They are a fearsome combination of beauty and power. Their usually braided hair is now loose and flowing, and their dark skin gleams under the torchlight, practically shimmering with gold dust. Their bodies are toned and muscled, with the kind of curves that can launch a thousand ships.
Roshana, the last Aramisi woman still in the game, with her slender waist, long legs, and fiery red hair, is not in the pool. Instead, she sits on the edge, her form as graceful as a painting come to life. I keep reminding myself not to gawk at her perfect breasts and what is completely visible in between her parted legs, that she seems entirely unconcerned by how much of it is on display. Her beauty is both captivating and intimidating, and I can’t help but steal glances at her while I sink deeper into the water to hide my own small breasts and slender legs.
She is magnificent. They all are. Lila is the only one who can’t compete in looks with the three women in front of me, but unlike me, she doesn’t seem to care.
“So, what gives us the honor of being visited by an esteemed Ahira?” Olanna smirks.
“Hey. I told you, she is coming in peace,” Lila says.
Samira laughs. “Or she is coming to us because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. It seems like we’re the second-best option since the Izadeonians have abandoned her.”
“The Izadeonians have not abandoned me. And I haven’t been here because I didn’t know there was a secret bathing society.”
The look on the Jamshahis’s faces tells me they don’t believe a word I said. But Lila jumps in to help. “There is no secret society. But we, the women of the competition, have been talking here and then. And now that we are the only ladies left of our respective fellowships, we are thinking about a secondary alliance around our primary ones.”
“But only if your heart is in it. To be honest, I was opposed to Lila bringingyou to this group,” Samira says bluntly. “You seem infatuated with the men around you.”
“I am not infatuated with anyone,” I retort.
Lila cuts in, “That’s a rather funny comment from someone who did a three-way with one of the men that you claim she’s infatuated with.”
I stare at Lila, baffled. “Who?”
Lila points at Samira and Olanna with her head, “These two queens. With Bahador.”
Samira’s response is only a casual shrug, admitting something that would blush even my insides. Did they really sleep with Bahador? The two of them? Together? And admit that so publicly?
“Yes. We did. And we still have no loyalty to him. As much as he pleasured us,” Olanna says. “That’s what we expect from any woman who claims to be an ally. Not to be persuaded by emotions or desires.”
I look at them and then at Lila, blinking in shock, but she only gives me a nonchalant shrug. “I would have done it in a heartbeat if he were interested. I mean, have you seen that guy?”
Samira and Olanna both grin. “He’s even better in the sheets than he looks out on the field.”
“Oh, those Izadeonians.” Lila sighs dreamily, leaning back with a splash. “Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a little affair with either of them. But we’re in the middle of a competition, and I have a strict ‘no mixing business with pleasure’ mind.”
Olanna scoffs. “Please. None of them is worth the trouble. Except for Bahador, of course.”
“Are you joking?” Lila exclaims, her eyes widening in mock horror. “Darian is the embodiment of seduction! The man could charm the birds out of the trees with those deep blue eyes and that alluring smile of his.”
“Tolerable,” Olanna concedes. “But that’s as far as my appreciation for Izadeonian men goes. I don’t like the other bony man.”
“You just don’t like non-Jamshahi, or at least less than half-Jamshahi, muscular men,” Lila retorts.
Samira’s eyes twinkle mischievously, and she says wistfully, “Nothingcan compete with Bahador’s muscles. And he certainly knows how to use them.”
My jaw is unhinged as I sit here, frozen, feeling like I’ve stumbled into a conversation from another world. Is this how girls talk? Casually discussing men’s bodies. I feel like I’ve been living under a rock, utterly oblivious to the real affairs happening around me.
Lila, noticing my stunned silence, throws back her head and roars with laughter. “Ladies! I do believe we’ve scandalized our virgin!”
I want to deny it, to declare that I’m perfectly capable of handling this conversation. But the truth is, I’m completely out of my depth. I’m a fool when it comes to the ways of the flesh. So, I clamp my mouth shut and say nothing.
Lila turns to the Jamshahi queens. “Gods, I’m jealous. I could definitely use a little stress relief myself. Believe me, I’ve considered seducing Bahador. He’s certainly built for it. But I’m not sure if I’m his type. Faelas is practically married to the Nine Sisters, and all Darian cares about is swords, ale, and Izadeon. Except, of course,” she throws a pointed look in my direction, “for Arien.”
“What?” I splutter the word with a choked, indignant sound. “No. That’s not… He doesn’t… We’re just…” I almost sayfriends, but the word catches in my throat like a sudden, painful lump. “. . . allies,” I finish weakly.
“Oh, sweetling, please,” Lila drawls, her voice dripping with amusement, “The man practically melts whenever you’re in the same room. He’s like a tree trunk to everyone else, but around you? All smiles and soft stares. Trust me, he’s not at all subtle about it. And he’s certainly not like that with other women. Poor Helmira learned that the hard way.” She gives a knowing smirk in Roshana’s direction.
Helmira…
