In Her Arms

by Gayle Keo

  “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.

  “Why is everyone staring at us?” William asked.

  “Because we’re white,” Anna said. And it was probably true. Most of the people looked at her and William with curious looks on their faces. She was sure many of them had never seen people with her and William’s skin tone before.

  “Well, now would be a great time to use your Arabic and get us some supplies,” William said. He had a bad feeling about the town and the way the people stared at him. From the sides, he saw a woman, probably the same age as Anna, stare at them. It was the color of her eyes, green like an emerald, that caught his attention. They were so bright, so noticeable. The look on her face though, shock mixed with a touch of fear, made William shiver.

  A large, burly looking man approached the couple. “What can I help you with?” he asked in Arabic.

  “We need supplies, if you could help us,” Anna replied back in Arabic.

  The man reared back when Anna spoke in Arabic. “You speak our language?”

  “I do,” Anna said with a satisfied grin. “Now can you help us with supplies?”

  “Wait here,” he grunted and walked away.

  “What did he say?” William asked Anna.

  “He said stay here.”

  William and Anna waited and waited. It was Anna who first spotted the men with drawn swords walking towards them.

  “William,” she said fearfully.

  “Get behind me,” William commanded.

  “They’re behind you, too.”

  William turned around and sure enough, armed men approached from behind as well. It was his job to protect his wife, but he knew he was no match for multiple men with swords.

  “Don’t be alarmed,” the burly man from before said. “This is just a precaution. We don’t see any of your kind here but my leader has experience and he wants to meet you. If you would follow me.”

  “Our camels—” William began.

  “They will be fine. We have food and water for them.”

  William nodded his head. They had no choice but to follow the burly man. They were brought to a large house similar to ones in Cairo that the city’s elite lived in. The furnishings were luxurious and William was quite surprised that a town in the middle of the desert had such things. The burly man led them to another small room.

  “Wait here for my leader,” the man said and he closed the heavy door. William heard it lock.

  “Why are they keeping us here?” Anna asked. She was terrified at this point. Every emotion in her body came out in a loud cry and tears began to stream down her face. She snuggled close to William, grateful he was with her but afraid for what awaited them.

  “I’m not sure, but we’ll be okay. Aren’t we always?” William kissed Anna’s forehead and rested his against the wall behind him. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen to him and Anna. They could very well be killed here and no one would know. Damn sandstorm, he thought bitterly.

  Hours passed by. When Anna thought she would die of hunger, the door unlocked and a woman came in with a tray of food. She kept her eyes down and said nothing.

  William recognized her as the woman who stared from the shadows when he and Anna arrived.

  “Can you help us?” Anna cried in Arabic. “Tell us why we’re being held.”

  “I don’t know why you are being held,” the woman replied in excellent English. “My father says it’s for our safety.”

  “We’re not dangerous,” William said. “We just wanted supplies to continue on our way.”

  “Continue on your way? Where are you going?”

  “Hisyut,” Anna replied.

  “Hisyut? Never heard of it.”

  Anna tilted her head in confusion. “You haven’t? And please, tell us your name.”

  The woman shook her head. “I haven’t heard of it and I know almost every village and town in Egypt. My name is Metimeh.”

  “Metimeh,” Anna repeated. “I’m Anna. This is my husband, William.”

  William said nothing. Instead, he stared at Metimeh.

  She squirmed under his intense gaze and focused her attention on Anna.

  “I will try to talk to my father. Tell him you are not dangerous. He thinks there are more of you.”

  “It’s just us. I swear,” Anna said.

  Metimeh nodded her head and left the room, making sure to lock the door behind her. She couldn’t explain the feelings that made her stomach flutter when she looked at both William and especially Anna. She was a virgin, unable to have such feelings. Or so she was told.

  She ran to the house she lived in with her mother and retreated to her bedroom. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She would eventually talk to her father for Anna and William’s sake. Seeing them in the small room, Anna’s terrified look and William’s blank face, made her heart break.

  *****

  Anna didn’t remember falling asleep but she did because she was awakened when the man from earlier came into the small room.

  “Our leader will see you now,” he announced in English.

  Anna looked out the window. It was pitch black outside and she assumed it was well past midnight. The leader would see them now? Of all times?

  “Will he let us go?” William asked. He stood and dusted dirt off his pants. “We’re not here to cause trouble.”

  The man shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. You speak to him yourself. Come.”

  Anna and William followed him through the house to another wing that was completely hidden from the outside. They entered a large gathering room filled with ornate furnishings and rugs. A man dressed in a simple white robe sat on a chair in the middle of the room.

  “Sit,” the white-robed man said in English. He gestured to two wooden chairs opposite his own.

  “Who are you?” He asked when Anna and William sat.

  “Who are you?” William repeated.

  The man laughed. “You have encroached into my kingdom and you demand to know who I am. Funny. But I’ll entertain you,” he paused, “just this once. I am King Mahmoud.”

  King? Anna tilted her head in confusion. She had never heard of a King Mahmoud and she knew a lot about Egypt. Maybe he’s one of those self-imposed kings, she thought.

  “Your Highness,” William said slowly, “we mean no harm. We were only passing through to restock on supplies and rest.”

  “If you mean no harm, what are you doing so far out here? No one stumbles into my kingdom unless they mean trouble,” King Mah
moud said loudly. He composed himself and lowered his voice. “Are you spies?”

  “Who would we be spying for?” Anna asked.

  “Ha,” King Mahmoud snorted. “Don’t joke with me. I’m not stupid.”

  “I don’t think you are stupid, Your Highness. We aren’t spies. We are trying to find the city of Hisyut,” Anna explained.

  King Mahmoud stilled. “Hisyut? What business do you have there?”

  “We were sent by a friend,” William answered. “A good friend. Maybe you knew him. His name was Haji.”

  “Was?” King Mahmoud asked.

  “He died almost a week ago,” Anna said softly. Talking about Haji was still painful. She missed him terribly.

  “Hmm,” King Mahmoud thought. “The name does sound familiar but that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t trust you and until I learn absolutely everything about you, you will stay here.” He motioned to the guards. “Take them back.”

  Anna tried to say something more but the guards came and rough lifted her and William from their chairs and took them away. They were returned to the small room that was lit with only two torches.

  “How long do you think he’s going to keep us here?” She asked William.

  William sat on the ground and patted the area next to him. Anna sat beside him and snuggled close.

  “I’m not sure,” William replied. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. “I’m really not sure.”

  ****

  Three days. It had been three days since William and Anna arrived and Metimeh couldn’t stop thinking about either one of them. Her feelings towards Anna were extremely strong. She had a strong urge to wrap her arms around Anna and hold her close. Metimeh wasn’t sure why she was having these feelings. She never had them before—at least, she didn’t think so.

  “What has you thinking so much over there?” Metimeh’s mother, Ameerah, asked from across the room.

  Metimeh shook her head. “Nothing, Mother.”

  “You’re thinking about those two foreigners your father is keeping here, aren’t you?”

  “No,” Metimeh said vehemently. But she knew she couldn’t lie to her mother. With a sigh, she nodded her head. “I’m curious about them. They said they were going to Hisyut. I’ve never heard of Hisyut.”