‘No, it is not,’ Sarah said, ‘I am my husband’s only wife and will be until the day I die.’
‘If you are curious I can show you the harem. Men are not allowed there and the other women are not allowed out but I can take you in.’ Despite her curiosity Sarah shook her head. Irina smiled. ‘There is plenty more to see throughout the palace, we will go on our own tour shortly.’
The children were running everywhere. Arif was very pleased to have someone to share his home with. He went from room to room, pointing out the important ones before showing Catherine the secret of the palace, hidden in some of the rooms were passages to other rooms. They were scattered throughout the palace and no one knew how many there were or where they all went.
When the palace was built he explained, the Sultan wanted a passage between his room and the harem so he had one put in. He was the only man who ever knew where all the other passageways were and they were all in convenient places so he could make his way to different rooms and no one would know. Particularly helpful when visiting the bedrooms of visiting dignitaries wives while their husbands were otherwise occupied.
He had been a man with a voracious appetite for women and had created his realm with the palace at the centre. The palace had been filled with pleasures that were frequently indulged. Arif had heard his father tell the story of the palace history so many times he could remember the words used but did not understand what most of them meant.
By the end of the day the two families were much more familiar with each other and shared dinner before everyone retired for the evening. Catherine was tired again and fell asleep on the way back to her room. After the previous night’s events Peter was not about to let Sarah fall asleep before having her.
Thoughts of the harem, the Sultan and the guide who she had not seen all day filled her head as he touched her but her guilt about this was not enough to stop a repeat of the past night. ‘This place is clearly good for you,’ he murmured kissing her afterwards.
They lay in silence for a while before she whispered, ‘Peter, he has lots of wives.’
‘Who are you talking about?’ he asked with a laugh.
‘The Sultan,’ she replied.
‘Sweetheart we met his wife though; you spent the day with her,’ he said, confused.
She looked at him. ‘She is his first wife, after Arif she had no more children so he keeps marrying more to try for more heirs in case anything happens to Arif.’ Sarah shivered and Peter held her close.
‘Even if I had the choice I would never do that to you love,’ he said gently.
She clung to him. ‘I would hope not, I would hate to share you with anyone. I knew these people were different to us but I didn’t know just how much.’
Chapter 5
Over the next few days the family got to know the Sultan’s family more and more as they spent time with each other. Arif and Catherine went everywhere together and some of the servants who knew Arif well teased him about her.
‘We are not getting married,’ he decreed while they fell about laughing, ‘We are not old enough yet but when we are Catherine can be my bride.’
Her eyes widened and as she was slightly taller than him stood up straight to look down on him. ‘I will not marry anyone,’ she declared.
‘It appears the young lady has given you your answer,’ said the man who had guided them to their rooms on the first day, ‘Now Miss Catherine I have been requested to take you back to your room as Master Arif must return to his to get ready for dinner.’ She walked away with him, glancing over her shoulder and smiling shyly at Arif who had not yet moved.
Sarah was barely paying attention when Catherine arrived back, telling her to go to her room and put on the dress that she’d placed on the bed while she repaired a tear in her own dress. All of a sudden he was there, on his knees in front of her.
Staring at him, she struggled to know what to say to him, there was no hope of escape; he had stopped right in front of the chair she sat in. Her heart pounded in her chest, why did this man have such an effect on her?
‘It appears Mrs Stanton that you dropped this,’ he said, holding up a needle that had fallen on the floor while she’d been stitching. He took her hand and pressed it into her palm, careful not to prick her hand with it.
Pausing for a moment he held her hand in his and looked up at her. She could feel the heat in her skin rise at the way he looked at her and she suddenly became aware she was holding her breath. ‘Thank you,’ she said with a squeak and he smiled. A smile that made her stomach twist.
‘I have never had a woman such as you,’ he said softly not letting go of her gaze. Her throat tightened, if he really tried anything would she have the strength to say no?
