0 comments/ 39262 views/ 1 favorites The Most Beautiful Woman By: techsan Author's note: the following story is purely a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The author wishes to express his gratitude to Angel Love for her editing to make this a better story. "Breathes there a man with soul so dead He thrills not to the lushness of yon bottom ahead? Breathes there a man so intent on his duty That he cannot appreciate the beauty of a passing cutie?" - Author Unknown I was making my rounds in an electric cart of a local supermarket, picking up a few things for dinner, minding my own business ... and keeping an eye out for a shapely bottom or a full-sized breast or just a pretty face when ... I caught a glimpse of all three in the same jeans-and-vee-neck-blouse ahead of me. I followed her up the aisle, slowly, savoring the narrowness at her waistline, the way she rounded out the backside of her jeans and, yes, the more-than-handful globes in her blouse, much of which appeared in the loose fitting, deep vee cut of her blouse. The black material set off the tanned-and-freckled skin of her boobs very well. Then I got a good look at her face and my heart-rate quickly doubled. She was gorgeous. She had magnificent blue eyes, blonde hair (although it appeared that it was probably not her original color) cut very attractively so that it just broke in curls on her shoulders. Her makeup was impeccably done, in either perfect lines or smoothly fading changes as the case might be. Her skin was as smooth as silk with no visible blemishes. I rode toward her slowly, savoring her loveliness. When I got near, she spotted me and gave me a quick smile of apology as she moved her basket to the side of the aisle. I told her I wasn't in a rush and that she was not in my way but she just smiled. So reluctantly I rode on past her. I killed time until she came by me, continuing her shopping. Unfortunately she turned the opposite way from where I was going and I didn't want to be obvious about watching her. So I turned away and sadly assumed I had seen the last of her. But lo and behold, when I finished at one end of the store and turned along the meat counter at the back of the store, she was there studying different cuts of meats. I rolled by her a ways and then rode around a low-boy freezer case, turning back toward her and stopping to gaze longingly at her again. Making her selections, she turned her basket up another aisle and I figured she was headed to the checkouts. But again I was pleasantly surprised when I spotted her stopped halfway up the aisle, looking at various bottled waters. I slowed my pace to a crawl, then stopped. There were two other shoppers in the aisle and I hoped they would leave first while the woman stayed. I had decided to speak to her. I got lucky again as the other two shoppers moved on, leaving only the woman and me in the aisle. I began moving toward her. When I was a few feet away, she spotted me again and moved her basket over, cheerfully apologizing for being in my way. Gathering my courage, I motored on ... and stopped right in front of her. She looked surprised but interested when I started to speak. "I hope I don't offend you," I said, "but I just have to tell you that I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Her mouth dropped open, and then she smiled, her perfect, absolutely white teeth showing. Dimples also appeared in both cheeks. She said, "Why, thank you. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." "Well ... I just couldn't pass without speaking to you. You are truly gorgeous." "Thank you, again," she said, reaching out to touch my shoulder. I couldn't help but let my eyes stray to her cleavage as she bent slightly. It was enough to show almost all of her left boob to me, and I felt a growing in my crotch. She started to turn away and I reached for the cart's throttle. But then she turned back and said, "You've just made my day, you know." "No!" I said emphatically. "It is you who have made my day." She leaned over and kissed my cheek ... and I looked down the large gap between her blouse and herself. I now knew that she was not wearing a bra, her boobs would overflow even my large hands, and at least her left nipple was hard. Could the compliments have caused that? Her left arm stayed around my neck and she knew where I was looking. I tried to draw my eyes away and look at her face but my gaze kept going back to those lovely boobs. She asked, "Do you like what you see?" "Absolutely," I responded with feeling. I managed to look in her eyes; there seemed to be a little twinkle there. She said, "You know, I think what I wanted might be on this other shelf." She spun around, still bent over and fumbled with some bottles near the floor. In the process, her magnificent bottom brushed against my arm. Hastily I moved my arm around her as if to keep her from falling, in the process pulling her back so that her bottom rubbed against my chest. Oh, if I could only strip away our clothes and have a go at her. Thank goodness I was not paralyzed above my knees. I swear she rubbed her ass in little circles against me. Then with a little up and down motion that she repeated a couple of times she turned back to me with one little bottle in hand. Again she bent over to me and put an arm around my neck. "You do like my boobies, don't you?" "Yes, I love them." "Good. What do you think about ... the other part?" "Your bottom? It is wonderful." "Oh, yeah? I'm glad you like it ... but ... well, how much do you like it?" "What do you mean?" "Well, if I promised to let you play with my boobies, would you kiss my ass?" "Just as much as you can stand," I said fervently. "Then I'll meet you at the front door in a few minutes, okay?" "Yes!" Twenty minutes later, I hobbled after her into a nearby apartment complex, just a five minute drive from the store. She put her purchases away and then, turning to me, took off her light jacket and left only her sleeveless, low cut blouse covering her standout knockers ... I just realized that the way they stood out as she moved was what caught my eye in the beginning. "Come on," she said, leading me down a hall to a large bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed and said, "Just so we understand each other, this is going to be oral sex only. I don't let any man screw me until I get to know him. If you can't agree with that, we'll stop right here." "I can understand that. And, yes, I agree. Tell me when you want me to stop and I promise I will." "Okay," she said. "Here's what I have in mind. If you will kiss my ass until I say stop, then I'll let you play with my titties until you are satisfied. Okay?" "Yes, agreed." "You might as well get undressed." We both took off our clothes. When she sat back on the bed naked, she asked, "How do you want to do this?" "If its okay with you, let me kneel on the floor and you can pull your legs back." I dropped a pillow