Forbidden India Ch. 03

"What do you think of my dance?" Anum asked, when she was done and heading over to where her servant stood.

"It is very nice." Danial nodded approvingly. "It is entirely different than what is found on the videos."

"Show me new videos, Danial."

He did. There was one old recording of a man and woman leaning toward each other while they both kicked their legs out behind them.

"Try it Danial." Anum suggested. "I want to see you do this dance."

Danial never refused her. He studied the video for several minutes, before he went to an open place in the room and practiced the kicks in slow motion. The young man tried it a few times, referred to the video once again, and went back to try it a few more times. He held his arms out like a duck, leaned forward and kicked out behind him, just like the man in the video was doing. Anum set her hand before her mouth and giggled, not because Danial was doing the dance wrong, but because it looked funny even when he did it right.

"Will you also try?" He asked.

Anum shook her head no. She dismissed Danial shortly after. Once Anum was sure her servant was gone, she shut the door and practiced some of the dance moves herself. She felt absurd doing them, but she couldn't be that far off from what she'd seen on Danial's phone.

That night, Anum had the same dream several times. It was such a funny dream that she felt compelled to tell Danial about it in the morning. This was right after breakfast when she went to listen to those same three records again.

"It was a very funny dream, Danial. Do you want me to tell you about it?"

He nodded yes.

"I dreamed that you were flying all over town with those great big ears of yours. You didn't need to drive the car anymore, because your ears were so much better!"

Anum hadn't thought about how her servant might react to her revelation. She hadn't expected to see him standing there with a big goofy grin on his face, but that's what she saw. In that moment, she understood her dream. Anum was not jealous of Danial, she was happy for him in a way. His big ears were symbolic in that they were allowing Danial the freedom to fly all over. That's what she wanted, big ears of her own so she could fly in the same way he did.

"Danial..."

"Yes?"

"Danial, do you want to watch as I dance?"

He nodded back at her.

"You are not allowed to see me dance." Anum told him. "If my husband had his way, I would be dancing while wearing a burka for the rest of my life."

It made her angry to think of this. She nearly asked Danial to retrieve her burka from her bedroom so she could put it on.

"Two times now, I have seen you dance." Danial interrupted her contempt. "You have a very nice way of dancing."

"You dance first, the way you did yesterday." Anum decided. "When you're done I will also dance."

With his long, gangly arms and legs, Danial did the maneuvers from the previous day. Anum laughed as she watched.

"Your turn." He said.

"No, you go again. Let me start the record over."

When Danial started dancing, she went to stand before him. Knowing she would be too timid to do this on her own, she started mimicking the moves she'd seen from the girls in the old videos. At first, Danial was staring at his legs, making sure he was dancing properly. Once he became aware that Anum was dancing with him, that big grin returned to his face.

Their legs were kicking out behind them, their bodies were leaned in and their faces were the closest of all. In that moment, as Anum gazed into her servant's excited features, she found that Danial did not look that ugly at all. Nearly at the same moment, they both started laughing.

"Danial!" Anum called out the next morning.

She heard his plodding footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Yes, lady Anum?" He said, as he stepped into the phonograph room.

"I noticed that one of the cars has driven away. Who was in it?"

"The driver has taken the two maids out."

Anum already knew the answers, but she asked anyway. "Where did they go?"

"One maid will be taken to visit her family, while the other will be taken into town for supplies."

"How long will they be gone?"

"I don't know." Danial shrugged back. "I can call the driver to ask him."

"No, there is no need." Anum replied. "If I start the music, will you dance for me?"

"I studied a new dance last night. I was hoping to show it to you today."

She saw how excited he was to say this to her. "You practice first. If it doesn't look too ridiculous, I might try it."

Anum went to start the phonograph. When she turned back, she saw that Danial was already practicing the moves in a slow way. Once he gained confidence, his arms and legs began to flow more freely. This time, a shuffle to one side and back was included with the usual wild arm swings and kicks.

