Tess Awakening (5 page)

Tess sidestepped the compliment and took a
sip from the glass. It was a very nice Sauvignon Blanc. The man had
taste. The General moved closer. “Major, may I call you Tess?”

‘How the hell did he know that people call me
Tess?’ Her captors must have heard her men use the name.

“My sister never liked to live here. She
found it too confining. Perhaps her education in Switzerland
corrupted her.”

“Corrupted?”

“Maybe the term is too harsh.” The General
affected a slight smile. “Perhaps I am personally responsible for
encouraging her Western education. After all, she is from a great
family, and will be a great lady. She will be quite useful when the
time comes to make an alliance with another great family.” Almost
absent-mindedly, he added “I have been the head of the tribe since
my father died, and I have many responsibilities.” Tess again
passed on expressing her views on arranged marriages and dynastic
issues.

“What about your wife?” she asked.

“She is in Paris with my sister. I thought it
would be a safe place for them to wait out the war. Just in case
you are wondering, my wife is nothing to me. We met on the our
wedding day, and we never cared much for each other.”

‘I see where this is going,’ Tess
thought.

“It is sad to live without someone to love,
and yet you would wish exactly the same fate for your sister.”

Amir sat down across from her, his eyes
focused on Tess’s creamy breasts.

“We are members of a distinguished family. We
have an obligation to maintain our position in our society. We must
make sacrifices when necessary.” A brief pause; “It does not
matter, I don’t lack for companionship. I have splendid mistresses
in Europe, particularly in London. The ladies there appreciate real
men who can afford to treat them like queens.” Tess was starting to
feel like the principal in the
Perils of Pauline
, strapped
to the rails, waiting for a train to appear and run her over. Here
it comes!

Amir kept staring at the splendid beauty in
front of him. He could hardly comprehend how such a feminine
creature would want to fly planes and go into battle, or how
soldiers, men, could submit themselves to a commander that rightly
should better serve their leaders in bed. He struggled to control
his lust, not to seize her forcibly there and then. “None of my
ladies compares with your beauty, Tess. I would like it very much
to enjoy you, and to give you more pleasure than you can imagine.”
Tess felt her temper stir.

“General, you are a very attractive man, but
I cannot be one of your ladies, or your only lady, for that matter.
I am an American officer and a prisoner. We are in the middle of a
war, not exactly the best setting for romance.” Tess was running
out of ideas.

Amir was starting to enjoy her evasion. He
appreciated her attempts at resistance. He never cared for passive
women. He relished the challenge of the chase, as an accomplished
hunter should. It made the conquest that much sweeter.

“Tess, wars are transitory events. With the
exception of the war that the Americans started in Afghanistan,
nowadays they generally don’t last long. Why be enemies when we can
be lovers? I am wealthy, powerful and a very passionate man. I can
show you a world you never imagined. Instead of a dusty tent in the
desert, you could live in a French Chateau. You could have your own
plane in Paris and go to the Opera in Monte Carlo overlooking your
own yacht moored in the Bay.”

Tess stood up. “Is that what you promised to
Kejal?”

The General put his drink down. “She and her
family are traitors! She should be grateful that she is still
alive!”

Tess pointed in the direction of his sister’s
apartments. “She doesn’t look very grateful to be alive! What did
you do to her?”

Amir stared at her icily. “If she does not
want to live, I can arrange for her death in less than one
minute.”

Tess fell silent. She knew that she was
treading on dangerous territory.

“Let’s go back to you,” Amir resumed. “Why do
you risk your life to fulfill the ambitions of old and corrupt
politicians? You are young, beautiful and a woman; why waste your
life as a soldier when you could live a life of leisure?”

Tess snapped. “General, about serving
politicians — isn’t that exactly what you are doing? You are
fighting to support a brutal dictator and a corrupt party. And how
are you going to handle the simple fact that your nation just
cannot win a war against the Coalition armies? Can you honestly say
that you have a future?” Oops, she almost regretted her remarks. ‘I
should let him talk. Buy time. Save my guys.’

