“You know I want you, Lani. But I won’t take you with a lie on my lips. My life is back in Akkad, with Trella. And I’ll be going back soon enough.”
“Then I only ask that you keep your word, lord, to take me and my sister back to Akkad with you. Until then, you will need someone to manage your household, care for you while you are here, and hold you in the darkness of the night.”
“You do not need to call me ‘lord,’ Lani. My name is Eskkar. I am just a simple soldier. One trying to rule a city and a land full of problems.”
She stepped toward him, stopping just out of reach, and began to unfasten her dress. “No, Eskkar. I heard you in the square today, and saw what you did. You gave the villagers honesty and justice, something they haven’t seen in many months. Despite their complaining, they already accept you as their ruler, and trust you to protect them. You are a great lord, to have such power over men.”
The robe untied, she slipped it over her shoulders, letting it hang from her arms, the same as she’d done last night. She closed her eyes to his gaze, but her body trembled as if she could already feel his hands upon her.
He shook his head. No one had ever called him “great” before. If he ever ruled this land, it would be Trella who deserved that honor. He couldn’t explain all that to Lani, not now. He stood and reached for her, taking her in his arms and catching her hair in his hand. He kissed her upraised lips, and heard the robe slip to the floor. She tasted sweet to him, and he kissed her even harder, letting his other hand find and fondle her breast until she caught her breath.
“What can I do to please my lord tonight?” She kept her voice low, but he could hear the passion in it.
He swung her around, and pushed her gently down on the bed. For a moment he felt tempted to leave the candle burning, but the sight of her body already burned in his memory. He leaned over and blew out the flickering light. Despite his passion, he took the time to unsheathe the sword and lean it against the wall before sliding into the bed.
They held each other, neither one saying anything, just kissing and touching for a long time, until his excitement grew. When Lani moved to pleasure him as she had done the night before, he held her down, kissing her neck.
“Oh, no, Lani. Not tonight. Tonight I will give you pleasure.” He lay on his side and began caressing her, sucking and biting on her nipples while his fingers probed and teased her body. At first she seemed uncomfortable with the attention, but gradually she relaxed, letting him arouse her.
His lips moved up and down the length of her body, tasting her, kissing her, and she began to moan from the pleasure he gave her. He resisted her first pleadings, ignored the way she pushed her body against him, held back until her hand tightened so much around him that he thought he would burst.
Finally he moved atop her and slid deep into her body. A long sigh of pleasure escaped her lips, and she locked her legs around him.
He began to move against her, and she matched his movements, pushing herself against him. Before long she cried out, her arms and legs fastening themselves around him, her sounds of passion coming faster and faster until she gave a little scream into his neck as her body overwhelmed her.
Trembling, she could do nothing but hold him fast; he increased his thrusts against her and soon he, too, cried out as he gave her his seed, his face and mouth buried in her hair.
For a long time he lay on top of her, his passion spent but enjoying the touch of her body. When he moved beside her, she moaned a little. He took her in his arms and held her. Her whole body shook, and he tasted the salt of tears on his lips when he gently kissed her cheek.
“Did I hurt you, Lani?”
“No, lord.” Her arms pulled tight around his neck, and she buried her face against his. “These are tears of happiness.”
10
In Akkad, the days passed swiftly for Tammuz. Overnight, the addition of En-hedu to his household made the gloomy place seem brighter, and its dull routine soon disappeared, as she set about improving the alehouse. Neither Kuri nor Tammuz had ever bothered trying to keep the place clean, but she soon made up for their past neglect. She traded a few cups of ale to a carpenter who lived nearby. He labored there whenever he had no work of his own, or if he’d worked up a thirst. An hour at a time, over the course of a week, he fixed the rickety benches and tables, and built a new shelf to hold the few cups and plates the alehouse possessed.
At Tammuz’s suggestion, the carpenter also rebuilt the tavern’s two doors, making the outer door more solid, and repairing the inner one that led to Tammuz’s private room. When the craftsman finished, the two doors hung properly, swung freely, and both could be fastened securely. For working on the doors, the carpenter asked for a payment of five copper coins in addition to his usual libations; he had to shape some cast-off bronze strips for the hinges, make a dozen nails, and rebuild the outer door’s lintel. For the satisfaction of sleeping safer at night, Tammuz agreed to the sum. In his neighborhood, inhabitants paid any price for the chance to sleep in safety at night.
A few days later, when the carpenter completed his tasks and emptied his last cup of free ale, the alehouse looked much better. For a finishing touch, En-hedu, using some red dye bought at the marketplace, sketched a wine cup and the barley symbol on the outer wall, so that passersby could tell at a glance what the establishment sold.
While all this was going on, Tammuz watched in astonishment as En-hedu began ordering the patrons around. First she made them stop urinat-ing against the alehouse’s outside wall. The regular customers soon grew tired of her berating and scolding, and went down the lane and around the corner to relieve themselves. Newcomers were warned, and if anyone forgot, she told Kuri to keep them out until they learned their lesson.
In a few days, much of the rank odor disappeared from the outside of the alehouse. At the same time, with Kuri’s assistance, she cut a small hole through the ceiling of the public room, giving the stale air and cooking smoke a chance to escape, a good trade-off for the occasional rain that would find its way inside. For another copper coin, two barrows loaded with clean sand arrived. Tammuz watched as En-hedu efficiently spread the contents over the dirt floor. That helped keep the bugs and insects under control.
With these and other improvements En-hedu suggested, the establishment took on a somewhat more reputable appearance. The number of customers increased as well, which not only helped profits increase, but provided more of a cover for the half-dozen or more thieves who habitu-ated the place. Since Tammuz kept his ale prices low, his clientele soon increased, and most of the patrons knew each other. That kept the fights to a minimum, and Kuri had fewer problems keeping order.
En-hedu wanted to do more, but Tammuz, a smile on his face, told her to stop, before the place began to look too good for its customers. That made her laugh, and without thinking he took her in his arms. For a brief moment, she looked happy and alive. Then she stiffened, and he knew thoughts of her former master still troubled her.
Nevertheless he couldn’t stop from kissing her. Her mouth felt warm and soft, and she didn’t resist. Nor did she kiss him back. He knew she wasn’t ready, not yet. The fear remained in her eyes, so he let her go. To his surprise, she hugged him for a moment before turning back to her work.
Her touch gave him a feeling of contentment that lasted the rest of the afternoon.
The days went by, and if his nights still lacked the pleasure of the gods, he refused to allow the shortcoming to bother him. Be patient, he said to himself, though now he whispered it with a smile on his lips.