The day that never was [M]

[Sara]

She gave him a sly little smirk that would have been completely out of place on her face thirty minutes prior. But now she knew more. Granted...not everything, hence her little frown and question. "Is that how it works? Men need breaks?" She  tilted her head and studied him, fingers splaying and playing over his chest as his hand stroked her back. 

"But I didn't mean that," She chuckled awkwardly with a blush and shifted to sit up in the bed next to him, leaning against the headboard with the sheet covering her, tucked under her arms. "Just...if only  this were a real domus we could have slaves to bring us up the food and wine so we'd never have to leave this bed." She gave him a small pout and a very unsubtle hint that she wanted him to go down and get it. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Is that how it works? Men need breaks?" 

"Look at who's getting the taste of pleasure now" Lucius grinned up at her, running a hand through her hair. As shy and hesitant she had been, she wasn't now. And he loved to see this side of her. He'd suspected it was there - after all, Ovinia always knew exactly what she wanted. "Yes. Men need breaks."

"But I didn't mean that. Just...if only  this were a real domus we could have slaves to bring us up the food and wine so we'd never have to leave this bed." 

Lucius sighed. Part of it was for show, as he rolled out of bed, following her unspoken request. But part of it was real. If this were a real domus... They could sleep in each other's arms. And they could wake up together. Lucius put on his tunica, walking downstairs and returning soon with a tray of food and the pitcher of wine. "If this were a real domus, you'd still enjoy bossing me around" he pointed out with a grin.

@Sara

[Sara]

She smiled slightly shyly but that was overtaken fairly quickly with narrowed eyes and an amused look as he stood to go downstairs. "And they say women are the weaker sex, yet men can't even give themselves pleasure without a rest in-between..." She gave him a slightly challenging look but it was offset by the colour on her face. Moreso as he strutted to go and pick up his tunica. 

Whilst she was left alone she sighed and rolled her head back, staring up at the ceiling. She waited, in the quiet, for the feelings of guilt and regret to come but...they didn't. There was anxiety, of course, that she had done something so forbidden women had been killed for it before. Exiled. Slaughtered. And yet she didn't feel guilt. It was the first thing she'd ever really done for herself purely because she wanted to do it and it wasn't expected of her. Her hobbies, her flippancy with the slaves, the shopping, all of it was expected. This was not. She gave him an eye roll as he moved back in with the goods, chuckling. She chose to join the fantasy rather than break it. "Of course I would, I'd be materfamilias and don't they say happy wife happy life?" She grinned and extended her hand for a cup of wine. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius set the tray down on the small table by the bed, then slipped off his tunica and joined her under the cover. As long as they had time together, he wanted to feel her near him. He poured wine into a cup for her.

Happy wife, happy life.

It hurt. The cracks were showing in their little bubble of make-believe, giving him a glimpse of the pain that was yet to come. She wouldn't be his wife. Or his life.

"Well, I'm learning how to make you happy" he smiled anyway, pouring wine for himself. "But I am very curious now... after whatever blessed person talked to you about pleasure, the first time you tried it... what was that like?"

@Sara

[Sara]

She shuffled closer to him, still sat against the headboard, draping her leg over his. She liked the feeling of his closeness, it made her feel...safe. She remembered what Aia had said and smiled softly to herself.

But she could tell she'd taken a misstep. She had meant it as a joke, an extension of the idea that this domus was theirs but she regretted it as soon as she glanced up to see his face and his momentary silence. She swallowed. She tried her very best to push out any thoughts of marriage. It would never be him. She felt sick and took a sip of wine, gulping it down. 

She exhaled as he moved on and she wondered if he'd noticed her stillness for just a fraction of a moment. She blinked and tilted her face up to look at him. The flush was back. "I..." She blinked again. "Do you mean the first time I...tried it...by myself?" She swallowed, her throat dry again. "Or...what was it like...just now?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

 

[Chevi]

She leaned against him and he smiled softly, enjoying the feel of her body against his. They had a comfortable little cocoon he wanted to last longer. With his free hand he tucked the cover around her, and chuckled at her question.

"I meant by yourself... but both, I guess." 

[Sara]

"Oh...um..." She cleared her throat and had another hefty glug of wine. "I...I didn't know what to do so...it took a while to figure out what to do." She admitted quietly, pleased she wasn't looking at him so he couldn't see her flaming red cheeks. Or she hoped he couldn't anyway. "It...felt...like nothing I'd ever felt before and I didn't understand." She admitted, quieter still and then cleared her throat. "And then when I first...had the wave a few days later," She blinked, "Wave of pleasure...I...thought something was wrong with me and I was about to go and wake up the slaves to fetch a medicus." She sunk down until just her face was showing under the sheet, thoroughly embarrassed. "I'm glad Lucia talked me out of that." She murmured. She had woken her bodyslave who had looked at her utterly bemused. 

