‘Antonia ordered you to come.’
‘My mistress did suggest that I come and thank you, but she also gave me permission to stay. I am her property; I would not give myself to you without her consent, but now I have that I want nothing more than to be with you tonight.’
She moved her hand down across his stomach and over his erection and smiled. ‘Mmm, I think that you too are willing to give your consent.’
He raised a hand and gently brushed the back of it over her nipples; she shivered involuntarily and sighed with pleasure.
‘I do give my consent,’ he murmured, putting his hand behind her head and bringing her closer. Her fingers tightened around his penis and she looked into his eyes.
‘Vespasian, you are beautiful,’ she whispered.
‘So are you, Caenis.’
He smiled at her and, stroking her thick, perfumed hair, pulled her into a kiss that he felt could last for ever.
CHAPTER XIV
Vespasian awoke after a brief but rejuvenating sleep. The wind had died down and it had stopped raining. He felt the warmth of Caenis’ body lying next to him and turned on his side to admire her beauty in the thin dawn light. He ran his hand over her back and on to her buttocks, cupping one gently, letting his fingers probe the warm crevice between them. She moaned softly and then resumed breathing quietly. Thinking that he would wake her in the lover’s favourite way he nuzzled the side of her neck with his mouth and worked his fingers lower. She turned and put an arm around him and, drawing herself closer, kissed him on the mouth. Opening her eyes she looked at him with love.
‘How did you sleep?’ she asked gently, then she suddenly looked around the room and sat up. ‘Minerva! My mistress will be furious.’ She jumped out of bed and pulled on her tunic.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s way past dawn, I should be attending to my mistress, laying out dresses for her to choose from for the day and getting things ready to do her hair.’
‘Shall we see each other before I go?’ Vespasian asked, realising that it could be four years before he saw her again.
‘I don’t know, but even if we do we won’t be able to talk.’ She gazed at him with eyes so full of love that he felt his heart stutter. ‘I will wait for you, Vespasian. Who knows but in four years, if I work hard for my mistress, I may be freed; she is not ungenerous.’
‘But Augustus set the minimum age limit for freeing a slave at thirty.’
She stepped into her shoes and leant over to the bed; she kissed him briefly but passionately. ‘I know, but I live in hope that the law doesn’t always apply to the people in power.’ She stroked his cheek. ‘I must leave now.’
‘Wait! Before you go, last night in the cell a big man came down the stairs and you screamed. Why?’
She blanched at the memory and took a deep breath. ‘He was to torture me. He took great pleasure in showing me the instruments that he would be using. He terrified me, mainly because he seemed to be looking forward to it so much.’
‘Who is he?’ Vespasian asked, putting his arms around her protectively.
‘He’s Sejanus’ freedman. His name is Hasdro.’
She kissed him once more and ran out of the room. Vespasian put a hand to his face, closed his eyes and, savouring her aroma on his fingers, contemplated four years without seeing, touching, smelling or tasting her.
Eventually he climbed out of bed and washed his face in a bowl of cold water that had been placed on the chest the night before. There was a knock at the door and in walked Caligula, smiling as he always seemed to do.
‘What a night, eh? Such fun; and I believe you rounded it off with a very grateful girl.’
‘What? How did you know that?’ Vespasian demanded, shocked.
‘I like it when they’re grateful, don’t you?’ Caligula carried on, ignoring the question. ‘That’s why I often have an ugly one. They are so grateful that they do anything you want, with anything you want, very enthusiastically.’
‘I asked you a question,’ Vespasian insisted.
‘Oh, yes. I was on my way back from asking Pallas to fetch me this very buxom kitchen slave that I’ve been meaning to try for some time – she was very grateful too by the way – when I saw the delightful Caenis knock on your door and go in.’
Vespasian reddened and tried to hide it by drying his face with a cloth.
‘Oh, come now.’ Caligula grinned at him. ‘There’s no need to be embarrassed; as I said, we all have our needs and I believe that it would be a crime against the gods to ignore them; they gave them to us after all. Just imagine how dull life would be if we spent all our time suppressing our desires. You’re a lucky chap, you know, my grandmother has banned me from even thinking about having Caenis and she’s threatened all sorts of nasty reprisals if I try. Did you know that she’s even given Caenis permission to hit me – me! Can you imagine it?’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’ Vespasian was relieved to learn that Antonia had taken steps to protect her favoured slave from the seemingly insatiable sexual appetite of his new young friend.
‘Shall we go and find some breakfast? I’m ravenous, as you must be too.’
‘Yes, gratitude does help you work up an appetite,’ Vespasian observed, tying on his loincloth. He pulled his tunic over his head, fastened his belt and, slipping into his slippers, followed Caligula out of the room.
They found Sabinus already eating in the triclinium. They joined him for a leisurely breakfast of freshly baked bread, cheese and olives washed down with sweet watered wine, whilst discussing the previous night’s events – which included Caligula filling Sabinus in on who he saw entering his brother’s room.
‘Well, well, little brother, so you’ve finally given up mules and moved on to slaves; well done. One day soon you may even get your cock into something that has a choice in the matter.’
Vespasian knew that it was pointless rising to his brother so contented himself by throwing a hunk of bread at him.
Antonia joined them halfway through the second hour of the day. ‘Good morning, gentlemen, I hope that you all slept well.’
Vespasian couldn’t help feeling that there was a hint of irony aimed at him in the remark. Antonia sat and a waiting slave poured her a cup of watered wine. She looked at the two brothers. ‘It’s as I feared: Sejanus has posted a group of Praetorians a little way up the hill watching the front of the house and another group down the side alley watching the stable-yard gate. So we shall have to be careful.’ She gestured to the slave without looking at him. ‘Fetch Pallas.’
The slave bowed and left the room.
‘Is there any news from Asinius, domina?’ Vespasian asked.
‘I sent him a message this morning and he’s promised to come here as soon as he has dealt with his clients for the day; let us hope that he brings some good news with him.’
Pallas entered the room.
‘Pallas, I want you to have two covered litters prepared in the stable yard. Do not have them sent around the front until Sabinus and Vespasian have been hidden in them.’
‘Yes mistress.’ The steward bowed and hurried off to give the necessary orders.
Antonia turned back to Sabinus and Vespasian. ‘Once you are each in a litter they’ll come out of the stable yard and round to the front of the house where Gaius and I will get in quickly, then we’ll head down the hill before our watching friends have time to react.’
‘That’s very neat, Grandmother,’ Caligula said, warming to the idea of another escapade. ‘But how do we get them out of the litters? We can’t just take them home; we’re bound to be followed.’
‘We’ll go to the Forum. It’s a market day; lots of people will have come into the city so it will be very crowded
