The Gladiator’s Master (4 page)

“Does my…cock please you…Dominus?”

Please him? Somehow that seemed inadequate to the pleasure whipping him out of control. It was finer than any wine, more intoxicating than any herb created to make the senses sing. But the words to convey such things were lost to him now with his cheek pressed to the floor and his ass lifted for Gaidres to take.

“Yes…yes, Gaidres.” He panted, writhing with each thrust. He slipped a hand between his thighs and curled his fingers around his own cock, crying out as the ache intensified. He spread his thighs wider, stroking with each brutal thrust.

“You should…see yourself…Dominus.” There was something in Gaidres’s tone, in the sound of his snarls, that told Caelius the man got a savage pleasure out of seeing a Roman splayed out so, behaving so wantonly.

Caelius turned his head, just enough to meet Gaidres’s intent stare. He looked as if he belonged right there, in a position of absolute power. Caelius shivered. “Do I…please you…Gaidres?”

Gaidres gripped Caelius’s hips tightly, thrusting hard and jolting them both with every motion. “You please me, Dominus.” He slid his hands up Caelius’s sides. “Your body pleases me.”

“Good.” Caelius rocked his hips and clenched around his cock. “Harder, please Gaidres…don’t hold back…”

Gaidres obeyed, hand tightening in Caelius’s hair and slamming so hard into him now that they slid along the marble floor, bodies slick with sweat in the faintly stirring air. “Oh gods…yes.” Caelius moaned, his hands braced on the floor and pushing up to all fours as Gaidres took him.

This was far more than he had ever dreamt of. When he’d first approached Gaidres, he’d suspected that the pleasure would surpass that of any other he’d known. But not like this. What he had imagined didn’t even come close. Caelius bit his lip, trying to hold back his rising orgasm, but even not touching his cock anymore didn’t stave off his need.

Gaidres’s hand stung his scalp as they rutted. No one had dared use him like this and gods…it was perfect.

“Please, please, Gaidres.” He rocked back on the cock in his ass, clenching as Gaidres rocked him forward again.

His cries became louder with each untiring thrust. Gods, Gaidres would keep fucking him if Caelius spent himself first and he’d be helpless to do anything but take it. That thought did it and Caelius shuddered, crying out as the orgasm ripped through him.

Gaidres stilled, panting hard, fingers trembling as he struggled to remain still. “D-Dominus?” he asked, voice rough.

Caelius shook his head wildly. “Don’t stop…finish…by the gods, take your pleasure on me…”

He heard Gaidres’s quick intake of breath and worried for a moment that Gaidres would stop out of a courtesy to him instead of finding his release. And then Gaidres withdrew just long enough to flip Caelius onto his back and surged back between his thighs, his cock finding its way to Caelius’s willing entrance without guidance. Caelius cried out as Gaidres slammed into him.

Gaidres’s hands gripped his mussed hair, their eyes locked. He panted with every thrust, the need for release raw in his expression.

“Yes…yes…” Caelius gasped, thighs hugging his hips, lifting to meet him. It was almost too much, but he craved the feel of Gaidres’s orgasm inside him.

He didn’t have long to wait. No more than a few moments passed before Gaidres could not hold back any longer and his eyes fell shut as he came, hard, jerky thrusts into Caelius as he spilled his seed deep inside him and then sagged, panting hard, breath gone and sweat trailing down his body.

Caelius moaned. The smell of Gaidres, of his seed. He could go to sleep with that scent on his skin and revel in it. He slid his hands up, cradling Gaidres’s face in his hands. The gladiator’s forehead rested against Caelius’s shoulder and his breath swept over Caelius’s skin.

For just a moment, no quicker than a flash of lightning, they lay like that and then it was over as Gaidres pulled away. Caelius let his hands and legs fall away as Gaidres rose, leaving him sprawled in a lewd heap on the ground. Caelius stared unconcerned up at him while the gladiator looked away, his eyes fixed on some point on the wall, his jaw working.

The pride was back full force, maybe even stronger than before. Caelius drew himself up onto shaky feet.

“If I’ve pleased, Dominus, may I return to the barracks?” Gaidres turned hard eyes on him.

He touched Gaidres’s arm with his fingertips. The gladiator was still recovering from months of neglect and it would be cruel to keep him up any later. “A moment, Gaidres, and then if you wish you may go.”

Caelius bit back a sigh. So much anger in one man, though justified, he was sure. He’d not had much experience with gladiators or soldiers, not since his brief stint in the military years ago, but he didn’t recall any of them being so tense, everywhere. Perhaps they hadn’t been forced to serve an animal disguised as a nobleman, as Gaidres had.

