The Gladiator's Touch by Lauren Hawkeye Page A

was
naked, naked to the cool evening air and to the hungry stare of the gladiator.
    “I know you will not.” I was not sure
why I trusted this man so—had I been given to any other gladiator, I would have
been sick with fear.
    This man, though he was fierce and
strong and could kill me without any exertion at all, did not frighten me. In
fact, I felt safe, nestled here in his arms, safe from beatings and hunger and
the whims of the Dominus.
    I was grateful to have even a moment in
which I did not have to worry. I wanted to show my gratitude, wanted to thank
this man for that gift.
    “I would have you sit.” My words were
brave, and I did not know if he would take offense. Instead he appeared amused,
the ghost of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
    “Then I would sit.” He removed his hands
from my body, and I did not like the sensation. I wanted him to touch me again.
    “Would you have me undress?” Heat
flooded my skin as his fingers strayed to the ties of his subligaculum .
    “Yes. Yes. I would have you in your
skin.” His eyes darkened with want at my bold words, and my fingers curled into
tight fists as his brief leather garment fell to the floor.
    Clothed, Marius the Undefeated was raw
and beautiful. Naked, he appeared as a god. His body was sinewy, the frame of a
man who used it hard every day.
    I wanted to touch him—his chest, his thighs,
his shoulders, his arms. His cock—oh, I wanted to touch his cock, which had
risen under my stare.
    He settled on the mat on which he slept,
and gazed up at me with anticipation. Frank appreciation painted his features,
and my flesh became swollen, my skin too tight.
    Dropping to my knees before him, I
licked lips gone suddenly dry.
    “I wish to bring you comfort and
pleasure.” My words were breathy as I lowered my head and tentatively placed my
lips over the head of his cock.
    “Cassia!” His voice was shocked. “What
are you about?”
    I giggled; I could not help it. It
seemed that the man who had battled countless warriors could be surprised,
after all.
    “I should think that would be obvious. I
said that I wish to bring you pleasure, and I mean to do so.” I had performed
this act before, but I had never before had any feeling behind the motions.
    I wanted to please my gladiator.
I wanted to bring him to his knees, and know that I had done so.
    “Aah.” Rough fingers combed through my
hair, pulling tightly as I scraped my teeth lightly under the ridge of his
cock. He seemed to like it, so I did it again, then swirled my tongue over the
very tip, tasting salt and man.
    Marius’ hips arched upward, into my
touch, and then he groaned as he extricated his cock from the warm wetness of
my mouth.
    “No.” I protested, but he lifted me as
if I weighed nothing at all, and pulled me into his lap.
    “You are my gift, and I will do as I
please with you.” His words were stern, but his eyes danced with mischief as he
ran a hand firmly up the inside of my thigh. His fingers danced over the curls
between my legs, and then two fingers slid into the slick channel of my cunt.
    “Aah!” I cried loudly, then bit my lower
lip as Marius moved those fingers in and out, in and out. “I—oh!”
    His laughter rumbled against my neck,
the bristles of his beard scraping the skin and bringing it to life. “You are a
responsive creature, Cassia. I enjoy that.”
    I responded loudly when he withdrew his
fingers—cruelly, I thought—and pulled me off of his lap and onto his sleep mat.
He placed me on my hands and knees, pinching my nipples and laying his palm
flat on the curves of my ass once as he pulled back.
    “Marius!” I turned my head to look at
him, found him with his cock in his fist. He grinned, pumped his shaft twice,
then smacked my rear again.
    “You will stay facing forward, or I will
not touch you again. Do you understand?” I should have been nervous, but instead
found myself insatiable. I wanted his touch, more than anything I wanted