Amir sighed and took a sip of wine. “Tess,
obviously you are not a student of history. No matter what
atrocities are committed in war, only a few in roles of leadership
actually pay for their crimes. Only a fraction of people at the
very top was ever called to account. After the Second World War,
the Nazis that were hanged were so few that it made a mockery of
the millions they murdered. Many of the Nazi hierarchy, including
the vicious people of the SS and Gestapo were jailed and eventually
released. The Allies just could not hang them all. In Japan, they
left the Emperor alone and only hanged General Yamashita and a few
officers, whose guilt was questionable; most of the ruthless
Samurai hierarchy that engineered countless massacres got away with
murder. It will be the same here in Iraq.”

“My grandfather was very shrewd. He realized
that for the family to survive and prosper, it needs to get close
enough to a regime to be useful, but not close enough to be
identified with it. He understood the ephemeral nature of power and
taught me well. I manage to be important to the regime, but not too
important.”

He sipped some wine. “Besides, the
circumstances of this conflict are unusual. I am sure you
understand that the Americans and the British are naively trying to
win the minds if not the hearts of the Iraqis and the rest of the
Arab world. They cannot afford the spectacle of humiliating and
punishing countless Arab leaders, no matter what they have done.
After all, you are not conquering, you are supposedly ‘liberating’
Iraq. Things will be back to normal very quickly; politicians will
continue doing what they have always done, and the rest of us will
go back to our business.” Tess reluctantly had to admit to herself
that the man might have a point.

The door opened, and a servant announced in
Arabic that dinner was served. Amir rose and offered his hand.
“Shall we?” Tess allowed the General to hold the dining chair as
she sat. Taking his place at the table, Amir apologized for the
spare victuals presented on the table. “The war has created
shortages,” he explained.

Actually, to Tess it looked like a feast. The
General took a few minutes to point at several dishes and explain
what they were. A veritable symphony of Middle Eastern delicacies:
lamb, chicken, couscous, various grains mixed with several kinds of
rice and vegetables. Tess felt hunger gnaw at her stomach, and
under different circumstances would have lunged at the food in the
best G.I. tradition. She immediately thought of her men, probably
still rotting in that dirty hole of a prison and felt guilty.

“General, are my men being fed?”

Amir became irritated. “They are being taken
care of! Now, eat something before you lose any more weight!” Sure,
she thought — he wants me nice and plump, like Gretel in the fairy
tale.

They started to eat, a deafening silence
standing between them like a concrete barrier. After a few bites
Amir asked: “Tess, would you stay with me? I would give up all
others for you.” Tess swallowed, took a sip of water and shook her
head slightly.

“No, General, I will not. I am not looking
for a romantic attachment and we have already discussed the other
issues. I would prefer to work together to take care of my men. If
you help me, I am sure that my commanders would be grateful for
your cooperation, and would take that into account when the
reconstruction of your country begins. We do understand that the
regime probably ordered you and others to do questionable things.
You must know that the Coalition forces are approaching and that
your troops don’t stand a chance. You can surrender for their sake,
and I will be there to make sure that you are treated well.”

Amir again waived his hand in a dismissive
manner. “You are asking me to commit treason by not fighting a
foreign invader on Iraqi soil. My soldiers will die if that is
their only choice!”

Tess made a last ditch attempt at reason.
“General, there is no honor in dying for a lost cause. You will
just cause a massacre of your own people.”

Amir responded angrily: “My people don’t
count. They are primitive, unthinking peasants, and they will die
in place if I tell them to do so!” He stood up as if to deliver a
lecture. “Don’t you understand what’s real in this world?” he
added, “There are a few people that count, and the rest are here to
do their bidding. You are one of the latter and I am offering you a
chance to move up the ladder to where you belong. You are working
under a delusion that democracy is the solution to all things. Have
you considered that your own country, the United States of America
is run by a plutocracy, people with money that appropriate 80% of
the wealth and leave the rest of you with crumbs?” Why should you
die for corrupt and greedy politicians, CEOs, and their
corporations?