He searched Gaidres’s face a moment, trying to determine what was so appealing about him other than a perfect body. And then he let his hand fall, gesturing instead toward a basin filled with lukewarm, scented water and a cloth draped over the rim. “I doubt you wish to return unclean.”

Especially smelling of a Roman lover. Caelius had always enjoyed lying with his lovers afterward, tenderly cleaning each other, kissing and touching until they recovered the energy to play again. He could spend hours tasting Gaidres and caressing him, and after that he’d crave more. But something about Gaidres screamed that he wished for distance the moment his orgasm was over.

Gaidres followed his direction to the basin of water. “Gratitude, Dominus.” He bent to retrieve his tunic and
subligar,
holding them away from the water as he rinsed his cock and stomach off. Caelius moved to the huge bed, covered in furs and silks, and sprawled there on his stomach, watching unabashedly.

“You are very handsome.” Caelius could not hide the wistfulness in that statement. “Would you come to me again, Gaidres?”

Gaidres tensed and glanced back at him, rewrapping the cloth and leather about his hips and thighs, and tugging his tunic on. “I will do as Dominus commands.”

Caelius sighed and waved one hand. “I know you will. I’d like to know if you would come to me willingly.”

Gaidres gave him a wary look. “I am willing, Dominus.”

He propped his chin up on his hands, trying to discern if Gaidres was telling him the truth or not. What seemed clear outside these walls was more muddled within them. A part of him said that Gaidres wasn’t willing at all, but the man had responded to him as if he’d been more than willing. In the past there had been slaves who’d said they were, but once in private it was clear they had no interest.

It was hard to tell with this man, as guarded as he was. He’d wait a few days. If Gaidres was interested, it would be apparent soon enough. The gladiator glanced toward the curtained door and Caelius gave in to the man’s obvious desire to leave. “You may go. Rest, Gaidres. After the ordeal with my uncle, you need to recover your strength.”

Gaidres hesitated as though torn between taking the dismissal and rushing from the room or lingering instead. “Dominus…if I may ask a question?”

Caelius sat up, unashamed in his nakedness, curious to know what was on Gaidres’s mind. “You may, of course.”

“When can we train? We have been too long out of the arena.”

Caelius frowned, tilting his head. “You and the others need time to regain your strength…”

Gaidres shook his head. “We cannot regain our strength if we do not train! With no doctoré we can only spar, not train. Without proper weapons…”

“I trust you know far more than I regarding such things.” Perhaps it would be dangerous for men in their situation to go soft from lack of training. Some skills might not be recovered. Curse Craxus for being such a degenerate wastrel. “If the medicus agrees with you, I will allow it.”

“We need a doctoré, a real one this time,” Gaidres said forcefully, leaving Caelius to wonder what had happened to the last. Craxus probably sold him for some wine.

“You’ll get one. I have started a search already and ordered new equipment, armor, weapons, sparring gear.” The equipment in the
ludus
would have been laughable if men hadn’t been expected to actually wield such things.

“Gratitude, Dominus.”

For once Caelius thought he might mean the words. “You must know, Gaidres, that most of the men with you cannot be expected to continue to train as gladiators, nor fight as one. They will never recover.” As much as Caelius wished it weren’t true, ignoring the realities wouldn’t help.

Gaidres’s jaw tightened and his tone turned fierce. “I know. But they are good men, Dominus, who have given all to this house and received nothing in return.”

“I believe you, Gaidres. Please trust me in this. They will not be disposed of.” That Gaidres had such fears and that he had spoken out about what his men needed showed the mark of an exceptional leader.

At that promise, Gaidres lifted his gaze from the floor, startled. “Do you speak true?”

“I do. I would ask that you give me a report of which men you think can be salvaged and which cannot. I will find places in my household for those who wish to remain.”

Gaidres bowed his head, this time with respect. “My gratitude, Dominus. Truly.”

He trusted that Gaidres would do the job better than most. There was no sense in keeping a man in a fight who would not only get himself killed if he did not have the strength, but would also be unable to defend his fellow gladiators in the arena. There were more than enough tasks suitable for those who could not continue doing heavy or dangerous work.

Caelius rose from his bed and walked over to Gaidres, laying his hand on the gladiator’s chest. He brushed his mouth over Gaidres’s, savoring the brief contact of firm lips against his own. He suppressed a shiver and pulled back. Gaidres needed sleep, not to be cajoled back into bed. Another time. “Sleep well, Gaidres.”

Sleep well. Gaidres mulled that parting comment over as he followed the slave and guards back to the barracks. He didn’t think he’d be sleeping at all.

