A Roman Socialite and Her Tamer (Nurse x Houdini)

Justus dressed and shaved, a little spring in his step on the morning of the ceremony. He gave his servants orders to adorn his large bed with flowers while he was gone, and to light some sweet smelling incense in the house later in the afternoon. He dressed in a white imperial toga, brighter than a usual one, and having never been worn before. He darted out next to the silversmith's shop, picking up the rings he'd requested.

Once he was ready, he ascended into the war chariot he'd had made ready for the occasion. It was driven by two legionaries, and pulled by four strong black horses. It wouldn't be used for the return trip of course, that would be made on foot with the traditional marriage procession. He'd hired the priest, who would be waiting for him at the ceremony location, the senator's house. Everything seemed in order. He was actually anxious to see Adonna, knowing she'd have been made even more beautiful both over and under her gown. And of course, later in the evening he'd confirm that fully. The fact that he knew she'd be angry only made him look forward to it more. Part of him was dying to break her, he thought, as he got down from the chariot and entered the Senator's house. He wondered how she'd react to the chant of consent. Would she dare refuse to say it or make a scene at her own wedding?

It had taken four hours for the maids to prepare Adonna for the wedding. She wondered why they were putting so much effort into something that Adonna obviously did not want and for a man that she absolutely hated. Her mother had been blathering on and on about how Adonna needed to please her husband, that her life was for him now, that everything she did should be in thinking of him, blah blah blah. She had stopped listening after about an hour, completely fed up with her mother (who she used to think was strong, but now knew was useless).

Adonna stood at the Roman altar with the priest Justus had hired. Her hands were tied with the blue ribbon of Justus' seal. Traditionally the ribbon was to be untied after they were married, symbolizing him unwrapping his prize and freeing her from girlhood and bringing her into her married life. She had been fidgeting with the ribbon the entire time she was standing there. She hated being tied, it was going to make it harder for her to refuse him if she couldn't use her hands.

Justus soon found himself standing beside Adonna at the altar. He couldn't help but notice the beautiful way that she was made up. However, Justus somehow couldn't find the girl truly attractive. Her mouth had ruined that for him. Still confident, though, that he could 'reform' her, he looked at the potential in her, imagining her the perfect wife she'd be once he finished with her. He nodded in approval at the knot tied around her wrists in homage to Hercules, the guardian of wedded life. Only he could untie it, of course, her new owner.

Not really a ceremony of love, but more of a transaction, the ceremony was attended by only two dozen or so witnesses. Justus looked around, smiling at each of them as the priest took his place before them all. He reached over, and held Adonna's tied hands in his as the ceremony began. The priest read out the marriage contract, and then stated the chant to be repeated by the two of them as proof of their consent. Justus began repeating the vow chant on cue, glancing at Adonna out of the corner of his eye to see if she, too, was repeating it. Once they'd done so, the witnesses would sign the certificate of marriage, they'd exchange rings, and she'd be all his. He gave her a little squint out of the corner of his eye as he started to chant, as if to warn against causing a scene.

She glared at him the entire time he was next to her, and frankly, she didn't care who saw it. Her parents were standing near by, arm in arm, and her mother was nearly bawling. She rolled her eyes and shook her head lightly to herself. She couldn't believe her mother was reacting this way, as if Adonna had found her one true love and that they were going to be together forever. Well, they would be together forever -- but she was certainly not in love with this man. Her mother kept droning on and on about how she would learn to appreciate everything about him. About how she herself had had to learn to appreciate Adonna's father, but once she did, they had had an amazing marriage.

Adonna hesitated at the chant. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands, her entire body not wanting to say the chant as well as her mind. She glanced around and wondered if she could actually get away from here...but they were in an enclosed garden, she'd have to get all the way through her mansion to get out to the street. Justus would have her on the ground before then undoubtedly. She sighed and began to recite the chant along with him, though not as heartily as he did.

Justus was relieved that his bride chanted the consent. She made her point, doing it reluctantly, but did it nonetheless. Afterward, the priest said a few more words, and they were married. He reached over, untying Adonna's hands and welcoming her to married life. He slid the simple silver ring onto her finger, the one that he knew had a nerve that ran straight to her heart. Not that she felt anything in her heart for him, or that he did either. This was a practical marriage, after all.

