Sirona paused; it was still light enough for her to see that she was quite alone. Yet she had a prickly feeling on the back of her neck, as if someone was watching her. She tensed, as she heard the rustle of leaves, then a hand grabbed hold of her arm. Another hand clamped across her mouth, as she was dragged behind some bushes into a small clearing. Her heart beat faster with fear, as she was held against a hard muscular body, then she felt a mouth pressed to her ear. ‘It’s me,’ an achingly familiar voice said.
Sirona could barely comprehend what she was hearing and she was so overcome that she could only just manage to gasp, ‘Taranis!’
‘Yes, my love.’ He turned her round and pulled her into his arms, staring at her as if he could hardly believe she was real. Sirona had never experienced such a powerful emotion in her entire life. Her heart swelled, feeling as if it might burst it was so full of joy. Never in all her wildest dreams had she truly believed she would see him again.
‘How?’ she asked shakily, amazed to see how well he looked. Taranis wore fine garments, gold jewellery and he was even more handsome than she remembered him to be.
‘There’s no time for explanations. We have Julia to thank for this.’ His lips captured hers with a desperate sweet intensity, imparting all the love and passion he felt, as he kissed her long and deeply.
Sirona twined her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his hard muscular chest. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’
Taranis stared deep into her eyes. ‘You have a protector now, an important man, a legate – I thought that you and he –’ He paused and shook his head, as if he couldn’t even bear to ask if they were lovers.
‘I care for Lucius,’ Sirona admitted cautiously, remembering how confused she’d initially been about her feelings for Lucius. Yet she knew now that they were nothing in comparison to what she felt for Taranis. ‘He’s a kind man. He’s been very good to me.’ She lifted her hand and tenderly caressed his taut cheek. ‘But it’s you I love, Taranis. I always will.’
He smiled with relief, his hands moving to touch her body, tracing each gentle curve through her silk gown. ‘Sweet Andrasta, I’d forgotten how beautiful you were. I love you so much, Sirona,’ he murmured softly. ‘That’s what’s kept me going all this time.’
‘How much time have we?’ she asked, knowing that she wanted him desperately, her pussy ached to feel him inside her again. They’d been given these few precious moments and she didn’t want to waste them.
‘Enough,’ he said, kissing her again as he held her close. ‘Tell me all that’s happened to you.’
‘Talk?’ she murmured, her hand moving down to press against his groin. She shivered with anticipation, as she felt the hard line of his cock beneath his tunic. ‘I want more than talk from you, Taranis.’
‘But we shouldn’t.’ He glanced around the clearing. It was perfectly silent apart from the distant sound of birdsong; they could have been miles from civilisation. ‘I don’t want to put you in any danger.’
‘I don’t care, I want you,’ she begged, rubbing his shaft through the thin fabric.
There was an urgency to his touch as he unfastened the fibulas holding her dress together at the shoulders. As the heavy silk slid down to her waist, Taranis gave a soft groan. Bending his head, he tenderly brushed his lips across her hard nipples and her body ached with need. The lust she felt for Lucius paled in comparison to this. Sirona clung on to Taranis, feeling she might swoon with the sheer pleasure of being close to him again. Swiftly, he removed his tunic and placed it on the ground. ‘You mustn’t damage your beautiful dress.’
Sirona was under no illusions. What he did not say was that she had to return to Lucius soon, looking serene and untouched, as if this blissful interlude had never happened.
Gently, he eased up her skirt, his breath coming faster, as he stared at her naked pussy. Sirona could not take her eyes off his handsome face so filled with love, the hard muscles of his chest and that glorious cock – she was getting wetter and wetter just looking at it. He was even more magnificent in the flesh than he was in her tortured dreams, as he knelt between her open thighs staring at her with such tenderness and desire it was almost more than she could bear.
Leaning forwards, he kissed her passionately again, then his lips slid down to her breasts, circling each hard peak with the tip of his tongue.
‘No, let me feel you inside me,’ she begged, knowing that Taranis was right and that every moment they spent together increased the danger they were in.
