A Roman Socialite and Her Tamer (Nurse x Houdini)

Adonna was a trendsetter. Adonna was a rock star, celebrity, diva, and role model all in one. Adonna was the image of affluence in ancient Rome. She was also becoming the bane of her fatherâ??s existence. At eighteen years old Adonna had yet to agree to marry any of the men heâ??d put up to her, saying that her life was hers to live and that she wasnâ??t going to throw it away for some smelly old senator. Her father had had quite enough of that. It was at a particularly large party at his very own estate that he decided to announce to Adonna that she was going to be married once and for all, no matter what she had to say about it. The man she would be marrying was going to be his secret guest of honor, only to be announced once heâ??d subdued Adonna as much as he possibly could.

She was the picture of beauty that night. She wore a dark blue toga with pure gold brooches at her shoulder and waist to keep it on her. She wore her togas a little tight so that all could see her luscious breasts and divine hips. She had the ass and thighs to go along with it, though no man had ever laid eyes on any asset she retained. She was one hundred percent virgin (as any man whoâ??d ever attempted to get with Adonna would tell you: she always giggled and waltzed away at the worst moment). Her hair was done up in lavish curls atop her head and she had gold earrings hanging from her delicate ears.

She had a goblet of wine in hand (her second of the evening) and was busy weaving in and out of guests when her father waved her over. She spoke to a few people before she went over, always testing her limits with him. â??Yes, father?â? she asked absently, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

â??Adonna, Iâ??m through with your nonsense. You are marrying. You can either agree to go with it peacefully, or I will announce it in front of the entire gathering so you cannot refuse.â?

Adonnaâ??s eyes clouded and she gripped the goblet tighter. â??Father. We have been through this before â??â?? but he cut her off and raised his voice, â??You will do as I say. You will learn to respect a man. If you cannot respect me, you will respect your husband. He is here now, and anxious to meet you.â? Patronus gestured behind him to invite the man out from his â??hidingâ?? place to meet his angry betrothed.

Justus Gallus might have best been described as a prodigy of sorts. The youngest of three brothers, he’d lost his father at the age of seven and his mother at fifteen. At the age of seventeen, he’d become a legionary. The only allegiance he had left was to his beloved empire, and he defended it fiercely. He quickly learned the art of the sword, shield, spear, and dagger, and elevated to the rank of centurion after only five years. In this position, he proved his mettle, honored by the Caesar himself for his bravery at the battle of Actium, against the forces of the traitor Antony. Now, at the age of twenty-six, he'd recently been promoted to the rank of General. An entire legion was now at his command. Justus was a man that his legion was fiercely loyal to, yet had a healthy degree of fear for. He was known as a vicious fighter, who’d lead the charge into battle, rather than follow. On more than one occasion, he’d challenge a deserter to a personal battle to the death, rather than taking the path he considered cowardly, and formally executing the traitor. Needless to say, he’d never lost one of these duels.

But Justus wasn’t satisfied to rest on his laurels. He was ambitious, and wasn’t content to only be a general. He needed to be the best known general in the empire, and perhaps even a Senator in the future. To this end, there was one thing missing – a wife, and a beautiful one at that. Justus had no personal desire to get married. After all, he had a plentiful share of willing female companionship available whenever he desired. And he would doubtless have little time for a woman when the empire was at war. Yet, the masses demanded a man who was a dutiful husband, master to a beautiful bride, if they were to adore, even worship a man like him. To that end, he’d arranged for a two month leave from the army, to negotiate for a wife and marry her.

And that was what led him to arrive in a chariot to the esteemed senator’s home this evening. He’d concluded a lengthy negotiation for the senator's gorgeous, if not precocious, daughter Adonna. Justus had agreed to accept a lesser dowry than might be the custom for a man of his stature, but then again, Adonna was a far prettier woman than most. He’d observed Adonna from afar, but knew little of her. The political considerations, of course, were far more important than any notion of love or compatibility. One thing he knew, however, was that she needed some taming. But that didn’t concern him. How much trouble could an eighteen year old girl be? After all, he made men out of boys on a daily basis, instilling discipline into their lives.

