Deeper into the Harem

Some minutes later, Marcus found himself kneeling on a cushion beside Kihara's long, muscular leg, close enough he could feel the heat of her tanned skin on his cheek. His lover was sitting across one of the same long couches that the Empress seemed to enjoy, looking slightly tense and uncomfortable. They were in another lavish room, the walls and floors draped in woven silk covered in the most amazing patterns the young prince had ever seen, colored shapes laid over each other in dizzying arrangements he could hardly believe. The air was cool, smelling faintly of flowers and some kind of sweet perfume.

Across from the two of them, the Empress was smiling like a pleased cat, her dark eyes moving slowly between the pair as she lay sprawled out on her own long seat, her tanned legs stretched out below her. She'd just finished listening eagerly to Kihara's story of how she'd saved him from his parents' castle and then taken him all the way here with Nasir. It had seemed like she was hanging on every word, she'd even gasped and cheered at the exciting parts, but Marcus just couldn't shake his nervousness around her. He just felt like any moment her mask would slip and he'd be once again faced with that scary woman who'd tried to take him away from his lover.

"That was quite the tale!" The Empress crowed, clapping her hands in front of her ample chest, her boobs quivering under that slight silk wrap. "It had almost everything! Danger, excitement, a daring kidnap of a gorgeous barbarian prince, to be carried away and ravished at your leisure." She smiled eagerly, clearly enjoying that idea the most. "Only, I'm ever so disappointed you didn't share any of the really exciting parts with me! The boy, when was the first time you took him to your bed? It must have been that very night you claimed him from the castle, right? No woman could have such a darling little morsel at her mercy and resist sinking her claws into him." She leaned forward expectantly, her dark eyes slowly moving over Marcus, leering at his thighs and chest. The young prince leaned a little closer to Kihara's leg, even more conscious suddenly of just how much skin was left bare and exposed to this scary woman's gaze by the skimpy silk outfit he was wearing.

"Auntie, I don't think..." Kihara began, only to fall silent as her aunt raised a single finger.

"Come now, Kihara, I adore you, I really do, but you can be ever so tepid sometimes." The Empress sighed theatrically. "Do I really have to order you to tell me what happened, or are you just going to spill and keep this fun for both of us?" Kihara glanced down, her dark eyes wide. Marcus bit his lip nervously. He'd never seen his brave, strong lover look quite so unsure.

"I...yes, you're right. It was that night I took him." She replied at last, **** in her voice. "In a tavern room where we sheltered after fleeing the castle."

"And he was a virgin, wasn't he?" Her aunt asked, the eager gleam in her dark eyes suggesting she already knew the answer she'd get.

"He was, I took his first time." Kihara nodded stiffly, not even looking at Marcus. The young prince felt his cheeks burn hot and his stomach clench as his lover just came out and told the Empress even this much about that first special night together. He didn't want this woman to hear any of it, but what was he supposed to do? As these two women talked over him like he wasn't even here, he wanted to say something at least, only that already felt like a big mistake! He remembered Kihara had warned him earlier that her aunt didn't like untrained boys, and speaking out of turn seemed like just the thing that might anger her.

"No wonder he's so very smitten with you." The Empress cooed. Smitten? Marcus flinched back in shock...of course he knew he was, but how did she? Was it so very obvious even to her how much he adored Kihara? "Boys never forget their first, and you must have given him quite the ravishing to remember. Of course you did, my fierce Marzban, you're my blood after all." She smiled indulgently, like a proud parent. "Don't worry, I can see you're embarrassed for whatever reason about your prowess in the bedroom, so I won't press you for any of the juicy details at least for the moment. Let's eat instead!" She reached over to a low table beside her seat and plucked up a small silver bell, a sweet note ringing out in the perfumed air as she shook it.

Moments later, a silk curtain folded aside and a pair of dark-skinned young men stepped through into the room, both of them handsome and muscular, the only clothes they wore a pair of tiny loincloths wrapped around their bronzed hips. They each held a silver tray in their hands, with an elegant arrangement of diced meat, vegetables and fruit in pretty clay bowls laid out on top. With a few long, practiced strides, the young men stepped over to the pair of couches. Moving with a fluid grace almost like dancers, they turned on their heels while keeping the trays perfectly steady, then knelt down in front of each of the women, raising their hands to present the food.

