Roman Enslavement

Roman Enslavement, Part 15

*Oh, crap, it\'s that jerk from when I got lost! And he\'s leering.* Mozelle tried to ignore Celsus, but it wasn\'t easy. She could feel her skin crawling. *Funny, if someone back in my time had leered at me like that in the middle of a room full of people, it wouldn\'t have bothered me much. I\'d have known that if he tried anything I could have the law down on his ass, but here... Oh, crap. Surely this isn\'t going to turn into one of those R org orgies I read about? No, I don\'t think so. This family strikes me as too conservative. Thank heavens. I sure don\'t want to end up as a party favor.*

The one relief was that she wasn\'t required to hand-feed Lupus, aside from some grapes. The bad part was that she had to remove the seeds, just as he had for her. Both Celsus and Lupus found the faces she made when Lupus spit the seeds into her hand very amusing. They also earned her disapproving looks from the other slaves. *What\'s up with them? Pride of profession?*

When the food was cleared away, Mozelle thought that she might be dismissed, but no such luck. Rentic shooed her away from the door when she tried to leave, pointing sternly back to her assigned spot. \"Mozelle! You stay, job not done.\"

\"Yeah, he may need me to help him blow his nose,\" she grumbled quietly, but she resumed her station.

Lucius stood up, and the murmur of conversation stilled as the guests politely gave him their attention. //\"My friends, we thank you for coming here tonight to help us celebrate the ascent into manhood of my beloved son--Lupus.\"//

There was polite applause. //\"This is a long overdue celebration, as you all know. I\'m afraid our fondness caused us to hold him back. We want to make it up to him now.\"// He looked at Tinactus, who knodded to the slave who had been attending him. The man left the room, heading toward the back of the house. //\"A gift is customary on an occasion such as this, and we wish to give him a significant one--something a bit more substantial than we would have.\"//

The slave re-entered the room, leading a half dozen others. Without direction the six men and women stepped into the center of the table arrangement. Tinactus gestured to Lupus, and they ranged themselves before him. //\"Son, we are giving you your first slave. Choose whichever you wish.\"//

There was applause, the guests nodding approval at the parent\'s generosity. Tinactus got up and went to the group, beginning to point out their various merits. He tapped a slender youth with pale skin and flaming red hair, saying, \"Paulus is from Gaul. He\'s young, so you\'ll get long use from him. He has some training. He\'s still a little rough, but he has other assets.\" He patted the boy\'s rump, then moved to the next one. \"Gella is a Nubian. Very exotic, yes? Lovely skin, excellent teeth. Young and healthy, you could breed a good number of little slaves with her.\" Next there was a middle-aged man. \"Tobias is a bit older, but he\'s very experienced as a body slave. He can keep your life well ordered.\"

The next slave was a handsome middle-aged woman. \"Cassia is an excellent housekeeper. She can cook and care for children.\" Tinactus indicat hug huge man, all lean muscle. \"Den is a former gladiator. Yes, I know they usually retire by dying in the arena, but his owner was kind. He can no longer fight the gladiatoral level due to an injury, but he would make a most proficient bodyguard. And finally, one of my most prized items, Galeana.\" The woman was in her mid-twenties, voluptuous, and wlonglong, shining gold hair. She smiled at Lupus and licked her lips. Tinactus laughed. \"I think her qualifications are fairly obvious.\" There was general laughter.

Mozelle cast her eyes up toward the ceiling. *Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!* This should do it. I ought to have a little peace now.*

Discordia popped into existence beside Tinactus. //\"You know, old boy, you and your kind do a lot of good work for me. I still don\'t like you much, though.\"//

Since she hadn\'t willed it, no one saw or heard her--except for the handsome blonde man who popped into being beside Mozelle. //\"Cordy, haven\'t you caused enough trouble? What are you doing here?\"//

//\"No, I haven\'t, and I should be asking YOU that. This is none of your business.\"//

Cupid growled. //\"Mom and I botsagrsagree. You know, Cordy, if you keep going at this rate you\'ll have pissed off ALL the gods and goddesses.\"//

//\"Like I care. Now, quit bothering me. I have to decide what will make the biggest mess.\"//