After he was announced, Justus entered the main banquet room, his short, dark hair slicked straight down. In his civilian attire, a white toga covered much of his fit frame. Underneath it was a white, fine tunic with a red stripe, denoting that he was a man of status. As he was invited from his hiding spot by the servant, he entered the banquet hall to some cheers and whistles by some guests who knew of him. He walked straight over to the Senator, taking the man's arms in a greeting, before smiling as cordially and charmingly as possible at Adonna. “I’m certain you’ll be glad to know we’ll be wed two weeks from today, Adonna,” he said as he took one of her reluctant hands in his own. “Oh, and forgive me for my rudeness. I’m Justus Gallus.”

Adonna was absolutely livid. Her cheeks were flushed with her anger and her normally beautiful honey colored eyes were now dark with fury and shooting daggers at her father, who just looked at her smugly. Her father had presented twenty-four suitors to her within the last six months, none of which had even lasted more than week in an attempt to court this girl. Now, it seemed, her father had forgone the courtship part of betrothal and had simply promised her to this man. When he entered the room she turned her glare from her father to him. Justus Gallus. She'd heard of him. He was a womanizer, the kind of many every slave girl wanted to spread her disgusting legs for. A hero in the eyes of the common people, and a pig in the eyes of Adonna.

She tore her hand out of his when he took it and crossed her arms in front of her chest haughtily. Her gold jewelry jangled as she moved, which pleased her as it denoted her obvious wealth to anyone who was nearby. She narrowed her eyes at him and spoke slowly, "I do not forgive. I'm certain you'll be glad to know that in two weeks time, you will be the same bachelor as you are today. I am not giving my consent to marry you." to this her father narrowed his eyes again and took a step forward, "Daughter, I swear upon Mars himself, if you do not stop this nonsense I will have you beaten until you can barely breathe."

Justus tried to play this public insult off with a laugh, but he was actually quite embarrassed that a woman spoke to him in such a way in public. He wasn't used to being insulted by women at all, much less his future wife. Justus, however, wasn't opposed to a challenge. "I can assure you that we'll be married in a fortnight, my girl. I'm equally sure that once you get to know me, you'll feel differently," he graciously replied, affording her another chance at a first impression. He smiled, displaying his two rows of perfectly white teeth, the candlelight shining off the smoothness of his perfectly shaven face.

"Why don't you share a dance with me, dear?" he suggested. "As your father said, it would be a shame for such a pretty girl to have to be beaten." As he awaited her response, he wondered if he should have search for a more agreeable girl, if not as beautiful. Perhaps he should at least have received a larger dowry. But nonetheless, now that it was public knowledge she was his betrothed, it would be infinitely humiliating to back out of it out, due to some petty resistance on the part of this girl.

Adonna had opened her mouth to exchange words with her father when Justus so rudely interrupted. If there was one thing that Adonna absolutely could not stand, it was when someone interrupted her. Especially a man. Men seemed to think that what women had to say was not important, so they just cut them off or did not listen when they spoke. That heated Adonna like nothing else. It was part of what made her detest men so much. She smirked when he made the comment about beating her. She would like to see him try to get ahold of her to beat her. She was known for being a quick run, she'd escaped many a soldier in his attempts to try to chase her down and take her.

"I don't dance with heathens," she said simply. She moved her fiery glance from Justus to her father, to whom she gave a bitter smile to. She picked up her freshly filled goblet and took a deep sip of the wine. Then she turned on her heels and began to walk away.

Anger flared up in Justus' eyes, his nostrils quivering when she called him a heathen. He looked at her father, noticing that he was none too pleased, either. This exchange, however, only made Justus more determined to make her his. "Do you mind if I speak with her, Senator?" he softly asked Adonna's father. "I won't embarrass you or her." The Senator wordlessly nodded in approval, squinting his eyes angrily in his spoiled daughter's direction.

Justus marched after Adonna, cutting off her path and blocking her between himself and two tables. His stance, though, was common enough that guests might not think it a fight from afar. "This is the only thing I'm going to say to you tonight," he said in a hushed tone. "In two weeks, you'll be my property. You ought to be glad you aren't now, because I'd teach you quite a lesson. So, you think about how you want to talk to me. Because... believe me, I'll repay you then for anything unladylike you do now," he seethed as calmly as he could. "And I don't just mean going to town on that nice body of yours. That'll happen either way," he finished with a smirk, staring her in the eyes for a moment before turning back to bid the host goodnight.

