GENIE, NO BOTTLE 


Laura turned around on the bed to look at him, dropping a fair-
sized splat of guacamole on his belly. Whoops. She bent and slurped 
it into her mouth. 

Samirs entire body went rigid at the touch of her lips on his skin. 
She was thorough, tooher tongue sweeping away every molecule of 
avocado. He willed his manhood to remain quiescent and soft, but it 
had, as always, a one-track mind of its own. 

Itsuh, not that sort of binding. He could not speak coherently 
with her mouth on his skin and her hair brushing his belly and groin. 
And there was still a smear of guacamole on her cheek. He forced 
himself to continue speaking. It is far worse than being imprisoned, to 
have almost complete free will and yet be so constrained. 

He hadnt meant to reveal this most bitter thought, the one thing 
that stained his love for Laura, but his brain was not his own at the 
moment. His hand lifted, his index finger reached out, and she raised 
her head and looked at him, licking her lips, a growing understanding 
mixed with sympathy and sadnessin her eyes. 

It was fated. 

He sat up slowly, as did she, and, when his mouth touched her 
cheek to rid her at last of the guacamole, her eyes closed. Samir felt her 
turning her head so her mouth brushed over his lips. Brushed past. 
Halted. And returned, so light a touch he might have imagined it, 
except for the heat swarming over his skin, and her breath against his 
mouth. Every impulse was to grab her, press her into the bed, thrust his 
tongue into her mouth, strip those silky blue panties from her and 
satisfy the vastness of his hunger this instant. But all those taunts about 
the feckless, unskilled boys of her youth rang in his head. He could not 
afford to become one of them 


BOOKS BY NINA MERRILL 

Unloved 
Genie, No Bottle 



GENIE, NO BOTTLE 


BY 
NINA MERRILL 


AMBER QUILL PRESS, LLC 

http://www.amberquill.com 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 
AN AMBER HEAT BOOK 


This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, 
locations, and incidents are products of the authors imagination, 
or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons 
living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. 


Amber Quill Press, LLC 
http://www.amberquill.com 
http://www.amberheat.com 


All rights reserved. 
No portion of this book may be transmitted or 
reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in 
writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief 
excerpts used for the purposes of review. 


Copyright  2007 by Nina Merrill 
ISBN 978-1-59279-671-7 
Cover Art  2007 Trace Edward Zaber 


Layout and Formatting provided by: ElementalAlchemy.com 


PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 


For Sheliak, that faraway star that 
nevertheless sheds light in shadowy corners. 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

GENIE, NO BOTTLE 


Imaginecreamy flesh, so ripe. Samir spoke as close to Lauras 
ear as he daredclose, but not quite touching her with his mouth. His 
breath would do the work of caressing her skin, since his hand must 
not. So smooth and tender. Silk on the tongue. 

Mmm. The noncommittal noise told Samir she wasnt really 
listening to him. 

And the bowlgolden and cool, a vessel fit for a princess. I will 
bring it to you on bended knee. Its value is nothing compared to your 
own beauty, my mistress. 

Samir, Im trying to find an error here. Laura reached behind her 
absently, her palm cupping his cheek for a moment, before her hand 
returned to the computers mouse. Samir closed his eyes and relished 
her warm touch. 

Salt. Lemon. Crisp tortillas. Ah, there was his reward, the fleeting 
prickle of gooseflesh over her neck as his breath tickled her skin. She 

1 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

was beyond sensitive there, though she didn't seem to realize it. She 
lifted a shoulder to rub away the gooseflesh, never taking her eyes off 
the computer screen, and Samirs mouth touched the cloud of her hair 
and the hard roundness of her skull. It was almostalmostenough. 
Yet it would never satisfy his longing for her. 

Samir! 

He moved away and sprawled grumpily on a credenza behind her 
desk, propping himself on one elbow, like a sultan on a velvet-bolstered 
divan. What is so enthralling about these screens and screens of 
numbers? 

It mattered nothing to the course of the world whether or not this 
corporation Laura worked for found a few thousand dollars. Laura 
worked too hard as it was, and almost never permitted Samir to use his 
magic to ease her path. She needed some rest, a change of pacejust a 
little time away from her tasks. His petulance sometimes coaxed her 
into doing what he wanted, but it was an unreliable tool at best. 

We should be out in the sun. We should be in Mexico, choosing 
three tree-ripened avocados 

Mexico is too far to go today for junk food. I have a date tonight, 
and if I dont find the missing money Ill miss that as well. Laura 
never took her eyes from the screen, scrolling through the figures. 

Samir scowled and flung his jeweled dagger at the wall, where it 
sank to the hilt in the soft wallboard, without so much as a satisfying 
quiver. We could be in Mexico in moments. Come, give me your hand 
and we will step on my flying carpet 

Fix the hole, Samir, Laura ordered quietly. And please control 
yourself. 

Yes, my mistress. But you love guacamole. And I love you. He 
summoned the dagger to his hand and considered using it to slit the 
throat of Lewis, her blue-chinned swain. Samir knew Laura inside and 
out, and he sensed in the next hour or two, as she dressed for her date, 

2 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

she would tell Samir to stay away for the evening. 

That only meant one thing. Shed be having sex. 

But not with Samir. 

He supposed he couldnt blame her for dating Lewis. Lewis treated 
her well. He was kind and affectionate. He wasnt a pimply, shallow 
youth, even if Samir felt he should shave more often and not rasp 
Lauras peach-soft skin. Lewis brought her tokens of his high regard, 
though they were trinkets compared to the jewels Samir would have 
showered upon her had she permitted. And Laura was too passionate, 
too earthy, too much a woman, to deny herself the pleasures of the 
flesh. 

Pleasures Samir longed to share with her. 

From time to time, through the centuries of his enslavement to 
Lauras family, Samirs designated master or mistress had turned to 
him for sexual favors. But Laura had never asked him to appease a 
physical craving. Samir supposed it was his own fault, the result of the 
many times he had mocked or derided the young men of her 
acquaintance as she grew up. He had never felt quite comfortable 
suggesting himself as an alternative, though hed remained hopeful. 

These days he found himself plotting new ways to showcase his 
own attractionshis muscled body, his jinni magic, his eternal 
thoughtfulness, his competence. Laura never seemed to notice. It was 
depressing. Not to mention the continual fear that one of these men 
would impregnate Laura. She was the last of her line, and one of her 
children would become Samirs master or mistress. When that 
happened, Samir would be bound to the new child and the wonderful 
relationship with Laura would end. His love for her would not. 

Laura. Samir could have sung her name at dawn from the tallest 
minaret in Bokhara, or cried it from a pier at dusk in New York, or 
whispered it in the glare of noon with the toss of a coin in a fountain in 
Rome. 

3 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

How could she know what she meant to him? How could he tell 
her? What more could he do to show her? Laura of the green eyes and 
brown, honey-touched hair, the soft smiling mouth, the pointed chin. 
Shed been a kind and thoughtful child, and shed grown into a kind 
and thoughtful woman, less beautiful than the ancient princess for the 
love of whom Samir had been cursed, but a thousand times more 
worthy. 

She looked up from the numbers, as if sensing his dimming mood. 
You go to Mexico, Samir. Its all right. I dont mind. 

Its not the same. He pouted for her benefit, hoping shed take 
pity on him now that he had her attention. I enjoy our travels 
together. 

Maybe this weekend. She bit her lip, and Samir hooded his eyes 
so she would not see him staring at the compressed flesh. 
UmSamir 

This is it, he thought gloomily. She was a bit ahead of her usual 
schedule. Yes, my mistress? 

Tonight might bekind of aspecial night, you know? 

And by this you mean you want me to vanish. 

