Blessed Lands Egypt Chapter Sixteen
Blessed Lands Egypt
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 16
Thank Thoth the laws permitted him some leeway, thank Isis the law permitted Akila some leeway! He would have been branded and she would have been stoned.
Honute sat on the examination table waiting for one of the doctors to enter. He waited, dressed in a hospital gown recounting last night’s event. Akila woke him up from a frightful dream. In it he saw Hypatia screaming and yelling at him. She was mad and hurled painful words at him. Then she had a gun and fired. He woke up to Akila kissing his neck. All was better with the Blessed Lands and he felt that Thoth was smiling down on him. Thoth had to be rewarding him for some unknown deed he was about to do. Honute realized his smile was not forced for the first time in many months. He was happy and though he had not known Akila for very long he hoped she was happy as well.
Theoris stepped into the room first. Akila was several steps behind her. Theoris walked over to a monitoring system in the corner. It read Honute’s pulse, temperature and blood pressure. Occasionally, a power led would flicker on and off and a low tone hummed as background noise. She turned to say something and saw that Akila was leaning against the exam table. One thigh was resting lightly on the edge of the table and she was teasing her hair. Akila was wearing a loose version of her usual dress wrap – Greek influence, which allowed the leg to rest comfortably on the table. Both were softly talking. “Akila?”
Akila looked up. She seemed to be glowing. “Yes, Doctor?”
Theoris frowned. “I’m sorry.” She smiled. “I forgot what I was going to ask.”
Akila and Honute laughed.
Theoris looked toward the door and said, “I’ll be back in maybe thirty minutes. If Dr. Rivota arrives before I return have her proceed without me.”
Akila nodded. “Yes, Doctor.”
Theoris quickly walked out the room, down the hall, down the stairs. She stepped out into the open area and hastily walked toward Hypatia’s building. She took the stairs and nearly ran down the hall to Hypatia’s office. She stopped just in front of the doorway to catch her breath. After a moment she lightly rapped on the door frame.
Hypatia was studying notes from one of the associate professors. The writing was a squiggle of jumbled mangled script. She had been looking at one paragraph for the fifth time when she heard a light tapping at her door. She placed the papers down and walked over to the door. She opened it and saw Theoris grinning ear to ear.
Theoris stepped in happy as a lark. Her smile was wide and she felt light on her feet. Hypatia had opted to wear a tan dress wrap with a traditional emerald necklace. It clung to her body and gave her a sexy look. Theoris closed the door behind her and grabbed Hypatia by the jaw. She kissed her passionately and crushed Hypatia close to her body. The emerald pressed firmly against her chest and made a small niche just below the collarbone.
After several seconds, Hypatia pulled away. “I missed you too!”
Theoris cupped one of Hypatia’s breasts and whispered in her eye. “Tonight, you are mine.”
Hypatia said, “Oh really? How’s the stomach?”
Theoris replied, “Much better. It was definitely a mental thing. I really do feel much better.”
Hypatia smiled, “Okay, so what mental thing that happened between then and now made you better.”
Theoris opened her mouth to say what she thought was happening between Honute and her assistant, but it occurred to her that Hypatia might not be happy. What to do, what to do? She could tell the truth and hope Hypatia would find the irony in the situation. She pursed her lips together and said, “Ferruk inserted himself into the project.”
Hypatia stiffened. “Oh? Really?”
Theoris nodded, “Well, Ferruk, did some posturing and Honute meekly bowed down to him. It was pathetic.” She made an ugly face. In that part she wasn’t lying. It had been a pathetic scene to her. “Well, afterwards, I think it put Akila off. She’ll be working with Honute closely and things will go better if they have a decent understanding. They seemed to be getting along, now.”
Hypatia slowly said, “And that was the thing that got you all knotted up inside?” It sounded a bit silly. A grown woman – in charge of tens of millions of dollars of equipment and grants, who has made men tremble and cry, worry about how her assistant likes her husband.
Theoris nodded. “Silly, I know, that was just the last of a bad day and I think I was too focused on it.” That last spin may have saved her lie.
