King of Slaves (Jenna's Story) (The Slave Series Book 5) (22 page)

When she left without a hug or any sweet words Kioni felt disappointment. He had opened his heart to her, admitted to loving her, and she hadn’t reciprocated.

But as long as Jenna was still here, there was hope that she would come around; and if Kalen was the ticket to Jenna’s staying, then by all means, his brother should play a concert.

CHAPTER 19

Kalen’s Triumph

Jenna

At eight o’clock Jenna found herself in the music room with her father and sister.

There were thirty chairs set up in rows, and the sofa and chaise lounges had been moved to the side. Kalen was pacing the room by the windows and looking so upset that Jenna wondered if she was doing him a disservice by altering his routines. He was clearly disturbed by the changes in the room.

She wished that she could explain to him that this was all for him, but she didn’t speak Spiri and he couldn’t understand English.

She called his name softly and approached him with her arms opened. Kalen reacted like a toddler lost in a supermarket; he ran the few steps to her and hugged her tightly.

“It’s okay, Kalen. It’s all going to be just fine.”

Jenna kept her arms around him and watched his audience starting to fill the room. There were all her nine team members and the king’s pleasers, Mona, Nini, and Uras.

“It’s going to be fine, Kalen.” She comforted him again while he hid his head at the base of her neck.
At least I hope it will be fine.

More people came into the room, and she recognized Coun Meme with a woman and three young teenage sons. There were more people than chairs by now, but Jenna figured that they would just have to sit along the walls where the couches had been placed.

She sensed the minute Zurry entered the room. It was written on her sister’s face from the way Alex’s eyes lit up, but then her sister’s face fell and her mouth formed a silent “Oh.”

Jenna turned her head and saw Zurry with an older male that had to be his father, the king’s treasurer. But it was the two women by his side that had caused Alex’s disappointment.

“That would be Monique and Hannah, Zurry’s pleasers,” Jenna whispered and almost wanted to say, I told you.

For Alex, seeing Zurry with his mistresses had to be a blow when she was so strongly attracted to him. Jenna herself had a hard time watching Kioni’s pleasers, even though they had for the most part been really friendly to her.

It only took thirty seconds before Zurry came to greet them. His eyes fell hungrily on Alex, who looked like a dream in a forest green dress that complimented her hair color and complexion.

“Good to see you, Alex,” he said in a husky voice and followed her gaze to Monique and Hannah. Alex bit her lip, and Jenna knew her sister was biting back something. She always bit her lip when she was trying to avoid saying something unkind.

Jenna came to her sister’s rescue. “Zurry, could you tell Kalen that we are all here to enjoy his music? I’m afraid he thinks these people are here to somehow take the piano away from him.”

Zurry moved closer and spoke calmly into Kalen’s ear, but his eyes never left Alex.”

Kalen lifted his head and asked Zurry a single question.

Zurry nodded his head with a short “Im,” which Jenna had learned to recognize as “yes” in Spiri.

Kalen practically flew to his piano, and Zurry had to place a hand on his shoulder to hold him back from starting to play right then.

There was a change in the atmosphere when Kioni strode in with an elegant woman who had to be his mother. All gazes fell on them, and Jenna had to admit Kioni looked regal with his deep blue jacket and the medals on his chest. His thick dark hair was styled perfectly. Jenna couldn’t remember finding him more attractive than now. It did funny things to her body temperature, and she wondered if everyone else found the room much too warm too.

That gorgeous man asked me to marry him.
Jenna hadn’t told anyone or had much time to think about it. She was confused and overwhelmed and didn’t know what to think about it. Tomorrow when this was all over and her family had gone home, she would contemplate what it all meant and how she felt about it, but not tonight.

Tonight was about Kalen and his love for music.

Kioni smiled at her, and she was surprised to see a ghost of insecurity in his eyes as he searched hers.

She gave him a quick nod and sat down with her father and Alex in their seats on the first row.

