Fantasy As Day Follows Night by TMaskedWriter

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Story :- As Day Follows Night

Written by TMaskedWriter

This story takes place three weeks after "The Day Before The Day."

"She keeps Moët et Chandon In her pretty cabinet.
'Let them eat cake, ' she says, just like Marie Antoinette.
A built-in remedy for Khrushchev and Kennedy.
At any time an invitation you can't decline."

-Queen, "Killer Queen"

[Ramesh_Rocky]

As Day Follows Night Pt. 01

The Sun shone through the open balcony doors into the bedroom of the castle. It cast it's beam across the marbled floor, onto the Persian rug, across the king-sized bed, and onto the face of Contessa Helena de San Finzione. She opened one eye slightly and the light entered it as well.

Helena grumbled and turned over, burying her face in the shoulder of the man still sleeping next to her, inadvertently kicking his...girlfriend? Wife? Hot chick that happened to be near him in the taverna at the time? Whoever she was, La Contessa had decided she wanted them both, and the locals had a saying whenever something went missing or someone attractive didn't come home last night: "(He/She/It) will be back when La Contessa tires of them."

The sound of approaching heels on marble killed any hope she had of getting back to sleep. She began to slide her way out of the satin sheets as the maid removed her shoes before treading on the Persian rug and kneeling at Helena's bedside. She swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Good morning, Contessa. Have your visitors satisfied you, or do you require service?"

The Countess smiled. "Your tongue can rest this morning, Maria. My guests were...satisfactory. Have the gift baskets prepared. Not the best ones. Any word on the other matter?"

"Si, Contessa. Is why I come to wake you early, as you order. The man from la policia, he is waiting on phone." The maid produced a cellphone from her cleavage and presented it for the Contessa. She took it and nodded, looking at the call time. The inspector had been on hold for four minutes.

Helena took a cigarette from a waiting pack on the nightstand and lit it. "Coffee, Greek; two croissants." The maid nodded and rose to her feet, leaving to prepare the Contessa's tray. Helena took a couple of drags from her cigarette and looked at the phone. She let the inspector wait on hold for another minute before pressing the button. "Speak."

"Si, Contessa. They landed half an hour ago. I have verified that they are the couple in the photos. There were some questions with Customs, but the agent they spoke to confirmed that they answered his questions satisfactorily and their baggage was allowed through. They're at the car rental kiosk now. I'll have their plate number and photos of the vehicle sent to your local security officer once I can obtain the information."

She took a fourth drag of the cigarette, tamping it out, and lighting another. "Send it to this number as well. And inform them the security officer not to approach them. Observe and report, only. What questions did Customs ask them?"

"The agent's report did not say, and when I asked for details, all he said was that there were questions about the contents of a trunk they brought with them, but that all questions were answered satisfactorily and they were sent on their way."

Helena reached for a silk nightgown and slipped it on. The same statement from before, reworded. She knew how they solved their Customs problem. "Good work, Inspector. Send that report, then return to your supervisor. He's already approved the overtime."

"Grazi, Contessa."

She ended the call as the maid returned carrying a silver tray. Helena grabbed a still-warm croissant and a steaming demitasse cup from the tray and walked out onto the balcony, looking across the garden below. She sat down in front of a small table, set down her cup, and raised a finger. When she turned around, Maria was waiting with the tray and the other croissant.

"Wake them up and send them...wherever they want to go," Helena said, grabbing the other croissant. She took a bite of the first and turned back to look at the garden. As the maid turned to carry out her orders, Helena said to nobody "It's going to be an interesting day."

* * *

Troy Equals pulled over and checked the GPS on his phone. "What do they call a count or countess'... territory or fiefdom or whatever, anyway?"

"A county." Julie Equals replied as she got out and checked the straps on the large steamer trunk tied to the roof of the car.

"Hmm, that seemed TOO obvious. I thought it'd be something like a 'countancy' or 'countdom.'"

Julie got back in the car and turned on the MP3 player. Blondie's Atomic came out of the stereo, and she turned the volume down to conversational levels. "Do you think she knows we're here yet?"

"Don't doubt it at all. In fact..." he said as he put the car in gear and pulled away, then started a fake maniacal laugh. "...I'm absolutely counting on it!"

Julie put on a pair of large sunglasses with red plastic frames, leaned the seat back, and produced a white sun hat. "I'm in favor of any plan that involves me wearing this hat. So, what's the next part of the plan, Mr. Bond?"

Troy slipped into a bad Sean Connery impression. "Nexsht, we prosheed to the town and check into our hotel poshing as a newlywed couple."

"Ooh, good," Julie replied, laying back in the seat and smiling. "I've been practicing that one."

Without looking away from the road, Troy put his hand on her knee and started creeping it up her thigh. "Of courshe, the shecret of a shuccesshful cover operation ish to maintain appearanshes even when you're shertain you're not being watched."

As his hand disappeared up her skirt, Julie giggled out an "Oh, JAMES!"

* * *

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Centuries ago, the late Count's ancestors had used this room for plotting wars against their neighbors. Located in the center of the castle and made with thick stone walls, it doubled as a final fallback position if the castle were overrun and had a hidden passage to an escape tunnel. Helen always found it a good place to think, and she'd had it converted into a study.

A large TV on one wall played the video of Troy and Julie's wedding three weeks ago. La Contessa sat in a Louis XIV chair with a cigarette in one hand and a remote control in the other, occasionally pausing the video to study some detail she'd noticed.

She'd stopped at the point where the priest asked if the best man had the rings. Everyone laughed when Julie lifted her finger in a "just a moment" gesture, side-stepped over to the best man's spot next to Troy and gave him the rings, then went back to the bride's spot so they could exchange them. Julie had looked toward her as she returned to the position and Helen could have sworn she winked.

She mainly looked for the moments where one of the two of them looked toward her seat. Most of the people who knew them might just see the happiness of the special day on their faces, but someone who knew them both as long and as intimately as Helen had could see more. She fast-forwarded to the kiss, and then paused again as the two of them turned and the priest introduced Mr. & Ms. Equals to all assembled. At that moment, the two had looked directly at her, and she studied their faces again.

Helen set the remote on a table next to the chair and took a drag of her cigarette as her other hand idly trailed down between her legs. They were both gorgeous; there was no question of that. Knowing smiles were on their faces. She looked down to their hands. Yes, they were holding hands, which was only to be expected. Everyone was so happy for them. Despite herself, Helen was happy for them as well. But that look they shared and the handhold with the fingers interlocking told her that they'd already figured out how they were going to get back at her for the prank the night before.

And now they were here in San Finzione, ready to put their plan into action. She couldn't wait. She had been brushing her nether lips through the fabric of the dress she wore and was slowly hiking it up to gain unrestricted access when the number she'd given the Prefect of security officer rang. With a huff, she took a last drag of her cigarette and answered.

"Speak," was all she said to the person on the other end.

"Si, Contessa. One of my officers just called from the Hotel de Finzione. A couple checked into the honeymoon suite giving the name Equals. They went straight up to their room and have not left since."

"They ARE a honeymooning couple, Prefect. That much is to be expected. Let me know the moment they leave." She ended the call and texted Maria, the walls of the room being too thick for the hand bell to be heard outside. The maid stepped into the room and stood by the Contessa's side, awaiting instruction. Helen took hold of Maria's shoulder and guided her down to her knees. She offered no resistance as she shuffled on her knees to position herself between La Contessa's open legs.

