The Concubine Read online

  She flushed so hot her ears burned. “I have seen dogs. I…I know the essence, but a touch one place will lead to more. And you are stronger than I.”

  “Then take this.” He handed her his empty plate. “If I touch more than you wish, then you may break it on my head. Do it hard enough and I will not be touching anything again for a very long time.”

  She hesitated a moment, then grabbed the plate from him. Whatever she decided, she would feel better with a weapon in her hand.

  “Decide quickly. The doctor will be back soon.”

  That brought a return of her fears and a swift decision. With a deep breath, she began unbuttoning the clasps at her neck and then down along her side. All too soon, her blouse was pushed away, the silk dropping uselessly to the floor. Below it, her diamond-shaped undergarment of soft cotton was already stained from perspiration. The ties pulled at her neck and back, but her entire front remained covered by the too-thin fabric.

  “Take it all off,” he said, his voice low and thick.

  She lifted her chin and stared at him. She had to do this, she reminded herself. And truthfully, a kind of madness had gripped her. She wanted to do this. She wanted to see his face when her flesh was bared to his eyes. So while one hand still gripped the plate, the other resolutely untied her undergarment. And inside her, the blood seemed to beat faster, wilder, with a daring she found as exciting as the man who stood before her.

  “Not flat plates, after all,” he murmured. His face was no longer pinched, but his eyes still held that intensity she both feared and enjoyed. “Your breasts are bells arching outward.” He spoke as if to himself while one hand lifted to touch her. “They say that women with bells mature young and have very high desires.” His hand stopped, and his gaze leaped to hers. “I am going to touch you now. Do not be afraid.”

  She wasn’t. Looking in his eyes, she didn’t see anger or vengeance. She wondered for a moment if this was the look of lust, but he did not have the signs that her mother had told her of. His eyes did not pinch nor did his mouth pull back like a dog in heat. If anything, he had the look of reverence.

  “Your skin is flawless,” he said. “It would glow in candlelight.”

  He touched her. With his long elegant fingers, he stroked the side of one breast and fire trailed in his wake. She gasped at the feel, and he smiled. Then he curved his hand around the outside before brushing his thumb across her peaked nipple.

  She trembled. It started in her belly, but it traveled outward, making her breath stutter and her heart race. He moved closer, his hand still caressing her breast.

  “What…what are you doing?” she gasped, though the answer was perfectly obvious.

  “You are safe. Keep the plate handy.”

  She had forgotten it. With shaking hands, she gripped the fine porcelain tight, but she didn’t do anything with it. He moved around behind her, his one hand still stroking. Her breast felt hot and large in his hand, and her back tingled with awareness of him. And then, every so often, he would pinch the nipple and she would shudder at the flash of sensation that burst through her thoughts. Her whole body now beat with a wildness and a hunger she’d never felt before.

  His free hand slipped around her rib cage to lift her other breast. He leaned against her back, pressing her forward so that her legs pushed against the physician’s table. She was pinned between him and the table while his breath brushed hot across her cheek. She felt surrounded by him, completely and totally within his power.

  “Do you know what leads to fertility?” he whispered into her ear.

  She shook her head. It was hard to think with his hands rolling over her breasts.

  “Passion, Chen Ji Yue. A passionate woman is a fertile woman.” He pinched her nipples-both at once-and she cried out in her surprise. “What you feel right now is passion, and it is what all these physicians, eunuchs and courtiers are looking for.”

  “What of the emperor?” she gasped. “Does he look for this as well?”

  “Him most of all,” he said into her neck. Then she felt his tongue, hot and wet as he stroked the skin behind her ear.

  “Oh!” she gasped.

  “Lean forward,” he murmured.

  She did because she liked what he was doing. The feel of his tongue overwhelmed her senses, and his hands had not stopped moving in mesmerizing caresses all over her breasts.

  “You smell sweet, Ji Yue. I think your cream has grown stronger.”

  She tensed. “But it can’t! You said-”

  “Let me see if I can wipe some away.”

  He pressed her forward even farther and one of his hands abandoned her breast to slip down to her knee. With quick movements, he pulled her skirt up to her waist.

