Virginia Henley (16 page)

She clung to him sweetly, allowing him to plunder her mouth as he had plundered her senses. When at last he lifted his mouth from hers, he murmured, “That is just a foretaste of the pleasure we will share. Now that I have entertained you, it is your turn to entertain me. Do you imagine your intelligence can hold my interest, or will you have to resort to your beauty?” he challenged.

He carried her up the steps and deposited her on his bed. Then he threw off his linen tunic and stretched his length beside her, propping his shoulders against the pillows and cushions.

Diana’s curious eyes examined him with awe. He was indeed a splendid male specimen. His torso was covered by thick black curls that were dense across his chest where the golden coin reflected the light from the silver lamp. The hair was sparse across his ridged belly, then bloomed again at his groin. His male sex, still in a state of arousal, stood erect as a column of marble crowned with a head of vermilion velvet.

She tucked her knees beneath her and clasped her hands. In an almost kneeling position, she began to talk to him quietly. “Marcus, my name is Diana Davenport. I was born in London, Londinium, in the year
A.D
. 1772. I traveled to Aquae Sulis, which we call Bath because of the ancient Roman baths built seventeen hundred years before. One day I went into an antique shop, a shop that sells old antiquities. I was amazed to find a Roman helmet of iron and bronze. I couldn’t resist trying it on, but when I did, I felt strange, ill almost, and I experienced a sensation of falling through space.

“Now I realize I was somehow being transported through time. I think I fainted, and when I regained consciousness, I was here in Aquae Sulis, almost beneath the wheels of your chariot. In my ignorance I thought that some men, of my own time, were dressing up as ancient Romans and playing silly boy games. However, when you put a slave collar on me, I realized it was no game.”

Marcus watched her lovely mouth as she talked. He was the luckiest man breathing. He had a slave girl who was not only exquisitely beautiful, but one who could bemuse him with stories and entertain him with her humor and intelligence. And the best part was that no man had touched her before. Not a single one. His eyes began to close. As the music of her voice went on, the day’s work began to take its toll on the general and he fell asleep to the sound of Diana.

Diana lifted her lashes to gauge his reaction to the things she was telling him. Her eyes widened in disbelief—
Marcus had fallen asleep while she talked! Still on her knees, she leaned forward to get a closer look at him. In repose, his features still had the pride of an eagle, but he looked so much younger. His wide chest rose and fell with his slow, even breathing. His neck, arms, and shoulders were corded with heavy muscle, while the swarthy skin across his belly was taut as a drum.

His shaft, no longer like a ramrod, lay against his thigh, its head withdrawn inside its cowl. It still looked a dangerous weapon, however, its size alone intimidating. Her eyes drifted down his thighs and calves. He had the most muscular legs she had ever seen. Modern men were not built this way. He was like a Colossus.

Finally, she looked at his hands. They were large, capable, powerful hands, both calloused and scarred. She marveled that they had brought her such pleasure. They had been strong yet tender at the same time. She looked at her exposed breast, the one he had stroked and fondled, and was surprised that he had left no mark upon it.

She placed one of her hands beside his and discovered it was only about one third its size. Though he was enormous, there was nothing clumsy about him. He had the strength and lithe power of an animal. In swordplay he was quick on his feet, moving with the speed of lightning and striking with the same deadly surety.

Diana wondered why Fate had sent her to the arms of this man. There was no answer. Yet deep down, in the recesses of her heart, she was secretly glad that she had been given such a fantastic chance to experience this time, this place, and this man. She experienced a tiny flicker of fear that she might be snatched away from him. She was surprised at her own emotions and admitted that she would be loath to leave him.

She knew if he opened his eyes, she would yield to him in a heartbeat. Then she felt guilty. He had had an exhausting day and needed his rest so that he could arise at five and start all over again. With one last reluctant glance at him, she quietly tiptoed from his chamber.

“This is outrageous!” Diana cried. “I refuse to wear this, I refuse to go downstairs, and you can bloody well tell him so!”

“The general told me you might be unreasonable. I am to remind you about the promise you gave,” Kell said stonily.

Diana was so angry, she couldn’t think straight for a minute. Then her own words came back to her:
If I was not wearing a garment that bared one breast, I would not object to sharing your couch. Perhaps tomorrow evening?

“Tomorrow. Swear it!” he had commanded.

I promise, Marcus.
Her thoughts ran about like quicksilver. He had tricked her. Deliberately tricked her! He had diabolically used her own words to trap her. The garment he had chosen for her tonight did not bare one breast, it bared both!

“You can go down and tell him all promises are off. In fact, our bargain is off!”

“You mean the one where you agreed to be his slave only when others are about?” Kell asked with a straight face.

“How did you know that?” Diana demanded angrily.

“The walls have ears,” Kell said dryly.

“The entire household knows?” she asked in outrage.

“Knows what? That in return for pretending to be his slave, he has to keep his cock to himself until you agree to yield willingly?”

