Worth

by Shay Savage

  My thighs and stomach clenched and tingled as the swelling sensation began in my balls and refused to be held back any longer. With a final thrust of my hips, I emptied my seed deep inside of her.

  With eyes clenched shut, my body shuddered as I held myself against her hips. I dared not move, because when I did, it would be over. I didn’t know if I would have another opportunity to lie with her like this again, and I dreaded the end of our coupling.

  “Are you hurt?” Aia whispered quietly. She shifted to check my side, and my cock slid from her. I cringed from the cold air more so than the light touch of her hand on my bandages.

  “It is of no concern,” I replied as I opened my eyes. “Each pain was worth the effort.”

  We locked eyes, and again we seemed unable to look away. Aia’s fingers moved up to trace the edge of my jaw, and I leaned into her touch. My heart began to pound in my chest, and I wondered if she had any idea what she was doing to me.

  With my arms holding her against my body, we both lay back against the bed and fell into sleep. My head filled with dreams of the young slave, cooking in the kitchen of my villa back in Rome.

  I woke sometime in the night to find Aia still wrapped in my embrace. She was curled against my chest, and her slim fingers lay softly over my heart. Her dress was pulled down in the front, exposing her firm, young breasts, and the bottom half of her gown was bunched around her waist. I toyed with the edge of her clothing, rubbing the fabric between my fingers and then wrapped my arm back around her middle to pull her a little closer to me.

  Her thigh brushed against my cock, and I closed my eyes. I breathed slowly for a moment to calm myself. Although the idea of having her wake with my cock in her body was attractive, I didn’t wish to disturb her slumber. Instead, I took the opportunity to study her carefully.

  Her hair hung down her back and covered part of her shoulder in golden waves. Tilting my head, I examined her smooth flesh in the glow of the warm candlelight and the contrast of the pale skin tone with the cold bronze of the collar around her neck. I resisted the urge to remove the band from her throat to keep it from disturbing the transition of her form from neck to shoulder.

  Closing my eyes again, I absorbed the feeling of her body against mine. Memories of my late wife entered my head, and I recalled times I would wake to find her in my arms in similar fashion. There had been little love between us, but my passion for her remained strong until the birth of our child, when my wife fell ill.

  The turmoil inside me now, though laced with similar passion, was very different from the emotions felt for the woman I had married. The feeling seized me, called to me, and terrified me.

  I should not feel so for a slave.

  Even as the thought entered my head, I dismissed it. I was a Tribunus. I was used to taking what I wanted and dealing with whatever consequences might come later. Why should I treat my desire for a slave any differently than how I would treat my desire to conquer the western lands?

  I would not.

  I would take her as I have taken everything I’ve wanted.

  Aia stirred in my arms. She hummed from the back of her throat before shifting her head and opening her eyes to look into mine. I smiled immediately, and she returned the expression.

  “How do you fare?” Aia asked quietly.

  “I fare well, waking to such beauty.”

  Her smile turned shy as she looked away, causing my heart to race in the presence of her seemingly innocent expression, a strange look from one who had so recently serviced me so well.

  “Do you know your worth?” I asked abruptly.

  “My worth?”

  I steadied my breathing to slow my heart as I stared into her eyes.

  “You have skill with medicines,” I said, “but you are still nothing but a slave. The good doctor could train another to hand him his bandages and ointments.”

  Aia blinked, opened her mouth slightly, but then closed it again without making comment.

  “Two coins, at most,” I said succinctly. “I’d say one, but you are not without other merits which make you desirable.”

  She turned her head from my gaze, but I could see the crestfallen look on her face. I would take it no further, the point driven.

  “Aia, you mistake my intention.” Though it pained me slightly, I raised my body to prop myself up on one elbow as I looked down at her. “I wish to possess you…completely. I want you to be mine and mine alone.”

  She shook her head slightly, her confusion apparent on her face. I fought with my tongue to find the right words to explain myself.

  “I want you to bake bread,” I finally said, “just for me—here in this place, on the battlefield, in my villa in Rome.”

  She turned her head back to me, her eyes searching for answers. She seemed in shock and unable to speak in response, so I made my intentions clear.

  “I would give you worth,” I stated.

  For a moment, I thought I saw her eyes swell with tears before she blinked rapidly, and they were gone. Her hands began to shake, and I wrapped my fingers around them.

  “Aia—will you bake bread for me?”

  Her beautiful lips parted and gave me my answer.

  “Yes, Lucius.”

  A noise off to my side informed me of the return of Sergius. I looked to the doctor with a scowl as Aia quickly pushed herself away from me and stood beside the cot, straightening her dress. The doctor glared at her as he approached and checked my dressing.

  “You are coming along nicely,” he said. He stood and looked to Aia. “A word, slave.”

  I saw her hands tremble at his command.

  “I will have words with you,” I said quickly to the doctor. He paused and nodded. “My progress is sufficient, and I will begin to make plans to return to the legion camp.”

