Birthday Gifts Fit for a Prince

Jade rolled out of bed eager to face the day. She had seven days to get better acquainted with the layout of the palace and the routine of the guards. Seven days when she would be free of Akim's overbearing presence. She was certain he wouldn't want to see her at all during that time frame since he had forgone the right to touch her. She had no illusions about what his interest in her was and it was not her stunning conversation skills that kept her by his side.

A quick wash and an even faster breakfast had her beginning her tour. Li'ir had assigned Nahid to get her better acquainted with her surroundings. Nahid continued to give Jade strange looks out the side of her wide almond eyes as they walked. It irritated Jade so until finally she had to say something.

"What's the problem Nahid? Is there something on my face?"

Nahid sniggered and continued on detailing the virtues of the gardens.

Jade bristled at having her question ignored but was lulled into forgiveness as she was led to the heart of the garden which housed the most stunning collection of—she wasn't quite sure what—but surely it was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen.

"What is this?" she asked Nahid, her curiosity well and truly piqued. The vibrant burst of red that gave way to black tipped petals was beyond breathtaking.

Nahid gave her a superior look that said only a simpleton wouldn't know but she answered just the same. "This is one of the rarest desert roses, black fire. This part of the garden contains a variety of rare and valuable plants."

Nahid turned and walked away before Jade could ask any further questions, leaving Jade to follow in her wake.

When Jade arrived back at the palace she was exhausted and settled down for a much needed nap. She wasn't sure if her exhaustion stemmed from the hot sun, the strain of being with Nahid all day, or the tension of not knowing if she was going to be able to escape before her seven days were up. Whatever the cause it was enough to keep her unconscious for several hours.

She awoke with a slight headache just after noon, but felt decidedly more rested than she had earlier in the day. She spent the next hour with Li'ir learning her duties. She churlishly thought it could all be summed up in a single sentence. He desires, you provide. Basic. Shame she couldn't add it to her resume. Genie would have made an impressive job title.

Tired of the lecture on how to serve the prince she asked the question that had been plaguing her all afternoon. "Li'ir, why does Nahid seem to hate me?"

There was a pause so long that Jade thought she would simply refuse to answer, but then she spoke.

"Before you came, Nahid was the favorite. She spent every night beside Akim." Jade absorbed this truth with equanimity and continued listening. She did not acknowledge even to herself the tiny twinge of discomfort the news provided.

"Some believe she is in love with him." The look she passed to Jade indicated that would be a fool's mistake. "He has not viewed her the same since you've come."

This was news to Jade. She hadn't even known the other woman existed until today. Was it possible he hadn't been with Nahid at all in the time since she had come?

"She is welcome to him."

"Neither your wishes nor hers matter in the face of his desires."

Jade fell silent. It would be a waste to continue arguing with Li'ir about a prince she clearly worshipped. And at the very least Nahid was consistent. Her response was in line with the He Desires, You Provide edict she had been droning on about for over an hour.

"Okay."

Jade thought of Nahid as the day wore on certain she could have an ally there. If Nahid truly hated her, then their wishes were the same—that Jade disappear and never return. She promised to see the other woman again, despite her earlier hostility.

Two days later Jade had an opportunity to speak with Nahid alone. She was in the library doing a little light reading when Nahid arrived.

Jade's smile was genuine and welcoming when she saw the other woman.

"Nahid," she greeted.

Nahid didn't trust the warm welcome. She knew she had done nothing to earn it and suspected Jade's motives. She dipped her head in slight acknowledgement of the other woman but said nothing in response.

"You dislike me," the bald statement was Jade's fumbling attempt to break the ice. Not her most diplomatic turn of phrase, but the best she could do in her urgency to test the waters.

"Is that so?" Nahid's disparaging glance said she couldn't be bothered to waste her time detesting someone so insignificant.

Not to be put off, Jade took the mocking response as encouragement to continue.

"I desire as you do, that you should return to your rightful place in his bed. I assure you I am not there by choice and do not enjoy being there."

"It sounded as though you enjoyed it plenty, but then perhaps my ears misled me."

Jade's face flushed with mortified color.