where I was going to kneel in front of her and clumsily lowered my knees to it, slipping my crutches out of the way under the edge of the bed. I looked up as she spread her legs, gazing with desire at a pussy that must have been freshly shaved that morning. However she kept pulling her legs back until they brushed the sides of her breasts. By lightly pulling the sides of her buttocks apart, I had easy access to her anus. I started as far up her legs as I could reach and licked my way down her legs and into her anal valley. With enthusiasm, I laved all of the flesh that usually remained hidden, going around in little arcs until I narrowed the arcs to her puckered little hole. She had begun to moan softly as soon as my tongue settled into her valley but when I centered on her opening, she started squirming wildly and squeaking out words of encouragement, like "oh, yes, baby, lick me, honey, don't stop, please don't stop, lick my ass, sugar." Suddenly she shrieked, locked her legs behind my head and bowed her back as she climaxed. A minute later, I pushed her legs back high and wide and resumed my assault on her anus. She said, "Honey, you've done your job. You can quit now." "I'd rather not, if you don't mind." "Well ... who am I to argue with success?" She grabbed her legs and again tugged them close to her side, leaving my hands free to do the detail work. Surprisingly it didn't take long to get her going again, squirming and wiggling her butt as if she was trying to screw it down onto my tongue. In just a few more minutes things escalated until again she wrapped her legs around my head and shrieked, "I'm cummmmmmiiinnnnngggg!" This time when she relaxed, I spread her legs again and went exploring, up over her perineum into the nether regions of her pussy. There was a small lake of cunt juice trapped in the folds of flesh that formed the bottom of her entrance and I lapped up every drop I could find. I sent my tongue into the slick, wet hole and searched out all of the sweet/tart tastes of her cunt juice. I moved up again, located her clitty standing tall and proud, and sucked the little bud into my mouth. I softly lashed it with my tongue and then sucked on the whole area and my lady friend came unglued for the third time, gurgling something like, "ohbabythatfeelssogood, yes, baby, yes, domeagainpleasehoneypleaseeatmypussyandlickmyasshoney." Hoping for at least one more good response from her, I set about licking and sucking everything from the top of her crease to the bottom, clit, pussy, anus and everything in between. Whether I found the magic button or it was just a combination of things, when I started pinging my tongue off her ass hole, she had the grandmother of all orgasms ... at least of the four she had had with me that day. When I finally stopped licking her and laid my head on her abdomen while she recovered, she ran her fingers through my hair and whispered, "Let's lay on the bed, honey." While I laboriously hoisted myself to my feet and more or less fell into bed only to pull myself around by my arms, she had gotten turned so that her head was at the head of the bed and she lay on her back waiting for me. As soon as I settled beside her, she opened her mouth with her lips puckered and I couldn't pass up that opportunity to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world. Yes, I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but to me, that's just what she was! Hands down. We kissed for several minutes, deep passionate kisses that kept my erection throbbing. Finally she broke away and said, "Time for you to collect your reward, honey." I looked at her magnificent tits and began kissing my way down her neck, across her shoulders and around her two globes. I don't think her tits were as sensitive as some partners I've had but she certainly didn't complain. She rubbed the back of my head most of the time and seemed to arch her back to push her beautiful tits into my face. I was lost in my own pleasure, sucking away at the most beautiful tit I'd every nibbled, when she asked, "Honey, do you ... you know, still do it?" I looked up at her. "You mean, fuck?" She nodded and I said, "Oh, yes. Every chance I get." "So how do you ... do it?" "Well, I guess most every way that other people do it. I love doggy style. Missionary is always good, whether its me or her on top. And there's lots of other positions too but I don't know what the names are." "Really? You like to be on top in missionary?" "Yeah, I love it." "You want to ... do it that way with me?" "Are you kidding? I'd do it anyway I could with you. But you said ..." "Yeah, I know what I said. But that was before I knew how good you would be to me, honey. Would you fuck me?" "If you're sure ..." She nodded and I scrambled to get my legs between hers. There was an awkward moment as she tried to pull her right leg up far enough to let me get my lower legs between hers and I wound up on her foot before I got my weight up on my arms and slipped into place on the second attempt. She was very understanding. I worked my cock up and down her slit between the lacy flesh that extended above the swollen outer lips. She was wet ... again ... and her juices quickly coated my member. However as I eased into her, I found her to be very, very tight so she either had not had sex in a while or her lovers were maybe smaller than me. I didn't know and didn't really care because right then I was the one privileged to be in her and it felt fan-damn-fucking-tastic to be in a pussy so tight. It took me a while to work my whole shaft into her, using short strokes and making each one a little bit longer than the one before. She had her legs spread wide with her little feet bouncing in the air beside me as I moved. Her eyes were closed, her mouth softened by a gentle smile, and her hands kept running through the hair on my chest, stopping often to carefully pinch my nipples. When I finally felt my crotch settle against her pubis, I rocked back and forth, loving the feeling of being inside her hot snatch. She wrapped her legs around my ass, her arms around my neck and pulled me down until our mouths met for a long kiss. When we broke apart, she pulled me closer and laid her cheek by mine and whispered, "Honey, that big thing feels wonderful in me. I want you to stay here for a minute and then fuck me hard, baby." So I lay there supporting my weight on my forearms, hands under her shoulders, flexing my cock inside her smooth love tunnel. Every few seconds her pussy would squeeze around my shaft, returning the favor. Finally she smiled and said, "Okay, baby." I started slow but at her urging started picking up my speed. Her facial actions and body motions indicated that she was loving the activity so I kept getting faster and faster, banging her pussy harder and harder, and she rewarded me by cumming again ... maybe half a minute before my balls coughed and spit shot after shot of hot cum