"Slave."

Miriam froze in trepidation and felt the wine slop around in the amphora she was carrying. She feared what was to come next and hoped that she wasn't in trouble.

"Put that down and come here."

She hurried to put the wine down, resting the amphora against the wall. Her slave torc swung free from her loose necked gown and banged against her breastbone. Her fear grew in exponential leaps. Normally, she was ignored and left to her house duties, flitting from room to room almost unseen, while she performed her labours under the Housemaids direction.

She knew that Antonius had been drinking all day. One or two of the slaves had reported his increasing drunkenness and advised that it would be best to avoid him altogether. Miriam wasn't given the choice. Ptolemy had given her the order to take the wine into his private chambers.

With her eyes downcast, she approached her master as he lay on the slightly raised dais, covered with silks and cushions. The smell of him assaulted her nose. He had obviously pissed himself and not bothered to clean up the mess or wash. She trembled and stood at the foot of the dais with her hands clasped at her lap. She looked forlorn and her trembling was pronounced and the shift she wore accentuated her trepidation as it shivered.

"Get me more wine." He shoved his Ivory flagon at her and shook it, slopping the residue of his last drink over the sides to splash over the silk cloth that covered the decking and stain the delicate yellow a deep red.

Miriam grasped the proffered cup and hurried to fill it with his favoured Greek sweet wine. Carefully, she poured from an earthenware amphora that rested in an iron stand beside the dais and then returned the filled flagon to him. She never once lifted her eyes and made no sound. Keeping her head down, she offered the cup to him above her head with both hands, trying to keep it steady. It was taken from her and she prepared to leave him and complete her tasks.

"Stay." He lifted the edge of his stained toga and pulled his dirty loincloth to one side. His flaccid cock swung lazily at eye level, his smell was almost overpowering and it was as much as she could do to stop herself from gagging.

"Do it." He commanded in a bored sounding voice. "Do it now."

Her heart sank even as she opened her mouth to accept him. It was her first time in this household to be used in this manner. She had hoped that it wouldn't happen and hoped that she had left it all behind when she was sold from Alexander's household.

His limp cock tasted awful. She thought she would throw up and knew she would either be killed or beaten severely if she did. Somehow, she fought the instinctive urge to gag and sucked him to stiffness. After a few minutes, he started to buck against her mouth and with no warning or sound, emptied his balls into her mouth. Miriam held the foul seed to one side of her mouth and hoped he wouldn't want to see proof that she had swallowed it. She was spared.

"Go away." He ordered her and didn't expect an answer.

She hurried from the chamber and spat his vile excretion into a decorative urn. At eighteen years of age, she had become used to the treatment of her various tormentors in the form of owners.

Unseen, a veiling curtain swished silently as the observer of the sad tableau retreated into the darkness.

Miriam's short life had been a sad indictment of modern times. Her Mother and Father had lived in the poorer section of Judea. His business as a sandal maker, hardly fed them while her mother's laundry went to repaying a loan to Uncle Joshua. Just after her eighth birthday, her mother had died suddenly. Faced with ruin and trying to keep three mouths fed, clothed and housed. Her father came to what he considered the obvious solution. Miriam, being a daughter, was sold to her Uncle as a housemaid and full repayment for the longstanding debt. Her two brothers stayed with her Dad who moved away to another village. They lost touch very quickly.

Uncle Joshua didn't really need a housemaid, but her youthful body appealed to his other nature. Although she had not yet started to develop her breasts or grow hair, he used her on a nightly basis. At aged ten, she had an abortion. Her Uncle's seed had taken root, which was not surprising. By now, her body had started to fill out and she had started to menstruate.

The abortion was done by a back street Quack who really only knew how to bleed people as a cure-all, but the proffered money helped him forget his lack of surgical knowledge. Miriam's reproductive system was damaged in the brutal operation; she would never menstruate again or be able to bear a child.

Believing her to be a drain on his considerable finances, Uncle Joshua sold her to an Egyptian slaver. She was now a lithe twelve year old, with the advantage of a fully developed body, conditioned to labour and well formed. The slaver took her to the markets as a neuter. I title that carried the promise of screwing the girl without the problems of unwanted pregnancies. It raised her price a little, but not by much. The Trader had used her body, at every nightly opportunity, on the six-month journey to Egypt. She was fucked in every orifice and became used to the assault of her young body.

