To Love Again Read online

  Casia fell to her knees. Castor, standing before her, rubbed his male organ against her lips. Opening her mouth, she absorbed him before Cailin's shocked eyes. She suckled strongly upon his manhood.

  "She is arousing him by means of the sucking action, and by teasing his flesh with her tongue," Jovian explained matter-of-factly. "See, he is already engorged with his lust. He's an eager young fellow."

  Casia could no longer contain the Northman within her mouth. She positioned herself on her hands and knees. Castor moved behind her and knelt. Using his hand to guide himself, he pushed between the tight half-moons of her bottom. Casia groaned softly, and as she did, Pollux tipped her head up with one hand while offering the girl his manhood to entertain within her mouth. Grasping her hips in his big hands, Castor very slowly inserted himself within the kneeling Casia. Then he began to pump her with equally slow, long, majestic strokes of his manhood.

  "I cannot possibly do that," Cailin protested.

  "Of course you can, and you will not only do that, but more, my dear," Jovian assured her. "You will note how careful he is with her. As filled with lust as he is, he is tender. He must be lest he damage her. He would forfeit his life if he did, and he knows it." Jovian suddenly put an arm about Cailin, and drawing her next to him, he put a hand between her nether lips, to her shocked surprise. "Ahh, good, you are already moist with beginning desire, despite those maidenly protests you are going to make to me. Apollo, come here and sooth our little novice. Lay her on her back and give her a good fucking."

  Strangely, it was the gentle pity in Apollo's eyes that hardened Cailin's heart that day. She realized then that if she were not the mistress of this situation, the three brothers would bully her in their performance ever after. She lay down upon a mat placed on the marble floor and, spreading her legs wide, observed to Jovian, "He is as ready to couple as I am, my lord. His manhood is certainly a fine one, though I have seen bigger. Come, Apollo, and do our master's bidding."

  She felt absolutely nothing as he reamed her vigorously. She was as cold as ice. Finally Casia, her own performance concluded, knelt by Cailin's head and softly instructed her, "You must always let a man believe you are feeling passion such as you have never felt before, even when you are not. Thrash your head back and forth. Good! Now moan, and claw at his back." She smiled up at Jovian as Cailin complied. "She is an apt pupil, my lord."

  I am dead, Cailin thought, and this is Hades. But it was not. For several weeks she was instructed in the erotic arts, and to her own surprise, she seemed to excel in them. Finally came the day when Cailin and the trio of young Northmen brought Jovian's playlet fully to life before his delighted eyes. Two days later they performed a dress rehearsal before all the residents of Villa Maxima. Afterward both Cailin and Jovian were congratulated; Jovian for his creative abilities, and Cailin for her acrobatically inclined performance.

  "Next week," Jovian said enthusiastically. "We begin our performances next week. There is just enough time to let our special clients know that something extraordinary will be happening. Oh, my brother! We are going to be rich!"

  The Virgin and the Barbarians was an immediate success. Never had anything like it been seen in the history of Constantinople. It was all going exactly as Jovian had predicted it would. Phocas, in a rare show of excitement, could scarcely contain his glee over the thousands of gold solidi piling up in their strongbox. Twice weekly the playlet was performed before several hundred guests, each paying five gold solidi apiece to view the performance.

  One night Jovian sought out his elder brother and told him excitedly, "The empress's brother has come, and General Aspar with him! I have seated them in the first row for the best viewing. The gods! I knew I was right! I am going to start designing another playlet, Phocas."

  ***

  I wonder if this is as fascinating as the rumors insist," Prince Basilicus murmured to his companion. The prince was an elegant man with fair skin, black hair, and deep brown eyes. Cultured and educated, it was unusual to find him in such an atmosphere, particularly given his public piety and his circle of religious friends. "I am going to be sorry that I allowed you to drag me here tonight, Aspar."

  The general chuckled. "You are too serious, Basilicus."

