"To the slave market You are a woman of great determination. I will show you what will happen if you oppose my master. His bedchamber must be like a beautiful garden-peaceful, fragrant, and a delight to the senses. If you do not yield to him, but fight him instead, he will order you sold off. If this happens, you and your servant will undoubtedly be separated, and it is very possible that your exquisite fairness will attract a slave broker from the Arabian Peninsula, or the African interior. I do not think you would enjoy being stripped naked and inspected by prospective buyers. I do not think you would enjoy being sold to a jungle chief. If you yield to my master, however, your safety and comfort are assured. The choice is yours."

The look she gave him was a candid one. "Why do you torture me, Hammid? You know that I must yield to your master."

He nodded. "You are an Intelligent woman, my beauty, but if you yield only your body to my lord Cica, he will know and be. offended. You must yield all-your mind and your body!"

"I cannot! And you cannot expect me to, Hammid!"

"You must!"

They rode in silence until finally the slaves stopped and the litter was lowered to the ground. The grand eunuch climbed out and, offering her a hand, helped her out. "There are many slave markets in this city," he said, "but this one deals only in beautiful women."

Cat looked about her, and saw women of varied ages, sizes, shapes, and colors. On the raised platform a beautiful girl was now being auctioned. She was completely nude, and the prospective buyers were not shy about poking and squeezing the girl. Her face revealed shame and fright. Cat shivered. Finally the girl was purchased by a man with a fierce mustache. Cat was forced to stand quietly watching for almost an hour. Then Hammid got involved in the bidding on an exquisite golden-blond Circassian girl of about thirteen. When he had secured her purchase Cat heard him tell the slave merchant, "Send the maiden to the Yeni Serai with the Vizier Cicalazade Pasha's compliments." Then he and Cat returned to their litter.

As they rode Cat said quietly, "I will try, Hammid, but I promise you nothing. It will not be easy for me."

He smiled. "Good! I have not misjudged your character. Do not be afraid, my beauty. I will give you time to accept your status. You will be happy, I promise you. The vizier is a magnificent lover and he will pleasure you as no man ever has. He is like a young bull-hot and inexhaustible."

Cat lowered her head as a flush swept her cheeks. It had been weeks now since she had last lain with Francis, and she was frankly edgy, but she would have died rather than allow Hammid to know this. The eunuch knew her thought and smiled. "I have decided upon your Turkish name," he told her. "You will answer to the name of Incili. It means Beautiful Pearl, and you are that indeed. We will call your servant Mara."

The next few days were quiet ones. Though she was permitted to mingle with the other women of the harem, she felt no particular urge to make friends. She was frankly curious about Lateefa Sultan, the vizier's wife, but she never saw her.

When she had been in the harem for over two weeks, she returned from the baths one afternoon to find the grand eunuch, Hammid, waiting for her.

"I am going to present you to the vizier tonight," he said.

Stricken, she implored him, "So soon?"

"The time is propitious," he told her. "Come now, Incili, you are no virgin, but a woman of experience. Does your lovely body not ache for a man's touch? Do you not crave a man's hardness deep within you? How long now has it been since you last lay swooning in a lover's arms?"

"Stop," she whispered. "Oh, please stop!"

"I have left special clothing for you. I will come for you at eight."

At eight she stood shivering in the hot summer night, waiting for Hammid. Her garments were the sheerest of pale-pink-mauve silk gauze. The pantaloons were embroidered at the ankles with a band of gold-and-silver thread, and a matching band rode her hips below her navel. A tiny sleeveless open bolero, its edges embroidered in seed pearls, barely covered her breasts. She was, of course, veiled. A second, longer veil had been placed over the first.

Hammid arrived with a small litter and walked alongside it as it was carried towards the vizier's bedchamber. "I will go in with you tonight. Do not be afraid, Incili. My lord Cica will be kind." Then they were there. His hand was at her elbow as he guided her through the door.

"I have brought the woman, Incili, as my lord commanded," the eunuch said to a tall man in the shadows. Hammid then removed the head veil, the face veil, and the bolero. As her breasts were exposed, Cat heard a soft intake of breath from the man. The eunuch's hands were swiftly drawing the pantaloons down and off. She was completely naked.

