Penthesilea's Wish [Vol.2]

Chapter Eight

When Nicasio and Daniela arrived at the AmericanSchool of Classical Studies and were shown to their accommodations by a visibly tired Geoffrey, it was well past 2:00 AM. The sprawling facilities were somewhere in the center of Athens but behind a rock wall, reminiscent of a Medieval fortress. Serious negotiations had taken place in Greek at the gate before letting Geoffrey's van pass through. The entire compound was permanently lit up at that late hour and the yellowish glow of the surrounding city could be seen as something between night and day.

Their former American guide helped them carry their luggage to the dormitory section of the institute, known as Loring Hall. It had been designed for visiting scholars of antiquities and archaeology graduate students both foreign and domestic. The two of them could now understand why their first meeting with staff was scheduled in the midmorning, allowing them a little more time to recoup their energy. The long flight from first California and then New York had indeed been a grueling one and their jetlag had already set in.

The housing wing of the facility was comfortable-looking and seemed recently remodeled. Pinned to their door in the quiet hallway were already three long distance telephone messages from Professor Simons, the last labeled URGENT. Nicasio fished a ten Euro bill out of his pocket, which he had managed to exchange at the airport back at Kennedy International, and handed it to Geoffrey, their driver. He had by that late hour become strangely stoical, especially about the tip, and quietly bade them a pleasant stay as he left the building for his van.

Entering their room, they found their arrangements fairly spacious and almost quaint. Amid hardwood floors and Neo-classical draped curtains, two single beds drawn together, a small bathroom, and ample desk area greeted them, a little reminiscent of a college dorm room. As Nicasio reached for the telephone on the night table, he was suddenly attacked by Daniela, who in a surprising show of enthusiasm for their freedom and potentially romantic circumstances, pushed him with vigor onto the bed. She uncharacteristically climbed on top of him and began to kiss him passionately.

"Hey! What's up with that?" He asked, breaking free of her embraces long enough to lay the room key onto the night stand and take a deep breath.

"I don't know. . . I just felt like it."

She smiled above him victoriously, as if she had just taken him down in a wrestling match.

"Actually, I've strangely wanted to do that to you ever since we were half way over the Atlantic. You think it was the altitude?"

"I have no idea."

"Don't you know where we are now, lover boy? Ancient Athens! So far away from home! Come on Nicasio, make love to me right now. . ."

"So what happened to your 'no mixing business with pleasure' rule, Ms Dani?"

"Well . . . that starts tomorrow, when we go to work."

"Oh. I see." He kissed her back, cooperatively at first, then slowly and passionately.

"Mmmmmm. That's more like it," she whispered, taking off her blouse and bra.

"Maybe I should remind you, tiger lady," he added as she unfastened his belt and began to unbutton his shirt, "it actually is tomorrow here already. You know that?"

"Just shut up and kiss me again . . . we're totally jetlagged remember? It doesn't matter if we're dead tired tomorrow."

"Today. . ."

He kissed her neck and ran his hands down her smooth back, resting them on her now naked hips.

"But . . . aren't you even . . . sort of tired now, Angelina?"