into her fabulous cunt. Afterward she pulled me down on top of her and smothered me with kisses. She said, " Honey, I have not had sex in months, since my last boyfriend got caught dealing drugs and was sent away for several years. Anyway you are bigger than him and have made me feel much better than he did. And I especially loved the way you just kept on licking my anus. I couldn't believe how fantastic you made me feel. The few times I could get a guy to do that, he always quit if he got me off once but you ... I couldn't believe you got me off FOUR TIMES." Her arms tightened around my neck and she again planted a series of sloppy wet kisses on my open mouth. Finally she broke to regain her breath and I managed to roll to her side without being too clumsy but she turned with me and kept her luscious body pressed into mine. This time I initiated the kisses and she responded instantly. When we pulled back, I gazed into her eyes and averred in a soft voice, "Sweetheart, I can't believe it. I have just fucked the most beautiful woman in the world!" Her grip on my neck tightened and she gave me another quick kiss, her tongue making a hit-and-run pass into my mouth. She broke the embrace to grasp my semi-aroused cock in one hand. She whispered, "I can't believe you said that again, honey. That makes me so horny. Do you want to try it again?" The End The Most Beautiful Woman In Egypt Kindhearted and giving Farida was certainly not, thought Teti, for the thousandth time wondering how to make his beloved cousin open his eyes and see the woman that he loved so dearly for what she really was. A venomous and vengeful snake, ruthless, merciless, and pitiless backstabber would be more appropriate descriptions of his cousin's wife. Spiteful and malicious, dangerous and unremorseful, fearless and fear inducing. She was deeply despised by any woman he had ever known that crossed her path in Egypt, save for her own servant, saturnine Husmiyah. Women, he found, had a greater insight into the human soul, and despite the belief that many of them hated Farida for her looks alone, he could not discard the suspicion that most had recognized the evil personified that she and Husmiyah possessed. Terrified servants and slaves would avoid both as much as they could and when their duties had brought them in the presence of their cruel mistress, they would keep their eyes firmly on their work or sheepishly averting their gazes to the floor, never daring to meet her gaze. Farida was very quick to slap, scratch, spit at or pull the hair of her house help. She would call them names, humiliate them and even have them flogged. Of course, she would never strike out in the presence of her husband, keeping it all very private, summoning servants to her apartments and dealing with them alone. Despite her sickly pleasure in their predicament they were all very devoted to their mistress, for to cross her, to give a slightest hint of disagreement would mean that on a good day, they would be banished from the house, banished from the city in disgrace, probably unable to find work anywhere in Egypt where Farida's name was known. On a bad day, however, servants were known to be found dead; poisoned, throats cut, arms and legs displaying the telltale signs of cobra's double toothed or scorpion's stinger induced painful death. To Teti's amazement, his cousin Userkaf believed that the mysterious and all too numerous deaths in his household were the work of his enemies. Userkaf, a highly respected architect, loved by the pharaoh, who had made him his personal advisor in the construction of his tomb, temples and his own palaces has acquired many enemies in his life. He was not a bad or evil man, quite the contrary was true. Userkaf was kind and generous, sympathetic and loving, possessing all the qualities his young wife lacked. The enemies sprung from the greed and jealousy over the pharaoh's pick of Userkaf as his main architect and dear friend, confessor and confidant. Many a heart in Egypt blackened with malice over their owner being pushed aside by the living god in favor of this small and ordinary looking man, whose intellect and talent for seeing what has not yet been built in the greatest and smallest of details was unsurpassed by anyone. The fact that the servants only started dying off after Farida had moved into his house seemed to escape Userkaf's attention. Very few men, however smart or wealthy, of whatever age, belonging to all walks of life, from different corners of the world had the ability to see Farida the way she was seen by Teti. Her mind might have been saturated with calculating viciousness, her heart cold and deadly, but she looked like a goddess. She had the sweetest of faces, the lightest and clearest of complexions, the frailest and most seductive of bodies. Her eyes were lighter than any Teti had seen but on a blind man begging for scraps behind the stalls of bazaar. They were a shade of gray, which when coupled by a dress of blue took the color of the cloth and transformed themselves into gems of aquamarine, resembling the pools of passion, furious and piercingly cold. On her soft and delicate lips, the smile was a constant companion, revealing her beautiful, perfect, shiny white teeth, leaving an observer unable to resist a smile of his own in happy gratitude at receiving such a gift of unmatched attention, completely overlooking the darkness of her soul. Farida was beauty personified. She moved like a cat, swaying her hips softly and deliberately, her small hips, as yet unspoiled by the heavy burden of childbirth like a constant invitation to hungry eyes of men, who knew that all they could do was look, never to be able to touch. Teti frequently noticed her accidentally brushing her small, firm breasts against the forearms of men who stood close to her, all in a gesture of friendly intimacy or childish play. Her eyes held the gaze of men for just a moment too long than would be considered decent, yet not long enough to be perverse; long enough to leave them wondering, but not to be mistaken as intimacy. "She has been so sad lately." Sighed Userkaf, placing a small and delicate hand on his cousin's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "I wish I knew how to cheer her up." They were resting in the garden behind the Userkaf's house, letting the hefty meal settle in their bellies. Teti knew better than to contradict his relative's beliefs. He tried that before and was amazed and frightened by the response that he fired up in this mellow and always content man. For the first time in his life, he heard Userkaf raise his voice in anger. He pounded his fists on the small table, which held their refreshments, sending the delicate silver cups flying through the air, some nearly hitting Teti in the head. "Never, and I mean never are you to speak to me like that again about my wife!" He screamed, his face deep red with fury. "I have always thought