A woman, who wanted a companion for the lonely nights, bought her. Her husband was a government tax collector and spent many nights away from home while he set the tithes and collected the awards. For the first time since the death of her mother, Miriam found gentleness and even a little love. Her mistress and her male friends cared for her, a little too much for the husbands liking, thinking her to be an evil spirit and influence on his unfaithful wife. After five and a half years, she was sold again into the household of Alexander who thankfully, was only interested in young boys. She didn't stay very long there and was sold on to Antonius, her present situation.

She still carried the torc of a neutered slave, wearing it like a brand of ownership and status. Some of the torcs placed around the necks of the slaves held elevated positions. Although owned by a household, they had a certain amount of freedom, often forming alliances similar to unions, setting rules for the conditions of their ownership. Modern day Rome encouraged this freedom, believing that a happy slave was a productive slave and less likely to run away or be troublesome. Toa degree, it worked, but first, the slave had to prove their worth. The majority didn't make the grade and either continued as a drudge to their owners and the elevated slaves as well, or died in an effort to win freedom.

Ptolemy, an Egyptian slave of indeterminate age, ran the household. His heavily tattooed and scarred body always glistened with oil and his muscles rippled under his black skin. The rest of the household were slaves of varied races. None had any standing and lived in fear of Ptolemy. A story of how he tracked a runaway down and dragged them back by the hair, was a popular scare tactic. The story went on to various graphic descriptions of how he slowly killed them for the amusement of Antonius. Whether it was true or not didn't matter too much, the implied threat was enough of a deterrent.

Antonius was married to Janus. She had very little to do with the slaves or the household, passing her time in different consortiums of similar women who were disenfranchised and had nothing to occupy their lives. As a club, they sought entertainment in any way they could. Every so often though, she would arrange a party, usually for holy days and the house would be turmoil until it was over.

Janus had one passion, a pathological hatred of Antonius and a deep-seated jealousy of his frequent liaisons with the younger slaves of either sex. More than one slave died mysteriously during the night, but there were always replacements cheap enough and abundant in the markets. It was only Antonius's position on the senate that stopped Janus from poisoning him. She was past her prime and would miss the wealth and position of privilege.

Miriam returned to the kitchen and was ordered to assist the cooks who were preparing the evening meal. Talking among the slaves was prohibited, so the next two hours passed with no words spoken, just gestures and grunts.

Later, she found her bed, a straw pallet in the outhouse with several of the other young slaves. Miriam regularly shared her pallet with a young African girl. Neither could speak a common language, but their need for comfort and support was a universal want.

Miriam carefully slipped of her woollen shift and helped Amole with hers over her head. Amole was about thirteen, but had filled out, as she grew taller. Petite breasts jutted out at Miriam's eye level. The girl's blackness was highlighted in the thin light from their oil lamp. The dark aureole around small hard nipples, pimpled in the coolness of the late night air that gently blew through the un-glazed window port.

They knelt, facing each other, naked and tenderly held each other in an embrace of love and mutual need. Miriam kissed Anole's lips and held her breast in the palm of her hand. The pimpled aureole puckered and hardened under her slowly circulating hand. Anole moaned quietly in Miriam's ear as she nibbled her lobe. Their heat passed between them and a light perspiration beaded on their skin.

Miriam sought for Anole's mons, feeling the coarse pubic hair tangle slightly in her chipped nails and rough skin of her fingers. Slowly, she worked her hand lower and found Anole's hot sex and slipped a finger between her lips and found her budding clit. Anole was unusual in this. Her Father had not had her cut as was the general custom, Anole's shrouded clit remained in tact and hardened to Miriam's tender touch.

For some time, they remained kneeling, gently probing each other's pussies and exploring each other's breasts, their heat building into a raging desire for release. Eventually, they lay, breast to breast and kissed each other, tongue massaging tongue and fingers working each other to a crescendo of carnal lust.

