King of Slaves (Jenna's Story) (The Slave Series Book 5) (26 page)

He didn’t talk about her possible pregnancy, but she knew where his mind had gone.

“Listen, I need to go to my room and talk to my sister.”

“No, stay with me.”

“My sister is leaving today; I want to spend time with her before she goes.”

With a dissatisfied groan Kioni rolled over and got his cell phone. “Call your room and see if she’s even there.”

He called up the number and handed her the phone. No one answered.

“Maybe she’s taking a shower.” Jenna thought out loud.

“Or maybe she’s still with Zurry,” he suggested.

Jenna frowned. “Can you call him and ask for her?”

“Sure, it’s almost nine o’clock, he’ll be up by now.

“I don’t care if he’s sleeping. I want to see my sister.”

“Okay, okay.” Kioni dialed Zurry’s number and waited until his friend picked up the phone.

“Good morning.” Zurry sounded slightly out of breath.

“Good morning, my friend. Do you by any chance have a red-haired American woman in your room?”

Zurry chuckled. “I might.”

“She is wanted by her sister.”

“Is Jenna with you?”

“Uh-huh, she was running around the corridors last night trying to find her sister, and when I refused to tell her where your room is, she punished me all night.”

“Ha… you don’t sound too sorry about her treatment.”

“Oh, she was brutal. You owe me big time,” Kioni said sarcastically.

Jenna rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone from him. “Hey, Zurry, put Alex on the phone please.”

The phone was on speaker, and Kioni and Jenna exchanged glances when they heard Zurry say; “Jenna wants to talk to you, sweetness.”

“Did he just call my sister sweetness?” Jenna muttered with a frown.

“Hey, Jenna.” Alex’s voice was dripping with guilt.

“I was looking for you. Are you all right?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“Good. Meet me in my room in five minutes.”

“Okay… but…”

“What?”

“It might take twenty… we’re kind of… ehh… in the middle of something,” Alex said and gave a small giggle… “Stop it, Zurry, I’m talking to Jenna.”

Jenna didn’t even want to know what Alex wanted Zurry to stop doing. “Great… whatever,” she said. “Just come as soon as you can. You and I are eating breakfast together, just the two of us.”

“Got it, see you soon,” Alex said and hung up.

Jenna turned to Kioni. “I’m telling you, K… this is going to end badly. My sister doesn’t have one-night stands. She’s going to be hung up on Zurry for months… and guess who’s going to be listening to her moan over him.”

He wrinkled his forehead. “Did you just call me Kay?”

“I’m sorry, I meant Kioni.”

“Who is Kay?”

“You are.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure you didn’t just confuse me with another man?”

Jenna tilted her head. “In America we often shorten names; for instance, my father’s name is Andrew but he’s called Andy. I promise I wasn’t thinking of someone else, it’s just natural for me to shorten names, and you would be Kio or K.”

“My close friends call me Kop.”

“Yes, you told me, but in English that sounds like something you use to drink from or a policeman, and I just can’t call you that.”

“Well, in that case I prefer Kio.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

“But only in private,” he added.

“As you wish.” Jenna tried climbing over him to get to her clothes on the floor but Kioni took the chance to get a firm grip on her hips, pressing her against his hard morning wood. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To meet Alex.”

“Nah-uh… I distinctly heard Alex say that she’ll be busy for the next twenty minutes, so I’m calling dibs on you for that long, my love.”

Jenna wiggled a bit but that only made him smack her buttocks, and soon she didn’t fight it but gave in to his persuasive kisses.
Why not? I’ve never had sex as good as I have with Kioni, why would I keep fighting it?
Interrogating Alex could wait a few minutes; it wasn’t like Alex would mind.

CHAPTER 22

Before You Go

Jenna

When Jenna returned to her room the shower was running and she could hear Alex singing.

She veered into the bathroom knowing that unlike herself, Alex wasn’t shy about her body.

“Someone’s chirpy this morning,” Jenna said and spooked Alex, who jerked.

“Oh hey, Jenna.” There it was again; the guilt in her voice. “Are you mad at me?”

Jenna shook her head. “That depends… are you going to be fine or will you call me night and day with a broken heart?”

Alex leaned her head back and rinsed out her shampoo before she answered. “If I do, then remind me that it was worth it, because honestly it was the best sex of my life.”

“Did you talk to Dad? Do you know what time you’re leaving?”

“Yeah, we have to be at the airport around four this afternoon, but at least he isn’t insisting that you come with us anymore.”

“Can’t you stay a few more days?”

