The Blue Lotus

by Marisa Chenery

  The feel of Kendra wrapping her arms around his neck, made Nefertem pull her even harder up against his chest and grind his cock into her hip. She was a perfect fit for him. He did not have to watch how hard he embraced her or be afraid he would shatter her if he held too tightly. Although slim, she had a muscular build—something he found very attractive.

  The kiss seemed to last forever; Kendra could not get enough of Nefertem. The taste, the feel of his body held flush against her own, were driving all common sense from her head. She had never been kissed like this, not even by her ex-fiancé. It was all-consuming. The sensation of his hard length pressed against her made Kendra's body weep with wetness, wanting that part of him pushing inside her. The feel of his tongue sweeping her lips, trying to gain entrance to her mouth, was enough to bring her to her senses with a start. She could not do this. She would only get hurt in the end, and she did not think she could survive another heartbreak so soon after the Greg fiasco.

  Gathering her strength in her arms, Kendra pushed on Nefertem's chest with all of her might. Not expecting her to push him away, Nefertem staggered back a couple of steps. The look he gave her was so feral in nature; Kendra found herself cautiously backing away from him.

  He reached for her once again, but she held out both her hands and pushed on his chest, keeping the small space between them. “No, Nefertem."

  He growled deep in his throat. The same cat growl she had heard earlier. She did not know what scared her more, the animal like snarl or his eyes. For a split second, they seemed to change. The pupils contracted to mere slits, just like a cat's, and the next second they were back to normal. She really wasn't sure whether what she had seen was real or if she had imagined it. Her thoughts were all in a jumble; Kendra could only do what her brain was screaming at her to do. She fled. Brushing past Nefertem before he could gather her into his embrace once more, Kendra ran up the stairs two at a time to the upper level. Reaching her bedroom, she quickly shut the door and locked it behind her.

  Chapter Four

  Drawing in a deep breath, Nefertem savagely tamped down the urge to follow Kendra upstairs. He had to get himself back under control before he faced her once again.

  He knew he had scared her. He had seen the flicker of fear in her eyes as she had fled from him. He would have to fix that somehow. But for now, he would let her be.

  His reaction while he had held her had surprised him. No other woman brought that other side of him to the fore so quickly. And he had known quiet a few women. It usually wasn't until the time of his leaving that the more animalistic part of him took over. Kendra had unleashed a small part of that with her kiss. Nefertem found it slightly disturbing. What would happen to him if he were to actually make love to her? He didn't want to think of the consequences.

  Stepping into the living room, Nefertem once more became intrigued with the objects to be found there. Spotting a slim, black rectangular shaped object that had brightly coloured buttons on its surface, he picked it up wondering what it was for. Curiosity getting the better of him, he began to push the buttons.

  * * * *

  She lost count how many times she had paced back and forth the length of her bedroom. What had occurred downstairs still bothered her. Kendra felt pulled in two different directions at the same time. One part of her wanted to play it safe and keep her distance from Nefertem. The other, rebellious side, wanted to throw caution to the wind and jump in feet first, not bothering to care who or what the man was. Just the memory of his kiss made her body ache for his touch. She yearned for more.

  Suddenly coming to a stand still, Kendra made a decision. She needed advice, man advice. And who better to ask than Tory? Picking up the phone she quickly dialed her best friend's number. It wasn't until the answering machine picked up did she remember Tory was out on her date with Scott. She decided to leave a message anyway.

  After the beep sounded, Kendra asked Tory to give her a call the next day. Before she could explain any further, the sound of the television set at high volume interrupted her. With a curse, she hung up the phone and ran out of the room.

  It was too loud and he had no idea how to stop it. Dropping the black-buttoned object, Nefertem placed his hands over his ears trying to block out the loud voices. Seeing the small people moving inside the box had been fascinating. Wanting to see what else pushing the buttons would do, he pushed the biggest one, hard. That was when the voice coming from the box came blaring out. His hearing was very acute and such loudness hurt. The sight of Kendra running into the room made him sigh with relief. She would stop the awful noise.

  Grabbing up the television remote where it sat on the floor at Nefertem's feet, Kendra quickly brought the volume down to a normal level. She turned to face Nefertem.

  "What the hell are you doing?"

  He looked at her guiltily. “I just wanted to see what that did.” He pointed to the remote in her hand.

  "Well, I would suggest next time you wait and ask how to use it first."

  He nodded. “I would have, but I did not think you would have answered my question."

  Kendra nibbled at her lower lip. “I am sorry I ran from you, Nefertem. I will admit it, you scared me a little."

  "I promise it will not happen again. It was a momentary lapse of control."

  Kendra didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved. “I think we should just start over. Forget it ever happened."

  "I agree."

  An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Neither one sure, not knowing what to say to the other. Kendra was the first to break the tension.

  "Since you did find out about the television, I should at least show you how it works."

  Going to sit on the couch, Kendra patted the spot next to her. Nefertem sat down where she indicated. He made sure he kept enough space between them so they did not touch in any way.