Her father sat next to the king’s mother. “Hello, Your Highness, I’m Andy, Jenna’s dad.” He offered her his hand, but she looked mildly shocked and pulled back.

“Dad, women don’t shake hands or touch men they aren’t related to,” Jenna whispered and Andy quickly redrew his hand with an apology.

The room fell quiet and she could see Kalen almost unable to hold back his excitement. Noises of happiness and joy came from him as his limbs jerked in involuntary tics.

“Are you sure about this, Jenna? I doubt he can hit the right keys with those unstable movements,” her father whispered.

“Shhh, Dad.”

Kioni spread his arms and had the full attention from the audience. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. If you had asked me this morning if there was even a remote possibility that we would all be gathered here tonight, to hear my dear brother play his first concert, I would have sworn it was an impossibility.”

The room was dead silent.

“But ever since Jenna Davis and her team arrived at the palace, things have been unpredictable around here. Only today her father and sister Alex arrived to surprise not only Jenna, but everyone else too.”

He turned and addressed them directly. “We are honored to have you among us and, Senator Davis, I offer you my deepest regret for the assault you suffered today. After five years of war, we might still be a bit jumpy around here.”

Smiles erupted and Andy nodded with his arms folded across his large belly.

“Hopefully you will enjoy Prince Kalen’s first concert. He is truly one of the hidden treasures of our country and it’s my pleasure to have him play in your honor.” Kioni swung his hand toward Kalen and said a few words in Spiri before applause broke out and Kalen started playing an exquisite melody that filled the room with beautiful, soft notes. Jenna looked triumphant when her father dropped his chin in surprise and looked so ridiculous that she had to swallow a grin.
Not quite what the fine senator expected from someone looking retarded. Well done, Kalen, you deserve to shine.

Alex leaned forward and locked eyes with Jenna. She mimed words that Jenna translated as Holy-moley-on-crackers, that guy can play!

Pride filled Jenna. A genius like Kalen shouldn’t be hidden away. He should be celebrated by the world and allowed to share his gift.

He played three numbers flawlessly without a break before he stopped and looked at them.

Spontaneous applause and shouts of enthusiasm broke out in the room. The Americans were the loudest, and Jenna got tears in her eyes when she saw Kalen’s enormous grin. He clapped his hands and she got up to hug him.

It didn’t escape her attention that Kalen’s mother discreetly dried away a tear and that Kioni had a huge smile on his face too.

“More,” some of her colleagues shouted and Jenna pointed to the piano.

“Do you want to play some more?”

Kalen clumsily got back to his stool and played for another twenty minutes, each piece more beautiful than the one before.

When it was over everyone wanted to pat Kalen’s back and shake his hand. Jenna’s team wanted pictures with him, and when Erin got there he kissed her on the cheek as Daniel took their picture.

“Oh lord, I can’t believe I’ve just been kissed by a musical genius who happens to be a prince,” she chuckled. “Can I post this on Facebook, Jenna?”

Jenna shrugged. She didn’t know, but doubted it would hurt anyone.

“I don’t see why not. I think the world should know about Kalen.”

“Absolutely. He should be filling concert halls. I was crying when he played two of his melodies, and I don’t even really like classical music,” Erin told Jenna. “I’m more of a country music kind of gal.”  

Jenna gave Erin a reply and looked up to see Zurry and Alex in a corner across the room. He was standing close to Alex, who was looking away in a dismissive fashion, but before Jenna could come to her sister’s aid, her father and Kioni stepped closer.

“Thank you for that spectacular concert,” Andy said and shook Kioni’s hand. “Would you allow me to bring your brother, Prince Kalen, over to Chicago and play a concert? I have a fundraising event that I would love to have him perform at.”

“A fundraising for your campaign?” Kioni asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid we royals can’t get involved with American politics.”

“I understand, but how about a charity event for autism?”

Kioni looked at Jenna, who crossed her fingers to show him how much she liked the idea.

