Instead of finding a room, Buffy was met with an endless wall of dark-colored fabric. Looking for an opening, she spied a soft light spilling from a gap in the material and reached out to move the section aside.
Without a word, William reached around her and used his hand to prevent her from going any further. His close proximity, from his chest brushing against her back, to his mouth grazing the shell of her ear, nearly caused her to come undone.
“So eager, but good things will come...”
William’s insinuations made her heart pound and knees grow weak. Before she knew what was happening, he was standing in front of her, commanding her gaze with his own before lowering to one knee. During his descent, his hand sensually skimmed her leg from calf to ankle. As he lifted her foot and slid off her shoe, Buffy sought the solidity of the closed door behind her to keep upright.
His expression, a mixture of confidence and enticement, added to her pleasure as his thumbs slid over her arch in equal parts pressure and gentleness. A heady moan rose from deep in her throat, savoring his attentions.
He made another sweeping pass then lowered her foot to the floor and set to work divesting her of the remaining shoe. Soon she was barefoot; her panties were damp, and her mind was reeling.
“Lead the way, Buffy.”
William’s voice snapped her back to attention. He was standing behind her once again, his mouth at her ear. Unsure how this happened, she gave herself a quick mental shake, then following his directive, pulled back the fabric and stepped inside.
Buffy was met by the soothing, steady pulse of a chalice drum, violin, clarinet, and kanun, and soft light spilling from three intricate silver chandeliers highlighting rich crimson walls and endless stretches of elaborately detailed rugs.
Absorbing the atmosphere of the room, her attention was drawn to the overstuffed red and gold floor pillows littering the floor and set in a horseshoe pattern, interspersed with dozens of smaller pillows in all sizes and jeweled shades with a sizable shin-high, tile-inlayed table placed in the center.
“Exquisite, is it not?”
“Yes.” Though her focus was now centered on her surroundings, William’s closeness still caused Buffy to tremble.
“Shall we get more comfortable?”
Buffy lead the way to the floor cushions, sat, and tucked her legs underneath herself. When comfortable, she turned toward William, who appeared completely relaxed with his upper body propped up by several pillows and his legs crossed at the ankles.
With the heady combination of liquid courage and mounting desire, Buffy’s gaze ran appreciatively over him, lingering on the more impressive areas.
“Hungry?” William’s silky voice urged her attention to shift back to his face.
“Ravenous.”
For the first time, Buffy felt an overwhelming rush from wielding her sexuality as a weapon of control. She was nearly bursting with anticipation to further brandish this type of power. William, appearing to be drawn in by her brazenness, shifted and leaned forward till he was merely inches away.
“Well then, let’s eat.”
At that moment, three women entered. Each was clad in a simple iridescent length of fabric wrapped around her body and an opaque veil. Two carried trays laden with food while the third held a pitcher of a milky liquid.
Gracefully, each lowered her wares on the table and exited. Buffy eyed the mouthwatering feast, and without hesitation, she slid from the cushion onto the floor and started sampling. Every mouthful made her taste buds sing and her throat rumble in delight.
It wasn’t until the third round of licking her fingers clean that Buffy realized she was eating alone. She turned and noticed William, who was now lying on his side with his head propped on his hand, watching her closely.
“Um, are you going to join me before I scarf down this whole thing?” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment from the full-out stuffing of her face but more so, from his rapt interest.
“No, I’m quite content watching you enjoy yourself. Please, continue.”
William’s focus shifted from her eyes to her mouth, causing her blush to intensify and spread. She felt her earlier high from having taken control waning and changing into another type of desire, this time from being on exhibition.
Capitalizing on his undivided attention to her mouth, Buffy grabbed a section of ripe casaba melon and slowly took a bite. The juice spilled, dotting her lower lip and chin with stickiness.
Before she could wipe it away, William was there to catch the trickle with the pointed tip of his tongue. He followed the thin trail of juice, drew her bottom lip into his mouth, and suckled before letting go.
Buffy instantly reacted; her mind was awhirl, lashes fluttering and body humming in pure lust. When she was finally able to gather some semblance of control, he had moved and resumed his lax position.
“Mm…you taste simply divine.”
His words rolled over her, leaving her suddenly speechless and her throat desert dry. With a slightly shaky hand, Buffy poured a generous amount from the pitcher and drank deep.
It took several gulps before her mind caught up with the familiar anise-flavored burning. After forcing down the final mouthful, she gasped, eyeing the glass then William.
“Wh—whoa. Wh—what is this?” Buffy croaked, her voice catching on the fiery trail left behind.
“Lion’s milk.”
Buffy swallowed hard from William’s answer. He must’ve noticed her uneasiness and added for her benefit, “It’s raki diluted with chilled water.”
Before she could question him further, the swell of music drew her attention away.
Four women dressed in exquisitely beaded amber bedlehs with matching veils entered. They took position in the center of the room, then in sync, began graceful and elaborate sequences of shimmies, thrusts, agile footwork, and undulating arm motions while keeping pace with the rising hypnotic tempo.
Buffy was mesmerized as she watched them twirling and leaping, maintaining an exhilarating and dizzying pace. She felt herself craving that type of freedom—just letting go and giving in.
“Go. Join them.” William’s encouragement was all she needed to accept the hands now reaching out for her.
In a whirl of movements, Buffy was in the center of the four women. As the chalice drum held a steady beat, one by one the women peeled away, leaving her standing in the center clad in a crimson hip scarf fringed in gold coins and a crimson veil.
Slightly hesitant, Buffy tested the waters by swaying her hips and rolling her shoulders. Gaining confidence, she raised her arms above her head as the other instruments accompanied the drumbeat.
It wasn’t long before she gave herself over to the music completely. Faster and faster she moved, her body resembling a wild flame and the music as if the air needed to sustain it.
The room rushed by in colorful blurs and distorted shapes. She leapt toward the musicians, and just as she was about to turn away, she noticed something really strange. The kanun player’s hands now appeared deformed with blackish, scaly skin and razor-sharp nails.
Thrown off kilter, Buffy tried slowing down to get a better look, but before she could, she was swept up and ushered away by the other women, her line of sight cut off by four writhing dancers. After several failed attempts, Buffy returned to dancing, patiently waiting for an opportunity to get another glimpse.
As the music reached its crescendo, Buffy gave herself over to the music once more. When the final note rang out, she collapsed on the cushions. Trying to catch her breath, she looked over at the applauding William.
“Brava.”
“That—was—amazing!” Buffy panted out between gasps.
“Correction, you’re amazing.”
Almost immediately, Buffy found herself distracted by his lusty stare and voice. These diversions held her complete attention until off to the right, something caught her eye, and she was able to break away.
She watched the dancers and musicians silently filing out and took this opportunity to get a better look at the kanun player’s hands. Unlike their appearance earlier, they were like any other pair of hands: eight fingers, two thumbs, and not a scale or lethal-looking nail in sight.
Even though she tried to convince herself that what she thought she saw was beyond all levels of crazy, she still had that feeling: the same lead-ball-sitting-deep-in-her-gut sensation, the same one she heavily relied on and had saved her ass many times. Something wasn’t quite right, and she was going to find out what.
“So does this mean the night’s over?”
William snorted, his lips spreading into a wolfish grin.
“Hardly.”
Author’s Notes:
Kanun: is a zither/a harp-like instrument http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanun_(instrument)
Bedleh: “In Arabic, this literally means "suit". It refers to the cabaret-style beaded bra/belt/skirt/body stocking costume that a belly dancer wears for a performance.” http://www.shira.net/glossary.htm