//\"No, you don\'t. You just keep out of this.\"//

She sneered. //\"Oh, well, since you asked so nicely.\"//

Cupid\'s eyes narrowed. //\"Try anything, and you\'ll find yourself deeply in love with the grossest mortal I can find.\"// Discordia grimmaced, obivously considering whether or not he\'d carry through on his threat. Not even the gods themselves were able to resist Cupid\'s arrows, though the effects DID wear off on the gods--eventually. //\"I\'m not bluffing, Cordy. I\'ll have you hand washing the dirty drawers of some sewer cleaner.\"//

Discordia scowled. //\"Fine. I suppose I\'ve laid enough groundwork for there to be sufficient distress. I\'m going to go let a rat loose in the kitche. That should give their cook a fit.\"// She popped out. A minute later there was a crash from the kitchen, followed by Malanda\'s shrieks. Rentic hurried back to see what was upsetting his lover.

*Gella or Galeana, Gella or Galeana, Gella or Galeana. Please, please, please,* Mozelle thought. *If he gets either of them he should be too pre-occupied to mess with me.*

Cupid came up behind her. He could hear her thoughts--there was very little mortals could hide from the guards. //\"What are you so worried about, little woman? You\'re attracted to him--that\'s something you can\'t hide from me. What on earth have your people done to sex and love in your age?\"//

Lupus smiled at his parents. //\"Mother, Father--this is indeed generous.\"

Dramilla spoke up. //\"Now Lupus, if none of these are to your taste, you needn\'t choose right now. We can visit Tinactus\'s place of business tomorrow, or wait for an auction. We want you to have what you want.\"//

//\"Thank you.\"// Lupus sat forward on his sofa, studying the slaves arrayed before him. //\"This is a nice selection.\"//

Celsus drawled, //\"The question is will you get someone useful for household chores, or...\"// he pointed at Galeana //\"will you be practical?\"// There was general laughter. The more conservative Romans didn\'t openly discuss it, but it was generally accepted that the young men of the household took their pleasure with the household\'s female slaves.

Lupus considered the slaves. He dismissed the idea of Tobias or Cassia immediately--Rentic and Malanda filled those roles in the household very ably. Paulus looked pleasant enough, but Lupus had no desire for a slave younger than himself. Paulus wasn\'t all that much older than Gaius, and the idea made him uncomfortable. He didn\'t really think he needed a bodyguard, and there wasn\'t enough heavy work to justify someone as massive as Den. That left Gella and Galeana. He beconned the two women closer, and began shifting his attention between them.

Cupid sighed. //\"Oh, boy, you don\'t really want either of them.// Lupus frowned slightly. //Galeana is a slut who will do her damndest to seduce your father, because she thinks it will better her lot.// The blonde woman gave Lupus a heated smile, but he noticed her eyes flickering to the other men in the room. //Gella is a nice enough girl, but she prefers women. Neither one of you would really enjoy the relationship.// When Lupus looked at Gella, the woman glanced at Tinactus, then gave her potential owner a half-hearted smile. //\"You have what you need right here. The problem is convincing her it\'s right at all, and convincing you that she isn\'t just a convenience.\"//

Cupid whispered to Mozelle. //\"You want to see this more clearly. You ought to move closer to him.\"// She shifted closer to the sofa.

Galeana noticed this, and a petulant look came into her eyes. She decided that the curly haired slave in the scandalous tunic must be the young master\'s current bedwarmer, and was worried about losing her favored position. Galena threw her bosum out a little farther.

Cupid spoke to Lupus. //\"What\'s that lovely smell? Mm, soap and... Well, it\'s hard to say, isn\'t it? Just glance sideways, boy, and you\'ll see.\"// Lupus cut his eyes quickly to the side. //\"Yes, it\'s her. She has her own scent, doesn\'t she? Look how white her skin is.\"//

*She\'s not interested in me.* Lupus turned his attention back to the other two women. *These two, at least, know their place, and what\'s expected of them.*

Cupid shook his head. //\"I never took you for lazy, Lupus. Mozelle...\"// He laid one hand gently on the woman\'s forehead, and her eyes became slightly unfocused. //\"He\'s going to choose one of them, you won\'t have to worry about him bothering you again. It\'s a shame you hadn\'t met someone like him in your own world, isn\'t it? Now he\'ll ignore you--you\'ll be just the nursemaid. Before that happens, wouldn\'t you like to touch him just once more? He\'s pre-occupied, he won\'t even notice.\"//

Her eyes downcast, her hand stole out and came to rest lightly at the small of Lupus\'s back.