‘Mama,’ a voice said and he dropped her hand, and standing he looked at the little girl.
‘Miss Catherine, you look most beautiful,’ he said, ‘I will leave so your mother can get ready for dinner and I will see you another time.’
The little girl beamed. ‘Thank you Omar.’ He turned and left and Sarah felt herself exhale for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
So that was his name she thought. Sarah closed her eyes and thoughts entered her mind uninvited of him touching her. If Catherine had not been there what would have happened? A flash of guilt through her mind banished him briefly but she knew he would return.
He was in the Sultan’s rooms when they entered for dinner and Sarah wanted the floor to swallow her up. Throughout dinner he continued to look at her and she could not hide the flush in her skin, something the Sultan soon picked up on.
‘Sarah, are you enjoying your stay in Ajara so far?’ he asked in that deep dusky voice that in itself was enough to have further effect.
‘I am. Thank you,’ she said.
‘Has Irina shown you the harem? The women in there can be very accommodating.’
She looked up and met his eyes. He was clearly teasing her which she did not think was appropriate in front of the children. Sarah regained her composure and glared at him. ‘No, I did not wish to see it.’ He laughed, having received the reaction he was after.
Now she had both the Sultan and Omar looking at her and she felt decidedly awkward. ‘Please excuse me, I am not really feeling that well. I think I need to lie down.’ She said flatly.
‘Sweetheart? I can take you to our room if you need a hand,’ said Peter, concerned. It was not like Sarah to feel off colour.
‘Omar,’ said the Sultan, ‘Please escort Mrs Stanton back to her room to rest. I’m sure we can keep Peter and Catherine entertained for a while longer while you get a chance to get to sleep Sarah.’
She nodded realising there was no way out of this. Omar offered her his arm and she took it, avoiding his eyes. The walk back to the room was quiet, not a word said and when she went to thank him for helping her to her room he held onto her arm.
‘I know what you are thinking,’ he murmured.
‘It is not your place to talk to me in this way,’ she said. He held her hand in his and stroked the back of it with his thumb.
‘I am thinking it too Sarah, I have not been able to think about anything else since you arrived.’
She took a deep breath. ‘I am a married woman Omar, and your ways are not my ways. Please don’t talk to me in this way again you are being far too familiar.’
‘Sarah Stanton. Oh that I would be more familiar with you,’ he said, keeping her gaze.
Suddenly she became aware her breathing had deepened, this man was having such an effect on her. ‘This is not appropriate, please,’ she said, pleading now, torn between the carnal feelings that he had stirred in her and her desire to suppress them.
He squeezed her hand now, stepping closer to her and she stayed still, not knowing what he would do, how far he would go. His hands lightly brushed across her breasts as they went to her arms and he pushed her against a wall.
Warm lips met hers and her tongue felt the touch of his as he kissed her. It was unlike an
y kiss she had ever had before and the stirring that had already started began to churn wildly inside. ‘I want you Sarah Stanton,’ he said, ‘I want to feel you, taste you, and know what it is to be inside you.’
She pushed him away. ‘We cannot, I am faithful to my husband and the vows I made him.’
‘This is a very different place Sarah, one where people give in to their desires; can you know for sure that your husband honours you in the same way?’
Then he left and she wondered what the last remark meant. Peter had never been unfaithful had he? If he had been he was very discreet and given his attentiveness the last few nights it seemed unlikely.
But the words hung in the air and as she went to bed she thought more of Omar with his dark eyes that bore into her and for the first time she explored her body with her own hands and waited for her husband to join her.
Chapter 6
Irina noticed how quiet she was the next morning. ‘Are you still feeling ill Sarah, I can send for our Apothecary to check you over.’
‘I am fine Irina, perfectly healthy,’ she replied glumly. ‘Something is bothering you my friend, what is it?’
Sarah sighed. ‘If I tell you I need you to promise that you won’t tell another soul. You are dear to me Irina and this is the biggest secret I could ever entrust with anyone.’