Hypatia nodded.
Theoris said, “Ferruk, I feel is going to be a real pain in the ass. Having my inner circle world function well will help me deal with him.” She took a deep breath.
Hypatia thought for a second and then laughed.
Theoris, confused, laughed too, but not as hard. “What?”
Hypatia kissed her on the cheek. “You are human. At first I thought you were trying to cover something up.”
Theoris’ laugh was forced but sounded natural. “Cover something up?”
“Yes,” Hypatia said, “like, you or your assistant falling in love with Honute.”
The laugh wasn’t forced this time.
“But since your ex-husband is involved I can understand all the stress.” Hypatia thought a moment. “I’m glad, Akila? That’s her name?”
Theoris nodded.
“I’m glad Akila can work with Honute. He really is a very sweet man, and most women would just love him. If Akila winds up liking him that’s okay, she can have him. Any woman can have him, I don’t care. I’ve made up my mind. Besides, I had been feeling a little guilty about us.”
Theoris was surprised, “Really?”
Hypatia grinned, “Yeah. I hadn’t made love to him in several weeks and here I am having sex. I doubt Honute would have had a chance to find someone. He can be so humble and passive at times. He would be working too hard not to hurt everyone’s feelings to be aggressive.”
Theoris thought about that remark for a moment. Something was adding up. “Would it trouble you if I ask you questions about him later tonight?”
Hypatia frowned, “What do you mean? Trouble me?”
“Well, I think I’m going to need to do a personality profile on him. I was able to access his old military bio and a few questions came to mind.”
“Well, I suppose so, if you only have a few questions? I really don’t want to talk about him all that much. I’d like to plan my next step and move on with my life. I know it’s not your fault that by a strange twist of fate he winds up being part of the research of my lover.”
Theoris heard mixed messages, but she had some satisfaction that Hypatia referred to her as lover. “I promise I’ll keep it short. Would you like anything special tonight? My treat.”
Hypatia stepped up close to Theoris. “Well, I had wanted to try that Greek restaurant near here.”
Theoris said, “The Greek Marble?”
“Yes, that’s the one. I read in the Daily Papyrus Food Review that the food was great.”
Theoris closed the space between the two and pressed her chest up against Hypatia’s. She reached around and gave Hypatia’s cheek a squeeze. “If food will make you happy then Greek it will be.” She pressed her hips firmly against Hypatia’s and slowly gyrated. She slipped her leg betweens Hypatia’s and moved it up and down. “You got time to fool around?”
Hypatia responded in like and hugged Theoris tightly. She pressed her lips against Theoris’ and slipped her tongue in. The kiss turned passionate.
Theoris started to lift Hypatia’s dress up when there was a knock at the door.
Hypatia cursed softly, said, “One moment, please.”
The door knob turned and both women untangled themselves from each other. Dogola, Hypatia’s new assistant stepped in.
He looked up from some papers he was reading, startled said, “Oh, I’m sorry Doctor Hypatia. I thought you said, ‘Come in, please.’ “
Hypatia nearly snatched the papers from his hand but caught herself. “Never mind. Dogola, this is Doctor Theoris. She is Director of the Social Sciences and Behavior department. You see her you jump. She has priority over all phone calls, understand?”
Dogola looked at both women. For a brief moment he felt he interrupted something but pushed it aside. “Yes, Doctor, I understand. Is there anything I can get you?”
Theoris spoke up, “Well, I should be going. I just wanted to give you the news. I’ll see you later in the day to discuss that project.” No need to start rumors.
Hypatia said, “Yes, thank you.” She picked up on the tone. “I am clear after six. I can answer any questions you may have.”
Theoris stepped around Dogola and headed back to Akila and Honute. Things were still a bit uncertain, but she felt giddy all the same. One thing she decided she had to know whether or not Akila and Honute were doing more than talking. Odd, she thought, how one could feel some jealousy over the affections given by someone you know and like to someone you don’t really know. Tonight would rest two things, hopefully – Honute’s past and his present. She looked at her timepiece. Honute should be ready to receive his first injection. She hurried out the building. This she, decided, was something she wanted to see.
