Lovers in the Woods (28 page)

“When I come back, you will wear what I send
you or I will turn around and leave.” She softened the order with a
chaste kiss on his cheek and strutted out of the room to close the
bars behind her.

Sajitar stood rooted and a tiny voice asked
why the fuck had he not bolted for the door and escaped.

The guard had delivered the
chosen items, unceremoniously, through the bars so that they fell
on the sandy ground. Sajitar stared at the assembly, caught in the
haze of anxiety and excitement. Both feelings were dreadful for
they meant that he would neither enjoy nor condemn what lay before
him. Sananda expected him to obey and that presumed his submission.
He had sworn to never be so helpless again and now that he was back
in her clutches, he had done just that—surrendered. He felt ashamed
and hated himself for being so easy to deflect from his
decision.
She
is just a woman!
Still, he was unable to sit and wait for Sananda to be
disappointed. He flexed his hands, praying for endurance and
knowing he would not get it.

Torn in two
, he rose slowly, pondering what
to do. The guard was long gone and he was alone with his
indecisiveness. He separated the items, all of them well-worn and
smooth to the touch. He knew every inch of feathery material, of
leather and hard wood. To put them in place meant to give up, to
live and act at Sananda’s bidding. That prospect was pure
temptation. At the same time it was dreadful, for he could not
call
halt
and say that he wanted it to be over. As before, he
surrendered and faced the consequences of his weakness.

The rush of excitement traveled down to
his groin while his hands examined the items piece by artfully
crafted piece. There was a lot of handiwork in them, careful
thought about their use. All of the items were made for longtime
wearing.

He did not know how much time Sananda would
give him to make up his mind. Sighing, he first chose the soft
rings to go around his ankles. They clicked shut and would only
open with a key Sananda kept in her room. Sajitar closed his eyes
and saw the room before him—lush carpets in soft red, broad chairs
and couches, draperies and a bed so big four men could sleep side
by side. He also remembered the ropes and other ties Sananda hid
there which she used only on her most special men.

Am I to become a special man again?

Soft steps approached and he
looked up to see Rayenne. She wore a lose shirt over a long, almost
translucent skirt and sandals with tiny flowers on top. Hands in
the shirt pockets
, she stood and looked at him full of pity.

“Hi, Sajitar.”

Without hesitation, he was up and reached
through the bars to catch her. His face contorted with sudden fury
as he stretched and was unable to grab her throat.

“You! You miserable bitch! How dare you come
here?” He coughed when the stone in his mouth hampered his speech.
“Traitor! I trusted you and you threw me in the gutter!”

Rayenne stepped back to evade his groping
hands. She hung her head, exhaling and not the least bit offended,
a fact that aggravated Sajitar even more.

“Saji, please, let me explain.”

“Explain?” he sputtered. “Because of you I’m
back where I started. Because of you I have to do as Sananda bids.
Because of you I lost control over my life. Again!”

“Sajitar, I understand your anger. It is
just—” She searched for words while he pressed his hands around the
bars as if it were her throat. “She had me sacked long before I met
you. I had no choice if I did not want to lose—”. She cleared her
throat. “I just wanted to advise you not to anger her. Her mood’s
changing more often than the men in her bed and the results can
be…hard to bear.”

“
Am I deaf, or are you truly telling me to
play along? Been there, done that.” He banged his hand against a
bar. “Next piece of advice, please. I can’t wait to hear more of
your female wisdom!”

“I had no choice. Believe me.”

“
An old argument, but nicely performed.” He
let go of the bars, unable to watch her gnaw her lower lip. It was
a gesture that he loved and now hated. Restlessly he took up a
short walk from wall to wall. “Did you rehearse it for long? In
front of your mirror? Oh, no, let me rephrase this. It’s Sananda’s
mirror, right? I’m sure she lets you live in one of her big suites,
now that you are buddies.”

Sajitar read sorrow in her eyes, but he
also saw anger growing. That was fine with him. He wanted her angry
and miserable. She should not be able to go on with her life
smiling.

