⚠️Warning. Mention of rape⚠️

"What made you become a soldier?" I ask, as I stare at the picture of him and his comrades together at base, in his office. His shoulder was thrown over the Prince's shoulders, smiles illuminating all of their faces.

"As a boy, I vowed I would protect my mother from all danger. Especially my father." I look to him.
"He was a nuisance in all sense of the word. Very violent with his words. I wanted to be her knight in shining armor."

"You have achieved more than that." I state and he smiles.

"I reckon not thinking I would become the great General Lutalo Obasi, yet I guess it is expected with the work ethic that I possess." I nod in understanding.

"Why did you start writing?" My very own smile, comes unto my lips. Feeling myself become excited at the mention of my passion.

"I was always fascinated by it when I was younger; I think I was about nine or ten, when our schoolmistress gave us an assignment to write a short poem on anything subject we desired. I remember feeling so excited, having so many ideas come to mind. In the end I wrote a poem on perfection and was praised for it by her." I explain.
"A great teacher that one." Madam Gaylon was so different from the others in the village, and for that her and her husband were looked down on. They had views that made the village question their "commitment to God."

Mrs. Gaylon spoke of things different from what we were taught. Of how God even had purpose for us women; of the women that had powerful roles in the Bible. Even Mary, the woman who birthed the Messiah.

When she was brought in front of the church one day, and declared blasphemous in front of all, her husband stood by her side, and defended her against Kevin's menace of a father.

"Her and her husband eventually left the village, but a letter was kept safely in the draw of my desk. She told me believed I had a gift from God, and that I shouldn't stop writing." I turn to look at him.

"What made you venture to writing erotic poems then?" I look back to the picture, as the memories all came back one by one.

"Our village is...very peculiar. Many things were done in the name of God. We must suffer as Jesus did, they would say. Yet I guess, in a sense we did. Suffered unfairly, wounded and abused, yet all for a greater purpose." I turn to him again.

"Did you suffer unfairly?" A small smile comes into my face, at his concerned face.

"In the latter days of fifteen, my outlook on sex was drastically changed for me." His eyes widen slightly, seeming to understand exactly what I meant.

"You were..." I nod.

His features harden in anger, and I couldn't help but smile at that.
"You become angry at a situation of a complete stranger to you?"

"Anyone would get angry at such, though my anger goes deeper because it is the woman I care for." We hold each other's gaze, letting the truth of his confession sink in.
A woman he cares for he says.

Breaking eye contact I walk pass him, reaching for the picture frame on his table, finding a portrait of him and his mother, hugging each other smiling. They looked genuinely happy. A genuine, sane mother and her darling son.

"Solace." I glance over to him.

"What?"

"Because of what you experienced, you now find solace in writing of what you desired for sex to be. One's Core Desire holds an even deeper meaning now than when I first read it." I look back at the picture smiling.
So he has read my books.

"After the situation had occurred I was put into a three month session of purity and perfection by my mother with the priest of our church."

He walks over to me, and I rest the frame back down, turning to him.
"But you were raped. Why didn't she-"

"Peculiar village, remember." Placing my hands on his chest, I begin to play with the white buttons of his cream shirt.
"For three months My Lord, I was given sessions of purity and perfection by the same man who touched me." His eyes widen in horror, and I mentally chuckle.
Gene would scold me for laughing about this.

"Wait..I don't understand."

"There was a boy named Jamal that I had liked." A soft smile comes onto my face at the memory of him.
"He was the son of the organist at our church. Young love many would say, but the priest caught us kissing in the back and well, he scolded us both for it."

"What is going on here?!" Jamal and I jump away from each other, horror filling my body.

"Father Griffith it's-"

"You have defiled this young woman! You will be punished for it before the Lord! In my office now!"

"We sat in his office, waiting for our punishment, waiting for him to call our parents, but he didn't. His eyes were filled with anger, pupils almost completely black." Lutalo didn't remove his eyes from mines, though his hands were now very present on my waist; and it was comforting to say the least.

"He called me over to his desk where he sat, pushing back his chair, standing to his feet." I recall the memory.

"Please!"

"Shut up both of you!" He bends me over the table, not caring for the documents that were on it. He roughly pulling up my dress, tugging my panty down, and spanking me harshly.

"He accused me of giving my body to someone else, when it was meant for him. Can you believe that?" Disgusting man.
"There was nothing Jamal nor I could do but endure it. He did try to help, but was ordered to sit down." I turn away from his gaze, looking back down to his chest. Why am I even telling this man my entire life story?

The soft touch of her finger to my chin, caused my heart to slowly pick up pace. Eyes locking once again.

