Marcus dutifully reported back to his Sergeant. He told him all about the meeting with Absko, and Alamini. He talked about the service on Thursday night, and that he planned to go. Sarge looked skeptical. "If you're going to go, Marcus, make sure you have something that lets you get back to us if you're in trouble. I have a bad, BAD feeling about this outfit." "I understand Sir. I'll take all the precautions you think I'll need. I don't know how many people will be there, but... I have to be honest, it did not LOOK or FEEL like a crazy cult or anything like that." Sarge laughed. "Neither does any church but... that's a discussion we'll have another time. Just be careful Marcus."
Back at the temple of Ayesha, Absko and Alamini were in Absko's private office, looking at the materials that their member had found. Absko was smiling. "I KNEW there was something about him that didn't ring true. Israel is Marcus: and he's a detective." Alamini laughed. "They do not know how extensive our network is, Brother. Had they that knowledge, perhaps they would have been more careful." "Indeed. But we must take their carelessness and turn it to our advantage." He looked at the statue of the goddess on the stand behind him. "Have you seen how her eyes have glowed since this boy showed up? It is the time. We must be ready." "Agreed Master. Agreed . I was about to check the downstairs chamber. Would you like to see as well? Master Absko nodded his head. "Let us go." Behind the office, there was another room, and within THAT room, there was a hidden chamber. It was classic. A sliding bookshelf revealed a door that led to a downstairs set of rooms. Absko and Alamini proceeded downstairs. There were light switches, but they used the more traditional candles - blue ones to match Ayesha's eyes. There were two cells in the basement - designed for short term confinement of acolytes who had disobeyed an order . There was also a statue of the goddess, and here, as everywhere within the temples, her eyes glowed. Right in the center of the main room was the most startling artifact: a pendulum, with a huge, swinging blade. "In a way, it would be a shame, Alamini. He is SUCH a perfect specimen, I would hope she would not reject him. " Absko stared into space. "It has been so long that Ayesha has had a proper sacrifice. We can take our place in the world, if we have one."
On Thursday, Marcus began to get ready for the weekly service. He dressed appropriately: a neck tie. Dress pants. A jacket. And a blue shirt with a white collar. He had two of them, in different sizes. He wore the tighter one, which meant he couldn't close his necktie completely. Why did he choose the tighter one? He couldn't explain what it was, but he hadn't stopped thinking about Master Absko since their meeting. His "thoughts" were not all professional. He had dreamed twice that week, that Absko was on top of him, holding his legs in the air, pushing what Marcus imagined was a huge dick into him, and Marcus was yelling "YES MASTER. MORE. MORE." He had woken up in a pool of sweat and a pool of semen both times. He had never experienced this before. He was trying to get his feelings under control because this was a police investigation, but the tight shirt proved, he hadn't completely succeeded.
Alamini was at the door greeting people as they entered. "Inquirer ISRAEL! " He laughed. "I must now pay my bet to Master Absko. I was skeptical that you would return. He had no doubt. He was right again. He was hoping you'd come back." That comment made Marcus feel warm all over. "I wouldn't have missed it. I'm here to learn." "Oh, you will learn Inquirer Israel. Master Absko will look for you after the service. Right now, he is busy preparing." As Marcus walked in, he noted that some of the attendees were looking at him, and then whispering amongst themselves. He didn't understand, until one of the men came up to him. "A TRUE son of the goddess has joined us tonight. We are honored." "I'm sorry?" Marcus looked at him, and the man smiled. "I was rude. My name is Samuel. It is your eyes, young man. Your eyes are the eyes of the goddess. Did you not notice?" Indeed, Marcus hadn't. Now, for the first time, he saw the jewel like, blue eyes, in every image of Ayesha. "No. It was something I didn't see. " He looked around and yes, the attendees continued to look at him as if he were, well, "anointed." "THROUGH HER SERVANT AYESHA GREETS YOU." The dark deep voice of Absko reverberated as he entered, and Marcus heard the strike of a mallet on a drum. He saw people sitting down and he joined them. At the front of the room, a group of about twelve people started dancing. There was more dancing throughout the meeting. And chanting. Much, much chanting. It was warm. Marcus felt himself sweating and he took off his sport coat. He saw one of the women look at him, smile and turn away. The sweat had made it much more possible to see the contours of his athletic body, and Marcus knew it. "Away from the flesh. This is not time for the flesh," he heard himself think, and he laughed internally. This was the service taking control: Marcus ALWAYS had time for the flesh. After about 2.5 hours, the service was ending. By now, Marcus had removed his tie and rolled back his sleeves. The service ended with a community dance: the type you see in folk churches everywhere. Marcus was a much sought after partner, and he felt hands on his ass, on his back, even on his neck, more than once. The dancing was exhilarating and exhausting too: he was sweating heavily, and breathing hard, when it was done.
