Night has fallen in the desert.
Inside a luxurious tent hung with rich drapes and strewn with thick, intricately woven carpets a man relaxes nude on low silk cushions. He sips thick, sweet Turkish coffee from a tiny cup on a silver tray that gleams in lantern light. He is a powerful man – a leader of his people, accustomed to deciding the fates of hundreds with a sweep of his hand. But this night the tables will be turned and his fate will lie in the small hands of a dancing girl.
Suddenly the walls of the tent flutter as if from a gust of wind. The lamp flames flicker and dim. When they brighten he is no longer alone. A woman stands silent before him. She is covered in rich fabrics the colors of exotic spices: a cinnamon silk skirt, slit to reveal harem pants of the sheerest saffron gauze. A heavy belt dripping with coins and gold beads rests low on her hips. A matching bra encases her full breasts and her wrists and neck are encircled with intricate gold filigree. All this is barely visible through a shimmering saffron veil that leaves only her green eyes and tumbling auburn hair exposed to his direct view.
He hears the low beat of a hand drum begin and the sinuous melody of a long wooden flute. The woman's arms rise above her head as if compelled by the music and he is instantly mesmerized by the movement, by the soft curves of her body barely glimpsed through the veil, by her pale skin. He fears to move, lest this vision vanish like a mirage. Her dance begins.
The music is slow and her movements sinuous and graceful. She turns, skirts swirling out to reveal hints of firm legs through the gauzy harem pants. She moves closer, eyes filled with promise, then away, teasingly out of reach. As she dances she removes the veil, but keeps it between him and her, giving fleeting views of her rippling belly and swaying hips through the thin fabric. She draws near. It's as if she has bound him in place with a magic spell. He can't move to reach for her, even though his body has responded with a powerful, throbbing erection. She flings the veil and it settles over his face and naked body.
Standing before him, undulating to the music, she reaches behind her back, removes the bra in one smooth motion and tosses it casually on the carpet. Her dark aroused nipples are exposed and her gold necklace caresses the tops of her naked breasts. He is jealous of that necklace. She continues dancing, her eyes never leaving his. A hand at her hip and the skirt drops away leaving her in only the saffron harem pants and hip belt. She dances closer, at his feet. In a graceful movement she removes the thin pants and now moves before him wearing only the heavy belt and jewelry. He has pulled her veil from his face so that nothing will block the view of her pale skin gleaming in the lantern light.
With a spin and a flourish she drops to her knees, legs parted on the soft carpet, and unhooks the belt which falls to the floor. She arches her naked body backward, hair brushing the floor behind her, exposing her smooth, bare sex to his hungry eyes.