  The next few hours, Nefertem found himself totally mesmerized by the programs on the television. He was finding it hard to believe these were actors performing their trade and not real life. But when something Kendra called a reality show came on, he found it all too confusing. And all the while, with Kendra in such close proximity, he suffered an underlining attack on his senses. Her scent, though subtle, was wreaking havoc on his self-control. He had to fight the urge to take hold of her, pull her under him and take her. At times, he felt like he was losing the fight. The taste of her still lingered in his mouth, making him want more. So when Kendra yawned largely and suggested they call it a night, he was more than happy to comply.

  Kendra led Nefertem to the spare bedroom. She wasn't sure if it was such a good idea since it was right next to her own, but her brother would not be too pleased if she allowed Nefertem full use of his room. With that in mind, she had Nefertem retrieve his things from Markus's room along the way to the other bedroom.

  Before leaving him for the night, Kendra showed Nefertem where the main bathroom was and how the toilet worked—which she found extremely embarrassing. In the end, he had understood, saving her from having to be too descriptive.

  Lying in bed, Kendra waited for the sounds of Nefertem settling down for the night to cease before she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to claim her. She was exhausted. It had been a very eventful day and tomorrow would more than likely turn out to be more of the same.

  * * * *

  Kendra came awake to her doorbell ringing repeatedly. Groaning, she rolled over and looked at her alarm clock. It was only nine in the morning. She only took enough time to pull on her housecoat before she went to answer the door.

  Pulling open the front door, she was surprised to find Tory standing on her porch frantically ringing her doorbell. Judging from the way she was dressed, Tory had yet to make it home from her date the night before.

  "Why on earth are you ringing my bell at such an early hour? And on a Sunday morning, I might add."

  Tory threw her arms around Kendra with enough force behind her to push them both into the entrance hallway. “Th
ank God you are all right."

  "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

  "The message you left on my machine. You scared the crap out of me."

  At first Kendra didn't know what Tory was talking about. Then it all came rushing back to her. The pendant, Nefertem's sudden appearance, and her call to Tory after the episode with Nefertem in the kitchen.

  "I didn't mean to frighten you."

  "Well you did. When I got home this morning and heard your message, I had to rush over here."

  Smiling, Kendra pushed her front door shut. “So you never made it home last night. Your date with Scott must have gone well."

  Getting no response from Tory, Kendra turned thinking to needle her friend some more. It was then she realized Tory was standing frozen to the spot, staring at something behind her. Turning in the direction Tory was looking; Kendra could see they were no longer alone. Nefertem stood on the bottom step of the stairs, silently watching them. Not exactly how Kendra had pictured introducing her best friend to Nefertem, but there was nothing for it.

  Linking her arm through Tory's, Kendra led her over to the man on the stairs. “Tory Connor, meet Nefertem. Nefertem, this is my friend Tory."

  With a nod of his head, Nefertem said, “I welcome Kendra's friend."

  Tory's eyes shot to Kendra's face at the sound of Nefertem's heavily accented speech. “Don't tell me he is Egyptian. That would just be way too coincidental."

  "Sorry to say, but he is."

  "And where did you find an Egyptian?"

  "I think you had better go sit down. We have to talk, and what I am about to say, you may well find unbelievable. I would be very surprised if you don't call me crazy when I'm through."

  * * * *

  "Have you gone completely mad?"

  "I told you it was pretty unbelievable."

  "Oh this goes way beyond unbelievable, Kendra. Now let me get this straight. Last evening, you said those words Scott translated and poof, he,” Tory pointed to Nefertem, who was standing casually, leaning against the wall, “showed up."

  "Basically, in a word, yes."

  "So now what? Are you stuck with him?” Tory paused, letting her eyes sweep up and down Nefertem. “Then again, that wouldn't be much of a hardship now would it? The man is hot."

  "Tory!"

  "What? He could make a fortune with that face."

  Having silently watched the two women as they conversed, Nefertem could tell they were very close. They complimented each other's personality. Where Kendra was more grounded, Tory was a tad on the wild side, and from the sound of it, not afraid to speak her own mind. At this point, he decided to interrupt their conversation.

  "I think I can answer your questions better than Kendra."

  Tory stood up and came to stand before him. “Okay, I will take you up on that offer. How long will you be staying?"

  "I am not sure. Certain conditions have to be met first. But I have at least a few weeks."

  This was the first Kendra had heard Nefertem speak of his eventual departure. “Where is it that you go when you leave here?"

  "A place where no living mortal can go."

  That really didn't explain a whole lot, but Nefertem didn't elaborate any further. Kendra was starting to get the feeling there was a lot he wasn't saying. But oddly enough, the more mysterious she found him, the more she was drawn to him. Even now, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. Nefertem's smoldering stare caused her to think he was just as affected as she.

  The look of longing that passed between Kendra and Nefertem, a blind person would have been able to see. Tory was happy to see her friend interested in a man again. But what could Nefertem offer her? Knowing it wasn't her place to interfere, Tory decided not to say anything about it.

  Clearing her throat loudly, Tory said, “I think I will go home. I hate being the third wheel."

  Giving herself a mental shake, Kendra brought herself back to reality. “Let me walk you to the door, Tory."

