Sheeda took Marth by the hand into the dining room. Neither of them had to tell the chef of Marth's arrival…he had everything timed so well.
"Prince Marth!" Chef Loren called to him hearing footsteps in the dining room. "It's so nice to see you back! For you…" Chef Loren greeted Marth by showing him the divine Pinot Noir. "Sit down, sit! I will pour the first glass." The chef said. Marth sat down to Caeda's right. She was at the head of the table…she always sat at the head of the table because Marth always put her first. Sheeda watched as the chef poured a small amount in Marth's glass. She loved watching her husband swirl it around the glass and smell it before drinking it. Of course, she also laughed to herself because Marth did that even though it was the kind of wine he always drank and it constantly tasted the same. And silly chef Loren would always wait for Marth's response even though it was always the same…
"It's perfect Loren thank you." Sheeda mouthed the words as Marth said them.
"Ooooh delightful!" Loren proclaimed as he filled the wine glass appropriately. "Now don't go anywhere. I'll be back!" The chef couldn't wait to present his bisque. He quickly returned with two bowls on the verge of being too full. Marth had already poured Sheeda's glass of wine. "Here we are! Enjoy! I'm going to finish the sauce for the fish." And the chef ran off again. Sheeda was about to take a sip of wine before Marth stopped her.
"Wait….to being home….for a long time." Marth said raising his glass to hers.
"I will always drink to that." Sheeda said gulping practically half of the glass down. Of course, she and Marth drank wine so much they had built up a permanent tolerance to it. "I saw your sister today. She was well."
"Yeah? Good. Wait….is she still seeing that guy? This is bisque isn't it?" Marth asked.
"You mean the guy you don't like, I don't know. I was signing papers and yes its bisque." Sheeda answered. Marth shoved the bowl toward her.
"He just doesn't really deserve my sister, you know? He…is the type that is going to hurt her, I just know it." Marth said swirling his wine around.
"You don't know that, you could be wrong. You've met him…what….once? Oh, and on another subject…your dad's birthday…it's all set. Menu's set, guest list is set, invitations went out yesterday, ordered the place settings and got you something to wear for it. Trust me you'll like it." Sheeda said finishing off her bowl of bisque and starting on Marth's. Her eyes were starting to water from the roses on the table.
"Here, you're allergic to these." Marth moved them to the other end of the table.
"I know I'm allergic, but I also know how much you love white roses and hate crab bisque." Sheeda said polishing off her glass of wine. Marth filled it up again for her. He smiled at her.
"Well, you're right I do love them…but I hate it that your eyes water every time you're around them. So why did the chef make bisque?" Marth asked watching her closely as he finished his own wine. Sheeda sighed.
"I didn't have the heart to tell him you hated bisque after he worked on it….and I may have had my own selfish thing going on….you know I knew I would get yours." Sheeda said shoving his now empty bowl aside.
"Surprisingly, this all makes perfect sense to me." Marth told her. Chef Loren returned with his dinner presentation. "Now that….THAT….looks amazing Loren. You've outdone yourself."
"Now Marth, try it before you praise my dish." The chef awaited his reaction. Sheeda could really put her wine away quickly. She noticed their bottle was disappearing quickly as she poured herself more.
"It's…..its amazing fish Loren. Really, this is delicious." Marth reassured him.
"Wonderful! Then you two enjoy. I had a feeling you would like it. Besides, you've been gone too long. In the north they don't cook like I do!" Loren patted Marth's shoulder before returning to the kitchen with empty bowls.
"He's the best isn't he?" Marth asked Sheeda.
"He really is. We're lucky to have him. He chose to work for us over many other who applied to have him. That must be nice to be a chef who can choose who he wants to work for rather than being an applicant hoping to be hired."
"Did I…seriously buy you a dress cut that low? I mean…it's really gorgeous." Marth asked out of nowhere seemingly not listening to a word Sheeda had said. She looked down her chest.
"Yes…you did." She said laughing.
"Why…did I do that? I'm clearly showing far too much of you to others. What is wrong with me!?" Marth said.
"You obviously weren't thinking with your brain when you picked this out." Sheeda winked and lifted her glass to her lips. Marth couldn't help but laugh at her. He shook his head.
"Lies…you tell lies, you know that?" Sheeda didn't say anything she just kept staring him down as she drank the rest of her wine and sat the glass down. This was a tactic Sheeda used all the time when she wanted to get Marth to admit the truth. "Okay, fine…you're right. I hate it when you do that!" Marth said. Sheeda smiled.
"I know, and I love the fact that it works every time. Hmmm…how did we already drink all this wine?"
"Is there another bottle? Please tell me you chilled another bottle." Marth asked her getting up from the table to go check the cellar.
"I did. But sit back down, Loren is certainly finishing the crème brulee he made." Sheeda said.