“That depends, Senator Davis. Would you allow your daughter to stay and finish her job here in Spirima?”

Only because Jenna knew her father so well did she track the confusion in his eyes. He knew it wasn’t up to him if she stayed or not – in fact she had already informed him that she planned to stay – but her father was a skilled politician and smart enough to understand that Kioni didn’t know this, and as a man used to manipulating people to get his way, Andy was going to play every card he had, even if it meant bluffing.

“I’ll tell you what. You let Kalen play the charity event in Chicago and I’ll let Jenna stay and finish her job here.”

Kioni looked back at his brother and then to Jenna.

“Are you sure Kalen would like to?”

She nodded.

“And don’t you think he would find it overwhelming to travel that far?”

“Not if he’s with someone he trusts.”

Kioni looked into Andy’s eyes. “Kalen can go when Jenna has time to go with him; he trusts your daughter.”

“Who doesn’t?” Andy chuckled. “She’s so loyal and sweet.”

The look Jenna got from Kioni was full of unspoken words.

“Is that all right with you, Ms. Davis?” he asked.

She gave a big smile to both men. “Absolutely. Go ahead and arrange a concert in six months and I’ll be happy to take Kalen,” she told her father. 

“Excellent!” he exclaimed and adjusted his square glasses on his nose. “May it is; I’ll get my people on it.”

When Jenna turned her head to see how Alex was holding up with Zurry, she couldn’t see them anywhere.

“Shit!” she muttered and quickly searched the room.

Both Alex and Zurry were gone, and every single one of her internal warning bells was going off.
This is bad!

CHAPTER 20

Forbidden

Alex

The minute Zurry walked into the music room with his two concubines on his arms, Alex felt disappointed.

Intellectually, she knew her disappointment wasn’t rational. First of all, she had only just met the guy and secondly, she remembered Jenna telling her about Zurry and his pleasers in one of their phone calls. She should have known, but for some reason she had blocked that piece of information out and been dazzled by the way Zurry looked at her like she was the most delicious thing he had ever seen.

It was rather embarrassing to think about the way she had more or less offered him sex within an hour of meeting him.
Jeez, way to seem like a desperate woman… what was I thinking?

After the initial disappointment came the stupid game of comparison. The game that no woman should ever play. Especially since Alex was comparing herself to two girls who had to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, with that stunning youthful beauty.

Their long black hair had an amazing shine, their olive-colored skin was flawless, they both had large brown eyes with impossible long lashes. No matter how hard Alex looked, she couldn’t find a single flaw about them, and found herself secretly hoping that at least they had bad breath, foot warts, or something else that she just couldn’t see.

Compared to those two girls she had no chance. Alex was curvy and wished that she had lost those eight pounds she always talked about, her skin had freckles, and her red hair was impossible to style and permanently looked like she’d just stumbled out of bed with curls going in all directions.

One of Zurry’s pleasers shot him a warm smile when he escorted the two girls to their seats next to three very similar-looking young women whom Alex guessed were the king’s pleasers.

Alex was disturbed when she felt a flash of envy toward the women, whom she suspected had all enjoyed Zurry’s body and attention.

That’s just ridiculous. He doesn’t love any of them or he wouldn’t be flirting with me
, she thought.
No, but he probably cares for them while I’m just a fun distraction.

When I leave tomorrow, he’ll forget I was even here.

Alex looked away when Zurry approached her. It was hard to do, with his eyes fixed on her, but she couldn’t look at him. She wouldn’t.

“Good to see you, Alex,” he said but she pretended not to hear him, afraid that her disappointment would come out as a snide reply full of anger. She couldn’t very well tell him what was on her mind, and was grateful when Jenna spoke to him and asked him to translate something to Kalen.

In her mind, however, Alex shouted what she wanted to tell him.
What the hell do you think you’re doing, flirting with me and making me feel all special? How dare you swagger in here with your two lovers on your arm and have the nerve to look my way? You must be out of your mind if you think that shit is going to fly with me!