She'd only gotten about ten feet away when Justus blocked her path. She opened her mouth to say something hateful to him when he, once again, cut off her speech. She shut her mouth and gritted her teeth, her face turning nearly purple with fury. She stared into his eyes with a fierce challenge as he spoke to her, almost daring him to hit her right then and there. So she had two weeks of 'freedom' before he believed she'd be his property. Well she could think of a hundred things to do to get away from him before that time came. She could run away, she could hide out, she could find someone else to marry that she could control.

But then he insulted her in a way that she'd never tolerated from a man before. Go to town on that nice body of hers? She growled underneath her breath as he walked away, her hands curling into angry fists. She vowed to herself right then and there that IF he got ahold of her in two weeks that she would make it so difficult for him to take her that he would have to beat her unconscious to get anything from her.

Justus bid Adonna’s father goodnight, receiving a profuse apology from him for his daughter’s behavior. “I’m sure she’ll come to her senses,” Justus reassured her father. He took his leave, not seeing the benefit of staying any longer. The purpose of the visit was to meet his betrothed, and that he’d certainly done. Returning home, he entered his house, and called one of his trusted slaves to him. He lived in a moderate sized residence right in the city. He could have owned a large estate in the countryside, but that was an unsuitable place, he thought, for a true Roman. In the city, he belonged to the community, and even more important, was subject to the constant gaze of his fellow citizens.

“Cornelius,” he said to the faithful servant, a retired legionary. “I’d like you to keep tabs on Adonna these next two weeks,” he explained. “I need to know a little more about her lifestyle and habits. You needn’t tell me immediately unless something extraordinary is taking place,” he continued. “But be discreet. And talk with some who know her. I want to know where she's been, if you know what I mean. But no one too close to her. I don't want her getting wind of this.” The servant agreed and nodded at his master. “Yes, of course, sir,” he replied, getting his sandals on and heading out immediately for the Senator’s house.

Once this was done, needing some relaxation, he headed to the public bath house, joining some fellow military officers in some conversation late into the evening, sharing the good news about his upcoming marriage. As he walked home late in the night, he pondered the best way to break the girl. She certainly wasn’t going to change her tune on her own, that much he knew. He thought about taking some action before the marriage if he learned of any behavior that was out of hand. He wondered if that would be a good idea or not.

The next day Cornelius met a girl who served in Adonna's household, but didn't directly serve Adonna. The girl told Cornelius everything she knew about her mistress. That she frequented parties and was extremely fond of wine, but never stayed at any man's house and was always home by midnight. That she always came home fully dressed and in control of herself, she could drink quite a bit of wine and still be able to fend of any man that approached her.

That very week, in fact, Adonna was scheduled to go to a grand party. It was Saturday evening and Adonna was dressed in a sparkling white toga with deep red brooches in their usual places. She wore a little makeup and her hair was down around her shoulders in sprawling dark curls. She had her goblet in hand and was prancing about the place flirting and having a good time. She decided to have herself a little game and approached a man and began to falsely seduce him.

Cornelius dutifully reported the week's events to Justus. There wasn't anything that he thought needed attention, but when he heard about the party, he decided to attend. Well, not attend. He sent Cornelius, and waited himself a short distance away. He gave his servant instructions to let him know immediately should anything out of the ordinary happen.

He did, however, catch a glimpse of Adonna on her way in. She was ravishing, to say the least. A short while after the party had began, the servant ran to Justus, bringing news that she was seriously flirting with a man. He sat tight for now, sending Cornelius back to watch. What to do, what to do. Just then, he saw a young man who was newly enlisted in Justus' legion. "Boy," he called out. "Yes sir," the young soldier said. "I'm going to show you a girl," he carefully instructed. "I want you to teach her a lesson for me. Not hurt her, but teach her a good lesson," he told the boy. Showing the young soldier where to wait for Adonna, Justus retreated to a more hidden place.

Adonna batted her eyelashes at the man she was flirting with. His name was Marcus apparently, though she didn't really care too much for names. A name meant that the man was a real person and to her they were just toys to play with. They always wanted to know her name too, and she usually told them just so that they would know that she was an affluent woman in the society of Rome.

