Dominion: A Tale of Wealth & Power

Then for measure he turned to her other guest and asked, "and pray tell my snickering sir, how does one acquire four Sir names? Was your mother unable to accurately determine your true sire and therefore chose a bit of each?"

Carl's demeanor changed dramatically. His easy smile slipped from his face and was replaced with an icy glare as he stared at the stupid man. "You have just made the worst mistake of your life sir. No one insults my good mother. I have four names because unlike you I happen to be royalty and can trace my line back through generations of royalty. I would be surprised if you could trace yours back more than three."

He glared at the man and then stood up and walked around the table and glared down at him. "You can thank your friendship with Josephine that I do not kill you where you sit right now, but I warn you say one more thing to upset me in any way and that will no longer restrain me."

Carl turned and bowed to Josephine. "I apologize My lady but the air in here has suddenly become foul and I can no longer stand the stench of hypocrisy it contains. I will retire to my room and hopefully it will clear up soon."

Turning on his heels he left and headed up to his room.

Samantha couldn’t believe what was just happening here. First she felt as if it had all been her fault cause of her nakedness which she was also the fault for because she hadn’t worn the right clothing to serve dinner. When the prince stood up and walked over she gasped a bit and thought it was going to get worse before better but he had only said words and did not act on them.

Thou he did leave the dinning room to go to his room. It was probly better that way at the moment. Samantha heard something like a ringing of the door but different then the front doors bell. She looked at Josephine as if asking what it was and if she should go look after it.

Samantha would bring the prince a cup of coffee and maybe some sweets later to hopefully cheer him up again. She then looked at Karen making sure she had everything and was pleased before she would do anything else.

Tom Avery waited for a while after buzzing, gave the gate a fruitless push, then removed his pack and sat with his back against the brick wall. He closed his eyes and listened, gradually picking up more of the subtle sounds of nature that are usually drowned out by one's thoughts. Within a few minutes, he again felt rested and calm. He gave the buzzer another push, then sat back down and drew his sketchpad, a pencil, and an apple from his backpack. He began drawing the scene close by, near the base of the wall -- bumble bees, tall green grass, a butterfly he thought was a Red Admiral, some tall yellow weeds, and a group of blue wildflowers.

His thoughts once again strayed to the blonde girl he'd met in town, her easy, very sexy flirting, and the sly grin that seemed to somehow have led him here. "Thanks, Blondie," he thought happily, taking a bite of the apple. He would enjoy the sun and the scene appearing on his pad for a while longer before trying the buzzer again. There was plenty of time to enjoy drawing something a bit different than his usual subjects.

Unexpected Company



Before Josephine could react to Prince Carl Gustav’s dramatic departure, chimes sounded in the foyer, after the pattern of Big Ben.

“Someone’s at the front gate,” Josephine raised an eyebrow. “Gus, would you be so kind as to see who it is?”

Standing Invitation

Karen shook her head and smiled slightly at the drama among the men sitting around Josephine at the other end of the table, as if she'd often seen similar scenes before.

She turned back to Deputy Green and replied to her question. "No, I'm not going to live in the dorms. Josephine recently invested in a penthouse at The Moderne, and is graciously allowing me to stay there during my time at school. Actually, it's closer to MATC than Marquette, so on those nights you teach, if you'd rather stay in Milwaukee than drive back home in the dark, you'd be welcome to sleep over."

"A 'sleep over'!" Mary echoed the terms of Karen's offer and grinned. "Now that sounds really fun!"

Welcoming Party


“Someone’s at the front gate,” Josephine noted upon hearing the distinctive chimes from the foyer. “Gus, would you be so kind as to see who it is?”

Ian noticed that Gus seemed distracted, taken even, with the new maid. Meanwhile, Ian found himself somewhat uncomfortable with all the commotion surrounding his niece’s eighteenth birthday. He spoke up before Gus moved.

“I'll do it, m`Lady,” he told Josephine. “I’d like to stretch my legs.”

He got up and exited through the garage. He could have taken the golf cart available for traversing the manor’s extensive grounds, but had meant what he’d said about stretching his legs, so he walked. Thus it took him several minutes to reach the gate.

A hunter by avocation, Ian moved silently as he approached the gate. At first he thought whoever rang the bell must have left. Then, he saw just an elbow moving at the far side of one of the brick pillars supporting the gate. He circled stealthily and found a young man leaning against the pillar, sketching on a pad.

“May I help you?” Ian asked gently.

CCorteeze said:

"A 'sleep over'!" Mary echoed the terms of Karen's offer and grinned. "Now that sounds really fun!"

Click to expand...

