Over the Wine Dark Sea

  And she did. By the time they finished, he was ready to stagger back to the rented house and sleep for a long, long time. As he put on his chiton, Maibia said, 'You could be doing this every day if you were to buy me, now.'   'If I did this every day, I'd fall over dead before long,' Sostratos said.   'Not a big, strong man like your honor,' she said with a shake of the head that sent coppery locks flying.   'I meant it as praise for you,' he said, which made her eye him from under lowered lids and tempted him not to leave no matter how sated he was. But, though his body might have been satisfied, his curiosity never was. He asked, 'How did you come to be a slave? Why aren't you up in the north of Italy married to a Keltic solder?'   'Indeed and I might have been, were it not for three Roman traders, bad cess to 'em forevermore,' she answered. 'I was out in the fields minding the cows -  'tis a young man's job, but my father had no sons left alive -  when they came along the road. They saw me and decided I was worth more nor whatever they had to sell. They lured me close by asking where they might be after finding water, then laid hold of me and carried me off. It wasna far to take me out of the Keltic country, and they got me away without a man of my village the wiser. They raped me and they sold me and'  - she shrugged -  'here I am.'   Sostratos dipped his head. Most slaves not born to servitude had some such tale of horror to tell.   Maibia went on, 'I look at that Titus Manlius, the which is majordomo to Gylippos, and I laugh to know it can happen to a Roman, too -  though likely them as caught him didna hike up his tunic, with him so ugly and all.'   'So he is a Roman, then?' Sostratos said. 'I have to tell you, I can't keep all these different Italian tribes straight. It's not likely that any of them will ever amount to much.'   When he kissed Maibia good-bye, she clung to him and murmured, 'Would you not like to be after taking me along thee now?'   One of his eyebrows rose. He said, 'My dear, you are very sweet, and great fun in bed. I am going to tell you something that will help us get along better: don't nag me. The more you tell me to do something, the more likely you are to make me want not to do it. Have you got that?'   'Aye,' she said softly. A spark of anger flashed in her green eyes, but she did her best to hide it, adding only, 'You're a cool one, aren't you?'   'So people keep telling me,' Sostratos said, and went on his way.   She wants me to fall in love with her, he thought as he walked back to the house. Men who fall in love spend a lot of money and do all sorts of other foolish things. Menedemos seemed to fall in love with at least one woman in every city he visited. The life of a trader, never staying very long in any one place, probably kept him from landing in even worse trouble with some of them than he found.   Menedemos was beaming when Sostratos returned to the house. He was also singing one of the songs from the symposion at Gylippos' house. Sostratos pointed an accusing finger at him.