“Ohmigod!” Diana covered her blushes with her hands. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. Then she decided the shame was not hers, it was Kell’s for violating her privacy. “Are you taking bets as to when he will bed me?” Diana asked in outrage.

“Actually, it won’t be long if you call off your bargain,” Kell warned.

“Get Nola up here!”

“A slave cannot issue orders.”

“I’m a pretend slave, remember? Get Nola up here before I have your flagellum removed.”

“That could be painful, Briton,” Nola said from the doorway.

“Woman of Gaul,” Kell said, rolling his eyes ceiling-ward, “that’s all I needed.”

“Nola, does everyone in the household know my secrets?”

“No. Only the Briton knows, and I’m shrewd enough to put two and two together, but Marcus is a most private man and it is Kell’s job to preserve that privacy, so you can rest assured none know your secrets.”

“Thank you for undermining my authority. Perhaps you can persuade the lady to dress and go downstairs to dine.”

“Look at this!” Diana cried, holding out a garment of bloodred crimson.

“It is a loin dress. You will look magnificent in it.”

“I will look naked in it! One of you will have to go and tell him I refuse to put it on.”

“This will take diplomacy. The Briton would be useless; I’ll go.” Nola had spoken simply to disparage Kell. Why did she get herself into these things? She walked into the triclinium, hiding the trepidation she felt. “The loin dress you chose would look exquisite on her, General, but
you forget she is extremely modest and has never seen a garment like that before.”

“She has promised to obey my orders. Is she refusing to do so?”

“No, no. But I think it would be most thoughtful of you to clear this part of the villa of male slaves. She would feel more at ease if only your eyes observed her charms.”

“Have Kell remove all the males. Will you serve us tonight, Nola?”

Nola inclined her head. She had a delicate task before her and did not quite know how to accomplish her mission. When she returned to Diana’s chamber, Kell said, “Ah, Woman of Diplomacy, did you tell him the lady refuses?”

“I explained that she is extremely modest and has never seen a garment like this before.”

“And?” Kell pressed relentlessly.

“And he wishes you to remove all the male slaves from this part of the villa. That, of course, includes you, Briton!”

Kell heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief. “The gods are with me tonight. I will have no trouble obeying my orders, while you, dearest Nola, are faced with an insurmountable task.”

When he left, Nola said, “Just once I would like to wipe the smug look from his superior male face.”

“You didn’t tell Marcus,” Diana accused.

“He has made a great concession to make you feel more comfortable,” Nola pointed out.

“Still, he expects me to wear this thing! Have you seen it? It is a lewd and scandalous garment.”

“Scant perhaps, but not scandalous. Romans honor and worship the body. There is nothing more beautiful than the naked female form. To think there is lewdness connected with it is an obscenity in itself. Try on the garment and you will see for yourself that it only adds to your beauty.”

Reluctantly, Diana removed her stola and allowed Nola
to drape the crimson loin dress over her hips. It dipped down at the front all the way to her pubic bone, where Nola fastened it with a huge pearl brooch. When Diana looked in the mirror, all she could think was that if Prudence saw her, her aunt would die from shock!

A deep voice from the doorway said, “You have admired yourself long enough, now it is my turn.”

“Marcus!” Diana gasped. “I cannot walk about like this.”

“Then I shall carry you,” he said implacably. He picked her up as if she were thistledown and, completely ignoring all her protests, carried her down to the triclinium. Diana turned into his body so that only her back would be exposed should any eyes be spying on her. This, however, was not without its consequences. The tips of her breasts brushed against his chest with every step he took. She could feel the heat from his body and smell the male scent of his dark skin.

She expected him to take her before the mirror again, but instead, he set her down upon her own couch in a reclining position and tucked a small gold cushion beneath her elbow. Then he crossed to his own couch and let his eyes roam over her at his leisure.

Diana had stopped protesting. Marcus Magnus’ will would always prevail. He was the ultimate dominant male and no force on earth would ever alter him. She had a choice: Either she accepted him or she rejected him, and she knew it would be in her own best interests to accept him. Also, deep down at her core, she did not really want him any other way. If she admitted her true feelings, she was inordinately flattered that he found her irresistible.

They were highly attracted to each other, and the anticipation of seeing and touching and tasting was like a fire in the blood. They tempted each other so much that they were in a constant state of arousal. Diana knew it was inevitable that he would make love to her and the thought of it made her want to scream with excitement.

Nola followed them into the triclinium. “Will I serve you separately?” she asked, knowing full well that Marcus wanted Diana on his couch, reclining with him.

“You may serve the main courses separately and then you may withdraw, Nola.”

There were huge prawns, small shrimp, and baby scallops in a sauce of lemon butter, followed by a larded and crisped goose, stuffed with chestnuts. The salad had chick peas, cucumber, and beetroot with a tangy honey and aniseed dressing. Diana had never had anything at the Roman’s table that was not delicious. The Prince of Wales would have been green with envy had he been able to dine here.

“Do you forgive me for falling asleep last night?”

“The fault was mine. I obviously bored you.”

“Nay, I was highly entertained. You have a fertile imagination.”