Wellyes. You can stay at homeIll be at Lewiss place for the 
night, so youll know where I am and you wont worry, buta little 
privacy would be welcome. Her eyes were clouded when she looked 
at him. She knew how he hated to be shut out of her life for any reason. 

I should be there to protect you. 

Oh, for Gods sake, Samir! Youd think Lewis is planning to 
murder me, the way you talk. 

Samir frowned. He didnt think Lewis was planning to murder 
Laura at all. His fear was that Laura liked Lewis far too much, and 
would choose Lewis as her life partner. If only he could find a key, 
some fatal flaw within Lewis, and reveal it to Laura. But he couldnt do 
that if Laura wouldnt permit him to escort her on the date. The years of 

4 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

Samir actively guarding his mistress were over now that Laura 
understood how to command him and limit his meddling. His 
intentions are far from honorable. 

Laura laughed. He tipped his head back to watch her upside-down 
as she rose and came around the desk. Samir tipped his head back 
further, one eyebrow raised. The metal spike of his turbaned helm 
touched her belly. A vision of another spike, farther below, and more 
like velvet than steel, tormented him. He was glad his loose trousers 
and heavy tunic concealed his hips. She bent to kiss his concerned 
forehead, but her throaty chuckle ruined the innocence of the kiss. As 
are mine, my jinni. 

As always, when she kissed him or called him my jinni, Samir 
felt a warm glow rather low in his belly. In fact, it wasnt his belly at 
all. Despite his despair at hearing her plans for the evening, he was still 
smitten. He reached up a hand and cupped her cheek. I will escort you 
there, my mistress, and when you havewhen you are ready to come 
home to me, simply call my name and I will fetch you. 

Im going alone, Samir. 

The growl erupted from his throat before he could prevent it, and he 
sat up without warning, almost striking her chin with the helms spike. 
He clapped his hands together and vanished from Lauras office. 

* * * 

Laura sighed. Sometimes Samir simply didnt understand she 
needed time of her own. Likewise, she couldnt imagine he wished to 
spend all his time with her. When shed bought the house, shed chosen 
one with a large, east-facing room just for him, and furnished it the way 
she thought might make him feel most at home. It was for him, yes, but 
also for her, to give her the privacy she craved, without hurting his 
feelings. She tried not to impose on him or ask him for magic he didnt 
freely offer. 

Laura was nine years old before she realized not everyone had a 

5 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

jinni. On her ninth birthday, Samir explained the curse laid upon him 
and her family. Long agomillennia agoher familys name had been 
Jarrar. Samir had paid too much attention to their spoiled, beautiful 
daughter. Theyd sought the services of a powerful sorcerer to rid them 
of the jinni. Their princess was meant for better things, theyd thought. 

The sorcerer did as they asked, but when he named his price, it was 
too steep. He wanted their daughter in exchange for ridding the family 
of the pesky spirit. They refused, and, in his jealous spite, the sorcerer 
cursed the Jarrars, condemning them to wander far from their beloved 
desert for ten centuries. For good measure, he bound Samir to them in a 
life of servitude, so neither would ever be free of the other. The family 
roamed the world until the curse wore away, leaving them in Phoenix, 
Arizona with their tame jinni, at virtually the same latitude they had 
started. Across the continents and centuries of their wandering, the 
family names came and went, through marriage or clerical errors. 

Though the familys curse had expired, Samirs own binding would 
continue unto infinity, unless he found a way to remove the sky-blue 
jewel lodged in his navel, the manifestation of his binding. The binding 
was specific. Samir belonged to the person in each generation who 
could see him. 

In many ways, having Samir around was like knowing Santa Claus 
was real. Special things happened when Samir was in a good mood. 
The Brussels sprouts too horrible for a child to consume without 
gagging? Vanished. Not enough swings at the park? The set enlarged 
enough to hold one for Laura. The high school locker door stuck? A 
quirk of his eyebrow solved that. Couldnt sleep? He was always ready 
to talk or play chess or magic-carpet her away to some exotic locale. 

In other ways, having Samir around was like having a pesky brother 
who never left the room. He showed up in classrooms when she least 
expected it, sitting smirking in the teachers chair with his curled-toe 
boots on the desk and his arms behind his head. It made him laugh to 

6 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

watch her struggle not to react to his presence. Hed had a fondness for 
appearing in the mirror while she stared at her teen-age reflection or 
practiced coquettish looks, daydreaming of cute boys at school. He 
changed her radio presets to stations he preferred. He wouldnt do her 
homework for her, but delighted in telling her something on the page 
was incorrect. 

In high school and college, however, the most aggravating thing 
was Samirs self-assigned role of chaperon, and the comments that 
accompanied his assessment of each of her boyfriends. 

Hes an unattractive youth. A lip like a camels. Does he spit as 
well? 

Does your father know youre dating this young man? 

His hands should be in his pockets and not on your more obvious 
assets. In Phoenicia, we would cut them off at the wrists for such 
offenses. 

It is time you sent this one home. He brings nothing but trouble. 
Do not lie down with scorpions. 

He thinks this is how to kiss a woman? Oh, the things I could teach 
that boy. If he were worthy, which he is not. 

And on, and on. Most dates ended with the young men wondering 
why she was irritated, never knowing the source was someone they 
couldnt see or hear. Now that she was a grown woman, Laura had no 
qualms about using Samirs binding to force him to butt out of her love 
life. 

One must, after all, be firm with jinni. Given an inch, theyd take 
seven leagues. A girl needed privacy, even from her closest friend. 
Even if he was aggravatingly right about the men she dated. Shed 
never found a man to compare with Samir, and she suspected she never 
would. 

As a child, she had tried to help Samir break the curse. She had 
tried everything she knew to pry the sky-blue jewel from Samirs navel. 

7 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

Cooking oil. Vaseline. Ice. Her fathers cordless drill. A hammer and 
chisel. When she got out her little pocketknife, Samir at last drew the 
line and explained to her he suspected only magic could lift the curse, 
and he had been given only a one-word clue many centuries ago 
sublimation. 

The dictionary hadnt helped her understand the concept at nine 
years of age. But her junior year in high school she encountered the 
word in her chemistry class and rushed home with shining eyes 
naturally, the one day Samir had chosen not to follow her around 
schoolto announce she knew the solution. Sublimation of a substance 
meant it transformed directly from a solid to a gas, such as the 
evaporation of dry ice. Samir had obligingly gathered up his tunic to 
expose the sky-blue jewel in his navel, and the two of them had stared 
at it for an hour, pondering how to render its diamond-hard material 
gaseous. That day, shed sprawled on her stomach on the bed next to 
him, her feet waving in the air. 

What do you suppose would happen if we could get your jewel to 
sublimate, Samir? 

Hed thought for a while. Laura had wondered why he was taking 
so long to answer. Surely, in all the many centuries since hed been 
bound to the Jaynes, hed had time to figure that out. 

I believe my binding would be at an end, and I would become 
human. Unless there is a secondary curse laid upon me. 

Oh, butthen you could die, couldnt you? 

Samir looked at her with his chocolate-velvet eyes. I would have 
my free will again, and be only a little less than I was when I offended 
in the first place: a man. 

But you could die! The idea that Samir might one day be gone 
was intolerable to her. Her dearest companion from her earliest 
moments, he knew all her secrets, her loves and her hates, her longings 
and her fears. 

8 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

I have lived long enough. He soothed her, stroking her little-girl 
cheek. 

But I give you your free will! You dont ever have to work magic 
for me again! Give me a wish and I will wish you freed! 