He covered her body and slid into her soft moist core. Tension and excitement surged through her body, as he started to sensuously move his hips, all the while staring into her face, as if he could somehow fix her features in his mind forever. Sirona’s hands reached for his shoulders, her fingers digging into his hard muscles. She pulled him towards her, wanting to feel the entire weight of him pressing down on her as he thrust harder, knowing that never in a myriad lifetimes could any man ever replace Taranis in her heart.
Taranis fucked her with smooth hard strokes, angling his body so that his shaft stimulated her clit at the same time. As she felt the weight of him powering against her pelvis, an intense erotic pleasure welled up inside her, becoming so strong she thought she might expire with bliss. The Elysian Fields moved closer and closer, as she heard his breath coming in short urgent gasps.
The sun was setting at last and darkness began to descend as the moon appeared in the sky. Its soft silvery rays bathed their bodies in an eerie almost magical light as their pleasure peaked. As Sirona climaxed, she heard Taranis whisper fevered words of love in her ear as he too came.
Aulus put a finger to his lips as one of the men accompanying him swore softly when he caught his foot on a small jagged stone. The men he’d employed for this mission were mostly former soldiers and all were well trained. There was the soft whispered swoosh of metal, as they drew their weapons, then crept forwards with military precision, skirting the rows of crops to enter the decorative part of the garden.
Dusk was descending fast but the moon was already visible in the sky and it was still easy enough to make out the two figures lying in the clearing, as they crept towards them. This was so utterly perfect, Aulus thought with glee, as he and his men just stood there and watched the man climax, hearing the woman give a soft keening moan of pleasure. The two lovers were so wrapped up in each other it was unlikely they would hear a herd of elephants bearing down on them.
Aulus almost envied the two slaves their mutual passion as they stayed there, still joined together, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. He lifted his hand, gesturing to his men and they surged forwards. As they dragged the naked slave off Sirona, she gave a sharp scream of terrified surprise. The soldiers began pummelling Taranis, as he tried to fight them. He managed to throw a few punches and well-placed kicks but sheer strength of numbers enabled them to overpower him.
Sirona struggled to pull down her skirt with shaking hands, as two men grabbed hold of her and hauled her to her feet. Both looked lustfully down at her uncovered breasts as they dragged her in front of Aulus Vettius. By now, Taranis had been forced to his knees. Breathing heavily, he was held there by many hands, a dagger held threateningly across his throat.
‘Good.’ Aulus smiled, the self-satisfied smile of a man who had reached his objective.
He’d get his revenge on Lucius, and Poppaea would get her just desserts for becoming far too fond of her slave. Victory was sweet. He was pleased that he’d thought to place a spy in Julia’s household just before that old reprobate Sutoneus had died. When he’d learnt that Julia had welcomed Taranis into her house like an honoured guest, he had been furious. He’d made a point of locating one of the slaves who’d been captured with the rebels in Brittania. Under intense questioning, the man had revealed that Taranis and Sirona had been betrothed. That, coupled with the fact that Julia had stupidly arranged for the two slaves to meet here tonight, had prompted this action. Then the two barbarians had played rig
ht into his hands, just as he had hoped they would, by being unable to keep their hands off each other.
‘This way, men.’ He moved up the garden followed by the soldiers dragging their captives with them.
Aulus smiled as he caught sight of Julia talking to Poppaea and Lucius. They were all together, that was even better, he thought, as they suddenly saw him walking towards them. Their polite smiles turned to expressions of anguished surprise, as they saw the naked man and the half-dressed woman he’d brought with him.
His thoughts in total turmoil, Taranis could do nothing to prevent the inevitable, as he was dragged up the garden. There were too many men even for him. Only the great Hercules himself could have overpowered all of them at the same time. He was certain that Julia would never have betrayed him. Why should she when he had led her to believe that he and Sirona were friends, nothing more?
As far as he could see, there was no way out of this mess. He’d been caught in flagrante delicto with the love of his life. Damn his stupidity to Hades! He should never have allowed his lustful desires for Sirona to overrule his responsibility for her safety.