Honute was relaxed and meditating. An IV line ran from a plastic bag, hung upside down from a metal pole, to the antecubetal area of his arm. Akila was sitting in front of the monitoring station. She had a notepad in her hand and was writing something. Theoris presumed it to be data from the monitoring instruments.
A short rather round middle-aged woman in a white lab coat leaned over Honute. She had the flat end of a stethoscope pressed to Honute chest. Theoris watched Dr. Rivota with a careful eye. She liked the woman on a professional level; however, Rivota was known to be a gossiper. “Priest Honute, please take a deep breathe.”
Honute inhaled deeply. It went on for a full ten seconds.
Rivota said, “Let it out slowly. Okay, another deep breath but not as long . . . thanks, and let it out slowly.” She palpated his chest with two fingers. Then she called out. “Akila, what is Priest Honute’s BP?”
Akila looked up from writing. “110/65.”
“And Pulse rate?”
“Fifty-two.”
Rivota stood back. “Well, Priest Honute . . .”
“Just Honute, please.” Honute said.
Rivota continued. “You are in outstanding physical conditioning. Most adolescents wished they had health like yours.”
Theoris stepped up and looked at the IV.
Rivota said, “You missed the action about ten minutes ago. Honute is a good patient.”
He smiled.
Akila glanced his way and smiled broadly.
Theoris caught the smile. So did Dr. Rivota.
Rivota patted him on the thigh and said, “Well, Honute, I’ll send in one of my assistants to help with the monitoring. We’re going to leave you on the IV for another four hours. Tell us if you feel strange or different, okay?”
Honute nodded.
Rivota walked toward Theoris. Both stepped outside the room. “Where’d you find this one?” Rivota asked. “He is in outstanding shape and what eye candy.”
Theoris blinked several times.
Rivota said, “I’d love to find him under my sheets.” She looked at Theoris. “Tell me, Theoris, I know you would have liked to taste him.”
“What do you mean ‘would have liked to?’” Theoris replied.
Rivota smiled broadly. “Akila, your assistant, is having sex with him.” She laughed.
Theoris knew it. It was that obvious. And if Rivota could tell after seeing a chance look then what would Hypatia see? Theoris smiled back. “Really? You really think they are having sex?”
Rivota grinned, “And how! I could practically smell the pheromones in the air.” She looked back into the room and whispered, “I’d suck his dick.”
Theoris was mortified.
Rivota laughed. “Well, wouldn’t you, if he offered it?”
“I can’t believe we are having this conversation?”
“Oh, come now, I know you haven’t been totally off men. They do have their uses.”
Theoris stood staring in stunned silence.
Rivota said, “Well, I’m feeling pretty aroused by the thought. I think I’ll break for lunch early and have one of my interns occupy my time.”
Theoris stared wide-eye at her, horrified that Rivota so much as admitted to having some sort of relationship with one of her interns. The rumors had been true. She hadn’t believed it. She asked, “How long?”
Rivota smiled. She got Theoris’ attention. “With this particular one? Maybe a few months. Some of the other department heads have been doing it longer.”
“W-What?”
“You’ve had to have known, Theoris.”
Theoris shook her head.
“Well, you do now. Meet me for lunch tomorrow and I can give you the run down. You’d be very surprised.”
Theoris nodded her head as she watched Rivota quickly fade down the hallway. She turned and wondered what Rivota meant by ‘You’d be very surprised.’ Did she know something? Theoris shuddered and swallowed hard. And did Rivota know about her and Hypatia? Damn this was getting complicated. Why couldn’t she have just left Hypatia alone? An upset Honute might be survivable – his conditioning was something to consider. He seemed to be genuinely docile. Hypatia was something entirely different. Theoris heard about her temper on more than one occasion. It wasn’t that it was violent and sudden. Rumor had it that it was slow to burn but the heat was always on. Then one day, boom! An upset Hypatia boded bad news.