The Midnight Sex Case

"You certainly do up your fantasies very thoroughly. I am beginning to understand the nature of your contract better. I suppose I have forgotten my toga."

"That is not a problem at all. I beg you to accept one of mine."

I paused. "You mean you want me to wear one?"

"I had planned to persuade you. It would allow for a much more complete experience. I suspect you will be more comfortable than in that suit. Not to worry, you will be delicious in one."

I wondered exactly how kinky this was going to get. The presence of the servers, the heady wine and the near presence of this erotic, beautiful, unpredictable woman was obviously draining away my sense of caution. "Well, why not?"

She signalled to the young women, who silently took me by the hand as I rose. They led me back to the room with the pool. By its edge, they began to undress me while I stood passively. Each touch was a deliberate caress. Their attentions were pure, unrushed and expert. My jacket was off, my tie and shirt next, and then I felt that first touch near my belt buckle. One of them had knelt before me, a perfect sensual vision.

I felt a momentary pang of embarrassment at the extent of my engorgement as she opened my pants, but this vanished as she smiled with acceptance and silent pleasure.

Once freed of the rest of my clothing, they guided me into the scented warm water of the pool to the level of my upper thighs and began to wash me. I became rapt with the touch of their hands, aware of nothing else, especially when they reached my cock. The sense of pleasure became astounding as lips and tongues joined with the brush of fingertips. With a sense that I had fallen into some kind of sublime dream I indulged in touching their perfect bodies, touches that they welcomed

I have no idea how long they pleasured me, just intentionally short of release on my part. With a drifting feeling I allowed them to lead me out, towel me dry and rub me with fragrant oils. One of them left for a moment and returned carrying a linen tunic and a toga pura, a plain white toga made of wool.

I was far too gone in my sense of immediate pleasure to feel foolish in this antique getup. This was going to be a very entertaining evening. I was starting to wonder why I had been worried at all. The woman was just fabulously indulgent, that was all. As the servers led me back in, I saw that my host had changed into a more traditional, sleeveless stola, in which she was doubly magnificent. With my desire piqued from the bath, I wanted her with increasing appetite.

"Very impressive, Mr. Witnauer, you have pleased me."

I resumed my position on the couch, which seemed to have moved closer to hers. She plied me with more wine, heavy, powerful and sweet. I suspected it had honey in it and spice of some kind, soothing, but going straight to my head. As we began eating, she declared openly that everything had been carefully selected for its authenticity and also for its aphrodisiacal quality.

I am fairly sure I could have experienced unknown heights of passion and desire even without the careful selection. I had never before eaten a long meal in a state of continual arousal. The servers kept coming and going setting more food before us and taking away remains, occasionally delivering and withstanding caresses, arching and smiling with delight, but speaking not a word. During the actual cena, dancers swept in, also mesmerizingly nude, filled with sensual splendour, casting a deep erotic spell over the room. The food and wine kept carrying me further and further into a state of heady arousal.

Through all of this, I was dimly aware that my client watched me with amusement and increasing satisfaction. Her gaze was occasionally so intense with lust, it took me aback. I had the feeling she was waiting for something.

Dessert began to appear. Large helpings of cakes drenched with honey and heaps of ripe exotic fruit, plums, quinces, grapes, melons, medlar fruit and elderberries. Feeling adrift in pleasure, I tried to rescue myself, and reassert the fact that I was her lawyer. I spoke strangely, made stupid by the wine that had also continued to appear without pause.

"Ssso why are you so interested in thish guy Fabia?" I managed to ask.

"Because he is delightfully handsome, and more to the point, he is the last of a deliciously ancient Roman line."

"That mashters to you?"

"Oh, yes. His ancestors are very important to me, my favourite among the greatest of the patrician families of ancient Rome. They are waiting for him."

I was not following her. I looked into my goblet, still half full and drained some more. "Whatzs special, a...about that, a bunch of dead ancestors? Is that supposed to be...uh, senshual?"

"Incredibly, Mr. Witnauer."

They way she said this made me even harder, if that was possible.

