Family & Promises

by Myln Hurn

  Rand grinned. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll give you something even better when we get home tonight." He laughed when Phaedra blushed in embarrassment. He added with a devilish grin. "Maybe we could even play 'desert sheik and captive maiden' again."

  Phaedra felt her blush turn red-hot. About a month after they'd been together, she had casually mentioned to Rand the impression she'd had that first night. He had responded, to her complete amazement, by coming home a few days later with two large boxes. He wouldn't tell her what was in the boxes until the weekend, and it was Fernando and Carlita's night off. Upstairs in the bedroom, waiting for their dinner to heat up, Phaedra had come up to change her clothes.

  It had been a very hot day, and the heat from the afternoon wasn't disappearing very quickly. In the bedroom, she had stopped in her tracks. Spread out on the bed was a bejeweled costume that looked like a harem costume. On top was a paper that stated:

  "Dress in your new clothing because your desert sheik is awaiting his captive maiden in the dining room."

  Phaedra had shivered as she finished reading his note. Feeling breathless, while her heart beat wildly in her chest, she quickly dressed in the diaphanous silks. The top turned out to be a tiny jewel-encrusted vest that barely came together in front. There was no way to fasten it shut, so she left it alone and quickly pulled on the small matching flat slippers. There was a long, layered piece that covered her hair and a small silky piece that had two circle elastic end pieces that she figured out went over her ears. The silk covered her face from her nose down.

  Entering the dining room, she stopped abruptly. There was a note on the cleared table directing her to come immediately to the sheik's tent, which had the word "den" in parenthesis just next to it. Giggling and feeling butterflies in her tummy, Phaedra skipped to the den. She knocked softly, and was told to "enter."

  Inside Rand's normally cozy den had been transformed into a "tent" of sorts. There was a large plush Persian rug covered with lots of overstuffed brightly colored pillows. In the background, she could hear "mood" music that seemed to come straight out of the desert. Closing the door, Phaedra looked around and appreciated the many different kinds of candles and pseudo candles used to set the mood. From behind a large draping of fabric, Rand appeared a moment later.

  "Welcome to my oasis, my sweet desert flower."

  Phaedra fought the grin that wanted to cover her face. She was torn between mirth, delight and the distinct knowledge that if his intent had been to woo her heart, he would have succeeded with this. Her eyes traveled over Rand, acknowledging that he made a better sheik than Rudolph Valentino. And with his eye patch, he looked mysterious and exotic, and able to make any red-blooded gal swoon!

  Phaedra moved forward, appreciating all the effort he had to go to for this to come together so wonderfully. "I hope you will forgive your harem girl for her tardiness."

  Rand grinned and held out his hand for her to grasp. With his free hand, he gestured to the food spread out on the low tables. The dinner she had started to heat had obviously found another fate. She saw that everything to eat was some type of finger food, and many had sauces or cream for dipping into first. Champagne had already been poured into two tall, slender crystal flutes. Rand handed one to Phaedra after he helped her to be seated on the piled up cushions. He came down beside, reaching for his glass.

  "The good thing is- no sand!"

  Phaedra smiled behind her diaphanous veil. "How does one drink with this thing on though?"

  "Ahh, the woman's place is to serve her master, and her desires and needs will be fulfilled once he is sated."

  Phaedra lifted the lower edge and sipped the champagne. "Sounds like a workable plan so long as the master doesn't doze off with all that satiation he is getting."

  Rand laughed and reached over and grabbed a strawberry, dipping it first in whipped cream. He held it just in front of Phaedra's mouth. "You happen to be the lucky girl in this sheik's harem."

  Phaedra knew there would be a catch but she moved quickly, lifting her veil and taking a big juicy bite of the strawberry. Rand merely smiled and finished it off. Phaedra asked in between chews, "How am I lucky, sheik?"