Anum looked less at the dancer and more at the man dancing. She was starting to consider it a good thing that Danial was not attractive. A handsome man would attract the attention of many women; women would flock to such a man. Danial was different in her eyes because he was ugly. Very few women would care to approach him. Very few women would care to find out who Danial was beneath his appearance.

She compared her servant to her husband. One was rich and powerful, and also selfish. The other was poor and unattractive, and yet his demeanor was so much more pleasant. There was nothing hidden about Danial, while everything was hidden with her husband.

"Danial, show me the dance again, but do it slowly." Anum said.

He did the steps before her, carefully so she could follow along. She did to a point. When Anum began throwing out her legs, she reached out to hold Danial by the arm. In his eyes, this was so she could steady herself. In Anum's mind, however, it was so she could see what it was like to touch Danial.

"Is this correct?" She asked.

"You are doing it well."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, yes. This is how I saw it in the video."

As Anum shuffled about, she deliberately got too close to the bed and toppled onto it.

"You fell!" Danial laughed, coming up beside her.

"Give me your hands and pull me up."

Danial reached out for her.

"Come closer." Anum said, with her back on the mattress.

The moment their hands were clasped together, Anum pulled Danial on top of her. Immediately, the servant pushed his body away from hers and scrambled back to his feet. He stood there gaping, because he knew it hadn't been an accident.

"Danial, lie on top of me." She said.

"No!" He refused. "I should go down the stairs. I have a few tasks still to do."

"If you leave, I will never dance with you again."

Danial turned toward the door, as if he expected Anum's husband to be standing there.

"Go away, Danial. I don't want to see you."

Right away, the servant strode toward the only way out.

"Danial, stop!"

He halted halfway across the room.

"Come back to the bed."

Reluctantly, he turned to look at her. After a few moments in deliberation, he obeyed her words. He stood there, trying to keep his eyes away from the bed, away from her.

"Sit next to me." Anum said, shifting around on the mattress until her body was fully on it.

"I shouldn't do that."

"Why not? You're only sitting. You've never disobeyed me before, have you?"

"You've never asked me to lie on top of you. The master of the house will be very angry if he finds out."

An image flashed through Anum's mind, of her husband putting his hands on another woman, in Karachi or wherever he was now.

"Danial, I was only thinking of my husband." She fibbed, in much the same way her husband fibbed to her.

"What do you mean?"

"My husband has been gone so long. Do you understand that I wanted to shut my eyes and pretend that he is here with me? What is the harm in that if I am thinking of him?"

"You are speaking nonsense. I am not your husband."

"This is why I will shut my eyes. I know you aren't my husband, but when my eyes are closed I can imagine that he is here with me."

"I won't do it."

"Then only sit down. I'll pretend my husband is sitting next to me. Sit down, Danial." The last part was said in her authoritative tone.

Danial turned his back to her and settled on the edge of the bed.

"Now I will close my eyes and touch your arm." She told the young man. "And in my imagination, I will be touching my husband's arm."

Danial flinched slightly, when her fingers reached out for him. He turned to look at her. "Your eyes are not shut."

"I only wanted to make sure I found your arm." Anum replied. "Look, my eyes are shut now."

She did close her eyes, as she caressed the arm of a man who was not her husband. It made her feel exhilarated to do something so risky, after having so many avenues closed off to her thanks to the man she'd married.

"Are you going to run from this room, Danial?" She asked.

"Yes." The servant said, although he didn't move very much at all.

Anum touched Danial's body from the shoulder down to the forearm. He was timid, but so was she. They would both be in trouble if any of this were to be found out by others. Regardless, she was tired of feeling so confined, so oppressed. Even if she only got away with a little, it was better than being completely shut up in a box as she had been.

Gently, she lifted Danial's hand with both of hers. His entire arm was rigid at first, but her fingers treated it softly enough that it soon became pliant to her. Anum held that hand, feeling the long fingers at the end of it. She imagined her husband touching a woman's body again. This motivated her to try a similar action with Danial.

Slowly, because she had to move things slowly with him, she pulled Danial's arm closer to her. Anum splayed the fingers and let the open hand hover over her chest, before she used both of her hands to bring it down on her body.