  "And I should be more like you? A lover of plays and public spectacles, Aspar? If you weren't the finest general the empire has ever seen, you would not be tolerated by the court."

  "If I were not the finest general the empire has ever seen," Aspar said quietly, "your sister, Verina, would not be empress."

  The prince laughed. "It is true," he admitted. "You made Leo emperor even as you chose Marcian before him. You would be emperor yourself were it not for my friends in the church. They fear you, Aspar."

  "They are fools, then," was the reply. "Thank God for my lack of orthodoxy, Basilicus. I should rather be an emperor-maker than an emperor. That is why your friends really fear me. They do not understand why I choose to be as I choose to be. Besides, times have changed. Byzantium needs a great general more than she needs a great emperor right now; and the days are long past when a single man could be both."

  "Your modesty touches me," the prince said ironically. "My God! Is that Senator Romanus's wife with that muscle-bound boy? It is!"

  Aspar chuckled. "We probably know half the people in this room, Basilicus. Look, over there. There is Bishop Andronicus, and just look whom he is with. It is Casia, one of the finest courtesans Villa Maxima has to offer. I have enjoyed several evenings in her company. She is a charming and a most talented girl. Would you like to meet her one day? I do not think I dare intrude upon the bishop tonight, however."

  The room was totally filled now. Naked young boys and girls began to move about, snuffing out the lamps until the room was in total darkness. Aspar smiled to himself, hearing the low moans and heavy breathing about him. Already some in the audience were taking advantage of the darkness to make love. Then the heavy curtain shielding the stage was drawn aside, revealing a second diaphanous curtain. The stage was very well lit, with lamps set along its rim and several others that hung down from the stage beams.

  The sheer draperies were slowly drawn back to completely reveal a beautiful young woman seated at a loom. Her face was serene, but it was her charming, long auburn curls that Aspar found delightful. The girl was dressed in a modest white tunica; her slender feet were bare. She worked knowledgeably at the loom. Her very demeanor was of purity and innocence.

  Soft music played in the background from unseen musicians setting the peaceful scene. The general gazed about him. Among the audience, lovers were beginning to become quite entwined. Senator Romanus's wife was seated facing the stage, upon her lover's lap. Her gown was pulled well up, as was the tunic of the young man upon whom she sat. Their activity was obvious. Aspar smiled, amused, and turned back to the stage. The girl looked up from her weaving, and Aspar saw that her eyes held no expression at all. For a moment he wondered if she were blind, but he could see she was not. The vacant look touched him in a strange fashion. He realized he felt sorry for the beautiful young woman.

  Then suddenly the door to the little theatrical chamber burst asunder. The audience gasped as three naked, oiled warriors strode onto the stage. They were all identical in features. Each wore a helmet with a horsetail, and carried a sword and a decorated shield; but it was their large male organs that intrigued both the men and the women in the audience.

  "God in his heaven!" murmured Basilicus. "Where did those three come from? Surely they aren't going to… ah, yes, they are!" He leaned forward, fascinated, as the three barbarians began their violation of the hapless virgin.

  Cailin's gauzy little garment was torn violently from her voluptuous body. Raising her right arm, she pressed the back of her hand against her forehead while her left arm was positioned down and slightly back. This clever little piece of staging allowed her audience a perfect view of her beautiful naked body. For the briefest of moments the three barbarians stood silent, as if they too wer
e admiring their victim. Then suddenly one of them grabbed the girl and kissed her fiercely, his big hands roaming over her lush form, fondling it vigorously. A second barbarian tore the maiden from his companion and began to plunder her lips, only to have the third man in their trio demand his share of the sweetness as well. For a few minutes the barbarians kissed and caressed Cailin beneath the collective hot gaze of their audience.

  "Oh, the gods!" a faceless female voice half moaned in the darkness as the three golden barbarians suddenly turned to face the audience, revealing their engorged manhoods in all their epic proportions.