you my dearest cousin, almost a brother and this is how you repay my love!" Delicate way of pointing out Farida's cruelty to the servants and people she regarded as lesser to her, compounded by malice of Husmiyah, who was her eyes and ears, her spy in the household and the city, had turned against him and instead of seeing the truth, Userkaf's affection for his wife has left him blind to her manipulative ways. "Leave my house!" yelled Userkaf, and when Teti tried to explain himself, he was physically handled by his cousin, who pushed him towards the exit, making him trip over his own feet in surprise and fear. "Leave my house, I said!" continued yelling Userkaf. "When you decide to give my wife all the respect that she deserves, then you may crawl back and beg me for forgiveness!" Teti left disgraced and disappointed, but most of all in utter terror of what might happen to his cousin now, that he was not close to protect him. Long weeks passed before Userkaf calmed down and one day walked into Teti's home on the edge of the city, carrying a tray of the sweetest fruit and freshly baked bread. "I apologize, my cousin." Userkaf said humbly. "I know how much you love me and how easy it is to get blinded by the desire to do the best for the one dear to your heart." He pressed Teti to his chest in a hold with more strength then his physical body would imply he possessed. Teti was alarmed to discover that the few weeks he had not seen his cousin had shown a gross deterioration of his body. Always a thin man, now he looked like a skeleton, sagging blackness under his eyes, hands trembling, his complexion taking on a sickly, grayish discoloration. "Life is too short, Teti." He said and kissed him on each cheek in a gesture of affection. "I know you mean the best for me, but you have to believe me when I tell you that you are deeply mistaken. I hope that one day you will realize that and forgive yourself for the ignorance that has settled in your heart, and to my deepest regret, made me lose my temper." Teti wanted to grab Userkaf and shake him until his teeth rattled. He wanted to pound the truth inside his stubborn head, making him clearly see Farida for who she was. It has been three years since she had entered his life and blinded him to everything, twisting the truth and reality in a vile distortion that for some reason his cousin could not see through. Remembering Userkaf's fury, however, he simply closed his eyes and bowed his head in submissive reproach. "I am the one who must speak an apology, my dear cousin." He heard himself say. "It was your wife that I spoke against, and it was your house where I took the liberty to do so. Please forgive me," he whispered, closing his eyes in disbelief over his own weakness. "Come now," said Userkaf cheerfully and put his arm over his cousin's shoulders. "Like I said, life is too short and we should finish the quarrelling as well as this apologizing business. All is forgiven, eh?" He said. "Let's go to my house and have a meal, now. Farida is eager to see you, my cousin." Teti's heart froze in fear and he looked closely at his cousin's face to see if there was any trace of malice or calculative hatred, always reflected on the face of his spouse. Although he did not believe it, she might have succeeded in turning him into a monster equaling her own vileness. Userkaf's face, however, was clear and happy, smiling and kind. "It was Farida, my cousin, who saw how much I was troubled by what had happened between us. It was her kindness that had sent me on my way this morning, coming to your home and doing away with all this nonsense." He nodded in ignorant bliss, squeezing Teti's shoulders tighter. Teti barely had enough time to grab the small leather pouch from the box hidden underneath the bushes in the garden, before Userkaf literally dragged him through the city like a naughty child, led to meet his punisher. Teti was afraid his knees would buckle under his weight at any moment; fear has made his body weak and mellow. Farida was not a woman to play with and in voicing his opinion, he must have made her cautious and foremost absolutely furious, that much he believed. She tried to flirt with him when she first married his cousin, but very soon, he realized that his mistrust of her was based on the vileness of her heart and brutality of her deeds. He knew of the servants' beatings, although they would never gather enough courage to tell him so, or even admit to it when he asked them. Userkaf seemed to be completely oblivious to their blackened eyes, purplish finger traces where a hand had squeezed too hard, small yellowy-green circles on his servants' skin, caused by pinching of Farida's beautiful fingers. Teti felt deeply for the unfortunate occupants of Userkaf's house, but most of all, he feared for the life of the cousin himself. As of late, Userkaf had been plagued by numerous blinding migraines, burning stomachaches, bouts of vomiting and many a day, he could not afford to leave the house due to the violent diarrhea, as one of the older servants had disclosed to Teti, in the strictest of confidence. Teti became convinced that Userkaf's illnesses were due to clandestine manipulations of Farida and her servant. He was certain she was poisoning him in some sort of way. Husmiyah had a reputation of an expert in herbal sciences. She could make potions to soothe the ill or heal the aching heart of the unrequited love, she made concoctions which induced labor when the baby was overdue, she could even help a woman from getting pregnant, it was rumored. What would prevent her from mixing a drink that would make her master ill and inevitably kill him? Teti followed Userkaf with a heavy heart and upon entering his house, he was so nervous, he believed that at any given moment, he would turn around and flee, never to return. They found Farida in the far corner of the spacious and breathtakingly beautiful garden, sitting on a bench, which was tucked in a makeshift cave of greenery, bushes and flowers protecting her from the sun. She was very proud of her complexion and would never let it be exposed to the warmth of the soothing sunrays. She hardly ever used make up except on her lips in order to make them desirable and voluptuous. In complete contrast to the high fashion she absolutely refused to wear wigs or dye her hair with henna, claiming that her own hair was thick, strong and beautiful enough to be displayed without any artificial accessories. Teti had to admit that the result Farida achieved by being different from other women was utterly stunning. She was the most beautiful woman in the city, possibly in the whole land of Egypt, even more so than the pharaoh's own wife, who before Farida's arrival had a reputation of resemblance to a goddess. In comparison to Userkaf's wife, her beauty paled and everybody was aware of that, even if they too smart to voice it. Teti hated himself for being such a coward. His