  “No…” she murmured, but he must not have heard her.

  “Widen your legs for me, Ji Yue,” he said. “I must have access to wipe the cream away.”

  She did not intend to move, but her legs were so weak. He pinched her nipple again, and as she arched in reaction, his leg slipped between hers. And then his hand was where no man’s hand had ever been.

  “There is so much cream here!” he said as he began to stroke her.

  Oh, the feeling was amazing. She could barely breathe for the wonder of it. It was as if he coaxed a flame hotter and brighter with every touch. The flame burned through her belly, sending sensation up her spine. Then he widened his hand and burrowed deep with his fingers while she…she…

  She whipped around and slammed the plate against his head. It took all her strength and she collapsed sideways after the impact. But that gave her the space she needed to shove him away. “You said you would only touch my breasts!” she accused.

  He had fallen a step backward, but he was still standing. She hadn’t hit him hard enough, she supposed, and now she had a new problem. What would he do to explain the welt he sported on his temple?

  “You told me I could hit you,” she said, struggling to put force into her voice. But she didn’t have the breath, and her heart was beating so fast! “You told me to do that if you touched me somewhere else.”

  He lifted his head and she saw that she had cut him, too. Blood dripped down the side of his head and his eyes blazed with fury.

  “You told me I should hit you!” she cried again. She had already pulled down her skirt, and now she tried to retie her undergarment one-handed. Her other hand gripped the largest shard of plate that she could reach. “You told me-”

  “So I did,” he said. He rubbed his hand over his temple then grimaced when his palm came away glistening with blood. “Cover up. The doctor will be here soon.”

  With shaking hands, she retied the cotton underdress, then pulled on the silk blouse, fastening the clasps with one hand. Just as she finished the last button, the door burst open and in walked the physician.

  The woman froze on the doorstep, and her eyes narrowed on the tableau before her: Ji Yue flushed and breathing hard; the master with blood smeared down his cheek. And of course, the plate pieces shattered about the room. It wouldn’t be hard to guess what had happened. The question was: would she blame the master? Or Ji Yue?

  With a snort of disgust, the doctor threw a towel at him. “You’re disgraceful,” she snapped. She turned to Ji Yue. “Put the plate down. You’re safe now.”

  JiYue slowly released the plate shard. She had to consciously will her hand to open. When the porcelain clattered to the floor-shattering anew-the woman huffed in disgust. She went to the door and called in a eunuch to clean up the mess.

  “Clumsy girl has broken a plate,” she groused to the eunuch. Then she looked hard at Ji Yue. “Fortunately, the emperor has many plates. You might be wise to keep an extra handy for whenever you break one again.”

  “Always,” she answered softly, her gaze going to the master. “I won’t be caught without one again.”

  “You weren’t caught without one now,” he returned, but she detected a note of humor in his complaint.

  The plate pieces were swept up,
the eunuch sent away, and then the doctor shut the door. She turned to the master. “You should see the emperor’s physician for that cut.”

  He pulled the towel away from his head. “It was only a scratch.”

  The woman snorted. “You are staying, then.”

  The master smiled. “It is my sworn duty to the emperor as master of the Festival of Fertility.”

  “Humph,” she retorted. Then she turned back to Ji Yue. “All right then, girl, let’s see what damage he’s done.”

  Ji Yue had been standing mutely to the side, doing her best to stop trembling. Soon, very soon, she would be able to disappear into her room and think on what had happened. But at the doctor’s words, she started in surprise.

  “What?”

  “Your examination, girl. Don’t tell me he has stolen your wits.”

  “My, um, I mean…no. I have my wits.”

  “Then undress. Let me see what has so intrigued Sun Bo Tao.”

  Ji Yue stared at the physician, her misery now complete. After everything she’d just endured, she still had to go through the physical examination. And in front of the master! But what choice did she have? None. So she submitted. Button by button, she undid what she had just fastened. And as she worked, she plotted her revenge.

