couch that time?” asked the judge.
“No. Not the last time. But at some previous parties, yes. He requested me again for himself at this one.”
“That’s right,” chimed in Selene. “Secundus specifically mentioned that his stepfather wanted Aurora this time. The Prefect had Chloe the last time, right?”
“Yes,” interjected a beautiful, slim, brown haired woman with green eyes. “But he had evidently finished with me.” Her face took on a cynical look.
Selene quickly continued. “Secundus also chose his girl personally, when he came to make the arrangements.” She nodded at the woman sitting with the slave with the placard ‘Secundus.’ Severus noticed that Secundus had chosen Eudoxia, a small young girl, almost boyish looking, but extremely attractive.
“I could select the others,” continued Selene. “But he specifically said that Chloe was to go to Serpentinus this time and that there should be only one girl for each guest. At some past parties he had ordered two women for some of the guests, particularly for himself.
“He didn’t give me a guest list, so I was hampered in selecting just the right girl for each guest. But,” she swept her arm to encompass the assembled women, “you can see that any guest would be pleased with my selections.”
There was no possible doubt about that, thought Severus.
“When we arrived at the Hadrianum, we were met by one of the Prefect’s slaves and kept in a side room until we were called.”
“When you entered,” asked Severus looking at a tall blonde girl on the couch of the slave with the placard ‘Pudens’, how did you know which couch to go to?”
She answered. “My name is Zoe,
kyrie
. Aurora knew she was to go to the Prefect, Eudoxia to Secundus and Chloe to Serpentinus. But the rest of us went in and took any empty place or went with whoever motioned toward her. The men were, quite naturally, looking us over when we came in.
“I just happened to take the spot on Pudens’ couch. He looked too frightened of us to be forward. I gathered that this sort of party was rather a new experience for him and I know I made him nervous. At least at first.” She smiled ingratiatingly.
“How did he die?” asked the judge directly. “Did you see what happened?”
Zoe answered. “He had just had an orgasm and lay back on the couch. I took a clump of grapes from a bowl on the table and fed them to him, one by one. Then he stretched out his hand for a cup on the table. He just took the nearest one, or someone handed him a cup, I didn’t really see, and he took a long drink. Then he gasped, clutched at his throat and went into a horrible spasm.” She paled just recalling it. “I stood up and screamed and he half fell off the couch.” The Prefect and a few others gathered around and examined him for life, but he was dead. The party then broke up.”
“What about that cup he drank from? Try to remember again. Did he select that one deliberately or was it handed to him?”
“As I said, I don’t know. I don’t think even he glanced at it. He just reached out for a cup.”
“Where was
his
cup?”
“Nearby. But apparently not as near as the one he ended up drinking from. They all looked pretty much alike. The same size, shape and color, but with different designs on the sides. One had a horse, another a dolphin, a third fruit, you know. The mix-up must have occurred during the brawl.”
“What brawl?”
“When things started getting wild, when the revels began.”
Aurora joined in. “After we came in,
kyrie
, we found our places, I began to sing a song. But it was obvious that most, if not all the men, were already quite drunk and weren’t interested in music. They started shouting, yelling, making obscene gestures and then throwing things. Food, garlands and clothes were flying all over the place.”
She looked at the girl on Isarion’s couch. “Demetria was even chased around the couches. Isn’t that right, Demetria?”
Demetria
“No. Not the last time. But at some previous parties, yes. He requested me again for himself at this one.”
“That’s right,” chimed in Selene. “Secundus specifically mentioned that his stepfather wanted Aurora this time. The Prefect had Chloe the last time, right?”
“Yes,” interjected a beautiful, slim, brown haired woman with green eyes. “But he had evidently finished with me.” Her face took on a cynical look.
Selene quickly continued. “Secundus also chose his girl personally, when he came to make the arrangements.” She nodded at the woman sitting with the slave with the placard ‘Secundus.’ Severus noticed that Secundus had chosen Eudoxia, a small young girl, almost boyish looking, but extremely attractive.
“I could select the others,” continued Selene. “But he specifically said that Chloe was to go to Serpentinus this time and that there should be only one girl for each guest. At some past parties he had ordered two women for some of the guests, particularly for himself.
“He didn’t give me a guest list, so I was hampered in selecting just the right girl for each guest. But,” she swept her arm to encompass the assembled women, “you can see that any guest would be pleased with my selections.”
There was no possible doubt about that, thought Severus.
“When we arrived at the Hadrianum, we were met by one of the Prefect’s slaves and kept in a side room until we were called.”
“When you entered,” asked Severus looking at a tall blonde girl on the couch of the slave with the placard ‘Pudens’, how did you know which couch to go to?”
She answered. “My name is Zoe,
kyrie
. Aurora knew she was to go to the Prefect, Eudoxia to Secundus and Chloe to Serpentinus. But the rest of us went in and took any empty place or went with whoever motioned toward her. The men were, quite naturally, looking us over when we came in.
“I just happened to take the spot on Pudens’ couch. He looked too frightened of us to be forward. I gathered that this sort of party was rather a new experience for him and I know I made him nervous. At least at first.” She smiled ingratiatingly.
“How did he die?” asked the judge directly. “Did you see what happened?”
Zoe answered. “He had just had an orgasm and lay back on the couch. I took a clump of grapes from a bowl on the table and fed them to him, one by one. Then he stretched out his hand for a cup on the table. He just took the nearest one, or someone handed him a cup, I didn’t really see, and he took a long drink. Then he gasped, clutched at his throat and went into a horrible spasm.” She paled just recalling it. “I stood up and screamed and he half fell off the couch.” The Prefect and a few others gathered around and examined him for life, but he was dead. The party then broke up.”
“What about that cup he drank from? Try to remember again. Did he select that one deliberately or was it handed to him?”
“As I said, I don’t know. I don’t think even he glanced at it. He just reached out for a cup.”
“Where was
his
cup?”
“Nearby. But apparently not as near as the one he ended up drinking from. They all looked pretty much alike. The same size, shape and color, but with different designs on the sides. One had a horse, another a dolphin, a third fruit, you know. The mix-up must have occurred during the brawl.”
“What brawl?”
“When things started getting wild, when the revels began.”
Aurora joined in. “After we came in,
kyrie
, we found our places, I began to sing a song. But it was obvious that most, if not all the men, were already quite drunk and weren’t interested in music. They started shouting, yelling, making obscene gestures and then throwing things. Food, garlands and clothes were flying all over the place.”
She looked at the girl on Isarion’s couch. “Demetria was even chased around the couches. Isn’t that right, Demetria?”
Demetria
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