  There were more lustful sighs and groans as the playlet continued onward to its conclusion. Clutching the girl to prevent her escape, the three barbarians diced to see who would take the virginity contained in her temple of Venus. Unknown to the audience, this was the one part of the act that was left to chance each time the quartet performed. Jovian believed if his male actors played exactly the same role in each performance, they would become stale in their parts, and hence boring.

  Apollo won the first toss, and grinned delightedly. He had been relegated to the role his brother Castor would play tonight for the last three performances. He groaned with genuine pleasure as Cailin was forced down upon his manhood. Pollux knelt down behind the girl, grasping her hips tightly while she balanced herself upon her hands, and slowly inserted himself in her temple of Sodom. The audience chuckled as Castor, apparently left out of the fun, looked downcast. Then a wicked smile crossed his face. Walking over to the entwined group, he stood over Apollo, and reaching down, lifted Cailin's head up. He rubbed himself against her lips until, with what appeared a demure reluctance, she opened her mouth and took his manhood in, at first shyly, and then with a noisy suckling. Carefully, the other two men began to move on the girl as well. Her ravishers howled with their pleasure.

  It was clever, the general thought. The girl looked as innocent as a young lambkin. The blankness in her eyes, however, told him that she was doing what she had to do to survive. She was certainly not enjoying the three men now pushing themselves into the three orifices of her lovely body. About him Aspar saw men and women in the audience slack-jawed and wide-eyed with lustful enjoyment. Several couples, physically involved themselves, were moaning their own pleasure as the players upon the stage were bringing this little piece of depravity to its natural conclusion. As the quartet collapsed in a heap of entwined limbs, the curtains were drawn back across the stage.

  Jovian appeared, to the cheers and shouts of the audience. "You have enjoyed our little entertainment?" he asked coyly, a winsome twinkle in his eyes.

  They shouted their approval at him, and he beamed, pleased.

  "Are there any ladies here tonight who would like to enjoy the special attentions of one of our handsome young barbarians?" Jovian inquired slyly. He was immediately bombarded with eager requests. The three brothers were quickly auctioned off, appearing from behind the curtain to join their happy partners for the night. To Basilicus's astonishment, Senator Romanus's lusty wife gained possession of one of the players, and disappeared with both him and her young lover.

  "What about the girl?" came a shout from the audience.

  "Oh, no!" Jovian answered with a little laugh. "Our virgin is not for anyone else's amusement-for the time being. Perhaps one day, gentlemen, but not right now. My brother and I are pleased that you have all enjoyed yourselves at our playlet. There will be another performance in three nights. Do tell your friends." Then he disappeared behind the curtain like a small fox popping back into its den.

  Aspar stood up. "I have some business to conduct," he said to his companion. "Will you remain, Basilicus?"

  "I think so," the prince said. "After all, I am here."

  Smiling to himself, Flavius Aspar left the small theater. He had sought light amusement at Villa Maxima for a number of years, and he knew precisely where he was going. He found the two Maxima brothers in a small interior room, gleefully counting their proceeds from tonight's performance.

  "My lord, it is good to see you!" Jovian hurried forward while Phocas looked up just long enough to nod at the general. "Did you enjoy our little entertainment? I saw Prince Basilicus with you."

  "Nothing escapes your sharp eyes, does it, Jovian?" the general said with a laugh. "The performance was unique. A bit hard on the girl, I would say. Is that why you limit her appearances to twice weekly?"

  "Of course, my lord. Cailin is very valuable to us. We would not want to harm her in any way," Jovian said.

  "I want to buy her," Aspar said quietly.

  Jovian felt his heart jump in his chest. His eyes met those of his brother nervously. This was certainly not something that they had even considered. "My lord," he said slowly, "she is not for sale. Not now, perhaps later." He felt a tiny bead of perspiration begin to slide down his backbone. This was the most powerful man in the Byzantine empire. More powerful than the emperor himself.

  "One thousand gold solidi," Aspar said, and he smiled to show he was unoffended by Jovian's refusal.

