Chapter 11

Mary was more nervous than Tom as she repeatedly went over everything with Mara and Pace until they were just praying for her to leave. The new ship was delivered and then Micha and Tom did what they needed to outfit the ship and get it ready to sail. Hans brought a couple horses for riding and to test the stall and strap arrangement on some day trips to see how she handled in open water. They made some adjustments but were comfortable with the way the horses would travel.

They then had to decide how much cargo to take knowing they would have to sell it to make room for horses. To sail off empty would be a wasted opportunity. When the day finally came, Tom had crates taking up almost all the stalls and cargo space. Hans had a cabin, Mary and Tom had a cabin, Micha had a cabin and there was some bunk bed space below deck for the four-man crew.

The first stop would be Spain. The trip took a few days with the crew taking turns as they sailed day and night. They arrived in Barcelona or Faventia as it was known. It was an excellent port and a very pretty city. It was under Roman rule, but they minted their own coins. Tom made sure to get some to take home with him when they traveled back. The city was nowhere near the size they were expecting but it was still a busy place. When they put down the gangplank, they were met by the harbor master asking about their business. How long would they be staying, what they had to sell and what were they looking to buy.

Micha took the lead and answered the man’s questions. When he said horses, it gave the man pause. “Most people don’t come here for horses.”

“The owner of my vessel is a little eccentric and has a large farm. He is going from place to place looking for good horses.”

“I have a cousin on my father’s side that raises some fine horses. They are stout and strong. They don’t have the speed like I’ve seen pulling your chariots but for a work horse or puller, they do a good job.”

Micha told the man about some of the products he had on board. He replied, “I haven’t heard people asking for those things but if you want to visit some merchants or rent a stall at the market it may sell.”

That was the new plan. In the morning they would take some of the crates to the market and rent a stall. Mary and one of the crewmen would man the booth and try to sell what they had. Hans and Tom would rent some horses or find a taxi to take them out to the cousin’s farm or others as they rode by.

There were some laborers and carts that they put into action the following morning and Tom made sure that Mary was set before they rode out of town. They arrived at the farm and saw some beautiful looking horses. Their clopping of hoofs let the people in the house know they were arriving. Tom spoke to them in Spanish and talked about being interested in buying horses. The man showed them into his barn, his corral outside and then pointed to some more out in a field.

They talked mostly about the breed, the characteristics, and the temperament. There were a few he didn’t want to sell but he had quite a few. Tom and Hans inspected almost fifty to pick the eight they took. Two studs and four mares. Two seemed to be pregnant. They haggled but finally settled on a price. The man agreed to help deliver them to the docks with one of his sons. They each had two behind them as they made their way through town. As they passed by the market, he saw the booth they had rented, and it was vacant. That was odd but they were almost back to the docks.

Back at the ship, Mary was on deck. She smiled and waved as she gave down to greet him. They hugged each other and she said, “Those are some nice-looking horses. I guess you found what you were looking for.”

“Yes, we found some good ones. I was surprised you weren’t at the market.”

“We sold everything including the crates. All we had left was the money they gave us. It started off slow but after the first couple people. The crowds brought more people. We have to go back tomorrow?”

“Who’s that?”

“Because you packed this thing with cargo. We sold off three horse stalls worth of merchandise, but you bought eight horses. We have to sell five more to make room for the new cargo.”

There was a stable near the docks where they had rented horses and they had all eight of the new ones boarded there for the night. Tom took them all out to dinner in town. They all slept on the on the ship and the next morning started moving crates to the market. They had many of the same things as the day before. The crowd around the booth started to grow as Mary started to sell. Hans stayed and helped unpack things to sell and pack up things that had been sold. The crew from the boat would keep bringing crates.

Walking away from the market, Tom found some stores that sold things like wine or jewelry and talked to the owners about buying goods and possibly taking more shipments when his ships stopped in port. The jeweler saw the things Tom was selling and looked at them in disbelief. He said, “I could sell this but everything I sell in my shop is to locals and it is all made by me. If I sell your stuff it will make mine look bad and make me look bad. Do you have anything else?”

“I have some stones, diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. I may have a few rubies.”

“Bring them by and If they are good stones, we can try to make a deal for those.” Said the jeweller.

There were two men that had stores selling wine and spirits. Tom had invited them all out to the ship for dinner. He fixed a prime rib roast and potatoes for everyone on the boat and the merchants and their families. They were celebrating all the Sales that Mary, Hans, and the crew had made. They finally stopped because they were tired of carrying the crates from the boat to the market. All the men and their families knew each other.

Dinner was great and the wine was flowing. Most of the families sat around enjoying drinks after dinner while Tom went below with the jeweler. Tom had bags with all different stones in them. The jeweler was amazed at the quality of the stones and the quality of the cutting done on the stones. If he had enough money, he would have bought them all. Tom told him to stop by the ship when he saw it in port or Micha might stop by when he was in the area.

After that it was fun to watch everyone watch as Mary and Tom put on a tasting. They started with small tastes of wine as the two men took notes on the bottles they wanted for their stores. They kept thinking that it couldn’t get better, but it did with every bottle.