"What are you doing?" Danial asked.

"I only want you to feel my heart."

She opened her eyes, catching his gaze. Quickly, Danial turned his head away. Anum pressed his hand against her breast. This caused him to look back quickly.

"Your eyes are open." He accused her.

"I've closed them." She replied. "Do you know that my husband touches my breasts this way?"

For a few moments, she kept Danial's hand captured with hers. Then she let go and brought her arms to her sides. She wondered if Danial would go on with it. His hand was warm and enticing to her. Anum hoped she wouldn't have to prod her servant any further, because she didn't want to instruct him every step of the way.

The forbidden hand pressed closer on her breast, before the fingers curled into an unsteady clasp. She felt the hand straighten out and slide over to her belly. Perhaps the man sitting next to her was withdrawing already, she feared. No, Anum discovered, as that same hand went back to her breast. It captured a full grip this time, before sliding across her chest to grab its twin.

Anum squealed at the roughness of it. The hand was frightened by her sound, as it went to find new places to touch on her side. When her noise was contained, the hand returned to slide across her chest. There was no longer any shyness in the contact, as the hand squeezed and rubbed over body.

Suddenly, Anum felt too much fabric between that hand and her breasts. She arched her back, tugging at her long shirt until her belly was exposed. Anum felt the hand slide on her skin, coursing under fabric and over her bra and the large bosom hidden beneath it.

She had to see Danial's face, finding his eyes staring down at her and his mouth wide open. The look on his face revealed how enthralled he was with her body. What will he do, she wondered, if she were to pull her bra aside?

The moment her breasts were loose, Danial's hands cupped them. The lust that gripped the young man compelled him to lean closer, closer to her, until he nuzzled the side of his face against her bare skin. His mouth surrounded a nipple, caressing it and kissing it. Because her breast wobbled away from him, Danial held it in place as he rubbed his lips all over it. After suckling the one for a short time, he turned his attention over to the other.

Anum squealed again, breathing rapidly at this interesting turn of events. Her hands went to touch Danial's shoulders and back, pulling the man closer so he could continue to suckle at her. A sound louder than a squeal erupted from her throat, when she felt tiny nibbles playing with her nipple.

Danial slid over her, driving his hips between her thighs. He held his body up by the elbows, as he drove his middle into hers. For a few seconds, the servant rubbed his covered erection over his master's covered blossom.

Anum tugged at the ends of Danial's shirt, hoping and willing to carry things even further. When her hands slipped over Danial's bare sides, it seemed as if reality caught up with her servant. His body tensed and for a moment he stayed still. After this moment, he dragged his body from the bed and stood up.

"I am not your husband." He said, before turning to leave.

"But my eyes are closed!" Anum called after him.

Danial turned to look at her, because she saw him make the turn. She shut her eyes then, letting his gaze flow over her like a hot lamp. Her shirt and bra were still pulled up, exposing her breasts. Her thighs were opened wide, and only waiting for him to pull away her trousers.

The sound of retreating footsteps prompted Anum to open her eyes. She saw that Danial had left the room by then.

The next morning, Anum woke up cross. If she didn't feel so restricted, perhaps things would not have ended up this way. If only her husband hadn't been so strict with her and so loose with his own acts. There was a need for revenge, for equality, but this was minor. What Anum desired most was to be seen as a woman, and to be treated as a woman. She was not a thing to be put on any mantelpiece for occasional showing, but a living human being, worthy of respect and love.

It was her husband's strict religion that had belittled her. This is why she had worn her burka inside the house before. She decided to do this again, and not only that, but she would be belittling and mocking that ideology which was making her suffer so.

Danial did not come into the phonograph room until much later that morning, near to lunchtime. It was only because he meant to ask what she would like to eat; otherwise he might not have come at all.

Anum sat on the edge of the bed, listening to her antique records. She wore her burka, colored black as sin, with only the thin slit across her face to reveal her eyes. It made her hot and sweaty to wear the thick garment indoors on a warm day, but she was intent to see her plan through to the end.

"Danial, have you come to watch me dance?" Anum asked.

