Three Rivers (19 page)

They’d held each other close, and talked on and on, forgetting about time and the world. Gamal arrived and whispered something to Alexis, then took away the narghile. Isabel saw him disappear out onto the veranda to be swallowed up by the night.

Alexis had run his hand over her hair, then kissed her
on the lips, then raised her bumblebee dress to kiss her on the stomach. He drew her dress down with a reluctant sigh, and said, “Isabel, it is time to go. We must change for dinner; our guests will be here very soon. You take your time, it does not take me long to dress.”

She remembered him pulling her up off the cushions and holding her close, and she remembered kissing him with childish pecks all over his face and neck.

Holding hands they had followed Gamal, who had led the way with a lantern through the dark garden to a side entrance of the house. Alexis himself took Isabel to her room, where he removed her dress, took her in his arms, kissed her deeply and with a great deal of passion and then left.

Isabel opened her eyes now and looked out again at the top of the little pavilion. She thought about him, so bright and soulful, so intelligent and sure.

She remembered what he had said about Egypt, the Egyptian people, and about himself. They were a good-natured people, friendly and accommodating. The softest of the Arab peoples, he’d told her. Egyptians were “body” people; they loved to slap, hug, kiss, push, shove and touch each other a great deal. They were openly warm and affectionate and indulgent.

Alexis had said that she must understand that he was half-Coptic and had lived a good part of his life in the Western world. Having been educated in France and later in England, he had taken up a great many English ways. He restrained the Egyptian ways he felt when dealing with the outside world, but he was still that “body” person, and when alone together, he wanted always to be able to touch her in every way imaginable. The ultimate for him was coming inside a woman.

She wondered if she had been foolish in telling him that she wanted to make love to him too, in the same way. That there was nothing that she did not want to do with or to him sexually. She’d confessed that she was drawn to him like a magnet and had an enormous desire to give him pleasure and make him happy. Of course she had not been foolish to tell him that, because she remembered how he’d held her in his arms, almost sobbing, and said yes, that is how it should be … that was what he’d wanted from her since he first saw her in Chicago. Isabel rang for Gamal and asked him to bring more
coffee. Then she went to the cupboard in the bedroom and took out the bumblebee dress. She held it up to herself and looked in the long mother-of-pearl mirror set in the wall. Although it was of silk, velvet and gold, there was something ethereal about it. She was sure that it was in the color, cut, and the placement of the golden bees.

She returned it to the cupboard, went to the dressing table and picked up the diamond bumblebee. She had a cream-colored fine wool dress on with balloon sleeves that were tight at the wrist. Over it she wore a beige suede gilet. She pinned the bumblebee on the collar of the dress, but took it off again. She knew that it was not just a little diamond bumblebee to be worn on a tour of Cairo, for the diamonds that made up the body of the bee were much larger than she had first realized.

Any time now Anoushka would come and fetch her. The two women were going on a tour of Cairo. Plans had been made the night before for Alexis to meet up with them at the mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun at noon. His mother had invited them both to lunch at her house, and after that they would spend the rest of the day together going through some of his collection and museums.

There was to be a large dinner party at Sharia el Nil that evening. Alexis hoped that she would enjoy it. It had been planned weeks ago. The prime minister would be there, and the president. He would see that she was taken care of and introduced to people who would amuse her. They would reside at Sharia for the rest of her stay in Cairo. There was no need to pack anything, Gamal would take care of all that. Isabel could hardly believe that she would leave this house and most probably never return.

She went to the dressing table and placed the bumblebee in her jewel case in exchange for a pair of large, pure gold loops with lion’s heads. They rested on the ear lobes, dated from 200
B.C.
and were Phoenician. On her wrists she slipped a pair of Cartier bangles and around her neck half a dozen handmade pure gold chains. She checked herself in the mirror and knew that she looked just right for lunch, and Alexis.

As much as she wanted to see Cairo with Anoushka, she could only think of being with Alexis. She took the coffee cup from Gamal and went back out onto the balcony to try and pull together the pieces that had made up
the rest of the previous evening. She did not ever want to forget it.