He would be the only one, it seemed, as he entered the temporary quarters. Gaidres was glad, though, for the men’s sound sleep. They would need it if Caelius was sincere when he spoke of bringing in a new doctoré, of raising the
ludus
to new heights.

It had been weeks since they’d last trained, and it showed. Muscles had begun to go soft, stamina was halved—it might never return if left too much longer. For many, though, it never would. They did not deserve the fate that usually befell gladiators who were no longer of use, which was either as fodder for the opening games or as a worker in the mines—both death sentences.

He said nothing as he was urged inside, glaring at the hapless guard who locked the slatted door shut.

He paced, tossing his tunic off and onto the clean bedding of his cot at the back of the large room. Even the lure of a clean blanket and fresh ticking wasn’t enough to draw him to sleep yet.

“Argon?” Demos’s voice came on a whisper from a cot across the room.

Gaidres ignored his friend. He did not care for subtle concerns about his well-being or whether or not he had pleased their master. Caelius had been well pleased, of that he had no doubt.

He sat down on the edge of the pallet, hands sinking into his hair. What now? He was not averse to a regular routine of sex of the sort he’d had tonight, but to be a whore for any man, let alone a Roman…It gnawed at him, made him want to kill something. Or someone. Still, there were worse ways to die than having fucked a man as beautiful as Caelius. Gaidres knew most of those ways personally.

He closed his eyes, and another face flashed across the darkness. Another man beneath him, with green eyes, not dark, with pale skin, not golden. With love in his smile as he drew Gaidres down against him.

Gaidres opened his eyes and pushed to his feet. He’d learned that looking back only caused one to stumble. He could not afford to stumble, especially not now.

Caelius picked at the dates, stuffed with almonds, rolled in honey and sesame seeds. That, along with wine and goat cheese, made up the last course of the banquet which continued still, though it was late in the night. Valeriana’s giggling chatter drowned out the lyre player and his suggestive poetry. And as much as Caelius would’ve liked to have heard more, it was for the best. It made him think of Gaidres when his mind needed to be occupied by matters at hand.

Gaidres. The name suited him far more than the one given to him by the Romans. It was a strong name.

Now that Caelius’s body had lost the lingering ache from Gaidres’s touch, he was keen to experience it again. His thoughts wandered, drawn to that man who radiated fury and pride in equal measures. Caelius found that mix to be even more enthralling than Gaidres’s magnificent body and his skill as a lover. Some men only penetrated women, despite the other things they might do with mouth or hands, and he gloried in the fact that Gaidres had no such inhibitions.

“You are quiet this eve, husband.” Valeriana’s voice cut through his thoughts. He had been surprised by her arrival in Fidena. She was fickle as a spring breeze. He had considered sending her back to Caere, but decided it was better to have her where he could keep an eye on her. He did not care to leave her with her family as her sole influence.

“I know. A recent judgment has been vexing me.” Caelius gave her arm an absent pat. “Apologies.”

“You’re always thinking of politics and never of me,” Valeriana complained. Then she was distracted by the woman beside her, wife of a local statesman, and he was saved having to respond.

His eyes wandered over the circle of couches until they fell on Petronius. A man who came to rest somewhere between ally and rival depending on his whim at the moment. He was also the one man most standing in Caelius’s way for advancement. Petronius was in turn amused by Caelius’s fondness for young, beautiful men and irritated by the principles that Caelius espoused in his home and tried to foster in the courts. Caelius had served in his current position half a term now and his judgments had not endeared him to the powerful men of the city.

Caelius turned his attention back to Valeriana as the tables were taken away and the dancers took up their positions in the center of the room. “Come, Valeriana, let us be more social.”

It was time to mingle, congratulate their host and otherwise engage in the game that some called politics and others survival. It seemed he spent far too much time on politics instead of on his lands and people…or on pleasure, given and received.

In truth, he had little stomach for the backbiting and dancing in circles around each other that was the heart of politics. A necessary evil, however, because without position a man was nothing in Rome. Less than nothing.

And now that the Senate had named Augustus emperor, the game was even more dangerous. He claimed not to be the dictator that those before him were and he seemed to want to restore the equality of the Republic, yet Caelius saw little real evidence of that. Why should Augustus give up powers granted to him by the Senate for perpetuity? What man would?

“This is my favorite part of events such as this.” True enough, Valeriana’s eyes sparkled as she carefully sat up.

Caelius rose from the couch and held out his hand to help her up. She was breeding, and the
stola
draped over the mound of her belly. Though he would’ve preferred for her to have stayed at the villa and rest, she had insisted on attending with him.

