Carnal Punishment (2 page)

With one deft gesture the presence tugged at the loose bun in which her hair was amassed. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, the strands brushing against her already sensitive skin, and she trembled. “Where are you?” she gasped.

The hand again; it was strong and sure. This time a thumb stroked her cheek firmly, following the line of her jaw all of the way down her neck and hovering over the swell of her breast. She stood frozen, not daring to move. Not wanting to move.

Tessa’s heart rate accelerated and her nipples tightened as she ached for the presence to touch her there. “Who are you,” she whispered.

“I serve the earth god Geb. I am the gatekeeper and I punish all trespassers.”

The hand that she had felt hovering over her breast descended now. The pressure was featherlight as the gatekeeper cupped her breast through the thin cotton fabric of her tank top. Although she couldn’t see him, she could sense his presence. He seemed taller than her and she got the impression of muscular bulk.

The gatekeeper passed his thumb over her nipple and Tessa couldn’t help but gasp as the pleasure rushed through her body. He stroked the nub of flesh again and again, and something like an electric shock coursed from her nipple to her groin. Tessa groaned. The gatekeeper continued stroking her nipple until it was as hard as a diamond between his fingers.

“I see you are eager to be punished,” he observed.

“No, no,” she protested weakly. Her mind was muddled, scattered by her body’s primal response to the gatekeeper’s touch. All she wanted was to let this tantalizing figure caress her all over, but rationality overruled the aching warmth between her legs and she stumbled toward the other side of the chamber. She stared at the ceiling. Where was the entrance?

“You will not leave until I deem you suitably chastised.” The gatekeeper’s voice again filled the chamber, and Tessa gasped.

All of her senses were heightened as she stared into the dim chamber, waiting at the gatekeeper’s pleasure. She peered into the gloom, trying to make out where he was. She was entirely exposed, and yet she was not panicking. Instead she was filled with the most delicious sense of expectation. Every square inch of her body seemed to tingle with the anticipation of his touch.

When it came, she was not disappointed. He seized her from behind, his hands clasping her at the waist. She was pulled against his muscular body, and the insistent hardness of his cock pressed into the small of her back. Her pussy tingled in response and she could feel herself growing wet.

She could no longer resist what was happening and in her excitement she turned her head, seeking his lips for a kiss. He repelled her advance, instead coiling his hand in her hair and pulling it back, forcing her neck to arch. His whisper hissed in her ears. “You do not deserve the softness of a kiss, intruder.” He plunged his other hand down the waistband of her shorts, his fingers skimming the sensitive nub of her clitoris.

The forceful action caused pleasure to radiate through Tessa’s body and she gasped, arching her hips outward. He sunk his fingers inside her, feeling the warm wetness of her pussy. He moved his hand up and down, plunging into her opening, and occasionally brushing against her clitoris. She cried out with pleasure and wiggled her hips, grinding herself down on his hand. The force of her movement caused the gatekeeper to tighten his grip on her hair, and a filigree of pain shot down her neck, only heightening her desire for him. His fingers continued to stroke her. Tessa’s body became taut with pleasure. “Don’t stop,” she breathed. “It feels so good.”

At her words the gatekeeper ceased his movements. “You do not command me,” he roared. He removed his hand from her shorts and turned her toward him so that they faced one another. Although she could not see the gatekeeper, she could feel the heat radiating from his body. He released her hair and her neck relaxed. “I will teach you to desecrate my pharaoh’s tomb,” he said.

Before Tessa realized what was happening, she felt a tearing sensation and looked down. The gatekeeper had ripped open the thin fabric of her tank top, exposing her naked breasts. The chamber’s cool air hit her bare nipples, causing them to tighten further. She instinctively went to cover them with her hands.

“No,” commanded the gatekeeper. “You shall be as naked as a slave.” With that statement his hands descended on her shorts, and he yanked them down her legs. He tugged at her underwear, hauling them down, as well. There was a pause and she could feel his eyes on her body, examining every inch of her flesh. She trembled beneath his gaze.

“Am I acceptable?” she asked in a throaty whisper that surprised her. She coughed and was suddenly self-conscious. She heard herself babbling, but hardly knew what she was saying. “I know my boobs are small and I’m sort of skinny….”

He interrupted in a commanding tone. “Cease your prattle. You are beautiful, but that does not alter the sin of your intrusion.”

