by Lynn, R.
girl who stood behind her.
When Thaddius caught Guya’s eyes, she offered him a shy
smile. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was there; she
didn’t seem the type to wait at a gate like the others. Calista
must have dragged her along.
The other women were becoming restless. They did not like the attention that Thaddius was giving Calista and Guya.
Noticing his mistake and not wanting a riot on his hands, he stepped back to address the women. “You who wait at my gates, listen to my offer. Over the next few weeks I will be requiring all of your services. I will choose two to take with me tonight. If you agree not to rush the guards at the gate, I will have them take down your names and prepare an orderly list.”
The guards next to Thaddius whispered their gratitude. Every time Thaddius wanted them to bring in one of the girls, they would have a huge protest on their hands. The women left behind became an angry mob, and they took their vengeance on the hapless guards. At least now the guards could retain their dignity and maintain order.
When the women nodded in agreement to his proposal, Thaddius ordered the guards to escort Guya and Calista to his quarters. With a smile that consumed her face, Calista elbowed her way to the gate opening followed by a timid yet excited Guya.
* She ignored the angry stares and venomous comments of the women around her. They didn’t matter. Soon she would have Thaddius to herself, well to herself and to Guya. The thought of Guya coming along frustrated her. But if Thaddius wanted to be pleasured by two women, then Calista would make sure he would get that request. In fact, she planned to make him forget about any of the women at the gate.
“Guya, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So I want
you to do exactly what I say when I say it, understand?” Calista firmly whispered.
“I understand,” Guya nodded as she stared wide eyed and unknowing
They made it through the gates remarkably unscathed. The women believed Thaddius’s promise and lined up to have their names taken down. Calista smoothed out her hair, dusted off her cloak, pinched her cheeks, and licked her lips. She wanted to look good for Thaddius, the best she could. Bedding Thaddius was one thing, but marrying him would be another. He had title, status, and land. He was the talk of Rome, the most eligible bachelor. But after tonight she would make him see that she was meant for him. Her heart beat in happy anticipation as she followed after the guards to Thaddius.
“E nter,” Thaddius yelled from within his room.
Calista shook with eagerness and focused hard to steady her breathing. She allowed Guya to enter the room before her as she wanted to be the last face on Thaddius’s mind. Holding her head up high and sticking out her bosom, she walked gracefully into his room.
When Thaddius did not acknowledge her entry she huffed in frustration. For some reason he was seated on the side of his bed and was fixated on the floor.
A few awkward moments of silence passed before Calista cleared her throat and gained his attention.
“Would you like some wine?” he asked as he lifted his head and pointed to the jugs lining his settee. “I asked for some honey wine to be sent. I hear women like the sweeter wines.” He went back to staring at the spot on the floor.
“Yes, that would be lovely.” Calista walked over to the wine and helped herself to some. It would be harder gaining his attention than she thought. He wasn’t taking the lead; in
fact, he looked like he had his mind in other places. She would have to do something about that.
“Here,” she said as she held out a cup of wine to Guya. “Thank you, but I do not drink,” Guya smiled.
“Tonight you do,” she said in a sweet tone accompanied
by a glare of disapproval. Guya quickly picked up on Calista’s frustration and took the cup. She placed it to her lips and took a tiny sip. This did not please Calista, and she tipped Guya’s cup, causing her to choke as the wine poured into her mouth.
Thaddius glanced up at Guya, and Calista pretended to comfort her friend by rubbing her back. Satisfied that she was all right, Thaddius looked back down at the floor.
When Calista was certain that he was not looking, she handed Guya another cup of wine. Guya shook her head, but when met with Calista’s glare, she reluctantly accepted it.
“I’m afraid I will not be such good company after all,” Thaddius said as he took another mouthful from his jug.
Calista responded by removing her cloak to reveal a tight gold stola that clung to her body and displayed her generous curves. She then sauntered over and sat next to him on the bed.
“Let us take your mind off that which bothers you,” she breathed into his ear.
When Thaddius did not move, Calista crawled on the bed behind him. Pressing her body close to his back, she began to rub his shoulders.
“You are very tense,” she purred into his ear as she flipped her head forward, causing her soft golden hair to fall over his shoulder.
“It has been a difficult time,” he explained as he diverted
his eyes to watch Guya, who now teetered side to side on his
settee. “Is she all right?” he asked Calista as he nodded
toward Guya.
“Ah yes, she just does not hold her wine well.” Calista
smiled as she worked hard massaging his back. “Now what
can I do to make you forget these difficult times?” Calista
breathed into his ear once more.
“This feels nice; you can continue to ease my aches.” It was not the answer she had hoped for, but she would
give that time. For now she was with him and that was all
that mattered. She worked diligently rubbing his shoulders
and back, taking extra care to see how his body responded
and to focus on his places of pleasure. He moaned as he sat
his jug down on the bed and pressed into her touch. “Your jug is empty. Allow me to get you another,” she
said as she slid her body around his and off the bed. She
made sure to accentuate the swinging motion of her hips as
she walked in front of him and over to the jugs.
