Feast of Dionysos

The dream emerged from the depths of her subconscious like a premonition. Although, Jennifer wouldn't become aware of her intuitions until much later when she reflected upon it with a wicked amusement. The fantasy had been building for months; biological needs bubbling up through her body, the desire for human contact developing into a full-on crisis. Jennifer's impulses manifested in her mind throughout the night as shadowy reflections of her basest and most fundamental urges. They took flight, unhindered by any sense of decency or decorum. Hardy phantoms gathered about her body, red-blooded and full of craving.

Had she been lucid, she might have laughed off this dream or even expressed total shock at the very idea of a throng of men convening upon her nude body. She would have felt shocked at their stark nudity and fierce arousal, at her own willingness to receive each one of them in that raunchy, indistinct sanctum of her mind. Jennifer found herself drowning under the weight of their clutching bodies, submitting not so much to their advances as to a wellspring of pleasure that rose and fell like waves in an infinite ocean.

She felt the flood coming. It was inevitable, woven as it was by the Fates themselves.

Jennifer's phone abruptly went off, as did the bedside alarm that she'd left plugged in atop the empty night table. She had set both of them to make doubly sure she would get an early start, given the long day of driving ahead. The sun had not even risen. Her apartment was virtually pitch black. The phone screen stung her eyes as she became mildly conscious of the erotic fantasy fading from her mind.

She laughed out loud, bewildered by the unexpectedly lewd dream. "Good for you, Jennifer. Planning to sample the hot young professors all at once, are you?"

Jennifer rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen counter to make coffee, before remembering that the machine had long since been packed away and now lay buried in a pile of boxes for her rental van. She groaned, realizing that she'd need to wait until she could make a pit stop on her way out.

The nervous excitement of a move down to North Carolina began to rush back into her mind. As sad as it was to leave home, the prospect of her new apartment in Chapel Hill and a fulfilling job was enough to lure her away on an adventure. Jennifer had been recruited to do research on a large cache of newly discovered Ancient Greek texts, in partnership with a major university in the Raleigh-Durham area.

Best of all, she would report to a handsome young professor in the Classics department, named Adam. He had sounded adorable over the phone. She found his profile on the university's website. He was gorgeous and no doubt the singular inspiration for her surprise awakening that morning...

After a quick shower and her last goodbyes, Jennifer loaded up the van and set off for the long road trip at the end of which awaited her new life.

***

Jennifer reported to the large, gothic building that housed the Classics department early Monday morning, not wishing to be one second late for her orientation. She made her way to Adam's office, excited to introduce herself to him. Instead, she found a young woman hanging out inside, casually occupying his desk.

"Hey!" the woman said, leaping to her feet as Jennifer peeked into the open room. She rushed over, holding her hand out. Jennifer shook it.

"I'm Kyra, Adam's TA. He's got a morning class, but he'll be here in an hour or so. In the meantime, I'm supposed to give you the tour."

"Oh, okay. That sounds great," Jennifer said.

Kyra smiled and gestured toward the hall as an invitation to stroll the grounds of the university together. Kyra's eyes narrowed curiously at Jennifer, flitting up and down her body excitedly. From behind the thin veil of her dark mascara, a penetrating gaze lingered there in some unsettling way.

Kyra gave her a quick tour of the campus, then focused on the facilities related to Classics. They briefly popped into the empty box of a room that would soon become Jennifer's office. Finally, they made their way back to Adam's office. As they stepped inside, they found him at his desk. He looked up suddenly, rose to his feet, and circled the desk with a large grin.

"You must be Jennifer!" he exclaimed, thrusting his hand forward and hurrying across the room.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Adam!" she replied, enthusiastically.

Adam was every bit as handsome in person as she found his photo to be; tall, fit, with a slightly dimpled smile. It looked like he had just received a fresh haircut. He left a dark shadow of stubble on his face, but it was quite becoming on him. Adam spoke eloquently, with just a touch of nerdiness, just as she liked. As smitten as she was, Jennifer found it easy to be relaxed around him. They hit it off perfectly, right off the bat. She imagined him instantly as her majestic future husband.