Helen stared at the paused image of her oldest friends and former lovers holding hands as the young maid went to work on her slit. Of course they checked into a hotel instead of coming to the castle. It'd hardly do to show up on her doorstep with revenge in mind. But even if they HAD come just as friends, they wouldn't have "imposed." Heh, imposed...

If they just thought like her ("Mmm, yeah."), if they understood what a gift the three of them shared; she'd have sent her jet to collect them, limo and security officer escort at the airport, red carpets would have been rolled out, the ceremonial cannons on the castle walls would have been fired in salute. The party would have gone on ("Ooh, good, Maria.") for days. Champagne, caviar, cocaine, any hot piece of ass that caught their eyes; all would have flowed like... ("Fuck, yes.") well, like the wine that would ALSO be flowing as much as the other things. ("Just like that, Maria.") "Troy & Julie Day" would become a national holiday.

She looked into Julie's eyes, remembering seeing those eyes gazing up at her like Maria's were now, feeling that tongue. Maria was good, but nobody was Julie good. ("Yeah, yeah.") Then she looked over at Troy. ("Oh, fuck, more!") Her eyes fixed on the bulge in his tuxedo pants. She remembered what he was hiding in there. The thought of having both of them in her bed again ("Yes, Troy, Yes!"), brought her over the edge with a long, loud sigh.

Maria produced a wet washcloth and cleaned La Contessa's snatch, the chair, and her own face. Helen gazed into her eyes.

"Forget what you have just done."

The maid blinked, unable to place the taste on her lips, then stopped thinking about it. "Si, La Contessa. How may I serve you?"

"Lunch. Surprise me. I imagine we'll have a few surprises soon.

* * *

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Julie rolled off of Troy and back onto the bed next to him. They kissed deeply, tasting themselves in each other's mouths.

"Well, that was wonderful," Troy said as she reached down and gave his still-hard cock a couple of playful strokes.

"Yeah. We should, like, get married or something."

"I'll look into it," Troy said with a peck on the cheek as he rolled over and turned on the laptop. "You know, she might've put something on here."

"She said she didn't and I believe her. She's a lot of things, but she understands that if we can't take each other's word, this stops being a game."

"Ok, I'll buy that," he said, bringing up a map of the town. "I think we've got everything we'll find online. The easy part's over. We should get cleaned up, get some of the stuff from the trunk, and see the town."

"It WOULD give that detective in the lobby time to search the room, but we've got some time yet. We're in San Finzione now, nothing happens between 12 and 2."

"Well, how would you suggest we pass the time, Mrs. Equals?"

She stood up from the bed and walked to the bathroom, giving her ass a bit more wiggle than usual to get Troy's attention. "If it were up to ME, I'd say Mr. Equals gets in here and fucks me in the whirlpool bath."

Troy got up to follow her. "And after that?"

She turned back towards him and smiled.

"THEN, we go start getting even with our mutual first girlfriend."

"You have the best ideas, Mistress."

She held the door for him. "You REALLY never thought we were?"

"You played Barbies together. And don't all girls practice kissing at slumber parties or has TV lied to me again?"

The door closed behind them.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

As Day Follows Night Pt. 02

"I go to parties, sometimes until four.
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door.
It's tough to handle this fortune and fame.
Everybody's so different, I haven't changed."
-Joe Walsh, "Life's Been Good"

La Contessa's Eurocopter EC 155 was powered up and waiting on the helipad when she emerged from the castle. Unbowed by the winds pushing down and back from the circling blades, she climbed the little steps into the vehicle and strapped in. The pilot confirmed that she was secure and took off away from the setting Sun and toward the darkening San Finzione City skyline.

The helicopter easily made its way through the few tall office buildings that comprised the city center. The pilot brought it to a hover over the end of a city park and pointed at the 300-year-old church visible several blocks away.

"Is edge of the No Fly Zone, Contessa," the pilot shouted over his shoulder. "As close as I can take you."

Helen clicked her tongue in irritation and picked up the night-vision binoculars. What was the point of diplomatic immunity if you couldn't use it to spy on your ex-lovers?

"Then take us lower," she said as she looked past the park below to the entrance of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. First Evening Mass had ended and the faces coming out of the cathedral were too distant to make out clearly, but she spotted the big white sun hat and gaudy red glasses that Julie was wearing in the pictures the detective had sent her from when they left the hotel. And with that to look for, it made it easier to find Troy.

The security officer officers that had been following the two hadn't had much to report. They'd gone to the usual tourist stops: one of the ancient ruins, a couple of shops, and some pictures at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; and now they were attending Mass?

Helen had needed to see it herself. There was no way they'd become church-goers in the last three weeks. She could see Troy going to church for some special occasion; but why would he when he had Heaven right there between Julie's legs?

And yet, there they were, chatting away with the priest by the front door. She had no idea what they were saying, but from the look of them, if they'd been back in the states, they might be talking about volunteering for the church picnic. Julie would make her famous potato salad and maybe Troy and Pastor Bob could fire up the grill and toss the ol' pigskin around. Was this their scheme for revenge? Becoming boring on her?

Well, Troy looked like it, anyway. Julie had a "Hi, I'm Sophia Loren on vacation in Europe in 1965 and trying not to be noticed but failing badly because I'm fucking 1960s Sophia Loren" look going on.

Helen avoided church except on holidays where La Contessa was expected to make an appearance and on the anniversary of the Count's death. She knew black and emerald was a good look for her, and it was always so nice to see how the other side of the family was getting along. After the Count died, there'd been all manner of yelling and squabbling and demanding inheritances. She was looking at years of litigation, and the family had laughed when she showed up to the meeting with them and their lawyers without bringing one of her own.

The meeting had taken an hour, and by the end of it, everyone was satisfied that the Count had truly wished to leave everything to his beloved Contessa, that the relatives would be content to live with the trust funds the Count had set up for them years before the marriage, and that the fortune and title were safe in New Great-Grandmamma Helena's hands.

The lawyers obligingly drew up the paperwork for free, and everyone was happy. Even the silverware and heirlooms that had disappeared immediately after the Count's death were returned to her, and if any of the family had issues with the way things are now, an overnight visit to Great-Grandmamma's castle always helped them see reason.

Helen realized she'd let her mind drift and hadn't been paying attention to what was going on through the binoculars. Troy and the priest were now looking straight at the helicopter and pointing at it. Troy motioned for Julie to come over. Helen couldn't read his lips, but was sure he was saying something like "Hey, honey, come take a look at this." She came up between the two men and looked Helen's direction as if she'd just noticed the emerald green 8-passenger helicopter with the San Finzione family crest painted on it that'd been hovering over a city street a few blocks ahead of them for a good ten minutes now, then took a disposable camera out of her purse and snapped a picture.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Helen laughed as they continued doing their gawky American tourist act. She bounced up and down in her seat and clapped her hands with glee. They'd drawn her out. A total sucker play and she fell for it. They thought she might be having them watched, and doing something this out-of-character for both of them was enough to lure her out into the open to see for herself. And now she'd been sitting here hovering in a helicopter for several minutes, probably disrupting traffic down below, staring at them like a stalker several hundred feet above the ground.

Oh, that couldn't be their whole plan, but it forced her into a position where there were only two moves she could make: She could land and get out and walk the length of the park to welcome them with open arms, but that was not the kind of spectacle she preferred to make. If she'd taken the limo, she could have driven right up to the church and gotten out and welcomed them, but she'd wanted to get there quickly, so she'd chosen the quickest, but also most conspicuous method of travel at her disposal, and it was hard to make an entrance after walking several blocks in an evening gown and heels.

