by Lexi Lane
Aurelia ran her hands over the smooth, taut skin of his chest, her fingers reading the scars of wounds from previous fights, scars she knew by feel more than by sight. She slid her hands down his muscular arms and she immediately felt something warm and sticky on one of them. Marius jerked away.
“Wolf! You’re hurt!” Aurelia wished for a lamp or torch to look at the wound. She ran her hand back up his arm, but he caught her wrist.
“It’s nothing, just a flesh wound. I’ll be fine. Flavius will tend to it.” He dropped his voice.
“Do not call me that name either; my name here in Rome is Marius. To use my given name would be death, to both of us.” He bent his head, kissing her again. “We don’t have much time. Flavius is nervous; he thinks someone knows when we meet. He has said he will only watch for a few minutes, no longer.”
Aurelia ran her hands down his flat stomach, lower still to his cock, cupping its heavy weight in her hand, feeling the heat, the softness of the skin over the hardness beneath. She wrapped her hand around the thick shaft, as Marius begin to thrust against her palm. He ran his hands down her back, finding the smooth curve of her ass, his fingers clutching the soft skin as he moaned against her mouth.
Marius ran one hand down the back of her thigh, pulling her leg up. She slid her leg up over his hip as he ran his hand beneath her knee, supporting her weight as he held her to his chest.
Aurelia guided Marius’s hard cock into her body, arching her back against him, lips parted, exhaling as he filled her completely. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him against her mouth, their tongues meeting, thrusting back and forth.
Marius drove himself into Aurelia, flexing his hips forward as he braced his feet on the stone floor. He pulled his mouth away from hers, burying his head on her shoulder, his breath rasping as he thrust hard and fast into her body.
It was only moments before they were both in the throes of their release, bodies shuddering, Marius gasping against Aurelia’s shoulder as she tipped her head back, trying to hold in her cries, wanting to scream her pleasure, but knowing she could not.
When he was finished, Marius held himself inside Aurelia for a moment; she felt the fading twitches of his cock as the last of his hot seed filled her. She loved this time, when he was still inside her, but quiet, nuzzling her neck or breast. It was the most relaxed he would ever be, the cares and worries gone for the moment, all of his focus on his body and hers as they basked in the afterglow of their brief encounter. And these stolen encounters were brief, over far too soon.
There was a noise in the hall. Marius stiffened and pulled away from Aurelia, helping her regain her balance as she put both feet on the stone floor. She reached down and gathered her fallen gown, pulling it up over her body, adjusting the belt at her waist. She heard Marius cough lightly, a signal to Flavius in the hall.
“I must go.” He pulled her to him, his lips searing hers in a kiss that spoke of his longing, and his claim, that she was his. And then, before she could react, he was gone, slipping into the dim light of the tunnel. She caught a brief glimpse of blonde hair and then he turned, speaking to Flavius, and she saw the wound in his arm. It was no mere flesh wound; it was a long gash, bloody and gaping. She wanted to reach out, to do something, but Flavius was there and then both were gone.
Aurelia waited until their footsteps faded before leaving the room. She walked in the opposite direction, smoothing her hair, trying to calm her rapid breathing. Anytime she met Marius, she came away as flushed and happy as a new bride. And as disheveled as one.
Smoothing down the front of her gown, her hands slid over the small bulge of her stomach. She smiled, as she always did, knowing she was carrying Marius’s child. But in her mind, she also knew time was running short for them.
Her mind played over all the events that led up to this moment, as it always did when she stopped to wonder how she’d ended up where she was: the daughter of a senator, pregnant by a gladiator, and promised in marriage to another.
She sighed: she had fallen in love with Marius the moment she saw him. Her father had brought a wagon full of slaves and prisoners of war for his trainer to see. She rarely came with her father, but he had brought Jaren, the man she was to marry. And Jaren had brought her along, for some unknown reason.
