by Pharaoh
Asar grabbed her by the arm. “Do not dismiss me.” He turned her to face him. “Why did you leave so suddenly? Did Khai do something to offend you?”
“No. It was not Khai. It was your grandfather. I overheard your conversation.”
He took his hands off of her. “Our conversation?”
“Yes, the one about me being too dark to rule Egypt.”
Asar shook his head. “My grandfather lives in the past.”
“He can’t. We ruled Egypt in the past.”
“What does it matter what he thinks. I am now vizier.”
“I also heard your little confession about your feelings for me.”
“Oh.”
“You do not deny it?”
“No, but I am not proud of it either. I have been in love with you since the first time I saw you.”
Zuri paced. “We were kids. You terrorized me.”
“I had to get your attention some way.”
Zuri rolled her eyes at him. “I do not feel the same way about you.”
“Will you stop pacing? You are making me nervous.”
Zuri stopped. It was a bad thing. He watched her with smoldering brown eyes. “You have to stop doing that.”
“What?”
“Looking at me that way.”
Asar straightened his stance. “Sorry. I will not do that again.”
“How can I go back to Egypt when I know how you feel about me?”
“You have my word that I will not cross that line. I love Khai like a brother. I would not interfere in his marriage.”
Zuri did not believe him. “How can you be sure? I can’t go there knowing you will be peeping at me while I bathe or trying to live vicariously listening to me and Khai make love.”
Asar stiffened. “So it is true?”
“What?”
“You have lain with him?”
Zuri nodded. “Yes.”
He sighed. “I could have made you so happy. I would have worshipped you.”
“You make it sound like this is my fault.”
“In a way it is. If you had not performed that dance, then I might not harbor this desire for you.”
“Why is everyone blaming everything on me? You and Queen Hathor did this.”
“True, but you could have done a simple native dance. But no, you had to do this sexy dance that entranced every man present.”
Zuri rolled her eyes at him. “I danced for pharaoh. I could not help if you were there.”
He pulled her closer to him. “Do you feel this? It will not go away. I have had an erection since you danced.”
“Take a swim in the river. I hear it can cure everything.”
“You are so mean, Princess Zuri.” He lowered his lips to hers.
Her resistance weakened, and she melted in his arms. Sanity returned. Zuri pushed him away. “I am not mean.”
“I am trying to find a way for this to work.”
“I am now the queen of Egypt even though I do not want to be. This will not work.”
“You do not love Khai. That kiss proved that to me.”
“It proved nothing. Your grandfather’s words do have some merit. I am too young to know what is good for me, let alone good for Egypt.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have caused a ruckus between two friends because I danced. How can I lead a country if I do not have sense enough to know that a little dance would make me queen?”
Asar chuckled. “You have a point.” The sound of approaching horses ended their little joke. “Oh, oh, pharaoh has arrived, and he does not look pleased to see either of us.”
Zuri swallowed. “No, it does not look good. His queen and his best friend together without him.”
Chapter Nine
Khai stared at the scene before him. He spat. He should have known better than to trust Asar. He brought his horse to a stop, climbed down, and walked toward him. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to bring Zuri back to Egypt.”
He braced up to Asar chest. “That is my job. Why didn’t you alert me to her escape?”
Zuri stepped between the two of them. “I did not escape. I just left.”
Khai lifted her and moved her to the side. “I will deal with you later.” He turned back to Asar. “You grandfather warned me not to trust you.”
Asar smirked. “As usual, you have this all wrong.”
“I do not think so.” He raised his finger and rubbed Zuri’s lip color from Asar’s lips.
Asar slapped Khai’s hand away. “I saw Zuri riding off on a horse, and I followed her because I thought it was not safe for her to be out riding alone. That is when I discovered that she was not simply out for a ride but in fact leaving unescorted. I did what I thought was best and followed her to make sure nothing happened to her.”
“A convenient story.”
“He is telling the truth,” Zuri said in Asar’s defense. “He just got here.”
“I thought I asked you to stay out of it. This is between him and me.”
“Asar is innocent.”
He walked over to her. “You are very naïve if you think he followed you out of the goodness of his heart. You know he does not do anything without an ulterior motive, and as your husband and pharaoh, I can talk to you any way I damn well please.”
The look in her eyes nearly stopped his heart. He had not planned to speak so ill toward her, but she was embarrassing herself by siding with Asar.
“Well, this is my home, and if you do not like it, you can go back to your home.” She stormed back into the palace.
Asar chuckled. “You better go behind her.”
“Do not tell me what to do. I can have you executed for what you have done.”
“Yes, you can, but you are going to feel like a big fool once you hang an innocent man.” He walked toward his horse.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to Egypt.” He climbed. “A smart man would go inside and apologize.” He rode off.