The other option was to turn the helicopter around and go home, not directly, though, or it would seem she was running like a peeping tom who'd been caught. They'd put her into a situation with no graceful exit. Unless... Helen leaned forward into the cockpit and pointed at the pilot.

"Once around the city, then home."

* * *

They waved to the helicopter as it began moving. Troy shook the priest's hand and thanked him again for the uplifting service before putting an arm around his lovely companion and walking away.

"That was amusing," she said to him as they walked.

"We spoiled Helen's entrance. She won't be back tonight. So, hit the taverna next?"

"I'd rather go back to the hotel, but sure, I could use a victory drink after that."

The streetlights came on as they walked towards the park to find a taxi stand.

* * *

La Contessa didn't wait for the rotors to stop spinning before getting out and quickly walking back into the castle. Maria was waiting by the door for her.

"La Contessa is alone tonight?" She asked as Helena walked past her without answering. Maria dutifully followed her through the castle. The Countess kicked off her heels and slid the straps of her gown off, letting it fall to the floor as they walked. Maria picked it up and followed her to the bedroom. The other servants they passed were used to seeing La Contessa walking around the castle nude and either averted their eyes or stared longingly, filing away the image until they were off duty.

When they made it to the bedroom, La Contessa flung herself onto the bed. Maria closed the door behind them and hung up the gown as Helen spread her legs. The thrill of knowing that the game was now on in earnest, even if she had conceded this first round to them, was still a turn-on, and the helicopter ride home had done nothing to diminish it. She reached down and began slowly stroking her already wet snatch.

Maria slipped out of her maid's outfit and climbed onto the bed, preparing to service La Contessa, when Helen sat up and stroked her cheek.

"Have you ever been in love with two people at the same time, Maria?" The girl shook her head no. "The only thing worse than making love with someone who is, even subconsciously, holding part of him or herself back, is knowing exactly for whom they're both saving that piece of themselves; even if they're too blind to see how much they belong together."

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Maria nodded sadly, then leaned in and kissed her. "I love my Contessa."

"I know, Maria. I'm the one who made you love me."

"I do not care about this, only about my Contessa."

"Also my doing. I want to be alone for this. You may watch from the chair and touch yourself if you like. I'm certain I'll want you for round two."

"Si, Contessa. Would you like me to wear the wig?"

Helen thought for a moment. "Yes." Maria walked over to the vanity and took a long, blonde wig with long, brown roots off of a mannequin head. She put on the wig, then turned the chair to face her Contessa and sat down.

Helen lay back on the bed and continued touching herself. Damn, why did those two have to be so unimaginative; happy with the white picket fence and their harem of fucktoys? With the power they shared, together they could have the whole world.

Images filled her mind as she rubbed her clit. Images of a glorious Queen of the World; feared, loved, and fantasized about by all, her two favored slaves servicing her night and day. Or two queens, ruling side-by-side, their cockslave Troy kneeling at their feet, taking turns worshipping.

Or even a king, yes! If anyone would be a good and just ruler and make the world a truly better place, it would be Troy; his two favored slaves fighting for the honor of servicing their king's cock. Or a queen by his side, their mindless fucktoy riding her king while pleasuring her queen with her mouth. The fact that she couldn't decide which of the women in these fantasies she wanted most to be was enough to send her over the edge and she thrashed wildly as she came screaming.

Maria walked back over to the bed. "Are you ready for me, Contessa?"

She nodded. "Yes, but call me Helen when you wear the wig."

"Si, Helen."

As Maria's tongue replaced Helen's fingers, the Contessa looked back at the day she'd had. If she continued to simply observe them from a distance, whatever revenge they had planned would go off without a hitch.

It was time to take action. After she was finished with Maria.

"Turn this way, I want to 69 you."

"Si, Helen."

* * *

"She is demon," said one of the men around the table.

"No, of not to be demon. Vampire, perhaps," said another.

"Eh, I do not know of vampire, but is definitely witch," added a third.

Troy bought the table another round of drinks. Three tables away, Julie was doing the same with a group of women around her own table. A TV in the taverna was set on a news channel, showing footage of La Contessa's strange flight through the city earlier that evening.

Troy gave a little smile as he downed another shot of Raki. The machismo seated around the table with him had gotten a bit infectious, and his empathetic nature combined with his fifth shot hadn't done much to keep him from getting caught up in it as well. He pointed Julie out to the men sitting with him.

"See that one there? She's mine. We just got married." Backslaps and cheers of congratulations went around the table.

"Better hope La Contessa doesn't see that one," Demon said to him.

"Oh, we're not too worried about her. She's been having her security officer follow us all day." Vampire and Demon looked around suspiciously. Witch gave Troy another pat on the back.

"Hey, looks like someone's getting iPad," said Witch, causing the other two to laugh and Troy to look confused. Witch explained. "When she take people back to castle, La Contessa always send them home with basket of gifts."

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"Oh, si," Vampire offered. "The ones she likes best, she puts iPad in basket, so when you see sexy woman or good-looking man in San Finzione with iPad, you know they special guests of La Contessa."

Demon was still staring at Julie. "I think maybe you both be getting new iPads soon." Everyone laughed, including Troy.

Troy eyed the darkened small stage with an empty microphone and a karaoke machine in the corner.

"Does that work," he asked the men at the table.

"Heh, always the touristas with the karaoke," Vampire laughed. "No, karaoke is only weekends. No exceptions."

The Raki had gotten to Troy's head a bit and he laid a 20 Euro note on the table. "This says they'll turn it on for me." Something about the good nature of the tourist who'd bought the last four rounds made all three men take out their wallets and lay their own cash down as well.

Troy got up and signaled the bartender. The three men at the table couldn't hear him from that distance, just saw the bartender nod in the negative, and then in the positive a couple of times before turning on the lights over the little stage. He walked back over to the table, wordlessly took their money, then walked over to Julie and gave her a slap on the ass before wobbling a little to the stage as the backup singers on the karaoke disc began singing the opening of Dean Martin's Mambo Italiano.

At her table, Julie motioned for the women seated with her to check out the stage. Troy grabbed the microphone right on cue for his first "Hey, Mambo, Mambo Italiano." He took the microphone off the stand and hopped off the stage, wandering through the tables like a lounge singer, reaching Julie's table in time to point the microphone at her and let her sing the like about trying an enchilada with a fishy baccala-la.

He sang his way back up to the stage and motioned for Julie to come up with him. She hopped out of her seat and joined him onstage in time to do a little tango during the instrumental. He gave her a little smooch before she returned to the table and he belted out the final verse. The room applauded as Troy took a bow.

"Thank you, everyone, thank you; Grazi, gracias, efharisto, merci. Ladies and Gentlemen, three weeks ago, I kept a promise I made at the age of four and went back home to marry the girl next door. Julie, stand up and take a bow." The room applauded as she did so. Troy continued.

"We'd planned to spend our honeymoon in our home town seeing old friends, but something... inspired us to come to San Finzione. And we'd like to have a word with you about it now. But first, show of hands, who here is with the security officer?"

Four hands raised around the room, including Vampire's. "Well, if you four would care to take a seat over at this table, I'd like to have a special word with you. Everyone else, if you'd remain at your seats; I mean, go to the washroom if you need to, but then come back; Julie will be coming around to talk to you and I'll be joining her as soon as I've finished my talk with local law enforcement. Until then, bartender, a round for the house!"