Aulus had reached Poppaea, who was standing with Julia and a handsome dark-haired man who had to be Lucius, Sirona’s protector. Taranis was forced to his knees in front of them and held there while all three of them stared at him in horrified surprise. He met Julia’s tortured gaze for a brief moment and saw how upset and betrayed she felt.
‘I told you not to trust him, Poppaea,’ Aulus said with sickening satisfaction.
Oddly enough, Poppaea seemed just as upset as Julia did. Taranis had never seen her in quite such an agitated state before. It was almost as if it was her lover and not her slave that had betrayed her with another woman. Her face was as white as driven snow and her hand was shaking, as she lifted her peacock-feather fan in front of her face, moving it agitatedly, as if she were desperate to hide her true feelings from the senator.
The guards were still holding on to Sirona’s arms, preventing her from lifting up the front of her dress to cover her naked breasts. She stood there, head bowed, not daring to look at either Taranis or Lucius.
‘Sirona, what happened?’ Lucius’s voice was filled with concern.
‘What do you think happened?’ Aulus said tersely. ‘I found the two of them rutting at the end of the garden.’
Lucius shook his head. ‘Sirona?’ Judging by his haunted expression, it was obvious to Taranis that the Roman cared deeply for her.
She at last lifted her eyes and looked at him, tears trickling down her cheeks. ‘Lucius, I –’ She shook her head, unable to say anything more.
‘Let go of her,’ Lucius sharply ordered. When the men didn’t immediately obey him, he stepped forwards and wrenched Sirona away from them. Tenderly he lifted the white silk folds so that they covered her breasts. Having nothing to fasten it with, he moved one of her hands, making her clutch on to it. ‘It’s all right, Sirona.’ He spoke very gently to her, yet the muscles of his face were taut with anger.
‘It was my fault,’ Taranis said loudly. ‘I forced myself on her.’
‘Forced?’ Poppaea repeated in disbelief. ‘You came here together, you fought together. For all I know, you’ve always been lovers. Don’t be insane, Taranis.’
‘I did,’ he insisted desperately.
One of the guards clipped him hard across the face, splitting his lip, and it started to bleed.
‘She rejected me in Brittania. I desired her but she never wanted anything to do with me. Then, when I saw her in the garden, she looked so beautiful – I couldn’t help myself.’
‘The slave is lying,’ Aulus said. ‘I know that for a fact.’
Taranis gave a grunt of pain, as a guard punched him hard in the stomach, but he didn’t give up. ‘I raped her.’ He looked pleadingly at Sirona. ‘Tell them.’
She clung on to her dress staring with anguish at Taranis, tears still sliding down her cheeks. ‘How can I?’ she whispered.
‘Because it’s true, isn’t it?’ Lucius put a protective arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
Both Poppaea and Julia turned to look at Lucius, appearing surprised that he’d actually believed Taranis’s desperate confession.
However, Aulus gave a snort of frustration. ‘True!’ he sneered derisively. ‘You’re insane with lust for that bitch, Lucius. They were lovers before they came here. That’s why she betrayed you. The slave never forced himself on her.’
‘No.’ Lucius shook his head determinedly. ‘He did force himself on Sirona,’ he said quietly but very insistently, as he turned to look threateningly at his stepfather. ‘She is not to blame.’
Aulus shrugged his shoulders, as if unwilling to defy Lucius. At least Lucius cares enough to protect her, Taranis thought with relief.
Poppaea was still fanning herself agitatedly, as if she were about to melt at any moment, while he dared not even look at Julia. She’d been so happy when he had made love to her and he suspected that she liked him far more than she cared to admit. She’d arranged for him to see Sirona again out of the kindness of her heart and he’d thrown it back in her face. Nevertheless, despite these feelings of guilt, he would never have given up those few precious moments he’d spent with Sirona.
‘We are leaving,’ Lucius said, as Taranis stared with increasing desperation at his beloved.
Sirona cast one brief anxious glance in his direction that told him how much she feared for his safety, then she allowed Lucius to lead her away.