Nahid took the opportunity to turn the screw. "It's easy to hear you when you scream at the least little touch," she continued, somewhat mollified by Jade's obvious discomfort. "It's a wonder you have any voice left after all the noise you were making the other night."

"Prince Akim is a skillful lover; that goes without saying," Jade agreed, still able to feel the bright burn of shame in her cheeks. "But the fact still remains that I am not here by choice. I do not wish to remain here. I thought between the two of us we could find a way to return me home."

Nahid looked her over consideringly for a second before going on the offensive. "Why should I betray my prince for you?"

"Has he not betrayed you?" Her arched eyebrow dared Nahid to disagree. "With me?" She saw her chance and took it as Nahid's eyes darkened with pain. "Night after night."

The ensuing silence was telling.

"Hasn't he?" Jade demanded, determined to get Nahid to side with her before she lost the opportunity.

Nahid's eyes flashed molten fury as she turned to leave. Before she could reach the door Li'ir was there. Her curious glance rested on Nahid before darting to Jade's flushed face.

"You know the penalty for assaulting one of his consorts." Li'ir's cold words were directed at Nahid in warning. No matter her hatred Nahid would do well to tread carefully in her care of Jade or suffer punishment should Akim find out she was tormenting the other girl.

"I have done nothing," Nahid vehemently denied.

"She has done nothing," Jade quickly agreed.

Nahid's eyes met Jade's briefly before she decided to return the favor and torment Jade a little bit. "She's flushed from embarrassment because she wasn't aware that the whole kingdom can hear her screams at night."

The flush darkened.

Li'ir cast Nahid another warning glance.

Nahid replied with a light shrug and a malicious smile, "It came up in passing," before graciously exiting the room.

Left alone with Li'ir Jade tried to cool her burning cheeks by fanning herself lightly with the book in front of her. It took all her strength to raise her eyes to Li'ir's and hold her steady gaze. Especially when what she really wanted was for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

"Prince Akim requires your presence."

"For what?"

Li'ir marveled that Jade still hadn't learned the fine art of thinking before she spoke.

"Come," Li'ir commanded. "Now."

Jade rose from her chair and followed after Li'ir. She tried to stay calm as she wove through the halls telling herself he couldn't be calling her for sex because they had an agreement. It must be for something else. Although what else could it be?

She stood before him rigidly with defiance shining from every inch of her body waiting for him to say something that would tell her whether he was going to honor his word or break it.

His first words said it all.

"Take off your clothes."

Her motionless frame negated that she heard his softly spoken words.

"Take off your clothes," he repeated.

Jade's rage boiled just below the surface until finally it bubbled over a second later.

"I heard what you said." Her words were cold.

They stood staring at each other for another few moments before he moved towards her.

"No." She took a step back and stared him down in defiance. "I won't take off my clothes. We have an agreement. Even a prince cannot command time itself; I still have four days remaining."

"I've changed my mind," he replied oh so calmly. As though he had not just gone back on his word in the most heinous way.

He reached for her again and she slapped his hand away. "Go to hell!"

When he reached for her a third time she attacked him. Her small ineffectual fists pummeled his chest as she railed abuse on his head.

"I should have known you wouldn't honor your word," she shouted. "How could you when there is no honor in you?"

Jade was unceremoniously dragged off of Akim by a hovering guard who had entered upon hearing the first screeching protest from her mouth.

"Jade," his hand gently stroked down the side of her face and she flinched as though he had hit her. "Sweet Jade." His finger tilted her mutinous face up to his. "Lie with me or suffer the punishment for striking a prince."

He realized a second later he would have done better to call her reckless Jade instead of sweet.

"Go fuck yourself!"

A definite no if ever he had heard one.

Jade continued to struggle against the guard who held her firmly as she was led away. She didn't know where he was taking her or what her punishment would be but anything had to be better than having that asshole paw at her after breaking his word.

A few minutes later she wasn't so sure.

She was stripped naked and tied in the main hall. Her knees supported her weight which was a small kindness to wrists that were already starting to chafe.

Akim's hot breath caressed her neck as he whispered to her.

"24 hours you will remain here. 24 hours in which anyone who passes by may touch you in any way they please."

