“Is it poisonous?”
A dozen pair of inquisitive yet slightly apprehensive eyes all focused on the herpetologist holding a fairly large albino python with both her hands.
“Nope. Pythons are one of the few species of snake that don’t kill their prey with poisonous bites as you all commonly know.” Mana raised the snakes head by holding it a few inches at its neck and bringing it close to her face. The students and teacher slightly tensed.

“It’s safe, don’t worry. Jenelle here isn’t venomous. Pythons kill their prey by wrapping and crushing them to death, they have very strong muscles. So as long as you’re holding a python away from your body, you’re fairly safe. It’s why pythons are allowed during this lecture at the zoo (museum) reptile centre here. Would anyone like to touch Jenelle?”

Mana looked at the group of students in mild amusement as those with apprehensive eyes naturally fell back to allow their classmates who were nodding eagerly with exited starry eyes at the chance to touch a snake, perhaps for the first time in their lives. She could see their teacher had already run through this group separation in advance, as she added to her students, “as I told you, those who have parental permission, please line up in the numbers on your name tag and follow Mana’s instructions.”
The first student looked at Jenelle in both awe, nerves and excitement and slowly raised his hand a few inches from the snake waiting for permission.
“You can touch the back of her head but if you’d like to try to work your way up there, start from the middle,” Mana advised.

The student nodded and tentatively placed his fingers on Jenelle’s scaly but soft skin, giving her a few strokes. Jenelle flickered her tongue to smell the new existence in front of her but didn’t react much when she was stroked.
“Wooow, she’s softer than I thought. I thought scales would be like, rough and prickly! And she’s actually cold, it’s strange…”
Mana chuckled and added to the small group who had permission to touch Jenelle in turns, as if telling them a special secret. “While reptiles are indeed cold-blooded creatures, Jenelle is the sweetest python you’ll ever meet with a warm heart of gold, just like her skin!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Mana shut the front door to her house behind her, she sighed happily glad to be home. The workshop had gone well, the students were very inquisitive and those who were allowed to touch Janelle all gained confidence over time, surprisingly to the jealousy of some of their classmates who were curious enough to want to have tried.

It was one of the best parts of her job, she enjoyed teaching as many visitors to the museum the joys of snakes and to break the religious taboo often surrounding them.
As she made her way through the corridor leading to the door of her basement, she casually dropped her light cardigan and bag on the kitchen counter before, reaching for her hair and freeing it from the clip that had kept her shoulder length wavy and full mousey brown hair to tumble down just below her shoulder blades. As she descended the stairs to the basement, she unfastened the buttons of her work shirt, leaving her front exposed to the warm controlled air of her greenhouse and her family.
Not a family of plants like most people would expect.
But of snakes.

Various sizes of glass cages spread out on shoulder length shelves at the right and left of her, as she walked in the centre aisle at leisure, calling each by their name and greeting them all, at times, casually stopping to touch the glass and peer into it so make eye contact. She housed over 10 snakes, of different breeds, sizes and colours and they were all her family.
Eventually, she made her way to the centre back of her greenhouse where we had furnished an artificially installed lawn with natural grass, a low but wide beanbag near some rocks, deliberately decorated with presentation and various height in mind. A huge glass tank sat at the corner of the greenhouse on stop of the lawn, its slide glass door ajar for its occupant to freely slither in and out as it pleased.

She sat down in the bean bag, curling her legs underneath her and reached for the remote to turn on the wall TV for the evening news. After about 5 minutes, she could sense rather than hear that one of her family members had slithered over the rocks to reach her height on the bean bag and slide over her shoulder. Without breaking her gaze from the TV, she intuitively reached over with her right hand to gently pat the snake relaxing on her left shoulder, its gaze also fixed on screen as if watching the current news report with her.

“The case which has rocked the nation of the rape trial of Lindsey Carter came to an end today with a non-guilty verdict for business mogul Stanley Summerson, known as the CEO of Summerson’s Group and Holdings of some of the most luxurious resort hotel chains and restaurants all over the world. What many thought would end this case with the verdict were further shocked and saddened to hear the death of Ms Carter a few hours after the verdict was announced. Police have reported that Ms Carter took her own life and left a letter to her family and to all her supporters for pursuing this case against severe media and public backlash against her intentions.
Mr Summerson wasn’t available for comment but his team released this statement saying,
‘It’s been an emotionally gruelling day for all, no matter which side of the court case you were on. While we are relieved that Mr Summerson was cleared of the charges pressed against him, we are also shocked and saddened to hear of Ms Carter’s passing soon after and offer our condolences to her family. There were no winners today and we hope that the media and public will respect the privacy of Mr Summerson and his family during this sensitive and difficult time.’ Now over to Jake at Benedale Courthouse.”

Mana let the news story run but tuned her attention out from if as she tilted her head to her left to gently rub her cheek on the giant python’s skin. The python had slithered and laid half its body and head on her lap as always, the lower half still draped over her shoulder and the stacked rocks near her. She added in a low voice to the snake,
“Seems we’re going dancing tonight. We’ve got a date with a newly cleared rich CEO who I’m sure will be in a very celebratory mood tonight…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stanley reclined back smugly in his designer tailored suit, casually sipping a glass of champagne in his hand in celebratory victory. He was known to be a ‘ladies’ man’ with his close confidents, a ‘cruel womaniser and adulterer’ according to some of the public and the prosecution team. To Lindsey, he was her ‘light’, her ‘hope’, which was a role that served him well for a while since she was so compliant. However, when she broke the rules, started falling in love with him and demanding he leave his wife else she’d go to the tabloids, well… He couldn’t have that could he, he thought to himself with a frown.
No, she needed to be taught her place.
Needed to be taught what it meant to try to defy and blackmail Stanley Summerson.

