I expect him to demand that I lower to my knees and suck him, but he doesn’t. Instead, he closes the distance between us, surprisingly coming to me. I watch in complete shock as he lifts his hand and cups my cheek.
Slowly, his thumb slides across my bottom lip. “My people regard the mouth as sacred. Kissing is only done if you think the person clean and good, most likely your spouse or intended.”
I nod my head slightly, knowing that their people think this. “Your people do not think this, do they?” he asks.
I wonder what his point of coming here, of talking to me is? “They do not,” I whisper.
“And lying with a man, taking him in your mouth?”
“It is done in my land,” I say with a hitch of my breath.
He dips his chin, but he doesn’t say anything for a long moment. His gaze shifts from my eyes to my mouth and back several times before his eyes connect to mine and hold them.
I hold my breath, waiting for him to demand such a thing from me. It is common for slaves to do just that for the men and women here, they degrade us, our mouths, rather than their own people.
“No more,” he rasps.
“What?” I breathe.
“No more. You do not disrespect my mouth in that way any longer.”
“Your mouth?”
He dips his chin, touching his lips to mine, but he does not deepen the kiss. My entire body trembles, unsure of what to do in this moment.
“Mine,” he growls.
Then before I can ask any more questions, he releases me, turns around, and walks away. He closes the door behind him with a finality that I don’t quite understand. I stand still in my spot, unable to move as I just stare at the closed door, unsure what has happened.
Chapter One
THREE MONTHS LATER
MARCELLUS
A night of celebration.
I have needed this.
The servi in front of me sinks to his knees and turns around, bending in front of me. Turning to my side, I jerk my chin toward the person who is waiting for my signal. He dips his chin, then slips from the door and walks away. He has a mission and I am waiting for him to complete it.
Reaching for the glass jar of oil, I sink to my knees and pour some into my palm. Slathering my length with the oil, I give myself a few tugs to ready for the evening. There are people around me in various positions enjoying one another’s flesh and now it is my turn.
Using the oil, I coat the servi’s backside, not wishing to cause him any pain at all. He moans as I begin to rub, to feel his back entrance. I slip two fingers inside of him, scissoring them to stretch his entrance. His thighs spread wider as he arches his back into the perfect position for me to take him.
There is a noise beside me, a hitch of breath, and I look up to see her standing at my side. Her face is pink and her chest rises and falls as she looks down at me. “Join me, Laurentia,” I say, using her given name for the first time.
Her eyes widen and she licks her lips, then without a word, she sheds her gown. She exposes her entire body to me and I let out a groan at the sight of her. She sinks to her knees beside me, her chest rising and falling with her panting breath.
Reaching out, I wrap my fingers around the back of her neck as I slowly sink inside of the man who is bent over in front of me. Tugging her to me, I touch my mouth to hers.
“I want you. You are mine, Laurentia,” I breathe.
She doesn’t say anything, but I feel her tongue touch the seam of my lips. I continue to kiss her as I penetrate the man in front of me. It is erotic and beautiful. It is exactly what I need. Sliding my hand from her neck, I touch her breast, tweaking her nipple before I break the kiss.
“He will take you with his mouth,” I instruct.
Laurentia’s eyes widen. She shakes her head, but I don’t allow her to deny me. “I want to watch. Later it will just be us, but right now, we will take our pleasures in celebration of the gods, for the gods, and for each other.”
I watch as the servi pleasures Laurentia with his mouth, her eyes on me as I take him in the ass and it is perfection. We both come, our gazes connected, the servi serving and pleasuring us. When we’re finished, I send him away and reach for her.
“Shall we wash, then join together, Laurentia?” I ask.
Using her full name is still an odd sensation, but I enjoy the way her nostrils flare each time that I speak it aloud. She doesn’t verbally say anything, instead she nods her head. Standing, I gather her gown and my own clothing before we leave the room. The celebration is still fully underway, but I would like her alone for the rest of the night.
LAURENTIA
I am unsure what Marcellus wants with me. I am not a free woman, but I am close. My mistress, the empress is kind and has given me the duty of being her personal assistant, as she calls it. I am at her side, and only for her use, nobody else’s.
Having a semblance of freedom has eased my burdens quite a bit, but Marcellus watches me constantly, his gaze never leaves me when we’re in a room together and when he beckoned for me this eve, I knew what he wanted me for and I was correct.
I don’t know how I feel about this, about being with him tonight, but it doesn’t matter. Even though I am almost free, I am not free. Marcellus