There were eight people sailing and the three merchants and their families. Mary would open a case of wine and let one of the guests pick a bottle, so they knew that it was random and all the wine in the case was good. One bottle would be opened and shared with the sixteen-total people on board. Each person got a quarter glass of wine to taste.

Then they turned to the liquor and people were getting drunk. The wine merchants were keeping up and taking notes. The Jeweler and his wife thanked them for the dinner and wine tasting and told the wine merchants that he would be by to stock up and tell his friends about the fantastic wine and liquor they had.

Each man then asked about pricing for each of the things they sampled. Neither could afford everything. Tom suggested that they each buy some of what they liked the best because if you believe in a product it is always easier to sell. He then suggested that they take turns picking something but not picking what the other person did. That would give them something exclusive that they had in their shop that no one else had.

They placed their orders and pulled their wagons to the boat to be loaded. He felt sorry for forcing them to drink and drive but hopefully a horse is smart enough to keep him out of trouble. It was a slow start in the morning while they cleaned up the boat, reorganized and secured the cargo before getting the horses secured in their traveling stalls.

It was just past noon when they pushed away from the dock. They were already sailing west and decided to head out through the strait and up the coast. There were some smaller horses in Portugal and some huge horses in what is now Belgium. Almost all of them were made for pulling and few were made for pure speed.

The seas were good for the most part and when storms were near, they would find a harbor and get out of the open water and the high winds. In what is now the Netherlands, they found some Friesian horses. They were solid black and not as big as the Belgian Horses. They were fast for their size but more often used in war as strong, powerful animals. There were only ten stalls left and after visiting a few farms they wanted to save them to buy the best they could find.

Hans and Tom looked at a lot of them. They were talking when a girl said, “If you take me with you when you leave, I will help you pick the best ones and take care of them. I know all the horses on this farm, and these are not the best. Tell the master that they are good but maybe you should ride out into the fields and look at some others and some other farms. Then ride to the river and across the stone bridge. On the right is the field with the best stock.”

“What is your name girl and what do you do here?”

“My Name is Helena. My parents were killed, and I live here with my aunt and uncle. I help with the horses. They wouldn’t want me to leave because of all the work but we are here way out in the country. I want to see the world.”

“How old are you?”

“Old enough for my uncle to use me as a woman when he gets drunk, which is about every night if he can get something to drink.”

The girl slipped away back into the barn and the man came back a few minutes later. “I see you’ve narrowed your search. Have you picked the ones you want?”

Hans shook his head in frustration. Tom said, “We are looking for the best and these are better than your neighbor has but I’m not sure they will meet the standards that the Emperor requires. Do you mind if we ride out into the field and see if there are any here that measure up? If not, we may need to visit some more farms.”

“I am proud of my stock but if these are for the Emperor, you can look out in the field.”

After riding around to the horses in the close field they trotted across the bridge and saw the man’s horses that were a step above. The man saw them leave the field and cross the bridge, so he got on a horse and rode out to meet them. Hans said, “We like these horses. They would be worthy of being in Rome.”

“I wasn’t planning on selling these.”

“Keeping the best for yourself or do you not think the Emperor is deserving of your best stock. We will try not to let it get out lest he comes and takes what he wants and burns down the rest.”

“I will let you buy them. May I keep the younger stud? He should be old enough to breed next year. You can take the one that is the breeding stud for the farm right now.”

“That sounds fair. I will let the Emperor know of your generosity insisting that he take your finest stock.”

When they started to negotiate. The question was raised, “Do you have a farm hand that could help us transport the horses back to Rome? Someone that knows their temperament and behavior?”

“All of the men have families and live in town. I do have a woman, but she is the daughter of my deceased sister. I don’t think you would want a woman; she isn’t much good at horse work.”

“I don’t need her to muck stalls but just someone familiar with the breed. I won’t make her a slave and will pay her a small wage and enough money for the return trip. I will throw in a case of my finest whiskey.”

“I would have to taste the whiskey to see if the price is fair. I will have to get others to pitch in while she’s gone.”

After picking the best ten, Helena appeared at her uncle’s side. He said, “I have her packed in case the whiskey is good. Let’s move the animals to the boat. The farm stud and one of the other younger studs were put on board along with eight mares. Half of the mares were pregnant. The man was happy to take the money for the horses and after he took one sip of the whiskey. A Woodford Reserve Rye and he just patted his niece on the head and picked up the case and left the ship.

Helena said, “I thought he would put up a fight, but I guess he loves drinking more than sex. Let me go below and check on my babies.”

Micha was coming up from below and said, “Tom, the stalls are all full and the small amount of other space is taken up with some of the other things you’ve bought. Are you ready to sail for home?”

“Point us in that direction. We will sail to Rome and unload the ship. We will take a couple weeks to catch up on business in the city and fill this ship up with more cargo, check on the new ship before we sail To Judea and Egypt. I’m sure there are other horse breeds out there, but we will hold off on looking for awhile after we get home.”

“Yes, Sir. We have enough light to get out of the harbor and a cloudless night to sail by the stars.”

