Gladiatrix (36 page)

Rather than argue it all out I just rolled on top of him, and pinned his hands above his head. Alex didn't resist at all.

I said, ‘Sorry, boys, we're busy. Why don't you just go somewhere else?'

One of them said, ‘Sure, Bellona — we'll come back when you are ready for the next course.' They staggered off.

As I watched them leave, Alex freed his right hand and cupped the back of my head. That certainly got my attention. He gently pulled my face down to his. Then rubbed his lips against mine. They were so smooth.

My heart started thumping wildly.

Then I realised someone was tapping on my shoulder. Insistently.

I ignored it.

A strange voice said, ‘My lady, please! Master Sulla is ready to see you now.'

‘What?' I sat up. ‘Why does …?' Then I realised Cerebus was standing next to the servant. He was grimacing at my question.

Cerebus sent the servant away, then quietly warned me not to antagonise Plautius. It was not good
business, nor was it safe. He said at least one of us had to give Plautius something to keep him happy, and fixed his eyes on Alex.

 

The servant led us to a door at the back of the hall, and out into the gardens. Around the corner, moonlight revealed a paved courtyard.

We headed across it to a covered doorway. The servant pulled back the heavy curtain and motioned us through.

‘Come in, gladiatrix — be welcome.' Inside, a bone-white, wrinkled old man lay entwined with a fresh-faced young woman. They were both naked. ‘I am Plautius and this is Dido. Domitia Crassus tells me you're eager to thank me for your opportunity to play Cleopatra.'

Grrr. So that's why she wanted me to wear that lingerie thing? Bloody Domitia had offered me to him like a gift-wrapped present!

He beckoned me into the room. ‘I was very impressed with your performance tonight. And Lurco has also spoken of you — he holds you in great affection.'

My stomach lurched. Lurco? I could just imagine what poison he'd spread.

‘It's a great pity he can't be here tonight — he wanted to be. Lurco told me that you would want to share Alexander with us.' Plautius beckoned to Alex, and patted the place next to him.

That bastard Lurco was going to die before I left.

Alex sleepwalked slowly across the floor, and sat on the lounge next to Plautius.

This was crazy! How was I going to get us out of this?

Plautius leant forward and nuzzled the back of his neck. Alex just sat there staring blankly up into my
face. Then Plautius moved his hand around Alex's waist and down to his lower abdomen.

I had to take control, or we were going to end up on the run. There was no way I was going to sit here and watch him fuck Alex.

Then Alex's right hand started to move up towards Plautius' head, still thrust into the back of his neck. He was going to jerk Plautius' head backwards into the wall behind him.

Moving to stand over them both, I said sharply, ‘Why don't we show you something new?'

Plautius looked up with interest. Dido clapped her hands encouragingly.

I lay down on the triclinium opposite. ‘We're going to give you a taste of Egyptian temple lovemaking.'

Plautius looked at Dido and nodded his head. ‘We'd heard that you were special.'

I crooked my finger at Alex. ‘Come over here.'

His eyes had never left mine. That blank look slipped away.

Alex knelt on the couch, his face above me looking down. He could see that I hadn't worked out what to do yet. Now he looked determined and dangerous, as though ready at any moment to get up and dispose of Plautius. And anyone else who got in the way.

What could I come up with that would satisfy Plautius?

Something Ankara said at the Iseum spurred my imagination. Aphrodisiacs were a big industry here, and Plautius had to be in his seventies at least.

Hmmm. I smiled at Alex. I had an idea.

He narrowed his eyes as though he had just spotted an additional source of trouble.

I said to Plautius, ‘You two just lie back and enjoy.' Dido didn't need much encouragement, sliding across
to take Alex's place. She rubbed her smooth, round posterior into Plautius' wrinkled lap.

‘This is an ancient Egyptian magic ritual,' I said. ‘We use it to stir the gods and goddesses to life. To grant the land fertility. If we do this in your presence then you'll receive tremendous vigour, the sexual potency of the gods.'

Plautius gasped.

Yep. This was definitely the right ploy.

‘The catch is that Alex and I must remain celibate. We must remain completely pure for the next solar cycle.' I nodded at Alex. ‘And we're willing to do this as our special gift to you.'