was not a courageous heart and very early on, his rather disappointed father realized that he would never match the bravery of his brothers, Abubakar and Djau. He would make but a poor soldier and even poorer leader, as he had no head for strategies and fighting plans. He was also not a scholarly type, finding it hard to decipher the mysteries, which were taught to him and his brothers' by their tutors, always making himself a butt of the jokes to his brother Khalid, who seemed to drink the wisdom as greedily as the desert would intake the merciful rain. Instead, he found his talent in smaller things. He would never be a builder of majestic pyramids, but canopic urns, which he carefully chiseled from the ivory, gold and silver were dear to the pharaoh's eye and they would be the ones keeping the living god's viscera safe when he set on his last journey to the heavens. Pharaoh's wife adored small and delicate jewelry of turquoise and jade, onyx and amber, painstakingly made by Teti's fingers for her alone. Each time she attended a public ceremony, sitting next to her beloved and almighty husband, her long neck, beautifully shaped ears, long and thin fingers, and delicate ankles were clad in the splendor of Teti's work. Pharaoh's temples and palaces were decorated with small, but impressive statues, furniture made of ivory and papyri filled with beautiful, delicate writing all originating in Teti's workshop, where he spent days and nights, hardly sleeping or eating in order to finish the ordered and satisfy his master. He was not offended by Farida's haughty refusal of his gifts of jewelry and trinkets. As any man of pure heart, he understood that not everybody would be impressed by the labor of his artistic hands. It was the frustration when he realized just how much she did like them, but played them off as nothing more than cheap attempts to get in her good graces. He did not try to make her love him or even like him. But Userkaf was his cousin and the dearest of friends and he hoped that whatever companion would be chosen after the death of his first wife, mild-mannered and kind Uadjit, he, Teti would be able to accept her and be accepted in return as a part of the family. Such was not the case, however, and as the two men, hair under their wigs graying rapidly from constant worries and old age, of careful and determined gaits, slowed down by nearly five decades each one of them had walked the generous soil of Egypt, their skin almost black from unrelenting kisses of the scorching hot sunrays approached the beautiful woman not yet twenty, sitting on an ivory bench, another masterpiece of Teti's, his heart felt very old, unable to bare the coldness radiating from his cousin's wife. He was more than twice Farida's age, but the fear that she instilled in him would have him running like a child spooked by the swishing sound of leaves as the soft night breeze rattled them into a haunting melody, but for his even greater determination not to appear a fool in her eyes. "Farida, my love!" exclaimed Userkaf, and the sitting woman appeared startled. To Teti, it seemed nothing more than an act. She rose from the bench, displaying her statuesque body, much taller than either of the men. She was clad in the dress made of the softest cloth available, the color almost matching her complexion, fitting so perfectly that for a moment she appeared naked. She walked towards them with her eyes firmly holding Teti's gaze. She hugged her husband and moaned with pleasure when he pressed a soft kiss on her hair. "Teti," Farida purred like a cat in a thick accent of a faraway land, which was her home before she became Userkaf's wife. "My dearest cousin." Teti's stomach turned with disgust and anxiety. Displaying good will to his cousin he smiled back and stretched his arms towards Farida, offering a greeting. She slid inside his arms and pressed her body against his as if they were lovers, deliberately swaying her torso, brushing her breasts against his chest, making him squirm in physical moment of pleasure that this hated woman managed to enforce upon him. She pressed the side of her face against his cheek and hissed: "You better watch your tongue, you buzzard." Teti winced in horror over her courage to spit venom at him in the presence of her husband, even though Userkaf could not hear her words clearly enough to make out what had just been said. "If you don't," she continued, "I will have it torn out of your filthy mouth!" Farida gently kissed his cheek and stepped away from him, measuring him with her cold stare. "You look well, my brother." She said and Teti could do nothing but force a smile over her choice of words of familiarity. "So do you, my sister. Beautiful as ever." He said and wished that he had the courage to add, "and just as evil." "Wonderful," exclaimed Userkaf, "I for one am glad that this has ended well." He slipped his hand in his wife's and hugged his cousin with the other one, slowly leading them towards the house. "Wait, wait!" paused Teti, almost forgetting his intention, which led him to agree to come to his cousin's house. "Here," he said and reached inside his dress, pulling out a small pouch, suspended on the leather string, hanging around his neck, its contents burning his soul. "I have brought you a present, my sister." He said and opened up the pouch, taking Farida's hand and opening her palm. "This is a reconciliation gift. I would be honored if you accepted it with the humblest of apologies." He shook the pouch gently and forced a ring of gold to leave its safety, softly landing on the palm of the woman's hand. Farida eyed the ring suspiciously for a moment, narrowing her eyes and peering towards Teti as if trying to figure out the reason for this gesture of friendliness. "Nothing fancy, I'm afraid." He said reproachfully, knowing that this was exactly as she liked her accessories. The plainer the jewelry, the more pronounced her own beauty, she believed. "Just a simple ring, for ours is a simple relationship. A brother and sister joined through marriage by a man we both love." He said, carefully observing Farida's face. As he expected, she winced over his declaration of their love for Userkaf. "Indeed." She managed to squeeze through her teeth, closely inspecting the ring. It truly was just a simple band, no big gemstones to elaborate its richness. However, on the outside, it had an intricately engraved pattern, dotted by the smallest drops of turquoise, like small tears, almost invisible if not observed from up close. "Thank you, my brother." She said finally, pleasure mixed with suspicion on her face. She extended her hand for his pouch, which still hung around his neck. "Oh no, no!" he smoothly took a step away from the beautiful woman. "It is my wish that you wear it today, as a sign of your forgiveness for my stupidity." Farida's eyes narrowed even further in resentment, but to humor her husband and get out of