“I already tried to talk to him about it, but he made the arrangements yesterday and because he told his team he was coming home, they already filled his calendar.”

“But you could stay.”

“Believe me I would love that, but…” Alex turned off the water.

“But what?”

“Honestly?”

Jenna tossed her a towel. “When are we not honest with each other?”

“I want to stay… but I’m afraid I’ll fall in love with Zurry if I do. Maybe it’s better to cut my losses and run before I fall too deep.”

Jenna shrugged. “Knowing you, that’s probably a good idea.”

“He asked me to stay, Jenna,” Alex said.

Jenna raised a brow. “Wow.”

“I don’t know what he was thinking exactly, but I told him I can’t be his mistress.”

“Good for you.”

“Yeah… it’s the right thing to do. I just wish…”

Jenna waited for her to continue.

“I just wished things were different.”

“I know, sweetie. I know.”

Jenna took a quick bath, and then they picked up a food basket from the kitchen and headed out to enjoy a picnic in the king’s park.

Alex had been talking about Zurry nonstop for the last forty minutes, and Jenna was impressed with how gentle and kind he had been to her sister. She had gotten the impression from Nini that Zurry was rough and dominant in bed, but apparently he had a soft side too.

“You know what I would really like?” Alex exclaimed.

“What?”

“A picture with Zurry. You know, to remember him by.”

“Then ask him to take a selfie with you.”

“I don’t know, it seems a little juvenile and awkward, don’t you think?”

Jenna gave Alex a look saying are-you-serious? “You just spent a whole night with the guy… I’m pretty sure he won’t mind posing for a picture with you.”

“Have you asked Kioni for a picture?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.”

Alex laughed. “Of course you know. You think it’s awkward too.”

Jenna broke into a grin. “I suppose it is.”

“I want to hear about you and Kioni. What is going on?”

Jenna thought about it for a while. Should she censor herself or just be honest? Alex had told her everything about Zurry… didn’t she owe her sister honesty?

“He asked me to marry him.”

“Shut up,” Alex exclaimed with half a muffin in her mouth.

“I said no… but then we slept together last night, and also there’s the possibility of me being pregnant.”

“Still no period?”

Jenna shook her head.

“What are you going to do?”

“I told him I would consider it for a few weeks and give him a chance to woo me.”

“All right. What’s holding you back…? I mean, the guy is gorgeous. Is he good in bed?”

Jenna grinned. “The man is a freaking king in bed, pun intended.”

“All right, but if you marry him you’ll have to live here, and I won’t see you very often.”

“There’s that, and the fact that this culture is like living in the dark ages. I mean, think about it. Until five years ago slavery was allowed.”

Alex looked thoughtful. “It’s hard to understand. But at least your man made that shit illegal.”

“He’s not my man, Alex.”

“Well, he wants to be.”

“He’s the king of twenty-two-point-four million people. I find that a bit intimidating.”

“That’s a lot of people.”

“Uh-huh.” Jenna lowered her head and wove her hands through her hair. “I don’t know what to do, Alex.”

“So you are considering saying yes?”

“I just wish he came with a slightly different package.”

“Like what?”

“Well if I could remove his title, change his nationality to something Western, and make his mindset more modern, that would be a good start.”

Alex leaned back in the grass resting on her elbows. “May I remind you that you’ve met thousands of men that fit that description and none of them have made you this intrigued.”

“True.”

“If your attraction to Kioni is as strong as mine to Zurry then you should say yes.”

Jenna scoffed. “Says the woman who’s fleeing the country to avoid falling in love.”

“Yes, but I’m a coward. You’re not!”

“Don’t call yourself a coward. You’re brave in your own way.”

“Thank you, but I could never see myself living anywhere but Chicago.” Alex looked down when her cell phone vibrated. She fished it out of her pocket and answered.

“Hey, Dad.

“Yeah, I’m with her in the park, we just had some breakfast.

“Yes, I’ll be packed to leave by three.

“I don’t know… let me just ask.” Alex looked at Jenna. “Dad wants to get some pictures with you. Would you mind?”

A smile spread on Jenna’s lips. “No, I don’t mind. In fact I think I’ll invite the king and his closest advisor to join us in the pictures… wouldn’t that be neat?”

Alex grinned. “I like how you think.”

Putting the phone to her ear, Alex spoke to her dad. “Jenna’s says she’ll be happy to do a quick photo shoot.”

Kioni

“So I asked Jenna to marry me.”

Zurry made a sudden stop and gaped at Kioni. They were running in the park like they did so often, and Kioni had just told Zurry how he negotiated for Jenna to stay and finish her job in exchange for Kalen’s performing at a concert in Chicago – then he had dropped the bomb of his proposing to Jenna.