Karen noticed that her uncle had left on an errand for Josephine. Although he remained the object of Karen's affection for the evening, that did not mean she could not seek some fun elsewhere for now, especially in his absence.

"You know, Deputy Green," she said to Mary. "It's my eighteenth birthday, but no one has yet seen fit to give me my eighteen kisses... or eighteen spankings."

Samantha smirked, hearing Karen and her wish for 18 kisses or 18 spankings. Sam wouldn’t mind giving her those. Sam stood right behind Karen again as she thought about kiss kissing her but knew better. She leaned forward and whispered in her ear teasingly.

"Would the miss like something.....? “

She waited a second before she added.

"To drink or eat?!"

As if leaving enough time for a tease in her words as if also offering Karen her own lips as spankings she wouldn’t do unless she really wanted it but the kisses she would do without a second thought.

Understatement

"Would it be possible to speak with Ms.," the artist hesitated, either trying to remember the name or struggling with the pronunciation. "Czartoryski? If that's not possible, I'd like to leave a brochure for her. I'll be in the area for another week at least."

"At least walk up to the house with me," Ian replied. He knew Josephine enjoyed collecting strays like this. "I just hope you have an open mind. Ms. Czartoryski's is not the most conventional of households."

PrincepsCyberius said:

"At least walk up to the house with me," Ian replied. He knew Josephine enjoyed collecting strays like this. "I just hope you have an open mind. Ms. Czartoryski's is not the most conventional of households."

Click to expand...

"Ok, great," Tom said with a smile. He quickly dumped his pad, pencils and business cards into the backpack, and slung it over one shoulder.

"Oh, I think I'm pretty open-minded about most things," he said to the man. Tom studied him more carefully, and decided to go ahead with a question. "I am curious about Ms. Czartoryski, though. What is she like? I mean, is she a friendly type of person . . . or would you say reserved . . . ? How would you characterize her? . . . if you don't mind the question."

Through the Gate and into Dominion

PrincepsCyberius said:

"She is certainly not 'reserved,'" Ian chuckled. "And I think most would describe her as more than 'friendly.' You'll be glad to know she is a patron of the arts... a diverse range of arts."

Click to expand...

Tom joined the man's chuckle with a grin, though he wasn't entirely sure what it implied. A "patron of the arts" sounded almost to good to be true. Judging from the man's manner and words, he thought this might turn out to be a very pleasant detour from his usual routine.

"Thank you," he said. "Lead on, then. I look forward to meeting her, if I get the chance."

The man fiddled with some device on his side of the gate, and it swung open. They walked along the cobblestone driveway for what seemed a long time before finally arriving at the mansion. Tom was rather awed by the extent of the grounds, and the size of the main building.

Shattered and fallen porch pillars, cracked cement, and extensive scarring of the otherwise immaculate lawn in front of the entrance. It was a shock. As they approached the entrance, Tom turned to Ian. "This must have happened very recently!"

Tom nodded to Ian. "Sure thing." He slipped his backpack off, and lazily walked around the front lawn, studying the building, but staying close to the entrance.

Welcome Company



“There was a young man at the gate, m`Lady,” Ian reported. “An itinerant artist. He did not know you, but he asked for you by name. He’s looking for a commission.”

“An artist?” Josephine grinned. “Just what we need, another bohemian to liven up this party. By all means, Ian, show him in!”

Formalities


Ian stepped out onto the damaged porch. He found Tom looking back and forth at Karen's new Jaguar and Deputy Green's old Ford, and wondered what the artist's eye found in the contrast.

"M`Lady has deemed it appropriate to grant you an audience," Ian spoke with unnecessary formality but, wearing his tuxedo, it seemed appropriate. "And I warn you again, the range of personalities and circumstances you are about to meet will make it look, by comparison, as if those two vehicles rolled off the assembly line next to each other."

Ian especially wondered how so young a man would react to the two nude maids as he bowed toward the open front door and intoned, "Please come inside."

Samantha stood behind Karen to her right her hands on her back legs lightly spread and the doorway was behind her.

She wondered who it was and wondered if she should already go get a cup or glass and looked over to Josephine with a questioning look as if asking if she should or wait.

In the Doorway

PrincepsCyberius said:

"M`Lady has deemed it appropriate to grant you an audience. [...] Please come inside."

Click to expand...

Tom grabbed his backpack and followed Ian into the mansion. He felt somewhat overawed at the opulence before him. As he took in the grand double-spiral staircase, and the many large paintings decorating the walls, Ian's words fully hit home. An "audience" would be granted? Indeed! And the warning about personalities and circumstances, from a somewhat imposing, mostly silent man in formal wear. He felt an odd, almost dream-like sensation enveloping him. Tom was from a well-off family, and had been in some large, rich houses owned by associates of his father. But nothing like this.

