Author note: hello, dearest readers! Ready for something hot? The celebrations in the House of Batiatus are about to begin and two characters will live a very, very, very special moment. Enjoy! ^-^

oxoxoxoxoxo

Lucretia knew she was in trouble as soon as she noticed Flaminia's livid face. "Is it true you're planning to have gladiators take part in the orgy with guests?", the younger woman asked in a tightly controlled voice. "Yes, but…". "You cannot use gladiators for this! They are fighters, warriors, not…Not common whores!", she concluded, disgusted.

Lucretia sighed, "I understand point of view, but guests will want something more than a simple show with house slaves and you know how much we need support of influential people". "At least leave Ashur out of it", Flaminia said, "He belongs to me, Quintus and I have deal…". "I cannot do as you ask, my friend. Apologies, but I need all of them: if I left out any of them, guests could feel insulted by it".

She clenched her fists, a hairsbreadth away from resorting to violence to force her long-time friend to comply, but then she realized that the Gods were giving her a golden opportunity to get what she had yearned for ever since that first day in the market square and smiled, "Fine, but I have condition: I want to take part in the celebrations as well".

The matrona hesitated, "But you are wife of a senator now and…". "I will be wearing mask for the whole time, so that nobody will recognize me". "In this case, I accept your condition". "Gratitude", Flaminia immediately went to choose her mask, opting for that of Nemesis and put it on, "Now I'm ready", she said, a shiver of anticipation running through her: tonight was the night when the Gods would grant her wish. Tonight, he would finally be hers.

oxoxoxoxoxo

Ashur walked up the stairs leading to the house with the same look on his face than that of a man walking to the gallows: he knew why domina had ordered all the gladiators to wash themselves and rub their bodies with scented oil and the mere thought of being used as a sex toy by some Roman pervert made him sick.

At least he wasn't the only one feeling like that, from what he could tell by Indus' face: the younger man looked like he could throw up at any moment and kept on clenching and unclenching his fists, beads of sweat already matting his forehead. "What if a man picks me?", the Macedon suddenly blurted out, turning to him, "I don't want to fuck with man!".

The Syrian sighed, "Neither do I. Not much we can do about it, though". "But…". "Shut fucking mouth!", Oenomaus snapped, "You will do whatever is asked of you. Is it clear?". "Yes, doctore", they answered in unison.

When they reached the main room of the house, the gladiators lined up against the wall for the Romans to examine, just like they had been put on display that day at the slave market. Ashur gritted his teeth at that memory, but kept his face impassive: it would do him no good to let his anger show after all.

As Rhaskos was 'performing' with Diona for the entertainment of the guests, he silently prayed to the gods of his native land that those pervs would simply ignore him and pick someone else. Maybe, if he was lucky, they would consider him not worth it and pass him by, maybe he would be left alone…

And just as he was thinking this, a masked brown-haired woman wearing a white dress, with an opal necklace and matching earrings, walked straight to him and extended her left hand without saying a word and he had little choice but to take it.

Figures that he would be the first one to be picked, he thought as he followed her to a small side room. Just his usual rotten luck. Maybe he should convert to praying the Roman gods, since his own enjoyed so much giving him the finger.

As the woman locked the door, he felt his stomach clench in a tight knot and for a fleeting instant, he thought of pushing her aside and running back to the safety of the ludus. All he wanted to do was to lie on the floor of his cell and sleep and if he was lucky, maybe he would dream of Flaminia. He didn't want to fuck this stranger, he didn't want to be a sex toy, he didn't want to be touched by someone who wasn't her, he…

He was a slave and he had no choice.

As she approached him, he reluctantly moved to unfold his loincloth, but she took his hands in hers and shook her head. "No". "Domina?". "You don't want it, do you?", she asked in a whisper. "I…". She placed a finger on his lips, "Eyes cannot lie and yours tell me you don't want this", her arm fell back to her side, "Apologies. You are safe here. You will not be abused, not by me, not by anyone else".

He stared at her, baffled: it was the first time he'd ever heard a Roman call it 'abuse'. Before he could ask her about it, she took a deep breath and took off the mask and his heart skipped a beat. "Flaminia?". "I couldn't let them hurt you", she said, looking at the floor with a mixture of shame and guilt, "And I would rather die than hurt you".

He impulsively took her face in his hands and kissed her and she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I love you", he blurted out, he had been waiting to tell her this for so long and now that she was here, he couldn't hold it back anymore. "I love you too", the young woman said, a warm smile lighting up her face for a moment, but then she lowered her gaze again, "I…I have confession to make".

"Confession?". "I'm not slave: I'm a free woman. Apologies for hiding the truth from you, but I had no choice". Ashur's surprise at the revelation quickly turned into anger, "You lied to me". "I did, but…". "You played me for a fool! You toyed with me!", he growled, taking a step back and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"No! Ashur, I beg you, don't be mad at me! I didn't mean to trick you, or to hurt you, I...I just wanted to know you, to spend time with you as equals…". "But we're not equals, are we? I am slave and you are free woman. Domina", he spat and she flinched at the ice in his voice.