The front room of the temple had been rearranged, and there was a "love feast" meal set up. Fruit, bread, drinks, a huge vegetarian feast. As Marcus milled about with the others, making small talk, Alamini came up to him. "Did you enjoy the service, Israel?" "I did Brother Alamini. It was like nothing I have ever seen before." Alamini smiled. "It DOES appear you enjoyed yourself. You DO dance well." "Well thank you. It's been a while." "He will keep it concealed, but it was his ability to dance that led the goddess to choose Absko as Master of the temple." "HOW INTERESTING. How did that happen?" "Well, I was not there, but what I am told is that there were four acolytes who COULD have been named. They danced until one went into a trance and spoke the goddess' words. That was Absko. "And here is Absko." Marcus felt a strong, very warm hand on his shoulder. "I knew you would be back Israel. I hope you enjoyed yourself. " "I did. Thank you for inviting me." Absko smiled. "You have only seen the smallest part of our temple. May I have the honor of showing you more?" "Oh, I would enjoy that. Please let me prepare myself. I am quite wet, and messy." "Ha ha. We do not put much stock in that sort of thing, Israel. Do not worry. Follow me. Alamini, would you hang Israel's jacket on a rack? "
Absko brought Marcus into the back of the temple. "It's really not much here but office space," Absko smiled. "By the way, Absko is the name I was given when I became Temple Master. My birth name is much more trivial. It is George. " "What would you prefer to be called?" Marcus asked. Absko/George began to speak, then stopped. He smiled. "I am afraid I cannot answer that question Israel. I am so accustomed now to being called Master, that I frequently ignore either name." "I can call you Master if you would prefer," Marcus said, not understanding where that had come from. Absko/George smiled and put a strong hand on his shoulder. "You should call me whatever you feel is appropriate Israel. I sense that we will be spending much time together." Marcus began to blush. "If I may ask.... Master... " George smiled. "I was an athlete in college so I'm familiar with athletic frames. You seem to have played sports at some time?" "You are correct, Israel. I was a semi professional football player, until I discovered the temple of Ayesha in my city. Now, I believe I have found my purpose." He paused. "I believe you may have found yours too." "Really? How so?" "Israel, surely you have not missed the similarity between Ayesha's eyes and yours?" "Well, I saw them Master, but I only heard people whispering." "Ha ha. Yes, our congregation tends to do that. Many of us, myself included, are converts. Others, like yourself, bear a mark that indicates they are her children. " He paused. "Alamini, who's birth name is Steve, believes as I do, that you are one of her chosen." He rose, smiling. "That is why I wonder if you would be comfortable accompanying me to the acolyte chambers. Downstairs"
Marcus looked around the rooms on the lower level. The pendulum intrigued him. "In the old days, when a proper victim for sacrifice was found, he would be dispatched by the pendulum, Israel," Absko explained. "He - always a he - would be splayed out, naked. The high priest would collect his semen by, ahem, jerking him off, while the blade descended. If the semen were collected, it would be distributed to women slaves in an attempt to raise further sacrifices. If it were not..." he paused. "Both the victim and the high priest would be sacrificed. It would be taken as evidence that the high priest were not enough of a man to be her highest servant." Marcus gulped. "What made a man a proper sacrifice Master?" Absko smiled. "You may call me George for now.... if I may call you by your true name... marcus." Shivers went through marcus' body. "Then you know..." "Yes, I do. And you are down here because I am considering what to do with you. Your eyes are a marker. Blue eyes in brown