Educating Caesar Ch. 07

Caesar stepped into the expansive peristyle garden of Marcus Crassus, one of the last to arrive at the symposium. He estimated the number of guests at thirty. Crassus was infamous for his over-the-top entertainments, which was likely Roxanna's reason for having chosen this event for Caesar's 'official debut.' He had been under Roxanna's tutelage for just over a year and she had insisted that he put the knowledge she had instilled in him to the test.

The thought of Roxanna was enough to bring a smile to the face of any man. Caesar was relying upon his many heated memories of her to help get him through what might prove to be an uncomfortable evening.

Caesar took a cup of wine from a tray offered him by a servant and began searching for likely prey. The most influential men in the city were present, many accompanied by their wives. Caesar was not planning to risk his life for this conquest, so he continued looking. His eyes met those of Sempronia Tuditani, who stood across the garden, conversing with several other matrons. She smiled enticingly at him.

"Gaius Julius," Crassus' voice boomed just before he slapped Caesar's back, "it is good to see you."

"And you, Marcus Licinius. Your invitation was most welcome."

Pleasantries aside, Crassus led Caesar out of earshot of the others and spoke to him in a confidential low voice. "I sense that you are up to no good," he laughed. "It's about time; I was beginning to think I was funding a love affair. Just stay away from my Tertulla," Crassus joked before greeting a high-ranking senator.

The guests filed into the triclinium for the meal, which promised to be an epicurean delight. Caesar had little taste for exotic fare and dreaded the whole ordeal. He was seated beside a wealthy member of the knight class, an amicable man known for his wit. Caesar's body servant had just removed his sandals when he felt the weight of the third party on the dining couch and turned to see who would be occupying his other side. He was somewhat shocked by the discovery.

"I am afraid someone has already taken my seat and I do not wish to be rude. Do you find it disagreeable to share your dining couch with a woman?" Sempronia purred, batting her dark lashes at him.

"I am honored," Caesar smiled, trying to make it look genuine.

"I am Sempronia Tuditani," she said.

"The wife of Marcus Fulvius?" Caesar asked.

Sempronia rolled her eyes dramatically. "That depends on your definition of 'wife,'" she said, under her breath.

"I am Gaius Julius Caesar, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sempronia," he gave her his most charming smile.

"Gaius Julius Caesar," she repeated, her eyes roaming over his face. "Yes, I knew your father."

Caesar was not surprised, given her age, which must have been at least double his own. He sighed, swallowing his negative thoughts as he glanced at the woman beside him. Sempronia was not without charm. She was quite voluptuous and the cut of her gown accented her large breasts. Had he not known her age, he would have thought her to be in her thirties. There was no gray in her black hair, which was pulled back into a chignon wrapped with braids, a few of which hung down her back. Her dark brown eyes were large and wide-set. Her lips were full and rouged to make them look even more so.

Sempronia was an attractive woman. Caesar knew the problem was not with her, but within himself. He was a rational being and realized it was ridiculous for him to feel guilty for an act he had not even committed himself to carrying out. He had spent the past year learning how to please a woman from the most gorgeous, uninhibited creature in Rome and, after a year, his passion for her was nowhere near sated. Roxanna, however, was being paid for her services. Sex with a prostitute was not adultery in the eyes of the law. Despite his feelings for Roxanna, he had been able to avoid most of the guilt because of the situation. Tonight he must take the next step; he must break the faith of his wife. Caesar had risked his life when he had refused Sulla's order to divorce her. Now, he wondered if he was truly prepared to commit an act that would provide grounds for divorce, even for those joined by the sacred rites of confarreatio marriage.

There was a commotion in the room and Caesar realized one of the consuls had arrived. The office of consul was the crowning achievement of a political career. Caesar squared his jaw, took a deep drink of his wine and turned his attention back to Sempronia.

The table became a parade of gilded eggs, oysters, snails, eels, roasted flamingo and several other dishes that Caesar did not care to remember. He picked at his food, indulging mainly in bread and the vegetables stuffed inside, or used to garnish, the less appetizing items. Sempronia warmed under the diffuse light of his subtle charm. The fresh fruit was served, marking the end of the meal.

Caesar had just bitten into a perfectly ripe peach when Sempronia whispered in his ear, "There is a divine little grotto in the dark back corner of Crassus' garden." She was interrupted by Crassus' wife, Tertulla, inviting all the women to join her in the back of the house. Sempronia rose and exited with the others. With the women gone, the men were free to drink themselves into a stupor.

Caesar waited several minutes before excusing himself. He made his way into the garden and saw immediately that one of the back corners was free from the lamps that seemed to light every other inch of space. He looked around to make sure he was not being watched before he hurried into the darkness.