The crowd cheered as Troy left the stage and sat down with the security officer officers.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

As Day Follows Night Pt. 03

"And you see a girl's brown body, dancing through the turquoise,
And her footprints make you follow where the sky loves the sea.
And when your fingers find her, she drowns you with her body,
Carving deep blue ripples in the tissues of your mind."
-Cream, "Tales of Brave Ulysses"

The Sun shone through the open balcony doors into the bedroom of the castle. It cast its beam across the marbled floor, onto the Persian rug, across the king-sized bed, and onto the face of Contessa Helena de San Finzione. She opened one eye slightly and the light entered it as well.

Helena grumbled and turned over, burying her face in the long, black hair of the woman sleeping next to her. The memory that she had things to do today pounded on her one-quarter conscious mind like an old fishing buddy shouting on her lawn about how they need to get to the lake before sun-up.

She reached for the button to summon Maria before remembering that Maria was whose shampoo she was, at that moment, smelling; some tropical blend, heavy on the coconut. Helena put her arm around her maid and her hand brushed over something hairy. Finding Maria's sunflower-colored wig that had come off at some point in their evening's activities, La Contessa hurled it behind her in the general direction of the vanity and softly kissed the girl to consciousness, tasting herself on Maria's lips.

"Mmm...good morning, Contessa. What shall I bring you for breakfast?"

Helena sat up and grabbed the silk nightgown that hung on her bedpost. "We'll get something in town. Start a bath, we're going out and we'll need to get cleaned up and dressed for shopping."

"Si, Contessa," the maid said as she made her way off of the bed and toward the bathroom.

Helena lit a cigarette and checked her messages. The Prefect of security officer had sent along the reports from last night. After church, Troy and Julie had gone to a local taverna; where Troy performed a karaoke number, then they spent the rest of the evening there talking with the locals. Each of the four officers' reports included personal notes to the same effect: Why were they following a pair of American tourists when there were real crimes going on in San Finzione? The Prefect was planning disciplinary actions for the question.

That gave her a little smile, and she messaged back to tell him to let them off the hook, but take the officers off the surveillance and assign different ones, reiterating not to approach the couple. Troy had gotten to them; the lack of profanity in the reports told her that it had been him rather than Julie.

Maria emerged from the bathroom a minute later. "Your bath is drawn, Contessa. I shall return to my quarters to prepare myself." She gave a little smile and a wink. "Unless La Contessa has need of my services and wishes to conserve water."

Helena set the phone down and removed her gown. She walked over to her maid and put her arm around the girl.

"Well, we MUST always set a good example for the people," Helena said as she kissed Maria.

They walked into the bathroom together.

* * *

Julie tapped her mimosa glass on the coffee table. "I hereby declare this first meeting of the San Finzione chapter of the Helen Is A Big Poopyhead Club open."

"Wow, you saved the sign all these years, hon," Troy said, coming out of the bathroom in his great-grandfather's smoking jacket and looking at the old, faded Sharpie-and-glitter covered paper sign on the wall behind her announcing that Helen was, indeed, a Big Poopyhead. He took a seat next to Julie on the couch.

"It's going into the foreword of my first art book, Master."

"Are you sure it's safe to talk about this stuff in the hotel room," Susan asked from the Skype conference on the laptop in front of Julie. "Or over their wifi?"

"Helen owns every hotel in the city," Troy said as he leaned forward to pile some scrambled eggs and bacon onto a piece of toast from the room service platter. "And she's had us followed since we got off the plane, but she wouldn't stoop to bugging our room or monitoring our internet." He took a bite of the little breakfast sandwich he'd made. "She'd consider it unsporting."

"You have some twisted friends," Brenda said from her box on Skype.

"Yeah, thanks for calling me back to the room at the party so I didn't get to meet her," Claire said from her window. "You two owe me an iPad now!" Everyone laughed.

"Order," Julie said. Still giggling and rapping her empty glass against the table again, then handing it to Troy to refill. "Ideas we're stealing from Helen come later in the agenda, after the Two Minutes of Cattiness."

"I've never liked that part of the meetings, Mistress," Troy said as he refilled her drink, and then poured himself a plain orange juice.

"That's why you're only Treasurer and Timekeeper, hon," Julie replied with a pat on his knee. "Now then: Yesterday's activities went well. We kept her from making the kind of lavish entrance she lives for, and her security officer searched the hotel room but didn't find the trunk. This means that today, she'll go on the offensive and try to approach us on her terms."

Troy finished his half-sandwich and started making one for Julie as he chimed in. "She's very focused on short-term objectives. We're going to the marketplace later; she'll probably 'run into us' there, likely on the pretext of a shopping spree. So we're going to put ourselves out there and we'll need the rest of you operating behind the scenes. How's the net stuff going, Susan?"

"Better than I expected. I didn't even know San Finzione had a Craigslist. That's been helpful."

Troy nodded. "Ok, so everyone work that angle, we'll do our part; which, for today, is keeping her distracted. Now, unless we're really going to go through the entire procedure of a meeting of the Helen Is A Big Poopyhead Club, I'd like a private word with Susan." Julie shook her head no and Claire and Brenda did as well. They dropped the call as Julie headed for the shower.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"Don't keep me waiting too long, Mr. Equals," Julie said as she left the door open behind her. Troy switched Susan's image to full-screen and scooted over to Julie's spot to be directly in front of the camera.

"How're you doing, hon," he asked, taking a sip of his orange juice.

"I'm ok," she said with a smile. "Not used to the house being so empty."

"I'm sorry again, Susan. We'd love to have brought you with us."

"Hey, you don't have to apologize for not taking a third person along on what's still your honeymoon."

"It's not that at all. It's just... If we'd brought you with us, Helen would consider you fair game. She's a black belt, and we haven't even taught you Wax On, Wax Off yet. But we'll start fixing that when we get home. I think you're ready and Julie agrees; and if you do too, we can get started."

Susan smiled. "You're adorable when you get protective, you know that?"

Troy smiled back. "Well, if you get bored while we're gone, Google 'mcstories Daphne.' Call it your first homework assignment."

"Julie already told me about her work; she said I could use Troy 2 while I read."

"Of all the possible reactions that I could have to Julie naming her toys after me, I choose 'flattered.'"

Susan heard moaning over the sound of running water coming from the open door to the bathroom. "Speaking of toys, sounds like you better get in there."

Troy took off his smoking jacket with a fake sigh. "Yep, guess it's time to go do that husbandly duties thing. You be ok. We love you."

"I love her too," came a yell between moans from the bathroom.

"I said both of us," Troy yelled back. He reached for the mouse to end the call when Susan stopped him.

"Wait," she said. "Can you take the laptop into the bathroom?"

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... I never had a threesome from the other side of the world before." He yelled in the direction of the bathroom door. "Mistress, can Susan join us?"

"Oh God, why're you even asking? Bring her in!"

Troy set down his orange juice and stood up. On the screen, he saw Susan start to get up from the computer at home.

"Hey, where're you going," he asked as he carried the laptop to the bathroom.

"Why, to get Troy 2, of course," Susan replied with a wink.

"You know, every once in a while, it just hits me: I love some freaky women."

* * *

[Ramesh_Rocky]

It was one on the afternoon when La Contessa and Maria were done making their way through San Finzione's fashion district. After visiting twelve shops, 20 new outfits for Helena and 14 for Maria were being delivered to the castle. Most businesses closed from noon until 2 PM in the city, but word spread quickly that La Contessa was on a shopping spree, and they decided to remain open for her.