"Thank you, Hammid. You may go now."

As the door closed behind her she stood frozen, frightened, wondering what to expect. Then the man stepped from the shadows, and Cat saw before her the handsomest man she had ever seen in her entire life.

He was tall, and ruggedly tan, but where his white pantaloons rode low on his slim hips she could see his skin was as fair as hers. His hair was dark, wavy, and cropped short with just a touch of silver at the temples. His eyes were, to her surprise, a light gray-blue. He was nothing at all like his sister, Angela. His facial features were those of a classic Greek statue, with high cheekbones, straight nose, well-spaced eyes, and a full, sensuous mouth. He wore a beautifully clipped and tailored dark mustache.

He held out his hand, his eyes locking hers. Automatically she placed her slender hand in his. His touch was like fire. "I have never possessed anything as exquisite as you, Incili." The voice was warm velvet

"You do not possess me yet, my lord Cicalazade," she answered him coolly.

The white, even teeth flashed in a quick smile, and he laughed. "It is but a matter of time, Incili, is it not?" Bending, he picked up the larger of the two veils and, twisting it into a rope, put it about her waist and drew her towards him. As her breasts touched his bare chest she began to tremble, instinct warning her that this was not a man easily led. One hand firmly lifted her chin, bringing her face up so he might look down at her. He smiled. "Green eyes," he said softly. "They are beautiful, Incili, but then you know that, don't you?"

Her heart was hammering wildly, and she could not speak. She was furious with herself. What was the matter with her? She tried to turn away, but his head dipped quickly, and his mouth closed over hers. Unreasonable panic gripped her, and she struggled to escape him, but he simply held her closer, gently forcing her lips apart to allow his tongue entry.

She tore her head away from him, her eyes wide, gasping great gulps of air to clear her mind. Her hands flew up, palms against his hairy chest, trying to hold him off. He laughed low and, catching her hands in his, forced them behind her back so that once again their bodies were intimately pressing against each other. Again he took deliberate possession of her mouth, and when his tongue darted deep within her mouth, lightly touching, hungrily stroking, she felt deep within her the banked fires flicker into flame. Slowly she ceased her resistance, and began instead to respond to the warm pressure of his mouth.

Feeling her yield, he brought one hand around to delicately caress a round breast. "Incili…" His voice was low, edged with passion. "You rouse me as no woman ever has," and he was leading her through an alcove to a large bed upon a dais. Falling backwards onto the bed, he gently drew her down to him. He held her just slightly above him so that her breasts hung like ripe fruits. Lifting his head to them, he licked the nipples, sending shock waves of desire racing through her. Turning her over onto her back, bis dark head dipped, and his mouth closed hungrily over a breast, nursing on it eagerly, sending streaks of hot delight through her. His lips began a tortuous exploration of her beautiful body, searing her. And then he saw her tiny mole-that outrageously enticing little mark of Venus -perched high atop the cleft of her womanhood. His hand reached down to loosen his pantaloons. Squirming against her, he worked them down and off, returning his attention to the fascinating little mole that beckoned him onward.

His eyes widened with delight, and a little smile touched his lips. The mole was an invitation impossible to ignore. He bent and kissed it, pleased with the tremor that shook her. Now he was almost level with her again, and taking her hand, he guided it to touch him, groaning when her hand closed over him.

He gazed down for a moment at the beautiful woman beneath him. For the first time in his life he believed he had a woman whose sexual appetite matched his own. Her hand released him, and he swung over her, his hands gently spreading her thighs. He knelt between her legs now, and she raised her eyes to him, gasping at the great blue-veined ivory shaft that sprang from the black mat between his legs. Grasping her buttocks, he drew her slowly towards him and impaled her on his swollen manhood.

For a surprised moment he almost lost his control, for she was not only warm and moist but almost as tight as a virgin. Feeling her squeezing him, he groaned with delight. Regaining control of himself, he began to move smoothly within her. Then he slowly lowered her to the bed, straddling her more comfortably. Her body was covered in a fine damp mist, and her head thrashed wildly on the pillow. His big hands caressed her gently, and his voice sought to sooth her. Suddenly the leaf-green eyes opened and looked into his gray-blue ones. She began to weep softly.