Khai grumbled. He would not apologize. He was the one due an apology. A caravan of horses and litters approached. He held his hand over his eyes to block out the sun so he could see. The lead litter bore the crest of Ethiopian royalty. The caravan grew closer, followed by many armed guards. He signaled for his guards to be on the alert. One never could be too careful. The caravan stopped behind his guards. The lead camel knelt so that whoever was inside could dismount. He walked toward it. The guards recognized him and fell to their knees. A long set of legs climbed down the rope ladder. It was a prince and his entourage. The entourage fell down to their knees once they recognized him. The prince bowed. “Pharaoh. I am Prince Chitemo of Ethiopia.”
Khai accepted the acknowledgment. “Rise, Prince Chitemo.”
“I did not know that you would be here. Had I known I would have come bearing gifts.”
“It was a spur of the moment trip. I have come to fetch my bride.”
Prince Chitemo looked at him oddly. “Your bride?”
Khai nodded. “She’s inside sulking.”
“Ah, Princess Zuri.”
“Oh, so you have met her?”
“Many times. I too am here seeking a bride, one who doesn’t sulk.”
“Najre.”
Chitemo nodded. “I have asked her to marry me, and I am here for my answer.”
Pharaoh bowed to him. “Good luck. I think you are going to need it.”
Chitemo laughed. “I think both of us are in for a very exciting future with them.”
Samanya and her husband came out of the palace. Samanya seemed very glad to see both of them. Maybe Zuri was not such a coward and had told her family about their marriage.
“Come,” she said. “We have been expecting both of you. I will have my stableman see to your horses.”
Khai followed her.
Chitemo helped his family out of the litter and then followed them. After greetings and congratulations were passed, they entered the palace.
&nbs
p; Khai looked around the place. It had been some time since his last visit, and the Nubian home had changed. Like his mother, Samanya Bassey had excellent tastes and kept a very clean palace. Servants fell to their knees as he walked through. Chitemo walked regally beside him.
Khai was glad then that he had not chosen Najre. It would have made for bad politics and probably caused a war between their two kingdoms. “She is a beautiful young woman. She will make you a delightful wife.”
“I can say the same for you, except I find princess Zuri a bit of a handful. She and I are always arguing about everything from food to politics.”
Khai smirked. “That’s Zuri.”
“She is very beautiful though. She would have been my second choice if Najre turned me down.”
Khai stopped and looked at him. One handsome man after his bride was enough.
Chitemo smiled. “I am only kidding.”
The Basseys led them into the formal throne room and offered them their seats. Samanya left to get her daughters, leaving him to entertain their guests. She returned minutes later with Princess Najre and gave an explanation for Zuri’s not being there. “She has a headache. She is in her room and will be joining us later.”
Khai frowned. She seemed perfectly all right to him a few minutes ago. He had a good mind to go up to her room and drag her kicking and screaming back to Egypt but thought better about it. There was no sense in disrespecting the new in-laws so soon.
Prince Chitemo took Najre to another part of the palace to talk, leaving him alone to deal with the two other families. They were just getting started when Prince Chitemo and Najre entered.
“Najre has agreed to be my wife,” Chitemo announced. “It will be the biggest wedding in all of Nubia.”
”
Samanya hugged Chitemo’s mother. “We will get started on the preparations today.”
Khai felt bad for not having a traditional Nubian wedding with Zuri. In his country, all he had to do was name her queen and that is it. A Nubian wedding lasted up to forty days, and he did not want to wait that long to make Zuri his bride. It also had a long series of rituals, and poor Chitemo would have to present lots of gifts to Najre and her family up until the wedding day.
“Of course you will come, won’t you?” Samanya asked him once she got his attention.
Khai nodded. “Yes. I would not miss it for the world.”
“You know we can arrange for the two of you to be married here at the same time.”
Khai cringed. “I will discuss it with Zuri later and get back with you.”
Samanya took his hand and escorted him out of the throne room. “We need to talk.”
“Shouldn’t you stay and talk with your daughter’s future in-laws?”
“I have known them all of my life. I can talk with them later, but you I very seldom get to see.”
He kissed her hand. “Always a pleasure.”
She led him to a formal sitting room. She sat down and patted a seat next to her. “Okay, what are you discussing?”
Khai feigned innocence. “Nothing.”
“You were never a good liar.”
Khai frowned. Why did the Bassey women think they knew him? “Zuri and I just had a bit of a misunderstanding.”
“She told me you named her queen of Egypt.”
“Yes.”
“Then what is she doing back home?”
The question startled him. “Pardon me?”
“Why is she back? Why is she not in your palace being queen?”
He shrugged. “You know her better than I. I thought everything was fine, and the next thing I know she runs away and I find her here with Asar.”
“Asar? When did he get here?”
“A little while before I did. They were in front of the palace talking when I arrived.”
“Where is he?”
“He left for Egypt after he and I had a talk.”
“An argument.”
“Yes, an argument.”
“You are jealous of his feelings for Zuri.”
“Are there no secrets in this kingdom?”
Samanya chuckled. “I am afraid not. Zuri told me everything, including the conversations you had with Bandru.”
“She overheard?”
