"You are mine now. This escape attempt is futile," Aashiq spoke as he offered out his hand.
"No, kidnapping a woman does not make her yours!" she hissed recoiling like a feral cat. Any uncertainty she felt was lost behind the steel of her blue eyes. "Stay away from me!"
Turning back to the vast desert, she willed her delicately sandaled feet forward. Her head throbbed under the crown of blonde curls. Her stomach reeled from the drugs that had been mixed with her wine earlier that evening. Incapacitated, she had been brought to a tent in the middle of the desert. "You were part of the barter with your uncle. You were given to me in the exchange for a lower price on the oil leases," her abductor had claimed. Her uncle may be a cunning businessman, but he was never cruel. He wouldn't trade her for all the oil in the Middle East, would he? Fighting against the idea of such a betrayal, the poison of her capturer's words slipped through her veins chilling her blood,
"Don't be daft, woman," he replied growing bored with her escape attempt.
She refused to look back at the devil with the seductive eyes. His white headdress made the bronze of his skin unnaturally dark by contrast. His traditional dress made him appear more a primitive beast then man. He was a villain in night. The moon sparkled across the vast ocean of glistening sand. Sarah watched as the ground came alive with scurrying motion. Tingling with fear, she struggled to ignore the creatures creeping outside the moonlight.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted with more bravado then she felt.
Watching the white linen gown flow from her waist and cast out over the dunes, he marveled at her beautiful determination. No woman had ever dared raise her voice to his royalty. Had she not be so appealing in her fury, he would have brought her to heel. Something deep within whispered of the dark pleasures he would enjoy breaking that spirit. His cock hardened at the thought of cracking the whip across her flawless white skin. He had time…all the time in the world.
"So, we will do it your way," his voice grumbled with anticipation.
His threatening tone shot through her sparking every nerve to life. Effortlessly, he closed the distance between them. Although she tried desperately to evade his grasp, he swung her over his shoulder in one quick movement. Summoning all her strength, she became a flurry of fist and feet. She pounded against his solid muscular frame as the bulge of his bicep clamped around her waist.
Breathless and frantic, she saw the corner of the tent come into the line of her inverted vision. She straightened as much as possible to see a collection of guards humored by her situation. While cursing at the men in frustration, she counted a half dozen armed guards before a curtain blocked her view. Their male laughter evaporated in the silence of the tent. With a bitter cry, she dropped to the floor. Her arms flung out across luxurious silk pillows as the rich scent of frankincense rushed her nose.
"You'll not get away with this! I am an America citizen." she spoke defiantly glad to be free of his arms.
"Quiet or I'll cut out your tongue," he stated dismissing her remark.
Sarah's eyes swept up him resting on the chiseled features of clean shaven face. It was the most handsome, and cruelest, face that she had ever seen. Instinctively, she was drawn to his gaze. Holding his fierce stare, she felt as if the thin gauze of her dress was stripped away leaving her bare. She dared not speak fearing his words were not just mere threats.
"You are not hurt, are you?" he asked looking over her frame.
"Like you care," she spoke softly turning away chafed under his watchful eyes.
"I care about all my possession," he replied gliding to a large carved cabinet tucked in the corner of the tent.
Pulling out a braided golden rope, he careless tossed it to where she sat. Looking over at the cords, her eyes blurred with revelation. She was here as an object to be traded for the wealth and pleasure of corrupt men. The clank of a decanter against glass punctuated the terror that coursed through her. If one morsel had remained in the contents of her stomach, she would have vomited. This could not be happening to her. He drank deeply from his wine glass before setting it to the side. He approached her while wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his white thobe.
"Hold out your arms," he said crouching down.
"No," she responded quietly. Pushing away the golden braid, she glared at it as if it would rise up to strike her.
"Do not dismay, Sarah," his silky voice was rich with compassion. "I mean only to give us pleasure."
Despite the collapse of her world that threatened to overwhelm her, she somehow knew the Aashiq meant what he said. The onyx pools of his eyes promised to show her indescribable experiences. But, the sting of deception was too fresh for her to feel any kind of genuine trust. She must not submit to his temptation.