At the central plaza, they found an available table on the
veranda and ordered wine along with a platter of cheeses
and fresh fruit. Though the three friends made every
appearance to be consuming the wine and the food, it was
only the young woman they surrounded who actually
imbibed. By the third cup of wine her laughter flowed
quite easily, and she had lost all awareness of any other
patrons around them.
“Let us stroll for a while, this wonderful night,” said Julian,
rising from his chair. “Our villa is just a short way from
here and beneath such a moon, our gardens can be quite
breathtaking.”
“That sounds wonderful,” answered Giselle and, humming
the opening notes from the aria she had performed for
them earlier, rose from her seat. Arm in arm they set off.
The sound of her beautiful gown tearing broke through
the fog which had enveloped her mind. She remembered
arriving at the villa and being offered more wine. This
wine had tasted different though, more earthy and
evidently more potent. She looked with confusion at the
right sleeve of her dress which now hung, loosely twisted
around her wrist, her arm from the shoulder down bared
to the night sky. Elliot drew long sharp fingernails down
her arm, breaking the skin and leaving tiny trickles of
blood which he caught on his lips and tongue. Though the
touch of his lips upon her was cold, she murmured and
sighed as if with a lover.
Nathan and Julian had removed their jackets and ties and
undone several buttons on their shirts. They led her to a
bench and table in the very center of their garden. There
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