skin was what made a man a candidate for sacrifice. As were male beauty, intelligence... " He smiled again. "And while I have determined that you satisfy these, I am almost certain you are disqualified from the final criterion, which is to be a virgin relative to other men." "NO MAN HAS BEEN IN MY ASS" marcus blurted out, and George smiled. "There is a first time for everything. I assume a man has been in your mouth?" George's gaze was so strong that marcus looked away. "Yes Master." "AH. Then we are on the horns of a dilemma here. I am not enough of a logician with our laws to know if one who is a virgin in one orifice and not the other, is still considered a virgin to the goddess." He smiled. "Of course, we can eliminate that question alltogether. Get on the stone, marcus. I wlll save you from sacrifice." marcus looked at the former football player's body, his smile. He was weakening. He didn't know if he could escape from George, but he assumed that the acolytes upstairs would bring him back. And he felt his desire rising. George smiled and said again. "Get on the stone marcus. Or I will summon the others, and we will keep you retained in a cell until you are ready for sacrifice." marcus blinked. He had stopped sweating, but now it had started again. "Yes Master," he answered, and walked to the stone. He watched, transfixed, as George undressed. His body was still that of a powerful football player. No, without his service weapon, he could not have overpowered this man. "You are far from my first marcus. I assure you, you will enjoy it." He felt George tightening restraints on his wrists. Then he felt his shirt opened. "What a fine body. You keep it shaved, my lovely young man." "Yes Master." "You seem to want this." George had opened marcus' zipper and pulled out his hard cock. George's hands were soft, and marcus moaned as they played with him, fingering his balls, and slowly pulling down his slacks. "Shoes are a bother, but they are what they are." George pulled off marcus' shoes, and then slipped off his pants. A soft finger found marcus' hole and begin to manipulate it. "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN" came out of marcus. He had played with himself there, but he had never had another man play WITH him. He began to twist, his head moving back and forth. He felt the sharp bristles of George's goatee stroke his neck. "OH GOD. OOOOOOOOOOOH. " "All work and no play, marcus, makes a man a perfect sacrifice." "Master... ooooooooooooooooh" marcus felt a finger slip inside of him.
Then a second, and finally, a third. "You seem primed marcus. You are moist already. Ha ha. There is a benefit to keeping this building so warm. " George reached down and picked up one of his socks. He stuffed it in marcus' mouth. "There is no need for any to know HOW you failed the test of sacrifice. 'mmmmmmmmmmmph' was marcus' reply. Then he felt a large object entering him. He saw George standing at the foot of the stone, and couldn't see his cock. George had entered him, and had entered him easily. How did that happen? Was it... was it the cologne George was wearing? Had it relaxed him? Was it George's experience. George must have been thinking about what taking marcus was going to be like, because he was finished very quickly. He looked down at marcus who's eyes were pleading. "You wish for release do you not, marcus?" The detective shook his head yes. "Ha ha. I will assist you. But you will return. Because if you do not... I will simply tell the acolytes that I had determined you qualified as sacrifice, but had escaped. Do we understand each other? marcus slowly shook his head yes. "Now, we will begin your.. apprenticeship." Slowly, he brought marcus to orgasm. When he was finished, he wiped the spume off of marcus' chest, and took the sock out of his mouth. "Dress yourself, marcus. I will make sure you leave unmolested." And he smiled. "I will not make that promise for tomorrow, when you will return." "Yes Master."