She looked down into her goblet and saw that it was empty. She batted her eyelashes at the man and held out of cup, "Marcus," she cooed to him, "Do you think you could refill my goblet for me?" she gave him a broad smile and leaned back against the column of the terrace they were on. He mumbled something incoherent and walked away. Once he was out of earshot she laughed and stretched, "I'm so good," she complimented herself.

The young soldier obediently approached the young girl that Justus had pointed out once Marcus had walked away. "Pardon, Adonna," he said, Justus having told her the name to use. He looked quite official, as he'd been on patrol duty in his official uniform. "Your father would like to see you outside for a moment, he'd appreciate it if you follow me," the boy said. "He said that he promised you'd be able to come right back in afterward."

(Short, I know)

She stood up and frowned at the soldier as he approached her. And he knew her name? She raised an eyebrow at him and folded her arms across her chest. She narrowed her eyes at him, "My father? Are you meaning to tell me that my father came all the way back from Naples this evening just to see me, and he sent some unknown soldier in to tell me?" she was incredulous and was going to force this boy to earn her following what he said.

The boy was young, but not stupid. He didn't hesitate for a moment when she questioned him. "No, he didn't come back just to see you, my lady. He was called back unexpectedly on a personal matter. I'm not privy to it, but I think that's what he'd like to discuss with you." He did his best, which was rather well, in fact, to keep his focus on her eyes, and not her tight toga, which showed the outline of her breasts. "But, if you're occupied, I'll just tell him so," he said after a pause.

She smirked a little, "Well, seeing as my father hasn't been to Naples in six months, including today, I would suppose that he's not really out there. Any of his servants or soldiers would know that. Tell me, who actually sent you, boy?" she used derogatory language with him now that she knew she had the upper hand. Another game had been presented to her it appeared.

Well, that the boy hadn't been prepared for. Adonna had outsmarted him, evidently. There was only so much time for a briefing by Justus, anyway. He couldn't exactly teach her a 'lesson' in the middle of the party. With only a moment to decide what to say, he decided on a half-truth. "Okay," he admitted a little sheepishly. "Your fiancee, Justus sent me. He's outside. I think he feels bad about how things got off, and wants to apologize. He just didn't think you'd come if you knew it was he who'd sent me."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. At least she'd won the little battle between her and this boy that Justus had sent. She should have known it was Justus, being a prestigious general and all. Of course he would send in a little puny soldier, thinking that the dumb boy could outsmart her on a whim. She pushed herself away from the column and followed the boy out, "Alright, fine. This better be quick though...I have more important things to attend to than him."

Justus saw the soldier and Adonna come out, and head down the street, away from him. Once they were in a relatively secluded area, the boy suddenly turned on Adonna. He gripped her up by the throat and forced her against a wall. Grasping her neck with one hand, he slapped her face with the other. It wasn't an overly hard slap, more of an insult. Next, he let go of her, grabbing her hair before she could escape, and flinging her to the ground by the hair. "Are you ready to suck my dick, slut?" he shouted, appearing quite serious about it. He shoved her back against the wall with his knee, before backing away a step from her and laughing.

"Justus feels similarly insulted when you whore yourself about with other men," he sneered. "So, you'd best let this be a lesson, and cut it out." With that he turned and ran off, gone as quickly as he'd appeared.

Adonna scrutinized the empty street for any sign of Justus. She sighed dramatically as the boy seemed to be taking her further and further away from the party. Then suddenly she was up against a wall, the hard stone grinding into her bare shoulder and arm. Her eyes were wide and she choked as he held her throat tightly. What the hell was this boy doing? Her face turned sharply when he slapped it, her mind completely gone from her. And then she was on the ground, held up a little by him yanking on her beautiful and tediously curled hair. She screamed when he asked her if she was ready to suck his dick. What?! She groaned as he shoved her against the wall, her body doubling over in pain.

Justus...feels similarly insulted? She coughed and looked up, but the boy was gone. Her heart was racing. She sat up slowly, glancing around expecting the boy or Justus himself to jump out of nowhere. She stood up even slower, her back pressed against the wall. For now...Justus had made his point. She wasn't going back to the party. She dusted herself off and began to walk in the direction towards home, severely rattled.

Justus witnessed the entire occurrence from his hidden location, and was pleased with how things went. He gave the boy a denarius, and thanked him for his services. Heading home, he turned in for the night. The week passed uneventfully until two days before the wedding. He made an unexpected call that afternoon at the Senator's house, asking the servant who answered for Adonna. He imagined she'd be less frightened of him at her own house, although he still wasn't sure if she'd oblige his request.