Alex scanned the room: the furniture, the people, the crown moldings, the books, the windows, every goddamn thing except the man to her right.

She was relieved when the concert finally started and the lovely music wove her into a safety net of silence where Zurry couldn’t approach her. 

During the concert he sat behind her, and she had a feeling he was looking at her hair. Alex would like to think he admired it, but realistically it was more likely that her unruly red curls were just blocking his view of Kalen. At one point she felt so guilty that she pulled her hair to one side, leaving her left shoulder and neck bare to give him a better view. She thought she heard a low groan from him, but maybe it was her imagination.

The concert gave Alex ample time to think. She was still convinced that Zurry was attracted to her; after all, he had told her so himself. Unfortunately, after seeing him with his lovers tonight, she understood that he was just a ladies’ man, attracted to women in general and not her in particular.
It figures!

Alex hadn’t had much luck with guys in the past. Her friends had told her it was because she wanted too much commitment, too soon.

It was easy enough for her to get men’s attention but the kind of guys she attracted, she wasn’t interested in. Alex wanted
the one
! The one man who couldn’t live without her and wanted to commit to her; a quality man who would be faithful, loyal, and respectful to her. The man she was meant to love and grow old with.

God only knew, she had waited for him long enough, and lately she was starting to wonder if the universe was playing a cruel joke on her. Three of her friends had married this year and all three had made Alex their maid of honor.

People didn’t realize how depressing it was to help organize other couples’ weddings, when all she wanted was her own.

By now Alex was beyond tired of waiting for Mr. Right when he obviously wasn’t coming.
With my luck the poor schmuck probably got distracted by an Xbox or seduced by the wrong woman before he realized he couldn’t live without me.

Her sister, Jenna, had been right. Zurry did have heartbreak written all over him, but he made her feel desired and beautiful – something she hadn’t truly felt in a long time. And his looks… wow, that man was so rough, with the silver scar across his eyebrow that made him look like he cheated death for a pastime. And his size – he had to be at least six feet three or four, and was practically as broad-chested as a pro football player. With her five foot four, Alex wasn’t a big woman to begin with, but next to him, even with her generous soft curves she felt extra small and feminine.

Zurry certainly hadn’t made it easier for her to follow Jenna’s advice to forget him when he had turned up outside Jenna’s door, half-naked and glistening with sweat. Nor had his blue boxing trunks done anything to cover up the most chiseled body Alex had ever seen.

Alex gave an internal sigh, deciding that even without his hard abs and bulging biceps Zurry still had one thing going for him that made him different from any man she had ever met. The guy oozed a rare sexual confidence that was hard to resist.

Don’t even go there, Alex, you deserve better than a mere womanizer!
her inner voice of reason reminded her.

As soon as Kalen’s performance was over, Alex found a corner to hide in. It gave her a chance to quietly observe the room and avoid Zurry. When she felt his eyes search out hers she turned her back to him. Well, almost… she could still see him out of the corner of her eye, and it wasn’t hard to see how several of the other women looked at him with doe eyes and batted their eyelashes.
Does he notice? Or is he just so used to women swooning over him that he doesn’t even care?
Zurry was so tall and roguishly handsome that Alex found it hard to look at him and even harder to completely look away.

It turned out that her strategy of hiding in a corner wasn’t a good one. Zurry obviously didn’t understand the hint that she was trying to avoid him, or he didn’t care. He approached her with a catlike grace that made her palms sweaty.

“Alex.”

“Coun Zurry,” she said, being intentionally formal to create distance between them. 

“Just Zurry, please. How did you like the concert?” he asked.

Alex looked away.
I should make an excuse and get away from him. Jenna is going to kill me.

“It was beautiful,” she replied politely.

“Alex, look at me.”

She lifted her head to look at him and saw a strange expression in his eyes that she couldn’t read.