As the two walked back to the Ferrari, a text came in for La Contessa. Her targets had been at an outdoor café, talking to an old woman, and one of the surveillance officers had spotted La Contessa and her maid approaching their position. Helena replied that she understood and that she was safe. The officers were to keep their distance, no matter what happened.

She pulled Maria into one of the shops they'd already been to and instructed the maid to just grab items at random from the racks. When they had enough to fill three shopping bags, Helena paid for everything, took one of the bags, and instructed Maria to carry the other two.

"I know better than to question La Contessa," Maria said as she trailed behind her with the bags. "But I cannot help think why we no have these things sent to the castle with the others?"

"We're about to 'bump into' some old friends while out shopping. We should actually be carrying some shopping. And don't walk behind me like you're just some servant. I mean, yeah, you're my maid, but not JUST my maid, you know?"

They rounded a corner and she saw them up ahead at the café, sitting at a table with an old woman dressed entirely in black, her head covered in a kerchief. ("Troy would call her a yia-yia," La Contessa thought to herself as they got closer.) Helena had seen the old woman every time she passed by the café; one of those permanent fixture people who drinks her wine and watches the world go by every day.

Julie was seated with her back to them, but the big, floppy, white sun hat she'd been wearing since she arrived at the hotel was distinctive enough to spot her. A bag of their own shopping sat at her feet. As they got nearer, Troy turned his head and saw them approach. "Helen?" He asked as he rose from his seat. Julie turned her head, showing that she was still wearing the gaudy red sunglasses; and saw Helen and Maria as well. She stood as well as they both walked toward her and Helen noticed the 3/4ths-empty red wine bottle on the table. There was only one glass; presumably, they had bought the bottle for the yia-yia.

"Oh my God, Troy? Julie?" Helen said with mock surprise. She dropped her bag and ran toward them to give them both giant hugs and kisses on the cheeks. Maria dutifully picked up the bag and continued walking toward them.

"Why, Helena, we haven't seen you since the wedding," Julie said, acting surprised to see her right back. "And I wouldn't have expected to see you down here amongst us peasants." She gestured toward the castle on the hill, visible from most places in the city.

"Well, I thought building a Prada store into the castle would look tacky. And nobody calls my oldest friends peasants." Helena pulled up a chair at an empty table. "Maria, dear, why don't you set those things down and bring the car around? I'd like to talk with my friends here. Oh, Troy, Julie, this is Maria, my personal maid. Maria, this is that wonderful couple whose wedding I flew to America last month to attend."

"Ciao," the maid said with a curtsey as she set the bags down. "I see video of wedding. Is nice to meet you."

Julie sat at the table with Helen as Troy went to politely excuse them and say goodbye to the yia-yia. "Maria seems nice," Julie said, watching the girl walk away.

"Oh, she is," Helen said as she took out a cigarette and lit it. She saw Julie make a frown at the cigarette. "Oh, don't worry, honey; smoking's only bad for Americans."

"I don't mind," Julie said with a smile. "I think I'm safe. I've had a nice safe, secure feeling ever since our plane landed."

"You should have called; I'd have sent my own jet to bring you."

"Now, Helen, dear, the last thing we'd want to do is abuse your friendship. It starts with something like that, and the next thing you know, we're having your helicopter fly us to church."

"Oh, that was wonderful, dear, by the way. Totally played me there, I loved it. That wasn't your whole scheme, was it?"

Julie had to push the big, red sunglasses down almost until they fell off her nose to peer at Helen over the top of them. "Any answer I gave to that question would be a criminal waste of perfectly good sarcasm."

[Ramesh_Rocky]

The old woman kissed Troy on the cheek, indicating that he'd said his goodbyes. He picked up their bag and waved goodbye to her as he walked over to join Julie and Helen; sitting between the two women and pretending to be oblivious to their efforts to incinerate each other with their heat vision.

"Hi, ladies, what'd I miss? Are we having a Scanners duel? Please don't have a Scanners duel; I care about both of your heads too much."

Helen laughed and put her hand on Troy's knee just for a moment, making certain Julie noticed the contact. "Why, no, dear; I was just about to invite the two of you to the ball I'm having three nights from now."

Julie was taken aback and tried to recover quickly. Troy seemed surprised as well. Julie was the first to speak.

"I don't think we packed anything appropriate for that."

"Well, you're in luck," said Helen, putting out her cigarette. "There's an Armani store in the marketplace, just around the corner. Mention my name and they'll take care of you." Maria pulled up in the Ferrari and Helen stood up and grabbed her bags.

"There's an Armani store in San Finzione," Troy asked.

Helen nodded. "Ever since Giorgio came to one of my parties," she said with a wink as she carried the bags to the car. As the passenger door opened, before Helen got in, she stopped and turned around. "I'll send a car for you on the night; probably not this one."

* * *

They waved as she drove away. Julie exhaled. "At least she didn't say 'ciao, sweetie darlings.'"

Troy stood up and offered her his hand. Julie didn't need any help, but took it anyway.

"We denied her the flashiness," he said as he picked up the shopping bag. "So she's bringing us to it."

"Well, we could just not show up," Julie said with a smile that denoted only half-joking.

They arrived at the cross walk and Troy pressed the button for the signal. "Yes, let's snub the woman whose name is on every building in this sovereign state and also owns the security officer. Let's piss off a woman capable of calling up her own private national guard."

"Ok, ok. It's her party and we'll cry if she wants to. So how do we play it?"

The light changed. Troy reflexively held out his hand and Julie instinctively took it as they crossed.

"The same way we've always handled everything, Mrs. Equals."

"You're not about to repeat that, are you? Like 'the same way we handle everything, Mrs. Equals. The same way we handle everything.'"

"No, but you have to admit, that would have been a perfect moment for it."

* * *

"Go around the block," Helena told Maria. "I want to have a word with that old woman."

"Oh, Contessa! You don't mean..."

"Not like that. It won't be necessary. Troy's Propappou was important to all of us; he has a deep respect for the elderly. He wouldn't do what we do to her."

When they came back to the café, Troy and Julie were gone. Helena got out of the car and sat with the old woman. Her wine bottle was now empty.

"Hello, Grandmother," Helena said to the yia-yia. She wasn't a real relative; however, it was a custom of respect to address the old woman as Grandmother. "May I drink with you?" The old woman nodded and Helena turned to a waiter and raised her voice. "Another bottle of the same and a second glass!"

The waiter turned to see who'd been so rude as to shout from outside, then turned back again when he saw who it was and ran to the wine cellar. A few seconds later, another bottle, a second glass, and a stream of apologies from the waiter for taking so long arrived at the table. Helena filled the old woman's glass before filling her own. The old woman nodded and clinked glasses with her.

"I am curious, Grandmother," Helena said, taking a drink. "Those American tourists you were just speaking with, what were you talking about?"

The yia-yia spent several minutes as they talked and drank, telling La Contessa (And probably not caring or registering whom she was speaking to.) that the couple had just gotten married and wanted to know about the people she saw from her spot every day. What the people who lived and worked around her were like, what she thought of them, who was together, who wanted to be together, and who she thought should be together. It all seemed very sweet, and she was glad that a young couple as in love as they were had taken the time to stop and talk and really listen to her.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Helena finished her wine and said goodbye to the old woman. On her way back to Maria, still waiting in the Ferrari, she instructed the waiter that the old woman's tab was to be sent to the castle for the remainder of her life. She got in and motioned for Maria to drive them home as she sat back in the seat. The places they'd been: church, the taverna, now here talking to the old woman in the marketplace; all had the same common thread of places to talk to people about other people. Getting to know their real feelings and opinions. Were they plotting a coup? Quietly fostering revolt?