"You bastard," she hissed at him in an icy rage.

"Not such a bastard that I wouldn't look out for you," he promised. "They won't be able to hurt you or penetrate you." His finger stroked across her nipple, "Or give you an orgasm without punishment, but anything else is fair game."

His soft chuckle stayed in her ear as he moved away.

Though she was sure he had other things to do he stood there watching as men came by and pawed her. Stroking her clit and squeezing her breasts.

One man pushed her breasts together and fucked the valley he had created while his friend licked her pussy. His disgusting jizz had coated her face until someone came by and wiped it away.

Another group of men all stood in front of her and jacked off on her breasts. It was humiliating but there was nothing she could do to escape it. She tried as much as possible to act like they weren't there, giving no response to their lascivious laughter and their sexual taunts. The cum that would surreptitiously splash on her was a little harder to ignore but she did a fair job of it.

Akim left at a certain point and she remained there bearing the indignities. Night fell and it continued on. She fell asleep at one point although men continued teasing her body.

Morning came and she was thankful that her punishment would soon end.

The position of the sun indicated it was just approaching noon when Akim came again to watch. As she felt every stiff sore muscle throb in protest she vowed she would make him pay.

Another nameless stranger came over and slid his hand between her legs. She spread them a little wider sure that Akim would notice the move.

He did.

His eyes blazed a molten brown that spoke of a deep anger. She gave a light shrug in his direction that said, What can I do? This is your punishment?

She titled her pelvis up into the man's caress and watched Akim's glare grow darker. She was slick with passion as Akim watched her and she lifted her eyes to the nameless man who was caressing her. "Suck my nipples," she begged.

His eyes dropped to her dusky nipples and he immediately complied. Who wouldn't want to suck such a ripe delicious treat?

She titled her head back and gave Akim a hooded look of pleasure. He tore the man off of her and sent him on his way.

"Don't toy with me Jade," he warned. "Don't pretend that you like this or I'll leave you here all week."

She couldn't prevent her response to that unwelcome threat. He saw it and backed down. She only had another hour or so before he released her and fucked her senseless. He stalked a modest distance away to watch her last hour of torment.

As Jade waited Nahid came by. She threw such a superior look in Jade's direction that Jade was afraid to meet her eyes. Nahid came over and slid her hands through Jade's dark as night tresses smoothing the gunky mess away from her face.

"Your beautiful hair is not so lovely anymore coated with other men's sperm. Do you think he desires you now, seeing you like this?"

Jade could have easily said yes. She had seen the look he had given her just before he had walked away. He couldn't wait to be inside her.

But she didn't dare antagonize Nahid while she was tied up and Nahid hated her.

Nahid's hand slid from Jade's hair down to her breasts where she tweaked the nipple.

"No," Jade begged. Despite everything else that had happened to her, she still firmly believed that sex was between a man and a woman and she couldn't bear the indignity of being touched intimately by a female. "Don't do this Nahid."

But Nahid had no such inhibitions and slid her fingers between Jade's plump pussy lips. She squeezed lightly on the outer labia with one hand and gently caressed her inner thighs with the other. She enjoyed the helplessness she could see in Jade, the humiliated tears running in twin rivulets down her cheeks.

Akim watched the tears course down Jade's face, wanting to release her, but knowing that she would learn nothing if he showed her leniency in this punishment. Besides, he had made no stipulations about who could touch her, only how they could.

Beside him Li'ir was clearly unhappy with the proceedings. She bit her tongue, but could not keep the words burning in her heart to stay silent.

"My Prince has always been a fair man. An honorable man."

She let the silence hang between them after that pronouncement, knowing he would want to hear more. Her position might be subservient to his but he trusted her to care for his best interests above all others.

"Yes," he agreed slowly, cautiously, certain by her careful tone that he would not like the turn the conversation was about to take.

"Yet you punish her for your own weakness."

Li'ir felt him tense at her side and wondered why she risked being punished herself to defend the girl. And yet anyone looking at Jade could see her clear distress as Nahid touched her. A distress that wouldn't exist if Akim had had the strength to refuse his desire.

"You are more honorable than this."

