The Centurion's Wife Read online

  I raise my eye to hers in surprise––was she really speaking to us?

  ‘If that pleases you, Domina.’ It’s Lucius who speaks.

  ‘Of course.’ She turns and gestures to a small girl waiting a few steps behind. ‘Livia, please see to it they are properly settled.’

  The girl nods as she approaches. ‘Follow me.’

  We are dismissed.

  But I don’t want to be.

  I want to understand why the beauty of the house, my new Domina, has a voice like me, and yet stands a world apart.

  I want to understand the purpose of us being handed over as a gift.

  And above all, I want to understand the true expectations of our new Dominus and Domina because suddenly the world doesn’t look quite as bleak.

  And that hope scares me.

  Only foolish slaves harbour hope.

  And I’d been foolish enough to think myself lucky once.

  I don’t dare do it again.

  I look back over my shoulder to see them walking into the courtyard, the doting gaze of my Domina as she looks to her husband fuelling my hope and then her eyes drift to mine. Her lips lift in a breath-taking smile and the hope explodes in my belly, excitement quick on its tail.

  Gaius

  Tiberius overstayed his welcome, and then some. And Gaius was no fool, he could see the reason he stayed was to bask in his wife’s appeal, attempting to lure her in with his charm. The very idea was laughable to Gaius, not that he’d given any outward indication that it was so.

  And Aurelia had played the perfect wife, the perfect hostess, not a word out of place, even in the thick of his innuendo when any innocent wallflower would have retreated. She had done herself proud, she had done Gaius proud.

  They were finally alone, her back pressed into his front as they lay atop the bed. She had dismissed their slaves for the evening, much to the surprise of their new pair, not so much to the old who were accustomed to the peculiarities of their Domina.

  ‘So, this party that Tiberius wishes to throw,’ she murmured, her fingers toying with his own across her belly. ‘Exactly what should I expect?’

  He nuzzled a kiss to her neck and crafted his words carefully, hoping she’d already had her eyes opened enough by the man that day.

  ‘I think he’s given you a good idea of how lascivious he can be.’

  She hummed under her breath. ‘And just how much a role is one expected to play?’

  ‘As little or as much as you would want.’

  She froze and turned to eye him. ‘And how much would you want?’

  He started to circle his fingers around her navel, ‘I only have need of you, although…’ Her eyes narrowed, their depths wary but he pressed on. She needed to acclimatise to this way of life if they were to be ingratiated into society. ‘…watching can be quite enjoyable.’

  ‘Watching?’ She nibbled over her lower lip, her eyes flitting to his mouth and back again. ‘Do you mean watching others or watching me with…?’

  ‘I have no desire to see you with another man.’ He flattened his hand against her belly, pressing her against him possessively to drive his point home.

  ‘And a woman?’ She frowned. ‘What then?’

  He gave a nonchalant shrug, making it seem far more casual than his searing brain thought it. His head having been filled with the idea of her and Lucia together ever since Tiberius had burst in that morning. ‘I would feel differently.’

  She bit into her lip, her lashes lowering, her tummy tensing beneath his touch. ‘I see.’

  ‘But I would never want you to do anything you didn’t want to.’

  She looked back to him, her cheeks colouring. ‘I know.’ And then she gave a shaky breath and turned away, her eyes on the wall thoughtful as she tucked down against him.

  ‘I mean it.’ He bowed his head to whisper against her ear, his mouth dropping to nibble at her lobe.

  ‘I believe you,’ she said softly, and he dropped to her neck, his hand trailing up her front to ease the fabric from one shoulder. She gave a small whimper and wriggled into him, her derriere rubbing rhythmically into his groin as the blood rushed to feed it.

  ‘And how do you feel about it?’ He stroked at the exposed skin, both tongue and fingers caressing as he posed the question.

  ‘In truth, I do not know.’

  She sighed as he nipped the peak of her shoulder, his fingers easing the fabric to her waist, exposing her breasts to his exploratory palm. He cupped her gently, his thumb and forefinger rolling at her nipple, making it harden within his grasp and her body flush with heat.