The result of the case went as he expected.
Her death was unexpected but a bonus.

All loose ends tied. Chapter closed. He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.
The adrenaline rush of having escaped a prison sentence and broken free of this current predicament had given him a hard on he knew he couldn’t satisfy with his wife. The rush of a He lived to battle and result in a well fought victory with lots of stake, it was what made him one of the best moguls of his generation for a reason.
He was addicted to it and today’s victory was going to sustain his arousal long into the night.
His personal bodyguard had set up his private limo in the garage of his mansion and after seeing to his family and making an excuse about being driven to the cliff top for some air and to enjoy the cool spring evening, he was driven to a fancy restaurant which had a special VIP lounge sectioned off for its esteemed patrons.
What the general public of the restaurant also didn’t know was that a gentleman’s club was also connected to the VIP lounge and only the classiest and skilled of exotic dancers were allowed to perform and cater to the rich and famous in secrecy.

Stan had booked a private room in the VIP lounge, up on the 25^th floor with a large window overlooking the city and bay. He was sipping his champagne with a smile, looking down when the door opened and a woman he hadn’t seen before dressed in soft pink lingerie, white stilettos and a jade beaded necklace with a teardrop pendant as smaller jade snake coiled bracelet sultry walked up to him.
His grin had remained in place while admiring her beauty until instead of greeting him and asking him his preference, she looked at him but ignored him, walked to the music player and selected a seductive saxophone tune to start. She turned to face him and only then he saw she was looking at him for the first time.
A myriad of emotions from curiosity, to lust, to annoyance but now to…
Nerves? Him?

She carried a quiet but powerful aura around her that he would sense. The dance was for him but she controlled this space, her eyes told him.
He smiled.
“Power,” he said to her.
She grinned and began walking to him, slowly undulating her hips and arms of that like a snake he thought, so sensual and hypnotising.
No dancer had ever grabbed his full attention like this from the start.
No dancer had ever made him feel intimated.
He felt himself twitch below. He was going to thoroughly enjoy putting her in her place.
The night suddenly felt very young…

~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m surprised my manager allowed me to leave early with you? Are you like… famous or something? There’s usually a strict, ‘no private soliciting’ policy at the club…”
Stanley grinned as she trailed his lips along her collarbone, while caressing her thigh through the slit of her long evening dress. He had been adamant that she accompany him for drinks and perhaps more and once her manager told her to just ‘do whatever he asks for, he’s an esteemed customer’, but to also ‘have fun and get good tips’, she complied and soon found herself at the back of his limo, pressed up close to him.
She realised he was a man who was very used to getting his way and commanded a great deal of power. She was impressed and grateful for that.
“On occasion, us long-time clients are allowed to be privately entertained outside of the club for a special fee. I knew the moment I saw you that I had to have you. Of course… I’ll make it worth your while financially,” he added after pulling back to leer at her.
She returned his grin and with sultry eyes, trailed a finger down her chest to the teardrop at the end of her necklace resting at the top of her cleavage.
“Is it okay for me to leave my jewellery on?”
Stan’s eyes lit up with heightened lust.
“But of course? Jade is it?”
The dancer brought up the snake bracelet to her cheek as if she was being caressed by her lover’s hands before moving it to her lips and kissed the head which rested at the base of her thumb. She slowly but sexily used that hand to reach behind her and begin to unzip her dress. Stanley was watching her every move with hawk eyes.
“Serpentine. Many confuse it for jade but it’s not as dense and rich in green.”
The strap of her dress began to naturally slip off her shoulders as the zip was fully unfastened. She kept her bracelet nested at the base of her spine, rubbing it up and down softly on her skin, releasing a gentle moan of pleasure before looking at Stanley intently.
He shuddered.

There it was again.
That feeling of… nerves… No… fear?

She added in a low but cold voice.
“It’s softer, with veins of white and gentle shades. Since ancient times, it was coveted as a detector or cure for position with royalty. It would detect and protect the wearers of it from poison…” Her eyes glanced to over his shoulder and she grinned.
“Just as we’re about to rid society of the poisonous substance that you are.”

His instincts warned him of danger. He had noticed that the limo had stopped at the same time the dress pooled down to her waist, revealing her mousey brown wavy hair crowning her cleavage and dewy skin. He turned around behind him, eyes wide in fear and about to scream to his driver for help.

His mouth was still agape in mid scream when his body collapsed in front of Mana, necked cleanly snapped in two. She looked at his now cooling corpse with briefly with disinterest before returning her gaze, filled with warmth and love for the man in front of her.
He was on his knees, topless but wearing a serpentine coloured silk fisherman pants with white vined embroidery pattern. He crawled to her, pressing their bodies close, her warm skin in contrast to his cool body. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and then reached for her wrist, now devoid of her snake bracelet and placed a gently kiss there too before adding in a low intimate voice,  “thank you for the meal, my queen.”
Mana happily sighed from his kisses before replying, “the pleasure is all mine, my king…”
He pulled back to meet her eyes, both of their gazes warm but intense with mutual longing for each other.
“Until later then…”
“Until later. Enjoy your meal,” she added before watching her lover sit back and return back to his large python form.

She knew that he would have already taken care of the driver and bodyguard for them and laid back in contentment as he widened his jaw to begin his meal.