Samanya nodded. “He said some very unkind things.”
“Yes, and I corrected him. I do not have a problem with your race. If I had, I would have never made Zuri queen.”
“That is very noble of you.”
“So she came back here because she thought I agreed with Bandru?”
“Apparently.”
“How can she think that after what we shared?”
Samanya raised an eyebrow. “You have slept with my daughter?”
Khai cleared his throat. “Yes. She is no longer a virgin. Please do not judge her for it.”
Samanya laughed and patted his hand. “I understand these types of feelings. Zuri, I am afraid, is a little old fashioned. She likes to stick to the traditional ways of our people. I think she might be embarrassed that she slept with you before the two of you were married.”
“She has no reason to be ashamed. It was the most amazing night of my life. She is a very caring young woman.”
“And she has magical hips. I heard about her dance. News of it reached here before she did.”
Khai blushed. “It was quite exhilarating. I thought Bandru would die from embarrassment.”
“I heard Asar got a kick out of it, too.”
Khai frowned. “Yeah, more than I knew.”
“He is your friend. He will not cross the line.”
“Yes, I know, but I got so upset when I saw him here with her that I said some very unkind things to him for which I will apologize as soon as I get back to Egypt.”
“Jealousy is not always a bad thing. I think the best way to handle this is to fix him up with a woman. There is another single princess in their family.”
“Furaha?”
“Not a bad choice for him. They have a lot in common those two.”
Khai laughed. “That they do. I’ll get working on that as soon as I patch up my own relationship.”
“Speaking of which, how are you going to do it?”
Khai sighed. “I guess I have to go to her room and talk to her.”
“A proposal would be nice.”
“You mean a formal wedding, like Najre?”
“Why not? You will not only be bound to Nubia but Ethiopia as well.”
“Oh, I would do anything to make her happy.”
* * * *
Zuri sat in her room pouting. The nerve of him coming here and talking to me that way. She punched her mattress. That was one of the reasons she did not want to be queen. She liked her independence, and she did not like a man talking to her like she was his possession. It was bad enough she had to take orders from her parents.
Someone knocked at her door. “Come in.
Samanya entered. “You cannot hide from him forever.”
“I am not hiding. I am just refusing to be in his company at the moment for fear that I might say something inappropriate.”
Samanya laughed. “You have a right to be angry but put yourself into his position for a moment. He came riding in like a hero to take you back to his palace, and when he gets here, he finds you with his best friend, a best friend who is also in love with you.”
Zuri put her hands over her ears. “I do not wish to hear about Asar’s feelings for me. I am not in love with him.” She lowered her hands.
“But you do have feelings for him.”
“I despise him.”
“No, you do not. Those are the type of feelings you have to work out before you reign as queen. You have to make sure that nothing is there. If not, you might find yourself lusting behind him while you are with Khai. Pharaoh deserves more than that.”
Zuri sighed. “Yes, I know. So what do you suppose I do?”
“I think you should put on something pretty and come down and join the others.
You won’t have to face Khai alone right now.”
“What others?”
“Have you not heard all the shouts? Najre has accepted Chitemo’s proposal. He and his entire family are here, and we are about to have a celebratory dinner.”
Zuri looked up. “She accepted?”
Her mother nodded.
“I thought she would not go through with it again.”
“Maybe she has matured. Yes, she has accepted, and we have a big wedding to plan.”
Zuri sighed. “Forty days of presents, ceremonies, and being worshipped. My sister is very lucky.”
“You are married to pharaoh. I say you did pretty well, too.”
“Yes, I suppose.” She walked away and fished through some clothes looking for something appropriate.
Samanya headed for the door. “I will expect you in the dining room in thirty minutes.”
“I will be there. I’ll just take a quick bath, and I will come down.”
Samanya left.
She was very glad that her sister had accepted. Najre deserved to be happy. She was marrying the man she loved, and she was going to have a wonderful life in Ethiopia. She found an outfit and walked to her bathing room. She would go down and talk with the guests, but she would not forget or forgive Khai for the way he treated her.
There were no girls to wait on her hand and foot when she entered the bathing room, for which she was glad. There were moments, and this was certainly one, when more than one female in a room was enough. She removed her clothing and stepped into the tub. The waters swirled around her. She reached for the soap and washed the sands of the Sahara from the body, remembering her last bath in the big tub with her husband tending to her.
She closed her eyes and conjured up that moment. His body magnificent with muscles in all the right places. Thick dark hair and piercing blue eyes and a charming smile. She rubbed the soap against her breasts, and the nipples hardened. A chest carved liked stone, a flat stomach and slim hips. She continued to rub the soap across her breasts while the memory danced in her mind. Long powerful legs with thick thighs. A nice tight behind and big feet and hands. She allowed her mind to delve down below his waist until she saw it…powerful and long. She gasped as she lowered the soap between her legs. It had hurt at first, and then it did wonderful things to her insides. Zuri shuddered. The man simply oozed sex.