Following this, the priest offered up some cake to Jupiter, and then both ate some of it. They sat down and ate after this, little said between the two of them. Mostly, they talked to the guests, who offered their respective congratulations. "Are you ready to go to your new home?" he finally asked Adonna, turning to her and emphasizing the word he knew she would detest. The procession was forming to march them to his house, and quite a public display the procession would be.

She cringed when he untied the knot that welcomed her into his house and officially made her his. She wanted to spit out the cake but swallowed it anyway. If there was one thing that would be difficult for her to do in this marriage, it would be disrespect the gods. She had great reverence for them. That was why she did the knot, she ate the cake, and she would have the fertility statues in her home. For the gods, and no one else. Hopefully he wouldn't ever discover her reverence for the gods so he wouldn't be able to use it against her. She planned to do all of her praying while he was away so he wouldn't know she did it.

She gave him a sidewards glance when he asked her if she was ready to go to HER new home. She shrugged, "I'm ready to go to your house. I might live there too, but that doesn't make it my home." but all the same she rose when it was time for the procession, standing next to him as she knew she had to do.

Justus just smiled back at Adonna as she spewed more hatred at him. He was in too merry of a mood to retort in kind. His status in the empire had just been greatly upgraded, in his opinion. “Well, this most certainly won’t be your home any longer, however you word it,” he said smugly, wiping off his mouth cleanly. The procession began to form outside of Adonna’s soon-to-be former home. Adonna’s mother clutched her arms tightly outside the house, a proud smile on her face. Justus approached next and enacted the traditional mock seizure (only it wasn’t so ‘mock’ in this case), tearing her from her mother’s arms to symbolize again that she was his now.

Next, the processional made its way through the streets of Rome, people from the streets joining in, many of them carrying lit torches. Finally, the noisy mob arrived at Justus’ house. He flung the door open, turning to the small crowd. “Thank you all for your support, my countrymen,” he announced. “Now, my wife,” he said, turning to Adonna. “Allow me to carry you over the threshold.” The crowd would follow them into the house, of course, to be present in the next room during the consummation of the marriage in their private chamber. He held his hands out, ready for her to allow him to lift his new bride up and over the nuptial threshold.

Adonna was at a crossroads when her mother clutched her for dear life outside of their home. When Justus started tearing her away, in a way she was glad she would be out of her father's tyrannous house and her mother's ridiculously submissive eye. At the same time she was going to a place where both of those things still reigned. Justus wanted her to be a submissive little bitch while he ruled over her. She growled fiercely when he finally tore her away, much to the crowd's approval. They thought it was just play, but to Adonna, it was all to real.

She swallowed uneasily when they reached the threshold of Justus' home. It was smaller than her home, of course, though to any Roman it would still be more than sizable. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists when he asked her to allow him to carry her through the door. That was the last thing she wanted. If she let him pick her up he would be carrying her not only through the threshold but right through to his private chamber and onto his bed. She wanted to say no badly. But she glanced at the crowd of cheering people behind her and knew it would cause a lot of unrest if she didn't let him. She decided she would fight his battle with him in private. She stepped towards him and reached her arms out towards his neck so that he could lift her and she would hold on.

Justus smiled at Adonna, reveling in her having to give in to the pressure. Everyone was for their union except her. He easily lifted her up, one strong hand under her neck, and the other hoisting up her knees. He looked down into her eyes with almost a mean smirk as he carried her over the threshold and back towards their nuptual bed. The guests followed them into the house, continuing to revel in the outer chambers. He knew Adonna was going to be an incredible challenge, and he welcomed it. As he set her down on the bed, he could feel her already squirming to get loose. Flowers adorned the bed like he'd requested, adequate symbols of fertility. His servants had even gone beyond, adding some greenery and fruit to the room decor.

