Condemnation & Redemption Pt. 03

On my way to the luxury condominium where the Adams were having their 'house warming' party, I was both incredibly anxious with joyous anticipation at seeing Aurora (or 'Stephanie' I suppose) again, simultaneously suffering from a horrible lingering fear that I would find myself rejected by a woman who was the exact image of my lover of three hundred years before.

After her death, eventually I was almost able to exist without yearning for my love every minute of every day, only to have all of my feelings resurrected in an instant by the entrance of her clone. My heart was once again in a flux.

I had asked my assistant Maria to accompany me that evening, a task that she immediately accepted. I don't know if there was anything else that she had planned for the evening, but if so, she dropped it to come at my beck and call. I always felt a slight guilt at having, for all intents and purposes, a slave to my whims. But Maria was obviously doing it for her own purposes. I'd promised her a drop of my blood tonight as a reward — which was akin to offering a fix to an addict.

In truth, Maria was a very beautiful woman, especially when she was made up to go out on the town. She needed very little makeup, just a little to accent her features; her eyes, a bit of blush for her cheeks, because otherwise she had the kind of complexion that would have put cosmetic companies out of business. Of course, like Cleopatra, she also wore red lipstick to advertise her oral skills.

She was dressed this evening in the classic 'little black dress' with 4" high-heels. On a relatively short woman like Maria, those shoes had the affect of tautening the muscles of her legs into a state close to perfection, as well as making her tight, rounded little ass something to die for. And I knew that the promise of her body was true, for I'd enjoyed her many times. Even without the added element of my blood, Maria was a passionate, giving (and taking) lover. She was also an intelligent educated friend, as well.

It was tragic that because of my obsession for a woman, now dead for three hundred years, I had no ability to give Maria the love she deserved.

Not unexpectedly, the condominium was in one of the 'high-end' developments in Nashville, and security at the entrance to the building had to check a list of invitees before they would let us onto the elevator to reach the Adams' domicile. But we were quickly through the gatekeeper and on the elevator to the 17th floor.

I turned to Maria as we were about to enter into the Adams' condo, which, it turned out, took up about half of the floor.

"Maria — I want to talk to Phillip's fiancée this evening, one on one. If you could help occupy Phillip when you see me with her, I would appreciate it."

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever you say, Doc. But how will I know who she is?"

"She's blond, with very striking blue eyes and she is extraordinarily beautiful. Besides, I will make every effort to introduce you to her."

There, just inside the entry way stood our hosts — George, Phillip and Alice, greeting their guests with Alice giving out nametags. I introduced Maria to them (as my assistant and friend and by inference, 'not' girlfriend.)

When I asked after Stephanie, Phillip waved vaguely in the direction of the great room, telling me that she was circulating among the guests and ensuring that everyone had drinks and food. She was acting as a 'semi' hostess for the evening.

The condo itself was impressive, both for the size (over 5000 square feet spread over two floors — the 17th and 18th) and its modern style and décor. There were vistas of glass windows looking out over the University to the west and north to Nashville. I was told that Alice, not Phillip, had selected the furnishings. It still seemed somewhat sterile and bland to me, but most schools of modern design leave me unimpressed.

When I asked George about the cost of the condo, considering that it was really just temporary housing for Phil and the family, he told me that he viewed it as an investment, because the Nashville area was growing with new start-up companies as well as established companies like Nissan, that were leaving high-tax states for Tennessee, with its generally low taxes and no state income tax.

Not having any expertise in the subject, I took his word for it. It surely seemed to make sense to me.

He suggested that after becoming acquainted with the city that he and Phillip might open an office locally and begin building homes and commercial space in some of the more exclusive neighborhoods.

After a minute or two, as new guests arrived, we left our hosts to their duties and Maria and I passed into the great rooms where the other guests were gathered.

It was not a surprise that a pianist sat at a Grand Piano (a Bechstein, I thought) softly playing a variety of pop, jazz and other 'easy listening' music. If you can't find a musician for your party in Nashville, you aren't looking!