"The Fabii were all delightful men, aristocratic, brave in war, aloof in the Senate, sublime lovers. They ruled Rome for generations. The line was nearly extinguished in the Battle of Cremara against Veii. Imagine, three hundred and six gorgeous Fabii men fell in one glorious day, nearly the whole line at once." She shivered with oblique pleasure. "Only one of the bloodline survived. They have all been waiting, and now the last is very, very near. If you can win this case, a great occasion is upon us, Mr. Witnauer, after several thousand years. You have no words in your language for that kind of pleasure."

Again, this made no sense. "I musht be drunk..." I muttered.

"You are nearly ready," she replied with a smile.

"Oh yessh, for what?"

* * *

I awoke with difficulty, held in a black, rolling fog. I was in my bed, staring...until I finally realized I was looking at my ceiling. Painful morning light streamed in through the slats of the shutters. My blackberry was ringing somewhere close, likely in the pocket of my pants.

I could not move to retrieve it. My head and neck were awash with sticky pain. The rest of my body I could not feel, though I predicted that when I finally could, the experience would be less than pleasant. I closed my eyes again, with that awful, dark spinning, though it stilled as I began to remember the previous evening. I could remember only snippets of the later part. She had taken me to a graveyard at midnight or so, not that I had been in any position to resist. At least I knew what a busturariae fantasy amounted to now.

I had been so insanely aroused by the time we got there, I think I would have done just about anything. I remember I felt no shame as she forcefully removed my toga and underlying tunic in the sultry night air and pressed me down on the rough stone of a large burial monument. The full revelation of her lustrous body in the half- light was incredible. The moonlight seemed to intensify around here as if the two shared a meaning together. I think they did.

I remember feeling out of my mind with pleasure as she rode me like a divine creature. At one point, it seemed to me the snakes at her wrists were real. They wrapped around my wrists and forearms, binding them to hers, arousing, sinuous and dangerous. This took me beyond control and I had the most amazing release as she and her snakes held me down, seeming almost to consume my awareness as I bucked uncontrollably. In the middle of this strange orgasm, I seemed to plummet and rise with the sense of being in places where humans were not permitted to be, alive at least.

Yes, I had been really, stupidly drunk, and delusional...apparently. Now I was sore all over. And, damn, with my increasing wakefulness I realized that, like Natalie, I was freezing although the room was warm. I was also as horny as a goat.

The cell phone went off again. With tremendous effort I fished it out of my pocket.

"Uh, hello?" I croaked pathetically.

"Tom, thank goodness you are alright." The voice was Kirby's.

"Alright...is a matter of opinion," I managed.

"I tried reaching you all night. I was really concerned. After I met with Natalie..."

"Is she ok?"

"She is now. You could be at a considerable risk, Tom."

"Might be a bit late for that thought, Kirby."

"You mean...?"

I tried to smile sheepishly, but it hurt too much. "Yeah, got out of control last night, I am still not sure how bad it got. To be honest I am so hung over and wrecked, I can barely move."

"Ok, stay put, I am coming over."

"Kirby..."

"I am going to insist, Tom. This is serious. We have to talk."

"Fine, ok."

After I hung up, I waited in bed a bit longer, trying to recall the minute details of the events of the previous evening. Yep, I had screwed up, abandoned all my dignity and common sense. On the other hand, I could easily say it had been one of the most sensually intense and remarkable nights I have ever had in my life, at least so far.

I tried to rise. This proved so dizzying, I gave up and stayed where I was, splayed on the bed still half in my suit. I succumbed to the inky fog once again.

I awoke again to the light touch of fingers in my hair. Wincing, I opened my eyes slightly to see the beautiful face of my friend. Her gaze was filled with concern.

"Kirby...how did you get in?"

"Security remembered me and your door was unlocked. Wow, you are a mess, buddy."

I grimaced. "Can't argue there. I seem to have completely lost my mind last night."

"Try not to blame yourself. You were dealing with a very powerful force."

"You mean you believe..."

"I am capable of believing quite a bit in my line of work. How are you feeling right now?"