Sempronia reached out and caught him in her arms, pulling him down beside her on a bench. "I've been waiting forever," she whined in a high voice. "You must be very nice to me or I shall be angry with you." Caesar did not have time to respond before her lips were on his, her tongue probing his mouth, as she climbed onto his lap, straddling him. The shock quickly passed and he returned her arduous kiss, running his hands over the silky smooth flesh of her back.

"Come on, be quick about it! You know I must go soon," she urged, her words flashing a warning signal in Caesar's head. He moved his hands around to her breasts and, though they were perfectly nice, they were nowhere near the size of Sempronia's. He froze. The hand searching beneath his tunic found what it was seeking and, grasping him, also froze. There was a beat of silence between them.

Caesar planned his escape. The bench was directly against the garden wall; as soon as she screamed, he was going to jump onto the bench, throw one leg over the wall, hope the ground on the other side was not too far below, and make a run for it. She did not scream, however. She ran her small hand over his length and giggled.

"My, my. I do not believe WE have met." Her hand continued its ministrations. "That is easily remedied. I am Claudia. Who are you?"

"My identity does not seem particularly important to you at the moment," he answered.

She giggled again. "I admit I am most taken by your impressive manhood; but you speak like an orator. Are you?"

"Perhaps I am a well educated slave."

Claudia pushed down one of his hands until it rested against the moist, hairless and heated flesh between her legs. She gasped at his touch. Caesar closed his eyes in the darkness. She was ready to be taken. Her whisper was teasing, but he could hear the urgency in her voice, "Tell me your name and I'll put what is in MY hand into what is now in YOURS."

"Caesar."

"Now I know why you Julians claim descent from Venus," she giggled, squeezing him. "Well, we both seem to be in the right place at the right time and, given the particular place and time, I would wager we are here for the same reason. Shall we have at each other like a pair of animals?" He felt her mouth on his neck, her teeth nipping him playfully.

"Claudia," Caesar whispered. "Pulchra?"

"That's right."

"How old are you, Claudia?"

"I am eighteen and, in case you haven't figured it out, I am not a virgin. I came here tonight for one reason only and, since the man for whom I was waiting has not deemed my needs important enough, I am perfectly happy to take my pleasure with you. Please, say yes. I grew bored waiting and, well, to be quite honest, I had taken matters into my own hands and your arrival was most inconvenient... I would like to finish and I am mad to feel you inside of me! Let me ride you."

Caesar pictured the young woman writhing on the bench, one hand on her breasts and the other working furiously underneath her gown; his mind was made. "As you wish, Claudia."

Claudia guided him to her entrance and moaned softly as she rested her weight upon him, taking him all the way inside of her. "I'm afraid I really must go soon, so we will have to make this fast," she said, moving his hands to her hips. Pleased with her placement, she adjusted her gown. "Bounce me and suck my nipples."

Caesar did as he was told, moving her up and down the length of his rigid cock. Her breasts were firm and small, but her nipples were huge. He flicked his tongue against both hard tips before pulling one into his mouth and sucking it hard. She whined at the pleasure of it.

"Faster... Do it faster!" she whispered against his ear.

He increased the speed of his thrusts. "Is that better?" he asked between clenched teeth.

"Yesss," she whined again. "Oh... You feel so much better than..." her voice trailed off into a moan and then a gasp. "Gods!" Her body went rigid.

He continued pumping his cock in and out of her as she panted out her pleasure. Just as Caesar felt the first stirrings of his own climax, they heard footsteps. Claudia pulled away from him, kissed the tip of his nose and slipped away.

"Caesar?" Sempronia whispered rather loudly.

"I am here," he replied in an uneven voice, quickly pulling his tunic down into place. He was thankful for the dark, as he was certain anyone would know exactly what he had been doing ten seconds earlier if the person had a good look at him.

"Good. I have been wanting to do this all evening," she purred as she sank to her knees on the ground before where he sat on the bench. She pushed up his tunic and grabbed his cock. "Mmmm... You started without me," she said in mock accusation. "You're already hard... and you're simply drenched! I sincerely hope you left something for me."

Caesar did not have a chance to reply before he felt her mouth close around him. He gasped when she took him deep into her throat. She swallowed as she caressed his tight balls with one hand.

"Careful," he managed. "Your throat is so tight... ahh... easy... easy."

Sempronia dislodged him from her throat and bobbed her head over him, sucking every inch of him as she swirled her tongue around his shaft.

"You are going to make me come if you do not stop NOW," he breathed, his hands on the back of her head.

"That is exactly what I want, Caesar. I love sucking cock. Mmm... it makes me so hot! I'm squeezing my pussy through my gown right now and as soon as your hot come hits the back of my throat, I will come, too. Let me get you off. Don't you want to come for me? Your balls are so full and tight. Empty them in my mouth. I want to taste you."

She licked his entire cock before taking it back into her mouth, making him groan.

Claudia's teasing fuck and Sempronia's mind-bending suck were more than Caesar could endure. "That's it... aahhh!" He blew an enormous load into her mouth. She grunted and grabbed his thigh as she swallowed every last drop.