As we circulated greeting the Adams' new neighbors we met a reasonably well-known country-western singer/composer, who was drawn to introduce himself to us by Maria's good looks. Ditto a player with the Tennessee Titans football team, who frankly seemed to me to be smaller in person than when I saw him on the television on the playing field. He was, it seems, some sort of running something or another, where speed rather than mass was the critical factor. Not to say that he wasn't highly muscled, as well.

In both cases, the tightening of Maria's grip on my arm told me that she certainly appreciated their good looks and talents. If only she hadn't been on a mission for me that night I suspect one of the two men, or perhaps both, would have been very lucky. Indeed, she whispered into my ear, "I hope you know just how much I sacrifice for you!" We both laughed.

As we walked, I kept my eye out for Aurora/Stephanie, I could sense her presence, but I hadn't seen her yet. Suddenly, I shivered.

A hand reached out and touched my arm. It was she.

As I turned my head our eyes met and in a glance, I knew that she too felt the connection between us. She had a startled look in her eyes; a look of surprise. She had felt the electricity as well, but she recovered quickly.

"I'm so glad that you were able to make it tonight, Christian," she said, her voice the essence of sweetness to my ears. "And who is your lovely companion?" Ah, the green eyed monster!

Maria and I turned towards her.

"This is my assistant, Maria de Leon. And Maria, this is Aurora — oh, pardon me! Maria this is 'Stephanie' Molyneux."

They exchanged greetings and then Stephanie smiled and said to me (directed to Maria as well), "I know this may sound odd to you, Christian, but somehow when you call me Aurora it just, I don't know, it just sounds right. To everyone else, I am Stephanie, but to you, I am Aurora."

I had to close my eyes and focus on keeping my body from trembling. Merci dieu!

Having been introduced, Maria excused herself to find us drinks, leaving Aurora and me alone. Yes, there we were in a room full of cheerful, happy, outgoing people, but we were alone.

"Your assistant is very attractive," she observed.

"Yes, she is. And she's very competent as well. But she is just a friend," I replied, just to again clarify the issue.

Aurora just raised an eyebrow at me and smiled.

To regain some of the momentum, I decided to direct the conversation away from Maria. I didn't want to tell Aurora the truth (yet), but I knew that I would never lie to her.

"We didn't really have much of a chance to talk about you the other night. Phillip said that you were completing a PhD., but I didn't get much more in the way of details."

She smiled, an indication that she was enjoying her PhD. work, something not shared by all candidates.

"My degree will be in French 17th Century history, specifically about the court of Louis XIV and the life of the royal courtiers living at Versailles, at the time."

I nodded at her.

"Hasn't that ground been covered in great detail, already?" I pointed out.

"Oh, yes, of course. But I have a unique advantage; original documents, previously unknown. My grand-mère was at the court during that period for several years and she kept a meticulous diary. That, and I have other papers from my family that have never been made public before," she told me excitedly.

"Your 'grandmother'?" I asked with a look of incredulity on my face.

She laughed and the bells of heaven sounded, "Well — my grandmother many, many times removed. But I just call her my grandmother. I used to talk to my actual grandmother about Aurora, l'Comtesse, before my real grandmother passed away. I always felt as if I had a connection with the Comtesse, despite the generations. It was one of the ways that I improved my French, my grandmother and I sitting in her parlor reading and translating Aurora's diaries. My grandmother used to tell me that I was just like her, you know the first Aurora, which I always knew was silly. After all, how could she know? But then she would lean over and touch the side of her nose and tell me that 'Some of us have the sight.'"

At that I had to smile. Sometimes Aurora would say the same thing to me. She would tell me something like, "I don't believe that you are a mortal man!" and I would ask her how she concluded that. She, too, would touch the side of her nose and tell me, "Some of us have the sight." Then she would implore me not to say anything about it to anyone, with a legitimate fear at that time that should anyone hear her say that she had a special 'sight', she could be accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake.

"Perhaps she did. Have the sight, that is," I said agreeably.

"Yes, I think she did. Alas, though, she died young from childbirth fever, having her first child. It was she and her husband's only child — a son, thank goodness for them. He must have loved her immensely, because he never remarried."

