But for now Romulus turned to the task at hand. Well aware that this sudden windfall of desirable women would spark jealousy, and possibly even bloodletting among the Romans, he had devised a system for dividing up the spoils of our (so far) bloodless conquest. Once the sorry troop had been disposed of, the remaining women were herded into the center of the great hall, and there they were ordered to undress.
Each rank of citizens would be allowed to select in turn: after the king, would come the senators, followed by centurions, soldiers, craftsmen, and farmers. Within each rank, the women were to be chosen by lot. It was later rumored that some of our wealthier senators had manipulated the drawings, assuring they would get the handful of women they lusted after, and enforcing their choices by entering the hall accompanied by their own gangs of hired thugs.
We watched with interest as the abducted women began slowly to undress. Most were frightened; many were resigned, almost morose—but the full range of human emotions could be seen in their faces. Some were crying and seeking comfort in each other’s arms. Mothers held their daughters; sisters wiped the tears of younger sisters. Other girls, made of sterner stuff, prepared themselves to meet their fate with stoic resolve. They would make the best Roman mothers, or so it seemed to me. And here and there one could discern, from a sly glance or a twinkle in the eye, that the prospect of being taken by the Romans was not all together displeasing . . . not at all.
With their clothes disposed of, the nude captives were made to line up in cohorts of one hundred, to present themselves while the king and nobility of Rome slowly trooped the rows of Sabine beauties, selecting those from among them who would serve as wives, concubines, or even slaves. Motionless the women waited, standing at attention with chins held high, shoulders back, and breasts proudly displayed as they awaited male inspection.
While the very old and the very young had been allowed to leave, the remainder represented a wide variety of females in all shapes and sizes. There were girls and maidens, and young women, as well as those more mature females who were well into their child-bearing years.
There were tall girls and short girls; thin slightly-built girls with long straight limbs, and pleasingly curved girls, curvaceous and sassy. There were sturdy women, and big women, voluptuous, with impressive statuesque bodies. Some had long hair; some short hair. There were those who wore their hair cropped neatly short, or in soft waves, or in masses of curls, or in straight, smooth sheets of fine-spun silk; all colors and tints and hues of hair were represented.
Each man who passed by had the opportunity to leisurely admire each and every woman, and of course the nearness of such feminine beauty invited the masculine hand to partake of a sample.
A man might cup a jutting breast, lifting up some rich, full bosom to finger the soft silky flesh before allowing it to settle into place with a shimmy evocative of richly laden promise. Or a pair of girlish tits might draw one’s attention, young hard breasts that stick right out at you with saucy impudence. There were wobbly, flattened-mounds to be admired; and floppy little titties that jiggled with delight. There were perky tits; firm, jellied mounds which make tidy handfuls; or flat-chested girls—with hopeful nascent titties emergent on their slim, maidenly chests. Nipples came in for a lot of attention. Some were highly responsive; awakening and blossoming with just the slightest bit of fingering. There were nipples that lie crinkled in quiet repose, or jutted out—stiffly protruding after having been coaxed into arousal. Ones that are big and fat with wide disks of aureolae smiling at you; or small and precise nipples, buttons of fleshy pink, dusky, or rich chocolatety brown.
Hands caressed sensuous contours of the long lovely legs, slender legs; shapely legs that parted instinctively so that those loving hands could savor the silken skin of smooth tapering thighs. Fondling hands fully and deeply explored naked feminine bottoms, appraising high-set cheeks, and shapely behinds, finding delight in pleasantly plump bottoms, tight-cheeked young bottoms. Who could help but to want to test the bouncy pliancy of a set of impertinent buttocks that wobbled tautly after each playful smack?
