Time: 60 BC
Place: Rhodes
Cast: Titus Fabius Marius -- Roman patrician, 19
Fabia Maria Tertia, aka Mettia -- Titus's sister, his twin
Gaius Claudius Decimus -- teacher of rhetoric and logic
Marcia Aurelia -- Gaius' much younger wife, 23
Julia Callista -- sister to the legate, Lucius Julius Aemilius, 18
Decius Aurelius Carbo -- Mettia's prospective husband
Cornelia Cinnilla -- patrician lady who intrigues Titus, 20
As he climbed the road that led up the hill to Claudius Decimus' home, Titus' features took on a grim expression as he prepared himself to face the first of many long, boring lessons that he was certain he would have to endure over the next year. The rhetorician had a reputation as a harsh taskmaster... though his methods appeared to have produced skilled speakers, well able to sway the sympathy of the city's mobs while still appealing to the men who held the greatest positions of power in Rome. Sighing softly to himself, Titus acknowledged the necessity of such talent. A successful military career would only carry him so far and he meant to win the high rank that would secure his place in the Republic's hierarchy. Never again would his family have to face ruin as it had after the proscription of Titus' father.
Despite his ambitions to win a place in the foremost ranks of Rome's elite, Titus still regretted the lectures he would endure. Claudius Decimus was renowned for his virtuous and honorable philosophy. No doubt he would frown on the reprobate, as Titus' stern uncles labeled him, who had come to study with him... taking every opportunity to reprimand and censure the youth for his decadence and degenerate routine.
Arriving at the rhetorician's door, Titus frowned discontentedly as he heard that Claudius Decimus was not at home... that he had left on a business trip that might take a week or more. With profound apologies, the doorkeeper led the young man to the inner courtyard with the promise to notify his mistress. She, the slave informed Titus, would be able to explain her husband's absence and the date of his return.
Impatient at the delay, Titus paced the courtyard. Relieved by the discovery that he would have a period of respite before facing Claudius Decimus' scrutiny, he was eager to return home... knowing that his sister planned to spend the afternoon exploring Anjana's vast sexual experience. Smiling broadly as he recalled the pleasure she had taught him the night before, Titus felt himself go hard at the mere memory. He had lasted longer than ever before and felt the most intense orgasms. Mettia confirmed that the slave knew how to gratify her desires as well. Anjana was a purchase worth far more than the sesterces he had spent on her.
Titus' cock pressed against the folds of his toga... straining to free itself of the garment's confines. Frowning as he glanced around the courtyard, he searched for Claudius Decimus' wife. The sooner he dealt with the woman the sooner he could make his way back to the house he rented and enjoy Anjana's talented mouth, hands, and pussy. What was taking her so long anyway?
From the corner of his eye Titus caught sight of two women crossing the edge of the courtyard. Both were attractive... thus retaining his attention. Something else garnered his notice. They moved silently, not quite furtively, but certainly eagerly towards their destination. From the quality of their garments he could tell these were not slaves attempting to avoid some odious duty but women of some rank.
His curiosity aroused, the young man followed the women as they entered a hall that led down one wing of the villa. Fortunately, the women seemed to pay no attention to their surroundings... more intent on each other than anything else. The older one, a woman perhaps a little more than Titus' age... twenty-two or twenty-three... held out her hand to the other. Taking hold of the outstretched hand, the second girl clasped it tightly, interweaving her fingers with her companion's. The intimacy of the gesture told Titus that these two were more than mere friends. As he made his way down the hallway, he took advantage of the many alcoves lined the corridor... not wishing to be caught observing the pair.
Suddenly the women paused before a doorway. Releasing her companion's hand, the younger one stepped away and shook her head. Though her voice was barely more than a whisper, it carried up the hallway to the recess where Titus concealed himself. Her voice conveyed both excitement and trepidation... eagerness and reluctance. "No, Aurelia, I can't. It isn't... right. I want to... but I know I shouldn't. I can't."
Aurelia turned towards the girl... hair the color of ripened wheat piled on top of her head in an elaborate style. Her face registered her disappointment and when she responded Titus could hear the anguish... as well as a hint of frustration. "Why, Callista? Do you not enjoy our time together? Have I not shown you what pleasures you can experience?"
Reaching out to take the other woman's hands in hers, Callista smiled broadly for a moment before tears filled her eyes. Struggling to speak, she sobbed, "Yes, Aurelia, I never knew there could be such ecstasy! I want that bliss... but it would be wrong. Think of what my brother's enemies would say if they found out about us; he would be disgraced!"
At the mention of Callista's brother, all the compassion that had filled Aurelia's features disappeared. Distaste, perhaps even revulsion, took its place. Her tone became strident as she sought to soothe her friend's anxiety. "You're concerned about Lucius and his reputation? You needn't be troubled by that. Everyone already knows that he's buggering any man or woman on the island he can... but has that brought any shame on him? No, everyone blithely overlooks it. No, they all have their own indulgences."