  “You are not yet ready for battle, Tribunus,” he said. “Another week, perhaps two-”

  “I’ll be returning to the legion camp in two days,” I informed him. “I can continue to heal from there. You will prepare all that I need to take with me to further my recovery.”

  “If you insist, Faustus.”

  “I do.” I sat up slightly and looked from the doctor to the slave girl and then back again. “I wish to speak to Cassianus. Bring him to me.”

  “He is likely on his way to the gladiatorial games,” Sergius said. “Juno’s day approaches.”

  “Upon his return then.”

  “I will inform him of your desire for audience.”

  I glared up at the doctor.

  “You will inform him that he has been summoned,” I corrected. “I expect him here.”

  “Of course, Tribunus.”

  He again checked the dressing on my wound in silence, poured another cup of foul liquid down my throat, and took his leave, his plan to discipline Aia forgotten. I took the opportunity to continue my previous conversation with the slave.

  “I would give you worth,” I told her.

  “I don’t understand, Faustus.”

  “I will buy you from your master,” I clarified, “and you will accompany me to my camp. You will continue to tend my wound and provide me with other distractions from the battlefield.”

  Her eyes widened as she stared at me.

  “Are you agreeable?” I asked. Her preferences should not have mattered to me, but still I inquired. My eyes bore into her as she looked at me with awe. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed and nodded her head.

  “Yes, Lucius,” she said softly. “I would be most grateful.”

  A slow smile spread across my face as I saw the truth of her words in her deep blue eyes. She wanted this as much as I did.

  “Then it will be done,” I swore to her softly.

  Her agreement brought a smile to my lips, and again her worth to me increased.

  IV

  “Bring Antonius to me.”

  I clenched my teeth and stood on shaky legs as Cassianus watched me warily.r />
  “Sergius tells me you are not yet fit for travel,” he said. “He says you need more time to heal. A few more weeks at the hospital will undoubtedly-”

  “To further line your pockets for treatments?” I interrupted with a snort. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “I fear you would be forced to make another long journey, forced to return here when your wound becomes inflamed,” Cassianus said with conviction. “By the gods, you must stay with us another week at the very least.”

  “No.”

  “A few days, then,” he insisted. “Allow my skilled doctor to continue to treat you. You are far too important to the Emperor to allow you to leave without proper care at your disposal. Sergius says you need many medicines still, and they must be properly administered to ensure their affect.”

  I sighed outwardly. Inside, I felt nothing but the smug sensation of having him fall into such words so easily. I couldn’t have scripted his role with any greater accuracy than he offered me on his own. It was exactly as I had planned.

  “I’ll take that nursemaid slave,” I said with a dismissive flick of my hand, as if the thought had just occurred to me, “the one who has hung about here like one of Juno’s tits just waiting for me to come up with the desire to suckle. She’s done more for my care than your doctor. I’ll take her with me.”

  “Aia?” Cassianus asked. “She belongs to me.”

  “Yes, a Roman citizen sold into slavery to cover the debts of her father,” I sneered. “You apparently support the breaking of our laws. Perhaps I should make that known to your friends in the Senate.”

  He blanched as his eyes widened. As soon as I saw his reaction, I knew he had already been aware of her circumstances. I felt my muscles tighten and considered destroying the man in front of me. Had I been uninjured, I would have done so.

  “What is her worth?” I said as I turned to stare him in the eye. There would be no backing down from this, and I wanted to be sure he knew I was quite serious in my intentions. I intended to make Aia mine, and it would be so. He would either agree without argument, or he would discover just how much wrath I could bring upon him and his household.

  She will be mine.

  “She’s a hard-working slave,” he said as he rubbed at his chin. “She’s learned much during her time-”

  “So train another,” I interrupted. Again, I waved my hand at him. “I’ll buy this one from you for five coins—easily three times her price.”

  “It is not in my plan to sell her,” he said. He set his jaw as he stared into my eyes.

  Forcing myself to my full height, I stepped closer to the man and looked down upon him.

  “I suggest a change of plans is in your interest,” I informed him. “You undoubtedly know my reputation for getting what I want. I suggest you consider your next words very carefully, or you’ll discover just how determined a man you face.”

  He darted his tongue across his dry lips, considered for a moment, and then nodded.

  “Five denarii,” he capitulated, and I smiled as I handed him his coin.

  She is mine.

  Sergius and Aia returned from the far room, and the doctor walked to his employer’s side. Before he could speak, Cassianus turned to him.

  “Faustus shall be leaving us,” Cassianus stated to the medicus. He glanced sideways at me before looking to the slave. “Aia, prepare yourself. You will be leaving with the Tribunus.”

  “Dominus?” she questioned as she looked to him.

  “No more,” he said with a shake of his head. “You belong to Faustus now and will address him accordingly.”

  She looked quickly from Cassianus to me and nodded her head.

  “Of course,” she replied. A hint of a smile graced her lips as she bowed slightly in my direction. “Dominus.”

  Within the hour, we were on the same rickety cart and headed north.

