“To me. I would give anything to serve you.”
“Anything at all?” she asked. “So if I told you that to be my companion you must become a eunuch, and have your balls cut off only to have them fed to the pigs, you would do it?”
I nodded without hesitation. “If that is what you ask.”
There was a slight pause, then a chuckle that sent shivers down my spine. “I think I like your balls exactly where they are. Tell me, if I were to make you my companion, and not just my pet, how would you serve me?”
“In whatever way you need,” I said. “My every thought is of you, and ensuring you’re happy.”
“And if I said that I’m not happy?” she asked. My heart broke at the pain in her question, and I knew that she wasn’t asking as a test, but because she truly wasn't pleased with her life. I was getting a rare glimpse that few other people got to see, behind the persona and at the woman herself.
“If I had to move heaven and earth itself, I would do whatever it takes to make you happy,” I said.
“So you love me, then?”
I nodded, unable to say more. I heard her chuckle, and her voice came closer to whisper in my ear. “I need you to say it, Spartak. Say that you will love me, serve me and be mine forever.”
“I . . . I love you, Mistress,” I said, warmth and pain tearing at my chest in equal amounts and for unknown reasons. Even though my heart said I loved her, there was something else that was breaking, as if I was enacting a betrayal. But to what? To whom? “I will serve you and be yours forever.”
Her hand stroked my cheek again, and I moaned when her lips caressed mine. Her kiss lingered, and it took every ounce of my willpower to not pull her to me, I was so hungry for her touch and her caress. Instead, our kiss continued, her tongue tracing my lips before we tasted each other. “I ask because I’m not happy, Spartak.”
I felt her reach behind my head, and the knot on my blindfold loosened. The black cloth tumbled from my eyes, and I could see again. The first thing I saw was my Mistress, her blue eyes swimming in tears, but a smile on her perfect face. She sat back, and I could see what she was wearing, a white teddy with silk stockings and matching high heels. She was beauty personified, as precious as the finest diamond, and her tears pierced my heart. “What can I do to help you find happiness?”
She reached out and took my hand, placing it on her left breast, where I could feel her heart pounding under my fingertips. “Am I beautiful?”
“Of course. Even if I didn’t love you, even a blind man could see that.”
“If I wanted men to be my slave, I have only to snap my fingers. Uncle Vladimir has ensured that. But I need more than that.”
“What do you need?”
“I need a companion that not only loves me, but I can love as well. But to love him, I must respect him. Your efforts over the past weeks have shown me that you are a man of remarkable strength, intelligence and ability. But you still have a ways to go to earn my respect. You won’t be sleeping with me tonight, Spartak, but you’ve moved one step closer.”
Chapter 37
Francois
I had just finished a workout and felt wonderful. All of my strength was back after my coronation, and in the past week I had come to terms not only with Jordan's concerns but also with what had to be done with Syeira. Even my planning for how to break into the museum in Marrakesh seemed to be falling into place.
Leaving the gymnasium, I decided to run back to the barge instead of taking the bus. Charani had been using the car almost exclusively, and I still didn't feel like getting my Porsche out of storage — it just wasn't time. Maybe after Syeira was taken care of, and Jordan was ready to let her hair down again, I thought as I jogged along the Seine. The weather was starting to show signs of the end of winter, which in Paris usually meant that things were more miserable than the winter itself. In winter, you tended to have either gray clouds that promised snow, or bright blue days that seemed to sear their way into your mind with unrelenting electric hues.
Rounding the final curve in the river bank, I looked across the river to where the barge was, surprised when I saw three vehicles parked along the street in front of our Renault. I didn't recognize them, and I doubted that Charani would have let strangers just park their vehicles near our barge without giving me a call first. I picked up my pace, crossing the bridge that let me get on the right side of the river and over to the barge. “Hello? Maman? Où es-tu?"
There was no answer from the barge, and I sprinted up the gangplank, worry flooding my body. Thundering my way down the steps and inside, I threw open the door, already preparing to find something that would shatter my life.