King of Slaves (Jenna's Story) (The Slave Series Book 5) (17 page)

Jenna

“Jenna, Jenna…wake up.”

It took her mind a few seconds to wake up but when she did, she turned her head and inhaled a stench of whisky.

“Jenna… are you awake? I need to tell you something.” It was Kioni and he was plastered; pronouncing all words with a heavy slur.

“What are you doing here?” Jenna asked drowsily and pulled her sheets up high.

“I have to tell you something,” he said in a very slurry voice.

Jenna sat up; her confusion and anger quickly dissipated when she saw the pathetic sight of Kioni sitting on his knees next to her bed, with a crumpled piece of paper in his hands and with red eyes.
Has he been crying? Oh god, he is going to be so embarrassed tomorrow.

“Okay, what is it then?” she asked with a glance at her phone; it was almost four in the morning. Kioni leaned back a little but lost his balance and fell back on the floor, then clumsily got to a position against the wall.

“I’m really a good man,” he slurred on, “and I made a long list to prove it.”

He speech was so unclear that Jenna had to repeat to be sure she understood him correctly. “You made a list to prove that you’re a good man.”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded.

“Okay… go ahead. Let me hear it, then.”

“I’m gene… generos…” it was a hard word for him to pronounce and he had to try a few times.

“You are generous?”

“Yes. Very, and tomorrow I’m taking you to see what I do for refu… refugiiss and orfano… orfanets.”

“What you do for refugees and orphans.”

“Exactly!” He nodded his head firmly and looked down at his paper, narrowing his eyes.

“And I’m kind.” He looked up at her and blinked with heavy eyelids. “Very kind.”

“Okay, so what you’re saying is that you are both generous and kind.”

A slow uncoordinated hand pointed towards her. “Yes!”

“Good to know. Do you have more on your list?”

Kioni brought the paper close to his squinting eyes. “I fried all slaves,” he mumbled.

Jenna had to swallow a laugh. “I hope you mean that you freed all slaves.”

Kioni was adorable in his drunken state and completely different from his otherwise controlled and arrogant self.

He crawled to her bed and reached for her hand, “I like you,” he repeated and kissed her hand.

“I like you too,” she said. “When you are sweet like this.”

He put her hand to his cheek and leaned against it, “I like you so much.” Unfortunately, his drunkenness made him tumble over and although he tried to get up again, Jenna figured it was probably better if he just stayed down. She thought about calling for the guards to take him to his room, but she wasn’t sure he would appreciate his staff seeing him in this vulnerable condition.

“You can sleep here,” she said and kneeled down next to him, placing a pillow under his head. “Just close your eyes,” she whispered and stroked his long curly hair away from his forehead.

Kioni opened his eyes. “You are so pretty,” he slurred.

Jenna chuckled. “You are pretty too, now go to sleep.”

He lifted his arms and pulled her down in a bear hug. “I’m not a batman.”

“No you are definitely not Batman.” She laughed and felt him plaster a wet kiss on her cheek.

“Now sleep.”

She stayed in his arms until she heard a light snore. It took less than a minute for him to fall asleep, and then she untwined his clingy arms and crawled back into her bed again. The paper on the floor caught her eyes and she leaned over to pick it up.

It was written in Spiri so she couldn’t read it, but she was curious to know what it said.

She looked down at his large shape on the floor, with his chest slowly moving up and down. She had been mad at him in the elevator and her fury had fueled hateful words that she wished she could take back.

Since she had experienced being imprisoned for calling the king a baboon, she understood that he would probably not allow anyone to speak to him like she had. Yet for some reason he hadn’t come to scold her or demand an apology. It clearly mattered to Kioni what she thought of him, and he had told her three times that he liked her.

He’s not playing fair. It’s easy to be mad at him when he’s being arrogant and male-chauvinistic, but seeing him vulnerable and without his royal mask like this…

“Couldn’t you just have kept this humane side of you hidden?” she muttered to the sleeping man on the floor.  “It would make it much easier for me to loathe you.”

I have to stay away from him. Sure there’s a sexual chemistry… but it doesn’t change how incompatible we are. How do I make him leave me alone?

Jenna thought about how mad she’d been at him in the elevator and the harsh words she had spoken.
If that isn’t enough to make you stay away, I don’t know what to do.

Unless…!!!

A grin spread on Jenna lips and she chuckled out loud. “Oh, I think I know just the right way to make you stay away, lover boy!”

Kioni

“Good morning, sunshine.”

Kioni opened his eyes and looked around in confusion.
Where am I?
It took a few seconds for his alcohol-fogged brain to catch up and for his eyes to zoom in on Jenna, who stood watching him from the door to her bathroom. She was brushing her teeth.

Slowly, with a hand to his hammering head, Kioni sat up and looked down at his body; he was fully dressed.

“What happened?” he asked in a groggy voice.

Jenna disappeared from his vision and he heard her spit and rinse before she returned to the room.

“Do you remember the part about the elevator?”

He nodded slowly… images of having sex on the floor came back to him. “Yes.”

“Do you remember coming inside me?”

He groaned and pressed a hand to his forehead. “Yes.”

“Do you remember coming to my room?”

He came up with a blank. “No.”

“Well, you came to my room to offer me some more mind-blowing sex and then you couldn’t get it up.”