As they turned and walked to the right, Tom saw two smaller artworks on the wall next to the foyer entrance. One of them he knew, as it was by one of his favourite European painters, Gustav Klimt. Tom veered off to quickly take a look. Peering at it closely, he could see that the 3 ft. square oil in a simple frame was either a beautifully done copy, or . . . But . . . well, certainly not the original? He was sure he had read that "Two Women Friends" was one of several of Klimt's works destroyed by the SS as they retreated from Austria in early 1945.
Tom decided the dream-like sensation was not an unpleasant one, as he drank in the richness of the painting.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Gustav_Klimt_021.jpg

Beside the oil was a smaller pencil drawing that immediately took his breath away. He thought it probably was also by Klimt. The girl's clothes were of that period, and the artist's love of women was wonderfully evident. The drawing looked as if it was probably done in a very short time, maybe ten minutes or less. And yet, for all its simplicity, it seemed to express a love of the feminine spirit and form even more profoundly than the richly detailed works like "The Kiss" that sold for many millions at auction.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Klimt_Mulher_sentada.jpg

Tom quickly moved to catch up to Ian, who was just entering the dining room. Standing just behind and to one side of Ian in the doorway, it was clear to Tom that there was a dinner party going on. Cake had apparently just been served. After this impression, things began to feel a bit surreal. To his right, at one end of the dinner table, were three beautiful young women: a striking brunette in police uniform; beside her, at the end position, a stunningly cute, petite blonde in a burgundy school blazer and tie; and standing close behind the blonde, another petite woman - lusciously buxom, with beautiful long dark hair. She was completely nude. "Yes," Tom thought. "This is a dream." And he did not want to wake up yet. A brilliant flash of gold foil in front of the blonde beauty reminded him instantly of Klimt's use of gold leaf in his large portraits. Behind her, the coppery tone of the nude woman's hair added even more richness to the little scene.

But there was another detail in what Tom saw that struck him forcibly all on its own. He suddenly realized that the brilliant gold had wrapped a long, thin gift box, and the ornate riding crop on the table was probably for the student. Then he saw that the blonde girl was looking at him. Tom met her gaze, and felt a strangely warm, nervous fluttering in the pit of his stomach. Finally, it was all a bit too much: the school blazer and tie, the sweet young face, with such knowing confidence in her eyes, the nude beauty behind her. And . . . the crop -- the dawning realization that he had entered a realm where "kinky" sexuality of some kind, something Tom had never experienced first hand, was likely part of the strange, somewhat tense, somewhat playful atmosphere in the room. His cock began to swell.

Tom smiled politely to the blonde with a little nod, then tore his eyes away. "Wake up!" he told himself, willing his emotions to cool down. "You're here to make a sale, and maybe an important contact. Don't start losing it just because she's in a blazer and tie."

There were a few men present, but Tom hardly noticed them as he took in the other end of the room. There was no mistaking who "ruled" the house, and had granted him an "audience." Josephine Czartoryski was a good deal older, but every bit as desirable to Tom, in fact even more so in some ways, than the other females in the room, and she too was 'attended', it seemed, by another beautiful nude woman standing behind her. Everything about the lady of the house, including her exquisite features, bespoke a mature sensuality -- commanding, intense, yet fully at ease. Tom felt entranced, caught at the cusp of a wave tossing him back into a dream again. She was at the center, he felt, of some warm, dark and golden secret, deep . . . somewhere deep inside.

Tom wrenched his thoughts back yet again to the task at hand. He may have been granted an audience, but he was interrupting the woman's dinner party. He waited patiently in the doorway.

Welcoming Company



“Don’t just stand there,” Josephine told the uninvited but very welcome visitor. “Come in and have a seat. Would you like some cake?”

EmpressJosephine said:

“Don’t just stand there,” Josephine told the uninvited but very welcome visitor. “Come in and have a seat. Would you like some cake?”

Click to expand...

Tom considered saying no, he couldn't impose himself on the gathering, then mentioning his brochure and portfolio. Instead, he simply bowed slightly to Josephine, and said "Thank you very much, Ms. Czartoryski. I apologize for arriving out of the blue like this. But, yes, some cake would be great, thank you." He set his backpack down just outside the doorway, and took a seat near the middle of the table. "You have an absolutely beautiful home. It's a privilege to be able to see it from the inside, and a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

Questioning Company



“Thank you, young man,” Josephine said to the artist. “But I’m afraid you have me at an uncomfortable disadvantage. You somehow know my name, but I’ve yet to learn yours.”