Jaren: the man she detested. Even saying his name made her cringe. She had been betrothed to him since she was a very young girl but they would not be married for several more years. Jaren was to serve her father in various ways; she was to learn how to properly run a large and complex household.
But she was also to be a virgin when she came to their marriage bed. And she had broken that condition with Marius.
Marius had been among the slaves and prisoners in the back of the wagon. But even covered in dirt, beaten and hungry, he stood out from the rest. He did not cower, he stood straight and tall. And tall he was, a head above the rest of the men in the cart. And if that wasn’t enough, his long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes were enough to set him apart from the dark haired Romans that surrounded him.
Aurelia had looked up at him, meeting his eyes. And in that brief glance she knew she wanted him, needed to be with him, even if it meant an end to the world as she knew it. Because in the gaze that met hers, she saw the same intensity of her emotions reflected in his eyes.
It was a foregone conclusion her father would choose Wolf, or as he was to be called from that day on, Marius. All gladiators were given Roman names; no one was allowed to keep their own name.
Aurelia had made her way through the tunnels of the arena that night, losing her way, finally slipping quietly from cell to cell until she found Marius. He was standing by the cell door, as if waiting for her. In the few brief moments she spent there with him, they had formed a bond that she knew only death could break.
That was three months ago. In that time, both their worlds had changed. Marius discovered an unexpected ally in Flavius, his trainer. The older man had approached Marius after one of his first fights, told him of the slave uprising among other gladiator schools and offered to include Marius in a planned escape. Marius had agreed to the join the group, but had also asked for Flavius’s help in arranging meetings with Aurelia. The old man had reluctantly agreed, but now he was growing nervous. He felt someone was watching them and that Marius’s and Aurelia’s secret meetings would jeopardize the escape plan.
So they had met in secret, most often in the small dark room, sometimes in other remote or unused areas. It was all they had and they cherished each moment, and each other.
Head down, lost in thought, she rounded the corner of the tunnel leading out of the arena and ran right into the solid form of the captain of the guards. He grabbed her by her arms, steadying her from falling.
“Oh, Balbus…you startled me.” She looked up at the man, his heavy features shadowed by the brim of his helmet. He said nothing, just looked down at her with a smirk on his face, his small black eyes crawling over her body.
“I’m fine now. You can release me.” She pulled against his hands, but he only gripped her harder.
“Beautiful girl, you shouldn’t be down here, especially alone. You never know what danger may befall you.” He leaned closer to her face. Aurelia pulled back, turning her head away involuntarily.
“Oh, so you don’t find old Balbus attractive? I’m not your fine blonde stallion, that barbarian from the northern tribes?”
She turned back, meeting his eyes, frowning. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Let me go.” She pulled against him, twisting, but he simply lifted her feet from the floor. His fingers were digging painfully into her arms but she continued to struggle.
“Keep still, girl. Do you take me for a fool? You and that blonde beast have been meeting—and fucking—down here in secret, for a long time. I am not the captain of your father’s guard for nothing.
“I’ve seen you, naked in the moonlight, with his filthy hands and mouth all over your body, licking and sucking your breast
s, his cock inside you, making you arch your back and squirm with pleasure.” Balbus pulled her against his sweaty body, breathing hard. “Rutting into you from behind like a common farm animal. I heard you. You were not as quiet as you believed.”
Aurelia had gone still; she knew exactly which night he meant. It was the one night they’d actually made love on a bed, or rather, on a pallet on the floor, months before. Aurelia believed it was the night she’d conceived.
Flavius had led them to an abandoned cell and they had spent a glorious hour in each other’s arms. They had undressed quickly, with little ceremony, Marius laying her down on the pallet, slowly caressing every inch of her with his hands, and then with his mouth and tongue, waves of pleasure washing over her as he spent long minutes sucking her breasts, his tongue flicking over her hard, sensitive nipples. She had cried out several times, finally biting down on her own hand to keep silent.