“
What?
” Shame shook Kioni. He had never been unable to perform… He couldn’t remember a thing. He had no doubt been beyond drunk, because he still felt intoxicated, but his masculine pride was hurt to know he had failed to perform.

Jenna waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. It’s okay. It happens to guys when they get older,” she said sympathetically.

“Older? What the hell are you talking about? I’m thirty-six, not ninety-six.” Kioni lowered his voice to a mere whisper. “I really need an aspirin.”

“Yeah… I think you slammed your head, when you fell out of my bed.”

He looked up at the mattress; it wouldn’t have been a long fall and the floor was carpeted.

“But I thought you were mad at me; why did you accept me into your bed?” He gave Jenna a puzzled expression, trying to force his brain to remember what had happened.

“Oh, I didn’t. You came like a freaking sleep creeper.”

“What’s a sleep creeper?”

“Someone who sexually exploits you while you sleep.”

“I would
never
,” he exclaimed, horrified.

“No, you had the courtesy to wake me up before you offered your services.”

“My services?” Kioni narrowed his eyes and gave Jenna a scrutinizing glare.

Jenna nodded with a serious expression on her face. “At first I was opposed to the idea of you being my pleaser, but the more I think about it, I like it.” She moved closer to him. “I mean, I could never marry you and live in a golden cage like you do, but we undeniably have a strong physical attraction – and since I’m single and stuck here, I figure why not accept your offer. You said it yourself: you are better than my vibrator, so I would like to upgrade from my sex toy and have you as my boy toy.”

Fury rose in Kioni’s chest when Jenna had the nerve to give him a sweet smile after just objectifying him in the rudest way.

“Your what?” he exclaimed with force, and it made his head hammer unbearably. 

“You know… my lover boy… in a way it’s ideal, since we both agree that we could never love each other and we would never make a good match. With you, I wouldn’t have to worry that you would get all clingy on me.”

“Clingy… what does that mean?”

“You know… some men would get emotionally attached, but with you I don’t have to worry about letting you down gently if you wanted me to marry you and bear your children and shit. I know you won’t hold it against me that I could never marry someone like you. With you it would just be sex… if you can get it up, that is.”

His eyes widened and he felt like he was going to be sick. “Do you seriously want me to believe you wouldn’t want to be my queen if I asked you to?”

“Oh, believe it. There is no man on this planet who could convince me to give up my freedom, my job, and my independence for a piece of metal on my head.”

She started to make her bed while Kioni got to his feet. “You know the chambermaids will do that, right?”

“Old habits die hard,” she murmured.

Kioni watched her quietly, trying to make sense of what she was up to. “I think you are using my own words against me.”

“In what way?”

“I told you I could never marry or love you and I asked you to be my mistress… and now you are saying the same thing to me.”

Jenna tilted her head. “I thought you would be pleased, but you sound almost offended.”

“Of course I’m offended. I’m not a
boy toy
, Jenna – you can’t just use me as it pleases you.”

She sighed. “What a shame, but hey… I understand, and it would only have lasted a short while, what with your upcoming marriage to Ms. Mopollopski anyway.”

He didn’t try to correct her this time; it was starting to dawn on him that Jenna deliberately mispronounced Molipino out of spite for the woman. Instead he rubbed his eyes, hoping he didn’t look as bad as he felt. “I wish I could remember what really happened, but I truly have no recollection of coming here at all.”

Jenna moved to the door. “Probably because you were more than a little drunk, but hopefully you are now sober enough to remember leaving – because I need to get to work and you need to take a shower and brush your teeth.”

It was the second time Jenna kicked him out of her room, and he didn’t like it.

“Kioni,” she said as he walked out the door she held open for him.

“Yes?” He stopped and looked into her large blue eyes.

“Maybe it’s for the better if we stay away from each other – and please call a pharmacy and see if you can get a pill for me. We don’t want a pregnancy to complicate matters between us.”

He nodded, but already knew he would never allow her to kill his child, if she was pregnant.

CHAPTER 14

Dear Dad

Jenna

August 19

Subject: Don’t worry

Dear Dad,

I know you worry about me, but please don’t.

As I told you, there was a misunderstanding when I first arrived but I’m in no danger and need to focus on my job.

If I have learned anything from being your daughter, it is to keep going and never give up.

My team is working hard and we are trying to avoid any distractions and get the job done.

Please stay with Alex, she needs you more than I do.

I love you and I look forward to seeing you again when I’m back in Chicago. 

Jenna

Chicago – August 21

Subject: Re: Don’t worry

Dear Jenna,

This is Susan, your father’s personal assistant.

Senator Davis asked me to let you know he received your message and looks forward to seeing you too.

He asked me to look at his calendar and swap things around so he can pay you a visit at his earliest convenience.

Kind regards,

Susan Geovanni,

PA for Senator Davis

Spirima – August 22

Subject: Don’t you dare!!

What the hell, Dad?

I thought this was your private email address. You can’t even answer me in person?

I don’t care how busy or important you are. Don’t you dare delegate our private correspondence to your secretary.

Read my email again… I specifically asked you not to come visit me, so I’ll repeat: I look forward to seeing you when I get back to Chicago.

Love,

Jenna

PS: I mean it, Dad, I’ll get really upset with you if you leave Alex alone in Chicago. It’s enough that I’m gone. Stay and be safe!