"Uh, hung over...very definitely hung over."

"And?"

"Well, cold."

"Anything else? A bit raunchy maybe?"

"Well, yeah, I could screw just about anything that moves right now."

"She definitely got to you. I was worried about this."

"What do you mean?"

"She is a Vanth, Tom, one of the oldest, I suspect."

"You think that is for real?"

She placed a finger on my lips. "This is no time to question. You trust me right?"

I nodded.

"She is in the process of taking hold of your soul."

"Ok, that doesn't sound so good."

"It brings her power in this world, taking sex from the most vital of the living. She can't help it, being what she is."

"Then all this stuff about the contract is bogus?"

"Not necessarily. Who is it she is trying to bind?"

I explained about Giorgio Fabia and the strange information she had revealed over dinner.

"Ah, that explains it. She seeks the last of the Fabii."

"You know something about this?"

She shrugged. "Knowing the past is important, Tom. I did some research about Vanths after I saw Natalie. I had to do something while I was going out of my mind with worry for you. The demise of the Fabii in one battle is a well known episode in Roman history. There is a less known story about the last survivor. Of the Vanths sent to lead the noble Fabii men to Elysium, one Vanth indulged in them with such gluttony that the last of the Fabii slipped away unnoticed. He has been immortal since. The Vanth was sentenced to stay in the living world as punishment until she could bring him over."

"You mean these two have been trying to trick each other for a few thousand years?"

"Could well be."

"Ok. I am willing to believe just about anything at this point. So the contract was supposed to help trap him I suppose. There must be something about the graveyard...she wants to perform a sexual ritual with him on the tombs."

"Speaking of which, what exactly happened last night, old friend?"

I winced and told her, at least what I could remember.

When I finished, she sighed. She turned to lift a knapsack she had brought along. "We will need to act quickly. Tom, I need your permission to heal you."

"Ok."

"I am asking you permission because, for part of it, you will have to be with me. The cure will be stronger that way."

I could feel my already hard cock stir. "Hey, you know...whatever you need to do."

From the knapsack she took out a small statue and set it on the night table. In front of it she placed an ashtray, an unlit cigarillo, a ripe looking green chilli, and a bottle of beer, which she opened with a twist.

"This is Anaisa Pye."

"Who?"

"In my culture, she is an loa. She will help us. We all have our beliefs and powers, Tom. These are the beliefs I come from. We are going to need some help. You are a Christian, or used to be, which is ok for some things, but is pretty useless for dealing with a force like a Vanth. We need a tradition that is much less confused about sex. Just go with it, ok?"

"Well, sure, I guess. So this is..."

"Voodoo. No worries, it will not be any harm to you. Anaisa Pye is full of love, especially when it comes to men." She winked.

I had no idea what to say at this point. I took Kirby's advice and just went with it. My head still hurt too much to do anything else anyway.

Any reluctance I retained was swept away as she rose and with a single motion, swept her dress up and over her head. Her perfect skin mingled with the light that continued to steal in through the slats of the shutters, extraordinary in its effect upon her. I was reminded of the way the moonlight had mingled with Ms. Alpanu, but the daylight and Kirby were far more incredible. Even in my drastic condition, I could realize that no more beautiful a sight had ever greeted me.

As she gently removed my clothing, muttering sensually in a forbidden language I did not understand, I began to feel a deep change. Although my goatishness had not by any means worn off, I began to feel more than mere desire. I began to need her in a far more profound way, beyond lust or passion. She became the most precious force in the universe, filling me with a sense of an entirely new kind of want. The new truth was that I was openly in love with her, deeply. Every movement she made confirmed it, making the feeling more powerful.

As she incanted, her body writhed on top of mine, her hips swaying and bucking over mine in an unbelievable rhythm that gained in intensity, but never speed. It was all so loving, slow and perfect.

I think I might have wept while she took me in this extraordinary way. By the time we were done, I was rapt with a sense of purity and happiness. Every last trace of my hangover was gone. I could have floated of the bed with pleasure.