Tess was not a statistician, and she was well
aware of the power and influence of the moneyed class, but she
didn’t feel particularly downtrodden. Just about everything she had
done with her life was a result of her free will, of making her own
decisions, aware of the implications of her actions.

“Yes, there are still the haves and have
not’s,” she responded. Nevertheless, the majority of people in my
country still have an enviable lifestyle compared to the rest of
the world. For the most part, our elites have risen through merit,
not family connections.”

Amir shook his head slowly, demonstrating
contempt for such simplistic ideas. At the same time, he was
enjoying her spirited responses. The more she resisted, the more
aroused he became. This splendid tigress needs to be tamed, subdued
and enjoyed. He knew he was the man to make this happen.

“Tess, we can talk all day, and we will not
agree on everything. Not important. What’s important is that I
desire you and that you will want me once you experience who I am.
I must have you!” Amir moved toward her. Tess stood up, took a
couple of steps backward, and steeled herself.”

“The only way you will have me is if you rape
me. If you do that, you are not a man!”

Amir laughed. “Rape? No, I will not do that.
Women come to me! They beg to be with me! They offer their bodies
to me because they need to experience pleasure like they never had
before. I make them cry with ecstasy. You will too — but I will not
ravish you. You will want to come to
me
. That’s the only way
I want you.”

Chapter 6

“How are you going to do that? I am not
interested!”

“You will be,” he said menacingly. He slapped
his hands, and one of his officers walked in. “Bring in the
prisoner” he commanded. Tess panicked.

“What are you going to do?” She did not get a
response. Within minutes, four guards came in pushing Sergeant
Archie Powell, his hands tied behind him. He resisted, hitting the
guards with his elbow, feet, and even his head. They stopped under
a rope hanging from a hook in the ceiling and tethered him, arms
behind him. Then they used a pulley to raise him off the floor.
Archie let out a curse and spat on the closest guard. Two of them
hit him with the butt of their rifles, knocking him out. Tess,
horrified, ran toward the sergeant, but the General walked behind
her and grabbed her shoulders. His grip was like steel, and she
felt pain.

“Who is your man, Tess?”

Tess tried to free herself, only to encourage
the General to increase his steely grip. He now held her against
him and seemed to enjoy it. ‘Fine woman,’ Amir thought, ‘soft on
the outside and firm on the inside. I will enjoy her very
much.’

Tess screamed: “He is a soldier, a sergeant,
and he must be respected as such” The men laughed.

“A sergeant, you say?” Amir noted, still
holding her in front of him, “Are you sure? Are all American
soldiers so heavy?” Archie’s clothes were in shreds, and his body
showed evidence of a beating.

“Please let him go,” she pleaded. “He is no
threat to you!”

Amir increased his painful grip on her arms
and shoulders. “Why are you so worried about him; is he your
lover?” Tess tried to break away, unsuccessfully.

“No, he is not my lover! He is a soldier. Let
him go!”

Unimpressed, Amir let her go and nodded to
the guards. One of them picked up a bucket and splashed the
contents on Archie’s head, reviving him. Two of the others yanked
on the pulley and raised the sergeant off the floor. He screamed.
Tess’s heart felt like it had stopped.

“Amir,” for the first time she called him by
his first name, “I beg you, please don’t do this. For your sake,
don’t put yourself in jeopardy when the Americans find you here.
Don’t be a war criminal!”

Amir smiled. “Do I detect some concern for
me, beautiful one? Perhaps you like me a little, no?” Another nod;
another yank of the rope.

“Damn you!” Archie’s scream went right
through Tess’s soul. She fought an urge to kill the General.

“Amir, please, I ask again: Stop this! I will
do whatever you want!”

The sergeant heard her and started to shake
his body in a vain attempt to free himself. “Major, don’t do
anything. Tell him to go to hell! They haven’t even begun to hurt
me!”