  Rand chuckled as he prepared another strawberry; only this time he dipped it first in chocolate and then into the cream. When he looked at Phaedra, he could see her lick her lower lip in anticipation. Holding her gaze, he smiled at her and then deliberately ate the entire strawberry in one bite. As he chewed he saw the surprised look on her face. He needed to do little things to keep her off kilter. God knew that since she had come into his life he had been feeling like he was on a roller coaster of emotions. Just when he though he knew what she was thinking, she'd go and surprise him all over again! Licking his fingers, he informed her languidly, "You are lucky because your master has unusual stamina."

  Phaedra barked her laughter and Rand couldn't feel insulted when he saw the gleam in her eyes. She reached past him and grabbed a strawberry, pausing for chocolate and cream. Moving back as if to eat it, she pushed it forward suddenly and Rand had to open his mouth quickly or end up wearing it! As he chewed, he watched Phaedra nibble at the remaining strawberry in her hand. In her movements, she had disheveled her top. Her one breast was now partially revealed, the taut pink nipple peeping around the edge. Rand couldn't resist temptation and reached over. His hand unerringly curved around the nearly naked plump breast, caressing it gently. Pressing against her body until she lay back on the pillows, Rand eased closer to her.

  She was now slightly bowed, her chest thrust upwards by the pillows. The small vest gave up and fell to the side leaving her breasts completely exposed. She saw Rand move his hand again and a moment later she felt coolness on each nipple. She lifted her head and saw that he had topped each white mountainous breast with a healthy glob of cream. Her nipples were concealed, or at least for about thirty seconds. Then Rand moved his mouth to the nearest breast and began to lick the cream from the nipple. He ignored her groans and sighs, refusing to speed up his sensual feast. Even when her hips moved upwards longingly, he still didn't desert the lush, big breasts.

  Neither knew how long they lay like that, with Rand stroking, caressing and playing with her sensitive tits. But finally, he eased one hand down to the slit in the harem pants. He had inspected the outfit before he had given it to Phaedra, and he knew its secrets. Phaedra had meanwhile shoved his clothes out of her way, eagerly caressing his hard flesh. She lifted her legs, spreading her thighs. When she whispered to him softly, "Take your harem girl, please!" Rand responded immediately. He thrust into her wet, hot flesh, groaning as he became buried in the tight womanly passage.

  He tried to hold still, but Phaedra kept thrusting her hips against him, and he felt her hands and fingers curl and bite in his ass cheeks, pulling him even closer. With a shout, that might have resembled a victory cry in the desert, he jerked forward and climaxed deep inside Phaedra's body. As he pumped the last jet of hot seed into her body, Rand felt Phaedra's orgasm over take her. Her body jerked wildly beneath him and he could feel her inner muscles squeezing and working his cock as it softened inside of her.

  Abruptly, the car went over a pothole and she was jerked back to the present. Glancing over at Rand, she was glad to see that he was watching the road. She rolled her window to cool off her face.

  Chapter 8

  Rand tossed his car keys onto the tray on his dresser. He had been relieved when Phaedra had announced that they needed to get going. Talk about an uncomfortable experience! It was obvious they had not been expecting him by the way he was greeted by Preston and Alicia. There had been no missing the sneer on her cousin's face. And his wife had made no effort to veil her insults to Phaedra. Rand had started to say something one time, only stopping when Phaedra had squeezed his thigh hard, beneath the cover of the table. He had looked over and seen the negative shake of her head.

  Rand had kicked his shoes off, and was unbuttoning his shirt when he heard the water running in the bathroom. He smiled, th
inking Phaedra had the right idea. A nice hot shower would be relaxing before bed. He quickly shed the remainder of his clothes, planning on sharing the shower. But he stopped abruptly upon entering the bathroom. Instead of a shower, Phaedra was already in the tub, filled with bubbles and swirling water, resting her head on the rim. As he watched, she lifted one foot and quite adeptly turned the water off.

  "Have you got room for two in there?"

  Phaedra opened one eye, seeing Rand standing just inside the bathroom door, naked. She closed her eye. "Well, I guess you had better get in. I can see the cooler air is having an adverse effect on you."

  Rand laughed and joined her in the tub. He made her move though, so he was resting against the porcelain, and she was lying back on his chest, between his legs. She did ask if he was comfortable, and he said "no problem." He proceeded to cup both her breasts in his hands, adding a complacent "there."