Samir had kissed her wet eyes, one by one. My little mistress, as 
long as I am bound, nothing gives me more pleasure than to serve you. 
Then hed smiled his wide, slow smile. You have been reading the 
stories of Scheherazade again, havent you? But just think how you 
have helped me. None of my other masters and mistresses ever came to 
me with so much as a definition of the word, much less attempted a 
solution. 

Now that she was a grown woman, she often pondered the nature of 
the curse and what might break it. But while she longed to do whatever 
she could for Samir, in her heart she didnt truly want to break the curse 
if it meant he might vanish from her life. There seemed to be no good 
alternative for her. Break the curse, and Samir would become mortal 
and eventually die, or perhaps leave of his own free will. Not break the 
curse and leave him a bound slave for the rest of her life. Not break the 
curse, marry and have a child, and lose him anyway. 

Laura sighed and rested her forehead on her desk. At least with 
Samir gone from her office and no longer a distraction, she could focus 
on the problem at hand. The missing money at last emerged from a 
combination of three incorrectly entered transactions. Laura sent an 
email with the corrections to the company auditor, turned off her 
computer, stretched, and sighed again. Another problem solved, in time 
for her date. 

* * * 

Samir turned his head lazily on the cushion. She swayed toward 
him, dressed in floating veils and glittering silver coins. She was only 
one of several, each dressed in different costumes, yet all twins of 
Laura. This one, thoughthe dancerthere was something about her, 

9 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

something more Laura than the others. The delicate coin girdle about 
her waist rang like tiny, sweet bells with each twist of her hips as she 
undulated in her dance. 

A second Laura knelt beside his divan, where he lounged like a 
pasha, and offered him sugared tea flavored with rose petals. A third 
held his foot in her hands, massaging it with strong strokes of her oiled 
fingers and thumbs. Her hair fell over her hands in a nut-brown wave. 
Yet another rubbed his temples and stroked cool hands over his brow. 
Samir knew it was foolish to indulge again, but he could not help 
himself. It was only for a few minutes after all, and his mistress was 
away for the evening. 

The dancing Laura drew his eyes time and again, growing more real 
with each passionate glance. Samir crooked a single finger and a veil 
pulled loose from the waist chain she wore, drifting to his hand. He 
lifted the fragile silk to his mouth and buried himself in her scent: 
musky red amber and lemon. The hot fragrance of an afternoon spent 
tangled in bed, wracked by pleasure and tumbled in citrus blossoms. 
She appeared momentarily surprised by the veils removal, but a 
knowing smile replaced the look. From nowhere, she conjured a date, 
dark and rich and sweet as honey, and placed it between his lips before 
dancing away just out of his reach. 

No matter. Another crook of his finger and a second veil floated 
away, followed by a third. One last crook and the spangled brassieres 
catch gave way. She covered her creamy breasts with her palms, fingers 
separating the slightest bit to allow her nipples, hard little carnelians of 
flesh, to peep between. Samir licked his lips and summoned her 
forward. His erection pointed to the sky, achingly hard and hungry. 
With a saucy sway or two, she settled astride him on the divan. He 
grasped her hips and pushed inside her with a slow, rocking thrust. Her 
head fell back and she gasped, Samir. Oh, my jinni. Oh. 

The thud of the front door slamming open shattered his spell and 

10 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

the various Lauras evaporated like fog in the sunlight. 

The real Laura was home. Thank goodness the simulacra had been 
made of little more than well-ordered shadows and dust motes, easily 
banished, but still he was startled and discomfited, and more than a 
little confused when he looked up and found Laura leaning over the 
back of the sofa. She prodded at him, poking his belly uncomfortably 
near his jewel and his erection. 

Samir, you have to pay the cabbie. I left my purse at Lewiss. 

Laura? he stammered. In that unguarded moment, half caught in 
his fantasy, he forgot to be formal, and reached up for her face. She had 
come to him at last and he would welcome her with a delighted passion 
as boundless and undulant as the desert dunes. 

Please, Samir! Hes out at the curb! 

Laura sounded desperate, and was there a hint of a sob in her voice? 
Coming fully aware at last, Samir batted at her hands to make her stop. 
He sat bolt upright on his couch and clutched a cushion to his lap, 
where his cock had lifted his loose trousers into a pavilion of desire. 
Lauras fingers might encounter his erection, and then where would he 
be? 

Through the east window he glimpsed the driver next to the cab in 
the darkness. Samir closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and collected 
himself long enough to go outside and shove money into the cabbies 
meaty hand. A moment later, a clap of Samirs hands returned him to 
his place on the sofa. Laura hitched up her short dress and clambered 
over the sofa back. She was wearing neither shoes nor stockings. 

Samir caught her as she lost her footing on the cushions. She 
plowed her face into his chest, as shed done when she was a child, and 
howled. 

Because hed been alone he had turned off the air conditioner. The 
house was hotthat desert heat he loved soand he had removed his 
helm and tunic. Her tears wet his skin, and he could smell liquor. 

11 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

What is it? What has happened? 

girlfriend 

What girlfriend? Whose? Lewis has another girlfriend? 

Violent nodding against his chest. 

Samir sighed. Did I not tell you I should have gone with you? Why 
will you not listen to me, my mistress? 

She smacked his chest with the flat of her palm and sat up. Youd 
have killed him. Or me. Or both of us. God, I need a drink. 

Samir looked down. She had left mascara and eye shadow on his 
chest. He rolled his eyes and waved his hand to vanish the smudges. 
You need no such thing. He caught her hand as she unfolded her legs 
and tried to stagger toward the door. You have had plenty, I believe. 

Im not drunk. Im angry. Theres a difference. She sat again 
when he tugged. 

Samir folded his arms. Tell me. 

God, she said again, swiping at her streaming eyes and nose with 
the back of her arm. 

Samir grimaced and conjured a handkerchief for her instead. 

Thank you. I dont want to talk about it. 

Of course she wanted to talk about it. He hadnt spent years 
listening to her tales of woe without learning how best to comfort her. 
I will make you coffee, my mistress. 

By all means, make me coffee, my jinni. Her tone was spiteful, 
and Samir knew the liquor was still strong in her body. Laura never 
ordered him about so rudely. 

He vanished himself to the kitchen. There, he fished in the 
cupboards for the Turkish coffee pot. A moment later, Laura stood in 
the doorway, watching, scrubbing at her face with the hankie. 

She had a key. 

Who had a key? Samir could guess, but he knew Laura had to tell 
it in her own way in order to get it out of her system. He took the beans 

12 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

from the freezer and ground them in the crank mill. Filtered water, then 
the pot was on the stove, heating. There were some things neither 
magic nor technology could improve. Coffee was one of them. 

I told you. 

You did not, my mistress. He turned up the gas the tiniest bit. 
Did he at least feed you a good dinner? 

Yes. Laura slumped against the doorframe. He took me to a 
sushi place. And then we went dancing. Weuh, had some tequila. 
Then we went back to his place. 

Where you left your shoes and your stockings. His tone was stern 
and disapproving, and Laura looked abashed. 

And my purse. Would you fetch them? 

The coffee will burn while I go. 

It wont. Ill watch the coffee. I wont let it boil too hard. 

Youll ruin it. You always do, my mistress. 

I promise. I cant leave my purse there, Samir! Please? She came 
into the kitchen and placed her hand on his bare chest. 

Without her shoes, the top of her head came to his chin, and he 
looked down at her sternly as she tilted her face up. She blinked a bit. 
Yes, she was quite drunk. He was certain she didnt realize her 
fingertips were teasing the nipple they covered, but he surely noticed it 
when a current of heat went straight to his groin at her touch. He took a 
step back, nodded and clapped his hands, vanishing to Lewiss place. 