Insatiable male hands were thoroughly enjoying the delights to be found in fondling naked female flesh. The seductive curves of attractive legs, long tapering limbs, were thoroughly explored by slow hands making their leisurely journey of sensual delight. Bouncy, elegant rearcheeks were touched and held, lavishly felt up, their firm resiliency tested by masculine hands that cupped and squeezed. Naked haunches were adored by appreciative hands that took their pleasure in the sleek, smooth feel of those delicious contours.
Here and there some horny connoisseur might pause to test his partner’s sexual responsiveness. A tall lanky girl with a mane of thick dark hair, and delicate, teardrop shaped breasts, struggled to maintain her composure while an affectionate admirer subjected every inch of her healthy young body to most exquisite, tantalizing caresses.
Another man might trace the slope of a fully curved breast belonging to a big curvaceous woman, fingering the firmly rounded, outthrust mound before testing its taut elasticity by gently tugging on a nipple. He would enjoy playing her body like a fine instrument, plucking that prominent nipple that expanded under his touch, toying with it, while the big woman, wiggled her shoulders and writhed under all this attention. Still another man might slip a hand around to explore the behind of a young woman whose tight-cheeked ass he fully expected to enjoy. She would try to hold the mandated pose with hands at her side, while he insinuated a single finger between her clamping cheeks and probed wickedly in that most intimate of places.
While most of the captives were cooperative to some degree during, what might be for them a trying ordeal, some of the more prideful women made their resentment known. The ones that remained stubborn and all together too arrogant were made to assume more blatantly suggestive poses to the amusement of the leering men. They had to raise their hands, link their fingers behind the nape of the neck, and thrust their chests forward for detailed examination. They had to bend over and reach behind to open their cheeks for further inspection. Those who refused, were reminded of the price of disobedience by guards who ominously carried short, light-weight whips. A whipping bite across the buttocks could bring instant compliance from all but the most recalcitrant females.
Special treatment was reserved for the aristocrats who proved particularly haughty, their manner showing that they clearly saw the Romans as crude upstarts. Such a lady might be forced to her knees and ordered to masturbate for the amusement of the ribald crowd. She might equally be forced to pay tribute to a dangling Roman rod, while she was cheered on in her efforts.
The slow parade of men made their way into the Forum to troop the rows of increasingly excited women selecting one or two who caught their fancy, and then hurrying home with women in tow to try out their latest acquisitions.
Part 6
THE WOMEN’S REVOLT
Several weeks went by as we waited for an attack of the Sabine army, who everyone knew would try to take back their women. But there was no sign of them, and with each passing day things became a little less tense. The abducted women were settling in to their new roles; many seemed to have accepted their fate, and at least a handful seemed quite content with these new arrangements. They were discovering that Roman men were, after all, not without their charms.
Romulus did his part in helping them to accept the inevitable, visiting with each of them in turn, promising they would enjoy all the privileges of married Romans, and that, in time, they would come to care for husbands, hearth, and children. The lands of Rome were rich and fertile, virgin fields that and could yield abundant crops. The mighty Roman Legions would protect the city and its homes, and bring back booty and riches from foreign conquests far and wide. In time, Rome would grow rich and prospectus, and this was the future he now offered to them. Romulus was a very persuasive speaker.
And as the months went on, the women lost much of their resentment and began to build new lives with their Roman mates. But our s
pies told us the Sabine men were far from resigned. Rumors persisted that an army under their commander, Mettus Curtius, had been assembled and would soon be ready to march on Rome.
But while some degree of domestic peace seemed to have taken root in our city, not all the women accepted their new status. Not all, by any means. Some remained furious and obstinate, seething with deep resentment of their Roman overlords. And first among those who agitated for return to their ancestral lands was a certain Lavinia, a magnificent woman of hot temper and overweening pride, who often boasted that no Roman could ever tame her. She had been claimed by Turnus, a competent enough commander in the field, but one who remained at a loss as to how to deal with the firecat he had on his hands.
Romulus kept a wary eye on her. That woman had a commanding presence, he was heard to say, and must be tamed, or else she would surely stir up trouble.