“Do you tire?” It was quite late and if she would not take her own well-being into consideration, there was that of the babe she carried.

“You worry too much.” Her fingers gripped his hand hard as she rose, pressing his family’s ring into her skin. Her mouth made a little moue of dissatisfaction. “I wish you would let me purchase you a new ring, several in fact. The old one hardly suits. I doubt your father would have minded.”

Caelius glanced at the signet ring that he’d worn ever since his father had passed. It was gold and onyx with the image of a phoenix engraved on its surface. It was a reminder of his promise to his father that he wouldn’t forget everything he had been taught.

It had been the source of one of the constant quibbles between him and Valeriana ever since he had taken her into his home. For her it represented an old way of life that needed to be put aside to further their interests and the House of Laraniia.

“The ring stays,” he said in a tone that brooked no further argument.

Valeriana clung to Caelius’s arm as they began to circulate among the other guests. Her perfume was too heavy, cloying in his nostrils, and all that filled his mind was the remembered scent of Gaidres and how much he preferred it. There had never been love between him and his wife, but his tolerance for her unreasonable demands and pouting ploys for attention had lowered since he’d laid eyes on his gladiator lover.

“Caelius, you came.” Petronius sidled up beside him and his smile was as false as his wife’s hair. “We thought not to see you this evening, what with the state of your new properties. A shame Craxus left you with such a weight.” The man’s insincere expression sent a slide of distaste down Caelius’s back.

“The weight is not so great, Petronius. I’ve found more than one fine prize at my uncle’s
ludus.
” He would be ever grateful to his late uncle for Gaidres, if nothing else. “Do not concern yourself with my welfare, friend. The situation is not near so dire as suspected.”

“Caelius has already seen to the comforts of the villa. It is so much more grand than the one in Caere.” Valeriana laughed, no doubt making sure she was not forgotten. “I have joined him sooner than we had planned.”

Caelius’s expression remained pleasant. As grand as his uncle’s villa was turning out to be now that the restoration had begun, it could not begin to compare with their home in Caere.

Judging from the tightness of Petronius’s expression, Valeriana’s comment had only strengthened Caelius’s assertion regarding the state of his inheritance. And Petronius was not pleased with his presence here in Fidena, nor that it was likely he would not be leaving anytime soon.

“How fortuitous for you.” Petronius turned to take a cup of wine from a passing slave. “We had wondered if you ever were going to join in the games. Your tastes are so provincial.”

Whereas Petronius’s vices made his own seem like children’s games. Valeriana opened her mouth, no doubt to agree with Petronius, and Caelius lightly squeezed her arm in warning. Why he had ever thought she would make a proper statesman’s wife, he didn’t know. She cared for parties, stirring up trouble, and little else. Come to think of it, those traits made her an ideal candidate.

As much as he had enjoyed being apart from her, it was for the best that she joined him. With her time so near, he wanted to be certain she and the babe were healthy. “I could use the advice of a man with your expertise.” Caelius accepted a goblet of wine as it was passed around. “Your gladiators have given you much renown.”

Petronius puffed his chest out, as pleased as a cock strutting about its yard. “They have served me well. Though, my family has cultivated our
ludus
for generations. You’re new to it all, so don’t be discouraged if it takes years before you see any results.”

“I shall take your advice to heart.” Valeriana shot Caelius a startled glance before her expression smoothed. As pleasurable—and simple—as it would be to knock good Petronius off his self-appointed marble pedestal, the man was not without his uses. Caelius knew well when to bite his tongue and now was one such time. “You have participated in games at the arena of that emancipated slave, Atilius. I had heard whispers that he cut corners during the building.”

Felix had not been able to discover any credence to them, but it didn’t stop Caelius from wanting to learn more about the arena nearest his new villa. Petronius laughed and waved his hand in dismissal.

“So speak those with jealous tongues, that they do not have an amphitheatre so grand. It seats over fifty thousand people. And since its unveiling two years ago it has become a very popular amphitheatre for important games. I have been there many times and have not seen any evidence of those rumors. Put them from your mind, Caelius.”

“Well, as you have said, it will be some time before my
ludus
or villa is up to being in the public eye. When it is, you shall be one of the first that I’ll invite to see what I have accomplished.”

“We’d be delighted to have you and your wife visit.” Valeriana cast him a quick look as if to ask if that was suitable.

Caelius gently squeezed her hand and gave her a ghost of a smile as she beamed. Guilt pricked his conscience over his earlier irritation with her. Valeriana did want what was best for their house, but their thoughts on what was best differed widely.