"It does not matter to me! You are no slave to me, you are a man. Most wonderful man I have ever met in my whole life", Flaminia said, her eyes filling with tears, "Please believe me, I would not have lied to you, had there been another way, but if you had known I was Roman, you would have never talked to me as a friend, you would have never seen me as I really am: you would have only seen a domina to bow to and I didn't want that. I wanted us to know each other as equals, because this is what we are, as far as I am concerned".

He hesitated, uncertain, but the rational part of his brain told him that she had a point: if he had known from the start of their difference in status, he would have kept his distance and they would have never truly known each other. And she looked so distraught by his coldness, so honestly sorry and sad…

"Please, please, do not hate me for that one lie", she begged him, "I swear to Mars that everything else I told you about myself is true, as is my love for you". Those words cleared his mind of any remaining doubt: he knew how devoted she was to the War God and if she was willing to call Him as her testimony on her honesty and feelings for him, she was most assuredly telling the truth.

"I believe you", he said. "Really?". "Really", he smiled and hugged her, holding her tightly to his chest and she melted in his arms with a sigh of relief. "Bless Mars! I love you so much, I couldn't bear the thought of you hating me". "I could never hate you".

They kissed again, then again, their passion growing until he opened the golden clasps of her dress and let it slip to the floor, his hands roaming over her impossibly soft skin. He kept her at arm's length and admired her for a long moment, "You are so beautiful…Not even Ishtar can compare to such beauty". "Ishtar?". "The Goddess of love and fertility in my homeland. Like Venus".

Flaminia's gaze softened as she looked him over, "And you are perfect", she purred, stroking his sculpted chest and abdomen, then she bit her lower lip, suddenly uncertain, "Ashur, do you…Do you really want this? To lie with me?". "I want it more than you can imagine. My goddess", he added, then he bent to kiss her neck and she moaned softly and arched into him as she unfolded his loincloth, feeling his long, big and hard shaft pressed against her thighs.

"Ashur…". "Yes, my goddess?". "I…", she hesitated, blushing crimson, "I am a virgin". He blinked, "You are?". "Yes. I was given as wife to another man, but I couldn't stand the thought of lying with him, so I got him drunk and sent him whore instead. He never noticed and since I came back to Capua the day after the marriage, he hasn't had the chance to put his filthy hands on me yet. And I don't intend to let him", she stated.

"I am doubly blessed by the Gods, then, for not only I have your love, but I am also gifted the privilege of being your first". "You are my one and only", she said, brushing her nose with his, "No matter what will happen, my heart belongs to you and you alone". "And mine belongs to you, Flaminia".

Her lips curved with mischief, "You know, even if I am still untouched, I had whore teach me how to please a man. At first I planned to use this skill to submit my husband, but he sickened me too much to even think of touching him, so I tricked him instead". The young man grinned, "But you still remember your lessons, don't you?". "Oh, I do indeed. Shall I show you?". "Yes, please, my love".

"Lie down, then". "I am yours to command", he joked and her smile vanished. "Ashur, no, I didn't mean it like that. You're no slave now". "I know", he reassured her, stroking her cheek with tenderness, "I will do everything you ask not out of obligation, but because I want to. For you". "So will I for you", she promised, locking her lips with his once again until they both were breathless.

He lay down and she straddled him, then she massaged his shoulders as she had learnt to do from the whore she had killed. "Do you like it?". "Yes", he let out a sigh of pleasure as her hands moved slowly downwards, stroking and kneading, easing the tension and fatigue he had accumulated during the day, "It feels so good…". "And this is only the beginning", her smile widened and she bent on him, kissing and nibbling his neck and collarbone.

A muffled moan escaped Ashur's lips, "Flaminia…". "Yes, beloved, I'm here", she whispered, her mouth moving slowly downwards along his strong body and to her ears, his soft sounds of pleasure were the most wonderful music she'd ever heard. She hesitated a moment when she reached his shaft, then she gently took it between her lips and sucked on its tip while her tongue swirled over it, causing Ashur to arch his back and moan even louder.

They took their time in exploring each other, giving and taking in equal measure, until they became one and everything faded around them. Afterwards, he lay on his back and wrapped his arms around her, making her place her head on his chest, "I love you". "I love you too", she replied with a languid, happy smile, snuggling against him, "I wish we could stay here forever".

"So do I, but I fear we won't be allowed to stay for long. Domina will come looking for you and I will be sent back to ludus". "I know. But until then, I suggest we enjoy what time we have". "I am in full agreement", he chuckled, tightening his hold on her: he felt happier and safer than he had ever been since his capture and as he inhaled the sweet scent of her skin, he slowly drifted into a peaceful sleep. For just that one night, everything in his life was perfect.