“I didn’t imagine it, Marcus. It really happened.”

“I want you to continue your story. I want you to tell me everything—after.”

Diana found it difficult to breathe. “After?”

“Yes, after. Not only tonight, but every night I would enjoy being entertained by your stories.”

“After what?” she whispered, her throat suddenly dry, her voice husky.

“After the needs of our bodies are satisfied. After we have eaten and quenched our thirst, and after we are sated with lovemaking. Then we will talk.”

Diana lowered her lashes to her cheeks. If Nola didn’t leave them alone soon, she would die of longing. It was highly erotic and titillating to recline before this virile Roman general clad only in a garment that covered her loins. And its purpose was clearly designed to do more than cover, it was designed to emphasize her pubis, which was adorned with the great pearl. Finally, Nola cleared away the first courses and brought in a tray of desserts and fruits, then she withdrew.

Marcus’ black eyes glittered. He held out his hand to her and said, “Come over here and see if there is aught that tempts you.” The sexual tension in the room was so tangible, he could taste it and smell it.

Diana slid from her couch and came to him slowly and sinuously. When she was close by his couch, she gave him a sideways glance and said provocatively, “I see much that tempts me. Choose your dessert and I will serve it to you.”

“I choose you,” he said hoarsely.

Like a houri who had been trained in a harem for her sultan’s pleasure, Diana sat down upon his couch, lifted her legs, and in one fluidly graceful movement curled her body against his. He had been lying on one elbow with his knees bent. She leaned back against his knees, facing him, so that he had complete access to the breasts his eyes had caressed throughout the meal. But his need to taste her lips first was so overwhelming that his arms enfolded her against his heart and his mouth came down on hers in total possession.

Once they had begun, they could not stop kissing. They had been starving for each other. Her lips opened to his fierce demands and he thrust his tongue inside the dark honeyed cave to plunder her sweetness. Her senses were overflowing with the scent and taste and feel of him inside her. He stroked her tongue with his, playing out the male-female game of domination and submission until he mastered her, and she clung to him, allowing him to ravish her until she was mindless. He took her close to the edge of madness until she was panting and biting and digging her nails into his flesh in blind ecstasy.

After a while his kisses became less fierce and brutal, but much more sensual and erotic. His tongue traced her lips, he nibbled and sucked her mouth, taking endlessly until her lips were swollen with an excess of kissing. Yet still their mouths hungered for more. He gave her tiny kisses, quick hot kisses, and slow melting kisses.

Then Marcus held her away from him so he could look his fill at her lush breasts, which were slowly hardening at
the lust he aroused in her. He dipped his head to lick a taut pink nipple, then drew the whole luscious crown into his mouth. She arched backward so that her breast thrust into his mouth and he almost devoured her.

Her mouth was ravenous again, so Diana let her lips and tongue slide up the column of his throat. She felt insatiable. She would never get enough of him. His linen tunic had wide armholes so she slipped her hands inside to caress and fondle the great slabs of muscle that covered his wide chest.

This did not satisfy her for long. “Remove it,” she begged, and when he eagerly complied, she ran her fingertips through the dark curls and set her mouth to licking and sucking his copper nipples. A deep craving began inside Diana. She needed more voluptuous love play. She needed to wrap her long legs about his magnificent body. She needed his fingers to play with her, even go inside her. Now she knew exactly what Marcus had meant when he said he was riven with need!

Marcus, however, now chose to do teasing, playful things to her. He dipped his finger in his wine and anointed the tips of her breasts, then curled his tongue about her diamond-hard nipples to catch the bloodred drops. Then he sipped the wine and set his mouth to hers to give her wine-rich kisses.

“Please, Marcus, please!” Her whisper was so intense, he realized that at last she was ready to yield to him, oh so willingly.

“Come,” he said, rising from the couch and taking her hand. When her feet touched the floor, her knees were like water. She clung to his hand and followed where he led. He was naked, save for the gold medallion he always wore, and at that moment she thought him beautiful enough to always go naked.

Suddenly, Diana felt very overdressed. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he lifted her before him and unfastened the pearl. “Wrap yourself about me.” Her
arms slipped around his powerful neck, and as her legs encircled his torso, the crimson loin cloth fell onto the bottom step.

As Marcus slowly mounted the staircase, their desire also mounted until it burst into flame. The length of his shaft rested in her cleft, hard as a battering ram and she writhed upon him until she was creamy with craving. She kissed him hard and slipped her tongue into his mouth. Diana was ready to make some demands of her own.

He ignored the steps leading up to the side of the bed and instead went to the foot. His powerful hands lifted her by the waist and stood her on the high bed. His mouth was on a level with her knees and he rained kisses upon them, then rubbed his cheek against her velvet-soft skin.

“Marcus, I need to touch you,” she whispered hoarsely, gazing down at him. “I am Diana, I need your arrow in my hand; Ï need your arrow inside me!”

“I want to savor you. I have decided to keep you virgin awhile.”

“No!” she cried, in a fever to gift him with her maidenhead.