I had two assistants now. Three if you count Tinba. One came to me and said, "The Prince wants you to be at his Palace, Friday at one p.m."
"What is the rest of the message? What do we prepare for? Am I to stay?"
She was flustered, "I tried to find out; I even called Prince Tulan's secretary. He confirmed that was the entire message."
I hated things that are out of the normal. Never had the Prince communicated such an incomplete message. I thought and though about all I had done. Could he have found out about some of my deceptions? Could anything be going wrong? Was something bad in the World Press?
Kinba helped and we searched and struggled to discover more. The world saw the Sultan as a beloved, benevolent ruler and the Prince as a visionary concerned about his people. Water distribution was way ahead of schedule. Electric generation and distribution was a little behind but the plans to catch up were approved. The Prince knew about the growing medical facilities and chose to overlook them. Tinba tried all her contacts, including Summer. We got no additional information.
By early Friday, every member of the hospital, The Palms, water operations and electrical operations were concerned. What had I done wrong?
The Prince gave me fifteen seconds of his time. "Mr. Carter, I want you to take another servant. Also, tomorrow, meet with me at nine in the morning. I have several things to discuss with you."
I was escorted back to my room. From the patio I heard a familiar voice say, "Mr. Carter, do you need someone to clean your fish ponds?"
I turned. It was Gina. Tears rolled down my face but I could not speak or move. For the first time in all the years I had loved her, she had come to me. She finished the trip and folded into my arms. We kissed and kissed again, until I had to have some answers. My words flowed so rapidly that they barely made sense.
"You should not be here. The Prince will never let you out again. I am so happy to see you. Why are you here? You look really good? Why......?"
Gina stopped me. "I'm here because I love you. I missed you. I came to you."
I was crying now. "I've wanted that for so long. I'm just afraid that I will see disappointment in your eyes again. This is not Portland. I cannot leave and I'm afraid you cannot either."
"You never could shut up. Remember when I used to dance for you and tell you, 'Don't say anything, just listen'? Well do it again. Please be quiet. Hold me. Love me."
My body and mind were in turmoil. I wanted her here but hated that she had risked so much. I could not protect her this time.
Over the next two hours, Gina told me what all she had done for the last year. How she had missed me. How she had hoped I would be home soon and she could come to me. About her visit with Yoni. How she knew she had to come back to Albai to be happy. How she had contacted Prince Tulan. How he had agreed she could return. How she had never asked, if she could ever leave again.
We ate a light dinner and walked until after sunset. We returned to the room, bathed together and went to bed early. I could not get my mind to stop. Gina knew and took over, "Even if we only have tonight, make love with me, let me be yours and let's make our first memory when we both admit that we are in love."
My world narrowed. Nothing else was important. She let me undress her, like she was my special present. She lay open and ready, while she watched me strip and come to her. She slid away, positioning me on my back and knelt beside me on the bed. My cock wasn't hard. She tenderly closed her hands around it and lowered her head. This was the touch of a frequent lover. Practiced. Knowing what I liked and wanting to please me.
I was hard. I tried to position her and started to kiss her body to get her ready for me. "Dave, I need you to be in me. To feel your body and your love."
Her legs spread; I got between them. Her eyes were moist when my cock nudged into her slit.
She said, "Kiss me."
My cock slipped into her as I lowered my body and our lips touched. My weight forced her to exhale and I drew her breath deeply into my lungs. Even after a year, our kiss was familiar. When our tongues caressed she pushed up, taking the last of me into her body. I thrust down. She whimpered and kept up our soft kisses.
There were two parts of us. Our hips thrust together needing sex and release. Our mouths, tongues and lips wanted to feel love and to know that things were right now. Her body tensed, another whimper escaped her lips. My strokes into her became faster and harder. She whimpered again.
My mind raced through a hundred times when we had made love and afterward had felt she was not mine. I so dreaded that feeling, I knew I could control my climax easily. I could avoid knowing. No, I had to know. I had to risk cuming with her. I touched her breasts in all the ways she liked. I pulled the cheeks of her ass and squeezed them roughly like she liked. I tried to grind her cunt through the mattress like she liked. She was there. She hung for just a few moments, holding her breath. With a mighty sigh, she came and I told her, "I cuming too." She rode her high for a long time and I kept thrusting and pouring into her.
I collapsed to her side and searched for the horrible feeling that something was wrong. Instead, I felt she was there, with me. Where she wanted to be. Where I wanted her. For the first time, I felt everything was right.
Twice more, we made love that night. Not the wild passionate, falling off the bed sex we were capable of. We had the satisfying, feel my love, communicating kind of sex that only comes with commitment and a future.
During our early breakfast, I told her, "Gina, I want you to come with me to see the Prince this morning."
"He did not ask for me to be there."
"I know, but I want him to know that I brought you. He will ask that you wait outside."
Prince Tulan did exactly as I said he would do. I was surprised that it was only the Prince and me in the room.
"Mr. Carter, I do not understand the hold you have on women and why you care for them as you do."
I started to speak but his stare told me to stay quiet.
"You gave up your freedom to get the slave girl could leave and she came back to you. I have never seen such a thing and cannot understand it. You have done more than you promised for me and my country. You have a home here and will always be welcomed as a guest or resident in Albai. You and your woman are free to come and go as you please."
I was almost speechless. "Your Highness, my staff, can I reward them and allow them to stay at my home?"
"You can do anything you want with them. Tomorrow, my father will announce that the women of our country have proven themselves and are now free again, equal to the men. I hope you will stay long enough to advise me on your staff and how they can continue to help the country."