But if the Sabines were making preparations for war, we ourselves were far from idle. Romulus had ordered a citadel to be built guarding the approach to the city. The citadel would be a key outpost, his best men placed there under the able command of Surius Tarpeius. This new brick fortress was completed just in time for our spies reported that the Sabine army had began to march.
Mettus came upon the citadel and immediately realized the road to Rome would be blocked unless he could first overcome this stronghold. During several days of bloody fighting, determined Sabine attacks were repeatedly beaten back, but then the Sabines resorted to a ruse.
It so happened that a handful of Roman girls had fallen under the evil influence of Lavinia. These young maidens were chronically discontent, seething under real and imagined slights by what they saw as the overbearing males in their lives. Lavinia played upon this smoldering adolescent discontent and fanned the flames of rebellion. It was no surprise that these girls were also deeply jealous of the lovely Sabines, resenting the men for bringing the new-comers into their midst.
Here too, Lavinia suggested they could make common cause—by helping the Sabine army to retrieve their women. Now among those who were in league with Lavinia, was a certain Tarepeia, who happened to be the daughter of Trapieus, commander of the citadel.
A plot was laid, whereby one night, at a pre-arranged signal, Tarepeia would open a small gate in the rear wall to let the invaders into the fortress. The ploy was wholly successful, and what Mettus could not take gain by storm he was able to take by guile.
When Romulus found out his men had been betrayed, he was furious. The plot was quickly uncovered and the traitors rounded up. Four women were implicated: Lavinia, Tarepeia, Rhea, and Caecilia, the latter two were daughters of wealthy families. Rhea’s father was a patrician; Caecilia was the silly, idle daughter of a senator.
Romulus decreed that the plotters be publicly punished for their treachery, and that all citizens should gather in the Forum to witness their punishment.
The three girls were stripped of their garments and led naked to the dusty square at the center of the Forum. There they were forced to lay face down, and stretch out their limbs so that they could be tied down naked to the stakes that had been driven into the ground. Now their fathers were handed switches and they proceed to administer the public punishment, whapping their daughters’ aristocratic behinds with thin whippy rods while the hills rang to the echoing wails of the sobbing miscreants. Such punishment was deemed proper, for these foolish girls had betrayed Rome, and brought dishonor upon the family name.
For Lavinia, Romulus had reserved a special punishment. One he would personally administer. The Sabine woman was led naked onto a raised platform and there bent over a sturdy crossbar, her hands down in front of her and fastened to the floor, while she was drawn up onto her toes, with her rich full bottom properly exposed and positioned for chastisement. Romulus took a position behind the naked woman, and with a well chosen scourge began to lash that worthy’s upraised rump to the wild applause of the rabble.
Now Romulus took steps to meet the Sabine challenge. He would personally lead the rest of our army into battle. After occupying the citadel, the Sabines moved down to meet the advancing Romans. In the ensuing melee, Mettus narrowly saved himself from sinking into a swamp, and the battle was continuing on the low ground when the Sabine women intervened. They charged onto the field and imposed their bodies between the combatants, appealing for them to stop fighting. The effect of this appeal was miraculous and a moment later Romulus and Mettus stepped forward to make peace. And from that day on the two peoples were combined as one, under the eagle of Rome.
These are the fact, even if they are obscured by Livy’s turgid prose. Yes, Livy has completed his account of our history and has taken to reading from it each day at the Forum. The man is self-serving and insufferable. Still his work is widely heralded and the Roman mobs are thrilled to hear about the glorious deeds of their ancestors. Livy is an outrageous flatterer, and I caution you dear reader, not one to be believed.
SLAVE GIRLS OF ROME
Copyright © 2002, 2006 by Don Winslow
Published by
Blue Moon Books
An Imprint of Running Press
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Philadelphia, PA 19103
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eISBN : 978-0-786-74716-0
Don Winslow, Slave Girls of Rome
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