Guya was now lying on the settee, her head spinning from
the effects of the wine. In an show of sisterly concern, Calista
grabbed a cover and lovingly pulled it over Guya, making
sure to rub her head a few times for Thaddius to see. “Maybe we should place her in the bed,” Thaddius
suggested as he stood and walked over to the girls. “She is fine.” Calista hoped he would leave the bed to the
two of them.
Thaddius bent down to Guya and pushed back the hair that
was in her face. “Guya, are you comfortable?”
Even though she did not answer, he slid his arms under her
head and knees and carried her over to the bed. Calista tried
to hide her look of disappointment by seeming to be helpful and pulling back the bed covers.
Once Guya was settled and tucked into the bed, Calista turned to Thaddius and traced her finger over his chest. “Now where were we?” she asked.
A sly smile spread over his face as he realized the intentions of Calista. “Where do you want to be?” he asked as he teased her by pulling her body closer to his.
Tilting her head up to his, she closed her eyes and opened her lips just a touch. She was begging him with her body to bring his lips down to hers. She held her breath awaiting his response; it seemed like forever before she felt his touch.
When she opened her eyes to take in her prize, it was not his lips but his finger placed against her mouth. His eyes directed towards the door. It was then that she heard a knock and sighed in defeat.
“Enter,” Thaddius instructed as he held her tight to him and stared into her eyes.
The door creaked open and Thaddius stole a look toward the person entering. She felt his body tense beneath her grasp
. When his eyes did not return to hers, she realized it was not a simple slave at the door, but someone else. Someone much worse by the look on Thaddius’s face.
Calista turned to look and saw a beautiful creature standing in the door frame. Her body was as rigid as Thaddius’s was. And it was obvious by the look on her face that she was shocked and maybe even disappointed to see Thaddius in such an intimate position.
Calista made sure to add insult to injury by rubbing Thaddius’s body and locking her arms around his torso.
He gave her a brief questioning look before turning to the girl at the door.
“Sellah?”
Anger slowly replaced the look of shock on the girl as she looked about the room, taking in the empty wine vessels, tossed clothing, and Guya passed out in Thaddius’s bed.
* “You requested me to come to you.” She stumbled over her words as fear of what was required of her took control of her tongue. “For this!” she shouted in angry exasperation as she pointed at Guya. “I will not be so easily persuaded by wine!”
“How dare you question me,” Thaddius retorted as he pushed Calista from his arms and strode over to Sellah. “How many times do I need to remind you who I am!”
“I am not your whore, Thaddius. Punish me if you must, kill me if you must. But I will not partake in this.” Sellah’s chest rose and fell at a rapid pace as anger and fear poured into her.
“Do not flatter yourself. I told you once before I would only bed you if you begged me to. Slaves are not my type!” He looked upon her with disgust. “Get out of my sight. Go to the stables and take up quarters there. I have no use for you other than to tend to horseshit!” He yelled as he slammed the door shut in her face.
Both of them stood frozen before the door, barely able to recall the words they had been exchanged.
Thaddius slammed his fist into it wooden frame before turning back to Calista. “Now where were we?” he asked as
he shook his hand trying to rid it of the pain.
* Sellah could hear every word as she stared at his door. Tears threatened to escape. Not wanting him to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry, she turned and ran.
“W hy is Sellah sleeping in the stables? She is lying on
the hay with a horse cover on her!” Vettius questioned as he ran up behind Thaddius. “That is an excellent question. She should be awake and working by now. Why are you here? You and Acestes were ordered to go to town first thing and acquire drivers.”
“He is bringing the cart around for me,” Vettius said with a wave of his hand. “Thaddius answer me, why is Sellah in the stables?”
The hardness of Thaddius’s face and the way he held his head erect and puffed out his chest worried Vettius. It was something he had seen Thaddius’s father do many times when he led with his pride.
“I told her to sleep there,” he offhandedly replied. “You instructed her?” Vettius ground his teeth and worked to steady his breathing. “What could she have possibly done to be treated so?”
Thaddius paused and turned to Vettius. He narrowed his eyes and wagged an accusatory finger. “Now that is an excellent question. Perhaps you should ask your son.”
“Simeon? What does he….” When realization washed
over Vettius, he took a step back. “Wait, Thaddius, you misunderstand….”
“Vettius, I do not have time for this,” Thaddius interrupted. “I
am on my way to begin instructions with our driver. Now go
on your way. I am eager to see our new prospects. Much
depends on the men you purchase today.” Just then the cart
arrived and Thaddius roughly shoved Vettius toward it.
* Thaddius stormed off before Vettius could retaliate. It had not been a good night for him. He had not slept well and was too tired to argue. Calista had smothered him, Guya’s snoring was aggravating, and Sellah, well, he was frustrated with how their conversation had gone.