Kirby had snuggled into me, resting her head on my shoulder. She touched my forehead with and affectionate fingertip.

"Hey, you ok?"

I moaned. "How could a human being possibly be any better?"

"Her hold on you is not completely gone, but we seem to have resolved most of the issues."

"Kirby, I don't know how to thank you..."

"No need. This was given as a friend, Tom."

"I can't believe I waited all these years to know you like this. I really think I have been out of my mind to have missed the opportunity."

"Hmmm. For the record, if you ever want us to do this again, no more going about it through cursed, oversexed deities. You will have to romance me, boy. I mean really romance me."

"Fine with me. I could not possibly think of a better use of my time and energy. Romance will be my new focus in life."

She smiled. "Good start. There might be hope for you."

"Now I just have to figure out a way to get rid of this case and Ms. Alpanu as a client."

"I think that might be covered. I asked Anaisa Pye for an extra special favour, a little matter of readjusting destiny to get it back on track."

* * *

I did not ask Kirby what she meant by this special favour, but it became clear once I finally made it to the office. I had a phone message from Sophie Finch. Gritting my teeth, I phoned her back.

"Tom..." She answered curtly, no hello, as usual.

"Sophia. I take it you were calling about the Arpanu case? Have to tell you that was the worst pleading I have ever seen you file. I'll be initiating a motion to strike the claim in entirety in the next few days."

"Fuck you, Tom. You're such a cunt."

"Whatever..."

"I was actually calling to tell you not to bother."

"What, are you coming to your senses and giving up?"

"My client, Mr. Fabia, was hit by a laundry truck about an hour ago."

"He's...dead?"

"Very."

I felt both a little shocked and relieved at the same time. "So that wraps this up I guess."

"It does. "

"Ok, well, thanks for letting me know. Have a nice day."

"Fuck off."

I hung up. So it looked like Anaisa Pye could do some special favours after all.

* * *

Ms. Arpanu showed up at noon. I was surprised it took her so long. Like Sophia, she did not bother offering me a greeting.

"You interfered. I am not sure how."

I shrugged. I was certainly not about to tell her about Kirby. "Well at least you can get back to wherever it is you call home now. I thought you would be happy after a few thousand years."

"My origin is never all that far away from this world, Mr. Witnauer. I am not certain I will vacate the field quite yet. I have more work here. There are still many descendants of old Rome in this city. I have gotten used to certain pleasures. Who knows, I might be able to use a good lawyer from time to time. I was truly enjoying our...collaborations."

"I'm done."

Her eyes burned with an unstated malevolence. I experienced a sense of just how powerful she was. I was seeing her true nature for the first time. "So that is it then? You have truly abandoned me to find an inferior lawyer? You were very good, you know."

I nodded, feeling a bit nervous about snubbing a divine being this way. "Oh yes, that is it."

She approached me. I was relieved when she simply kissed me once on the cheek, and whispered. "Just leave the future open a little. You never know. And anyway, at the very least, you will see me again when you are ready for Elysium. After all, you are not strictly a Christian any more. Not after what you gave me. You should feel good about that. They cross over in such boring ways, so self-immolating." She then turned to leave.

My infernal curiosity made me stop her just as she was about to leave. "Now that the truth is out, I just have to ask. Did you ever do Julius Caesar?"

Her face returned for a moment to the gentler, exotic client I had known, and she laughed. "No. I did have his nephew a few times though, before he became Emperor, and Marcus Tulius Cicero, that might interest you."

"Hmmm, Cicero? One of the greatest lawyers of all time, amazing. I am curious, how did I compare?"

"He had a much bigger cock if I remember correctly."

I crossed my arms and turned to look out the window to hide my disappointment. "Figures."

"But a much fatter ass."

"Thanks for the information." I could hear her sigh. A final silence fell. "You know, I cannot stop you. Any of the authorities I can appeal to will think I am insane. But I will keep an eye out. I am going to take it as a personal duty to protect however many I can."

When I turned from the window to see the effect of my words, she was already gone. I was not sure she had used the door.