the sun quickly, she sighed and put the ring onto middle finger of the right hand. Teti smiled in triumph, carefully masking his pleasure. This might be a traitorous act, but it was for the best. Roasted goose and fish, bread and cakes, coupled by salad of baked zucchini, cooked asparagus and fresh cucumbers in olive oil, beer and wine compounded the meal, with which their host was to celebrate the treaty made between the two people he loved more in life than anyone else. Although married previously, Userkaf's wife had died giving birth to their only child, a small boy who did not live longer than a few days and had followed his mother to her new heavenly home. It has taken over twenty years for Userkaf to remarry and nobody feigned surprise, when he returned home one summer from a long and faraway journey with this beautiful woman on his arm, proud as a peacock and blind to anything but her charms. The Most Beautiful Woman In Egypt "We will go and sit in the sun for awhile, Farida." Declared Userkaf after the meal, grabbing his cup of beer and motioning Teti to follow him. The look of disgust that was directed at Teti by his cousin's wife made him pick up his feet, tracking his cousin like a puppy. So, they found themselves sitting on the same bench in the garden where Farida took shelter from the sun earlier, sipping on their beer, conversation hard to take a smooth flow. "Yes, so sad." Repeated Userkaf, jerking Teti out of his thoughts. "I'm afraid it is my fault, as well." Teti was shocked. "Your fault? What in heaven's name are you talking about?" he asked alarmed. "Well," sighed Userkaf deeply and sipped on his beer. "When we first got married, I used to put great emphasis on having a son. Many sons in fact. And daughters, too." His eyes darkened with remorse. "It has been three years since Farida first lay with me and there are no children yet. I am afraid she blames herself for it." Teti did not see it like at all. He was certain that if there were no children, it was due to Husmiyah's magic potion, no doubt requested by Farida herself. She didn't want any children by Userkaf. She didn't even like him touching her, he had seen her pull away from him or wince at his touch too many times to believe otherwise. It must have been a real torture for Farida to share his bed every once in a while. Letting him look at and run his hands over her perfect body. Taking her eagerly, blinded by passion he never realized that her moans and screams were nothing but a lie. Of course, Teti had never witnessed their love making, but it did not take much intellect to realize what must have been going on in Userkaf's apartments when his wife mercifully agreed to share his bed. "Maybe it is her fault." Said Teti boldly and only his cousin's dark eyes, begging him not to restart the argument stopped him from revealing more. "Well," he added carefully. "You did father a child. A boy, no less. It might not have been your fault that he was not strong enough. Maybe not even his mother's fault." Userkaf's face kept darkening with sadness and Teti hardly saw a way out of this. "Maybe the gods liked him so much they wanted him back before he lived a full earthly life, Userkaf. Maybe it is Farida's fault tha your home has no children." A weak smile from his cousin told him that he appreciated the attempt to make him feel better. "No, I don't believe that, my dear cousin." He said meekly. "I am fifty years old, much older than her, my body has been beaten by troubles, worries, illnesses, diseases and weather. It is no wonder I cannot put a baby in her belly and happiness in her heart." Teti smirked. How odd that a man of such intelligence could be so foolish! Teti knew much more than he ever could reveal to Userkaf and expect him to remain his friend. The way his cousin reacted when he mentioned Farida's cruelty had told him that if he was to reveal her affair with Userkaf's nephew, he might make the man fall over dead with sadness or even pull a dagger on Teti himself. "Farida sacrifices to Bast every day, and I do the same to Min, praying for fertility of our bodies, which would produce a household of happy laughter and stomping little feet, which would bring me moments of joy in my final days of life." Userkaf's heavy sigh stabbed deep into Teti's heart. What will happen to him when he finds out what Teti has done? The deed has not been completed yet, Teti knew better than to be careless, not expecting too much from words of a priest he had only met once in his life and who lived in a small village by the Nile three days of horse ride away. Who is to say the priest himself didn't lie? 'Well,' thought Teti, 'I suppose we will know soon.' "Maybe, the time will come when it will not matter anymore." Said Teti, facing his cousin with as much frankness in his face as he could possibly muster. "We are old men now, Userkaf, or almost old." "Old would be right." Chuckled Userkaf. "Well, we are old and the world is to continue on the young. You should enjoy the fruit of your labor, enjoy the favors of the pharaoh and delight in your wife as much as you can. Who is to say we will not be meeting Osiris tomorrow?" Userkaf was clearly amused by this short speech. "My cousin, a philosopher!" he exclaimed and gently slapped Teti on his back. "Obviously, the old age is doing you good." The men felt satisfied in the late morning sun, feeling closeness and genuine affection for each other. They quieted for a few moments, Userkaf finally breaking the silence: "How are you children, my cousin? I haven't seen them in your house this morning." Teti sighed heavily. His children were his pleasure and pain, his pride and heaviness of the heart. "Kaphiri and Heqaib are in their tutor's workshop, still industriously studying. I am thankful that they have taken this small talent of mine and turned it into something useful." "Yes," agreed Userkaf. "They will make fine scribes one day and any temple in Egypt would love to give them shelter and appreciate their work." After a short pause, he continued: "Come to think of it, the way your favor with the pharaoh seems to be growing, I would not be surprised if they both ended up in his own temple one day." "And we all know, particularly me, that favor was solely bestowed upon me through your name. If I was not your relative, the pharaoh would not have given me the time of the day." "Oh, now!" exclaimed the older of the two men. "It might be true that the pharaoh noticed you earlier because of our cousinship, but sooner or later someone would have whispered in his ear, revealing the name of the best of the small sculptors and jewelers in the city." "You flatter me greatly, cousin." Teti felt embarrassed. "But, please! Continue! My ears are soothed by the honey of your words." Both men burst into a bout of laughter, slapping their thighs in merriment. "And how is my beautiful niece Halima?" Userkaf finally caught his breath. "Ah, beautiful." Replied