What he found there made him black with fury. Not only was the 
sleepingand unshaven yet againLewis tangled in the covers on his 
bed, he was also tangled in the long limbs of a blonde. A naked blonde. 
And on the chair beside the bed, peeping from a heap of other clothing, 
was Lauras purse, her nylons, and her silky blue panties. 

Samir swore an oath, grabbing all three items, plus the shoes he 
found beneath the chair. Then he pointed a terrible, rigid finger at 
Lewis and prepared to sunder him cruelly. How dare the man reject 

13 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

Samirs mistress? How dare he hurt her? How dare he 

leave the pieces for Samir to pick up. 

His right eyebrow arched upward. Indeed. He would pick up the 
pieces of Lauras life yet again, but this time he would be sure she saw 
how much he loved her. 

Samir lowered his arm, and vanished without destroying Lauras 
very former boyfriend. 

* * * 

This time she would not ruin the coffee. Laura watched carefully as 
the first drops of rich brown water splashed into the glass knob on the 
percolators lid, then turned down the flame just so. 

She felt the faint earthquake that accompanied Samirs 
rematerialization. She turned and smiled, pleased at the sight of her 
jinni, half-naked in the bright kitchen, his mane of dark hair coiling 
over his shoulder. He stood with her tan pumps under his brawny arm, 
and the misty pantyhose and tiny purse in one hand. 

In his other hand, her blue panties dangled from an accusing finger. 
Her gaze slid to his angry face, and she felt herself blushing furiously, 
the smile gone. 

Its not like I lied to you about my plans for the evening, Samir. 
She snatched the scrap of fabric from his hand. 

Because we focus on the snake, we often miss the scorpion. He 
turned to the coffee pot and put her things on the counter. 

Oh, spare me your Bedouin aphorisms. Laura scrambled into the 
panties and staggered a moment as her toe caught in the leg elastic. 

My family is Phoenician, corrected Samir frostily. Yours was 
Bedouin. 

Oh yes, of course, youre filled with the wisdom of the ancients, 
arent you, my jinni? 

And you are filled with the wisdom of the agave, arent you, my 
mistress? 

14 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

Laura marveled how Samirs back could convey such rigid 
disapproval. He took the pot off the stove, reached for two tiny cups, 
and poured. He added three lumps of sugar to each cup, stirred and 
handed her one. Then he took her by the shoulder and steered her into 
the living room, to the couch. Sit before you fall. And dont spill. 

Youre worse than my mother ever thought of being. But she sat. 

The coffee was scalding hot and much too sweet and she longed to 
gulp it down. Instead, she sipped and tried to ignore the black look on 
Samirs face. She hated it when she disappointed him. His good 
opinion of her mattered, though she knew he must always do as she 
commanded. But this time it couldnt be helped. Lewis had really hurt 
her. The more she dwelled on the memory of the blonde opening the 
bedroom door and finding them on the bed, Lewiss hand up Lauras 
skirt, the more upset she became. What hurt the most was the way 
Lewis had jumped away from Laura as if theyd been doing something 
wrong. 

She came waltzing in like she owned the place! Laura exclaimed, 
giving voice to the memory. I was so embarrassed. And Lewis 
Lewisjustfawned over her. She was some old girlfriend. God 
knows why she chose to come back, butwow, is that relationship 
ever over! 

It is good that it has ended. His tone was stuffy, and Laura felt the 
last of the anger drain away into a pool of self-pity. She wanted to 
wallow. 

You dont care. Youre only glad its over because I wouldnt let 
you come with me on my dates with Lewis. Dont you understand that 
sometimes I dont like looking like an idiot who talks to herself? 

Samir set his coffee cup on the table and rose from the sofa. He 
stood, muscular legs spread, and arms folded, glaring down at her 
inscrutably. Even in her self-pitying, half drunk haze she could 
appreciate his beauty. His folded arms pushed the mounds of his biceps 

15 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

into prominence and drew attention to the strength in his shoulders. 
Though she liked his exotic look when he wore his turbaned helm, she 
preferred the loose waves of his dark hair spilling over his collarbones. 
The lustrous length of his hair never feminized his craggy face. A long 
leather belt wound twice around his waist to snug his loose trousers to 
his flat belly and carried the scabbard for his little dagger and a small 
leather pouch whose contents he had never shown her. 

For the first time, Laura realized what a handsome creature Samir 
was. Shed always thought of him as attractive in a romance-novelcover 
sort of way, but her stern jinni was nothing short of beautiful. 

You will apologize to me, my mistress. Your statements are 
unkind and untrue. Bound or not, I care. 

She stared, thinking, but not about his words. She was thinking 
about Samirs physicality, and another question occurred to her in her 
uninhibited state. Samir, do djinn have sex? I mean, you used to mock 
the boys I dated and tell me they were terrible kissers, but how did you 
know? I never see you with a womanor a man, for that matter. Can 
you 

My mistress, you are still very drunk. 

Well, yes, of course. Too much tequila. Which reminds mewhat 
about that guacamole? Did you go to Mexico after all? 

He threw up his hands at this shift. Yes. 

Laura gave a happy squeal and dashed for the kitchen, where a 
covered bowl of green goo waited in the fridge. She snatched the bowl, 
a bag of corn chips, and two sodas. Come on! TV time. I need to 
watch something stupid to take my mind off this horrible night. 

Laura 

If you dont hurry, Ill hog all the pillows! 

By the time she reached the bedroom where the enormous 
television set occupied most of the dresser, Samir was already 
reclining, with all but the laciest pillow propping him up. 

16 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

You cheated. She bounced onto the bed next to him and plopped 
the chilled bowl of guacamole onto his naked belly. There was a loud 
clink as the ceramic struck his jewel. Laura sobered and lifted the bowl. 
Whoops. Sorry. 

She examined his navel for a moment, then patted his tummy. 
Youre all right. That wasnt sublimation either. Darn it! 

Samir didnt smile. Instead he opened the chips and the sodas. 
Laura sat cross-legged next to him and ran the channels with the 
remote. At last she stumbled across an old episode of Gilligans Island 
and paused there to watch and munch. 

* * * 

At least the sodas had caffeine in them, thought Samir. In her 
foolish enthusiasm, Laura had forgotten the coffee in the living room. 
And she had diverted the topic of conversation away from her 
disastrous date. Now they were on her bedking size, for she loved to 
sprawl and watch television with himeating guacamole and salty 
tortilla chips. He couldnt say he was unhappy with the way her 
evening had concluded. Plus hed managed a nap, and an erotic fantasy 
or two. 

After the monotonous show endedan episode hed seen at least 
thirty times over the past forty yearsLaura resumed her surfing and 
ran across the one show that never failed to delight her: I Dream of 
Jeannie. 

Samir groaned. Laura, please. Anything else. Anything! A game of 
chess. Or I will grant you a wish. 

Laura grinned at him, crunching chips and guacamole. She had a 
blob on her cheek and it distracted him. She was too attractive in the 
cocktail dress, with her legs bare and folded like a little girls. Nope. 
Its my favorite show. You know it is. 

It is filled with inaccuracies. 

Thats why I like it so much! We know everything theyve got 

17 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

wrong. 

Samir sighed. The show was stupid and pointless. If he werent so 
hungry, he would nap again. Instead he chewed, while Laura laughed. 

Why dont you have a bottle, Samir? she asked, when the scantily 
clothed female genie on the television smoked herself into her bottle 
and was corked. 

It had taken Laura a long time to get around to asking that question. 
Her mother had asked it immediately, and most designates of the past 
had wondered why he had no lamp. 

Laura turned around on the bed to look at him, dropping a fair-sized 
splat of guacamole on his belly. Whoops. She bent and slurped it into 
her mouth. 