Sempronia released him, drawing a ragged breath. "That was wonderful, Caesar," he could hear the smile in her voice. She was standing now. "Don't be a stranger." She kissed his forehead and walked away.

Roxanna was just stepping out of her bath and into the thick towel Felicity held for her when another servant entered, her eyes downcast. "Ajax sends to inform you that you have a visitor, Mistress."

"I will take over from here, Felicity. Please see to my guest," Roxanna instructed, dismissing the other servant with a nod and a smile. Roxanna patted her skin dry before wrapping her wet hair in the towel, turban-style. She was sitting at her dressing table rubbing verbena infused oil into her skin when she heard the doors to her bedchamber being opened. Finishing quickly, she pulled on her favorite dressing gown; it was transparent Coan cloth dyed the color of rubies.

Roxanna stepped into her bedchamber. Caesar was sitting on the bench at the end of her bed. His elbows rested on his knees and he cradled his head in his hands.

"Please forgive my appearance, I was not expecting to see you this evening, Caesar."

He raised his head and looked at her. He smiled. "You are always beautiful, Roxanna."

Roxanna sat beside him. "How was the party?"

"Oh, the usual," he said. "Rome's elite was well represented. The wines were excellent and the food extravagant."

"Would you like something to drink," she asked.

"No, I had quite enough during dinner; my head is aching already."

She massaged his temples with her fingertips and he sighed, closing his eyes. They sat silently as she rubbed his head. When she finished, she squeezed his shoulders softly. His muscles were tense.

"Turn around," she instructed.

He did as she asked and she began working his shoulders with her strong hands. He groaned beneath her fingers and slowly relaxed.

When Roxanna was satisfied with the looseness of his shoulders, she pulled him gently back toward her. "Lean back against me, darling," she cooed as she began massaging his scalp. Caesar was putty in her hands.

"You always know exactly how to make me feel better," he said softly.

Roxanna continued working her fingers through his hair. "I could say the same about you," she retorted.

He sighed again. "You have taught me well, Roxanna."

She did not vary her movements upon him or change the tone of her voice. "You were successful, then?"

"Yes," he gave a trite laugh, "a bit too successful."

"Come now, how can a man be 'too successful' at seduction?" Roxanna joked, keeping her voice light.

"By seducing two women in less than a quarter of an hour," he answered with just a trace of sarcasm.

"Two?" Roxanna stopped stroking his head and looked down at him. "You seduced TWO women? In less than a quarter of an hour?" Her voice was incredulous, though slightly tinged with laughter.

"Yes, though one was an accident."

"An accident. You are an astonishing man, Caesar," Roxanna laughed. "How on earth did you 'accidentally' seduce a woman?"

"It was amazingly simple." He related the story to her, leaving out the names of the women.

Roxanna had a good laugh. "You are a natural; starting inside one's womanhood and finishing inside another's mouth! The 'accident,' was she a slave?"

"No; they were both patricians, though the 'accident' was far too young for such behavior," he answered.

Roxanna raised one brow and gave him a knowing look. "I would wager the other lady was a bit too old for such behavior."

Caesar narrowed his eyes at her. "Gods, woman, are you a witch? How can you possibly know that?"

"I live surrounded by women; precious little juicy gossip makes it past me. I have heard many rumors about a particular noble woman who greatly enjoys servicing men with her mouth. I've also heard tales about a very young lady and her... lover. Believe me, Caesar, if it is the same young lady you happened upon this evening, you did her a favor by taking the place of the man for whom she was waiting." Roxanna shivered. "That's an odd clan and this generation is the worst yet. They are disasters waiting to happen."

Caesar was not immune to gossip; it was important for politicians to stay abreast of the happenings in the great families. "Are you speaking of the Claudii?"

"I am, and please do not feel you have done that poor girl a harm by telling me it was she. Unless you or she speaks of it to others, no one will ever know."

"I trust you completely, Roxanna. Now, tell me, who was she waiting for that I did her a favor by displacing him?"

"Publius."

"That narrows it down to about a quarter of the men in the city."

"Publius Claudius."

"Pulcher? Her brother? She thought I was her brother when she...?" He didn't finish the question.

"I told you it was awful; but I have heard too many stories from too many people to discount all of it as simple malicious talk."

Caesar threw back his head and laughed. "You truly have made me feel better, my love. I was suffering the pangs of guilt, but you have made me see the error in that. I did not have coitus with Sempronia and, even though I did penetrate Claudia, in doing so I prevented her from committing a crime against nature." He laughed again. "I am not expected home for at least two more hours," he said, stroking her face. "An old lady and a young girl combined are no match for a beauty in her prime. Remind me what it is to bed a REAL woman." He leaned in to kiss her.

Roxanna drew away, giving him a rather pointed smile. "I will gladly indulge you- AFTER you bathe."

They laughed together as she led him into her bath chamber.