn’t possibly wear it.

  Next I removed a thong panty which appeared to have some kind of a manufacturing defect, since the crotch had a slit sown into it, which, when worn, would reveal the opening of my vagina. Was it supposed to be that way? There was also a pretty garter belt with four straps that attached to a pair of lovely white stockings inside the box, along with high heels.

  “It’s all so pretty. I don’t know what to say… Thank you, Jeremy.”

  “Try it on. I think it’s the right size.”

  “It’s so beautiful and feminine, but I couldn’t possibly wear this in front of you, Jeremy.”

  Without a word, Jeremy exposed himself to me before I could stop him just as he said he would, giving me a clear, close up view of his most private parts. The sight took my breath away and my jaw dropped open.

  Of course, I have no experience in these matters, but his… penis, the first male penis I had ever seen, was enormous and thick. The head was angled directly upwards, as if the tiny mouth-like slit at the tip were a single eye, diligently watching my every move. The whole thing looked like a bluish, cylindrical ticking bomb, throbbing with blood, that was about to explode at any moment. Are all of them that big? Even if it was my wedding night and we were about to engage in intercourse, how in the world could something that huge even fit inside of me? There is hardly enough room in my small tight opening to accommodate the bulbous top of it, much less the rest of the long thick shaft. What’s more, I saw his round, completely shaven testicles, dangling heavily under the base of his penis. They looked like two uncomfortably swollen overinflated balloons, conjoined at birth and struggling to survive in a single sac much too small for both of them to fit into at once. It looked like his whole…package was in considerable pain at the moment.

  Just before Jeremy was about to drop his pants all the way to the floor, I got over my initial shock. I blurted out my objection and covered my eyes with my hand.

  “Jeremy! Please! Put your clothes back on!”

  “Are you sure you want me to?”

  “Yes! Yes! Pull your pants back up!”

  I put a second hand over my eyes, just in case. Like he did when we first met at Starbucks, Jeremy continued to speak to me in the same casual, chatty manner, as if completely unaware of his nakedness. Was he some sort of exhibitionist? A nudist?

  “Eve, I see you drive a hard bargain. You’re a tough negotiator. OK, I’ll make you another deal, much more favorable to you this time. I’ll promise to go to church with you this Sunday and you can attempt to save my soul, if you’ll at least try on this lingerie I picked out for you.”

  “OK, OK! I agree! Church this Sunday! Just put your pants back on!”

  “Do I look that ugly to you, Eve?”

  “Of course not. You’re very attractive…down there.”

  “I am? Thank you, Eve. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

  “Are your pants back on, Jeremy?”

  “They are, Eve.”

  I put my hands down and opened my eyes. He was back to normal, if you could consider being shirtless, with a towering erection pressing up on one’s pants normal. He might as well have been completely naked. I think I lost in the deal we made. He meets me at church on Sunday, but now I had to dress up in these skimpy, sexy clothes. Jeremy helped me carry the outfit into a large ornate bathroom and we laid the lingerie and shoes upon the long marble vanity countertop. I looked at Jeremy in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. He rested his large hands lightly on the back of my neck.

  “Can I see what you look like if you let your hair down, Eve?”

  I took a deep breath in and ou
t and did what he asked before he became naked as a monkey again. I took a few hidden pins out and my hair cascaded down over my shoulders, covering my breasts and sides and falling down to the middle of my back.

  “Oh my God, Eve, you have such long beautiful blond hair. It’s really quite fetching. You should always wear it down like this.”

  Jeremy ran his fingers slowly through my hair, sweeping it over my left shoulder, the back of his hand brushing over the mound of my left breast.

  “Now, I’m going to leave you alone for a minute so you can get dressed in private. There is also a little makeup and lip stick in the bathroom cabinet. I’d love to see how it looks on you. I’m sure it will only enhance your natural beauty.”

  Then he leaned over and kissed me lightly on the right cheek and left the bathroom. I thought I might as well get this humiliating ordeal over with. I unbuttoned my shirt and took off my bra, looking at the rather ordinary size of my breasts. Cynthia’s breasts were a few cups sizes bigger than mine, although her hips were somewhat wider, not that it probably mattered to a virile guy like Jeremy. I’m sure he liked women of all shapes and sizes, I bet. I removed my skirt, panties and shoes and shimmied into the outfit, pulling up the stockings, attaching the straps to the garter belt and slipping into the camisole and thong. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked naked, very feminine and pretty, but naked nevertheless. I found the lipstick, mascara and eye shadow in the mirrored cabinet and applied the makeup. When I was finished I was shocked at how alluring I looked. My friends and family wouldn’t even recognize me. I felt different too, like a real warm-blooded woman for the first time in my life. There was a light tap and the door opened. Jeremy froze in the doorway, with his hand still on the knob when he saw me.

  “Oh my God, Eve… You’re stunning. You’re making my heart beat fast…”