No, not for a simple little wedding prank like hers. They were planning to put egg on her face somehow, not ruin her; and this involved going around and talking to old women about love and relationships?

"Ugh, this better not turn out be some 'love is the REAL magic' horse shit," she said out loud to no one. Well, this little party idea was the perfect opportunity to force their hand. Oh yes, the party. She took out her phone and hit the button for her publicist. She was put through on the first ring.

"It is 2 PM on Tuesday. In 78 hours, I am throwing a ball to commemorate or fundraise or support or condemn...something; I don't know, you find me a thing. Invite the right people, don't invite the other right people, call the right press; just make it happen." She put the phone away and closed her eyes. "We're throwing a ball Friday night, Maria. When we get back, tell everyone what to do."

"Si, Contessa. We shall be ready. But such short notice? Will people come?"

Helena turned to her maid. "Contessa Helena de San Finzione is throwing a ball. They will come."

[Ramesh_Rocky]

As Day Follows Night Pt. 04

"Come on babies, grease your lips, grab your hats, and swing your hips.
And don't forget to bring your whips, we're going to the Freaker's Ball.
Blow your whistle, bang your gong. Roll up something to take along.
It feels so good, it must be wrong, we're freakin' at the Freaker's Ball."
-Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, "Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball"

Troy's doorbell rang. When it wasn't immediately answered, it rang again. A series of short, quick rings followed. Troy ran to the door and opened it.

Helen stood on the dark, rain-splattered porch, her wet hair sticking to her face. Her bare feet were muddy and the torn, soaked pajamas she wore clung to her little shivering frame.

"H-hi, Troy. C-can I come in?"

"Yeah, ok," he said, with the obliviousness of an 8-year-old. "Uh, wipe your feet, please."

Troy let her in and shut the door behind her as a voice shouted from up the stairs.

"Troilus! Who is?"

"It's Helen, Propappou. You don't know her," he responded.

"I went to Julie's house, but nobody was home," Helen said as she wiped her bare feet on the mat. She got most of the mud off of them, but there was still enough on her feet to leave muddy footprints as she and Troy walked up the stairs to the living room.

"Our parents all went to a party; she's staying here tonight." They entered the living room and he called to the blanket fort "Hey, Julie, Helen's here."

"None shall enter the fortress of Princess Mesmera," said a voice from inside.

An old man wearing a red velvet smoking jacket walked into the room, his long, bushy beard hovering inches over the tray of pizza rolls and sausage, cheese, and crackers that he carried. "Hey, who you? Why you get dirt in..." He took in the sight of the wet 8-year-old in the ripped pajamas and set the tray down.

"Please, sir. I can't go back home."

"Oh, you Helena?"

The girl nodded, looking down at her feet and noticing for the first time that she was tracking mud. She immediately dropped to her knees and tried to wipe it up with her sleeve.

"Hey, hey, is all right, I get that. My name Byroni, everyone call me Propappou because I Troy's Propappou. Helena, is good Greek name. And you friend of Troy, so you friend of Propappou too, like Julie. Hey, you Helena, he Troy; it work!"

He went to hug the little girl, but stopped when he saw her flinch as he got close. "Oh! That why you no can go home. Well, you safe here now. Julie, get out of there. Run home and get some dry clothes and shoes for you friend. Jammies too, is sleepover. Troilus, show her to bathroom to wash feet and go get blanket. I make cocoa and do fireplace, then take care of mud."

The kids went about their tasks. As Troy took Helen to show her where the bathroom was, she stopped, turned around, and ran up and hugged the old man around the waist; soaking the leg of his pants.

"Thank you, Propappou. Nobody ever called me Helena before. It sounds nice."

"Then that what Propappou call you from now on. You go get clean and dry off, Helena. Of to be the cocoa when you done."

* * *

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Contessa Helena de San Finzione sipped her cocoa while watching the servants clean and decorate her castle's grand ballroom. The ball wasn't for another two days, but whenever she held one, she liked watching everything come together.

She had chosen to wear a white blouse with black men's slacks today, and the second phone that she kept for social purposes had been in the front pocket of her slacks, buzzing all day with RSVPs. The brief moments of stimulation from the buzz added to the giddiness she was already feeling as workmen carried in ladders to hang decorations.

She was doing something now, taking action instead of just waiting for Troy & Julie's prank to go off. She knew they both preferred a quiet life, albeit one with a lot of polyamorous sex, but she could relate to that last part. Being able to have anyone you want, any time you want was too much to give up, even for true love. Dragging them into the spotlight and out of their comfort zone was the easiest way at her disposal to throw them off their game.

The other phone buzzed, the one that the security officer had been calling to report on the couple's movements. They'd just returned to the hotel from a day at the beach. Two other women accompanied them to their room.

Helen took in the information and smiled. They'd just proven the point she'd been thinking about. And whatever they had planned next, they were probably going to be in their room for a while, possibly with the trunk that had somehow disappeared between checking into their hotel and the first time the security officer had searched the room.

She took another sip of cocoa. She had to see what they were doing in that room. Well, she KNEW what they'd be doing in there with their two new "friends," of course. But she needed more than could be told from an empty hotel room or a telephoto lens. Bugging the room, naturally, would have been unsporting of her. If she could just drop by and take a look...

A text came in with the answer to her problem. Something she'd ordered yesterday was ready for pickup. Helen finished her cup and smiled as she buzzed for Maria. Somehow, drinking cocoa always made her feel like her luck was improving.

Maria arrived and collected the cup. "I make good, Contessa?"

Helena sat for a moment before answering. "Excellent, Maria. Not perfect. But that's not your fault; there'll never be a perfect cup again." She tried to push the memory away and concentrate on the present. "The thing I made yesterday is ready to be picked up. I'd like you to do it and deliver it to their hotel."

"Si, Contessa," Maria said before turning away to take care of the cup and go get the item. La Contessa grabbed the maid's arm before she could turn away. She rose from her chair.

"Let's take this to the study. I have some special instructions for you before you go."

* * *

[Ramesh_Rocky]

There was a knock at the door to the hotel room. Troy Equals got up and went to answer it as the three women in the room went about stashing various items out of sight. A fourth beautiful young woman with long, black hair was waiting at the door; an envelope in her hand.

"Signor Troy Equals," she asked.

"Yes. We met briefly a couple days ago, I think. Maria, right?"

"Si. I come with an invitation from La Contessa de San Finzione to her ball Friday night at Finzione Castle." She extended the envelope and Troy took it. He opened it, seeing exactly what he expected; an invitation engraved in gold. He sighed and put it back in the envelope.

"Thank you. You can give her our RSVP that we'll be there. Would you care to come in?"

"Si, Grazi." Maria stepped into the room. A large trunk sat at the foot of the bed, Julie rapidly closing it as Maria walked in. Two more women sat on the couch with a mostly-empty bottle of wine and a laptop on the coffee table in front of them. They closed the laptop when Julie looked their direction. All three were dressed only in bikini bottoms.

"Sorry," Troy explained as Julie reached for a bathrobe. "We've just come from the beach. Hey, let me ask you something: Is every place in this country called San Finzione something?"

"Most of la familia's holdings, si. Not all. Before we speak further, Signor Equals, La Contessa advise me to tell you that if I start to feel like say to you or Signora Equals or you friends private things about her or you try to make me forget things, I am... eh... grilleto to fall into deep sleep where only she can wake me."