  “Your plans to return to battle concern me,” Antonius stated as the driver of the cart shook the reins and the horses leapt forward. “Both the medicus and Cassianus expressed worry over your condition. They say you are not yet fit.”

  “My worth as Tribunus cannot be measured from a hospital bed,” I said. “I must be with the men.”

  “And how shall your worth be measured if you go into battle already hindered?”

  Antonius and I exchanged glances, and I took a long breath.

  “I return to my tent only,” I reassured him. “I can lead for now without fighting.”

  Antonius looked to the slave woman wrapped in a blanket as the cart pulled us north. Her eyes did not leave the ground, but I was sure he saw her slight smile. He looked back to me with raised brow.

  “As you desire, Faustus,” he said.

  “I do desire,” I replied softly. I reached over and placed my hand on Aia’s thigh, gripping it gently as she looked into my eyes and held me there.

  *****

  I pushed aside the entrance to the tent and made my way inside with Antonius right behind me. My side ached slightly though months had passed since I was first injured. I no longer walked with a limp, which was more important to me than any pain I still felt. Showing weakness to the men under my command would not serve me well.

  A large table near the tent’s entrance displayed an exemplar of the battlefield beyond the camp. I reached for a handful of carved wooden horses and soldiers decorated with the colors of the Gaul’s flag and removed them from the map. Only a few still remained on the display, and they would fall soon.

  “How many hauled back to camp?” I asked.

  “Some three hundred,” Antonius said. “Many are decidedly unruly. They will not be easily contained for long.”

  I considered for half a moment.

  “Kill the prisoners,” I said, and Antonius nodded his agreement. “I have neither the time nor the desire to break them. What of those not captured?”

  “The few remaining are in hasty retreat,” Antonius informed me.

  Movement toward the back of my tent caught my eye as Aia rose from the place where she sat slicing fresh bread for our dinner. I watched her closely, her presence ever calming me as she began to light candles to combat the fading daylight.

  “Aia—bring wine,” I ordered.

  “Yes, Dominus.” Aia quickly retrieved a jug of wine and two cups from the far side of the tent and brought them to me. She laid them on the table and poured carefully, never spilling a drop. I watched her as she completed her task and retreated into the shadows, my eyes drawn to her belly for a moment before I looked back to the wine in front of me and brought the cup to my lips.

  “Your slave appears…well rounded,” Antonius remarked with a low chuckle.

  His words drew my eyes back to her form, and I surveyed her voluptuous ass and breasts before my eyes moved back to the slight swell of her stomach. Though still subtle, her condition would soon be well known to all who cared to observe.

  “She does,” I agreed with a smile. Though it was not my intent, news of my child growing inside of Aia had been most welcome. She had been frightened to tell me at first, fearing my displeasure and possible command to rid herself of the bastard, but I would not give voice to such an order. I desired a child from her belly, and once she knew my position, she seemed quite pleased.

  “An interesting conundrum,” he said.

  “How so?”

  Antonius looked at me.

  “A child of a slave is still a slave,” he said, “unless you intend to give validity to their position?”

  His tone was a question, but he knew as well as I that I could never do so. It was not a new thought to me but one I had been considering for some time now.

  “Her station will not change,” I said quietly. “If the child is a son…”

  I paused and sighed. I had no answer for my prefect, for my eyes could not see what the future held. I would be more inclined to acknowledge a son to continue my family line, but there were those in the Senate
that would be displeased.

  “I cannot predict where the gods will take us,” I finally said. “I shall endure what comes when the time is right. Dwelling will not change outcome.”

  Antonius nodded, completed his report of the battle, and started to take his leave.

  “Antonius, pause a moment,” I said.

  “Tribunus?”

  “I beg a favor,” I stated as I looked at him pointedly.

  He returned my gaze and nodded his head.

  “Your will, Faustus.”

  I glanced at Aia and swallowed a lump in my throat.

  “Despite healed wound, I was nearly cut again,” I told him.

  “I observed,” he said with a nod. “I was close at your side; I would not have allowed you to fall.”

  I inclined my head in silent gratitude.

  “Still, there is always risk, is there not?”

  “There is.”

  I looked back to Aia where she busied herself with the fresh bread, oblivious to my words. The smell made my mouth water.

  “I have concern for my slave,” I admitted as I looked back to him, “and the child she carries if I were to fall. I want your word that you would ensure her safety and care.”

  “Clarify your meaning,” Antonius said.

  “I cannot will either her or the child my legacy,” I said. “If I die in battle, they will have no protection or funds to provide for them. She would become my father’s property.”

  “You speak truth,” Antonius agreed.

  “I would have you take her,” I said as I grasped his forearm, “and the child.”

  Widening his eyes, he straightened his back and raised his eyebrows at me.

  “You are my oldest friend,” I said. “I would trust no one else with their care.”

  Antonius blinked a few times before resolve settled in his eyes.

  “I will,” he said simply. “You are my commander and friend. I would treat them as my own family as long as they live.”

  I gripped his arm slightly before releasing him.