Teti, which again triggered a bout of uncontrollable giggles from the men too old to behave like young children. "She has more wigs, dresses, smelling salts and jewelry then anybody I have ever known. She is a headache sometimes, cousin." "She is a blessing, Teti." Replied Userkaf seriously. "She is a good young woman and you will have to be looking for a husband for her soon." "Ha!" laughed Teti. "You and I and pharaoh all will have to put our influence together to find someone who will take care of her!" he added, knowing that even though his daughter possessed a great deal of vanity, she really was a good young woman as Userkaf had so kindly pointed out. "Which reminds me," said Teti carefully. "How is your nephew these days? I haven't seen him anywhere in the city for weeks now." Userkaf let out a heavy sigh, his face darkening in displeasure. "Ah, Djoser. He is a troubled young man, indeed." Teti frowned in an understatement voiced by his cousin. "You know Teti, when my beloved brother passed away, I promised him I would take good care of Djoser. I was going to see him learn a trade and settle down. He was to have a family, be happy and kind, just like my brother had been. But," he sighed heavily, "it was not to be." Teti nodded in agreement, recalling all the trouble and worries that young Djoser had bestowed upon his guardian. "He is not a boy any longer, you know." Continued Userkaf. "He is a young man now. Handsome and strong, stubborn and I am sad to say, greedier than anyone I had ever known." Teti's thoughts flew to Farida, but he did not interrupt his cousin's flow of thoughts. "Djoser is not the sort of man I should have encouraged to come to the house after I got married, even if he is my own flesh and blood. He would embarrass and insult me continuously. He would upset me every time he set his foot in my home." Userkaf wiped his eyes as if crying, but there were no tears to be seen. "Every time he came here, he would upset Farida, too!" he concluded. Teti closed his eyes in disappointment over his cousin's blindness. Djoser had never upset or insulted Farida in his life. Like so many other men in the city, he was enchanted by her, oblivious to anything but her eyes, and hips, and breasts. He followed her like a small kitten and everybody but Userkaf had seen it. Farida's hard feelings toward Djoser were an act and they were both playing a part. That is why Teti feared for his cousin' life so much. Both of them greedy, up to no good, this could not have ended good. "Where is he now?" inquired Teti, feigning interest. "Living in one city or another, one village or another, learning one trade or another. He had failed in everything he had ever tried to learn. He does not have the patience or determination, Teti. He is a very bright young man. He could be anything he wanted to be, a doctor, an architect, a scribe. But no, the best he does is throw my good name and my hard earned wealth away as if they were a rotten piece of meat. The last time when he was here, I had asked him to stay away. I cannot deal with it anymore." Sadness on Userkaf's face was so profound that Teti did not have a heart to tell him the truth. He could not reveal the goings on from a few months ago, when he accidentally wandered into the garden and hearing hushed voices hid behind the bushes, only to observe Farida and Djoser in a passionate embrace, kissing and fondling each other like a pair of common monkeys. If there ever were a baby in Farida's belly, Teti would have sworn it was not Userkaf's child. Teti sighed in relief. Like he said to Userkaf before, everything will be all right soon. When this day was over, things would be sorted out, even though Userkaf was not aware of it yet. "Come on!" rang out a sweet voice of Userkaf's wife through the garden. "Let's have some desert!" The men could not see Farida clearly from the trees and bushes, but even through all of the greenery and flowers, her impressive figure dominated the patio at the back of the house. "Come, cousin." Said Userkaf gaily. "Let's grant the wish of the most beautiful woman in Egypt." Heaviness and fear made Teti's legs feel like blocks of stone, and for a moment he almost declined the offer. To back off now however, would be foolish. He had to see his deed come to pass. He had to see the look on Farida's face at the moment of realization that she, the backstabber, had been tricked and stabbed in the back herself. They joined Farida and her faithful servant Husmiyah at the low table holding a tray of the sweetest looking fruit one could find at this time of the year. Grapes, white and black, thick plums, apples and bananas were arranged on silver in a way to please the eye. Teti always wondered about Husmiyah's boldness, sitting at the family table, eating with Userkaf as if she was a relative and not a simple servant. Userkaf motioned to the cook to come closer and taste the fruit before any of them bit into it. After all the unexplained deaths of servants and slaves, Userkaf had finally given in to Teti's persuasion to have the cook taste the food before each meal. Userkaf himself would choose the piece of meat or a handful of vegetables to be tested, waiting patiently for the cook who prepared the food to eat them, making sure that it was not poisoned. These days, one could not tell where the danger lurked. "No, my husband!" interrupted Farida to the great surprise of Userkaf and Teti both. Husmiyah did not seem to be alarmed. "I trust our cook immensely. He is a very loyal servant, nobody has ever fallen ill from his food." She challenged the men with the deepest of gazes, daring them to oppose her. "Here," she said. "I will taste it for you. I am your loyal wife and if gods desire it so, I would die for you!" she said contently, making Teti nearly lose control of himself and laugh out in a hoarse screech. Farida reached for the plums on the tray, picked out the thickest and juiciest one, and biting into it closed her eyes to savor the taste. Alarm evident on Userkaf's face did not disappear until she swallowed and looked at him seductively. "See? Nothing wrong with it." She offered the half eaten plum to her husband. "Now you!" As Userkaf took the fruit from her hand and carried it to his mouth, waving dismissal to the cook, she reached for another plum and bit into it with all the eagerness of a mischievous child. "I will taste for you, too, my brother." Teti would rather not eat anything that had been spoiled by the vile mouth of this woman, however in order to keep the peace for a few minutes longer, he took the fruit and bit into its sweet softness, chewing on its juicy meat, just as his cousin had done before him. Satisfied that she completed her task, Farida leaned back, crossing her hands over her pulled up knees, keeping her weight in balance as if she was somehow suspended in an impossible leaning position. "So," she smiled sweetly. "What were you two talking about in the garden?" She leaned forward in a conspiratory gesture: "Or was it male business, not suitable for my pretty little ears?" 