Part 18 (2/2)
”I don't write that s.h.i.+t.”
”Hymn?”
”No.”
”Please tell me you didn't knit me anything. I don't need sweaters. This is Persia. It doesn't even get cold here. Except in the winter.”
”I don't knit.”
”Do you know any good jokes?”
”A hymen walks into a bar. Well, that took care of that.”
The king didn't laugh. But I think he wanted to.
”What else do you do?”
I stepped up to the king and rose high on my tiptoes.
”Whatever you tell me to.”
And then we kissed.
And what a kiss it was. It took my breath away, that kiss did. I forgot my name and my age and my phone number. I even forgot that phones hadn't been invented yet. He kissed me with his mouth on my mouth but it felt like his soul kissed my soul and all I wanted was to never ever stop kissing this king who tasted like melting snow on my lips and smelled of winter in a magic world where no one aged, no one died and once people fell in love they never fell out of it again.
”You didn't bring anything with you?” the king said, pausing from their perfect kiss.
”I only brought me.”
”Good. That's all I want right now.”
”What do I call you? Your Majesty?”
”Call me Xerxes. That's my name.”
”No one calls you by your first name.”
”You do.”
”Why me?”
”Because,” he whispered against my lips, ”when I'm inside you, I want you to say it and know you're talking to me and not some other king somewhere. Got that?”
”Yes, Your Maj ... Xerxes.”
He picked me up in his arms.
The king carried me into the bedroom and laid me on the bed. It felt like floating in sea of red silk. Xerxes sat next to me on the bed and kissed me again.
”You're really good at that,” I said. He kissed my mouth and my neck for a long time.
”I practice a lot.”
”On all of us?”
”Anything to keep from hearing more bad poetry.” He smiled at me and kissed me again. His tongue in my mouth would definitely keep me from reciting poetry.
”Do you like being with all these girls?” I asked as he kissed my chest. I felt weird about wearing such a low-cut dress but now I decided it had been a good idea. His lips tickled my skin and his light touches gave me goose b.u.mps. I imagined him kissing other parts of my body. Then he pulled my dress down to bare my shoulder and kissed me from my neck to my upper arm. Those parts, for example.
”I don't dislike it,” he said. ”It gets a little boring with the same thing night after night. Different girl. Same thing. No offense.”
”It's okay. I'd probably get bored, too. You know, Xerxes,” I said, trying his name on for size. It fit my tongue well. ”If you want, we can do something different than you usually do with the other girls.”
”Like what?”
”I don't know. You're the king, so you can decide.”
”You aren't afraid?”
”I was before, but I'm not now.”
”Are you sure you want to do something different than I do with the other girls?”
”I've met the other girls. Yes.”
My dress tied at the front with a single ribbon. I started to get nervous again when he untied the bow and my gown loosened. But I knew this would happen and I wasn't afraid. I refused to be afraid.
He slid the dress off me. I lay naked on the bed now. He looked at me like I was some kind of prize he'd won. I never wanted him to stop looking at me like that.
He didn't touch me, which made me more nervous. Instead he left me laying/lying on the bed while he walked over to a big bra.s.s box. The box had a lock on it and the king took out a key. He opened the lid, took something out of it, locked it back up and came back to the bed.
While he was at the box I pulled the covers on the bed down and slid underneath them.
”Are you cold?” the king asked. He held something behind his back.
”I'm naked.”
”Are you embarra.s.sed about being naked?”
”I'm not embarra.s.sed. I'm ... disconcerted.”
”Do you want me to take my clothes off?”
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