"Shiek" - читать интересную книгу автора (Connie Mason)

After three backbreaking days in the stables, Zara was ready to give Jamal that small point. She didn't want to go back to the stables and she wanted a bath. Jamal had said she wouldn't be a part of his harem of women. She'd be a house slave, not a concubine.

"I will not fight you on this, my lord. Take me to the hammam so that I may rid myself of the stench of the stables. Allah forbid that I offend your delicate senses." Her words were shrouded in sarcasm that was not lost on Jamal.

"You do not offend me, Zara, I am quite taken with you. But I can wait to have you."

"So can I, my lord. Wait to be free, that is. Have you forgotten our wager?"

"I have not forgotten. And I rarely lose a wager.

Jamal led her to a pair of richly carved and painted double doors at the far end of the courtyard. "The harem lies behind these doors," Jamal pointed out. "You are standing in the courtyard of the concubines. My women come and go as they please, with certain restrictions. They visit the village, the souk, and even, upon occasion, go to Meknes accompanied by Hammet and several men-at-arms. But you, sweet vixen, are a slave. You are not allowed those privileges. You will be confined to the house, the courtyard, and the gardens within the walls."

After that rather lengthy speech, he opened the doors and pulled Zara inside the harem.





CHAPTER 5




Zara felt as if she'd stepped into another world. A world far removed from the black tents and sun-baked villages constructed of mud bricks where her people lived, loved and died. The room was not overly large but was memorable for its ornate furnishings, silk wall hangings and rich carpets upon the floor. Satin, velvet and brocade-covered couches, piled high with thick cushions, were scattered about the room. Polished ebony tables, inlaid with mother of pearl and holding baskets of fruit and sweetmeats, were placed before the couches. Three women occupied the room, taking their ease upon the couches.

"Jamal!" squealed a plump brunette with cherry red lips and melting brown eyes. "You do us great honor by coming to us in the middle of the day." She batted her long lashes at him. "How may we serve you, my lord?"

A petite redhead with extraordinary breasts preened for Jamal's benefit. "Aye, my lord, what can we do for you?"

A second brunette, lovelier than the first, if that were possible, gave him a smile that was so sexually charged, Zara had to look away. "Look, ladies! Our lord has brought a new eunuch to wait upon us."

Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at Zara.

Zara studied each concubine in turn. All three wore short vests that barely covered their breasts, silken pantaloons and transparent caftans. Soft pointed slippers adorned their feet, and their fingers were laden with rings. Each wore a silk veil that could be pulled across their face and fastened.

The redhead wrinkled her nose distastefully. "Where did you find so pitiful a slave, Jamal? His stench offends me."

Jamal bit back a smile. "The new slave is a woman, Saha. She will serve you, Leila and Amar in the harem and perform minor household duties."

Leila sent Zara a condescending look. "What a pathetic excuse for a woman."

Zara would have flown at Leila had not Jamal placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Where is Nafisa?"

"I am here, my lord." A stout elderly woman entered from another room, huffing from her exertions. "What do you wish of me?" Suddenly her gaze fell on Zara and a frown wrinkled her brow. "Is that a woman, my lord?"

"Aye, Zara is indeed a woman, Nafisa. I'm counting on you to make her look like one. The sultan has presented me with this new slave."

"Slave, my lord?" Nafisa repeated. "Is she to serve you in no other way?"

"Nafisa, Jamal knows what he wants and obviously it isn't a filthy beggar who's probably riddled with disease," Amar said sharply.