Samirs entire body went rigid at the touch of her lips on his skin. 
She was thorough, tooher tongue sweeping away every molecule of 
avocado. He willed his manhood to remain quiescent and soft, but it 
had, as always, a one-track mind of its own. 

Itsuh, not that sort of binding. He could not speak coherently 
with her mouth on his skin and her hair brushing his belly and groin. 
And there was still a smear of guacamole on her cheek. He forced 
himself to continue speaking. It is far worse than being imprisoned, to 
have almost complete free will and yet be so constrained. 

He hadnt meant to reveal this most bitter thought, the one thing 
that stained his love for Laura, but his brain was not his own at the 
moment. His hand lifted, his index finger reached out, and she raised 
her head and looked at him, licking her lips, a growing understanding 
mixed with sympathy and sadnessin her eyes. 

It was fated. 

He sat up slowly, as did she, and, when his mouth touched her 
cheek to rid her at last of the guacamole, her eyes closed. Samir felt her 
turning her head so her mouth brushed over his lips. Brushed past. 
Halted. And returned, so light a touch he might have imagined it, 

18 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

except for the heat swarming over his skin, and her breath against his 
mouth. Every impulse was to grab her, press her into the bed, thrust his 
tongue into her mouth, strip those silky blue panties from her and 
satisfy the vastness of his hunger this instant. But all those taunts about 
the feckless, unskilled boys of her youth rang in his head. He could not 
afford to become one of them. 

Samir slammed the lid on the inferno of his desire, and concentrated 
on giving Laura the best kiss of her life. Drunk or not, rebound or not, 
here was his chance, and he was taking it. 

Small tastes first. Gentle lippings, nuzzlings, warm and dry as the 
desert air. The light touch of his fingers at the hinges of her jaw, more 
to position her than restrain her. He could feel her willingness to 
participate in the easy tilt of her head and the soft parting of her lips. 
There was the tender arch of her upper lip to explore, curved and recurved. 
And the lushness of her bottom lip, full toward its center, 
sweetly creased. The corners of her mouth, where he allowed his 
tongue-tip the smallest taste. Leftsalt and lemon; righta hint of 
avocado still. Samir felt her biting her lower lip and wondered what she 
was fighting against. He hoped it was her own desire, and slid his 
tongue toward the center, gently sucking her lip free of her teeth. 

Let me do that, he breathed, and suited action to words. Her 
hitching breath and slight quiver was all the reward he could have 
wished for, but when her hands left her lap and clutched at his ribcage, 
a hot ball of triumph exploded in his chest and melted throughout his 
body, pooling at the base of his spine. 

New, so new. Samir hadnt kissed a woman in years, except for 
those chaste kisses to Lauras cheek or forehead. Friendly kisses. Not 
kisses of passion. But even the passion he had known in decades past 
paled beside the blast furnace that was loving Laura. His fingers 
moved, one hand sliding into her hair to cup the back of her head. The 
others traced down her neckah, yes, the gooseflesh, beyond sweet 

19 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

to her shoulder, where they found the narrow strap of her dress and 
fretted there. Not pushing her, not threatening to undress her, 
justhinting. Asking. 

Lauras fingers dug into his ribs when he released her lower lip and 
transferred his nibbling attentions to the upper. He could feel her 
swallowing hard, then the slippery velvet of her tongue emerged and 
skimmed along his teeth before retreating. Ah, so she was giving up the 
fight, conceding the field, retreating to lure him. Samir released her lip 
from his teeth and waited, barely breathing, mouth still touching hers. 
Waited for the space of three stuttering breaths before he lifted his head 
to look down at her. 

Her throat worked as she swallowed again. Her lashes rose heavily, 
revealing a thin rim of green around enormous pupils. Samir knew that 
look, the look of a woman whose eyes were darkened by desire. Laura 
met his gaze and held it, her grip softening. Awareness grew in her 
eyes, and Samir released herperhaps the most difficult task of his 
life, letting go of her, but he hadnt survived multiple centuries without 
learning the finer points of seduction. 

Dont push. Let the quarry come to you, willingly, but even more 
important, eagerly. 

Laura drew a long, shuddering breath, and Samir waited for the 
excuse he knew must come. I am so drunk, Samir. 

Samir knew she wasnt, not any longer, but she needed time to 
assimilate this new experience. Any excuse would do. 

He bowed his head, concealing his triumph. You are tired, my 
mistress. It has been a difficult evening. I understand. Sliding off the 
bed, he banished the remains of their snack to the kitchen with a wave 
of his hand. Then he took himself out of the room and closed the door 
behind him. His hand drifted down to the leather bag at his hip. He 
returned to his own room, donned his lightweight shirt, tunic and helm 
before transporting himself to the top of Camelback Mountain, where 

20 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

no one would disturb him. 

The desert night wind breathed here on the hill, carrying the days 
heat upward from the city. Samir found a sheltered place between two 
rocks, set his leather bag down, opened its mouth, and walked toward 
it. He had never been quite sure whether he changed size, the bag 
enlarged, or the two met somewhere in the middle, but by the time he 
reached the lip of the bag and stepped inside, everything had equalized. 
He needed the reassurance of his own things around him, the items that 
were always with him, for he had never known when the binding would 
shift from one designate to another. Inside the bag, he set a small globe 
burning for light, and went to stare at his tapestry again. Examining it 
for changes, and dreading what he might find there, was a daily ritual. 

On the wall was the family tree of the Jarrars in all its complexity, 
knotted into the weave of the fabric, names in tiny script next to each 
branch and twig. He had enchanted the tapestry many centuries ago to 
maintain itself as each new babe was born or family lines ended 
without issue. Over the past ten years, only one branch still glowed 
golden with life. The others were all dark, an effect of the sorcerers 
bitter vengeance. 

Lauras leaf was the last one on the tree. Samir sat on a small 
cushion in front of the tapestry and gazed at it. What would happen to 
him when her leaf, too, went dark? He wondered if this was the 
eventual demise the sorcerer had planned for him: a slow dwindling of 
his life spirit after millennia of servitude. 

His hand went to his belly, where he could feel the sky-blue jewel 
hard beneath his clothing. Sublimationwas it a gradual end, or more 
an immolation, a final burst of glory that consumed his soul? He 
wished he knew. 

* * * 

Laura tossed and turned, sleepless. Her mind was filled with 
Samirs hot, dark eyes and incredible mouth. Had a kiss ever been so 

21 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

divine? But he was a jinni. 

Magic kisses couldnt help but be better than earthly ones, could 
they? 

Tangled in the thoughts of beautiful Samir were the ugly images of 
Lewis and the blonde, Lewiss craven apologies, and Lauras 
mortification. Time after time she replayed her sobbing barefoot flight 
to the elevator and out to the hot city streets and the serendipity of a 
passing taxi. 

Shed really liked Lewis. He seemed nice enough, and shed been 
only a few days away from telling him the story of the jinni who was 
her permanent companion. Now she would have to begin again with 
someone new. If only she made better choices in men. If only she could 
stop comparing them all to Samir, and finding them lacking. 

There was the crux of her problem. She and Samir had made a life 
together. Now that she was looking at herself more objectively here in 
the warm darkness of her room, she realized she was unwilling to give 
up that sweetness for any of the men she had dated so far. When she 
was a child, Samir had been a special playmate, but as she grew up, 
shed learned to trust his judgment and welcome his humor and 
wisdom, even his sometimes harsh comments about her boyfriends. 
Hed been right every time. When she struck out on her own after high 
school, he was the safety net stretching beneath her, but he never 
interfered when she insisted on doing her job herself, without his magic 
to help her succeed. 

Instead, Samir had focused on making a home for the two of them, 
whether that was a dorm room at college, a ratty apartment or their 
house in Phoenix. He saw to it that she had clean sheets, delicious 
meals, excursions to wondrous places on his flying carpet or whisked 
away wrapped tight in his arms. 