Marius had laid between her legs, his cock incredibly hard, and had made love to her, thrusting into her over and over until she was moaning and thrashing beneath him. She’d finally arched up against him, her body shuddering as she found release. But Marius wasn’t finished with her.
He’d turned her over on her hands and knees, taking her from behind, his cock stretching her in a totally new way. Imagining what he was doing sent exciting, and forbidden, thoughts and sensations filling her mind and body. He’d reached down over her hip, his hand between her legs, finding that secret spot, rubbing that hard little button of flesh as he thrust into her hard, quickly sending both of them over the edge.
Aurelia’s body was suffused with the most incredible waves of ecstasy. She felt Marius’s cock throbbing and pulsing inside her and then he was holding her hard, his hips driving his cock far into her, his warm seed flooding her body as he grunted and moaned, finally falling across her body, burying his face in her neck.
They’d lain together for a long time after that, hands gently touching each other, awash in the contentment of being together. He’d told her then of the escape plan, of Flavius’s offer and his overwhelming need to escape. And her heart had plummeted, knowing that he’d be gone, lost to her, fighting with the slaves against the Romans. She’d gone silent, tears filling her eyes. Marius finally turned her to him, looking down into her eyes, confusion in his eyes.
“Do you think that means I’d leave you?” He caressed her face, running his fingers down her cheek.
“You know that I will come for you, take you with me. I will not stay and fight with the slaves in Rome; that is not my fight. You are my life; you are the reason I will escape. I will take you to my home, where you will be my wife.”
She looked up at him, his blue eyes almost silver in the moonlight. She smiled through her tears, believing he would come and take her away. And she would willingly go.
Balbus shook her, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up at his ugly face, inches from hers. She longed to spit at him, demand he release her, but there was something dangerous in his eyes. She held still, waiting for him to speak.
“You have been a naughty girl. But I have a proposition to offer you. Balbus will keep your dirty secret, the secret that you are a whore to a gladiator, if you do something for Balbus.” He leaned down, licking her cheek. Aurelia closed her eyes, willing herself not to scream.
“You’ll be my little whore, do as I say, let Balbus fuck that beautiful, young body.” He set her feet back on the floor, letting go of one arm as he slide his hand down her back, cupping her ass and pulling her against his body. She felt the bulge of his erection pressing against her through the cloth of his tunic. She wanted to run, to pull away from him, but she knew she could not. He would simply tell her father what he knew and Marius would be killed. And she would cease to live if that happened.
She went limp in Balbus’s grasp then, letting him touch her where he wanted. He groped her ass for a time, his fingers clutching her soft skin, holding her hard against him as he thrust his cock up and down against her body, the gesture completely obscene. She could feel him growing harder each time he rubbed against her. He was grunting and slobbering against her neck, his tongue licking her over and over. She could feel the spittle running down her skin.
Then he was pulling her gown away from her shoulders, exposing one breast. He moved from her neck, licking and kissing her skin, pulling her nipple into his mouth. She could hear him sucking, slurping as he worked to get as much of her breast into his mouth as he could.
He broke away, a trail of spit hanging from his mouth. Aurelia watched in horror as he reached down, fumbling with his tunic.
“I’m going to fuck you too now, whore. You’re defiled already, no one would care now whose cock ruts in your body.” He stiffened suddenly. There was a sound, the scrape of a sandal on the stones. He quickly pulled her into an alcove, turning her around and roughly pushing her face against the wall, the stone cold against her naked breast. She struggled briefly, but he grabbed her hair, pulling her head back.
“Be still and enjoy this. I’m sure my cock is nothing like your blonde stallion’s cock. I’m sure it’s much bigger.” She felt him lifting her gown, fumbling behind her. And then she felt him probing her ass with the head of his cock, rubbing it quickly against her skin. She felt his harsh breath in her ear as grabbed her hips, pulling her toward him, finally seating the head of his cock between her legs.
Balbus thrust sharply upward, forcing himself into Aurelia. He gripped her hips hard with one hand, the other snaking around her to grope her breast. She bit her lip, wanting to curse and scream at him, but she knew she was powerless to resist.