After a long discussion detailing the specifics of her new assignment, an arduous task of translation and research, Adam invited Kyra to help Jennifer set up her new office. Kyra jumped at the task and whisked Jennifer away to settle her in.

Admittedly, Jennifer felt a mild jealousy seeing her handsome new boss with this attractive young teacher's assistant, but they soon hit it off, comparing notes on their shared interests. She hoped that there would be no competitive tension between them. Jennifer was beginning to like Kyra and needed a friend to help her adjust to her new environment.

***

When lunchtime rolled around, Adam offered to take Jennifer out for a local favorite of students and teachers alike. He drove her off campus, into a rural part of town, until they reached a quirky restaurant located inside a barn. She could smell the smoke from a half mile down the road. Harriet's Hog Heaven served some of the finest Carolina whole hog in town, he reassured her.

They sat down on a communal picnic bench after placing their order and Adam commenced with an enthusiastic series of questions. How did she feel about moving so far away from home? Was she excited about the new texts she'd be working with? How did she end up in her chosen profession and what were her main areas of interest?

Jennifer answered them all enthusiastically, gazing at the little dimples that formed as he listened attentively and found her answers intriguing. She felt a rush of excitement. She studied his lips, imagining the first time they'd kiss.

"Oh, what a strange little tattoo!" she said, suddenly spotting something inked on the inside of his wrist. She reached out and dared to turn his hand to get a closer look. "What does it mean?"

Adam looked down suddenly at the hollow black band crossed by a rod, which Jennifer found to be mildly phallic.

"It looks a little suggestive to me..." she laughed.

He chuckled and withdrew his hand. "Oh- nothing," he replied. "Just a little thing I got on a whim a few years back." Adam smiled at her. She gave him a curious look, intrigued by the fact that he avoided the topic. It only made her more desperate to break through the mystery of his guarded persona.

A woman arrived with a large tray containing a spread of the restaurant's famous barbecue and sides.

"Ahh, here we go," Adam said, growing animated.

The whole hog was good. Very good. She devoured it ravenously, much to his amusement.

"So how's your new apartment?" he asked. "Have you settled in?"

"Yeah! It's huge. I even have a spare bedroom, too. It's so weird to have so much space for once!" she exclaimed, through mouthfuls of smoked meat.

Adam laughed. "Oh, that's good. You'll be able to host a friend, boyfriend, family from back home then, hmm? And treat them to some of our famous barbecue."

Jennifer smirked. Was he flirting with her? That was fast. She concluded that her first day was going about as well as she could have hoped.

"No boyfriend, alas," she chuckled. "Not since a year ago. I mostly keep my head stuck in books, I'm afraid, so no awkward breakups required before I left."

Adam smiled and nodded. Jennifer groaned a little inside, wondering why she gave a little too much information and believing that it just made her seem nervous.

"So what are your favorite areas of study? I told you mine," she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh, I've focused on some of the early regional myths that gave rise to the mythology of Greece that has come down to us today. I'm especially fond of Arcadian lore. I did my thesis on the origins of Atalanta and how she may have been rendered quite differently before she became associated with Artemis and doomed with a similar oath of virginity." He chuckled. "But I've also done extensive research on Pan and written papers on the ancient cults of Dionysus, as well as-"

"Dionysus!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. "That must be interesting. I know some of those texts can be rather... lascivious."

Adam chuckled. "Yes, they are indeed quite a bit naughty," he replied with a wry grin.

"Do tell?" she said, resting her cheek on her palm as she sucked at the straw of her diet Coke. Jennifer thought she saw him turn mildly red.

"I'm not sure you'd want to hear about such things..." he mumbled.

"Oh? I study the ancient world and you really think I'm that innocent?" she replied, jokingly. They laughed.

"Well..." began Adam, his face lighting up with an impish amusement.

Jennifer sighed as the woman arrived again to offer to collect their trays and tell them about dessert. After ordering a slice of sweet potato pie, she settled back in with an eagerness to hear his delayed answer.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "So tell me. I know you started to skim those sample texts I sent you. What did you think? I'm anxious to hear what you believe we might be looking at."

"Oh... you know... the typical stuff attributed to Homer and others, which we'll have to detangle and ascribe to their real authors, whenever possible..." she replied.