Then there was the divinity of his coffee. 

A few times over the years shed joked he would make someone a 

22 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

fine wife one day, but she was also grateful for the peaceful comfort he 
created for the two of them. Somewhere along the way their 
relationship had changed from mistress and jinni to life partners, who 
did everything together except make love. She had sought physical 
satisfaction from other men, but something was always missing. Dating 
always felt like cheating, and at last she understood why. 

It was, and probably always had been, Samir she wanted. In every 
way. 

The realization destroyed any hope of coaxing sleep. Before dawn 
she rose and crept out the back door to stand on the patio. The tequila 
had been unkind; she needed aspirin and liquids, but for now she 
wanted fresh air to clear her muzzy head. The night had solved nothing, 
except to take the edge off the pain of losing Lewis. In its place were 
the new, disturbing feelings about Samir. Shed always seen him as her 
companiona handsome, intelligent man, with a few very interesting 
magical tricks up his sleeve. An oddity. 

Until the moment she had felt his blatant erotic reaction when shed 
tipsily licked the guacamole from his bare belly. 

Friends no longer, she feared. Her hands twisted together in front of 
her. It would kill her if shed lost Samirs regard over this, but how 
could it ever be the same between them? Shed ruined everything. 

Oh, Samir, she said to the gray dawn. My jinni, Im so sorry. 

His voice came from behind her. My mistress, I am not sorry. 

She hadnt meant to summon him, but the depth of her misery must 
have made the call plain. Laura fought the urge to turn and fling herself 
into his arms for comfort. She schooled her features and turned. He 
looked wind-blown, his tunic a bit askew and hair teased from beneath 
his helm. 

I was drunk last night. 

But I was not. 

This hadnt occurred to her. She stared at him, her mouth falling 

23 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

open a little. He had been the one to initiate the actual kiss, hadnt he? 

Oh, shed been curious for years, but 

I did nothing I did not wish to do, he continued. Did you? 

Laura felt hot color stain her cheeks. Her glance fell to her feet. 
No. 

Then where is the problem? 

I used you, Samir. I was hurting, and drunk, and stupid, and 
She stopped. She had to look up, for he was too close, but he was so 
familiar and so comforting a presence that she simply leaned forward 
and put her head on his chest. The hot tears flowing now were not for 
Lewis. They were for her shoddy treatment of Samir. His arms came 
around her and Laura cried harder. She felt his breath stirring her hair. 

Use me then, he whispered. I am yours, my mistress. 

Laura lifted her cheek from his chest, where the sudden acceleration 
of his heartbeat had surprised her. It was such a small distance to 
crossmere inchesand Samirs mouth was so beautiful. There was 
the pale demarcation between the reddened flesh of his lips and the 
stubbled skin around them. She imagined the sweet rasp of that skin on 
hers, and put her fingers to his lips, blinking hard to clear her vision of 
tears. 

She touched the arch of his cheekbone. And then she kissed him. 

Everything Laura was went into her kiss. Hopes, fears, memories. 
Quarrels, joy, wonder. Regret, foolishness, awe. 

When their lips opened and their tongues met, Samir made a choked 
sound. Around them a maelstrom arose, hot, dusty, swirling grains of 
sand and grit flew into the air, rattling the bony branches of the ocotillo 
bushes and setting the wind chimes ringing. Nothing touched the two 
twined in its center, though Lauras hair sparked with static as it lashed 
in the wind. Her arms slid up around Samirs neck and, in an instant, he 
had wrapped her so tight in his arms that she could scarcely breathe. He 
was lifting her to her toes as he kissed her back, then her feet left the 

24 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

ground altogether. 

There was a flicker, the same flicker she had experienced before 
when Samir whisked the two of them away somewhere instead of using 
his magic carpet to fly there. She opened her eyes. The wind was gone 
and they were in the living room, still twined. 

Thats some trick. She laughed. Did you call the whirlwind? 

Samir shook his head, a slight frown between his brows. It is 
difficult to control the jinni magic at times like these. I cannot help it. 
Youexcite me. 

Laura looked at his tense face and smoothed her palms over his 
cheeks. I think you should at least take off your helm. Some wild 
rabbit in her belly raced in circles. Could she really be about to 
proposition her jinni? 

Samir raised his hands to his head and lifted off his helm. He held it 
under his arm and looked at her. She had never seen him look so 
serious. Ill take that. She put it on the coffee table. 

Next were the buttons on his tunic, and he stared at her fingers as 
she opened each button, one by one, from neck to hem. Goodness. 
Twenty buttons. Ive never counted before. She tugged off the 
garment, folding it and placing it on the back of an armchair. 

As her fingers touched the buckle of his belt, Samir caught at her 
hands. Laura, what is it you wish of me? 

She met his gaze and tried to be brave. She had known Samir all her 
life, but only in the last twelve hours had she seen him as a sexual 
being. Yet she wanted nothing more than to take him into her bed, into 
her body. P-pleasure, she stammered at last. Not quite brave enough 
to whisper what was in her heart of hearts. 

Samir looked at her. She thought he looked sad, but it must be her 
imagination, for he took her hands and pressed one to his chest, where 
his mighty jinnis heart thundered, and the other over his groin, where 
she could feel his flesh awakening under his clothing. His mouth 

25 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

curved. Such as this, my mistress? 

Exactly such as that. She tried not to tremble, but did not succeed. 
She reached again for the buckle of his belt, only to have him stay her 
hands yet again. 

Ill attend to my belt. Laura recalled how he never permitted her 
to touch his leather pouch, and stood back watching as he unbuckled 
the belt and unwound it from its double wrap about his waist. The belt, 
dagger and pouch went onto the coffee table. 

What do you keep in there? she asked, for perhaps the thousandth 
time. 

My things. 

As always, the same reply. 

He looked at her, arms lifted from his sides, inviting her perusal. 
Well? This time his smile was wider and even more sure. 

Well what? Laura felt her bravery waning. She bit her lip; 
somehow the fun and friendly romp she had envisioned was becoming 
something much more intense. 

Ah, I see. More kisses are in order before we continue. Stretching 
out a hand, he caught her behind the neck, and in one tug she was in his 
arms again. Without the barrier of his tunic she could feel the heat of 
his skin through his shirt. Her hands were on his chest. Beneath her 
palm, his heartbeat still shook his body. 

She watched as his head came down, inch by slow, maddening inch, 
until his mouth hovered above hers and the tip of his nose brushed her 
cheek. He teased her with skimming kisses, until her mouth opened 
beneath his and he could not resist the invitation. Laura sagged against 
him as his tongue swept into her mouth and stroked the roof of her 
mouth, the edges of her teeth, and withdrew to coax her after it. He 
took the weight of her in his arms, lifting her easily with one arm 
behind her knees and the other at her shoulder blades. 

Samir! She gasped as he swung her high into the air. 

26 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

His teeth flashed white. Where shall I take you, my mistress? To 
the shore? The Sahara on a carpet rich with the wool of new lambs? A 
tiny craft in the very center of the vast ocean? The top of the tallest 
building in the world? An undiscovered pyramid in the jungles of 
Central America or Southeast Asia? Where? Only name it, and we shall 
go. 

Laura laced her fingers into the black waves of his hair. She could 
have any of these wildly romantic things. Her jinni had the power to 
grant wishes, create elaborate fantasies, make dreams come trueand 
yet, there was only one thing she wanted. 

Take me to bed, my jinni, she whispered, blushing. 

Samir threw back his head and laugheda jinnis laugh, 
tremendous and chesty and ever so slightly ominous. She must never 
forget what he was: the most powerful being she knew. 

