Chapter 4: Sapphic Desires

Fatemah

The morning light seeped into the suite. It painted the rumpled sheets and my bare limbs with soft gold. I stretched to feel the pleasant pain of yesterday’s exercise. A delicious ache hummed deep within me. Josh lay beside me. His freckled chest moved in a steady rhythm. He had this goofy smile plastered on his face even in sleep. I expected nothing different after the long passionate night we had spent together.

My fingers tugged along the gold chain around my neck. I had craved this kind of uninhibited freedom. Now, I was living it so effortlessly. A wild thought entered my mind. Josh may be a writer, but now he was living a story shaped by my hands. This was just the beginning. I wanted to write so much more with him.

A soft knock on the door broke my chain of thoughts. I slipped out of the bed and pulled on a silk robe. The soft velvet fit around my curves smoothly.

Hiraya was waiting at the door. Her eyes flicked to Josh sprawled on the bed and back then to me. Her gaze lingered on the visible curves covered by the robe. A blush crept up her cheeks. She was shy but her gaze was mixed with curiosity and hunger. She softly hummed a fragment of Dahil Sa’yo. Its aching notes of love betrayed her guarded heart. She caught herself and pressed her lips tight.

“Good morning, Hiraya,” I said warmly. “Come in.”

She hesitated. Her fingers twisted around the edge of the towels she was holding.

“I ... I can come back later, Ms. Khademi,” she murmured. Her voice was soft with a Filipino lilt.

“Call me Fatemah,” I said while closing the door behind her. “And stay. There’s no rush.” I untied the silk robe, offering a tantalizing glimpse of skin. I saw Josh open his eyes. He was watching me and wondering what I was up to. I leaned against the dresser with easy confidence.

Hiraya was taking her time to clean the room. She was looking at Josh from the corner of her eye. He was sitting propped up on the bed. The rumpled white sheets covered the lower half of his body. His chest was covered in red welts and love bites. Enough to show the wild night we had spent together.

Her eyes then gazed at me. I opened my robe further in response. She tried to hide the surprise in her eyes but her gaze lingered. I had visible love bites around my neck and my breasts were covered in purple bruises. My trimmed dark bush barely covered the swollen pussy lips. I had enjoyed every moment when Josh had marked me.

Even when distracted, she was doing her work meticulously.

“You take pride in your work, don’t you?” I asked Hiraya.

She set the towels down. Her hands were twisting around the hem of her uniform. “It’s my job, Fatemah. I send money home to Manila.”

I stepped closer. “But you are curious, aren’t you? About the convention and us. I saw how you are looking at Josh and me. Your eyes are giving you away.”

I heard Josh gasp behind me. He had just realized Hiraya’s quiet observation. He looked at me but stayed silent. I was glad that he was learning quickly.

I watched Hiraya’s eyes dart to Josh and then to me. Her cheeks were blazing bright red. My lips curved into a knowing smile.

Hiraya stammered, “I didn’t mean...”

“No apologies.” I walked up to her and held her arm. She froze like a deer caught in headlights.

“Don’t be ashamed of your desires, Hiraya. You are young and full of life. You deserve to feel it.” I whispered to her.

Josh’s mouth was dry. I could feel his growing heartbeat from a distance. He knew where this was going, and his anticipation fueled me.