  "Three thousand," Phocas answered. There was no sentiment in Phocas Maxima. Jovian might protest, but another girl could be trained to take Cailin's place. Besides, the playlet was no longer fresh.

  "Fifteen hundred," the general countered quickly.

  "Two thousand," Phocas replied.

  "Fifteen hundred," the general replied firmly, indicating the bidding was done. "Have the girl delivered to my private seaside villa. It is just five miles past the Golden Gate. When you arrive tomorrow, the majordomo there will have your gold for you. I trust that will be satisfactory, gentlemen." He did not for a single moment believe he would be denied.

  "We would prefer, my lord, if the gold were delivered here to us. I do not think either of us relishes returning from beyond the city walls laden with such a treasure," Phocas explained. "When the purse is brought to us, we will gladly send the girl to you." He bowed politely.

  "Very well," Flavius Aspar answered, and then seeing Jovian's downcast features, he said, "Do not be sad, my old friend. The Virgin and the Barbarians was becoming quite commonplace. Shortly no one will believe that your little protege-what did you call her?-is a virgin. Create a new playlet for your audience, Jovian. You will lose nothing by it. Those who have not seen this playlet will be twice as eager to see the next one, and those who have seen it will be equally eager to see what is next."

  "Cailin. Her name is Cailin. She is a Briton," Jovian said. "You will be kind to her, my lord? She is a good girl fallen on hard times. If you ask her, she will tell you her tale. It is most fascinat-ing."

  "I did not purchase her to hurt her, Jovian," the general told him. Then he said, "Gentlemen, no word of this transaction is to be gossiped about, even to my friend Basilicus. I do not want anyone to know of my purchase."

  "We understand perfectly, my lord," Jovian said smoothly, now beginning to recover his aplomb. Knowing Cailin's history, he had always secretly felt a bit guilty about making her the centerpiece of his entertainment. He realized that as General Aspar's mistress she would be far safer, and possibly even happier. "We will see less of you now, I expect," he finished.

  "Perhaps," Aspar answered. Then nodding to the two men, he departed the chamber, closing the door behind him as he went.

  "The gods!" Phocas exclaimed. "We have had the girl in our possession less than three months, brother dear. Her performances made us fifteen thousand solidi, and her sale has brought us another fifteen hundred solidi. An excellent return on a slave who only cost us four folles to begin with, even considering the cost of her keep, which was really quite negligible. I salute you, Jovian Maxima! You were correct!"

  Jovian smiled broadly. A compliment from Phocas was as rare as finding a perfect pearl in an oyster. "Thank you, brother," he said.

  "You will tell the girl?"

  "I will speak to her in the morning. On the nights she gives her performance, she bathes, and goes to her bed immediately following it. She will be sleeping
now, and she always sleeps like the dead afterward."

  Sleep. It was her only escape. Cailin had believed she was strong. She had almost convinced herself that she could do what they asked of her. But she did not think she could bear much more. It was not that anyone was unkind to her. Indeed, everyone went out of their way to make certain she was comfortable. She was pampered and fussed over by everyone at Villa Maxima. Jovian was almost devoted to her. Apollo, Castor, and Pollux adored her openly. They had even gone as far as to show her a lion designed in a mosaic, point to it, tap their chests, and then point to her. They were telling her, in the only way they could, that she had the courage of a lion. It was flattering, but it was not enough. She had recently overheard Jovian speaking about a new entertainment he was conceiving for her. It surely couldn't be any worse than what was happening to her now.

  To her surprise, Jovian joined her the following morning for the first meal of the day. "I could not sleep," he told her, "and so I went early to the marketplace. See the fine melon I have brought you. We will enjoy it together while I tell you that you have had the most incredible piece of luck, Cailin."

  "Fortuna is not a goddess who has been kind to me of late," Cailin told him, handing the melon to Isis to split.

  "She smiled quite broadly on you last night, my dear," Jovian said archly. "Flavius Aspar, Byzantium's most powerful man, was in the audience."

  "I thought the emperor was your most powerful man," Cailin replied.