Tessa swallowed hard. No one had ever called her beautiful before. She felt the gatekeeper’s hand on her buttocks, pulling her towards him. His hard penis nudged into the softness of her tummy. Her head reached the level of his chest and while she couldn’t see him, his delicious scent overwhelmed her. Unthinkingly she flicked her tongue out, eager to discover if he tasted as good as he smelled. She licked the warm, salty flesh of his chest and he muffled a groan. Tessa felt a thrill of satisfaction—the gatekeeper might be an otherworldly figure from the ancient past, but she was capable of bringing him pleasure.

She reached her hand down and discovered that he was completely naked, as well. She found this strangely reassuring. He was supernatural, but he was also vulnerable. She grasped the hot shaft of his cock and he shifted his hips, thrusting forward to encourage her. Ever so gently she began moving her hand up and down the length of his thick penis. At the same time she licked and nibbled the smooth skin of his bare chest, following the curve of his shoulder, until, standing on tiptoes, she pressed her naked body against his. They were skin on skin, and all of Tessa’s senses were aflame with pleasure. Leaning forward on tiptoe, her body was deliciously supported by the gatekeeper’s strength. She nuzzled his neck until she found his earlobe, which she pulled into her mouth. With every rhythmic stroke of his cock she sucked on his earlobe.

The gatekeeper groaned deeply and she could feel his enormous biceps pressing against her sides as he tugged her closer. Her breasts rubbed against his broad, hard chest, sending shudders of delight through her whole body. His firm cock grew bigger in her hands, and she wiggled her hips, trying to position herself to accept it into her body.

“You are an eager vixen,” rasped the gatekeeper, “but you must wait for your punishment.” He pulled her slightly away from him, and Tessa felt two thick fingers enter her wet and waiting pussy. Her hips began grinding on his hand, urging him to go deeper. She whimpered as his thumb descended ever so lightly on her clitoris, brushing it gently as his fingers drove into her body. “You are ready,” he declared.

Tessa blinked. A long swathe of linen appeared from somewhere and Tessa felt the gatekeeper winding it around and around her wrists in front of her. Before she even realized what was happening, her hands were bound tightly together. The cloth bit into her wrists with a delicious pain that Tessa had not expected.

“Now you truly look like a slave,” said the gatekeeper. With one smooth movement he spun her around, pushing her roughly toward the wall where the torches hung. There was a small metal loop that she hadn’t noticed before.

Tessa felt a surge of fear, but stronger than that was the anticipation of what was to come.

“What are you going to do to me?” she asked.

“You know what you’re going to get,” he replied. He lifted up her hands and wound the excess linen through the loop, so that her arms were tied to the wall at eye level. She struggled against her imprisonment, but to no avail. She was securely fastened and entirely at the gatekeeper’s mercy.

“Please,” she said.

His voice was a whisper in her ear. “Please what?” She could feel his cock pressing into her ass as he stroked her breasts. He twisted the nipples slightly, which made her moan with pleasure and arch herself against him.

“Please fuck me,” she whispered.

He grabbed her hips, pulling her away from the wall, so that her arms curved over her head. The slight pain was nothing to the eagerness she felt as he moved towards her. She arched her back again, waiting for him to enter her.

Instead of the hard cock she was expecting she felt a stinging slap against her buttock. Then another. The gatekeeper was spanking her. Her ass tingled with pain, but it was a sweet ache. She could feel the warmth of the spanks spread over her buttocks and she imagined what they looked like, pinkened by his slaps. She spread her legs wider, hoping that more of his hand would nip at her eager sex.

“You like your punishment, intruder?” She could hear the excitement in his voice, and that just made her wetter.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Are you ready for the final punishment, then?”

“Oh, yes,” she said. The slaps suddenly ceased. Her ass was tender and sensitized to touch, so she gasped as his hands grabbed her hips and positioned her for what was to come. With a low moan, the gatekeeper entered her. She could feel each inch of his cock slide into her slick pussy, the tight sheath stretching to accommodate his sizable girth.

Her arms strained at their bonds, but the slight pain in her wrists only enhanced the gratification of his penis inside her. She whispered, “Harder,” which seemed to excite the gatekeeper. His thrusts became deeper and deeper. A warmth built in Tessa’s groin, concentric circles of pleasure widening out and spreading over her body.

He was plunging into her, she could feel his balls slapping against her as he drove himself inside her. “Do you like your punishment, intruder?” he demanded.