Plautius was both intrigued and cross. ‘Both of you?' He wanted his cake too. ‘What if you don't remain pure?'

‘That's our payment to the gods on your behalf. If we don't remain completely chaste, then all your newfound vigour will be withdrawn. But would you really want to miss out on the bliss that the gods receive?'

It was over the top, but I was banking on Plautius being a superstitious Roman, as well as a frustrated senior citizen.

He smiled in anticipation. ‘Domitia has indeed done me a great service. I knew she was a great sorceress, but I didn't know you …' He stopped as though he'd said too much.

Domitia was a sorceress? I dropped that thought and used the opportunity to back my own claim. ‘Yes, sorcery. How else do you think I broke through that wall tonight?'

‘Ah.' Plautius nodded. ‘Now I see …' He waved his hand for me to start the ritual, ‘Do it.'

I knelt on the couch close to, but not touching Alex. My knees were slightly apart, with the slit in the red
sheath open across my knees. I moved Alex into the same position facing me, whispering, ‘Follow my lead.'

I turned back to Plautius with a smile. ‘We perform this ritual in front of the statues of the gods and goddesses. It persuades them to come alive. For stone to be made immortal flesh. We woo them to Earth. You and Dido will take the place of the divine. Allow us to stir your life force to divine heights.'

Stagey stuff. But from their faces they were happily swimming in the flattery. Good.

Copying the Japanese martial arts starting ritual, I formally placed my hands in the prayer position in front of my chest, and bowed my head to Alex. His eyes glinted at me as he perfectly mimicked my gesture.

Now to make it convincing enough.

Slowly looking up and down Alex's body, I allowed my gaze to linger and my appreciation to show. Horace was right, he was the most beautiful man in Rome. Reaching his face I focused on his lips, remembering the way they rubbed so smoothly against mine.

The thought of it made me unconsciously lick my own.

His lips parted slightly in response. He was flushed and his breathing was faster.

The sight of Alex aroused was a wonderful thing. I could hear that the others also appreciated it. Slowly bringing one hand up, I touched my mouth with one finger. Watching his eyes on me I slowly licked the top of the finger, then sucked it in.

He half groaned.

I smiled into his eyes with my finger still in my mouth.

They gleamed back.

Alex slowly lifted the bottom of his black silk tunic, pulling it up inch by inch over his thighs, a black loincloth, and then past a deeply muscled stomach and chest.

Everything was so beautiful. All smooth skin, covered with a line of silky black hair running down his stomach. He held the tunic up just over his head, so I could see his taut shoulders and arms, then dropped the tunic to one side. He'd watched me intently at every move.

I stopped myself from gulping.

He grinned. A wicked one.

Using one hand I located the tie that held the red sheath wrapped around me. Alex's eyes dropped to my hand, flickered up to my face and then went back to my hand. His expression both worried and excited.

Pulling the tie apart, I held each end of the sheath in place. Then opened it so that only Alex could see what was underneath.

He growled.

There was only my black bikini pants. We were close enough for me to see that his pupils had dilated completely. His blue eyes were now black, with narrow blue rims.

Dido and Plautius were making a lot of their own noises. From the sound of it, the magical placebo was working, just a bit more, and that should do it for them.

The red material dropped away to the couch. Alex ate me with his eyes. I placed both hands under my breasts, and leant slightly forward. Offering them to him.

He swallowed. Then leant in. As though to touch.

I covered my breasts with my hands, and moved back.

He didn't like being teased.

Leaning over, Alex picked up a peach from the side table. Looking at me over the top of the fruit he gently opened it. Juice ran down his fingers. Raising it to his mouth he licked the half opening he'd made.

Slowly. Lingeringly.

My eyes grew round as I understood what he was doing to that piece of fruit.

His lips were swollen and wet. His eyes watched me. Hotly. Then he licked his mouth clean of juice with his wet tongue.

I groaned and swayed towards him.

After a second I remembered what the point was. Fortunately Plautius and Dido sounded as though they were enjoying it all too.

Alex gently kissed the opening of the peach, licked it out once again, and then put it aside.