‘You have my word,’ Irina said, intrigued.
‘I’ve been having these feelings since we got here, feelings for a man other than my husband and I don’t know what to do about them. I want them to stop, Peter and Catherine are my life and I will not do anything to risk that.’
‘It’s Omar isn’t it?’ Irina asked. Sarah’s head jerked up and she stared at the other woman. ‘Sarah, your secret is safe with me. I have seen him looking at you. It’s not common for him to take an interest in someone the way he has with you.’
‘Do you think anyone else has noticed?’ Sarah asked, concerned now that if Irina had noticed, others might have as well.
‘No, I have known Omar for a very long time. I recognise the signs of interest in him where others may not. Sarah, everyone takes their pleasure in one way or another in this palace. If you want to be with him I can arrange it.’
She shook her head. ‘Aside being unfaithful to Peter, I have nothing to offer Omar. The only man I have ever been with is my husband. I would only disappoint him.’
Irina laughed. ‘You are young Sarah, smart and beautiful, that is all a man like Omar needs.’
‘I can’t believe I’m even thinking about this, at home this would never happen,’ Sarah said.
‘I would wager that it does,’ said Irina, ‘Behind closed doors people get up to all sorts of things no one suspects. If it happens in my little world I’m sure it happens in yours.’
Irina leaned closer. ‘With the amount of time your husband has spent with mine, I am almost positive he has been led down a similar path. I don’t want to upset you and please if it is the case don’t let it destroy your family but the Sultan is a fan of the flesh and he will at the very least have had servant girls servicing him while he does business with Peter.’
‘Are you jealous of the other wives?’ Sarah suddenly asked.
‘It was hard for me at first but I am his first wife, I have freedoms the others don’t enjoy and after my initial jealousy I realised I felt sorry for them. I can come and go as I please, I do what I want to a certain extent and I have had other lovers too.’
The look on Sarah’s face made Irina laugh. ‘I am so sorry Sarah, I know you feel the pull of another man now, when your husband pays you no attention it is hard to ignore.’
‘It isn’t that he hasn’t paid me any attention, I know he loves me but this feeling I have is so hard to shake.’
Irina smiled. ‘I understand more than you could ever know.’
She led Sarah down a passageway that led to the Sultan’s chambers and showed her where she could view the proceedings. The three men were discussing business but also in the room were three naked serving girls.
They were serving food and drinks but once that was done, one was grabbed by the Sultan who kissed her and caressed her breasts. Hassan followed suit with the third approaching Peter who at first was reluctant to touch her. ‘Go on Peter. Take your pleasure with her. She is willing and I can assure you very skilled at a lot of things.’
‘But Sarah…’
‘Your wife is otherwise occupied and trust me, once this girl sucks your cock you will want her to learn how to as well.’
Sarah gasped and Irina clapped her hand across Sarah’s mouth. They watched as Peter leaned back and the girl struggled to open his pants. He was already hard.
The Sultan laughed. ‘Now you know too why we wear robes Peter, much easier to handle.’
She licked from the base of him to the tip, rolling her tongue around the top and he gasped before she took the whole shaft into her mouth and throat and started moving up and down.
Peter moaned and the Sultan laughed, pushing the girl he was with onto his nearby bed and started kissing up her thighs. Irina whispered in Sarah’s ear, ‘They do not have to be the only ones to take their pleasure.’
Reaching round the other woman she took Sarah’s breasts in her hands and caressed them. Sarah flopped like a rag doll and let the other woman touch her and in the dimly lit passage way Irina released Sarah’s breasts from her dress and turned her round to suckle them.
Sarah clapped her hand over her mouth to stop the moan trying to escape her. ‘Sarah there is so much pleasure to be had here, are you sure after seeing that you don’t want to have some of your own?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered, Irina’s fingers travelling up her thigh to between her legs, ‘Oh yes.’