‘What will you do to him?’ Julia asked Poppaea.
For the first time since he’d known her, Poppaea appeared unsure of herself. When she turned to look with troubled eyes at Taranis, he grew more and more certain that she had no intention of punishing him severely for his transgressions, let alone order his death, as some slave owners might have. ‘He must be punished,’ Poppaea said hesitantly. ‘Yet, despite what he says, I blame the girl as well. He would never have ravished her; Taranis must have believed she was willing.’
‘Are you mad, woman?’ Aulus said in total disbelief. ‘You cannot even consider letting him get away with this. Lucius is a fool for protecting that bitch Sirona, but you, Poppaea. Are you so enamoured of his cock?’ He stared penetratingly at her. ‘Or is it something else?’
‘I’ll punish him. I’ve punished him before.’ Poppaea continued to wave her fan agitatedly.
‘A lot of good that did,’ Aulus said in exasperation. He turned to glare at Taranis still held there by his soldiers. ‘He’s your pleasure slave and I found him fucking my stepson’s personal whore!’
‘So?’ Poppaea snapped, the colour returning to her cheeks in a sudden rush. ‘Slave or not, he’s still a man. We all know that men are ruled by their cocks. The girl was just a passing distraction. I paid an enormous amount of money for him and I’ll not have him harmed.’
‘That’s your excuse, protecting your investment?’ His expression hardened. Stepping towards Poppaea, Aulus grabbed hold of her arms, as if he wanted to shake some sense into her. ‘He needs to be punished,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘You won’t make a proper job of it, so I’ll do it for you.’
Poppaea’s reluctance to comply was obvious. ‘But his worth will decrease if he’s marked,’ she protested weakly.
‘There are many ways to punish a slave.’ Aulus looked penetratingly at Taranis, who knew he could cope with just about any punishment Poppaea thought up for him, but the senator was an entirely different matter. ‘You let me take charge of him and I’ll return the slave properly chastised. Yet I promise I’ll leave no visible marks on his body.’
Poppaea’s shoulders slumped. It was as if she was forced to agree, even though she did not want to. ‘Two days,’ she said hesitantly. ‘Three at the most.’ She cast a concerned glance at Taranis then looked determinedly at Aulus. ‘Then I want him back.’
‘Agreed,’ Aulus said with a self-satisfied smile that made Taranis’s blood feel as though it had turned to ice.
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br /> The sun rose, flooding the peristyle of the senator’s house with the soft light of morning. Taranis wearily lifted his head. He’d been left there, naked and chained, all night, with his arms stretched high above his head and his feet barely touching the ground. As the hours had passed, he’d lost all feeling in his arms, while his legs and back were aching from the unaccustomed strain. Living with Poppaea had made him soft, he thought, as he saw a slave girl hurrying across the paved garden. She paused to look curiously at him, but scurried away as a tall figure appeared and walked towards him.
‘I trust that you are enjoying my hospitality, Taranis?’ Aulus said coldly.
He stepped closer to his prisoner, running his cool fingers over his bare chest then down his flat belly to his sexual organs. Taranis couldn’t help tensing, as those fingers touched his penis, then gently fondled his balls. ‘No wonder Poppaea likes this cock so much. I’d forgotten how large it was.’ Aulus grasped the flaccid shaft as he looked straight at Taranis. ‘Are you frightened, slave? You should be.’
Ignoring the fluttering sensation in his belly, Taranis clenched his jaw and said nothing, determined to remain brave and steadfast for as long as he could. He saw one of the soldiers who’d captured him the previous night approaching. He was carrying a large whip with knotted strands. It looked far more threatening than the one Poppaea had used on him, but he’d been present at enough whippings in the past to know that this lash was designed to cause pain yet not slice into the skin too much. Once again he was grateful that Poppaea still had this obsessive need not to have him marked permanently in any way. He was certain that he could easily endure such a punishment, in fact, it was infinitely preferable to the cold feel of Aulus’s fingers exploring his body.
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