Miriam broke first, catching her breath as Anole's fingers invaded her and found that ridged hard place just inside her, hooking into the pad and bringing her to the point of soaking the pallet and Anole's fingers in a rush of orgasm. Settling her breathing a raging pulse, she kissed Anole's throat and worked over her breasts, taking first one, then the other nipple into her mouth and manipulating each with her tongue and teeth. She travelled on, nipping skin lightly in a teasing pattern that worked towards her prize.

Anole spread her legs and lifted her hips in an upward thrust in a desperate attempt to get Miriam's mouth to her moistened and needy sex. Miriam supported her, slipping her free hand under the girls arse and flicked her tongue tip over her engorged clit. It brought a gasp from her partner and an impossible pelvic thrust. She clamped her mouth over the girls soaking cut and sucked her clit into her mouth and drove her over the edge and an immediate orgasm that ripped through her and resulted in a gush of girl cream. Miriam licked and drank from her young partner and continued to massage the girl's clit with her tongue while fucking her with two fingers. Anole couldn't hold on, her second and most powerful orgasm announced its self with a gush on cum and a pelvic thrust against Miriam's fingers. Then, little rushes, diminishing as Anole's body and nerves settled down again.

Anole, once she had calmed, began with Miriam's breasts, a particularly sensitive area. Sucked and kneading her flesh, teasing her nipples and tweaking them to a raging hardness. Miriam wanted her orgasm quickly though, already on a high from her success of bringing anole off. Anole went straight to sucking her clit and biting the little nub of nerve endings while finger fucking her cunt and anus simultaneously. It always brought Miriam to a shattering climax, tonight was no exception. Her breath became ragged as two fore fingers manipulated her 'G' spot and while a third finger entered her anus and wriggled against her tailbone. In a very short time, Miriam had to stuff her hand into her mouth to stop from screaming. She came in a golden gush that hit Anole's hand and splashed back over her mons and stomach.

Stated, they slept in each other's arms until the next mornings cockcrow.

Life settled down and Miriam became part of the team and kept her nighttime lover. Her place kept her in the kitchens mostly, but every so often, she would have to attend the house. Inevitably, she came into contact with Antonius and inevitably; he took advantage of her and every time, they were observed by the silent witness.

A year slipped by.

The kitchens had been taken over by a team of caterers. Janus was hosting a party and planned for it to be the biggest of the season. Caligula was invited and word had it that the 'Little General' intended to appear. It would be a great honour to Antonius, but more, Janus would step up the social ladder and had a better chance of grasping a spot in the elite ranks. If she could ensconce her self in those vaulted climes, her marriage to Antonius would be less of a need. It wouldn't matter if he suddenly died. It was quite fashionable to eliminate ones husband in those circles and install a team of lovers.

The slaves had a hot bath. Under the watchful eye of Ptolemy, they visited the public aquadome and bathed in the luxuriously heated water. Janus had instructed that they were to serve the food clothed only in a small piece of leather that just covered their genitals, all held together with a bead of cowrie shells on string. They were to be bathed and oiled with scented essences from India. She wanted the party to be just right and had planned for weeks. It wouldn't hurt if a show of wealth was put on and having oiled, semi-naked slaves was just one of the details.

The walled garden was set out with cushions and low tables arranged in a circle. Everyone was to be able to see each other and watch the various entertainments. An awning was erected to shade the guests from the sun. It gave an amber hue to the revellers and successfully muted the harsh light.

The food was extravagant. Fruit sat in flat trays and was eaten between courses. Platter after platter was brought in by the salves, each more exuberant than the last. Swan stuffed with goose, duck and quail especially imported from Gaul was the penultimate dish brought before Caligula who was the honoured guest, but the triumph was a whole water buffalo, cooked in its skin and stuffed with wild boar from the Germanics.

The guests applauded and heaped praise on Antonius. Everyone knew who organised the event, but he had provided the money.

The entertainment during the feast had been provided by a group of musicians partially hidden to one side. It had been set as background accompaniment to allow the guests to talk and not have to shout, but a shrill note brought chatter to a sudden stop and announced the entertainment.