  ‘You understand the reason Legatus chose Lucia and Lucius to serve us?’ he probed, his fingers getting more demanding, his cock nestled between her cheeks swelling blissfully. ‘To serve you?’

  ‘He didn’t leave much doubt,’ she said breathlessly, her arousal ringing through and feeding his own.

  ‘If anyone knows of the parties he throws, it is them.’

  He dropped his hands to her waist, untying the hook in her robe and parting it entirely, his eyes lowering to take in her exposed beauty. ‘You are beautiful.’

  ‘You change the subject, my lord.’

  ‘No, you distract me.’

  She laughed, the sound husky and low in her throat and she wriggled further into him, his cock sent into spasm with the thrill.

  ‘So, what say you of Lucia?’ he pressed, his hand curving around her thigh to lift it back and over him, parting her. She was wet, her hairs glistened in the candle light––Is that what their conversation had done to her?

  ‘She is very beautiful.’

  ‘She is from the same region as you.’ He stroked down her belly, down into the dampened curls, down into the slickness within.

  ‘Yes,’ she breathed, riding his caress, her head pressing back into his shoulder. ‘I guessed as much.’

  ‘Tiberius thinks it will help you feel less alone in my absence.’ He found her hardened nub, felt it pulse beneath his touch and he dropped his mouth to her lobe once more. ‘Having someone with which you share that communality, giving you less barriers to break through.’ He circled over her, his tempo well-rehearsed. ‘There are pleasures she can teach you, she can show you.’ She started to pant beneath him, the sound music to his cock. ‘I have seen women together, there’s something so exquisite in how they worship one another.’

  He dipped his hand lower, slipping inside her warm channel and she welcomed him, her body thrusting him in deeper.

  ‘Would you like to watch us?’ she whispered, her body arching, her eyelids fluttering closed.

  ‘Is it acceptable to say I do?’

  She moaned her response.

  ‘To see you both naked and entwined, your hands exploring, your tongues dancing…’ He trailed his mouth along her jawline and she turned into him, her tongue greeting him with fiery intent.

  He gave a guttural groan, his cock pressing wildly into her cheeks, his fingers returning to rotate over her clit. ‘Would you like that?’

  She whimpered her response, her body tensing, her colour high as her climax built. ‘And you can watch too, you can watch her with Lucius, see what they can do, you can watch him fuck her as I do you, watch him lose it within her, let them expose you to all the pleasures.’

  ‘Yes,’ she moaned, her body lifting against him, her hand rising to claw the back of his neck as she devoured his mouth, ‘Yes.’

  ‘They can show you the scenes you will experience at the celebration, they can prepare you,’ he pressed, his fingers working furiously now, his cock swelling painfully as the tell-tale tension coursed through his limbs. ‘Do you agree?’

  ‘Yes––Gaius.’ She stilled, her grip over his neck tight. ‘Make it so.’

  And then she bucked violently, her orgasm racking her top-to-toe with a cry. The force of her climax, fuelling his own as pleasure exploded through him, his seed spilling into his clothing.

  He was stunned to silence. His loss of control leaving h
im winded. If the idea alone could do that, how would the reality fair?

  Not a minute past and already his cock twitched with reignited vigour.

  He pressed a kiss to her heated cheek and she looked to him with a sheepish glint. ‘You will make it so?’

  He nodded. ‘Oh yes.’

  Chapter Four

  Aurelia

  She knew she was in hiding but letting people witness her weakness didn’t sit well.

  She’d hit the fields as soon as he’d disappeared on the horizon, running until she ran out of bystanders. And now she sat in the shade of a tree, alone with her thoughts and wept.

  It didn’t matter that he’d assured her he’d be fine, that he wasn’t even heading into battle, she missed him. So much, it hurt. And it would be months before she laid eyes on him again––months!

  She closed her eyes and rested her head back. It was all in the hands of the Gods now. She had no choice but to accept it and throw her focus into her duties. She had plans for the household, to improve the conditions for their slaves, to educate the children and make it a place that all enjoyed. She hoped they would soon realise the benefits of her previous status in life, rather than resent it. That her coming from slavery gave her a special kind of empathy and that she would see to it they all shared in her blessing. Not maltreat them, just as many other Roman households would.