Adonna went home and looked at herself in her prized piece of glass in her room. She had a mark on her face. No one had ever left a mark on her before. Ever. Not even her father. He'd threatened to beat her a million times, but had never actually done it. That was part of the reason why she hadn't heeded Justus' warning at her father's banquet that first day. When she heard that he was at the door two days before the wedding she was a little disturbed. She thought about refusing him, but she figured he would probably force his way in. She walked down the main staircase to the door where he was waiting. She narrowed her eyes at him, "What?" she asked boldly.

Justus had decided to swallow some of his pride, or so he thought. Adonna had deserved what she'd got, he believed. She was overtly flirting with another man a week from their wedding day. But, it would be better for his image if things were smoothed out between them. Perhaps he'd underestimated Adonna, he realized, once she angrily appeared in the doorway, greeting him so rudely.

I just wanted to let you know there aren't any hard feelings," he began. "I'd say we're even. You embarassed me at your father's banquet, and I taught you a lesson. So I hoped we could get past all this before our wedding day.". He took a little step forward, as if to demonstrate he'd hoped to be invited in, but it looked like Adonna was holding her ground. "Most of the women of Rome would die to be in your place," he said with a grin, his mind wandering back to all the girls he'd bedded. "So why don't we both agree to show up for the wedding trying to give each other a fresh start?"

She pursed her lips and stared at him as he spoke to her. No hard feelings? Hah. She had many hard feelings towards him, and she wasn't about to give them up just because he decided to show up at her door. She had spoken down to him, yes. But he had sent some soldier after her, and he'd hit her! She didn't tolerate hitting, much less from some boy she didn't even know. Perhaps it would have been different if Justus had been the one hitting her, but he had been so cowardly that he had had to send someone else in his place.

She scoffed at him, "I invite all of them to come take my place. I'd gladly die to not be two days out from marriage. If there are so many that want you, then why don't you just go find some slut instead of me? I obviously have no interest in you."

Justus scoffed when she said she had no interest in him. As if she had a choice. He'd negotiated an agreement with her father, who was happy to marry his daughter off to such a popular young military leader. And she provided the status and womanly charm that he needed to entrench his place as almost a celebrity figure in the republic. "You're the one I've chosen," he sneered, resisting the overwhelming urge to slap her. "And your father's agreed. That's all there is to it. I want you, and not one of those sluts. You know why? Because I'm going to turn you into my own dirty slut," he promised. "So I'd encourage you to enjoy your last two days of freedom. I'm not your father. That's all I have to say about it now. You'll find out what it means soon enough."

He stewed as he rode his mount the short distance back home. Who did she think she was, campaigning to get out of this? She was beautiful, of course, and from good breeding. But could she possibly expect to do better than him? He was good-looking, well-built, popular, and of high esteem in the republic. Maybe she was one of those females he'd heard rumors of who preferred other females, he thought to himself. The next two days passed without any contact between the two of them, and on the sunny Saturday that was to be their wedding day, he rose refreshed and ready to be wed.

Adonna slammed the door shut as Justus turned to walk away. He'd chosen her. Fah. Like that meant anything to her. Choose her all he wants, she wasn't going to be anything to him except legally married. She'd run off and screw some other man if she felt like it, and she'd like to see him stop her. She stormed back upstairs after he left and refused to come down for the rest of the day, not even for dinner. The next day began the horrid wedding preparations which were long and tedious. First her servants had to oil her entire body and shave everything except the hair on her head and her eyebrows. Then they had to oil her hair and then wash it five times so that it had it's fullest volume and was like silk to touch.

The next day she was fitted for her wedding gown. It was a pure white silk toga that was a little tighter than she was used to. It had golden trim around the edges and blue brooches (blue, she was told, was the color of her husband's seal, and therefore blue was to always be her color from now on). Her hair was done in curls, some piled atop her head and some down her back and shoulders. She was reoiled and shaved again (in case anything had been missed) that evening. She awoke at dawn the next morning to a flurry of maids in her room getting everything ready. She went through the day lethargically, much to her mother's dismay who was trying desperately to get some happiness in her. It seemed that for now Adonna was depressed. Her anger would come later.