God.

Wetting my index finger in my mouth I ran it across the top of my breasts and down towards the front of the bikini. Alex followed the path of my finger as though he was drowning and I was a life raft.

He looked back up into my eyes. And reached for me.

‘Master!' The curtain was pushed aside and the same servant who'd brought us here entered and knelt at Plautius' side. ‘You must come immediately! The Praetorians are here. They're demanding to speak to you.'

Plautius elbowed Dido roughly aside. ‘What are you talking about?'

The kneeling servant said, ‘They're after the runaway gladiator. They think he's here.'

Plautius got to his feet while the servant dressed him. He ignored us, and left without a further word.

Alex and I exchanged a worried glance. Oh, no. Not Lucius? We dressed.

Back inside the hall, the feast was in total disarray. Tables were up-turned and everyone was crowded against the walls, looking worried. There were guards at either exit, and fully armoured Praetorians moved through, checking each of the men, one by one. Plautius was nowhere to be seen.

‘There's Felix.' Alex pointed over my shoulder.

I followed his gaze and located Felix at the front of the hall. He was in a huddle with Cerebus. Cerebus was waving his arms around, and from the looks of it, swearing his head off.

When Felix saw us he jerked his head towards the doorway behind him, then headed outside. We followed.

As we passed Cerebus, he shook his head, saying, ‘Lucius, the butt-hole, has done it again.' Then he stalked past us back into the crowd.

Felix crossed the street outside the hall, and stood waiting for us to catch up. There was no-one else nearby.

‘What happened?' I demanded.

Felix shook his head in disbelief. ‘Bloody Lucius insisted on coming with me. He wanted to meet you outside the hall, get the money and then leave Rome tonight. I refused, but then he said he'd come by himself instead. The idiot's more scared of Fabius than the Praetorian guards!'

Alex said, ‘That doesn't sound right. Lucius is stupid, but at least he's always put saving his neck above everything else.'

‘Yeah, I know! I know!' replied Felix. ‘The problem was, he had a dream that he's going to die tomorrow. That Fabius catches him before he can leave. By the
time I got back to him tonight, he'd worked himself into a frenzy. I couldn't talk him out of coming here.'

Superstitious Romans! ‘Yeah, well it looks like someone's going to do the job soon. Have the Praetorians got him yet?' I asked.

Felix shook his head. ‘No, he got lucky.' He indicated the guards around the hall. ‘This is just window-dressing. They know they've lost him, and are just trying to make Plautius think they're doing something.'

That was a very big relief. ‘So where is Lucius? We've got to go there now!' Victoria was waiting.

‘No, no we can't. You have to wait for things to die down around here. He said he'd meet you at dawn in one of the sacred caves. I'll draw a map, Alexander will know how to get there.'

I couldn't believe it. It'd seemed so close to being over.

 

Alex and I went back to the Crassus mansion to get changed, and pick up the gun and my shoulder bag. We'd collect the money on the way to the cave. It was two hours to dawn, and there was nothing to be gained hanging around the streets and looking suspicious.

We didn't talk on the way. We both knew that if we didn't find Lucius I was back to doing the initiation.

A tired Horace was waiting for me at the front door. He said he had to give me a sealed letter and a heavy leather bag from Valerius. He said with concern, ‘Master Musa didn't stay long. He wanted to speak with you urgently, but he couldn't wait.'

I stared down at the letter then nodded to Alex, and we hurried back to my room.

The letter was very vague. Valerius was obviously
afraid for it to be read by anyone but myself. He said that he'd located the Egyptian translator, and to come to a certain inn near the Iseum tomorrow. She'd wait there all day, but there was no guarantee she could help me. And if she didn't help me, then there was no-one else who could.

The wording sounded ominous. Why wouldn't she just translate the hieroglyphs? Why did he think that was going to be a problem?

In the next section of the letter he formally advised me that he would henceforth render no further assistance to me. Our contract was now null and void, and he was returning my deposit. The leather bag was full of gold aurei. He ended by saying that he was leaving Rome tonight for an extended stay abroad. With his sister. And that if I was wise, I would do the same.