  The pad of feet invaded her thoughts and slowly she opened her lashes, squinting against the sun to make out Lucia standing before her.

  The girl bowed her head, ‘I am sorry, Domina, I thought you may need some water, it’s hot today.’

  She offered up the jug in her hand, her expression soft, her voice laced with concern and Aurelia wanted to cry anew. Lucia’s subservient yet thoughtful action breaking through the walls she had fought to keep in place at the house.

  She took a breath to trap it in. ‘That is very kind, thank you.’

  Lucia knelt beside her to place the jug on the ground, rising again just as swiftly and stepping away. ‘Can I get you anything else?’

  Aurelia shook her head and the girl moved to leave.

  ‘Wait.’ Lucia paused, her eyes lifting to meet Aurelia’s. ‘I would be grateful of some company.’

  She said it before she’d even processed it. Hadn’t she run away to gain space, time alone? But suddenly she no longer wanted anything of the sort. She wanted companionship. She wanted Lucia to stay.

  She dipped a courtesy, ‘Of course, Domina.’

  ‘Sit with me.’

  Her eyes wavered, her hesitation clear. Or was it just surprise at being asked to sit?

  She smiled. ‘I don’t bite.’

  Lucia laughed gently, her face lighting up and sending butterflies loose in Aurelia’s tummy. She really was very pretty. It was a wonder Tiberius had given her up.

  But then, had it not been his wife benefiting from Lucia’s servitude? Heat coursed through her veins, memories of all she and Gaius had discussed, the purpose of Tiberius’ gift. Her tummy contracted over the instant pang between her thighs.

  Lucia lowered herself to the ground and folded her legs off to the side as Aurelia asked, ‘Do you miss your old household?’

  Her eyes snapped to Aurelia’s, a strange sense of panic in their depths and then she lowered her gaze, her delicate fingers toying with the grass in front of her. Was she deliberating or refusing to answer?

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Aurelia said, kicking her brashness. ‘I didn’t mean to pry.’

  Lucia licked over her lips and gave a gentle shake of her head. Was she nervous?

  ‘I miss my old Domina.’

  Only her Domina…?

  ‘What of your Dominus?’

  ‘My duties were to my Domina.’

  Was that her way of saying “no”?

  ‘I take it you liked her?’

  Her eyes glistened and her breath hitched, the reaction more revealing than her words, ‘She was good to me.’

  How good?

  She burned to ask. There was something about Lucia that captivated her.

  And it wasn’t just the knowledge of what her and her previous Domina had shared, although that in itself had her pulse racing, her breasts swelling against her tunic as the blood rushed to feed their budding ache.

  It was her.

  Her green eyes that glowed like emeralds in her pale white skin, her blonde hair tied in a simple braid, emphasising the elegant length to her neck.

  And down further still, to the way her small breasts undulated in the simple tunic draped over her body, hiding what she knew to be a slight waist and curvaceous hips. Her legs petite and slender.

  It had all been on display when she’d arrived with Tiberius. A simple band holding her breasts tight and a strip of cloth at her waist. Aurelia had made sure her clothing had been taken care of promptly. But now she’d give anything to have the girl dressed so once more.

  Stop it, her conscience demanded, yet still the warmth spread, her mouth suddenly parched. She took a sip from the jug and hoped she would sound normal when she said, ‘I hope you will find me just the same.’

  ‘Of course, Domina.’ Lucia shifted awkwardly, her cheeks flushing and Aurelia realised the error of her words, how they could be misconstrued.

  ‘I mean, I hope you will come to like working for me too.’

  The girl’s colour deepened, her green eyes flicking briefly back to her. ‘I know I will.’

  ‘Good, that pleases me.’

  Suddenly she wished she’d pressed Gaius outright and discovered exactly what he’d said to Lucia and Lucius after their discussion the other night. She knew he’d delivered his consent and that he was of the view their relationship would evolve naturally as and when Aurelia chose it to.

