The Treasure Of Ankhesenatum
Chapter two ' Khan el Khalili'
In the taxi to the restaurant, Ray quizzed Tasha about the man they were going to meet. " Typical copper", she'd teased him. " Well, Steven and I met him two years ago when Steve was cataloguing some pottery over here. Hanif, oh by the way his name means ' true believer', wanted anything he could get, to sell to American collectors. It's illegal of course but he has lots of contacts here so Steve kept in touch with him in case anything really special, might turn up".
" 'Ow do you mean...special ? ".
" Well, something that might lead to an undiscovered tomb, maybe".
The streets of Cairo were really busy, now and the heat had increased considerably. Ray looked out of the taxi window. " The Nile and palm trees", he said as if to himself. " Bloody amazing. Are those the ones dates grow on ? ".
" Yes. Oh..here's the restaurant!".
The restaurant wasn't large but it was cool inside, a welcome relief from the glare of the sun and the heat, outside. Ray noticed an elderly man sitting near the back of the restaurant who was waving at them. " Over here!
Tasha ! So good, to see you ! ". He stood and kissed Tasha on the cheek. " Mmm! As lovely as ever ! ". He looked Tasha up and down, appreciatively. She was wearing light cotton black trousers, a green blouse with short sleeves. " Hanif ", he said, extending a hand to Ray.
" Ray Carling. Pleased to meet you". Ray sized the man up. Short, slim, good suit and quick, darting eyes.
" So good to see Tasha with male company, after the tragedy of losing her husband", said Hanif, sitting down. " Shall we take a look at the menu ? ".
They ordered ' ful', a dip made with beans, lentils, aubergine, garlic, peanuts, garlic and caraway with sesame oil on top, as a starter. It was delicious. So was the
second course, of grilled stuffed pigeons.
" So Ray, what work do you do ? ", asked Hanif when the coffees arrived. When Ray told him, Hanif seemed momentarily startled.
" Really ? How interesting. But this is just a holiday, of course? ". He eyed Ray directly.
" Oh yes.Of course", replied Ray, returning the steady gaze of the older man.
" Then you must visit all the great sites ! And have you seen the market, yet? It has been there since medieval times".
" Perhaps we can go there afterwards, Ray? ", smiled Tasha.
" Typical woman! ", grinned Ray. " I hope this isn't going to involve..shopping ? ".
Hanif insisted on paying the bill and when Tasha had mentioned that she and Ray were going to visit Luxor, Hanif seemed delighted.
" But you know, that is my home! Better still, you can stay at my house, on the bank of the river ! I have to stay here in Cairo for a few weeks on business so you'll have the place to yourselves ! Apart from Abdul, who looks in to tend to the horses, of course".
Tasha accepted the offer delightedly and Ray nodded in agreement. They left Hanif and took a taxi to the main thoroughfare, Shari Port Said. " We turn left now",
said Tasha. Ray could feel the sun's rays beating down and he unbuttoned a few more buttons of his shirt. Tasha wiggled her eyebrows at him and he grinned. " I
need music, to take it all, off", Ray murmured. The Khan el Khalili bazaar was like nothing Ray had ever experienced. Narrow street, granite cobblestones, sand
coloured buildings. It was jammed, with people and it was noisy. Carpets and clothing for sale hung overhead, filtering the sun but making the heat more, intense.
The air was heavily scented with the aromas of coffee, spices, cumin and mint tea.
" Flamin' 'ell", Ray muttered suddenly, when he noticed an open air butcher's, complete with hanging lamb carcasses with the heads still on.
There were pigeons in reed cages, goldsmiths' shops, shops selling all manner of things.
Tasha took Ray by the hand and led him into a perfume shop, where she bought some jasmine oil. " Shukran", she'd said to the shopowner. " Thank you too,
madam", he smiled, displaying gold fillings.
When they'd left the shop and had bought some pistachio nuts to nibble, from a street vendor, Ray suddenly felt that they were being watched. He scanned around
them, thinking that he'd probably imagined it and that he was just reacting to the heat. Then he noticed the tall, heavy set Egyptian apparently looking at the display
outside a nearby souvenir shop. The man looked up, hadn't expected Ray to be looking at him and hurriedly looked away again. Ray leaned towards Tasha.
" See that tall guy over there ? Have you seen him before ? ".