“Yes,” was all she could say as he thrust deeper and deeper into her, her pleasure growing and expanding.

The gatekeeper pounded himself into her, his thrusts becoming more frantic as the explosive delight built and built within Tessa. She was teetering on the brink of orgasm when the gatekeeper cried out, a guttural, otherworldly yell that seemed to reverberate throughout the chamber and sent shockwaves down Tessa’s spine. In one long, shuddering thrust he spilled his hot seed inside. In that instant Tessa reached ecstatic heights and she cried out as the powerful orgasm washed over her entire body.

Then the world went black.

Opening her eyes, Tessa struggled to place herself. Only moments ago she had been riding wave after wave of pleasure as she experienced the best orgasm of her life. Now where was she? She was lying on a soft bed and she was naked. She smiled. She usually wore her Garfield nightie to bed, but obviously the gatekeeper preferred her in the nude. She shifted languorously and felt a pleasant ache in her groin.

Pushing herself to sitting, she surveyed her surroundings. She blinked. It couldn’t be. She was in a white bed, surrounded by a filmy mosquito net. Sunlight poured through the leaded-glass window casement. There was the desk where her notes and tool kit were scattered, and the dresser drawer was open, just as she’d left it yesterday morning. She was back in her hotel room.

Disbelief turned to disappointment. Had last night only been a dream? Was the gatekeeper, with his expert erotic skills, just an amped-up sexual fantasy? For a moment a sense of loss overwhelmed her. Typical that the best sex she’d ever had was all in her mind. Then she snapped out of it. It was ridiculous to think that she had some sort of mystical sexual encounter with an ancient Egyptian guardian. She was a rational, intellectual scientist, for Pete’s sake. She wasn’t going to start believing in silly, superstitious nonsense, even if the nonsense in question had the nicest cock she’d ever felt.

Getting up, she moved to the antique mahogany wardrobe that held her bathrobe. She paused in front the pitted mirror on its door. She looked the same, but different, too. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and sensuous. Her hair was tousled and she remembered how the gatekeeper had imprisoned her by wrapping his hand in her curls. She shuddered, almost feeling his body against hers once again. Her loosened hair changed her appearance, making her look more wanton, somehow. She didn’t seem like a nerdy graduate student, but more like a woman, desirable and attractive. She remembered the commanding timbre of the gatekeeper’s voice as he had called her beautiful. She traced her lips in the mirror; he hadn’t kissed her once, but it was certainly the most intimate and explosive sexual encounter she had ever had.

What was she thinking? She shook her head and shrugged into her bathrobe. None of that had actually happened. She had just had a particularly vivid sexual dream. She had to think about things analytically. It was obvious that she was getting far too horny out under the Egyptian sun. Her insane attraction to Brody was the first sign of that, and now this intense fantasy. She was so hard up she had actually started hallucinating about sex. It was time she remedied the situation.

She analyzed her options in a logical fashion. What she should do was join the rest of the crew today. It was the weekend and they had talked of driving the hour north to visit Cairo’s main attractions. Being amongst the company of living, laughing people, as opposed to obsessing over a nonexistent ancient Egyptian sex ghost, was obviously a sensible plan.

Maybe she’d hook up with Dale, one of the other archaeologists working on the site. Sure he was pale, with thick glasses and a physique that would make Woody Allen pity him, but he had definitely been sending her signals. He’d be good for a fling. She paused, remembering his constant complaints about his allergies and his tendency to quote Captain Kirk from Star Trek. Okay, maybe not
good
for a fling, but at least he’d scratch the itch she seemed to have developed. Then maybe she wouldn’t have any more ridiculous, explicit dreams about Casper the Friendly Ghost.

With that resolution she opened her dresser and looked for something to wear. That was funny, she couldn’t see the tank top and shorts she had on yesterday. She recalled how the gatekeeper had ripped the thin fabric from her chest and how her nipples had ached for his touch. She frowned. She must have put them in the pile of clothes to be cleaned. It was odd that she couldn’t remember how she got home last night, but there must be a logical explanation for it…. She just couldn’t think of what it could be.

She scanned her clothes. It was a depressing sea of neatly folded beige and khaki. Nothing very suitable for a seduction. Unless… There, at the bottom of her dresser, crushed and wrinkled, was the red silk sundress she had bought on impulse the last time she was in Cairo. It had been at one of the colourful markets that dotted the city, and she had been seduced by its strong, deep crimson and the pretty cut of its spaghetti straps. She pulled it out of the dresser and gave it a shake before heading to the bathroom to steam out the wrinkles and get ready for the day.