  When they reached the door and were out of sight of Nefertem, Tory leaned in closer to Kendra and spoke to her quietly. “Are you okay with this, Kendra?"

  "I'm fine."

  "You have to admit this is not normal in any sense of the word."

  "You aren't kidding, but I find myself trusting Nefertem. Don't ask me why."

  Tory snorted. “Is that now another name for lust, trust?"

  Kendra shook her in head in derision. “No, that is not what I meant.” At Tory's scowl, Kendra then blushed. “All right, I will admit I am a little attracted to him."

  "That is putting it mildly. All I want from you is to promise me you will be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt at the end of this."

  After giving Tory a quick hug, Kendra opened the front door. “I promise. Now go home and I will call you later."

  "Make sure you do or I will be here again banging on your door."

  Chapter Five

  After Tory left, Kendra went back upstairs for a shower. Nefertem followed closely behind.

  "I liked your friend. She has a way about her."

  "That is an understatement.” Kendra laughed.

  "She is very protective of you."

  "Yeah, well, she is like the sister I never had."

  Having followed Kendra right into her bathroom, Nefertem watched as she cleaned her teeth. “Will I get to see more of your world today?"

  Rinsing her mouth, Kendra nodded. “Yes. First thing on the agenda is to get you clothes that fit. So a trip to the mall is in order."

  "I look forward to it.” What Nefertem actually looked forward to was spending the day with Kendra. After retiring the night before, he had spent a great deal of the night thinking about her. His body did not require hours of sleep, giving him plenty of time to replay in his head the kiss they had shared.

  The sound of water running snagged his attention. Seeing the rushing waterfall coming out of the wall caused him to gasp and then move to stand next to Kendra. He stuck his hand under the stream of water. He found it surprisingly warm.

  Kendra knew the ancient Egyptians were very conscientious of their person, with a high standard of cleanliness being foremost on their minds. Nefertem would be in for a treat, but she wanted to shower first.

  "We call this a shower. You can wash your hair and body in it."

  Before she could explain further, Nefertem quickly removed his shorts, the only article of clothing he had been wearing. Unable to speak, let alone form a coherent thought, Kendra did nothing to stop him as he slid open the other glass shower door and stepped into the bathtub. He had given her an eyeful, again. She really had to convince Nefertem not to strip naked whenever he wanted to. Especially when he was around her. He would turn her into a blithering idiot if he did it too often.

  Regaining her composure, she said, “Hey, I started that for me. I thought you could shower after I was finished."

  Nefertem slid open the shower door again. “You may join me if you wish."

  He did it again! All that bared male flesh blatantly displayed for all to see. She was unable to look away. Water droplets glistened on the hard planes of his chest. She watched as one large drop slowly ran down his chest. She breathlessly followed its descent down his body. Her breath caught in her chest as her eyes reached that part of him that set her blood to boiling. And that part of him was increasing in size, growing in length before her eyes. Kendra gasped then looked up at Nefertem.

  He smiled seductively at her. “Join me. We could share the water, along with other pleasures."

  Her heart began to beat at a gallop. Why did he have to look so sinfully good? Kendra licked her dry lips. All the things she wanted to do to Nefertem rose up in her mind. She wanted to lick every inch of his hard body, ending with his cock. She wanted to hear him groaning with pleasure as she took him into her mouth. Kendra fought the urge to take him up on his offer. If she did, she would regret it later. The small wounded part of her was just not ready to take such a leap of faith.


  Collecting the shampoo and conditioner bottles from the counter, Kendra shoved them into Nefertem's hands. “Use these to wash your hair.” She picked up the bar of soap and handed it to him as well. “This is soap to wash with."

  Juggling the brightly coloured containers and the bar of soap, Nefertem watched as Kendra beat a hasty retreat. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. If only she trusted him enough to let down her guard. Sighing deeply, he closed the glass door and resigned himself to taking a shower alone.

  * * * *

  He was in hell. Whoever devised this mode of transportation must have been an expert on torture. Nefertem had never been subjected to such a hot, confined space before. Peering at Kendra from the corner of his eye, he noticed she showed no sign of the distress he was feeling. Part of that could have been from her having ridden in a car many times, and this was only his first time in one, he reasoned.

  Kendra could feel Nefertem's eyes turn her way. She felt sorry for him. Her small car was not big enough for a man of his stature. Glancing his way, she could see he was sweating up a storm. It didn't help that it was one of the hottest days of the summer either. Even with both front windows open all the way, not a smidgeon of a cool breeze came through them.

  She had ushered Nefertem out to the car once she had showered and dressed. A trip to the mall would be the distraction she needed. Her resistance to Nefertem was definitely weakening. A couple of hours of being out in public with him clothes shopping were just what she needed.

  When the mall loomed into sight, Kendra breathed a sigh of relief. Escaping her sweatbox of a car would soon end their torture. Finding a parking spot not too close to the mall entrance, she turned off the car and stepped out of its cramped interior. She watched as Nefertem uncurled his large frame. She grimaced when he stretched his back to remove the kinks.