Afsoon awakened in the embrace of her ebony friend and lover Farisa and gazed into her brown eyes filled with adoration.
"Good morning my jewel," Farisa purred and they kissed. Afsoon's eyes were wet as she replied "Good morning, dear one."
When they were together they could almost forget they were harem sex slaves, subject to the whims of the cruel General Risay who used them as he would his hunting falcon or his rifle; as it suited him.
The women had schemed together and finally succeeded in becoming his favorites, submitting humbly to his sometime cruel and bizarre desires in exchange for privileges and luxuries not afforded the other members of his harem. There was resentment among the other women to be sure, but Afsoon and Farisa guarded each other's backs and were more than capable of defending themselves if necessary.
They breakfasted on honey, figs, pomegranates and sweet flatbreads, sipping goblets of goat's milk mixed with wine; then arose and walked hand in hand naked to the baths where they washed each other with loving strokes, then splashed and played as children would in the perfumed waters.
And as they frolicked, smoldering eyes dark with resentment watched from the shadows.
***
Delbar, Mistress of the Harem, tugged open the goatskin pouch her messenger had brought, her hands trembling. There they were, three silver Denarii, along with a rolled piece of parchment tied with a purple ribbon.
Once she had hidden the coins away with the others, she untied the ribbon and unrolled the parchment. She instantly recognized the flowing script of none other than the Sultan's most trusted courtier, Mahmood Al-Bezier.
'Delbar', it read, 'The Esteemed One, Azlan Al-Barbakh is desirous of the woman Afsoon to be in his personal service. Make the necessary arrangements for her escape. You will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts.'
It was signed by an impression of Al-Bezier's crescent and star ring in a blob of wax.
Delbar held the paper over a lamp flame until it caught and was reduced to ashes. A handsome reward for her efforts! She could buy her freedom at last! She lay back on the blankets and began making plans.
It would be extremely dangerous to secure Afsoon's freedom and Delbar knew Afsoon would never leave Farisa behind, so the escape would be even more difficult and must be planned to the last detail.
She would have to proceed slowly and carefully for Risay's spies were everywhere. She even suspected some women in the harem.
She was correct.
***
Alliances and friendships in the harem were as shifting as the desert sands, but the most unusual and long lasting of them stood conversing as they watched Afsoon and Farisa in the baths.
Oadira was tall and willowy, with breasts like ripe pears, slim hips and rounded buttocks. Her glossy black hair hung down below her slim waist and her snapping black eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire. She went nude, as did all the harem's women, and her olive skin shone with the sheen of perfumed oils.
Her companion was Ahmed, the Chief Eunuch of the harem, his immense dusky body garbed in a sleeveless vest that failed utterly to span his massive stomach, baggy pantaloons and a sash about his waist that held a gleaming, ivory handled scimitar.
His spherical skull was hairless; his baby face perched on rolls of fat extending downward into thick arms and legs whose bulk belied their speed in a conflict.
"Look at them, the favored ones," Oadira muttered, "Playing as if they had not a care in the world. When I was the General's favorite, I took my place in the harem much more seriously."
Ahmed nodded, jowls wobbling. He'd heard her tale many times since they became allies and had learned to ignore it. They both shared a common bond in that they were effective spies for Risay, always alert for any murmur of discontent or rebellion among the harem's dwellers.
"I am told they are lovers," Ahmed replied, his piping voice incongruous emerging from his bulk. "I wonder if they perform their lovemaking before the General."
"Whatever they do," Oadira continued, "They show no fear of you and I as do the others and will bear watching. The black woman is especially rebellious. I hear she killed two of the General's men before she was finally subdued."
***
Their play in the baths had caused the women to shiver with desire, so they fell on their sleeping blankets and began making love immediately upon entering their tent.
Afsoon rolled Farisa on her back and settled between her ebony thighs; hands gripping the firm buttocks. Farisa gasped and moaned as Afsoon's tongue explored her already juicy pussy, loving the musky fluid that flowed into her mouth. The women knew each other's bodies as their own and knew what would bring the other to a back arching orgasm.
Afsoon slid one, then two fingers deep into Farisa's gripping cunt, then thrust and withdrew them hard and fast as she sucked on her lover's engorged clit and lashed it with her tongue.
Farisa felt the warmth rising from deep within her as her orgasm rose to its height. She gripped Afsoon's head, ground her pussy into her face and came with a long wail of release, drenching her lover in warm, sticky juices. Afsoon crawled up Farisa's muscled body and they clung together as her orgasm ebbed and she licked her own juices from her lovers face.
Then she rolled on top of Afsoon purring "Now it's your turn."
