Men lusted after her, and drooled and pursued her relentlessly. She spurned them over and over again but to no avail. She was always cold and haughty but it only seemed to make them want her more.

If only she could have looked like half the women from her father's village, sagging breasts and care-worn bodies. She reflected pensively for a moment upon her early life, her father the governor of the village and her mother from an ancient lineage. She, born to be served and pampered. Again she thought of the young stableboy, thirteen years old beaten to death for loving her. He had fucked her one night in the almond grove and her father's steward had caught them. Her first love killed for loving her. Something had died in her then, never again to be aroused, or so it seemed… and now. Well, she didn't want to think about it. And now she had her niece to care for, since her brother and sister-in-law were killed, a girl who had quickly ripened to womanhood, only lately out of the convent.

Wendy was now thirteen, Suzie had taken care of her since she was six. She had sent her to only the very best of schools and guarded her very carefully. Yesterday Wendy was a child and now… Suzie reflected that the child was fast growing into a very beautiful young woman. Of late Suzie had noticed Wendy's increased interest in boys and her seductive way of casting her eyes whenever they came into the room. Somehow Wendy's approaching maturity was causing Suzie to feel again the touch of a man more constantly, perhaps it was a sense of competition, who knows. Brad wasn't much help, he was hardly ever with her and when he was… Well, Suzie shuddered, she didn't want to think too much about Brad and his apparent lack of concern for her, true she was somewhat frigid even with him but didn't he sense her need to be really taken. Apparently not, his lovemaking left so much to be desired and half the time his mind seemed to be elsewhere, probably on his work.