  Phaedra shrugged, feeling too drained to ask why he said that. It did feel much nicer though, leaning back against Rand. It took her a few moments to get up the courage to tell him her thoughts.

  "I wish we had not gone to my aunt and uncle's. It really spoiled what was one of the nicest days I've ever had."

  Rand felt a knot form in his throat. He had been thinking the same thought, but to hear Phaedra voice them, seemed worse. The way her family had acted was really bad. Her aunt and uncle had spent all their time sucking up to him. And her cousin Carter had been sneering and made several suggestive remarks that he had wanted to punch his smug face over. None of them could top the vituperative comments from Carter's wife, Clarice. Talk about the original dysfunctional family! It amazed him that Phaedra had turned out so well. He knew that her parents had died when she was quite young, and she had spent holidays with her aunt and uncle. But her formative years had been spent in boarding schools.

  "You quite impressed my niece and nephew, you know."

  "I really liked Lisa. And Randy was sweet. Teenage boys can be quite endearing."

  Rand laughed. "I'll have to tell Roger you said that. He'd probably let you adopt him!"

  Phaedra smiled. She lifted her hands and curled them over Rand's, which were still cupping her breasts so gently. "The triplets were really precious."

  "Tessa was ready to come home with you, I think."

  Phaedra shook her head. "We would have gotten to the end of the road, and she would have wanted her mommy back. She was always looking around, making sure her mommy was nearby."

  Rand paused for a moment, and then decided to speak his heart and mind. "She could have been your baby, seeing your two heads so close together sometimes."

  Phaedra gulped a little sob. She had felt the same thing, several times during the day. But her thoughts had strayed more to wondering what a child of Rand and hers might look like. She had immediately been aware of the warm and gushy feelings that had come over her. She'd had to force herself to remember that she didn't have a future with Rand, and that what she did have would end eventually. It was only a business arrangement, right?

  Rand continued to lightly cup and massage her breasts, leaning down to press a kiss to the side of her neck. He lost track of how long they stayed like that. He did watch with surprise as Phaedra used her toes to release some of the water from the tub, and then turn on the tap for more hot water. He murmured to her gently, "That must surely be a marketable skill."

  Phaedra turned in his arms. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But I'm afraid I've never discovered the right market, nor anyone willing to pay the proper price."

  Rand reached out with his hand to curl around her neck, pulling her face close to his. He kissed her mouth slowly, gently, and then easing his tongue inside to explore the warm, wet recesses. His hands scooted Phaedra around until she was lying partially over him. Phaedra lifted her mouth from his and her eyes moved to the patch he always wore. In the three months they'd been together, she'd never seen him without it. She knew he had spares, because she had seen them one day while helping Carlita put away the clean laundry.

  Phaedra shifted further around in the tub, until she was straddling Rand's thighs. Rand was still surprised whenever she made overtures towards him. But he was even more surprised when her hand moved from caressing his chest, up his neck, to the side of his face, and finally stopping just beside the velvety patch. Phaedra moved her fingers beneath the edge, starting to move it, when Rand's hand shot up and grabbed hold of her hand. He was shaking his head no, but before he could speak, Phaedra had lifted her other hand. She was sliding the string upwards slowly.

  Rand looked into her eyes. He didn't let anyone see the scar that he had borne for so long, other than his doctor and family. He didn't think he could bear to see the repulsion on Phaedra's face as she looked at the puckered scar. But in the next instant, Phaedra was leaning forward and kissing his face, all around the patch. Her fingers were no longer trying to remove or dislodge the patch. Instead, her lips moved softly, like the brush of a butterfly's wings, against his skin.

  Phaedra spoke softly, in between kisses. "I want to see all of you, Rand. You've seen all of me. You've seen my emotional scars, and you've survived a day with the original dysfunctional family. Please let me see all of you."

  Rand shook his head no. "It's a bad scar, honey. That's why I never replaced the eye with a glass one."