Irina’s lips met Sarah’s and the two women were lost in the sensation briefly before Irina’s finger found its way into Sarah. ‘Sarah, we should go to my private rooms to continue this.’
‘Yes,’ Sarah said, with a groan, feeling Irina’s fingers and wincing as she pulled them out.
Behind them Peter had pulled the young woman up and was fondling her breasts. Abruptly Irina pulled Sarah’s dress back up. ‘Let’s go,’ Sarah whispered to Irina. Strangely she didn’t feel betrayed the way she thought she would, instead all she could think of was Omar touching her in the same way.
In Irina’s room the two women quickly shed their clothes and lay on the bed together, hands roaming as they explored the others body. Irina’s fingers slipped into Sarah again and Sarah gave herself in to the sensation. The thought of being with another man felt like being unfaithful. This just felt wonderful.
A gentle knock on a hidden door gave Sarah a fright and she covered herself with the sheet. Irina laughed and the door opened, it was Omar. At the sight of Sarah he blushed and looked at his feet. ‘I am sorry Irina, I can come back later.’
Irina laughed again. ‘You are welcome to join us Omar, we have been talking about you.’
It was Sarah’s turn to blush and Omar shook his head. ‘Sarah does not want this to involve me. I wished to talk to you but not now. I will talk to you later.’
‘Omar,’ Sarah said softly, ‘Please don’t leave, not now.’ Filled with a sudden confidence she decided to not let the moment pass. He hesitated at the door before turning back and walking to the bed, sitting beside her.
Reaching over he touched her cheek. ‘I thought you did not want anything outside your marriage, Irina must have convinced you otherwise.’
‘She wants you,’ Irina said, ‘She just needed a little persuasion to see that.’
He laughed. ‘Taking her to your bed is persuasion?’
‘I will get dressed and find something else to use my time and leave you two alone. Perhaps one of the harem girls can take up where we left off.’ She grinned.
Omar looked back at Sarah. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked down at the bed. ‘Omar, I think I should dress and go back to my rooms, this is not appropriate,’ she whispered.
‘Yet you w
ould give yourself to Irina?’ he said. His hand under her chin, he lifted her face so he could look her in the eyes.
‘I just don’t know if I can do this. I saw Peter with a servant girl in the Sultan’s rooms, she was…’ her voice tapered off but he held her gaze again, desire blazing in his eyes.
‘I want you Sarah. No one else needs to know. I thought you were most perfect when I saw you, now we are alone together and anything could happen. Do you not want me too?’
She responded by letting the sheet drop and Omar took her breasts in his hands. ‘Perfect,’ he murmured, ‘as I knew they would be.’ His thumbs rubbed her nipples in a circular motion and a sigh escaped her lips. ‘Do you like that my beloved?’ he asked. She nodded shyly.
‘If Peter can give in to his needs then so can I,’ she whispered.
‘You need me?’ he said, fondling her breasts, caressing her skin. She nodded. Bending over he kissed each nipple before pushing her back on the bed and pulling the sheet down. ‘You are so beautiful my Sarah,’ he said, ‘now we are alone Sarah Stanton and you are mine to do what I will with.’
Roughly he spread her legs so he could look at her, Sarah had never felt so exposed. Intimacies with Peter had always been with the light out, having already dressed for bed. She had not let him see her naked body like this before.
His fingers plunged into her. ‘This is what I’ve craved Sarah, this is what I want from you.’ He moved them in and out of her and she started gasping at the feeling. ‘So wet my love,’ he said, ‘are you ready for me?’
Sarah nodded and he stood up, removing his clothes and she gasped at the sight of his erection. She had never seen Peter like this either, she had felt his cock before but in the dark and as it brushed against her. ‘Touch me,’ Omar said.
She took his cock in her hand and stroked it, in awe of how hard it was. ‘Do you want me inside you Sarah as I want to be inside you?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘Oh yes’
The Sultan's Bride Page 3