"That bitch," Julie said, rising from the bed and walking over to the couch. "She's probably making you remember every tiny detail and word while you're here, too. Aren't you, you fucking cunt whore bitch slut?"

"Si. And I am to answer things like that from you with 'Right back atcha, ya skanky cow.'"

Julie sat down between the other two women, putting a hand on each of their knees. "Well, part of the jig is up anyway. Brenda, Claire, this is Maria, she's Helen's personal maid. When she gets back home, Helen will make her report everything she hears and sees; and Maria's seen the wedding video, so she'll recognize you two and tell her you're here with us. So, if you've got anything to say to Helen, now's the time."

"Yeah," Claire shouted drunkenly. "I want a fuckin' iPad!"

Brenda took off her glasses, rose to her feet and walked toward Maria. "I got a message for your Contessa: Hey, Helen, remember shutting off my brain and making me mindlessly fuck Troy until I was commanded to a screaming orgasm?" She wrapped her arms around Maria and kissed her deeply. The maid hesitated a moment, then accepted the kiss before responded with enthusiasm.

When the kiss ended, Brenda spoke again. "Good thing for you I think that shit's incredibly hot. That's why I hang out with these two. Gimme a call when you're in the states again." She walked back to the couch and reclaimed her seat next to Julie.

"Ok, see what she did there?" Julie asked. "Dammit, Susan should be here for this. Definitely a teachable moment: shock, then acceptance, then agreement; classic signs of control. I'm going to ask a personal question about YOU, Maria, NOT the Cuntessa: You weren't into girls before you met her, were you?" Maria shook her head no. Julie continued. "Before then, was there someone you liked; a boy your age that caught your eye? You're what? Nineteen? Twenty? There must have been someone."

"Twenty, Si. The butcher boy who bring deliveries to castle; we talk a few times, he handsome."

Troy chimed in. "So, you worked in the castle before Helen arrived?"

"No, I live there. My great-grandfather, he was the Count. Was happy day when he re-married."

Troy continued. "So, and again, personal question about YOU, not HER: If she hadn't married him, you would be Countess now instead of her maid, wouldn't you?" Maria nodded in the affirmative and Troy slammed his fist onto the trunk. "DAMMIT! Now I'm sure we're doing the right thing!"

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Maria walked to the bed and sat facing him. "Signor Equals, I am happy in my life. Somewhere, deep inside, I know that I only happy because La Contessa tell me to be, but I no care. There are many people in world who are not happy, and plenty of people who only happy because others tell them to be. I am one of those ones."

"Oh, we have a friend you should meet who can tell you all about that. And enough of this Signor/Signora shit. I'm Troy and that's Julie." Maria's eyes lit up as she heard the name.

"You are Troy? Propappou Byroni, he YOUR Propappou?" Troy nodded. "I must take you somewhere; show you something. I apologize, Signora... Julie. Ferrari only have two seats, and he need to see more than you."

Troy nodded again. "I'll get dressed," he said pulling down his swimming trunks from the beach visit. Maria gasped and stared at the tool dangling between his legs. Troy registered this and reached for his smoking jacket to cover up. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, Maria! All of the other women in this room have seen me nude many times and I'm just used to getting undressed in front of them." He grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom to dress.

"You gonna be ok while I'm gone, Mistress?" He called from the bathroom.

Julie turned to kiss Brenda as her hand moved up Claire's thigh. "Oh, I'm sure I can find something to do while you're out, Master."

Maria looked confused. "You name Equals, but you call him Master and he call you Mistress?"

Julie broke the kiss and turned to face Maria. "Oh, it's something we've always done. We both developed an interest in hypnosis and mind control at an early age. We call each other Master and Mistress the way other couples might say 'darling' or 'honey.'" Maria nodded, still not quite getting it.

Julie got up and walked to her. "Another personal question for you, Maria: Are you still interested in men?" Maria nodded, glancing toward the bathroom. Julie had an angry look on her face. "Well, let me make something clear: If you think about trying anything with my husband while the two of you are alone..." She dropped the face and started laughing. "Go for it! I'm completely ok with it; hell, I'm going to be fucking these two while you're gone. We're celebrating their last night in town. And if you've got time when you get back and feel like it, we'd be happy to have fun with you too. Helen has to have expected that."

"Si, she give me rest of day off. She say to have fun if I wish."

Julie responded to that with a small kiss. "And do you wish?"

"Si," Maria breathed out as Troy emerged from the bathroom and she found herself glancing at his crotch. "I like to get to know bibliotecaria better." Julie looked confused.

"She means me," Brenda said. "It's Italian for Librarian. You can tell I'm a librarian even dressed like this," she asked, squeezing her naked breasts together. "Damn, I need to change my haircut or something."

"Don't you EVER do that, and that IS a command," Julie responded. Brenda gave a little shudder and moaned approvingly. Dampness started to appear on the front of her bikini bottom. Julie motioned for Brenda and Claire to come to the bed and turned back to Maria. "Well, the sooner you go, the sooner you can get back." Maria stood and walked toward the door as the three of them lay on the bed.

"Gonna be all right without me," Troy asked jokingly as he opened the door.

"Oh, yeah," Julie said, reaching for one of their suitcases. "I packed along Troys 3 through 7. We'll be waiting for you."

Troy sighed. "I'll explain in the car," he said to Maria as they walked out.

* * *

[Ramesh_Rocky]

They drove away from the city center of San Finzione, into the neighborhoods where people had better things to do than cater to tourists. Troy looked out the windows, imagining he could see property values decreasing as they drove.

"We just get by...however we can," he sang to himself. "We all gotta DUCK...when the shit hits the fan."

"Huh," Maria asked as she turned a corner.

"Circle Jerks song, take too long to explain. So, this is the REAL San Finzione?"

"It getting better. Whatever you think of La Contessa, she try to do good for the people."

"I'm sure she does. It's how she goes about it that I take issue with."

The Ferrari came to a stop in front of a five-story white building, lit up at night, making it stand out in the urban darkness. The giant red cross and the entrance marked "Emergencia" identified it as a hospital. What stood out most to Troy was the statue in front of the building. A kindly-looking old man with a big bushy beard, with his hands outstretched, seemingly waiting for a hug. A tear came to his eye as he noticed the jacket the statue was wearing. It was identical to the one he'd used to cover himself back in the hotel room. He read the sign out loud.

"Propappou Byroni Memorial Children's Hospital. She named the children's hospital after him."

"Si. And the orphanage and the runaway shelters. She visit sometimes, but she no have time since you been here."

Troy couldn't hold back the tears any further as he handed his phone to Maria and asked her to get out and take pictures. By the time she returned to the car, he was better. There were several minutes of silence on the drive back to the hotel before he spoke.

"She called my friend Susan one of my 'little wounded birds.' She likes to forget that she was the first."

"I know some of story, not all. I know to make cocoa when...I no can say."

"Let me tell you something, Maria. You AND Helen, since I know she's going to make you tell her everything we've said: If I'd seen this before finding out what she did to you, we might've called off our plan."

Maria nodded. "But you still going to do whatever you plan?"

Troy smiled. "Oh, yes."

[Ramesh_Rocky]

As Day Follows Night Pt. 05

"I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends.
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again.
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name.
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same."
-Ricky Nelson, "Garden Party"

The Sun shone through the open balcony doors into the bedroom of the castle. It cast its beam across the marbled floor, onto the Persian rug, across the king-sized bed, and onto the face of Contessa Helena de San Finzione. She opened one eye slightly and the light entered it as well.