“I want to take your hand, but it would be considered extremely rude by most of the people in this room,” he told her in a low voice.

“Are you talking about your girlfriends?”
Shit, did I just say that?
It was too late to take back and Zurry shook his head.

“Alex, I’m sorry about that. I know it must seem strange to you. In our culture a man is expected to…”

“No need to explain, Coun Zurry. I can see why you would be attracted to them; they are both very beautiful.”

He clenched his jaw and looked tense. “Alex.” There was a plea hidden in the way he said her name. 

She avoided his eyes, raised her glass, and took a healthy swig of her white wine, trying to ignore the awkward silence between them.

When Zurry spoke again his voice came out as a gruff rumble. “I’m sorry that you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t have much choice,” she muttered.

“I could try and talk with your father… convince him to stay a day or two more.”

Alex glanced in her father’s direction. He was still talking with Jenna and the king, and he seemed excited about something. Probably Prince Kalen’s musical talent, which would impress anyone.

“Do you want me to talk to your father?” Zurry repeated.

Alex looked at him. “Why do you think you could persuade my father any better than I could?”

Zurry gave her a puzzled expression that made Alex narrow her eyes with a sudden realization. “Oh my god, you think that because I’m a woman, I don’t have a say?” She couldn’t hold back a shocked smile.

His silence told her she was spot on, and she didn’t know whether to be offended or amused.

Zurry leaned closer. “I would hate to see you leave before I got a chance to give you that second tour you wanted.”

Alex was well aware what kind of tour he was hoping for, and that it was her own fault if he thought she was willing to sleep with him. Her mind was showing her naughty images of Zurry without his clothes on. She might not like him at the moment, but her body was still finding him incredibly sexy and… 

“What are you thinking about?” Zurry asked.

She refocused her eyes on him. “Ehhh… nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Just that I promised Jenna to stay away from you,” she muttered softly.

Annoyance flared on his face. “Are you honestly going to let Jenna decide how you live your life?”

Alex shrugged, fighting an internal battle between the part of her arguing that she should walk away and the part reminding her that she was a grown, modern, mostly confident woman who should make her own decisions.

So what if I want him? It doesn’t have to make sense, as he isn’t boyfriend material. A fling with Zurry will never be anything but a short-lived crazy affair that I can think back on in my future when I’m living a quiet life in suburbia with my husband, 2.5 kids, and a picket fence.

So what if Zurry isn’t Mr. Right, he could be Mr. Right Now – and why do I care if he has other lovers when I’ll be gone tomorrow anyway? He’s not married, so I’m not technically breaking my own rules.
 

Zurry broke into her thoughts. “What happened to your sense of adventure?” he asked.

Alex looked him square in the eye and then her gaze fell on his two concubines. Zurry turned his head to see what she was seeing, and sighed.

“Can we go and talk somewhere more private?” he asked.

“With or without your entourage?”

He gave her a hard stare. “Just you and me, Alex.”

This would be the right time to say “No thank you” and walk away, but when Alex opened her mouth that wasn’t exactly what came out. Instead she said: “Okay, but just for a few minutes.”

Zurry nodded and turned on his heel, trusting her to follow him out the room.  Walking behind him, she admired his broad back and tight ass.
I’m a strong confident woman, free to do as I choose
, she chanted in her head.
No one has to know, not even Jenna. 

Zurry walked out of the music room and down a corridor. He didn’t stop until he rounded a corner and the white noise from people talking died down.

Zurry

Turning around to see Alex behind him, Zurry tried hard to suppress his need to slam her up against a wall and kiss her hard and urgently.

She was angry with him, and he got it. If she had brought another date to the concert it would have made him angry too.

He couldn’t hide away Monique and Hannah, nor deny them access to Kalen’s first concert when Kioni had personally invited them.

As their protector, Zurry was obligated to escort them but if he had been giving a choice he would have come alone.