The determined woman didn't wait for a reply. She stood and casually went over to the phonograph. By then she was accustomed to its workings. It was easy for her to lift the little arm with the needle on it and to restart the record. For a few seconds, there was no sound in the room. She did not speak and neither did Danial. When the music began to play in its crackly, grainy way, Anum began to dance.

Danial watched her as if transfixed. He was at the threshold to the room, hesitant to enter because of what might happen, yet also reluctant to walk away from her. His eyes were still sleepy and his ears still large, yet his mind was not addled or dumb. It never had been. He knew he was ugly, just as he knew that Anum was beautiful.

"I cannot change your life." He said, finally.

That could have been the most intelligent thing Anum had ever heard him say. It didn't keep her from dancing, as she still swayed her way to the far side of the room and back. Her arms flowed as if she were a bird in the air, while her legs were as quiet as a doe's walk through the forest. All while she wore that drab black mask over her body.

"Where are the maids?" Anum asked.

"One is not here. The other is tending to the garden. The driver is helping her."

"Do you want come into the room, Danial? Do you want to shut the door behind you? Or do you want to walk back down the stairs to avoid me?"

Usually, Danial's mouth would hang open, as if he had never been taught of how impolite that looked. This time, he kept his lips pursed as if Anum might force an answer out of him.

No matter, Anum thought, as she kept dancing. The record had only started. There was a good while to go before it reached its end, and then she could simply start it over again.

He took two steps in, reaching back behind him to give the door a push. The door did not settle completely into its frame, but stayed open by a crack. Perhaps Danial was trying to tell himself that he still had a way out of this. Anum could not tell if he had made his mind up or not.

"Will you dance with me?" She asked.

Danial shook his head no.

"Will you go to sit on the bed?"

He crooked his neck, to glance at the bed behind her. Was it an object of fear or an object of comfort for him, Anum could not decipher.

She thought of her husband sleeping with another woman, and she also thought of the burka she had to wear whenever she went out. It was not enough to simply dance for Danial, even though that was still forbidden to her. It was not enough that he'd kissed and held her breasts, or that he'd pushed between her legs while they'd been clothed. In order for Anum to experience a true freedom, there had to be more than this.

As Anum danced, she moved closer to him. She rubbed her shoulders and back against his arm. She pressed her back against his. She let her thigh slide close to his leg. When Danial did not protest, Anum became more brazen. She took hold of his arm and led him to the bed.

Danial was not set on its edge, however. He was prodded to the middle of the mattress. Anum saw his shudder as she climbed on with him. Her leg went over his body, allowing her to straddle his middle. For a few moments, she stayed this way, trying to gauge whether or not he would refuse her. Danial simply kept his hands at his sides while not touching her at all. Anum imagined a maid coming into the room at that moment. The maid would see Anum in her ugly burka, and Danial in his long shirt and trousers lying beneath her.

Even this was not enough. Anum started a light bounce on Danial's middle. It was the sort of bounce that was sure to entice a man into wanting more of her. She kept up this bounce as she set her hands on her servant's chest. Would he allow her to pull his shirt up, she wondered. Would Danial let her touch his chest, in the same way he had touched hers the day before.

"Someone will come." He croaked.

"No one will come." Anum replied. "The maids only come up the stairs when they are called, the same as you. It is not their day to clean upstairs."

She rubbed his chest for a time, keeping him in want. When she began to pull up on Danial's shirt, he turned his head aside. Let him close his eyes, she thought, as she had closed them the day before. She pulled his shirt up to near his shoulders, revealing to her eyes Danial's flat, unremarkable chest and his bony ribs. His body was completely unlike that of her husband. Anum thought this was a good thing, as she did not want to be reminded of the man she'd married.

She found that she liked touching Danial's lean form. It made her feel as if she could choose what she wanted, even if it would only be for a short time. There was another moment of worry in her mind, over whether Danial would stop her from going any further.

While still straddling his body, Anum scooted down to his knees. She saw the way his taut belly led down to his trousers, and also the ridge of his erection. As daring as she had become, she settled her hand down on it, feeling its form through his clothes.