"Well, Adonna," he began, looming over her as he stood at the foot of the bed, taking in a whiff of the sweet incense. "I'm afraid a little tease and a shake of your hips won't be quite enough to satisfy me ." He looked her over, all dolled up in her perfect silk toga with brooches, curls of dark hair cascading down her shoulders. "I think I'll call one of my servants to undress you." He knew she wouldn't like the idea, yet at the same time, he doubted a spoiled girl like she would have done much of her own dressing. "Flavia," he called out for a servant, opening the bedroom door a crack. "Come here, girl. And bring some fresh oil," he added before closing the door, turning back to Adonna. "Yes, a tease won't do tonight. Only the harvest of your sweet virginity," he said, barely changing his serious expression. "You are still pure, are you not?"

She gave no smile to Justus as he lifted her up and carried her into his house. She held onto his neck only so that she wouldn't tumble out of his arms and onto the floor (though the way he was holding her she was fairly sure he wasn't going to let her fall whether she held him or not). When they got into his room she immediately began to struggle to be let go. Once he finally set her on the bed she shuddered, looking around the room in disgust. It was almost as if they were outside there was so much greenery in the room! Flower petals almost completely covered the bed, small plants decorated the sides, and there were pieces of fresh fruit on almost every surface.

Her eyes darkened when he began to speak to her. Her brows furrowed when he said he would have a servant undress her. That was completely unacceptable. She could hardly tolerate it when her servants in her old home had dressed her. She shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her, "No. I will not be undressed by some servant girl that I do not know." and then he asked her the killer question. Her face twisted in disgust and her mouth dropped open, "Of course I am pure! What kind of question is that?"

Justus wrinkled his forehead when Adonna refused his offer to have someone undress her. He knew that questioning her purity would get her back up. As her husband, though, it was something he was entitled to know. "Good," he retorted. Because if you weren't pure, I'd have to send you back in shame to your parents. Then all future suitors would know it. Although I'm sure you'd like that."

A moment later, Flavia knocked at the door. "Enter," Justus called out. "Let's not argue," Justus said to Adonna as he turned to face her, Flavia quietly entering the room. "Flavia will undress you and apply some fresh oil," he said firmly, motioning with his finger for her to stand. "Come stand over here so we can do it the easy way." He wasn't going to pull his punches any longer now that they were wed, and almost hoped she'd put up a fight, so he could teach her a real lesson, unlike the one at the party.

She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest firmly. "Justus," she began threateningly, her words filled to the brim with poison and fire, "I am not going to be undressed by one of your slut servants," she used the derogatory term on purpose, implying that he was low enough to sleep with his hired help (in effect, prostitutes since he paid them). "I will undress myself when I think I need to be undressed." she moved her gaze from Justus to Flavia now, giving her an evil look to tell her that she would receive hell from Adonna if she even tried to touch her.

She tossed her head, her hair rustling a little, "And besides, I've been oiled three times for you already. I don't need anymore." she rolled her eyes at the memory of that. She had deplored the first oiling, her servant touching almost every part of her. The second oiling had been worse since her body was already slick, and the third one this morning she had thought was completely pointless. She was told that the idea was to make her body as nymphal and appealing as possible, but she didn't see how an oil slick body was terrible appealing. Nor did she especially want to appeal to Justus.

Justus took in what she said, narrowing his eyes a little as she finished her little speech. Not answering her right away, he turned to Flavia, taking the bottle of oil from her hands. "Thank you, Flavia," he said. "You may leave. I'm going to have to undress the new lady of the house myself, it seems. It's a pity, really. I'm sure my hands aren't nearly as gentle as yours." Once the girl left, he turned back to Adonna, fire in his eyes. "You know, as much of a prissy bitch as you're being," he shot at her, setting the oil down on a table. "I'm going to afford you the honor a lady of the house deserves, and not allow a servant to watch you be utterly humiliated."

He approached her slowly and deliberately, quickly grasping a hold of the belt of her toga once he was within range. He wrapped his hand around it completely. If she struggled, she might get away, but not with her belt intact. “So,” he said quietly, bringing his face up to hers and placing a hand on the curve above her hip. “Why are you so opposed to me, anyway? Do you have a secret lover? Am I not your type of ideal man? Or doesn’t the idea of being intimate with a man interest you at all, dear?”