After casting the lines, they set sail for Rome. After one last check of the horses, Tom and Mary had some wine with the passengers, Hans and Helena. The crew was back to work and drinking and working didn’t mix on Micha’s ship. They talked about the different breeds and characteristics in each of the horses they had bought. Hans eventually yawned and headed for his bed. A little later, Helena, Tom and Mary went to their rooms as well.

Tom and Mary had just finished washing off the grime of the day and were about to slip into bed when there was a knock at the door. Tom went to the door and found Helena looking at her feet as she softly asked, “May I sleep in here with you?”

Tom was about to say that she couldn’t when Mary told him to go walk around the deck for a while. He slipped on his toga and went out to check on the crew and look at the vast amounts of stars visible without the light pollution of his day. Micha was at the helm and said that he expected to be home in a week and really liked the new bigger boat.

“I saw that way you traded with the merchants in the different ports. You weren’t as ruthless as some but always made a good deal while leaving the others thinking that they had made a good deal as well.”

“Many of the things we trade are unique meaning that we are the only place to buy them. For that we can charge a premium but if the price is too high then the merchant won’t be able to sell it for a profit. It will depend on his location and the wealth in his area. We have to make deals that are mutually beneficial so that we both are happy with the outcome or it will be a one-time deal and not a relationship that will carry on every time you sail into port.”

“I understand. I liked your style. There was haggling but it didn’t get loud or take on an angry tone.”

“I try to explain the costs in finding the products, shipping the products and how much better they are than the products they are replacing or competing against. I give them good reasons to pay more. Not just because I am demanding it.”

“I liked that trade route and will go again. It is good to have relationships with people that appreciate the quality you sell. I grew up in a family of sea captains. I’m not sure I could pick out the best horses if you needed more.”

“I have a few people that know horses and what we are looking for. If I’m not with you, Hans, Adel or someone will be with you.” He saw Mary walk out on deck and he went over to see what was going on.

First, she gave him a hug then asked him to sit down away from where the crew was. She smiled and said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Houston, we have a problem. We rescued a girl that didn’t like that her aunt and uncle took advantage of her and used her for the last four years after her parents passed away. However, even though her mind knows that what they did was wrong and took advantage of her, her body has become addicted to the sex like a crack addict. She can’t sleep and she is on the verge of a breakdown without the sexual release that she is used to.” She looked at her hands in her lap, then said, “Her pussy tastes like fresh spring water. I could belly up to her bar any time. She is sleeping now but she is something we will have to deal with.”

“You mean sending her back or opening a brothel and making her the star?”

“She isn’t going back so don’t even joke about it. The brothel is a good idea. There are women that enjoy sex for the sake of sex. I’m one of them. If we could find enough of them, we could make everyone very wealthy. I think for now, Helena will work at the house taking care of the horses with Adel and taking care of me when you aren’t around. I will talk to her and see what she is thinking, how she is feeling and work to a more permanent solution. In the meantime, you will probably have to fuck her a few times until we figure it out. She knows how to please both men and women, but I don’t think that either her aunt or uncle ever spent too much time pleasing her on purpose. She craves it but she went off like a firecracker when I crawled between her legs.”

“Where is she now and where are we sleeping tonight?”

“She fell asleep in our bed. We should probably sleep there or at least I should. If she wakes you up with a blow job, or climbing on your cock for a ride, how will you react?”

“If you say it is the best way then I will fill her with cum then roll over and hold her naked body as I drift back to sleep.”

“That’s my stud. I think we should go down every Sunday and talk to slaves. We can ask if any are nymphos. We seem to find everyone else we need down there. A bathhouse and brothel won’t be a new thing here in Rome, but I bet we could set ours apart from the rest.”

“Big plans of Mary the Madame. If you think she is that messed up and addicted to sex, I will let you play shrink and try to help her. I didn’t allow her to come for this reason but we both know that life isn’t simple and full of surprises. I am tired so let’s try to get some sleep.”

It wasn’t even light out when Tom felt the naked body climb on top of him. His eyes opened to see Helena with her naked breasts pressed into his chest. “You are up early this morning.”

“When you have a bunch of animals that need to be fed, you have to get up early. My uncle used to get up early and needed a good start to his day or so he said. My body just wakes up early. Maybe that will change in the future, but it hasn’t changed yet. Did Mary tell you about me?”

“She said, your uncle took your innocence when you were a little girl.”

“It was taken by other family members first, but he got it and used it the longest. People always say that I’m a pretty girl and I guess that’s a good enough reason for them. My grandfather was the first. I barely remember it, but I do remember what he did and when he made me promise not to tell anyone.”

“This is new for me. I don’t know what’s right or wrong. Mary has some ideas that you need someone or people to treat you a certain way. If you ever don’t like what someone is doing, you come tell me or Mary. If it is me or Mary, just say the word chariot and we will stop.”

“Why not just say stop?”

“If I was tickling you, you might say stop but really not mind me teasing or playing. If you said stop and I thought you were just trying to act like you didn’t want something but really did, I would keep going. If you said, chariot, I would know that this was something you really didn’t want to be doing. I would never want to hurt you, physically or mentally. I have known women that want a lot of weird things. They get a lot of pleasure from it. They even say, no or stop until they are saying more, more, more.”