Jennifer became wild with disappointment and intrigue as he changed the subject again. It would be harder than she thought to break through this man, but she was determined to do it. However long it took...

***

A figure emerged from the shadows. Jennifer could not see his face. A long black robe obscured his body. Another man appeared, and another. She found herself bathing in a pool of harsh light as they gathered around her, whispering, pointing. Suddenly she realized she was naked. She threw her arms over her body, collapsing into herself in a frantic attempt to obscure her exposed vulva and her rounded breasts.

Still, they advanced, shedding their robes one by one. Their bodies were nude, vigorous yet sensual, perfect. But they had no faces! Suddenly they stopped, raising their hands into the air as if welcoming her, offering themselves to her. Yes, they were hers, not the other way around.

Jennifer rose cautiously before them, searching for any sign of expression, but their faces were still missing, like flat expanses of flesh. She trembled as she dropped her arms to the side and stood up straight, confronting them with the spectacle of her own nudity. Never before had she felt so exposed, so vulnerable. And yet, somehow she felt their presence around her like a comfortable warmth. It radiated around her. Her body responded, she felt it awakening. She felt it yearning for their touch.

"Whaaat the..." Jennifer squealed the moment she woke. She turned and laughed softly into her pillow. It was obvious that it had been far too long since she had a good fuck. Her body was expressing its disappointment, particularly in the presence of Adam. She craved intimacy. She desperately wanted to feel a man's touch.

Jennifer rolled out of her bed, lamenting the fact that she hadn't been able to figure out where she packed her dildo since she moved in. She was virtually finished unpacking. It still hadn't turned up and she needed it now more than ever. On her way to the bathroom, she laughed at the thought that she could have accidentally left it behind. She imagined her landlord checking in on the condition of her abandoned apartment, finding one forgotten box sitting in the middle of the living room; a box containing nothing more than her fat pink dildo.

She yanked her panties down and sat on the toilet to pee, burying her face in her hands with amusement and shame. After her morning coffee, she undressed and made her way into the shower. Jennifer thrust her hand against the wall, letting the water rain down over her head as she labored over the drain, finger-fucking herself. The warm water ran down over her heavy, swinging breasts in rivulets. Droplets flung themselves from her dancing nipples as she felt herself shudder and quake with a necessary urgency. It was decidedly unromantic but an unavoidable medicine for the haunting desire that plagued her.

No matter what she did, no self-pleasure ever seemed to satisfy her. Something was triggering such a strong urgency for real human contact that it clouded her thoughts later that day and on the days that followed. Still, she managed to pick herself up every time and finally began to pour her energy into her work, which provided to be the best distraction that she had.

***

A week passed and Jennifer found herself increasingly immersed in the ancient texts that had been assigned to her. So far, she discovered that they contained some alternate versions of well-known myths, introduced a few additional details on obscure ones, and included at least one mention of a regional goddess that was likely later merged with the broader worship of Demeter. A few passages came to light which Jennifer thought Adam would find especially interesting and she rushed to his office one afternoon to share the details as they emerged.

"Aaadaam," she sang, peeking around the corner and into his office.

Adam looked up at her with surprise and a grin. "Jennifer! What's up?" he said, quickly setting down his pen.

She skipped into the room holding a piece of paper behind her back. "You'll never guess what I found..."

"What's that?" he replied, full of curiosity.

"Something delightfully Arcadian..." she mused. "Our mischievous friend Pan is up to no good again."

"Oh, really?" he laughed, his eyes full of delight.

She handed him her translation. He skimmed it in wonder. "This is wonderful!"

"Yep," Jennifer said, leaning forward against his desk. She felt like a schoolgirl showing off her cleavage, then decided to back off and take it slow.

He looked up at her with a curious smile. "You know, I'm really enjoying your work. This is exciting!"

"Thanks!" she laughed.

He sat back in his chair and gave a satisfactory sigh. "This is developing into a really special partnership. Thank you."

"No problem!" she said with a grin, wanting to read between the lines.

Adam became thoughtful for a moment, then raised his finger and waved it in the air. "Wait here for a sec. I think I have some context I can provide for this one. I'll just need a few minutes to find it." He quickly got up and circled around his desk, then rushed out of the room.