Lupus went very still. There was only one person that touch could come from, but she\'d been so reluctant to make contact before. He had a sudden memory, so intense that it was almost like experiencing it over again. Oddly enough, it wasn\'t about sex. He could have understood remembering the warm, wet thrashing in the pool. No, what he remembered was the moment in the kitchen when she told him that she didn\'t want him. The softness of her hair, the warmth of her skin under his palm as he stroked her cheek, and the way her voice had cracked. *The lack of conviction...*

He took a breath. //\"They\'re all fine slaves. But Mother, do you really mean that I can have whichever slave I want?\"//

She smiled. //\"Well, don\'t get too greedy, son. Keep it in this general price range.\"//

He laughed. //\"I don\'t intend to bankrupt the fa, Mo, Mother. In fact, I want to save you money.\"// He reached back and took hold of Mozelle\'s hand, pulling her forward. //\"This is the one I want.\"//

The guests exchanged looks. Surely that was a family slave? Didn\'t Lupus already have access to her?

His father\'s forehead crinkled. //\"But son, surely you know that you... There\'s no reason to... You can have another one.\"//

His mother\'s voice was almost annoyed. //\"Lupus, NOT the nursemaid!\"//

//\"If you\'re worried about losing a caregiver for Gaius and Patenic, why not give me Mozelle and buy Cassia to replace her? She can help Tessa AND Malanda.\"//

//\"But Lupus...\"//

//\"Dramilla,\"// said Lucius, //\"we DID tell him he could have what he wanted. It won\'t cost us any more money to replace the nursemaid than it would to buy Lupus another slave.\"//

She sighed. //\"Oh, all right. We\'ll sign her over to you tomorrow, Lupus. Tinactus, we\'ll have the woman, then. Can she stay over and start tonight?\"//

Tinactus bowed. //\"Certainly, my lady.\"// He looked at Mozelle, who returned a defiant glare. /n inn interesting choice, young Lupus. If you require any help with her training, I\'d be happy to help.\"// He smiled wolfishly. //\"No charge.\"//

The other slaves were herded back to the kitchen again, and one of the guest\'s slaves played the lyre for them. Lupus pulled Mozelle down to sit beside him, putting an arm around her. She sat stiffly at first, but he didn\'t caress her as he had at the family dinner, so she relaxed a little.

Celsus watched them, then spoke to Lupus. //\"So, Lupus, she wasn\'t really yours when you spoiled my fun the other day?\"//

Lupus gave him a flat look. //\"She was of my household, Celsus.\"//

//\"Mm.\"// Celsus looked up as his slave poured more wine in his goblet. She was a slender girl with large grey eyes and nut-brown hair. He nodded his head at her. //\"Do you like Tika?\"//

Lupus glanced at her. //\"She\'s very pretty.\"//

He pushed her toward Lupus. //\"Let\'s trade.\"// When Lupus scowled he said, //\"Just for tonight, eh? Tika can stay here, and I\'ll send your wench back in the morning.\"// He smiled. //\"I\'ll even promise to try to leave no marks on her.\"//

//\"No.\"//

//\"Then how about lending her to me for a few minutes back in, say, your garden?\"//

Lupus\'s voice was dry. //\"Not very confident in your stamina, are you?\"// Celsus was fair skinned and the blood rising in his face was an easy indicator of his anger. //\"I don\'t share my women, Celsus.\"//

Cupid stayed to listen to the harper--he was very fond of music. He watched as Mozelle gradually relaxed in the circle of Lupus\'s arm, nodding. *They have some rough spots ahead, but things should work out satisfactorily.* He looked as Celsus, who was still watching the woman with covetous eyes. *As long as people stay out of it.*