"But it...felt..." She groaned, embarrassed, "So much better with you. There. Satisfied?" She shot a glare up at him. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius tried really hard to be understanding and keep a straight face, but her admission of almost calling the medicus, along with how she disappeared under the covers in embarrassment, made him laugh anyway. He imagined Lucia's face at hearing that. He was fairly sure the slave girl knew more than her mistress. He laughed, happily, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"But it...felt... So much better with you. There. Satisfied?"

"Completely" he grinned. "And I love you. And I owe you a question for this one."

@Sara

[Sara]

She glared at him some more as he laughed and batted him away as he kissed her forehead. "You owe me two questions for getting me to admit to that." She huffed as she pushed herself higher again and plucked up his spare arm so she could curl against his chest, wrapping it back around her as she did. 

She narrowed her eyes. He had asked a very personal question so fair was fair. "My first question is...what number am I?" She arched a brow and watched him for a moment, before clarifying. "As in, how many women have you done this with?" And then with a slightly less smug and more genuine expression she continued, clearing her throat. "And...is...the full thing...sex...very different to this, then?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

He did love her in that moment. And in every other moment, but especially this one, when she was blushing, but being completely herself. He wrapped an arm around her.

"My first question is...what number am I?... As in, how many women have you done this with?"

"This?" Asking for a technicality was truly a waste of time, but Lucius knew this was not going to be an easy question to answer. He cleared his throat, it was his time to drink. "I've been intimate with..." He paused. "Four women. One way or another." In his younger days, exploring intimacy took on varying degrees.

"And...is...the full thing...sex...very different to this, then?" 

"Different, yes" he nodded. "Better, in some ways... but for women, it depends. Some enjoy it as much as men. And some... still prefer to be touched. During sex."

@Sara

[Sara]

"Four?" She frowned, peering up at him. "Your blonde friend from Tiberius' party?" She arched a brow now, and then continued... "And two others...or three others, excluding me?" She didn't know why she wanted to know, but she was...pleasantly surprised. "I swear some of my brothers have slept with half of Rome's women by  their talk...that's a...modest number by comparison." Or Minor and Tertius were liars. Probably the latter. 

And then she listened to his explanation, pulling her knees up to her chest. She felt a throb deep within her - half in pleasure at the thought, half in pain that it wouldn't be him. She took another sip of wine. "Everybody I know who speaks about it tells each other how dreadful it is." She grimaced. "It doesn't inspire confidence. But...you do." She chuckled and turned to press a kiss to his jaw.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Four?... Your blonde friend from Tiberius' party?"

"Yeah." he nodded. There was no use denying it. He had not had the money for Vibia since his adoption, but she was still a friend. Sort of. A very expensive one.

"And two others...or three others, excluding me?"

"Three" he nodded again. She looked... relieved?

"I swear some of my brothers have slept with half of Rome's women by  their talk...that's a...modest number by comparison." 

"Remember, I spent most of my youth at a villa" he grinned at her. He was relieved too, that she was not upset. Or intimidated. "I'm also... picky about who I sleep with." Pickier than her brothers, apparently.

 "Everybody I know who speaks about it tells each other how dreadful it is. It doesn't inspire confidence. But...you do."

Lucius sighed. He knew women cursed with bad husbands... or even average ones, often got little to no pleasure from sharing their bed. It was the sad reality of Roman marriages. "It depends on how much the man cares for the woman... or if he just wants to take his own pleasure." he admitted. "I don't think many know that... it helps, if she is willing. And aroused." He looked at her, tilting his chin at her kiss. "I could tell when I touched you, that you wanted me."

@Sara

[Sara]

"HAH!" She exclaimed, swatting at his arm with a triumphant grin that morphed into a glare. "I knew you'd slept with her! She was awful to me! Ugh!" She glared again and then folded her arms over herself. "So I am number five...unless...this doesn't count." She frowned to herself. She wanted it to count. It certainly counted to her. 

She listened and the flush came back as the glare settled down as he glanced down at her. She didn't want to talk about husbands, she wanted to talk about him. "And I could tell you wanted me..." She gave him a slightly sly look. "From sight but..." she swallowed. "I...did want you. I do want you." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"HAH! I knew you'd slept with her! She was awful to me! Ugh!"

Lucius knew better than to argue with her on that point. Vibia was certainly an acquired taste... but she was sharp, and independent, and he respected that about her.

"So I am number five...unless...this doesn't count."

"Oh, it absolutely counts. And... you are the first one I love." he added, more softly. He had been infatuated with girls in his teenage years... but that had been different.

"And I could tell you wanted me... From sight but... I...did want you. I do want you." 

"Do you know how much I love hearing that?" he grinned at her, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. "If I never do anything else in my life... it was already worth it."

@Sara

[Sara]

She felt her heart flutter in her chest as he said he loved her. She would absolutely never, ever, ever get over hearing that and she breathed a small smile, her sourness of a moment ago disappearing. It was gone by the time he grinned and pressed a soft kiss against her lips, murmuring against them. 