It was the first time Jennifer found herself alone in Adam's office. She began to wander around, peering at the odd items he had up on the walls, scanning the papers on his desk, and even taking a quick glance out of his window to familiarize herself with his daily view. She made her way to the shelves in the corner of the room, loaded with a small collection of books that she figured were especially important to him and his research.

The shelves contained a variety of odd texts, some new, some old. An assortment of critical theory was mixed in, as well as a stack of scholarly journals. She squatted down to reach the bottom shelf. Some of the books there were dusty, but she fixated on one that was not. It stuck out a little further from the rest and appeared to have been returned to the shelf just recently.

She slid the small, black, leather-bound book off the shelf and stood back up, cradling it in her hands. It was exceptionally worn and very, very old. Jennifer cracked it open and a musty smell struck her nose. The pages were brittle. She turned them carefully.

Jennifer instantly realized that she was perusing a dense examination of the cult of Dionysus; the very worship that Adam had mentioned he was intrigued by and which she had referred to as scandalous by today's standards. She flipped through the book faster, her heart racing, realizing that this was certainly not the ideal book for him to catch her reading.

It contained long passages detailing festivals full of drinking and merriment, sacred fires and shared song, and above all: sex. Lots and lots of sex. Breathlessly, she skimmed the descriptions of wild orgies thrown in temples or deep in the forest. She felt herself beginning to tingle as the book examined the rites by which men and women would take multiple partners, sometimes at random, beating their chests and howling into the night as explosions of pleasure overtook and possessed them.

As if this weren't shocking enough, she turned another page and saw a diagram that struck her so hard that she nearly dropped the book. The illustration depicted a small ring crossed by a crudely formed phallus. It was exactly the image that Jennifer had seen tattooed on Adam's wrist. She scrambled to read the description beneath the drawing. Something about a sex cult, an erection intended to symbolically represent the god Priapus, a symbol intended to denote membership into... something.

She frantically turned to the next page and found another illustration, similar to the one on the previous page. The same circular band was there, this time containing a seething, mouth-like shape at the center.

Jennifer's heart skipped a beat as she heard someone coming down the hall. She quickly shut the book and hurried to return it to its slot at the bottom of the bookcase. As she went to stand back up, she realized that something had fallen out. A small slip of paper sat folded on the floor. The person in the hallway grew nearer. There was no time to act.

She scooped up the piece of paper and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans as she spun around. Just as she turned to face the door, Adam walked in tapping a stack of papers.

"Here, read this..." he said, quickly approaching her. "See what you think. I believe your text relates to a proto-Greek tribe around the time of the Pelasgians. There are some clues to the origins of the Pan mythology that date back to around their time."

"Oh, thanks!" replied Jennifer, snatching the papers from his hand and breathing rapidly. He was taken aback by her apparent display of enthusiasm and smiled at her. "Well, I'd better get going, then. I'll see what kind of connections I can come up with!" Jennifer continued, rushing for the door.

"Great, looking forward to it!" he exclaimed as she headed out. Adam raised an eyebrow, then glanced around the room, wondering what might have caused such a sudden change to her disposition.

As soon as Jennifer reached her office, she sat down and began to collect herself. It was a close call, to be sure, but she found herself tantalized by the fact that Adam had the very tattoo that she had seen in the book. And what was that other one? What did it mean?

She suddenly remembered the piece of paper she had found and fished it out of her pocket. Jennifer unfolded it and stared blankly at the note jotted down there, in Adam's own handwriting.

It simply said:

July 19th - 9 PM - 1745 Montrose Ave.

***

July nineteenth rolled around and Jennifer found herself at a Chinese restaurant on the far side of town, near the location indicated on the slip of paper. Over a plate of vegetable lo mein, she flirted with the idea of at least driving past the location for which, strangely, there was no street view coverage online. It would be so easy, and such low risk, just to casually pass by and see what was there. On the other hand, suppose she passed Adam? Suppose he glanced at her through the window, shocked to find out that she was stalking him. Besides, it could very well have been the address of a new gym he wanted to try, or something. Maybe he just happened to use his note as a bookmark.