“And I will look forward to the invitation.” Petronius had the air of a man who was satisfied with the outcome of their discussion. “If you will excuse me, I see another I must speak with. In the meantime, welcome once again to Fidena.”

At least the man didn’t consider him a threat at the moment. He had too much to do to worry about Petronius pressing him about his activities, and a little flattery went far with men like that.

And tomorrow when the wine fumes were gone, Petronius would start to wonder about what prizes Caelius might have discovered. With any luck, by the time Caelius would need his advice or contacts when it came to the gladiator games, Petronius would be willing to help if only to satisfy his curiosity.

“Why were you fawning over that odious man?” Valeriana hissed under her breath as Petronius walked away. “Caelius, I do not understand you. Your family, position and money are greater than his. Why curry his favor at all?”

“Because I do not want him to see me as a threat right now.” Caelius cast a covetous eye toward one of the dancers, his garments cut in such a way as to leave nothing to the imagination. The habits from years of hedonism did not fade, though now he preferred Gaidres’s broad body and inner strength to that young man’s lithe beauty. “And I want him thinking about what rewards he might reap if he does give me aid.”

“I fail to see what aid he could give us,” Valeriana complained as Caelius signaled his slave, letting him know that they were ready to leave and to get their guards.

“You’re not thinking far ahead enough.” Caelius guided her over to their host to take their leave. “Petronius’s
ludus
has supplied gladiators for many of the most prominent games. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to make use of his contacts. It is better to keep him as an ally for now.”

“Do we have to go? The night is not yet over with.”

“You need your rest. And I would not be a dutiful husband if I did not care for you.” Caelius needed his own rest, as well. There was much to do in the morning and if the gods looked with favor upon him, perhaps he’d enjoy some time with Gaidres.

Gaidres had expected it, but still when the summons came, his heart raced. He took a deep breath and handed off his
rudis
to Hierocles, who had been deemed not well enough to train and so was in charge of the weapons. The other man took the wooden sword with a short nod and Gaidres sighed, clapping him on his shoulder before following the guard who’d come for him. He could only imagine how it must feel to have to sit by and watch your peers train and fight and be unable to do the same.

A few moments later, as he stepped into the atrium, Caelius was waiting, walking along the edge of the shallow pool there. It lay empty now as slaves repaired the tiles Craxus had ruined with years of neglect.

Gaidres stopped a few yards away, lowering his head. “Dominus.”

Caelius approached, gesturing to the slaves and the guard. “Leave us.” He placed a hand on Gaidres’s arm and his fingers tingled from the contact.

Gaidres had tried not to think about what had happened between them, and when Caelius hadn’t called for him the next night or the next or even the next, he’d assumed the man had shifted his interest to other quarry. The way his long fingers stroked Gaidres’s forearm said otherwise.

“You seem to be faring better. How are the others? Do they recover as well?”

Why did Caelius ask? The medicus had given his report, surely, and it had been as grim as Gaidres had feared.

“Some more than others, Dominus.” Gaidres kept his head lowered to hide the helpless anger. He knew the usual fate that would have awaited those who would not regain their fighting strength. He could only hope Caelius had been sincere when he’d vowed not to discard them. “The clean quarters have helped as much as the food and water.”

Caelius slid his hand up to Gaidres’s shoulder. “And what are your thoughts on who can continue on and who cannot?”

Gaidres’s cock stiffened at the slide of the other man’s hand across his skin. He struggled to keep his mind on the conversation at hand. “Aemilius, Ianuarius and Hierocles will not recover, Dominus. They struggle with the tasks set to them in the
ludus
and require more time. Fewer duties.”

Gaidres knew how likely that was to happen, but he had to ask. All of the men would still be in fine condition if it weren’t for Craxus. Caelius should not blame them their weakness now.

“The others I hope will return to their former strength with time, though not all. Of them, Demos, Marius and Rufus show the most promise.”

He met Caelius’s dark eyes and could see that behind the questions, which Gaidres had no doubt were sincere, was another purpose. Gaidres was no fool and the blatant caressing of his arm and shoulder—Caelius’s smooth hands now brushed down the center of his bare chest—left little doubt about the direction of the man’s thoughts.

“And the new doctoré? How fares he with the men? Is he as skilled as I was told?”

“Doctoré is a fine warrior, Dominus. Gratitude for finding such a man to train us.” It seemed that all the whisperings of returning the
ludus
to former glory, glory for which Gaidres had not been present, were true. Caelius spared no expense in replacing much of that which was broken. That also included some of Gaidres’s fellow gladiators and it filled him with regret.