I had to keep from laughing at her somewhat mistaken conclusion — l'Comte never remarried because Aurora had already given him a son and an heir; not to mention that he wasn't interested in women! But I didn't interrupt her train of thought.

"He was a military man and died in the last great battle against the Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession."

"Malplaquet?" I asked.

She looked at me with a look of delight and her smile revealed a dimple.

"You've studied the history of the time? Louis Quatorze?"

I laughed, "My dear Aurora, I am French and we all look for our national pride back to the time when our motherland was the most powerful and successful country in the world — which in the case of France means the period of Louis le Grand!" I passed over the fact that I'd been alive at the time, so I was quite familiar with the details of those years.

At that moment, she placed her hand on my forearm and looked deeply in my eyes.

"You know, Christian, since the first moment that I saw you, I knew that we had a connection of sorts. And that feeling has grown even stronger since then."

I smiled at her and confessed, "Yes, I feel it, too, and I know that we do have a special connection."

Right then Phillip came up to us smiling and looking back and forth with a strange look on his face.

"Well what are you two doing over here alone, conspiring?" He laughed. "You need to circulate! Get another drink..."

Aurora laughed as well, "Phillip! You never told me that your Doctor was keen on Louis XIV, too!"

At that he looked at both of us, his head going back and forth.

"I guess 'cause I didn't know. But how's that for coincidence?"

He turned and started to walk away, but looked back at Aurora. "Steph — I have some other neighbors I want to introduce you to."

"Okay, Phillip. I'll be right there."

Before she left, she asked for my phone and touched them together to exchange contact information.

"Call me soon. Please?" she whispered.

"Even the gods couldn't stop me," I whispered back.

Then she was gone.

I did mingle a little longer. There were a couple of people who worked at the Vandy Medical Center who I knew by reputation, as well as a professor from the Owen Graduate School of Business. I wondered how he could afford a condo in the costly building, but he answered without my having to ask, "I teach about sophisticated derivatives at Owen; but I make my money advising large firms and wealthy individuals about how to invest in them."

I looked at him quizzically.

"Usually the only one who makes money on those instruments is the broker. I understand you're a physician. Don't ever let anyone con you into putting your money into anything that is based on derivatives! They are so complex that almost no one really understands them."

I thanked him for his advice, and told him that I would try and reciprocate, but that as an oncologist I hoped he never needed my advice!

Alice Adams was suddenly by my side, taking my arm in hers.

"I guess that I don't have much of a chance with you, do I?" she smiled a little ironic smile as opposed to a humorous one.

"I saw you and Stephanie off in the quiet little corner. You two are so hot for each other the steam is rising all around you. I can practically see it. Oh well, I hope Phillip isn't too disappointed, but I think that his girlfriend is about to dump him."

I protested, "Alice, I would never try to do something like that. I like Phillip and I'm his physician!"

She just smiled. "Who said YOU were going to do anything, silly man? But you've been absolutely gob smacked since she walked into the restaurant at dinner. And it shows. Boy, does it show."

Then she laughed a sardonic laugh and walked away.

I found Maria surrounded by most of the single men at the party. She was flirting shamelessly and I think that I broke a number of hearts when I told her we had to leave.

We bid our hosts goodbye and departed for my house.

~~***~~

Maria was driving the car home at my request, when she turned to me.

"I hope you are planning on fucking my eyeballs out, because after having a famous singer and a pro football player — among others —hitting on me all night, I am horny as hell!"

"As tempting as that would be, I can't have a sexual relationship with you anymore."

"What!" Marie almost shouted at me. "It's that little French witch, isn't it!"

"She's not French; just of French descent. But yes, you're right; it's because of her. But I won't leave you disappointed," I assured her.

Then I called one of my other subs, a young man named Gary. Gary was a grad student at Vandy in computer science. I had made him one of my inner circle because with his computer skills — specifically he was a great hacker — he was already helping me to establish my next 'new' identity; one that I hoped I wouldn't need for at least another 20 years. By then I would be looking too young for my age. He could go into government data bases and add new identities, new 'legends', for me as well as supplying the electronic documents I would need to 'prove' who I was — birth certificates, high school transcripts, medical certifications and those sorts of things.