"Dig in, my darling niece, eat as much as you like." The Empress waved her hand, before leaning over the plate held up in front of her. She grabbed a fork from the arrangement and skewered a piece of meat, before slipping it between her full lips with a muffled sigh of delight. Marcus watched the scary woman's every move. It was strange, she'd kept leering at him this entire time, staring at him like he was a piece of meat she wanted to devour, yet now she was practically ignoring the handsome young men kneeling almost naked right in front of her. Just what made her so interested in him when she had all these other boys who seemed willing to do everything she wanted?

Behind him, Kihara had started eating as well, moving a little stiffly as she lifted a piece of grilled vegetable to her mouth. She wasn't looking at the two men holding the plates either, instead staring off into the distance, something which made Marcus feel a little relieved. He was kind of upset how she'd just told her scary aunt about their first night together, and if she started looking at someone else as well he wasn't sure he could bear it. Still, as he knelt awkwardly in front of her chair, he found himself wondering how the poor men felt about this. Having to parade around wearing even less than he was, and now kneel and act like tables for the two women who dined in comfort. That didn't seem at all fair to him.

Turning his head, he glanced at the one kneeling just beside him. The young man was perfectly still, holding his pose like a statue as he presented the tray to Kihara. One leg was flat against the floor, but he'd bent the other up into a kind of crouch, the muscles of his thigh and calf bulging under his dark skin. In fact, his whole body was perfectly toned, his shoulders rippling and his belly flat as a drum. He must...do a lot of training or something. Suddenly, sheltered from Kihara under the tray he was holding up, the man turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Marcus. His dark eyes were ringed with some kind of black makeup, making them look huge and his lashes look long and rather pretty despite his otherwise handsome features. The young prince smiled shyly back. They were both just kneeling here awkwardly while these women talked over them, right? Maybe they could be friends or something.

Only then, instead of a smile, the man's lips curled into a disgusted sneer, his gaze narrowed with obvious contempt. Marcus shrank back on his cushion, trembling in shock. What had he done wrong? The man was looking at him like he was some kind of...horrible pest! The young prince bit his lip, struggling not to whimper. He didn't want to disturb Kihara...or worse, the scary Empress! Shaking his head, the man turned away, lifting his neck so that he was staring back at the bottom of the tray, no doubt focused on keeping it level. The young prince glanced at the colorful floor in confusion, his heart feeling tight and sore. He didn't understand! First Kihara ignored him and told her aunt all about their private moments...now this horrible man scowled at him! He hated this!

At that moment, a large, familiar hand landed in his hair. His lover's callused fingers traced over the skin of his forehead, making him feel so warm like nothing else ever could. Kihara was looking down at him at last from her perch atop the long chair, and she must have noticed he was getting upset. Of course she had, she was always looking out for him! Marcus stared longingly back at her, those soothing caresses easing away the cold ache in his chest that had threatened to bring him to tears.

As their gazes met, she gave him a small, sympathetic smile. The young prince nodded quickly, thinking he understood. She wasn't at all happy about any of this either. It hadn't been her fault her aunt had **** her to share that he'd been a virgin, and suddenly he didn't even know why he'd blamed her at all. It was...the Empress...and this place making him all nervous and highly-strung. He was starting to wish more and more the two of them had stayed in that lovely oasis after all, instead of coming here to this palace with all its secrets and dangers, but at least she was here with him. Kihara nodded to him one last time, like she was telling him to be brave. Straightening under his skimpy silk clothes, Marcus resolved to do just that!

"Enough." The Empress snapped suddenly. "Don't play with him right in front of me, you'll make me terribly jealous, Kihara."

"My apologies...auntie." Kihara straightened in her chair, her hand slipping from the young prince's head. Marcus bit his lip, already missing her comforting touch, but he'd have to try to be strong and do without.

"I'm going to have to distract you from your pretty new toy, won't I? Or you'll just have your hands all over him the entire morning" The Empress sighed. She grabbed the bell again and rang it twice. At once, moving together, the young men rose with their trays, darting for the door they'd come in through. The young prince breathed a sigh of relief as the horrible one who'd sneered at him disappeared. At least he wouldn't have to deal with that anymore. "Let's go, my darling niece, into the inner harem where all the pleasures owed to an Empress can be found." Kihara's aunt purred, rising to her feet from the couch in one languid motion like a stirring snake. "There's something I want to show you...."