  And suddenly she had no patience for evolution, she wanted it now, she wanted her pain buried. Wanted to get a taste of what the next few months could be like, if she just went with it.

  Only one thing stopped her; she had no desire to make Lucia or Lucius do something they didn’t want to. She hated slavery for that very reason. She knew there were jobs that had to be done and would see their slaves rewarded for that work.

  But this, this was different.

  She couldn’t enjoy it if they didn’t enjoy it too.

  And how exactly did one broach that question?

  ‘If it pleases Domina,’ Lucia suddenly spoke up. ‘I would like to try and make you feel better. I know I cannot replace my Dominus, but he has told me of your talk…’

  It was Aurelia’s turn to colour, her cheeks blazing while her clit went into overdrive. She swallowed hard and pressed a cooling hand to her mouth.

  ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to speak out of turn,’ Lucia rushed out softly. ‘You’re just so very different from my previous Domina, I feel like you won’t ask.’

  Aurelia’s lips quirked and she lowered her hand, ‘Am I that obvious?’

  Lucia nodded, her own mouth lifting in a smile that made her breath catch, its sultry quality teasing every racing nerve. ‘But you must, you only have to tell me what you want.’

  ‘It’s not that simple.’ Aurelia looked to the fields, her mind throwing over the varying ways in which she could ask the question she needed to.

  ‘Please, Domina, you can tell me anything.’

  She looked back to the girl, the concern in her face coaxing out the words, ‘Will you speak plainly if I ask you something?’

  Lucia’s brow furrowed and she rolled her shoulders back, straightening to say, ‘Of course.’

  ‘I need you to tell me if it’s something you desire too.’ Lucia narrowed her gaze and Aurelia pressed on. ‘I need to know if you want it too.’

  Lucia cocked her head to the side, her gaze surprised and questioning as she swept it over her. ‘That is important to you?’

  ‘Very.’ Aurelia said earnestly, folding her legs underneath her to kneel as she studied Lucia’s face, looking for her honesty. ‘I cannot demand this of you, unless it’s something
that you want.’

  ‘Forgive me Domina, but I don’t think my words will convince you.’

  Disappointment sunk heavy in her gut. ‘So, you do not?’

  Lucia joined Aurelia on her knees, her eyes animated. ‘I absolutely do.’

  Aurelia frowned. ‘Then why?’

  ‘I only mean that they are just words, if I may, you only have to touch me to know how much I desire this––desire you.’

  Aurelia dropped her eyes to where she meant, words failing her, her blood rushing through her ears as the thrilling heat of desire consumed her.

  ‘If it pleases you to know, then touch me.’

  ‘Here? Now?’ Her eyes met Lucia’s once more and the girl nodded, knees shuffling forward until she was within reaching distance.

  Aurelia’s mouth parted, her disbelieving gaze watching as Lucia lowered her lashes, her hands reaching beneath the edge of her tunic to slip away her loincloth.

  ‘If it please you, Domina.’ She raised her skirt, just enough to hint at the curls nestled between her thighs.

  Aurelia scanned their surroundings, they were perfectly alone but being out in the open, so exposed, it held her back just as much as it urged her forth.

  ‘Come.’ Lucia reached out to take her by the wrist and Aurelia didn’t resist, her eyes dropping to her own upturned hand as Lucia slipped it into her curls, her dampened heat pressing into her palm.

  Fascinated, she raised her index finger, teasing inside her seam, burying it in her slickness––she was so wet, so ready…all for her!

  Lucia caught her breath and she looked up to see the girl’s lashes close, her head loll back.

  It was too erotic, too salacious, to explore her in such a way and a strangled moan forced its way out as the throbbing ache to her clit flourished.

  She knew her own body of old, but to feel another woman, so different and yet not…she explored deep, looking for her entrance, hooking her finger inside and watching Lucia rock over her, her wrist gripping Aurelia tighter, tiny pants sparking from her parted lips.

  She slipped back, seeking out her hardened nub, rotating over it rhythmically, her eyes fixed on every flicker in the girl’s countenance. The way she moved against her touch. Her breasts undulated with her shortened breaths. Her eyelids fluttered, and her cheeks flushed.