  5

  SHE HAD HIT HIM with a plate. Even as he felt the throbbing of his temple, Bo Tao could still not believe she had hit him. No woman had ever dared do that to him, and he didn’t know whether to be angry or impressed. He settled for being intrigued.

  He leaned against the wall, his thoughts still whirling, and prepared to watch a most interesting examination. An honorable man would leave, since he had already compromised Ji Yue enough. But he could not seem to leave her alone; she’d dominated his thoughts since she’d shoved him out of her palanquin yesterday. Was he intrigued by her audacity? Fascinated by her intelligence? Or just lustful for her sweet curves? Yes to all. Which meant that even when his intention to simply talk to her alone, he wound up with his hands on her breasts and her legs spread beneath him. She made him lose control, and that was both dangerous and wildly exciting.

  He folded his arms across his chest and watched while the virgin glared daggers at him. No hysterics, no whimpering, just darkly plotted revenge. He was rather excited to imagine what she could do to hurt him. But mostly he was aroused simply smelling her scent in the air and seeing her glorious breasts once again revealed to his gaze.

  “Not flat, then,” said the physician as she made notes on her paper. “Good breadth of lungs and a fine skin color, if somewhat flushed.” She flashed Bo Tao a harsh look. He smiled in response. Women’s physician Xie Yan had been his mother’s doctor and had known him since birth. She would tolerate his excesses so long as no lasting harm was done. And besides, as master of the festival, he had the right to supervise any examination, even one this intimate.

  “Very well,” Xie Yan snapped, her glare still trained on him though she spoke to Ji Yue. “Remove the rest.”

  Bo Tao’s mouth was dry. Finally he would see what he had touched. In the heat of a Peking summer, no woman wore underthings below her hips, and certainly not a virgin intent on seducing an emperor. And so he watched, his cock painfully hard, as button by button her sweet bottom was revealed.

  “Excellent shape,” Xie Yan said.

  He couldn’t agree more. Her bottom was rounded and lifted. Perfect. JiYue stepped out of the skirt to stand naked, her back to him. He admired the sensuous sweep of her spine, the rounded curve of her behind, and the long, firm shape of her legs.

  “Mole on upper left thigh.”

  Ji Yue twisted toward the doctor. “Is that bad?”

  “No, no. Simply a mark. It might denote something significant to the fortune tellers, but I don’t know what. I just have to write it down.”

  He wanted to kiss that mole. He wanted to roll his tongue over it and feel the shift in texture. And he wanted to let his lips travel across her thigh and up to taste her sweet cream.

  “Now stand still. I need to take some measurements.”

  Xie Yan brought out her tape and began to measure, beginning with Ji Yue’s head. Nothing was neglected from the length of her nose, the width of each breast, and the size of her hips. Ji Yue endured it all, her anger still a palpable force in the room. Her only hesitation came as her feet were measured. She flushed a dark red as the size was announced.

  Interesting, Bo Tao thought. He could see nothing but natural, beautiful feet with well shaped toes and a high arch.

  “On the table, if you please,” instructed the physician.

  Ji Yue shifted to climb up, and he knew he’d soon see all. What he focused on instead was the way her hands shook. She was not as sanguine as she appeared, and who could blame her? In a small deference to her feelings, he did not move to a better viewing position. He doubted he could walk smoothly anyway. So he remained at the top of the table, just past her left shoulder. As she lay down, he saw the slow reveal of her body before him. The length of her legs, and the rounding of her hips. He gloried in the rise and fall of her breasts, the sensuous indent at her belly, and the broad width of her womb. She would be able to carry babies well.

  The doctor placed herself at Ji Yue’s feet. “You must understand that I have to measure everything, do you not?”

  Ji Yue nodded. Were there tears in her eyes? Bo Tao frowned. Certainly most of the girls sobbed at this point, but Ji Yue had been so stonelike throughout the examination. It startled him that she showed feeling now. But of course she would. No virgin suffered this examination calmly. Still, the sight of her moist lashes unsettled him.

  “You must bend your knees and slide down the table,” Xie Yan instructed.