Finally it was time for the guests to leave. Lupus patted Mozelle on the shoulder, then went to the front door with his parents to see the guests off. Mozelle was grateful that the evening was over. She shuffled back to the kitchen, muttering, \"Slavers and muggers--fine sort of friends these people have.\"

It was late. She hoped she\'d be able to slip her pallet out from under Gaius\'s bed without waking him. Rentic and Malanda were sitting at the kitchen table together, sharing a cup of wine, when she entered. They both smiled at her, though Malanda looked a bit doubtful. \"Quite a shindig, but I\'m glad they do that sort of thing too often. Kind of tiring, huh?\" She looked around. \"I couldn\'t understand what all was being said. Which one did he pick? Can she speak any Britanic?\"

Rentic and Malanda exchanged looks. \"Mozelle...\" Rentic began.

She shrugged. \"I guess I\'ll find out tomorrow. I just hope she\'s not snotty.\" She walked back toward the children\'s room. \"I\'ll just go on to bed.\" She stopped short. Her pallet was already lying across the door, and someone was on it. She looked back to the other slaves, puzzled. \"Do we have sleep over guests?\"

\"Master and Mistress buy Cassia. She be nursemaid, help Tessa, help Malanda.\"

Mozelle frowned. \"But that\'s MY job.\"

Rentic shook his head. \"No, not now.\"

Malanda said quietly, \"Mozelle, Lady Dramilla, Master Lucius say choose. Master Lupus choose you.\"

She went very still. Her voice was flat. \"That\'s not funny, Malanda. He picked one of those other girls, the blonde or the black girl.\"

Rentic shook his head again. \"No, Lupus want you. Parents buy Cassia to take your place. You belong Master Lupus now.\"

Mozelle glanced down. \"Is... is that why she\'s sleeping in my place?\"

\"Yes. You stay Master Lupus\'s room now.\"

She was quiet for a moment, letting what they had said sink in. Finally she said quietly, \"I don\'t want to.\"

Rentic sighed. Heavily, patiently, as if trying to explain something for the hundredth time to a slow child, he said, \"Mozelle, you slave. Do what master bids.\" He tried awkwardly to placate her. \"Master Lupus good man, he...\"

\"EVERYONE KEEPS TELLING ME THAT!\" she gritted.

\"Mozelle?\" They all looked up to find Lupus standing in the doorway. He crooked a finger at her. \"Come. Bed.\" Her eyes were wild, and her glance darted to the door on the other side of the children\'s room--the one that led out into the back gardens. He noted her look and said sharply, \"Slave! Escape is crime.\"

\"Mozelle?\" Gauis, his voice sleepy crawled out of bed and came to the door. As the adults watched, he crawled over the mound of Cassia, squeezing a woof of air from the woman. Then he embraced Mozelle, laying his head against her side. \"Tessa say you no take care. She say that one do now.\" He delicately prodded Cassia with his foot. The older woman just regarded him with wry humor.

Lupus came over, squatting down to put his face on level with Gaius\'s. //\"That\'s right, Gaius, she isn\'t your nursemaid anymore, but don\'t worry--she isn\'t going anywhere. Mother and Father gave her to me for my manhood present.\"//

Gaius blinked. //\"Your very own? Oh, Lupus, you ARE lucky! She knows the best songs and stories, and she always has time to play games.\"//

Lupus smiled. //\"That\'s good to know. But you know what, Gaius?\"// He leaned close to whisper. //\"I\'m not sure she WANTS to be my slave. Maybe she doesn\'t like me?\"//

Gaius looked disbelieving. He tugged at Mozelle\'s hand. \"Mozelle, you like Lupus, yes?\"

\"I... Gaius, it\'s not that simple.\"

\"You like him?\"

She hesitated. Lupus grinned up at her. \"You are so sneaky.\" She looked back at Gaius. He watched her expectantly. Finally she said slowly, \"Sure, kid. I like him--kinda. Some.\"

He pushed her toward Lupus. \"You go with him. Play games.\"

Lupus\'s smile got even wider as he took the woman\'s hand and began to lead her from the room. \"Yes, Gaius. We play games.\"