From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
                                   Xena: Roman Gladiator   
      
                                       Chapter Sixteen   
      
                       A Not-Quite-So-Sweet Aftermath   
      
              [one slightly graphic sex scene]   
      
   From his vantage point, no one could be any happier than Batiatus watching   
   Xena's absolute defeat and beheading of the beast Otho had provided. And as   
   she jammed the head down on the handle of her sword, he was on his feet,   
   laughing, hugging anyone near him, and slapping and shaking Cicerius'   
   shoulder. He grabbed a bottle of wine from one of the slaves, turned it up   
   to drain it, then hugged her as he gave it back to her.   
      
   Without a word Otho left the balcony, leaving Cicerius to deal with   
   Batiatus. Soon they all left for the banquet room with the feast that had   
   been set out while the games had been going on. But almost no one was in a   
   festive mood except Batiatus, Lucretia and the very few guest spectators who   
   had placed their bets on Xena. But Batiatus was too overjoyed to notice the   
   pall in the room.   
      
   "Come now, Cicerius," he exclaimed, "look at what you are about to   
   purchase – a completely unbeatable gladiator!"   
      
   Cicerius made a halfhearted reply then excused himself and went to talk to   
   Otho. And while Batiatus continued to drink and to celebrate, Lucretia   
   returned to their chambers.   
      
   "Gabrielle," she said as she entered the room.   
      
   "Yes, Domina," Gabrielle answered, rushing to her.   
      
   Lucretia then called to a guard. "You, take this slave to the gladiator   
   quarters. She is to be given to Xe – to the Amazon warrior for the remainder   
   of the day and the night."   
      
   He looked at her, not sure if she had the authority to make such a demand.   
      
   "Do I need to report your insolence to Cicerius?"   
      
   "No, madam. Right away."   
      
   Not believing her ears, Gabrielle grabbed one of Lucretia's hands in both of   
   hers. "Thank you, Domina. Thank you so much!"   
      
   "You truly love this woman so?"   
      
   "Oh yes, Domina. She is my world!"   
      
   Lucretia pulled her hand away and said, "Then go, before I change my mind."   
      
   Again expressing her thanks, Gabrielle followed the guard.   
      
   Lucretia sat down on the bed, wondering what it would be like – to have   
   someone love you so completely. She knew Batiatus loved her, in his own way,   
   but she was not his world. How long she sat there but eventually her eyes   
   fell on Hermes, standing quietly by, as they all were.   
      
   "Hermes, come here."   
      
   He quickly obeyed. She stood up to face him. Once, while he was servicing   
   her, in his own repressed passion, he professed his love for her.   
      
   "You once said you loved me. Were you speaking the truth, or only saying it   
   to gain favor with me?"   
      
   "I said it in truth, Domina."   
      
   "Why do you love me? And I want to hear nothing about the beauty of my face   
   or my body."   
      
   "While it is true that you are the Domina, I have seen moments of tenderness   
   and charity you have given to your slaves. You see to it that our lives are   
   not so harsh as slaves of other masters. You have often spared the lash when   
   you didn't have to. I know that you have a good heart, when you wish to show   
   it."   
      
   This confession took Lucretia by surprise. She never thought of herself as a   
   particularly warm or generous person. Then on impulse, she did something   
   that was completely unthinkable – she kissed him on the mouth.   
      
   "So," she whispered. "If you love me so – prove it. Take me as you would   
   your new bride on your wedding night."   
      
   After an uncertain hesitation, Hermes kissed her mouth, tenderly and   
   lovingly several times. He then began gently nibbling her neck, and slowly   
   began removing her clothes. Lucretia closed her eyes, and let the sensation   
   of being loved and wanted envelope her.   
      
   It wasn't long before she was naked and on her back.  Hermes was tenderly   
   working his way down her body – kissing her breasts and nuzzling her erect   
   and sensitive nipples, causing her to catch her breath with each gentle   
   nibble. He slowly made his way to her belly, his tongue encircling and   
   dipping into her navel, then slowly worked his way down to her pubic   
   triangle. He had just  spread her lips and his tongue barely made its first   
   contact with her center of pleasure when a drunken Batiatus stumbled into   
   the room.   
      
   "Yes! Yes!" he slurred. "You are making her ready for me.  Good slave."   
      
   Then taking out his slowly erecting penis and pushing Hermes aside, he   
   climbed onto the bed and on top of her. And being the dutiful, good wife,   
   she guided his organ into her. And while he was grunting and panting she   
   looked over at Hermes, a tear running from her eye. She blinked away a   
   second one, then jerked her head at him, and he left the room taking the   
   others with him.   
      
   The next morning when Lucretia woke up Batiatus wasn't beside her. She put   
   on her see-through robe and walked into the anteroom and found him at the   
   table. A copper and iron chest was at one end and the other end was piled   
   with gold coins and copper rectangles the size of her hand with names and   
   numbers stamped on them.   
      
   "You took markers?" she asked, picking one up to read it.   
      
   "Of course. You didn't expect anyone to carry around several hundred gold   
   coins, did you?"   
      
   "I suppose not. What are you doing?"   
      
   Counting them, and trying to figure out Cicerius' damnable sixty five   
   percent. And with my pounding head, it is no easy task."   
      
   "Shall I send for Cicerius' accounts keeper to do the computation for you?"   
      
   "No, I can manage…."   
      
   Just then Cicerius and Otho entered the room, and even though she was close   
   to nakedness, Lucretia stayed, relishing them looking at her, as they were   
   enjoying looking at her. Then Cicerius said to her, "If you don't mind,   
   would you retire to the bed chamber, we have business with Batiatus."   
      
   Lucretia turned around to leave, pulling the robe tighter so that the full   
   roundness of her ass was more easily seen and appreciated. After she had   
   gone, he said to Batiatus, "I see you have collected on your debts."   
      
   "Yes, and now I am attempting to sort out your percentage."   
      
   "Forget that for the moment. I am here to say that our agreement to buy your   
   champion has been cancelled."   
      
   "What! But we had a bargain!"   
      
   "It is not his fault," Otho said. "It was I who offered the ten thousand   
   Aureus for her purchase."   
      
   Batiatus looked quickly at Cicerius about the ten thousand, then realized he   
   was just the middleman, taking his cut.   
      
   "I don't understand. Why has the sale been stopped?" he said to Otho.   
      
   "Because of your misrepresentation of your so-called Amazon Warrior."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)