When she spoke, her voice was
controlled.

“If you hadn’t been so eager to get into her
bed, you wouldn’t have made that mistake in the first place. She
did not force you to be with her.”

“
Right.” He nodded emphatically. “No need
to. She’s clever, sexy, and has a beautiful body—all of the things
I admire on a woman, as you might have noticed. However, the
bindings and the brand were put on a bit thick in the end. You can
correct me, but I got the impression that quitting from my side was
not on her list.” And when she did not come back with a witty
reply, he added, “Go and kill Wang if you want to do something good
today. If you don’t do that, go to hell and stay there. You’ve
earned it!”

“You know I can’t.”

“Then leave!” He wiped spittle off his lips.
“I don’t want to be reminded of my idiotic decision over and over
again!”

She let out her breath in a desperate sigh,
hands put on her hips.

“Okay, you win. I’m the nasty bitch that led
you astray. Every minute was a lie and we both have to deal with
it.”

“Did you plan to kill Felberi?”

Sajitar watched her pale. She opened her
mouth for a reply that did not come.

“Tell me, Ray, was that part of the plan you
and Wang had?”

“No!” Rayenne stepped closer, thought better
and retreated to a safe distance. Sajitar raised his brows in
silent mockery. “I would’ve put him to sleep once we reached Belson
Park. I didn’t want him to die, but Sananda did not believe me.”
Her shoulders sagged as she stared at the floor. Her lips twisted
at the painful memory. “She did it all wrong. All those pursuers
would have been unnecessary, but she did not trust me.”

“Now she does. I hope you’re happy with what
you’ve accomplished.”

“My happiness has gone around the corner and
I can’t reach it.”

Sajitar closed the ring around his neck,
unwilling, but knowing that time might run short. Rayenne’s gaze
was upon him. She flinched and pity was back in her eyes. As he had
been doing since the moment of his imprisonment, he wondered how
much of her affection had been an act, a masterful piece of
performance to keep him close to her. It was unbearable to be a
part of a scheme he had not been able to look through.

“What’s that in your mouth?” she finally
asked.

Sajitar hung his head. The rush of anger left
him hollow and he wanted her gone to try and forget what she meant
to him. He played with the shackles in his hands.

“She does what she can to make me crazy for
her.” He pointed at the yellow stone. “It’s Talagg-bark.”

“I’ve never heard of it. What’s it for?”

Sajitar could not help but smile at her naïveté.

“Do you think that she leaves it to chance
how men fall at her feet? Talagg-bark makes any man horny within an
hour. And horny and being imprisoned…” He grimaced. “You get the
picture.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, there were times when I felt better,
thank you for asking.” He turned away from her, putting the soft
rings around his wrists. When she did not leave, he glanced over
his shoulder. “Would you want me like this? Bound to immobility
with you in charge?”

As he had expected, Rayenne was torn between
saying yes and her moral philosophy. She took a deep breath,
pressing her lips tight.

“I don’t need any…playroom accessories to get
excited. You have a gorgeous body and a good character. I don’t
need more.”

“It’s nice listening to you after you sold me
out to my enemy.”

“You are right, I made my choices and I have
to live with them.”

Sajitar turned back to her, trying to find
out if he had been wrong about her for weeks. He stared into her
beautiful eyes.

“Will you truly leave me to her clutches?
Didn’t it mean anything to you what we lived through in the
woods?”

Rayenne hardened her face to his pleas. He
felt the distance grow and stepped back from the bars, nodding, yet
unable to hide his disappointment.

She cleared her throat.

“As I said, the decision was already
made.”

“Oh, yes, one bitch delivered me to another.
I really am a lucky man.”