I didn't normally allow my 'friends' to know each other's identity and I kept them separated one from the other in the way that someone running an espionage cell would. The less any of them knew of each other, the less information about me they could share. It was all about MY safety.

But tonight was an exception.

After the stress of dealing with the Adam's party and reconnecting with Aurora, I was ravenous. It was too soon for me to safely use Maria for her blood, but Gary was fine — it had been close to eight weeks since he last 'contributed' blood for my needs. And, as a secondary feature to benefit Maria, he was the most 'ungeekiest' geek who I had ever met. He was tall, handsome, socially adept and I knew from times when we had used the spa at my house together, he had a big cock. According to rumors around campus, he knew how to use it as well. I was fairly sure that he could satisfy Maria.

I called him from my cell and like all of my subs, he dropped whatever he had planned and would meet me at my house.

When Gary arrived, he began to tell me about his success with some of the work I had him doing. I had to shut him down because I didn't want Maria to know about my activities unrelated to her work. She, on the other hand, agreed not to tell Gary that she, too, was a sub of mine — just that she worked for me at my medical practice.

First things coming first, Maria drew a unit of Gary's blood to nourish my bodies' requirements. To Gary, that more or less explained her presence.

Then we adjourned to one of the several 'guest' bedrooms that I used with my cadre of subs.

I never used my own bedroom suite — which included my actual bedroom, a luxurious bathroom and walk-in closet and an adjacent sitting room/library. The sitting room was my favorite room in the house. It had a large wood-burning fireplace, and it was where I kept my library of rare old first edition books, including the copy of Newton's 'Principe' that I first read in Aurora's apartment in Versailles and Charles Adams' book 'Mont St. Michel & Chartres' — and more of the sort, all acquired when they were new to the world.

My most prized possession of all sat in the place of honor above the fireplace: A portrait of Aurora Stephanie Marie Molyneux, Comptesse d'F... painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud, the same artist who was justly famed for his portraits of Louis.

He had painted Aurora just after she had arrived at Versailles, even though by Court standards she was an unknown. But, like me, he was so taken by her beauty that he asked her to sit for it when he first saw her. She was not aware of how rare an honor that was, for a Frenchman of the Court to paint a portrait gratis, without knowing that it would ever be sold; just for his own pleasure.

He grudgingly sold it to me after Aurora's death, but only after Madame Montespan pressured him to do so to repay my efforts performing her horoscope. It cost her nothing but was worth an infinite amount to me.

The woman who looked at me from the painting I had seen in real life, alive again earlier that evening.

In the orgy room, I watched as Maria and Gary began their sexual romp. I had both watched and participated in similar activities myself, many nights, but tonight I would be chaste.

When the two of them were well into a session of 'soixante-neuf' I came over beside the bed and pricked my finger. One at a time, starting with Maria, I placed my finger with a drop of my blood into their mouths. For the next two hours they would engage in a wild, unrestrained sex that would be the apex of pleasure for each of them.

I sat back sipping at the fresh blood that would nourish me and watched them for a while longer, enjoying a voyeur's spectacle, until I tired of the scene and retreated back to the outer common rooms.

It was late by the time that the pair had finished cavorting. Maria came out wearing a loose blue translucent robe that she left open in the front and sat down with me in the great room.

I looked at her, wondering why she had bothered to come out.

"Well?" I asked.

"Gary is asleep," she giggled. "I think that I wore the poor boy out. On the other hand, I'm going to be walking funny for a couple of days."

"I believe it. You are a tireless minx even when you haven't had a 'boost'. With that little drop of blood, you are every man's fantasy!"

She looked quite pleased with my praise of her sexual nature.

"You know that you can still feel free to partake of my," as she began caressing her breasts with her hands and smiling at me, "sensual nature. You know my body is yours. In a word — I'm your slave."

I laughed at that, "I call bullshit! You serve me, but you are no slave!" We laughed together at that.

"So, tell me: what did you really come out for?"

Maria got a more serious look on her face.

"At the party this evening — oh, wait, I guess it was yesterday now. Anyway, you asked me to occupy Phillip Adams' attention while you were speaking with your new girlfriend?"