It was only when she was under the shower’s warm cascade that she noticed the red markings, almost welts, on her wrists. Her mind flashed back to the linen cloth that the gatekeeper had wound around and around her wrists as she stood naked and shuddering before him. For a moment her body melted as she recalled his fingers plunging inside her, drawing her inexorably to the heights of pleasure. She shook her head, snapping out of it. She told herself firmly that she was remembering a dream. The welts were just some sort of localized skin rash.

Forty-five minutes later, she was showered, shampooed and heading downstairs. She’d decided to leave her hair loose and it stroked her back in curly waves. The dress was perfect for what she had planned for Dale. It clung to what little curves she had, enhancing her breasts and emphasizing her narrow waist. The sleek silken material caressed her body and she had felt sensuous even brushing her teeth. She’d loaded on all of the bangles and bracelets she had acquired since coming to Egypt in order to cover up the bruising on her wrists. The jewellery actually helped her outfit, making her feel more exotic than she usually did when all she wore was her sensible wristwatch. Dream or no dream, she had never felt as desirable or attractive as she did this morning. Dale didn’t stand a chance.

Tessa entered the hotel’s breakfast room and sat down at a small round table set with white linen and fine silver. It was still too early in the year for the
rih el khamsin,
the windstorm season, so the windows were all open, catching a light breeze blowing in from the east. The ancient Egyptian god of the winds and the air was Shu. Tessa paused, suddenly remembering a funny fact about Shu. He was linked in the oldest of myths with masturbation. In one series of hieroglyphs he reported that he “had union with my hand and I embraced my shadow with a love embrace.” The ancient Egyptians certainly weren’t shy about broadcasting their sexuality. Tessa couldn’t stop a small grin playing across her face as she thought about the warmth of the gatekeeper’s body against her back as he thrust himself deep inside her.

“You look like the cat that just licked up all the cream,” observed a deep voice.

Startled, Tessa stared up into the deep brown eyes of Brody Jackson. “Hello,” was all she could stutter, dragging her thoughts back from her dirty daydreams.

Brody gazed at her intently, and for a moment Tessa thought he could read the wanton reverie in her eyes. He said nothing, however. Instead a crooked grin spread across his face.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked.

He wasn’t wearing the usual loose shirt and tool belt he sported in the field. Instead he had on a tight T-shirt, which Tessa couldn’t help but notice showed off his broad shoulders and taut stomach to perfection. His shorts were the standard khakis that all of the men on the dig favored, except none of the other men had such hot legs, or such a noticeable bulge at the crotch.

She dragged her gaze from his waist and met his eyes. “I’d love it,” she said.

He slid into the chair opposite and she noticed the grace with which he moved. He was like a panther, or a lion. Something feline, but strong and powerful. The table was tiny and for a brief moment their legs brushed against each other. Tessa bit back a gasp at the contact. Their eyes met again for a moment, and Tessa could practically see the sparks flying back and forth between them.

Brody cut the tension. “You didn’t go into Cairo with the crew today. Don’t you usually do stuff with them?”

Tessa was surprised. She didn’t think Brody noticed her, let alone paid attention to what she did on the weekends. “They’re not leaving until 10:00 a.m.”

He looked at his watch. “It’s ten-thirty, Tessa. You’ve missed them.”

Tessa glanced around and noticed for the first time that the breakfast room was practically empty. She had been so distracted by what had happened last night—what she had dreamed happened last night, she corrected herself—that she hadn’t realized what time it was.

“Oh, no,” she said. She was seriously horny and Dale was gone, probably for the whole day. Now she’d have to wait until he got back. Given the vivid nature of her dream last night, she wasn’t sure she could make it.

“Was there someone special you were hoping to see?” Brody asked.

“No,” Tessa protested, but gave herself away by blushing.

“I see,” said Brody and raised his eyebrow. “Is that why you overslept this morning? A wild night last night?”

Wild night? That was the understatement of the millennium. It wasn’t often a girl had a steamy rendezvous with a 3,000-year-old ghost, even in her own mind. She couldn’t very well tell him about that. Instead, her blush deepened.