"What happened after?"

"He took what he believed was rightfully his, while forcing Jamal to watch." I softly reply, in a sense dazed by the tender look he held for me in his eyes.
"He then reported it to our parents, and spilled lies that he had caught Jamal raping me in the back toilet. Neither of us could of defended ourselves, it was their beloved priest's words against ours; but you know what hurt more than them not even asking us a question, Jamal's father had them all take their own lives because of the shame he brought them."

"Agatha." He softly calls my name. No tears or emotion were present on my face, but a smile eventually appeared when I saw how worried he was. Such a killer story for a first date Agatha. I mentally roll my eyes at myself.

Gene would hit me.

"My first erotic book, was my little black journal; filled with poems of what I dreamed sex could be like, outside the pain and disgust I constantly felt. Writing erotically indeed became my solace; my safe place. But then my journal was found by my mother and oh my, did all hell break loose." I chuckle at my own joke.

"This is not something to laugh at Agatha, that man should of been arrested. Your mother-"

"Paralyzed. Him, dead. The village, supposedly in the capable hands of a boy that has had his own share of pain living in that damned village. Things may very well change with his leadership." He remains silent for sometime.

"I would ask for the location of the place, but I won't do business now. Later, but not now." I chuckle, nodding to say okay.

"You are very strong Agatha."

"Don't I know it." He smiles.
"I wouldn't be this fortunate Lady of Desire if I hadn't found the courage to leave that village, or so luckily find shelter in Gene's building....Suffered greatly, for my golden paradise."

Something catches my attention behind him, in the corner of the room, hidden next the two bookshelves on the right.

"You have a golden sword!" I eagerly walk over to it, marveling at its beauty. Running my fingers carefully down the blade of a sword that I am most certain is pure gold. 

The handle was designed into a miniature gold figure of Lutalo in his armor, details of vines going all the way down to the tip, and engrave at the top were the words, Long Live The Great General Lutalo.

"You seem to love gold." He noted and I shyly giggle.

"It's my favorite color." He chuckles, nodding.

"The King awarded Edwin and I both a sword after we had defeated our rival kingdom; after three years of war we had finally won."

"You are a great leader Lutalo." He looks to me and smiles.

"And you are an esteemed poet Agatha." I smirk, remembering what his mother told me.

I slowly make my way back over to him, his eyes glancing down at my body for a mere second, before meeting my eyes again.
"Your mother actually tells me you write my lord." He laughs lightly, shaking his head.

"Seems she has been saying and doing many things in my absence." I laugh, resting my hand on his chest, his arms instantly surrounding my waist.

"Have you ever written a book?"

"I did once, but I never made thought to further it. It truly was more of a personal experience for myself, to show myself I am capable of more than just yielding a sword." My brow raised at that.

"Do you not like being a soldier?"

"It's not that. It's more of a matter of achievement to myself. I am not disapproving of my role as general." I nod in understanding, beginning to play with one of the sliver buttons again.

"The reason for my visit today..." his fingers take hold of my chin, lifting my head to look at him.
"Better." My cheeks warm, and he smirks knowing exactly what he was doing.

"The reason for your visit today was..."

"To ask your mother if she would participate in writing a poem, for a special edition book I am doing." I softly mutter, the sexual tension from before joining us again.
"Yet she insisted that you should be the one to do it."

He goes to respond but someone knocks on the door and enters without waiting for a response.
"Oh! I was wondering where you both were. I just came to let you guys know I'm home."

"Why are you in fresh attire?" Lutalo makes notice of the obvious, and I smile knowingly at the woman. The blue dress she first had on when I arrived, was now an emerald green.

"I am a grown adult woman Lutalo." She rolls her eyes at him.
"A woman's cunt deserves to be treasured; especially after your useless father." She winks at me and leaves his office, leaving Lutalo jaw dropped and me laughing. She truly is a brave one.

"You're mother is absolutely amazing." My words fade out, as his eyes stared intensely at me.

"Quite the personality I told you she has." He mutters, pulling my body closer to his.

"She is wonderful by all means, my Lord." I had no doubt he could feel the fast pace of my heart, but it was not out of nervous. Oh no...excitement was coursing through my entire body.

The entire evening has been filed with a suffocating sexual tension, that is making my treasure impatient for his touch.

He grabs hold of my chin in a firm yet gentle grip, bringing his face even closer to mines, our lips only a short distance apart.
"Do you agree with her statement flower?" My brows furrow in confusion, yet my heart skips a beat at the pet name.

"What statement?" He smirks.

"Does a woman's cunt need to be treasured?" My eyes widen in shock.

My word.