  Phaedra didn't have to hear anymore. He obviously believed that hiding was better than risking people's reactions. He probably felt confident dealing with their reaction to the patch. But Phaedra had seen how cruel some people could be when it came to physical scars. She lowered her head to lie on his shoulder, caressing his face and neck with her hand. After a few moments, she asked him softly, "If it were my scar, what would you do?"

  The silence in the bathroom was overwhelming. Rand admitted that he wouldn't care. He would want to know all of her. But then, he added reluctantly, he loved Phaedra. He would accept all of her, no matter what.

  "I would want to see it. Nothing about you could ever be anything but totally beautiful to me, darling."

  Phaedra felt his arm lift, and she heard the sliding of the string over wet skin. She didn't lift her head immediately, but continued to lie against him. After a few minutes, Phaedra lifted her head until she was facing him. Slowly, she let her gaze travel from one side of his face to the other. She saw the scar, which traveled from his forehead across his eyelid and partially onto his cheek. Inwardly, she cringed at how painful it all must have been. Aware of Rand staring at her, she leaned forward, and again began pressing soft kisses all around the surrounding area. She moved her lips gently up his cheek, kissing her way along the puckered skin.

  "From now on," she told her him sternly, looking him straight into his good eye. "You don't have to wear that patch around me, if you don't want."

  Rand shook his head though. "Honey, you don't have to say that. I saw enough people's expressions when I first got this damned injury to know how people really react. You don't have to pretend…"

  Phaedra pulled away angrily. "I'm not pretending or faking anything, Rand. What if I found out I had breast cancer tomorrow and had to have a mastectomy? Would you turn from me, as you seem to expect me to turn from you?"

  Rand groaned as the reality of her words hit home. He didn't want to think about anything ever coming between the two of them. His heart thumped painfully in his chest and he spoke from his heart and without guarding his thoughts and words.

  "God, Phaedra! No! I love you and nothing would ever make me turn away from you."

  He stopped abruptly seeing the startled look on Phaedra's face. Slowly, he realized what he had said. He watched her face as his words sank in. His spine straightened as he half-anticipated her rejection of his feelings. He wasn't sure what she would say or do next. He groaned when her hand suddenly slid over his chest, moving straight down to his hard cock, which had been prodding her for some time. Phaedra smiled up at him.

  "I know a cure for this affliction that seems to be plagu
ing you, sir."

  Rand swallowed hard, not sure how to react. Was she rejecting his pronouncement by ignoring it? He forced a laugh. "Since I've come to know you, milady, it appears that I am constantly plagued by the affliction. But I believe I have the solution to your marketable skill, and my chronic affliction."

  Phaedra was already feeling much better, and beginning to lose the depression that had been plaguing her since their return from her uncle's home. But her head and her heart were still reeling from what she believed she had just heard Rand say. She was still in shock and couldn't believe that he had told her that he loved her. Reminding herself sternly that this wasn't some romance novel, but her real life, and things don't happen like that in real life, she replied with a slight smile. "You think you have the solution, do you?"

  Rand nodded, and took a deep breath. "Marry me, Phaedra."

  Phaedra froze in his arms. The sudden change from their intense emotions, to playful game and now back to such a serious topic had her reeling. She pushed away from him, sitting upright in the tub, in spite of the tangle of legs. "Don't kid about such things!"

  Rand sat up also, facing her. "I'm not kidding. I want you, and I don't want to lose you."

  Phaedra gave him a weak smile. "I'm not going anywhere." She managed to get up and stepped out of the tub. Grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her body and knotting it above her breasts, she quickly left the bathroom. She looked up when Rand followed her a few moments later. "I don't welch on my business deals," she added unnecessarily. But she was hurt, and angry. And she was also feeling the need to push Rand, for some reason.

  Rand glared at her as he crossed the bedroom. "Damn it, Phaedra. I'm not talking business. Let's forget all about how we met, or why we came to be together. I don't give a damn about your uncle's business."

  Phaedra shook her head. "You invested too much time to just let it go. You're a business man, and you won't get ahead if you keep this up."