“Why are you still asleep? The sun has been out for an hour or so!” He barked as he kicked at Sellah’s foot. She slowly opened one eye, and when she saw it was him, she panicked and sat up. After a moment of fear rendering her useless, she quickly folded the horse blanket and jumped up. Nearly tripping over her own feet as she ran to the stable shelves to put the blanket away.
Yet Thaddius did not leave; he stayed and watched her every move.
She lowered her head and addressed him. “Apologies, I am still accustomed to the schedule of the bath house. I will tend to the horses now.”
She picked up a rod in her shaky hands and set right to work cleaning out the first of the horse stalls.
“If you will be staying here, we had better get you a proper
blanket.” He watched as she fumbled with the rod, barely
able to keep it in her grasp. Sellah tightened her grip with her
other hand braced herself against the side of the stall. Taking
three deep breaths, she turned to address him.
“Yes, that would be nice.”
Satisfaction caused a smile to creep over his face as he
studied the tension in her form which betrayed her forced
smile. “When you are done here, come to me. I have another
task for you.”
“Yes Dominus.”
“Good, you have finally remembered my title,” he chided
as he turned to leave.
* It took every ounce of reserve Sellah had not to throw the rod at him. Oh how she would love to see him pay for his rude behaviour, just once. When she was certain Thaddius was gone, she went over to Diana, who had her muzzle over the gate of her pen.
Sellah’s newly blistered fingers found comfort in the mare’s course mane. “Diana, I do not know how you put up with that monster.”
Just as she had when they first met, Diana blew hot air out of her nostrils and into Sellah’s face. Sellah laughed as she wiped her face into the mare’s neck.
“Thank you, I needed that.”
It took her until the sun was high in the sky to clean out the remaining pens. It was a disgusting job, especially in the
heat of the day. But Sellah didn’t mind, the horses made better company than most of the people in the domus.
She rinsed her hands in the water trough and splashed some water on her face. She was dirty and smelly, sleeping in the hay with the horses hadn’t helped that. However, she was much cleaner than she would have been if she had been forced to spend the night with Thaddius and his two escorts.
A laugh escaped her throat as she realized how lucky she had been to be banished to the stables.
After taking a few moments to rest, she left to find Thaddius. He was exactly where she thought he would be, at the circus training his driver. He had spent the whole morning there since leaving her to muck the stables. When he saw her approaching, he walked across the track to meet her.
“See those sacks over there?” He pointed to a pile near the gate. “I want you to carry them into the stables and stack them in an empty stall.”
He had not even taken the time to greet her or offer her water. It was straight to the point with him. Sellah couldn’t decide if he was distracted with training or just being discourteous, he was distant and his eyes never met hers.
“You want me to carry all those sacks?” she finally asked.
He did not respond to her and instead ran to the driver and his cart as they swerved off the track. “No, you are holding the reins wrong!” Thaddius yelled as he stormed over to the driver. “How do you expect to control the cart if you lose your balance?” He waited for the man to answer but was met with a nervous stutter.
Sellah watched him for a brief moment before turning to the mound of grain sacks she had been instructed to move.
* “Here let me show you,” Thaddius snapped as he snatched the reins out of the man’s hands and pulled himself up into the cart. The familiarity of the worn wood and viewpoint over the horses caused his heart to beat in excitem
ent. He paused, taking a moment to steady his growing desire and focus.
“See, you grip them with your left hand and you hold onto the cart with your right. You try,” he instructed as he hopped down, trying to put some distance between himself and his body’s ache to drive.
As he watched his driver improve his technique around the circus, his level of hope increased. If the man continued to grow in ability each day, they would stand a chance against the greens. He was a better teacher than he had thought he would be.
The sounds of horse and cart approaching brought Thaddius out of his trance-like focus. He turned to see Vettius and Acestes move the horses to the side and watched as Vettius stepped down from the cart. As he walked around the back, Thaddius felt his pulse once again quicken with excitement. His new drivers were here, and he was mere moments away from meeting them.
When only one man followed after Vettius, he began to feel a knot grow in the pit of his stomach.
“What is the meaning of this? You only have one driver? Does he even have experience?” Every remnant of his positive mood was now gone.
“My Lord, it was as if the Venalitti traders had been paid not to sell any men to us. Everyone we asked said they had no one suitable. We were lucky to come across this man. He
was the one who drove Sellah from the bath house. He heard us inquiring around town for drivers and volunteered his services. He has no chariot experience, but he drives a twohorse cart for a living,” Vettius explained.
Thaddius threw the leather strap he was holding to the ground. “A two-horse cart is not comparable to a chariot. They are nothing alike!” He stomped his foot like a little child as he shouted.
Vettius waited patiently for Thaddius to finish his rant. Finally he stopped stomping about, and a wave of serious concern washed over him. “What am I to do? We all stand to lose if the blues are not victorious.”
“I know, Thaddius. It concerns me also. But battles are not won on concern. They are won on action. We must do all that we can and hope that our men will be ready, come four weeks’ time.”