Page 27 of The Stallion & The Tigress
Whoever it was, they had enough wealth tohave a manservant and to pay for an expensive harlot.Roxanna wasno tavern wench or street walker.She was clean and well fleshedand had all of her teeth.
“Why would a friend buy your services forme?”
She reached out and lightly raked a long,sharpened nail down his forearm.“I was told it was to honor youfor your victory in the last race.I am yours for the night.”
Aleksi stepped to the foot of the cot, out ofher reach.She was a good-looking woman, though easily over thirtyyears of age, and her sly eyes, seductive smile, and undulatingbody all told him she was experienced in the ways of carnalpleasure.
“The thing of it is, Roxanna,” he told her,“I have never paid for sex before, and I do not wish to now.”
She smiled again, swaying her body from headto toe as she cornered him.“I can easily believe that,” she said.“I would gladly pleasure you for free, but I am already paid for,and not by you.So, you see,” she purred, rubbing her generouschest against his, “you still will have never paid for sex.”
The tactile memory of Sahar’s smaller, firmerbreasts pressed against his chest, their nipples pebbling as theykissed, came unbidden to him.He clenched his hands, rememberingthe feel of her taut backside, her sleekly muscled back, andgroaned in frustration.Seeming to sense that she was losing hisinterest, Roxanna pressed closer, moving her pelvis against hissurprisingly disinclined cock.
Pushing her away, Aleksi laughed, as much athimself as at the confused expression on the harlot’s face.“Do notask me to explain,” he said as he took her by the arm and began tolead her from the cramped little room.
“It is a woman then,” she said, grabbing hercloak from the cot.“A woman you wish to be faithful to?”
Aleksi stopped and let her fasten thecloak.
“Is it not?”Roxanna asked again.
“No,” Aleksi said.How could a man befaithful to a woman who was not his?Who swore she would never behis, even if her kiss spoke of a heat and passion between them thatneither could deny.
“A man then?”
Aleksi laughed.“No, it’s definitely not aman.”
It was a tigress who had sunk her claws intohim, a green-eyed tigress who had glared at him for merely flirtingwith Ursula.It would not do to have her find him here withRoxanna, though why he should care, he could not say, only that hedid.
Taking Roxanna by the hand, he led her fromhis room and peered over the stall gate.There was nobody about,but that could change in a moment.Opening the gate, he usheredRoxanna out of the stall and caught her amused half smile as sheleaned indolently against the wall.He grinned back and latched thegate.He was acting like some lovesick fool, worried that a womanwho had refused him would catch him with another.What if she did?She had no claim on him, and had refused his offer of marriage.
He eyed Roxanna, and saw the invitation inher dark, kohled eyes.He reached out and pulled a curled strand ofher hair from behind her ear.But her hair was slick with oil andsmelled of the same cloying perfume as her body.He itched to runhis fingers through thick, wavy tresses that smelled of clean soapand sweet gardenia.Leaning back against the wall, he dropped thecurl with an apologetic shrug, and heard voices approaching.
“I am sorry for this,” Roxanna said.Droppingto her knees, she yanked his breeches down and shoved her face intohis crotch.
“What the—?”Aleksi grabbed her by thehair.
“You rutting bastard!”
Slowly, inexorably, he turned to see Saharstanding no more than ten paces from him.“It is not what youthink,” Aleksi said, letting go of Roxanna’s hair.“I swear toyou.”Sahar’s pointed glare took in the harlot’s sheer gown andpainted face as Roxanna stood, and then blazed at Aleksi as hequickly pulled his breeches up.Then, not only did Yago the Wormand Taweel the Tall come around the corner, but his cursedhalf-sister, Anastasia, strolled up between them, followed by Munirand Brawn.
“Oh my,” Anastasia trilled.“Is that a womanof ill repute?”
“I would say so,” Yago affirmed with a smugleer at Roxanna.Then his leer dropped to Aleksi’s groin, where itlingered despite the fact that his breeches were up.
“I am shocked.”Anastasia tsked and grabbedYago’s arm as if in need of support, “Shocked, I must say, thoughnot surprised that you would consort with a harlot, Aleksandr.”
“Funny,” Aleksi said.“You do not lookshocked or surprised.”He jerked his head at Yago and Taweel.“Nordo either of you.”He glanced at Roxanna, who quickly looked awayfrom Yago.“At least now I know who sent her to me.”He looked toSahar, whose blazing eyes had gone white hot.“And why.”He steppedforward and reached a hand out to her.
“Do not touch me,” she growled and slappedhis hand away.“You do not get to touch me ever again.”
“You do not mean that,” he cajoled, though bythe green ice in her glare and the hard set of her jaw, she meantexactly that.After the way she had responded in his arms, to hiskisses, after he had refused the willing and able Roxanna’sservices to keep some mad semblance of faithfulness to her, Saharwould not even listen to what he had to say.“Why am I even tryingto explain myself to you?”he said.“You have no claim over me, weare not betrothed, we are not even courting.We are nothing to eachother.”
We are nothing to each other.
Sahar could still feel the sting ofAleksandr’s words as she stormed to the palace.How could he saythat to her after he had defended her and she him against others’accusations, after proposing marriage to her, after kissing her?Had their kisses truly meant nothing to him, when she still dreamtof them day and night?He had told her that she could burn him downto scorched earth, and he would rise again for her.She scoffed.Apparently, he only meant until another woman came along, one morepracticed in the art of carnal pleasures.
That he had been set up was obvious.Why elsewould Anastasia have been so adamant that Sahar accompany her tothe stables?Anastasia may have claimed it was because Sahar wouldrequire another respectable woman to be her escort, completelyignoring the fact that she was in and out of the stables unescortedall the time, but she’d known something was up, and had been gladwhen Brawn and Munir announced that they would accompany them aswell.Then she’d turned the corner and found Aleksi with his backagainst the wall and that painted harlot on her knees, her faceburied in his groin, his hands in her hair.