His reluctance fell like a veil when he
met with Sananda in one of her many bedrooms. He had not seen this
one before, or maybe the expensive decoration of silver and dark
red was new, illuminated by an unseen source. The drapes were down,
the rest of daylight excluded from viewing Sananda Wang in a wisp
of satin softly playing around her slim body down to her ankles.
She was barefoot and approached him like an elegant cat on a narrow
fence, dancelike and sure of every move. Instead of perfume she
used her looks, moves, and words of seduction to make him weak in
the knees. The door closed behind him and Sajitar was already down
on the bed, caught in her web of lust and devotion. His heart raced
and in his mind he had her already undressed.

“Welcome back, Sajitar, my most wonderful
lover.” She pulled the net from his face and threw it away over her
head. “I cannot summon words to describe how I barely survived
without you being here.” She kissed his lips, sensuously exploring
his mouth with her tongue, tasting the rest of the Talagg-bark. He
pulled her close, lost in a trance only Sananda could inflict upon
him. Kissing, breathing, and touching were the only things he
noticed. He moaned deep in his throat to find her so willing and so
giving. He needed the touch and the relief and to reach it he was
eager to please her. When he turned, his arms were tied to the bed
and Sananda pulled at the silvery ropes. He grimaced when his
wrists were stretched against the headboard.

“How did you do this?”

Sananda laughed a low, merry laugh that made
him feel good down to his toes.

“
I am the master of this room, my love, and
everything here listens to my commands.” She sat between his legs
and started massaging his feet. “Hmm, I had almost forgotten how
strong and muscled you are.” Her hands traveled up his shins while
she kept eye contact. “So perfect. So adorable.” She reached his
knees and went higher. Sajitar held his breath. There was no doubt
how excited he was, and then with one sweep, the loin cloth was
gone. He begged her with his body to satisfy him, but Sananda had
other things on her mind. “I will make you happy, Saji, just give
me some time.” She caressed the brand, sunken in reverie. “You
suffered it like a real noble man. I admired you, Saji, and you
went away. Left me broken hearted.” When she looked up, pain and
anger mixed. “You had no reason and you gave me no explanation. You
just went like a betrayed husband.”

He summoned his strength to answer.

“I had not agreed to get branded like an
animal. I didn’t want it, but you did not even ask.”

Her fingers lingered on the circles and
letters. She pouted looking up to him.

“What more can a man want than being loved so
much it shall be forever?”

Sajitar’s heart started a
painful gallop. Her tone indicated that she had already thought
long about how this evening would take place.
Did I say something wrong? What
is Sananda up to that I have not anticipated?

“You could have loved me without that. I made
it easy for you and you always wanted more.”

Sananda’s smile held much more than
amusement about his words. He knew she was thinking hard in that
beautiful head of hers and he was unsure whether he would love or
dread what she had in mind.

“That’s the privilege of women in general. We
get what we want and think of something else. Life’s much spicier
with new challenges, don’t you think?”

She slipped from the bed.

“Don’t dare to hurt me once more, Sananda! I
swear I will make you pay for it!”

Like a dancer, Sananda went through the
room, laughing and singing softly to herself. She turned and swung
her arms, presenting her body in a unique way. Sajitar’s mouth went
dry. She had a perfect balance between upper and lower body, though
she was petite. Her fingers played an unseen instrument in the air
and all the time she smiled and sang as if she had forgotten about
the man on her bed. Standing on tiptoe she reached for something on
a high shelf and when she found it, she turned and waved at
him.

Sajitar was anxious she might leave him.
Due to the Talagg-bark juggling his hormones, he had no choice but
to hope for satisfaction, no matter how. The urge in his groin grew
with every minute and even worse while watching Sananda dance to
the music. He wanted to command her to come to him or get up and
force her down on the bed. He could not do it, and the more he was
frustrated, the more he wanted her to do what he bid. He craned his
neck to find out where the ropes were fastened, only to realize
that she could hold B-horses with the locks at the end. He was torn
between pride to be considered such a stallion and helplessness
that he could not change his situation if he wanted.

She stopped to drink and came back to him,
lips wet and inviting. Sajitar lifted his head to expect her kiss.
She tasted of some sweet fruit and he wanted more. She withdrew,
not without gently kissing his freshly shaven cheek.