Roman Enslavement

Roman Enslavement
Part Thirteen

It was almost bed time, and she was tempted to go hide out in the garden, but Tessa would be sure to have something to say about that. Her place wason the floor, across the entry.

She avoided it as long as she could, offering to play just one more game with Gaius, tell him one more story. He was a fresh audience for all the nursery rhymes and fairy tales she'd accumulated through her life, and he never got tired of them. Tessa did, though. Finally she shoved
Mozelle's pallet into her arms and tucked Gaius into his bed, blowing out the lamp and crawling into her own bed.

Mozelle stood there for a moment, then spread out the pallet in it's usual place, and lay down, pulling up the thin, coarse blanket. But she didn't sleep. She lay awake and stared up at the ceiling, waiting for something that she hoped wouldn't happen.

The household was very quiet. She could see a little of the kitchen. The coals in the fireplace illuminated it dimly. But just as she begin to think that it might be safe to drift off to sleep, she heard the scrape of a foot in the hall.

There were stealthy, but distinct footfalls, and a shadowy figure appeared on the other side of the kitchen, and paused. She closed her eyes, not wanting to notice him. She would treat this like she have so many other problems in her life: by ignoring it, and hoping it would go away.

But this wass a persistant problem. There was a soft hiss. She stayed very still, and it came again. Then there was a sigh, and Lupus called quietly, "Mozelle."

She squeezed her eyes more tightly shut. *I'm asleep, leave me alone.*

There were a few more footsteps, and the voice was a little louder,"Mozelle!" She pulled the blanket over her head. There was something in Latin that she was fairly sure was a curse.

The blanket was twitched down, and she opened her eyes to find Lupus bending over her. He crooked his finger. "Come." she shook her head, and he frowned. "Slave, come."

*God, I hate being reminded!* She stared up at him and said, "No."

That surprised him. Slaves didn't usually dare outright refusal. He took hold of her arms to pull her up, but she made herself a dead weight, offering no help at all. It isn't easy to move someone when they are completely inert. *I guess this is what is known as 'passive resistance'. It's only effective because he's trying not to wake up the others.*

After a moment, he abandoned his attempt and just looked at her, clearly puzzled. Then a sly look came into his eyes. Before she realized what he intended, he got down on the floor and crawled over her.

He'd pressed against her in the bathing pool, but having a man lie on top of her was a completely different experience. Talk about feeling trapped.

*What in God's name is he thinking of? There are other people in the room. What if one of them wakes up?* Apparently he thought of this, because he held one finger to his lips in a shushing motion, smiling at her, and pushed his crotch against hers.

She silently tried to throw him off, but he held on tightly. They began a very quiet struggle, there on the floor. Neither of them made a sound. Mozelle could hear Tessa snoring on the other side of the room. It was surreal. *I'm about to be raped, only feet away from someone else.*

He slowly worked her shift up over her hips, and seemed surprised to find her panties. In fact, he paused for a minute, pulling back a little while he held her down and examined them. Then he shrugged and started ripping them. "Dammit!" she hissed. "Stop that!"

Another shrug, but he stopped. "Off."

"No!" He started tearing again. *Thank God for tough nylon, or I'd be naked below the waist by now.*

//"Lupus?"//

The voice was puzzled and sleepy, and the man on top of Mozelle froze. Gaius was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He yawned and smiled sleepily. "Did you get lonely, too? Mozelle is good to sleep with when you're lonely."

As he got out of bed, Lupus quickly pulled down the woman's tunic, covering her decently, and rolled off. "Yes, Gaius, I got lonely. Why are you up? You should go back to bed."

Mozelle held out her arms to the child. "There's enough room for you." Lupus glared at her, but the little boy happily snuggled down beside her.

For a moment Lupus lay on his stomach beside Mozelle and the boy, chin propped on crossed arms, staring at them. She stroked Gaius's hair, staring back. At last he murmured, "Gaius, she's a clever girl, our Mozelle, isn't she?"

"Yes, she tells the most wonderful stories about bears and pigs and goatsand witches and... oh, all kinds of things."

"That wasn't exactly what I meant, but I'm sure it's true. I'm glad you have a companion to keep you amused, little brother. Problem is, your big brother needs a companion to keep him amused, too."

"Ask Mozelle. She's lots of fun."

"Mm. I'm trying. I'm not having much success, though." He reached over and touched her face. "Funny thing. Why are you so afraid of me? I suppose I ought to give up on you. I don't like the idea of rape. Much." He sighed, and got to his feet. "I'll go back to my own room, Gaius. See you in the morning."

