Roxanna reclined upon her bed, a partially unfurled scroll held precariously in one hand. Her other hand had fallen to her side and the opened portion of the scroll rested upon her body. She had fallen asleep while reading. Felicity had escorted Caesar to the doorway but had not stepped inside and was unaware of her mistress' vulnerable state.
Caesar smiled. He had awakened beside her one time, after a brief nap, and had watched her sleep for a moment, but he had never caught her completely unawares. He crept up beside the bed and gazed down at Roxanna. Her face, perfectly relaxed, looked like that of a girl. The childlike resemblance ended there, as the rest of her was woman. She wore a sheer, multi-layered dressing gown that had fallen open enough to reveal a valley of cleavage. One leg was completely uncovered from toes to high upon the thigh. A small tag dangling from the scroll identified it as Sappho.
Caesar carefully lowered his weight to the bed, sitting beside her and stroked aside a tendril of hair that had loosened itself from the silver combs supporting the rest of her upswept fiery curls. Roxanna stirred and lazily opened her eyes.
She smiled sleepily at him. "Gaius Julius, I have never seen you in full senatorial regalia; you almost make me feel guilty for having fallen asleep."
Roxanna had addressed him as Senator, by his full name, and by his cognomen (which was his preference), but she had never used his familiar name, even in the throes of passion. Caesar found the concept oddly arousing. He wondered how much more so it might be if she should call him by his praenomen alone, to hear her whisper "Gaius" against his neck as he entered her. She had distracted him far too easily, he realized.
"Almost? I am devastated; I thought to dazzle you with the power of my station," he jested, stroking the side of her face gently before he stood.
She stretched languidly and laid the scroll aside before standing to face him.
Roxanna lifted her hands slightly, gesturing with her eyes at his civic crown. "May I?" Caesar nodded and Roxanna lifted it from his head, resting it carefully upon the bed. She stroked his left arm, which was bent to support the folds of the toga, again eyeing him askance. He relaxed his arm and she unwound the heavy garment, taking care to fold it neatly before discarding it beside the crown.
She took his hand and led him to one of the comfortable chairs flanking the citrus wood table. When he was seated, she poured him a cup of wine and then drew a small footstool before him. Caesar was mildly surprised when she sat on the stool, lifted one of his legs across her knees and unbuckled the red clasp of his shoe.
"Roxanna, this is not necessary," he began.
"Shhh," she shushed him. "I am your host and it is my duty to see to your comfort." Her words were softened by her smile. After removing his shoes, she excused herself into the adjoining room and returned with a bowl of rosewater, a sponge and a towel. Caesar opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a pointed look. Roxanna sat the bowl on the floor and opened her gown to mid-thigh as she sat back on the stool and covered her legs with the towel. She brought both his feet into her lap and absently hummed a familiar tune as she washed and then dried his feet and legs. She then retreated with the bathing items into the other room. This time she returned with a long-stemmed glass bottle and another soft towel.
Caesar's only resistance was a slow shake of his head, but Roxanna read the upturned corners of his lips as proof positive that he was enjoying this attention. Drawing his feet into her lap again, she poured a small portion of the scented oil into the cup of her palm and massaged it into his legs. She hummed again as she discovered and loosened all the little pockets of tension in his muscles. She poured more oil and applied it to his feet, where her expert fingers worked some miracle that somehow relaxed his entire body. He gave a contented sigh as she lowered his feet to the mosaic floor and then wiped the excess oil from her hands with the towel. He sat his empty cup on the table and smiled at the wonderful woman still sitting on the stool before him.
The pure pleasure in his eyes caused Roxanna to blush, something she felt sure she had not done in years. She had become accustomed to giving men pleasure with her body, but the simple act of rubbing this man's feet held an intimacy she had rarely known. She lowered her head, flustered by the pink betrayal of her own flesh. She did not raise her head and meet his eyes until the tingling sensation faded from her face. She was relieved that he did not remark upon the incident, which she knew he had clearly seen.
He fixed his eyes upon hers. "Please forgive my lateness," he said.
"You provided me with a rarity: a bit of peace and quiet; if anything, I should thank you," Roxanna replied.
Caesar stood and walked to the bed, gathering his toga and crown.
"Are you leaving?" she asked, her voice betraying her disappointment.
Caesar glanced over his shoulder at her as he picked up the scroll she had left upon the bed, "Leaving?" He turned with his arms full. "No. Your scroll and my crown are rather delicate, and this happens to be my best toga, so I thought it wise to remove them to a safer location." He deposited the stack in the chair he had so recently occupied and gave her a crooked smile. "Yes, they shall be safer in this chair."
Roxanna watched as Caesar closed and bolted the doors and then turned to her. He smiled as he approached her and his nearness triggered the usual reactions within her body. He extended one hand and drew her to her feet. "For one who warns so strongly against infatuation, you seem quite disturbed at the idea of my leaving." His smile would have been sardonic, were it not for the playfulness in his eyes.
"I...it is," Roxanna became flustered and, to her surprise, felt herself blushing again under his amused scrutiny.
