The Company People Keep

Peaches and plums, that was my goal last evening in the marketplace crowded with vendor carts and shopping citizens. Portia and Elise were in tow, both to carry the edibles intended for purchase and to provide a somewhat taxed Poet turned Magistrate with a lovely bit of contrast. I often call upon the women I own to multi-task. Do not fault me for being such a demanding owner. A man must endeavor to get his money's worth. That is just good business sense. Whether they serve as beasts of burden, laundresses, housekeepers, cooks, aesthetic objects, rape-flesh, shoulder-rubbers or simple sounding boards does not matter. What matters is they serve as their owner sees fit. Though they were to carry my produce home from market last evening, they both failed to do so. I cannot fault the wenches for the lack of fresh fruit to complement my bread this morning, however. I was detained, distracted from the mission, as is often the case. Last night, it was Claudius of the Physicians, who prefers to be called 'he whom the Lady Noemi seeks to manipulate.' As luck would have it, the woman herself, Noemi, was on his arm. She is always a delight to be around. I still maintain that she needs to be stripped and beaten, reintroduced to the leather. Not a lengthy discipline. I suppose twelve or fifteen vigorous lashes across her genetically-fashioned ass would straighten her out. It may take as few as eight or ten. These things are variable. Not all men discipline an unruly woman with equal skill, you see. For her own sake, it is my sincere wish some fellow decides to take up the chore of correcting her.

As I mentioned, crossing paths with Claudius and his paramour proved a distraction to the gathering of peaches and plums. As I spoke to the man, the vendors packed up for the evening making my search a truly fruitless endeavor. He wished to know what was being done with The Muse, a property that was ordered closed by the Magistracy of the People, pending an investigation. And that investigation, as I informed him, remains pending until such time as the claimant of the property submits a petition, in person, for its return. Anything past that, of course, was not up for discussion. He did mention an interest in purchasing the property for himself, citing the suitability of the neighborhood for his purposes. Have I mentioned that Claudius is a bit slippery? Well, I will say this much...he certainly seems to have the woman Noemi's attention. I've scarcely seen her so passionate about a man.