None of them noticed the beautiful woman and young man standing in the corner, both of them shaking their heads. Venus turned to Cupid. "You see, son? It's such a mess. Two perfectly nice people who should be having wild sex, and nothing. I'm at my wits end."

Cupid scratched his chin. "Well, Mother, I think the question here is whether it should be just sex, or love."

She frowned. "What do you mean, just sex?"

He sighed. "Oh, now please. You know I didn't mean any disrespect. But this is a complicated situation. I mean, she's a virgin, right?" Venus nodded. "Well, I personally think that all virgins should be in love the first time they 'do it'. Call me a romantic, that's just the way it is. And it would be nothing to slap her with an arrow. Heck, she'd only really need a dart. She's fascinated by him to begin with. If she'd met him on the street in her own time, there'd be no problem. And it wouldn't take much of anything with him, either. He's ready to fall in love, and he already has a bit of an obsession about her. But..."

"But what?"

"Would it be fair to both of them? We have no idea what her final disposition will be. I take it that you haven't been able to get through to grandad, or you wouldn't have called me in."

"Just flat t get get ahold of him."

"It would be rather cruel to make them fall in love if she were going to be whisked back to her own age any time soon."

"I see your point, but this is going to come to a head soon. He's a randy young man. He won't be able to wait much longer. And, though he's basically a decent sort, well... He has had that master/slave concept drilled into him since birth. He really wouldn't see much wrong with forcing himself on her, if she keeps resisting. I'm afraid if that happens, it'll be too late for them. You're potent, son, but mortal pain can go pretty deep."

"Tell you what, Mom. I'll monitor the situation. If it's moving toward crisis, I'll step in. How's that?"

She patted his cheek affectionately. "You're a good boy."

Lupus tried to put Mozelle out of his mind. He even considered visiting a whore house the next day. But he found himself standing outside the establishment, looking at the woman lounging in the doorway. Her face was plastered with the thick, white makeup and vivid rouge favored by the prostitutes of this era, and it just looked distasteful. He kept thinking about Mozelle's fresh, creamy complexion. The whore's hair was brassy gold, and it curled, too. But the curls were stiff, lacquered into place with scented pomade. His family's slave's hair was soft and silky.

He finally turned away. That afternoon he wasn't really thinking about it, but he found himself in an apothecary shop. It was a clean, but dim place. The walls were lined with shelves filled with boxes and jars. The place smelled of herbs and must.

The apothecary himself, a small, thin man, bustled to him, rubbing his hands. "And what can I do for you, young Master, on this fine day?" His eyes twinkled. "Something to help you win the affection of a la

Lupus blinked in surprise. "I thought those didn't work?"

"Truth to tell, nothing material is sure. You must rely on the gods for that. But nature can sometimes give a little push."

"How did you know... I mean, what makes you think I'd be interested in that sort of thing?"

His eyes glittered merrily. "You're young, and a man, that's why. Also, it's spring. Even the old goats get frisky in the spring."

"Well, I wasn't exactly interested in a stimulant. Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt. No, what I really need is... You see, she's part of my household, and my mother doesn't want..."

He waved. "Say no more. Yes, bastards can be awkward. I have just what you need."He studied the shelves for a moment, then took down a squat jar. Opening it, he showed the contents to Lupus. "These are the seeds of the wild carrot. Their benefits are many. Including blocking conception. And..." He elbowed Lupus conspiratorilly. "They're also an aphrodisiac. Very convenient, wouldn't you say? Easy toiomminister, she doesn't even have to know what she's getting. Just steep a spoonful of these in boiling water for a few minutes, and serve it as a tea. And it's reasonably pr, to, too."

"I'll have some of that."

"How big a supply? She'll need to take it at least three times a day, before and after, for it to be effective."

"Um... a month's?"

"Fine." He began weighing out the seeds. He handed over the small sack, and Lupus paid him. "Hang on just a minute, son." He went into the back room, and returned with a small package, pressing it into Lupus hand. "I just got these in. They're sheaths made of fish skin. Yes, yes, I know it sounds a bit nasty, but they're well cleaned, and perfumed. You wear one on your member when you top the girl, and it catches your seed. A bit of extra precaution. Just grease yourself a bit to slip it on, then after it's on, if you want to be considerate of the girl. Oh, and only use them once, mind. They're delicate, and can't stand to be washed. No charge this time, because I like you. If you like them, you can buy more later."

Lupus looked at the package, impressed. "Aren't modern inventions wonderful? Thank you." He said sincerely.

"Not at all. Just keep me in mind for all your apothecary needs. I'd much rather see a young man like you at home with a decent, clean slave rather than risking the pox with the city whores."