“I always wondered if there was more to you than just a dedicated grad student, and now I see I’ve stumbled upon your secret sex life,” Brody said.

Tessa’s first instinct was to protest, but she was brought up short by the fact that Brody had just admitted to thinking about her. Could he actually be interested in her? That was impossible. She was a skinny nerd who started stuttering and dropping things whenever he was around. But then she remembered how the gatekeeper had called her beautiful and how she had made him gasp with pleasure at her touch. Maybe she was desirable.

She smiled at Brody. “Well, it wouldn’t be much of a secret if I told you, now would it?”

He looked surprised for a moment, and then smiled back. “No, I guess it wouldn’t.”

Score! She had just successfully flirted with Brody. The waitress arrived with a basket of croissants and pastries as well as a steaming pot of coffee. For a few moments they busied themselves passing out the food. Tessa was suddenly ravenous. She broke off a piece of the fluffy, buttery croissant. The flaky pastry nearly melted in her mouth and she closed her eyes to fully enjoy its sinful flavor.

When she opened her eyes Brody was staring at her again. “I love a woman with a good appetite,” he said.

“I have a great appetite…for all kinds of things,” she replied. Where had that come from? Tessa was somehow finding her inner vixen and she was enjoying herself.

Brody looked appreciative. “I can see that.” He took a sip of his coffee. “It seems like this dig, the search for Pharaoh Sekhemkhet’s tomb, has had an influence on you.”

“What do you mean?” Tessa asked.

“Sekhemkhet was reputed to be a lascivious old goat whose love of sex surpassed even the randiest of pharaohs. He indulged in all sorts of depravities. There’s even a theory that he was a cross-dresser.”

“What?” Tessa nearly dropped her cup of coffee.

Brody grinned. “Yup. Almost all of the art represents him as very feminine. He’s also associated with the earth god, Geb. Geb was known for his sexual prowess, and was thought to be in a constant state of lovemaking with Nut, the goddess of the night sky, who also happened to be his sister.”

“Really?” Tessa asked, swallowing hard. The gatekeeper had said he served Geb and protected Sekhemkhet. How could she have dreamed all of that when she didn’t know about it until just now? She coughed. “I’d never come across anything like that about Sekhemkhet in the literature.”

Brody chuckled. “That’s because Egyptologists tend to be a prudish bunch. They generally downplay the more salacious elements of what they study.”

“But not you,” she said.

He shot her a meaningful look. “No one has ever accused me of being a prude.”

She couldn’t help staring back into his eyes, lost for a moment in their deep brown depths. He was telling her that he was interested, and she wanted him, too. Wanted him more than she ever had before.

Brody continued. “In all seriousness, I think this tomb has been neglected because of Sekhemkhet’s sexual reputation. A lot of scholars don’t like to acknowledge a basic truth.”

“Which is?” she asked.

“That ancient peoples liked to fuck just as much as we do.”

Brody stared directly at her, and she read the invitation in his eyes. Her body responded and she could feel herself growing wet. Tessa shifted in her seat. The movement caused her leg to again brush against Brody’s, but she didn’t change positions. Instead she let her thigh rest against the warm muscles of his leg. The part of her leg touching his was alive with sensation. She moved it slightly, rubbing against Brody. His indrawn breath told her that he was enjoying the contact. Without thinking she slipped her left hand beneath the linen tablecloth, bringing it to rest on his knee. He spread his legs apart slightly, a blatant invitation to Tessa.

She looked up, meeting his gaze. The desire she saw there quickened her heart rate. She trailed her hand along his leg, to his upper thigh and over to his groin. She could feel the swelling of his cock through the fabric of his shorts. “Your knowledge of Egyptology is impressive,” she murmured. He lifted his hips slightly, pressing the increasing bulge in his pants into her hand.

Tessa’s heart pounded and her pussy tingled in response. It was good to have him at her mercy like this. She felt strong and sexy. She moved her hand back and forth, her actions shielded from view by the tablecloth. With every pass of her hand over his groin, she could feel his cock grow and twitch. “Very impressive, indeed,” she said.

He coughed. “How about I show you how impressive I can be…up in my room?”

Tessa was sorely tempted. She had been lusting after Brody since the first moment she saw him, but the gatekeeper—whether he was a figment of her imagination or a spectral being from three thousand years ago—had taught her that there was something delicious about playing with the power dynamics. “I’m actually fine right here,” Tessa said.