She remembered how after Alexis had left her standing naked in the room, she’d tried to think of getting dressed but was too stoned. She managed to get into her kimono and rang for Gamal, telling him she needed help. He saw that she was terribly high and returned shortly with Doreya, and a large glass goblet on a silver tray. It was coconut milk, the juice of the ishta and mango, and honey. He told Isabel to drink it down and she would be fine.

After the delicious drink, she stretched out on the bed for a few minutes while Doreya went to the wardrobe to select the dress that she would wear.

Soon the drink had taken effect, and she’d been able to coordinate her clothes and makeup. With the help of Doreya she dressed for dinner: a black silk jersey Jean Muir dress with nothing underneath it. Isabel decided that as long as she would be in Egypt she would not even wear her bikini underpants. She wanted to be open and ready for Alexis always.

The dress could not have been more elegant, or more sensual. She slipped her feet into black-satin, high-heeled sandals. The dress had a plunging V-shaped neckline that showed a small amount of the swell of her breasts — just enough to be chic, but not vulgar. She picked up the bumblebee and pinned it on the soft material as close to her nipple as possible. It sparkled against the black dress. She shook herself, and as her breasts moved, the little bumblebee shivered. Both she and Doreya laughed, and then the final touches went on her face. By the time she arrived at the party she was miraculously straight.

It had been a small dinner party and she’d been grateful for that. A man named Michael, a UNESCO archaeologist, was on her right, Alexis on her left. Most of her evening at the dinner table was spent talking to Michael, who was half-French and half-American, and charming. He acted as a part-time curator of the palace museum for Alexis and advised on some of the Hyatt traveling exhibitions of Egyptian, Islamic and contemporary art and artifacts.

From Michael, Isabel learned a great deal about the vast amount of work Alexis was involved in for the Arab
world. She was fascinated to hear about it all, as well as Michael’s work, which in itself was something special.

At one point during the dinner, Michael was talking to a woman in Arabic, and Alexis was busy with a guest on the other side of him. Isabel sat there watching them all and suddenly realized that the woman at the end of the table, whose name was Hamida, was acting as hostess. Hamida had been at lunch that day as well. For a fleeting moment she wondered just how much Hamida meant in Alexis’s life but forced herself to let the thought drop.

Ruefully, Isabel reminded herself about her proclivity for finding an excuse to mess up something going well for her. She thought of Ava, who would say, “Face the reality, you are just a week’s diversion”; Kate, who would have said, “Forget him, what do you want with a man, to fetch and carry for him? Get what you can from him and get back to reality. By the way, if you tried to ring me the other day and did not find me, it was because I was in the hospital. Thought I was having a heart attack, but it was indigestion.” Instantly Isabel felt depressed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Alexis, who took her hand under the table and put it between his legs. He flattened her hand out and pressed it against his erection, making her rub it from its base to its tip.

Even through the cloth of his trousers Isabel could feel him grow larger and longer at her touch. Her face went pink with embarrassment, and afraid that someone was watching, she tried gently to pull her hand away without making a fuss. It was impossible. He held her wrist tightly, and continued to move her hand up and down slowly while continuing his discussion with Sama on his left. He never once looked at Isabel during the time he kept her hand moving.

It seemed an interminable time before the servants came around to pick up the first-course dishes. Even then he was so naughty that he held her hand until the servant actually came between them to pick up her dish. Only then did he release her, but not until he had forced her to caress the head of his penis. She quickly took both her hands and folded them together on the table. He looked at her at last and smiled.

“Isabel, you look a bit flushed. Are you all right?”

She remembered that he was still very, very high and
did not know that she was down by now, or did he? He seemed to know everything.

“You are a cad,” Isabel answered and then softly continued. “If you do that to me again, I will bend down into your lap in front of all these people and take you in my mouth, I promise it.”

Alexis roared with laughter. Someone asked what the joke was and he said, “You have all heard it at some time or other.” He then went into roars of laughter again.

Infuriated, Isabel addressed the guest, “I don’t mind telling you.”

“No, we must keep them in suspense,” Alexis broke in.