Helena grumbled and turned over, burying her face in the chest of one of the castle guards. When Maria came back to the castle and gave her report about her visit to Troy & Julie's hotel room the next afternoon, her recounting of the night spent with the two of them and their friends got Helena so hot that she grabbed a guard who'd finished his shift and took him to the room so she could use him while Maria remembered every detail of her time with them. The maid was snuggled up on the other side of the guard; Helena decided to let them sleep and grabbed her nightgown from its usual spot on the bedpost.

She rang to the kitchen to tell them not to disturb Maria and have someone leave American coffee and two croissants outside the study; then made her way to the room via one of the secret passages throughout the castle. She needed to think on what Maria had told her, and it wouldn't do for anyone but Maria to see La Contessa unprepared on the morning of a grand ball.

Julie had revealed a big piece of the puzzle when she stopped Maria just as she was heading back to the castle and showed her the trunk that the security officer had been talking about but unable to find. Why the trunk hadn't been in the room whenever the security officer searched, Helena had figured out as soon as she found out Claire and Brenda had been staying in the hotel as well: The two women had arrived the day before Troy & Julie and rented separate rooms and the trunk was being shuffled amongst the three.

"I can show you this because it's too late for her to do anything about it now, and you're still not gonna figure it all out, Helen, you bitch," Julie had told Maria. Maria responded the way Helena had told her to and then saw what was in the trunk. And yes, a big piece of it made sense now, but not the whole picture.

Helena took the tray from outside the study door and drank her coffee while her computer loaded. She opened the folder with the surveillance pictures the security officer had been sending her and looked them over closely.

The trunk contained two big, white, floppy sun hats and two gaudy red pairs of sunglasses. Three wigs: two blonde with long, dark brown roots; and a long black one were also in the trunk. The other item had been a large box with a few plastic Zorro-type masks scattered at the bottom of it. If the box had been full when they packed it into the trunk, there must have been over a hundred of them to begin with. They'd either cleared out every costume shop in the city before they'd left or ordered them from the manufacturer.

The pictures confirmed what Helena had expected: In one, Julie was a couple of inches too short. In another, she was a couple of inches too tall. Or her breasts were the wrong size, or...THERE! Several pictures scattered throughout their visit of the two of them crossing a street without holding hands; something she knew they both reflexively did when crossing.

"A shell game," Helena said to herself as she lit a cigarette and looked the photos over. Just like with the trunk. Presumably, Julie would periodically slip into a bathroom, trade outfits with one of the two women, give them the wig and put on the black one, and then Claire or Brenda would take Julie's place on Troy's arm while Julie ducked out and did...what? Julie had been loose in her city, able to do what they do freely, while Troy and the other women kept the security officer, and by extension, Helen; distracted.

She'd gotten the news too late to order the security officer or Customs to find a reason to detain Claire and Brenda. By Maria's report, Troy and Julie had put their friends and the trunk back on a plane for America the next morning, indicating that their role in the game had been fulfilled.

Helena tried Googling "San Finzione" and "Zorro mask," but found nothing. She pondered the puzzle further. If the box had been full when they arrived, and none of the security officer reports involved them handing out masks, Julie must have given them to people in conjunction with whatever she'd told them to do when she was alone. If whatever they'd done at the taverna involved them, the security officer left it out of the reports; something Troy could easily make them forget.

So, some mass protest, perhaps? Not at the ball, certainly. She'd thrown them a curve they weren't expecting with that move. Further internet searches mentioned the ball, but no talk of a protest; and ordinary people couldn't hide something that big from The Internet, but they would. There was nothing to protest anyway. Her publicist had found a historic preservation society that wanted to restore a few old landmarks; birthplace of a poet, some other stuff. Nothing controversial: a novelty giant check and a couple of handshake photos and they could get on with the party. At least it wasn't one of those charities that insisted on bringing depressing slideshows.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Helena looked over everything she had learned and realized it was still nothing. She now knew part of HOW they were pulling off whatever it was, and that it was something elaborate and involved lots of people, but still had no idea what it would be. And if they were relaxed enough about it to take Maria into their bed and give her the information they did, that meant it couldn't be stopped at this point.

She finished the cigarette. She didn't usually do that. She was letting something she hadn't been able to figure out and couldn't stop get to her; and she had more important things to do today. It was hours yet before she had to get into her ball gown, but there were still guests to see to, a gown to put on, etc.. She left via the secret passage back to the bedroom to wake Maria and get ready for the day.

* * *

Troy and Julie Equals strolled hand-in-hand through San Finzione Park. Julie's large, floppy sun hat and oversized sunglasses had served their purpose and were no longer needed. She was wearing a light dress and ordinary sunglasses now.

"For future reference, Master," Julie said as she leaned on his shoulder. "I pre-approve any caper that involves me wearing a hat."

"No one should ever have to justify a big floppy hat, Mistress." Troy responded.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, simply enjoying the scenery and each other's presence. Eventually, Julie spoke.

"If we hadn't come here with an agenda, this WOULD have been a nice place for the honeymoon. We've been so busy screwing with Helen that the day before we leave is our first moment we've had to ourselves to just, like, BE married, ya know?"

"Let's see what Helen's reaction is, then depending on the outcome, we can think about it for our first anniversary."

Julie smiled. "Wow. I just had one of your 'it just hit me' moments: we're going to have anniversaries. I mean, you are the only person I could ever see spending my entire life with, Troy; just that we now have a letter from The Church and The State giving their ok for us to fuck, and we're going to have a special day for celebrating the day we got their permission to do something we were going to anyway."

"You're overthinking things. You're nervous about tonight too, aren't you?"

"I guess so. Now that everything's in place, I really need unwinding. I think the situation warrants the Special Trigger."

Troy stopped a moment. "The emergency one? The one we gave each other in case one of us really needs to stop the other from doing something bad or we run into someone who can do what we to do us and one of us needs rescuing?"

Julie ran her fingers up his chest and gently tugged at the neckline of his shirt. "Or mutually agreed-upon sexual situations," she said, making a little purring noise at the end.

Troy looked around for a moment. Their "security officer escort" were still following them, and the park was a little crowded, but he spotted what he was looking for. "As your accountant, I advise you to accompany me to that bench."

"As your decorator, I accept your advice."

The two of them sat down. Troy took Julie's purse. She turned to face him, removed the sunglasses she was wearing, and handed them to him to place in the bag. Her watch, bracelet, and earrings were next. When he was sure she was sitting as comfortably as she could, Troy stared into her eyes and spoke.

"Julie, there's something I need to do inside my best friend's mind." Julie looked around to make certain she was in the safest, most comfortable place possible. The first impulse is to find the safest place to relax. Troy knew because he had the same trigger in his head for Julie's use. Her eyes glazed over and her mouth opened slightly. Both snapped shut as her head bowed. A moment later, she raised her head again and opened her vacant eyes to meet Troy's.

"I trust my best friend with all that I am," she responded dreamily. Troy smiled and cradled her cheek in his left hand as she gave the response to the trigger. "My mind is yours to do with as you wish, Troy."

He took her right hand in his own. To anyone looking on, they appeared to be just a loving couple having a personal conversation.

"Go deeper and relax, My Love," he said.

"Mmm...thank you, Master."

"I know that my dear wife is already aroused. When you wake up, we will continue our walk; and as we do, you will find yourself getting more and more turned on as we walk; becoming hotter and wetter with each step. When your panties are soaked, you will take them off and give them to me and suggest going back to the hotel. You will do anything to persuade me to go back to our room, and you will continue to get hotter and hornier as we make our way back until fucking me is all you can think about."