'And I thought Halima was vain', went through Teti's head. This woman had no modesty about herself whatsoever. She would tell you she and everybody else believed she was the most beautiful woman in the whole of Egypt without batting an eye or blushing in shame over her own boldness. "Oh, no," Userkaf dismissed her tact, reaching for another pair of plums, handing one to Teti. "We were talking about my nephew, Djoser. About his impossible ways and how he always upsets us both with his crudeness and dishonesty. " Something bothered Teti, but he could not quite put his finger on it. Something was amiss here, and yet, he could not place blame on anything or anyone for his feeling of dread. Farida's burst of laughter intensified the uneasiness he began feeling since they entered the house upon her call. "Ah, Djoser!" she exclaimed. "The handsome, bold, greedy and above all, completely useless Djoser!" Userkaf swayed a bit, and Teti could have sworn that his words were slurred. "Now, Farida, no need for that kind of talk." "No?" she asked, cocking her head in flirtation. "What kind of talk would you like to hear then?" Teti wanted to interrupt and bring a stop to her cruelty, which so obviously was about to target his dearest cousin and friend. His tongue seemed heavy in his mouth; his eyelids droopy and he realized he was so tired that any minute now, he would fall over and drift into sleep. "What kind of talk is that, Userkaf?" screamed Farida now, jumping to her feet, approaching her husband in a threatening manner. "Would you rather talk about my beauty? Is that it?" With great effort, Teti forced himself to turn his head and look at Userkaf. His eyes were wide open now. He didn't look well, appearing as a drunk with no control over his body or speech. "You want to talk about my breasts, my hair and my beautiful face, and about how much you like to touch me where you think nobody has ever touched me before? You fool!" She spat. "You old, ugly, stupid fool!" she was screaming hysterically now, her voice echoing in Teti's head, giving him an instant headache. "Did you know, that your nephew, your adopted son, your beloved Djoser believes that when you're dead, he will take your place in my bed? He prays to every god he can think of to take you away from here, to leave him with your wife and your riches to rule his life like he wants to!" She walked over to Userkaf in fury and slapped him with such force, that he toppled over, his head landing at Teti's feet. To his horror, Teti realized that Userkaf's eyes were open in stunned realization of what had happened. There was no movement to be seen, no breath taken by his beloved cousin. Userkaf was dead and Teti could not move a muscle. "And you!" Farida now turned to Teti, her rage centered on him in complete oblivion to anything else around her. "You tried to poison his mind against me!" He could see the slap coming but his body was to weak to avoid it. He fell just like his cousin did mere seconds ago, but he was not dead yet. He couldn't move his limbs but he could still talk. Words were slurred and almost unrecognizable, but he could still talk. "What did you do?" he asked with great effort, feeling his lungs constraining, pushing out his breath and not letting any air back in. "I poisoned you two fools!" she yelled in triumph, and Teti felt her kick somewhere beneath his waist. He could not feel any pain now; his lungs have gathered all of the sensations left in his body, turning into a burning ball of desire to draw breath. "I am getting rid of both of you! You and your haughty pharaoh and his cursed favor of your pathetic works!" "How?" he heard a coarse whisper escape his mouth. For a moment, the muscles of his body relaxed and he gratefully inhaled, managing to move his fingers of the right arm and touch Userkaf's head. "How?" he repeated. "The plums were poisoned!" she exclaimed and laughed like a madwoman. "Half of each fruit was poisoned and I took great care to mark the deadly side and make sure that I bit off the clean part! And you, and this fool here, the great intellects have fallen for the oldest trick known to mankind!" Farida laughed and laughed, making Teti believe that she really did lose her mind. "The ring," he whispered, cutting her laughter short. "What?" she fell onto her knees close to him, pushing her head against his mouth in order to hear his last words. "What did you just say?" "The ring." His voice became stronger and for a moment, a tiny spark of hope flickered in his head, making him believe that he did not ingest enough poison to kill him. "What about the ring?" asked Farida and looked at the beautiful band wrapped around her finger. "Ah!" she screamed again and Teti felt sorry for the woman, spending her last moments of her life hollering like a lunatic at the bazaar. She lifted her hand in front of her face, clearly exposing the finger with the ring, now blackened and swollen. Teti smiled contently. It worked. "Husmiyah!" whispered Farida, her face an ugly mask of terror. She frantically tried to pull the ring off her finger and as she finally managed to slip it over the knuckle, it had left fine, thin marks, like those made by a cat when scratching in fury. Husmiyah ran to her mistress, grabbing her hand and inspecting the wounds. "It took me months to make it, Farida. Just for you." Teti let out in his struggle for breath. He had to give himself this last pleasure. Despite the pain and suffering, he had to let her know. "On the inside, there are the finest of the thorns a man has ever made, Farida. As fine as the stinger of a mosquito. You don't feel it stab you, but when the poison on the ring starts working, your finger swells up and pushes the stingers and the poison deep inside your body., The little turquoise gems are holding more poison that it is needed end the lives of a dozen men." He coughed with effort. "It kills you, Farida!" His body spasmed in pain over the lack of air, his limbs heavy, his brain going numb just as he was aware it was doing so. "It kills you, just like you killed your husband. Just like you killed me. You always fancied yourself a lioness or a tigress." He coughed, spitting foam that had been choking him. "And yet, you are nothing but a hyena, too greedy to care that you are sniffing around the basket full of rattlesnakes. You were bound to get stung sooner or later, Farida." He took one more breath and then his body convulsed in a terrifying pain of death. The last thing he saw before his eyes lost their focus was Farida and her old servant clutching at the beautiful woman's hand, their faces twisted in horror. Farida swayed and her body lost balance, slowly falling to the ground to join that of Userkaf and his own. The Most Beautiful Woman In Egypt 'It worked', thought Teti and died.