"So, we can drink noir with crème brulee…it's not the best combination but…" Sheeda cut Marth off.
"The other bottle is not in the cellar…it's upstairs." Sheeda winked again, man she was on fire today. Marth stared at her before sitting back down beside her. She loved it when she left him speechless like this. Just sitting there staring at her with those dark blue eyes and navy hair falling over his brow.
"Sheeda…what's crème brulee?" Marth asked her dreamily.
"I don't know…some….custard thing that has….sugar or something." Sheeda said not really knowing what this crazy desert was the chef had fixed. But it was time to find out because chef Loren has brought it out.
"Here we go. I'm going to clean up the kitchen and I'll see you tomorrow." The chef announced.
"Very well, and thank you for all the work you've done today." Marth told him.
"It's my pleasure, it truly is. Goodnight." And the chef disappeared into the kitchen not be seen again that night.
"This is…interesting. It's like pudding, it's like custard, it's sweet but not too sweet…I think I like this." Marth said analyzing the crème brulee.
"I'd eat it again." Sheeda said. It was such a petite desert that it didn't take them long to finish it.
"I needed a dinner like this…I was so hungry." Marth said.
"You've got to be tired too, you've traveled all day." Sheeda pushed her carafe aside and reached for Marth's hand to lead him to their oceanfront balcony. He followed her out of the dining room and down the hall but pulled her backwards so she was walking beside him instead of in front of him. He snuck his arm around her waist. The evening outside had given way to nightfall. His luggage that they had left behind downstairs would be there the next day. Sheeda pulled open the double door to their room cause the ocean air whip about causing the candlelight in the room to flicker. Sheeda had completely forgotten that she had lit those earlier. But the tender flicker was peaceful against the backdrop of black. Of course, she reminded herself that it was probably dangerous to leave them lit like that. Marth immediately walked out to the balcony. He had missed the sound the of ocean, the way the night air would blow in from the sea, and he missed the stars overhead. He laid down on the lounge chair, and looked around realizing that they had way too much furniture out there…why in the world were there four chairs and a table out here?
Sheeda appeared, wine bottle and full glasses in hand. She handed one of the glasses to Marth and proceeded to lay down with him. Marth put his free arm over her, his fingers resting on the diamonds on her neck. Sheeda could have drowned in his scent, it was intoxicatingly wonderful and it felt like forever since they had laid out here in this chair under the stars. What was normally a ritual had been an absence in this house for eleven days.
"Do you think we can get through this whole bottle? I threw the cork away." Sheeda said.
"Yes, we can. Especially since I haven't had a decent wine since I left here. The northern wine was very pungent, very….I don't know. It wasn't good wine at all." Marth told her. Sheeda shook her head.
"You are so spoiled. Do you have any idea how spoiled you are? My god Marth you are so used to what you like and when you want it." Sheeda accused him. Marth laughed at her and blatantly disagreed with her.
"I am so not spoiled! No, no Sheeda you're wrong. I have never been spoiled." He said tightening his arm around her.
"Okay, let's think for a minute. When….now think before you answer me….when have I…or anyone else….ever…..EVER…..said no to you or god forbid change something you like for something new." Sheeda said trying unsuccessfully to get her hand under his shirt.
"There was the time…" Sheeda cut him off.
"No! No, no, no! You cannot use that stupid dog excuse. Marth that thing had a disease!"
"But I wanted to keep it!" Marth argued her.
"Yeah! So we could all die of whatever it had! I was protecting you there. Now, think harder." Sheeda told him.
"Actually….you've…never told me no so I guess that makes me…spoiled. But…I will say this…I might be spoiled…but you know there's one occasion where I always let you have your way." She felt his lips on the top of her head. Sheeda smiled and took a drink of her wine. He was right about this. On their wedding day Marth had told her he would be at her mercy in their bed; that he was the empire and she was the empress. That was nearly three years ago, Sheeda had completely conquered this empire underneath her…and she would always be the empress. She sat her now empty wine glass on the cemented tile underneath her and threw her left leg over Marth so that she was straddling him. She pushed both her hands up his white shirt.
"I love you…you are so spoiled…but I love you and I love spoiling you." Sheeda crept her way up his body and kissed wine soaked lips. She could feel Marth's hand on her back. He moaned as she kissed him harder. He reached over and sat his glass down because he had to get both hands on her. Sheeda's hands moved higher and higher pulling Marth's shirt up to the point where she reluctantly pulled her lips away from him and pulled it off of him effortlessly. Now there he was, half naked before her and the most delicious thing Sheeda has seen in more than a week. Marth wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her feverishly. She felt his hands slide back down her body and underneath the light layers of fabric until his hands were on her bare thighs. Sheeda pulled her head backwards.
"Oooh, god Marth! Oooh…" She leaned in close to him. "Fuck me." She whispered with lust in her voice and wine in her breath.