Her words settled like a stone in Akim's gut. Like his father before him Akim was a man who loved truth so he could not fault Li'ir for presenting this one to him, but it was a bitter truth. A hard truth.

He would make amends. In a way that suited him without compromising his word again.

His proud head dipped in acknowledgement of Li'ir's assessment before he turned his eyes back to Jade and Nahid.

Jade closed her eyes to escape Nahid's sadistic smile without much success. Nahid leaned closer, stroking Jade's clit with lazy circular motions as her insidious voice held center court. "Think of this moment the next time you steal someone else's lover."

Jade's eyes snapped open in bitterness. So she was to blame that she had been kidnapped from her home? Also to blame for attracting the attention of a megalomaniac prince whose sexual appetite knew no bounds?

She was tired, so tired, of being the victim. A pawn in a game she couldn't hope to win. But that didn't mean she had to lose this skirmish. Her lids drifted down to cover eyes gone feral with fury.

Jade shifted once. If her eyes had been open Nahid might have seen the glimmer of challenge in them and backed off.

Jade willfully called to mind all the times Akim had touched her, put his mouth on her, stroked her to completion. For all that he was a lying hateful rat he still gave her indescribable pleasure. She called to mind how her flesh felt when he had pounded her to satiation a few nights before and then asked her to masturbate for his pleasure. It had been her pleasure too. It was like dipping her fingers into hot slippery butter.

As Nahid's hand squeezed her clit in one last act of retribution Jade suddenly climaxed. The pleasure of it washed over her as she gave voice to her enjoyment. Her eyes opened in triumph in time to see the color drain from Nahid's face.

"What have you done?" Nahid quickly pulled her hand away from Jade, but not before Li'ir and Akim had seen it there.

Accusatory eyes flew to Jade's face.

No one came that fast, Nahid's eyes accused.

Maybe that's why he prefers me to you, Jade's careless shrug seemed to say.

A guard grabbed Nahid's arm in a punishing grip as she started to sob as though her heart was broken. Which in Nahid's case was probably true.

"Akim, I didn't mean to," she stammered our between tears and ragged sobs.

"Silence!" He cut across her aimless ramblings. "You knew the penalty when you touched her. She came under your hand, did she not?"

Nahid slowly shook her head in agreement, her eyes downcast in shame. Akim jerked her to her feet securing her body beside Jade. He scribbled something on the placard positioned above Nahid's head. Nahid cried all the harder begging for leniency in the face of his anger.

"The hand that was bold enough to defy my edict will pleasure every male that passes by for the next 48 hours."

Jade found herself freed in the next moment and knew true sorrow as she looked upon Nahid's defeated form. Li'ir led her away before she could speak on Nahid's behalf, although Jade was not sure what she could have said to still Akim's rage. She had never seen him that angry. Normally his anger was ice cold, but the look of rage in his eyes as he grabbed Nahid had been molten hot and she didn't dare risk getting burned in the crossfire.

Jade was bathed and sent to Akim's quarters where she was secured to his bed.

Akim sat gingerly on the bed, knowing he owed her an apology. He couldn't remember the last time he had apologized, wasn't even sure if he remembered how it was done. He had issued an apology of sorts when she had been sick, but he realized now it had not been a true apology. Not as this one must be if they were ever to move forward. And how much harder this apology was to make while she was bound before him.

In the circumstances he thought it better to just get it over with. Like removing a Band-Aid.

"I'm sorry Jade."

Jade's head immediately turned in his direction. Part of her couldn't believe what she was hearing. The other part wanted to know what specifically he was apologizing for since the way she saw it he had done so much wrong it could take him the best part of a millennium to complete the apology.

"What are you apologizing for?" her tone was mildly aggressive, but she couldn't help that in light of the previous 25 hours.

His hands spread wide in appeal. "For putting you in an untenable position. For insisting you lie with me."

"And?"

Akim's spine went taut at that question. "And?" he questioned back.

"And what about all the other stuff," she asked with an edge of exasperation in her voice. "What about having me brought here? What about not releasing me? What about stealing my virginity? What about the fact that I'm tied up right now? What about everything!?"