“When did this happen?” Zurry asked in disbelief.

“Yesterday.”

“Wow, so when are you telling the council about your engagement?”

“As soon as I’m engaged.”

“But you just said…”

“I said I asked her… I didn’t say she accepted my proposal.”

Zurry narrowed his eyes. “Hold on… are you seriously saying that Jenna refused your proposal?”

“Yes.”

“How is that even possible?”

Kioni grinned. “She thinks we are too different and that I’m too old-fashioned in my view on women.”

“Yeah… but.”

“You thought that any woman would be glad to have me?”

“Yes,” Zurry said with conviction.

Kioni shrugged. “I think maybe that’s why I want her so much. When Jenna decides to marry me it will be
despite
the fact that I’m a king and not because of it.”

“Huh… if
you
can’t get the girl, it doesn’t give the rest of us much hope, does it?”

“Ahhh… but I haven’t given up yet, and she has agreed to at least consider it.”

“And you think you can convince her to say yes.”

“I’m counting on it. I’m planning on keeping her in my bed every night, satisfying the hell out of her and making her completely addicted to me.”

Zurry closed his eyes. “I wish I could do the same with Alex… but I spoke with her dad and he’s adamant about leaving today.”

Kioni grasped his friend’s arm. “I’m sorry, Z. If it was Jenna leaving I would shut down the airport.”

“Can we do that?” Zurry asked with hope.

Kioni shook his head. “We could, but I don’t think it would be a wise move. If she wanted to stay, she would.”

“But if she would just give me a bit longer?”

“Look at the bright side. When Jenna says yes to me, Alex will have to come back for the wedding, and when we have children she’ll come to see them. It won’t be the last time you see Alex.”

He groaned. “You mean
if
Jenna says yes. You don’t know for sure that she will.”

“Hey… good to know you have confidence in me,” Kioni said sarcastically.

Zurry gave a long deep sigh. “I asked Alex to marry me yesterday.”

Kioni, who had been looking ahead, snapped his head around. “Come again?”

“I said, I asked Alex to marry me yesterday.”

Now it was Kioni’s turn to look perplexed. “How is that even possible?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what are the odds that we propose on the same day? And why the hell would you propose to a woman you’ve known for less than twenty-four-hours? Are you completely out of your mind?”

Zurry covered his eyes with his forearm. “I know! It was stupid… anyway, she didn’t hear my question; she had already fallen asleep.”

“Phew…” Kioni whistled low. “Guess you got lucky.”

“Yeah… it would have been insane – and if Jenna doesn’t want to marry someone as handsome, rich, and powerful as you, then there’s sure as hell no chance for the rest of us.”

“Again… please have some faith in…” Kioni was interrupted by his phone ringing. It was strapped to the side of his arm and he quickly pressed to answer.

“Hey, beautiful, miss me already?”

“Ehh… sure,” Jenna chuckled. “Listen, my dad wants some pictures with me before he leaves, and last time we tried taking pictures it didn’t end so well. Remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Kioni said dryly.

“I was wondering if you and Zurry would mind joining us in a few pictures.”

“If it makes you happy, we’ll do it, but I’m warning you, male models of this caliber go for a high tariff these days.

Jenna laughed.

“Will Alex be there?” Zurry muttered.

“Yes, Zurry, I can hear you. She’ll be there,” Jenna said.

“Okay, give us half an hour unless you want us in our running tights and all sweaty.”

“Do I have to pay extra for the sweaty sports look?”

“No you get all that for free.”

“I think I prefer the clean version, so half an hour it is.”

“Where?”

“How about the place where we tried to take pictures yesterday? My dad liked that spot.”

“Okay, I’ll bring someone to take the pictures, and Jenna…”

“Yes?”

“Do try to behave in the pictures. No grabbing my ass or biceps just because you can’t keep your hands off me.”

She grinned. “I’ll do my best, smartass.”

“Thanks, Blondie.”

“Hold on, did you just call me Blondie?”

“If you can call me Kio I can call you Blondie, can’t I?

“We’ll discuss that later,” she said and ended the call.

“Kio?” Zurry asked.

Kioni shrugged. “What can I say… coming from Jenna, I like it.”

They started running back toward the palace. “You know the craziest thing Alex did yesterday?”

“What?”

“She peed in front of me.”

“Are you serious? Did she fart too?”

Zurry wrinkled his nose. “No. Why would you ask that?”

“Because Jenna told me she wants a man she can fart with. I think it’s an American thing that women share their toilet business with their men.”