She gritted her teeth hard when he called her a prissy bitch. Justus was really testing her, and they'd only been married an hour. He made her so horribly angry that she couldn't even express it. When he grabbed hold of her belt she started to move away but quickly realized that if she did, the entire toga would come undone. She stopped moving and held on to the silk sheets that lay on Justus' massive bed. Her heart had begun to beat faster as he advanced on her, she couldn't deny that he intimidated her. She remembered that time in the alleyway when his soldier had hit and kicked her for flirting with another man. Justus was a force to be reckoned with, she knew that, but she also knew that she wasn't just going to give in to his whims.

She swallowed nervously (hoping that he wouldn't notice how frightened he was making her) and intensified her glare at him. "I have no secret lover," she spat, but her real anger came when he accused her of liking other women. Her mouth dropped open again and she growled, "I can assure you, Justus that the idea of being intimate with a man interests me very much. I just don't happen to be fond of you. Or the way you choose to treat me."

Justus was an expert at reading the body language of an opponent. He and Adonna weren’t exactly opponents, but they were starting to view each other that way, it seemed. He could discern that she was fearful, yet trying to balance that with defending her ‘principles’, as well as her ego, which was evidently tied in with her supposed principles to the extent that the two were indistinguishable. “I don’t know how much of an opportunity you gave me to treat you well,” he retorted immediately. “If I recall, you practically spat upon me and refused a dance when I kindly first introduced myself,” he reminded her, tugging her toga belt back towards his own body, eyes intently fixed on Adonna. As he pulled, he felt the knot getting looser.

“But I’ll give you another chance to be treated like you suppose you deserve. As long as you give me what a man of my stature deserves on his wedding night, that is. You may undress yourself, and lay on the bed naked in expectation of the marriage being consummated,” he suggested. He knew that the guests would be quite disappointed if they were not treated to an inspection of the bloody sheets after the marriage was consummated. Some might even suspect that he was unable to perform were the sheet not made available. That would most certainly be unacceptable. “Or is it that you’re shy?” he asked, almost in a taunting tone. “Shy that no man has seen your naked flesh before?” He advance a step towards her, ready to take action if she didn't quickly comply. He was quickly tiring of her games.

He was sending her so many different signals that she was having a hard time discerning the best way to respond. In one moment he was angry, so she should respond with anger. In the next he was taunting and so she should be frightened. And in yet another he was merciful so she should perhaps respond with thanks (though that would obviously be the most difficult for her to do). She had to make a decision fast, she could see his patience wearing thin quickly. She was about to retort when he told her to lie naked when he suddenly said a word to her that she'd never heard her been called before.

Shy. Anyone who knew Adonna would gawk at that accusation. Adonna was not shy! She wore fashionable togas and flounced about Rome to all of the best parties, talking to everyone there, and being more than the perfect hostess. But it was true. She was shy. That was part of the reason she had never been able to allow a man to touch her before (besides the fact that she found most men detestable by their pathetic nature). She blinked at him a couple of times, unable to immediately think of a response.

"I...I..." she stammered, suddenly completely aware that he had won this battle, and without much of an adequate fight from her. "I suppose I am shy..."

Justus was almost stunned by the sudden turn in Adonna's temper. She confessed to him that she was shy. Interesting, he thought. She obviously was not shy about berating citizens of high standing. She wasn't shy about defying her father or making threats. But she was shy about her body? His first thought was that she was trying to use pity against him. When all her other defenses had failed, she was trying to play the part of the poor, scared, beautiful girl. But, looking her over, he was almost sure that wasn't the case. She truly did feel shy.

He let his hand release her belt, moving it up to her shoulders. Suddenly, he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips. He hated to admit it, but it affected him. Maybe it was the smell of the delicious treatments which had been poured upon her skin. But he felt something from that kiss that left him wanting more. He wanted more, to teach Adonna a lesson, but he wanted more for it's own sake, too. "In time, your shyness will dissipate, my wife," he explained, in a tone much softer than before. "But your wedding night is no time to be shy. Nonetheless, I'll let you reveal yourself one part at a time." He reached back down, and expertly untied her knot, tugging her toga open just a bit, facing resistance from her hands. The toga now open, it showed a swatch of clear white skin along her chest and upper stomach, and just a hint of the sides of both breasts. "Your move," he said, dropping his hands from her garment, and pushing her by the hips gradually towards the bed.