You can have anything you want, and this is what you choose? My 
mistress, I must teach you to dream larger dreams. As he spoke, he 
carried her down the hall, and now he put one knee on her bed and lay 
her on its tumbled sheets as though she were made of spun glass. He 
stood back and, giving his body a shiver as a wet dog might, shuddered 
away his clothing and boots. 

Laura propped herself up on one elbow and stared at him. She had 
never seen anyone sonakedbefore. Though she had seen naked 
men, it was always in passingon their quick way to the bathroom to 
fetch a condom, or as they moved over her body a moment before 
thrusting inside. None of them had ever stood over her, hands on hips, 
inviting her regard. Samir was brown all over, with a small mat of dark 
hair at his sternum, which arrowed down his belly to the sky-blue jewel 
lodged forever in his navel. And below that, a male organ so hard its tip 
curved back to touch his bellyalmost to the jewel itself. 

Laura sat up and tugged her nightgown over her head, then let it slip 
to the floor. Her panties followed. She reached out and stroked a hand 

27 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

over his naked chest, crossing a nipple and his muscular abdomen to 
pause at the jewel, and then on to clasp his erection. Samir sucked in a 
harsh breath. 

This dream is large enough for me, she said breathlessly, and 
when she fell back on the bed, he followed. 

* * * 

Samir meant for their first time to be long, and slow, and delicious, 
the finest display of a jinnis sexual prowess. 

In a word: magic. 

Instead, Lauras hot palm wrapped around his cock and tugged him 
forward between her knees as she lay near the edge of the bed. She 
opened her thighs to him and brought him straight into her, the dilated 
green gaze never leaving his. Her mouth opened on a delighted gasp as 
he pushed inside, her neck and back arching. Stretching out her arms, 
she beckoned him into them, twining herself so close his pubic bone 
pressed against her mons as he thrust. 

He tried to go slow, to plumb her slippery depths with courtesy until 
he learned the silken fist of her body, but Laura chose otherwise. Her 
hands grasped him at the base of his buttocks and set the pace, faster, 
ever faster. And deepso deep that all of him was warmly, wetly 
clasped. The slippery sounds of their coupling, combined with Lauras 
soft cries, were all he heard aside from the rush of blood in his ears. 

In a short time she went rigid beneath him, her head falling back 
and her breathing harsh. Samir slowed his pace, stroking the tiny bud at 
the apex of her thighs with his body as well as he was able while she 
climaxed and her skin flushed a luscious pink. When she opened her 
eyes, they mirrored her sweet confusion and the height of her pleasure. 
She smiled until his thumb slid between their bodies and caressed her 
into an immediate second climax. She caught her lower lip between her 
teeth to stifle her loud cries of pleasure. This time her eyes never left 
his, and an invisible but deep, erotic connection tugged him over the 

28 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

edge into his own massive orgasm. It seemed to go on forever, showers 

of his fluid bathing the inside of her body. 

Oh, my God, Laura panted. 

Samir moved to the side and lay on his back next to her. He tried 
very hard to erase the smug smile on his lips. He had at last made love 
to the woman of the millennium, his personal goddess. Nothing would 
ever be more satisfying. 

Not even the princess for whom he had been cursed could compare. 
He didnt even remember her face. 

Did the earth move? Laura teased, wriggling close to him and 
putting her head on his muscular upper arm. 

Quite likely. I could feel magic escaping. 

Thats called an orgasm, Laura laughed. 

I know the difference. 

Oh, excuse me. Sir. 

He curled his finger beneath her chin to make her look at him. You 
are happy? 

She smiled the best, sleepiest smile he had ever seen on a lover. 
Im happy. Ill never walk again, but Im happy. 

I shall make you breakfast. And coffee. 

Laura gave a jaw-cracking yawn. You shall let me sleep first, my 
jinni. I didnt sleep last night for thinking of you and 
thatamazingkiss. 

Samir didnt even try to hide his satisfied smile this time. Laura 
pressed a swift kiss on his mouth, then scooted up the bed until her 
head rested on a pillow. She beckoned him after her, arranging herself 
spoon-fashion in the bend of his body and legs, tugging his arm across 
her. Then we shall see what I want most, breakfast oror not. Her 
laugh was the most wonderful thing he had heard in many years, made 
wholly new by pleasure. And her breast in his palm was the softest, 
roundest, ripest fruit he had ever held. 

29 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

When Samir woke next, the room was in full Arizona daylight, hot 
and white. The bed was empty, except for him. The house was silent. 
He glanced toward the master bath, but the door stood open. He rose 
from the bed and padded through the sunny house looking for Laura. 
She was not in the kitchen, or the spare room, or the room she had 
made for him, filled with sunlight and Persian rugs. 

But there, on the floor in the living room, was his leather bag, its 
mouth open. 

Samir groaned. Without a doubt, Laura was inside it. He hurried 
toward the bag, and, as always, it welcomed him. 

Yesthere she was. She was standing, naked with her hair sex-
tangled, and pink marks of passion still on her body, in front of the 
Jarrar family tree. Her fingers traced branch after branch and he could 
see her lips moving as she read the names of ancestors, cousins, aunts, 
grandparents, family hundreds of generations removed. 

My mistress, please do not 

Samir! Oh, Samir, I meant only to take a peep inside the bag but 
I She turned to him, her face stricken with mingled shame and 
alarm. I dropped it and then Ifell in, I think, and I sawthis. Her 
hand waved at the one glowing branch of the massive tree. And I 
found these. Her fist opened and in her palm he saw two ancient, 
desiccated Brussels sprouts. And him. She pointed to a ratty, old 
teddy bear, lying on a cushion. Samir, I 

Come away from there! He heard his own dismay and struggled 
to control his reaction. Please, my mistress. 

Is this where all the Brussels sprouts I didnt eat went? Did you 
have to save them all? 

He shook his head in impatience. Leave it to Laura to obsess about 
the details. It was what made her an excellent accountant. I must have 
missed a few when I cleaned. This was the quickest place to hide them 
where your mother wouldnt notice. 

30 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

These are decades old! Her gaze kept turning back to that one 
glowing branch, and he crossed the floor of the bag to pull her away 
from the rug. And Teddable! I remember when Mom made me throw 
him out. He was so old and dingy and worn. But you saved him. Her 
sad eyes grew large. Samir, what is this place? She caught at his wrist 
as he drew her toward the mouth of the bag, and halted him. 

Samir sighed. He might as well get it over with. She would never 
rest until she knew the whole story. He knew her too well. You 
remember Ive told you I am bound to someone in each generation. 

Yes, of course. Laura sank onto one of the cushions and tugged 
him to sit on another. 

Centuries ago I never knew where the next designate might be. 
Remember, your family was cursed to wander by the same sorcerer 
who bound me. 

Her hand crept to the teddy bear and clutched it against her breasts 
as she nodded. 

As each new master or mistress was born, I was torn from the side 
of the previous. And so Ilearned to travel light, since I never knew 
where I would next be called. 

Oh, how terrible. Lauras brow creased in sympathy. Butshe 
looked around herI thought you said you didnt have a bottle. 

It is my home, not my prison. I come and go as I please. These are 
all my things. My shelter, no bottle. 

All your thingsbut not that. She pointed to the tree on the wall. 
That isthat is my family. And IIm the only one left. 

Yes, my mistress. 

Laura rose from her seat and went to stare once more at the tree. If 
I read the tree correctly, my mother must have been the designate 
before I was, and her father before her. The other lines are all dark. 
Those lines aredead. 

Yes. 

