Chapter 11

The five minute drive to Callie's apartment was achieved in silence. Upon arrival the girls climbed out of the truck and entered the living room. Callie turned to Leanna.

"Would you like something to drink, coffee... tea?"

"A Cup of tea would go down nicely." Leanna requested.

Nodding Callie led the way into her little kitchen and started making tea for the two of them. Five minutes later the two sat down in the living room, Callie broke the silence.

"So, where have you been?" She asked.

With that simple question, out poured the whole story from Leanna, her enslavement, the auction, the wedding, even parts of the wedding night to her escape and her trip to the hospital. Callie sat in stunned silence after Leanna had recited the whole tale then said the one thing she could think of.

"Wow."

Leanna laughed, that was exactly what she thought of the whole thing. Then Callie asked the question, the one which she wished she did not have an answer.

"Do you love him?"

Leanna grimaced, "Yes I do, what an idiot I am huh?"

Callie smiled gently. "Hon, I can't blame you for falling head over heels for the guy, from what you've said he sounds gorgeous, and he seems quite the hero to, in a strange convoluted kind of way, but a hero nonetheless."

Leanna laughed at that.

"I mean, look Leanna, should the guy have practically forced you to marry him? No, he could have done what most normal men would have and courted you, but he does come from a completely different culture than ours, though from what you've told me in some ways his kingdom sounds quite civilized. It sucks that he bought you; you'll have to find out why the hell a guy who doesn't have slaves was at a slave auction. But imagine if he hadn't bought you, you could have been bought by a brothel, or a man that wasn't exactly kosher. Instead, Khadeem bought you, and married you, saving your virtue. Though he didn't go about it like he should have, he did save you from a fate that could have been much worse, and from what I have heard from you, it seems like he treats you quite nicely."

Leanna smiled after Callie's tirade, trust her friend to put it all in perspective for her.

"That's pretty much what I surmised for myself. I'm not going to go fall in his arms just yet, I want to be courted and damnit I will be!"

Callie laughed, but before she could reply the doorbell rang. The girls looked at each other, both knowing who most likely was on the other side of the door. With a shrug Callie got up and answered the door, she wasn't surprised to see Leanna's family there, along with another man, Khadeem she assumed and an older woman. It was Leanna's father who asked the question.

"Is Leanna here?"

Callie stepped back from the door and motioned them inside. They all saw Leanna at once and all of them walked up to her and started in on her. She let them all have their say then explained.

"Well, I was sick and tired of being ignored, you guys consulted about me, right in front of me, as though I wasn't even there! You didn't even ask if I felt well enough to go home, merely took it upon yourselves to go and ask my doctor if I should stay longer, so I made the decision for you."

With that said she took another sip of tea, she was grateful that she had it; it had done wonders for soothing her stomach. She smiled behind the cup, the expressions on her families, Khadeem's, and Ella's faces were comical. It was Khadeem who regained his wits first.

"Now that you have put us all in our respective places, would you like to go home and rest now?" He queried.

As much as she would have loved to defy him some more her back was starting to really get sore now, and she was feeling a bit woozy still from the pain medication.

"I guess." Leanna responded simply.

Nodding his head Khadeem bent and unceremoniously picked her up from her spot on the couch. Turning with her in his arms, ignoring her protests he bestowed Callie with a charming smile.

"It was nice meeting you... ?"

"Callie," she supplied for him.

He gave her another mega-watt smile, "Nice meeting you Callie, I hope we will meet again, I presume you're a good friend of my errant wife?"

Callie chuckled appreciatively, receiving a glare from Leanna that she ignored. "Yes, I am. I imagine we will meet again Khadeem."

He grimaced, "I see you know my name; I imagine you have heard all about me haven't you?"

"That I have sir, though let me assure you, it wasn't all bad." She added wickedly, ignoring Leanna who hissed her name.

Khadeem chuckled and stood there with Leanna in his arms while the rest of the family greeted Callie, and then said their goodbyes, inviting her over to dinner tomorrow night.

They all filed back out of Callie's apartment and got into Khadeem's awaiting limo. As they drove off back towards her families farm Leanna ignored the looks everyone gave her, and tried to ignore how good it felt to be held in Khadeem's arms again.