Chapter 9

By the time Corvus was ready to take possession of his new house, he still didn't know exactly what he was going to do about Regula Vitellius.

He'd gotten advice from Crispa, from his mother, from Quad, and from Clover and Rose. Thoroughly divided on what he should do, they'd mostly filled his head with what he couldn't do. He'd almost been desperate enough to ask Malcolm. but doubted the steward had any advice he'd be willing to take.

He couldn't manumit Regula and her family. He couldn't let them feel like they were above their new stations. He couldn't leave them idle. Crispa assured him that would kill their souls.

No one had told him the one restriction he kept waiting to hear. He couldn't just order Regula to his bed and expect her to go as eagerly as Clover and Rose or even willingly. And he wasn't about to force himself on her. Property or no, it still felt wrong to him.

He couldn't ask Regula to be his unofficial mistress as he'd once considered. Even though things between himself and Crispa hadn't advanced past the kissing they'd done and even that hadn't been repeated on the two subsequent visits they'd had, but Corvus found himself hoping she might become his actual mistress. Marriage between them was out of the question, but Corvus had started to watch a TV news channel that seemed to be more gossip about the rich and famous people who lived in the capital than actual news and had learned that it wasn't unheard of for a powerful patrician to take a less powerful one as his mistress. Additionally, widows seemed to be a favorite topic of the gossip shows and it appeared their behavior was entirely unregulated by custom or law.

Even as the day of his elevation drew near, Corvus found more and more of his thoughts turning to the young Widow Iunius. Her father would arrive in less than a week and already the household was often a flurry of activity as the guest wing was readied for him and his entourage, provisions bought, and entertainments planned. Corvus knew the politics were very important and that he should be focusing on his upcoming ceremony, but he was more focused on the fact that he and Crispa would be spending a week living under the same roof, even if the rooms she'd be using were almost a half-mile from his.

The morning he was to take possession of his new house, Corvus was woken early by Armand, who stood in the doorway and cleared his throat softly until Rose elbowed Corvus in the ribs and he raised his head from a very comfortable spot in the small of Clover's back.

"Sir, Malcolm has called to say that everything is in order for you to take possession of your new house and that he awaits your pleasure to discuss dispensation of the staff."

Corvus doubted very much that Malcolm had said those words. Malcolm might say that other slaves awaited Corvus's pleasure, but he himself might "stand ready" or something else similarly dignified sounding. Since Malcolm had taken over the matter of getting Corvus's new house ready, Armand had been almost ubiquitous, overseeing preparations for the guests, bringing news, and pretty much doing anything that kept him in Corvus's line of sight. He clearly wanted the job of being Corvus's new steward, but Corvus found the approach more unctuous than anything else.

Corvus muttered his thanks. By the time he got out of bed, Clover was already returning with his clothes. She laid them out on a dresser. "Will we be coming with you to see the new house today?"

He shook his head. "No. It's just going to be me there tonight and there are already six slaves waiting for me. I'm sure we can manage for one night. After my parents get back from their honeymoon, we can both move in for real."

Clover held up his shorts to offer to him, but he waved her off. "I'm going to grab a shower. Malcolm can await my pleasure a while longer, I think."

Rose's head emerged from under the sheets. "Shall I attend you, Corvus?"

Corvus considered it for about a half second before nodding. "All right." Rose had been a welcome addition to his bed and returned almost every night to it. But, Corvus had never been alone with her and when he, Clover, and Rose were together, he couldn't help feeling like he was less than an equal participant. The two girls clearly shared a bond and, while they always seemed enthusiastic, he couldn't help feeling that Rose at least liked Clover a lot more than she liked him.

As Rose preceded him into the shower, Corvus turned to look at Clover, to see if she had any reaction, but her back was to him as she arranged his clothes for the day. He kissed her shoulder as he passed.

In the shower, Rose was already waiting, hot water cascading down her body in rivulets, her blonde hair now dark and wet against her scalp. She held up a bar of soap and a sponge, but Corvus took her wrists in his hands and kissed her with great relish.

Rose let out a low, sultry chuckle as the kiss broke. "And how may I serve?"

Corvus laid a hand on her shoulder, exerting a hint of downward pressure. "You can help me find some way to pass the time while Malcolm awaits my pleasure a little longer."

Rose went down to her knees and wrapped her hand around his cock. "Should we call for Clover?"

Corvus shook his head. "She's getting my things ready. I ... had the impression you wanted to get me alone."

Rose kissed the head of his cock and flicked her tongue over it. "I hoped to speak to you on a matter, but service comes first always. If the two of us may serve better than I alone..."

Corvus had closed his eyes at the sensation. Now, he shook his head. "I'd say you're doing fine on your own, Rose. Let's leave Clover to her work for now."