"Me either." She grinned in return and moved her fingers to brush through his hair. "Why did we wait so long?" She groaned. She knew her time was running out although she prayed silently she still had a few more months for...this. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Because you thought I was an annoying idiot who doesn't know what's good for him" he answered promptly, setting his cup aside to run his hand through her hair again. "And I thought you were a beautiful, annoying woman who'd be the death of me one day." He added, nipping at he shoulder. "And now... here we are." Thank the gods for all of it.

@Sara

[Sara]

She smirked. "I still think all of that." She set down her own wine cup and shifted a little to face him, moving an arm up to stroke the nape of his neck softly. "Although I did always think you were handsome. In fact I remember remarking to Lucia how unfortunate that such a good looking man could be such an irritant."

She chuckled and shuddered a little as he nipped at her shoulder. "And all of that is probably still true for me." She smirked and exhaled a shaky breath. "And I hope to the Gods they never sell this place because I am telling you now Lucius, this...can't be a one off thing. I can't go back again. Not now." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius laughed, remembering the days when she thought he was the worst person in the empire. But she still thought him handsome. He'd always thought she was quite beautiful too. And very annoying.

She would be the death of him one day.

"And I hope to the Gods they never sell this place because I am telling you now Lucius, this...can't be a one off thing. I can't go back again. Not now." 

"I'll buy it, if that's what it takes" he murmured, hand tracing her skin under the covers. He had nowhere near enough money, but in this moment he did not care. He lifted his head to rest his forehead against hers. "I'm yours. As long as you'll have me. Whenever you need me. Whatever you wish."

@Sara

[Sara]

She wished she could say she wanted him forever. That she'd need him forever. But she knew she couldn't swear to it because one day there would be a man, a fine gold ring, a political career and likely a whole brood of children between them. She shook her head minutely to get rid of the thought and instead sunk into his touch underneath the covers and moved her fingers to sweep over his cheek and down his throat. 

"I need you now." She murmured and flicked her eyes to his face, watching him carefully. "I want to make the most out of this afternoon I...don't know when I'll be able to get away again." She swallowed. "Without the slaves getting suspicious." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

I need you now.

"We'll make the most of it, then" he promised, leaning in to kiss her. They would have to part soon, and pretend none of this ever happened. And they would have to wait, and look for a time and a place to meet again, avoiding suspicion. Outside the door, a world of worries was waiting. So he'd stay, and make the most of it while they could.

@Sara

[Sara]

She raised her arms to bring him down and over her to deepen the kiss again, feeling the want build and tug and throb deep within her. The break had been brief but as he kissed her she wasn't sure she could take another moment without him and his love and his...work. She deepened the kiss, breaking it only to murmur; "I love you." As she pressed a kiss to his cheek, already breathless, already desperately in need of him. 

FTB

---

It was several hours later when Ovinia, spent and utterly satisfied groaned and glanced at the dimming light from the window. She was sprawled, head on Lucius' chest, half covered in the sheet, half left to the elements. "Lucius, I have to go." She murmured but made absolutely no move to stand up. She wasn't sure her legs would carry her if she tried to stand.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius lost track of time, and the outside world in general. He reveled in being with Ovinia, of learning everything about her body and what he could do to give her pleasure. They thoroughly exhausted each other, and made a right mess of the bed, before they finally settled in each other's arms, late in the afternoon. She muttered that she had to go. 

"Can you even get up?" he chuckled softly, making no move himself. "I remember you legs shaking recently..."

@Sara

[Sara]

"No." She whined and then chuckled, curling closer to him. "Don't sound so pleased with yourself." She mumbled. Though he had every right to be. She didn't know her body could react like that...or that it was possible to feel like that and not simply explode from the sensations. 

With a moan she pushed herself up to face him and grimaced. "Do I look a mess?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Oh I am very pleased with myself. Sounded like you are too" he grinned. He enjoyed teasing her, and he had no shame about it now. He looked up at her. Her hair was a mess, and her lips swollen, and she was still flushed. Goddamn beautiful.

"You do. A gorgeous, gorgeous mess" he nodded, his smile softening. "Let me see." He traced his fingers along her neck, tilting her chin to make sure he left no marks on her.

@Sara

[Sara]

"Oh shut up." she muttered in protest but didn't really mean it as she chuckled and pushed herself up. She couldn't help the shiver that ran her spine as he brushed his fingers across her neck and tilted her chin. She let him. She'd let him do anything. Stop it, Ovinia, you have to go home. 

"What are you looking for?" She chuckled and then glanced back at him. "And I'm going to the baths so I don't need to look perfect but I do need to look like I haven't just spent the whole afternoon in bed with you." She smirked and leant to kiss him softly. 

 

TAG: @Chevi