Her entire body seemed suspended in motion when Justus leaned in and kissed her lips. She hadn't expected that at all. It was a gentle kiss too, it wasn't rough or forceful. It was tender and almost loving, in so much as it could be when there was no love between them. His softer tone took her even more off guard. It was difficult to be hard and cruel when someone was speaking softly and gently to you. She swallowed again and blinked several more times, trying to get her bearings. She was desperately trying to think of mean things to say to him, something to spit at him so that he wouldn't use her vulnerabilities to his advantage.

She whimpered when he tugged at the belt and the knot came undone. She looked down at herself and saw that there was a line of skin down between her breasts and to the top of her stomach that was revealed. Her heart was pounding mercilessly and she felt as if she could see it beating there. She looked back up at him when he said it was her move and pushed her back towards the bed. She sat on the edge of it gingerly and ran her hands along the silk toga. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled the toga to either side so that her breasts began to be revealed to him. She couldn't believe that she was doing this, that he had taken her guard down the way he had.

Justus was shocked yet again when Adonna fell back onto the bed. He absolutely knew that things wouldn't always be so smooth between them. Hell, they might not be so smooth thirty seconds from now. But for the time being, something had changed her. He looked on as her breasts were revealed, the first time a man had ever beheld her soft, full, yet perky orbs, still slick with oily residue. "Those are nothing to be shy about having," he said with a little laugh, as he took her toga, and pulled it the rest of the way to her sides. He could almost hear her heart pounding, it was racing so fast. His own pulse was even elevated, despite the fact that he'd bedded many a woman before. He'd never been with one so beautiful and shy. It was a deadly combination.

"Tell me, why are you so shy about your body, and seemingly nothing else, Adonna?" he asked, distracting her as he slid his hands down to the skirt of her toga. Stealthily, he worked the bottom of it up, as he slid onto the bed next to her. Before long, he had it halfway up her thigh, displaying her smooth, fit but fleshy thighs for the first time as well to a man. There wasn't much else left. Not much, except the most important part anyway. Holding her toga up with one hand, he reached to his own wedding garment, and undid its knot.

Her face flushed deeply when he teased her. She thought of a retort to say to him just then, but kept her mouth shut. She thought about his question, distracted easily by it. At first she wasn't sure why she was only shy about her body and nothing else. But she knew deep on the inside why. If she allowed someone to touch her body, that meant they could hurt her. If she allowed herself to really like a man he could take advantage of her and then leave her. That was what she was afraid of, and that was why she was so mean to men, why she played them. She did to them what so many did to women, as sort of a vengeance for all of the women who'd been hurt by men. And yet she had never been hurt by a man, so why should she be so shy?

She felt him moving the skirt of her toga up but chose not to look there. She knew it would freak her out and that she would begin to resist again and at least for right now, she was trying not to do that. Her eyes flew to his hand as he began to untie the knot on his toga. She had, of course, seen what a manhood looked like on statues. But she'd never seen a real one before..."I...I..." she stammered again, desperately trying to tear her eyes away from his hand but they were stuck there, "I don't...like to show weakness," she admitted to him.

Justus smiled back at her, pausing his work at his own garment for a moment. He was glad she was on edge, it had all seemed far easier than he'd really expected. "I'd hardly classify your form as a weakness," he told her, running one hand along the inner part of her thigh, going deeper into a place where none had advanced before. "Women are the weaker sex, of course," he began to explain. "But there are many women who use their bodies as an asset. Not a weakness. Perhaps you'll learn that in time."

He started on his knot again and let his toga fall to the waist, revealing a perfectly smooth, toned chest and arms, tanned by many years of marching in the hot Mediterranean sun. "Why don't we stop here for now with the togas?" he suggested, almost surprised she hadn't covered her breasts for modesty with her hands. He had trouble averting his eyes from them. "We don't want to show all of your shy body at once, do we?" He let one hand gradually move to her chest, just above her newly revealed breasts, and pressed the other onto her back, slowly pushing her back onto the bed. As she sunk into the bed, he crept over her, letting his hand wander down to the breast itself. While he pushed her back, he stolen a glance up her toga, and seen almost to her hidden womanhood, but not quite. Justus began massaging her breast softly, leaning over and giving her their second kiss at the same time.