31 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

No wonder she never questioned me when I spoke about my 
invisible friend. She knew all about you. Her gaze cut to him and he 
saw her flush. Did you ever 

Samir shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. I never made love 
to your mother. Distant others of your family, yes. It is true. I am not 
completely chaste. But Laura He took a deep breath. The next 
words were ones he had never spoken in his very, very long life. I 
have never loved another so much as I love you, my mistress. 

Her face crumpled. She fell to her knees before him, and covered 
his hands with kisses, turned them and kissed the palms. Hot tears fell 
on his skin. I have loved you for such a long time, but I never 
understood that. And if I thought about it, I thought you were 
something I could never haveyou were my familys jinni. Why didnt 
you tell me? 

Because you have a life of your own to live. You have free will. 

Laura asked the very question he had pondered so often himself. 
Samir, what happens to you if your curse is not broken and Idie? 

He shrugged. I do not know. 

Is that what the sorcerer meant by sublimation? 

Samir shrugged again, shaking his head. 

Then theres only one thing to be done. She looked at Samir 
fiercely. I cant let you die, not if I can keep you alive. If we cant 
break your curse, perhaps another generation can. 

Samir gasped. No, my mistress! 

Laura rose again and stood looking down at him. Tears sprang 
afresh. Dont you see? If I dont have a child, we cant be sure youll 
live after I die. She headed for the mouth of the bag, Teddable 
swinging at her side. 

Samir lunged and caught her ankle. He groveled at her feet. I 
would rather die when you die, my mistress, than see you love another. 
I would rather wander the earth alone than see you take another man to 

32 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

your bed. I would rather 

Silence, my jinni! Laura interrupted him with the words of 
command, and he pressed his hot face into the floor of the bag. The 
teddy bear dropped beside him, and a moment later, Laura crouched 
there as well, stroking his hair. 

My mistress, please do not force me to leave you. Please let me 
stay with you until the end, whatever end it may be. I beg you 

I will do what I must, Samir, she breathed, looking down at him 
with sad eyes. I would give my life, as you have given yours. 

The bag trembled, negligibly at first, then with more vigor. It was 
like being in an earthquake as cupboards sprang open and things fell 
from the shelves inside. Cups, saucers, cutlery. Lamps. Books. 
Clothing. His magic carpet fell over, unrolled, and began sailing around 
them as a vortex of force arose. Laura squeaked in fright and crowded 
close to him. Samir shielded her naked body with his own as the 
shaking increased and the vortex whirled and spun. Then, with a 
massive flex, the bag convulsed. Everything inside it shot out at 
tremendous speed, including Laura and Samir, as if the bag had 
sneezed. 

Samir covered Lauras body while his personal effects rained down 
around them. 

At last, the shaking stopped. Samir rose and stared in dismay at the 
mess. 

On the floor at his feet, Laura was laughing. Look, Samir, look! 
She held out her hand. In her palm was his sky-blue navel jewel, 
winking like a cold star. 

And it was shrinking. A faint mist drifted up from Lauras hand. 

Samir stared down at his belly, his fingers groping for the place 
where the jewel had been for centuries. 

Its not there anymore! Weve done it! Weve broken the curse! 
Laura cried. Its sublimating! Look at it, going from solid to gas. A 

33 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

moment later her palm was empty. 

Samir fell to his knees, astonished. His cursebroken? The hot, 
heavy jinnis heart that had pounded in his chest for so many millennia 
seemed to slow and cool. He looked at Laura in alarm. What is 
happening to me? Laura! What 

Her gaze skittered over him and, to his relief, she didnt seem 
frightened. I think She ran her hands over his muscular shoulder 
and nodded. Yes, youre definitely a little smaller. I think youre not a 
jinni any longer. Try some magic. 

Samir held out his hand toward his belt and dagger, but they did not 
fly to him. He spoke the jinni word of command, but still they lay on 
the table where he had left them before carrying Laura to her bed. He 
looked at Laura, stunned, and for the first time in centuries, afraid. The 
curse was lifted, but what did that mean? 

Last of my line. Laura smiled. I thinkI think the sorcerer must 
have meant you for me. Someone who would love you back as 
powerfully as you loved her. Me. 

Can it be? Is the curse lifted? 

The jewel is gone, so what else could that mean? 

He flexed his arms and torso, feeling the difference in strength. I 
am a weakling. I am small. 

Laura crawled across the few feet separating them, and kissed his 
now-empty navel lingeringly. Believe me, Samiryoure far from 
small. She trailed a teasing finger down his belly and circled his cock 
once, twice, then closed her fingers around him. She looked up and 
grinned at him before pulling his head down and kissing his mouth with 
passion. But I think you are only human. Men do rather like being 
touched like this 

Oh, yes, my mistress, groaned Samir. 

And like this Her mouth trailed down his neck to his chest, 
where she bit a nipple. 

34 


GENIE, NO BOTTLE 

Sweet Astarte, yes. 

And like this. She kissed her way down his belly and pushed him 
onto his back on the rug, where she spent a heady few moments 
suckling the head of his organ. 

Samir moaned and fought to keep his hands out of her hair. He 
didnt remember this feeling so good before. Rarely had anyone sought 
to give him pleasure; instead, they wanted what he could provide. 

Laura! His gasp made her chuckle and bite down before she 
pulled her mouth away with a soft popping sound. 

Yes, my jinni? 

Tell me you love me again. 

Ill tell you every day for the rest of my life. She straddled him, 
hands on his chest, and eased her body down over him, encasing him in 
that sweet, hot darkness once more. If youll tell me the same. 

Now that I have a life, most assuredly. I will court you. I will woo 
you. 

Mmm. I like how that sounds. She began to move, and Samir 
clutched at her hips, helping to set the pace. A slow, deep, wonderful 
tension began to coil in his belly. He arched upward to meet each grind 
of her pelvis. 

She tilted her head, her breathing quickened. Althoughit is a 
pity 

His eyes widened. What? What is a pity? 

Well have to go to the grocery store for avocados now. Lauras 
gurgling laugh was followed by her sweet, happy gasps of delight, and 
Samir knew what it meant to be a man at last, in the arms of his love. 

35 


NINA MERRILL 


Nina Merrill started writing stories in elementary school and wrote her 
first full-length novel in a spiral-bound notebook at age thirteen, 
followed by several practice novels. Her favorite Christmas present was 
a typewriter and a ream of paper. After college, she took a job with a 
large international corporation, programming computers and writing 
technical documentation. A few years ago, she rediscovered writing 
during a prolonged period of insomnia and began to indulge her passion 
with a vengeance. Nina is currently making the leap from corporate 
drone to mild-mannered bookseller in an independent bookstore in 
Washington, where she can feed her addiction to fiction. Nina currently 
lives with her computer geek husband in a quiet happy house full of 
books, animals, and dust. 

You can learn more about Nina by visiting her website: 

http://nina_merrill.livejournal.com/ 

* * * 

Dont miss Unloved, by Nina Merrill, 
available at AmberHeat.com! 

For young Nona Hartley, sophisticated businessman Jude Danzig 
seems the perfect choice for her first lover. What begins as mutual 
attraction rapidly spirals into an intensely physical affair, yet when 


Nona confesses her growing emotional attachment, she is devastated to 
learn Jude could care less. Nona flees Miami, determined to forget him. 

Two years later, Nona is stunned to see a man walking down her street, 
and even more dismayed when he stands on her front lawn in a 
thunderstorm, staring at her house. Is it really Jude, and if so, why is 
he here? 

And does she still care? 

When she learns Jude has bought a local competitors citrus grove, all 
bets are off. Whats worse is realizing her feelings for Jude are 
unchanged even after so long apart. Memories of his rejection sting, 
but this time theres a difference: Jude reveals the dark secret tainting 
his life. Can they set aside painful memories and reach a place where 
neither is unloved? 


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