“You’re hot and wet. Just come from your gladiator, did you? I can feel his leavings inside you. But I’ll fill you with my seed, washing his filth from your body.” He began thrusting hard into Aurelia, grunting with each thrust.
Aurelia closed her eyes, willing herself not to feel the hands that touched her, not to feel the thrusts of this foul man as he pushed her against the stones. She remembered that she was already carrying a child, and this man, with his bad breath and rough hands, could not change that. He could only use her body, but he could never touch the part of her Marius had claimed.
It was only a few minutes of frantic thrusting before Balbus was coming, his hips jerking forward, painfully clutching at her breast. He grunted loudly several times, his body finally going limp, hanging on Aurelia’s shoulder.
He finally pulled away, leaving Aurelia to straighten her gown and hair. He stood back, looking at her as he adjusted his tunic and belt.
“You’re a fine girl. I think we’re going to have a long time to get to know each other.” He reached out, running his hand down her cheek. “I think you’ll come to like Balbus and his big cock, yes?” He tried to pull her to him, to kiss her, but Aurelia dug her nails into his hand, flinging it away from her.
“You’ve had your way with me today, Balbus. Don’t push your luck.” She turned, running down the tunnel, Balbus’s dark laughter following her.
***
Aurelia’s father was waiting for her in the courtyard of their home. She hoped she looked better than she felt. She arranged a pleasant smile on her face and greeted her father.
He kissed her cheek, then held her at arm’s length. “You still do not look well, daughter.” His glance took in her disordered hair and soiled dress. And then his eyes widened.
“There is blood on your dress, Aurelia! What has happened? Are you hurt?” He pulled her to a bench, seating her and kneeling before her. He held up the hem of her gown, a drying red stain running along the bottom. Marius’s wound must have bled on her gown while it was on the floor at her feet. She cursed the darkness that kept her from noticing.
“Father, it is nothing important. I…I came across a child in the street, a small boy who’d fallen and bloodied his nose. I wiped his face and sent him home to his mother.”
Her father regarded her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Fine. Go change. You cannot be
wandering around in blood-soaked clothing.”
Aurelia rose, kissing her father again. She’d only gone a few steps when he spoke again.
“Oh, I had a talk today with Jaren about your marriage.” Aurelia stopped, her back to her father. She closed her eyes briefly, willing a smile onto her lips. She turned back to Antonius.
“Yes, father?” She took a hesitant step toward him.
“We have…I have decided we should not wait any longer for your marriage to take place.” Aurelia felt the smile freeze on her face. “Jaren will be ready for you in only a few short weeks. You have been learning how to run a household; his house will not be nearly as large as ours.” Antonius walked toward her, a scowl on his patrician features.
“Daughter, you don’t look happy. I thought you would be anxious to start your life with Jaren.” He stood in front of her, looking down into her eyes.
“Does it not make you happy to think of being married? Of starting your family with Jaren?” He tilted his head.
“Yes, father. I…just…it’s so sudden. I thought…I’d have time…” her voice trailed off. She looked up at her father, trying to hold back tears. He looked at her a moment and then grew flustered.
“Ah, perhaps this is a matter for your mother to discuss with you.” He kissed her forehead. “Go find your mother, girl, and talk with her.” He hugged her briefly and then she turned away, the tears spilling down her cheeks.
Aurelia ran to her room, throwing herself on her bed. This was an impossible situation; if she were married before the escape attempt, there would be no way for Marius to reach her, to take her with him. She would be far away, in Jaren’s house. She cried quietly for a time, then rose and called for her bath to be drawn. She wanted to wash the stench of Balbus away from her and to think.
***
It was several days before Aurelia was able to get a message to Flavius to arrange a meeting with her and Marius. The household was in a flurry of preparations for the upcoming marriage and she was with constantly with someone, either her parents, or Jaren, or someone else.