Tasha looked. " Who, Ray ? ". Ray turned his head to look. The man had gone. " Oh, probably nothing", said Ray. " Just a copper's instinct getting it wrong, I
suppose. That bloke was staring, at us. I think I saw him near the restaurant, as well. Maybe it isn't the same bloke. "
" You're off duty now Ray", said Tasha, linking her arm through his. " Just relax and forget work, for a while".
" Yeah... I saw someone twice so thought he was up to no good. No one here even knows us !".
Ray and Tasha made their way back to the hotel and were glad to be in its coolness and even more glad to be able to cool off with a shower and some cold drinks.
Ray lay on the bed, watching Tasha brushing her hair. His gaze roamed appreciatively over her body. She was lightly tanned and there were still droplets of water on
her skin, from the shower.
" Shouldn't you take that towel off, Tasha ? ".
" Why ? ".
" Well, it will save me having to take it off for, you. Come over here", Ray said quietly, his eyes narrowed. Tasha moved to stand at the side of the bed and let the towel drop to the floor. Her soft curves were just what Ray loved to look at and feel. " Your eyes", he said, reaching out to pull her down to the bed, " they're almost Egyptian looking, you know...". His blue eyes kept contact with hers, as he rolled her onto her back and looked down at her. " Your wish is my command", he murmured. " I heard that somewhere..probably from 'Aladdin'..I dunno..".
" My wish ? ", said Tasha, moving sensuously under him. " Make love to me, Ray. I want you. I want to feel you inside, me".
Ray needed no further encouragement. He kissed her, opening her mouth with his tongue and then it was deep and swirling slowly and she responded, flickering her tongue against his. He slid a hand down to between her thighs, and one finger sought her clit. He rubbed, in slow, circular motion until Tasha was wriggling with pleasure then he suddenly thrust two fingers inside her. She gasped and raised her hips, wanting him to thrust his fingers faster, inside her. She was wet and Ray could hardly wait, to plunge his cock inside her but he kept thrusting his fingers in and out whilst sucking her nipples and then he took his hard cock in his hand and positioned it at her entrance.
" Ray... I want your cock in me..Please..". He pushed into her, groaning with pleasure at the feel of her tight warmth around his cock. He fucked her with slow, hard thrusts, raising her legs up under his arms so that he could get deeper. " Feels so good", he muttered. " I'm going to fuck your brains, out..". He continued the hard, slow, slamming into her until she was crying out and coming again and again. Then he could control himself no longer, kissed her passionately, leaned back again and thrust fast, coming in a flood, inside her, yelling her name.
" We're good together", he said quietly, as they lay exhausted, afterwards. " You make me want to never stop shagging you.". Then unaccountably, he recalled the face of the man at the market. Ray had spent so many years successfully spotting villains that when he felt uneasy about someone, he was usually right. He looked down at Tasha who was sleeping soundly and he carefully got out of bed and poured himself some bottled water. A sheaf of papers Tasha had left on the table caught his eye. He picked up a few sheets, thinking that he might learn something about Egypt.
He read, " I am thy wife, O great one - do not leave me !
Is it thy good pleasure, O my brother, that I should go far from thee? How can it be that I go away alone ? I say: I accompany thee, O thou who dids't like to
converse with me. But thee remaineth silent and speaketh not ".
For a moment, Ray thought that the words might be some sort of poem Tasha had grievingly written about her late husband, Steven. Then he saw written under the
poem, " The lamentation of Ankhesenamen
at the death of her husband, the Pharoah Tutankhamun". Ray reached out for his cigarettes and lighter, slipped into his trousers and went out onto the balcony.
He decided that tomorrow, he would ask Tasha exactly, why she had made this journey to Egypt and maybe why she had asked him, to travel with her. Ray's blue
eyes didn't have their usual rather sensual, relaxed expression. He was aware again, sharper and alert to possibilities. " Something doesn't add up", he mused,
stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray on the balcony table. " And who the hell, is Ankhesywossname for god's sake. Probably a pile of dust,by now." He went back
into the room and picked up a few more sheets of Tasha's notes. " Where is Ankhesenamun ? Steven might have found a clue. How much does Hanif know
and why has he offered to marry me ? ". Ray's eyebrows shot up. He dropped the papers onto the table and sat on one of the chairs, looking at Tasha sleeping in
the bed. She looked so beautiful and vulnerable, somehow. " You're a bloody mystery, you are...", Ray murmured softly.