She furrowed her brows some when he said that women were the weaker sex. She begged to differ, of course, but she chose (once again) to not say anything about it at this moment. Her eyes widened a little bit when his toga fell open and she saw his torso for the first time. It was completely smooth and looked rock solid, just like a statue except nicely tanned. She swallowed again, embarrassed to admit that she thought his torso was very attractive. She jumped a little when he put his hand just above her breasts and began to push her back at the same time. She allowed him to lay her back, only wriggling a little bit in protest. But when he started touching her breasts she began to think that she might not be able to go through with this.

He put her lips on hers again and for a few moments she was rendered defenseless. She didn't exactly kiss him back, but she didn't resist either. When he finally pulled away she looked up at the ceiling and wriggled some, trying to maneuver her breast away from his hand. "I...I'm not sure if I can do this..." she said softly, feeling her mind begin to move into defense mode.

Justus felt himself start to get aroused once they kissed a little more forcefully than before. He let his tongue drag across her parsed lips as he pulled away. He sighed, unused to having to coddle a woman so much to prepare her for amorous activities. This time, he didn't relent at Adonna's protests. Pressing her breast firmly down into the bed, he crouched over her, squeezing her hips with his knees, and used his weight to keep her down. He felt his mostly erect manhood poke her in the stomach through the toga as he took his position, and just gave her a wordless stare when this happened.

"You can do it," he said softly and firmly, leaning over Adonna, and kissing the breast that he wasn't currently squeezing. It was white, round, and soft; absolutely the most picturesque breast an artist could have imagined. Biting down on the nipple, he rolled it between his teeth, letting go and kissing her chest and neck several times, before biting down on her neck as well. Looking down at the saliva-covered mark as he let go, he traced his hand down her stomach, spreading the toga open as he worked his way down. Once he reached her navel, he let his hand go only a few inches farther, before stopping and rubbing his fingers in a circle. "How bad can it be? You just said the thought of being with a man interests you. Aren't I any better than if your father had sent you to marry one of your cousins or one of his political friends?"

Her eyes grew wide with fear as he crouched over her, squeezing her hips with his knees and poking her with what she knew could only be his manhood. Her heart seemed to racing like a chariot inside her body, she thought for sure it would run off it's wheels and barrel into the sides of the ring. He didn't even say anything to her when he poked her, he just kept staring at her as if they were playing mercy. She, of course, lost, and had to look away from him. She shivered lightly when he kissed her other breast, her nipple hardening in reaction to it. She gasped and whimpered when he bit her hardened nipple and then rolled it. She didn't really understand what it was that he was doing to her, but he seemed to be pleasing her body.

"I...I know I said that...but..." she tried desperately to think of some excuse that would make him stop. Something that was good enough that he couldn't possibly continue on, he would have to stop and not restart again tonight. But of course there was nothing for her to think of, there was no feasible reason for him to stop his advances on her. Like he'd said so many times already, she was his property now. "But...but I..." she had no more words, there was nothing else she could say. Her stomach muscles went taut when he rubbed his fingers in a circle so close to her maidenhood.

Justus once again was prepared for a protest, but none really came. It seemed that her body kept betraying her previously resolute desire to refuse him tonight. It was good, he thought, that at least she seemed able to be tamed in bed. Although he wasn't sure if they'd ever connect on a deeper level, he couldn't imagine he'd ever tire of sleeping with her. And that at least would allow him to be faithful to her, which in turn would help the public image he sought for them as the perfect, beautiful young couple about Rome.

He reached his hand down a little farther under her toga and touched her just above her womanhood, feeling a mound of skin pleasingly soft and slick from oils, and free from any hair or even stubble. Moving his hand away before he touched her anywhere too sensitive, he moved into an upright position, back straight as he knelt over Adonna. Easing his weight up off her for a moment, he tore off his toga and tossed it from the bed, revealing his almost completely erect manhood. He took one of her hands and moved it to his cock, wrapping her curious fingers around it. At the first feel of her touch, he harnened the rest of the way, forcing her fist to open a little wider. "You want to do more with that than just hold it, don't you?" he whispered, leaning over near her face again. He gave her a kiss under the ear while he awaited her answer, letting his hand slide under her toga again, making little circles on her taut skin with his fingertips.