“Oh, please, Alexis, let me tell them,” she teased mercilessly, but when she saw a strange look on his face, she knew it was time to stop and did, changing the subject by telling a very funny joke. Everyone laughed.

Alexis kissed her hand, loudly saying, “Well done, Isabel.” Then, in a whisper, “You are wonderful. I am so happy you are here.”

Isabel looked deep into his eyes. She knew he meant it.

The evening went on pleasantly, but the people seemed to stay forever. Finally Isabel excused herself, saying that yes, she would be ready for Anoushka at nine in the morning, but would have to go to bed now. She went to her room hoping everyone would get the hint and go home. She wanted Alexis to take her. Oh, how she wanted him to take her. It worried her because she was sure that he knew it.

She lay waiting now in bed in her nightgown. An hour and a half passed and he had not appeared. More time passed and at last the phone rang. She grabbed for it at once. It was Alexis. Could he come up? Oh, yes, please, she answered, adding a request that he bring a joint.

He entered the room dressed in a galabia. Again she was surprised at how Egyptian he looked. He had an ivory box with him. Gamal followed behind with an ice bucket, holding a silver tray with a bottle of wine and two ruby-colored crystal glasses on it.

Isabel quickly pulled the covers up when she saw Gamal enter the room. Alexis folded the covers down as far as her waist and told her, “Do not be foolish. Gamal sees only the right things.” To Gamal he said something in Arabic and the two men laughed lightly.

She sat there in her French, handmade, peach-colored
silk nightgown. She was covered well enough she knew, but she still felt exposed, and a little annoyed with Alexis.

Gamal was busy with his back to them, opening the bottle of wine. Alexis pulled the galabia off over his head and dropped it to the floor. He slipped into the bed and pulled Isabel close to him, tucking the covers tight all around. Gamal went to the bed, adjusted the pillows behind their backs and brought them the wine. They touched glasses and he said, “
Bukra fil mishmish
.” Isabel asked him what it meant.

“
Bukra
means tomorrow,” Alexis said. “It is the tomorrow of the future. It has no time limit.
Bukra fil mishmish
— tomorrow when the apricots bloom — is a special Egyptian tomorrow stretching to infinity.”

Isabel relaxed, thinking,
I can adjust to all this. I will not fight it. I am happy and am going to stay this way
. She touched her glass to Alexis’s and said, “
Bukra fil mishmish
.”

They both drained their glasses. The wine was ambrosia, like no wine she had ever tasted in her life. Alexis said he had selected it himself. It was a bottle given to his father by King Farouk. He called Gamal and they passed their glasses to him.

Alexis turned to Isabel and said, “Do you know that is the first thing I have heard you say in Arabic, and you said it perfectly.”

Alexis put his arms around her, and she snuggled up tight next to his naked body. He kissed her on the hair, and with his finger went over the shape of each of her eyebrows, then drew it down the straight of her nose, to follow the outline of her lips. He was very serious as he kissed her lightly, showing such tenderness that Isabel melted. Still looking at her, he reached to the table next to him for the ivory box.

Alexis called Gamal over. He took two cigarettes out of the box, giving one to Isabel, and keeping one for himself. Gamal bent forward and lit them. Then Alexis said something in Arabic to Gamal, who picked up the bucket with the wine in it and started to leave the room.

Alexis looked at Isabel and said, “I have given instructions to Gamal to take the bottle with the remainder of the wine up to the fountain, in the room where we were together for the first time. He will pour it in the fountain, then break the bottle and bury the pieces in the garden
near the pavilion. I hope you do not think it too romantic or strange, but that glass of wine was for us for once and always, and would never taste the same again. I have ordered the bottle broken because I never want anyone to drink from it again.”

Isabel was overcome with emotion and said nothing. She simply bent forward and kissed him deeply. She then kissed his nipples lightly, resting her head on his chest.

They were lying there quietly smoking joints when Gamal came in. He went to one of the cupboards hidden behind the paneling, pushed a button, and there was soft music. Returning to Isabel and Alexis, he put down a cigarette lighter, said goodnight and left the room.