  Ji Yue took a stuttering breath. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the ceiling as she used her hands to scoot herself lower on the table. Bo Tao watched in growing confusion as she lifted her knees but kept them pressed tightly together. He did not understand his reaction. He was waiting for just this moment; for the sight of her spread thighs, her woman’s hair open and glistening in the light. But this did not feel like a glorious moment. What was wrong with him? He had seen scores off sobbing virgins-on this day alone. And yet this woman’s tears disturbed him.

  The doctor put her hands on Ji Yue’s knees. “You must open for the measurements,” she said. “It is a requirement for every empress.” Then she pressed firmly down and gradually spread Ji Yue’s legs. The movement was stuttering, the resistance obvious, and a single tear slipped down the side of her face.

  Something broke inside Bo Tao. “Enough!” he bellowed, stepping forward. He grabbed Ji Yue’s clothing as he moved and quickly pushed it at her. “No more examination today.”

  The doctor looked up, her eyes hard. “You know this must be done. Are you afraid to see the consequences of your own debauchery?”

  “I have done nothing!” he snapped. “You can see that she is moist and supple. There is good color and size.” He did not know that for sure, but it didn’t matter. If he said it, it would be so recorded.

  “And her virginity?”

  He swallowed. Even he could not forge that. If a false woman passed through to meet the emperor, it would be his head.

  “Very well-check it quickly.” he snapped, his anger not at the doctor, but at himself. Why did this virgin’s tears upset him so? He glanced down at Ji Yue, emotion churning in his gut. “Be gentle!” he ordered.

  “Now he worries about gentleness!” the physician muttered. Then her attention shifted to Ji Yue. “I have to touch you very intimately. I will go slowly, and it should not hurt. Are you ready?”

  Ji Yue nodded, then firmly shut her eyes. Bo Tao knew the exact moment the doctor touched her intimate folds. Ji Yue jerked, gasping in surprise.

  “You are doing very well,” the doctor said.

  Ji Yue released a soft murmur of distress. Unable to stay apart from her, Bo Tao moved quickly to the top of the table. He pressed his hands to her shoulders. “It is nea
rly done,” he said. He had hoped that she would open her eyes and see that he was looking at her face, not her groin. But she kept her eyes shut tight.

  Then, finally, the doctor straightened and stepped away. “Virginity intact.”

  Bo Tao barely heard the words. His attention was centered on Ji Yue as she rolled onto her side. There were no blankets in the room, but her clothing was there. He used it to gently cover her most private area.

  “You have done your duty, physician Xie Yan,” he said. “You may go now.”

  The doctor looked up from her notations. “You wish to be alone with her?” Shock colored her tone.

  “She has nothing to fear from me,” he growled. “She never did.”

  Silence reigned for a moment, and then he heard the doctor’s “Humph.” He had won. She would leave and say nothing about it to anyone. Meanwhile, he knelt down beside the table. Ji Yue’s face was very pale, and her eyes were still shut tight. He brushed a lock of hair behind her cheek. “Her report will read excellence in every way,” he instructed.

  “Of course,” the doctor answered. “She is excellent in every way. And with her fire, she will make a fine empress.”

  Bo Tao jolted at the thought. He had forgotten that she was destined to be Yi Zhen’s wife. The emperor could not fail to see how perfect she was. And while that thought soured in his gut, the physician collected her things and left.

  “She is gone now. You are safe.”

  Ji Yue opened her eyes, fixing him with a hard stare. She didn’t speak, but Bo Tao didn’t care. Her eyes told him that she was recovering. Her voice would return soon enough.

  “I am sorry you had to endure that.” He swallowed. He was on the verge of promising that she would never have to undergo the ordeal again, but that would be a lie. All brides would be rechecked before the wedding. Up until the final selection, virginity must be assured. So he held back his promise even as he tried to help her in other ways. “You can get dressed now, if you like. Are you hungry? I can send for some food.”

  She still didn’t speak, and her glare hadn’t softened, but she did shake her head as she pushed up from the table. He cupped her elbow, helping her to rise, but she shrugged him off. Realizing she didn’t want him to touch her, he stepped back, though he felt the separation keenly.