Without further preamble, Rose took him into her mouth, tongue teasing his head and shaft, fist tight around the base. Corvus groaned and gripped the sturdy stainless steel bar mounted on the back wall of the shower. Too awkwardly placed to be a towel rack or to hang a curtain from, he suspected this was, in fact, its only purpose - to keep the participants standing while they had sex in the shower. He'd never seen one as a plebeian.

It didn't take Rose long to have Corvus's entire body humming, his toes curling and his cock scraping up against the back of her throat with each movement of her head.

"Up," Corvus said hoarsely.

Rose rose sinuously against him. Corvus stepped away from the wall and guided her to face it, both hands gripping the overhead bar. He slid one hand between her legs, seeking her heat and spreading her wide. Stepping behind her, he slid inside.

Rose let out a little hiss through her teeth. At first, Corvus felt only the warm heat of her body, but his thrust caught a little. He shifted his hips and thrust harder. Rose cried out.

His next thrust hurt, like rubbing his cock against some tacky surface. Rose cried out again and Corvus realized what he'd assumed was pleasure carried a note of pain. Alarmed, she started to shrivel out of her and took a step back. "Rose ... what's wrong?"

"Forgive me." She looked back over her shoulder, eyes wide. "I ... wasn't ready. I'm braced now."

"I'm not," exclaimed Corvus. "Rose, what's wrong? I didn't mean to hurt you."

Rose shook her head and looked away from him. "There is service in pain. Please ... I'm ready now."

"Rose, I didn't mean to hurt you," Corvus repeated. "Why did that hurt? Do you only get turned on if Clover is here?"

Rose turned and looked at him. "Oh, Corvus. No. It's ... the water. Just the water."

Corvus blinked. "The water?"

Rose nodded emphatically. "The water washes away the juices of desire." She reached up to a row of bottles and brought down one with a thick, amber liquid. "This oil, if you use it ... if you let me use it on you, you'll stay slick inside of me and it will be pleasurable ... if that's what you wish."

Corvus looked down at his cock, which had shriveled like someone had dunked it in cold water. "Oh ... I ... didn't know that. I thought we just used that because it felt good going on. I didn't realize it had a purpose."

Rose smiled. She still looked shaken, but it was fading fast. "Allow me..."

Corvus caught her wrist before she could go down on her knees again. "No ... I think the moment has passed now."

Rose looked down, considering his cock like it was some sort of clever puzzle. When she looked up, most of her old swagger was back. She wriggled her hips. "It takes only a moment to bring the moment back, sir. It would be my great pleasure to show you."

Corvus was tempted, but his heart was still pounding. So much of how he reconciled his new place in society with what he'd learned growing up was predicated on the idea that his slaves were better off than they'd be without him - that Clover and Rose preferred sharing his bed than some other task. The momentary belief he'd had that he was forcing Rose to have sex she wasn't enjoying had rattled him. He took her wrist and removed the bottle from her hand, placing it back up on the shelf. "Not this morning. I have a lot to do today. Just ... help me wash up, please."

"Of course." Rose's face became the mask he saw on most slaves as they worked. She received the soap and sponge she'd held earlier and began to lather up his shoulders and neck.

She worked silently and methodically, soaping Corvus up with the sponge, rinsing with one of the showerheads, and wiping him down with a cloth. As she worked, she got closer and closer until her own slick body was brushing against his with every movement. As she'd said, it didn't take long for his body to recover from its shock and he was about to suggest they resume their earlier activity when he saw the smirk on her lips and realized there was nothing accidental about all the contact. She was deliberately manipulating him to get the result she wanted.

Remembering Crispa's comment about making your slaves fuck you versus letting them, Corvus took a definite step backwards, giving himself some space between them. "You said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Rose didn't look up from her work. "I did ... but it can wait for a better time. You do have a lot to do today."

"I'm not doing any of it right now," Corvus pointed out. "What did you want to talk about?"

Rose continued to wash him, not speaking right away as she washed her way down his stomach. Her proximity was making his cock hard, but he was onto her game now. "Rose?"

She started as if she'd been completely enthralled by her work and looked up at him. "I ... only, I was wondering if you had decided how many slaves to bring from here to your new household."

Corvus thought he understood now, but decided to play coy. "Well, there are five slaves in my new household. My father has lent me the use of Malcolm to get things set up although, truth be told, I'll be happy to install my own steward as soon as possible. I don't know how many I'll need and I'm not sure how many of the five will actually be useful. Three of them were citizens until quite recently."

"I ... had heard," said Rose. "You ... mentioned bringing Clover with you. Have you considered bringing any other slaves?"

"My father did offer to let me bring Clover with me when I moved," said Corvus. "He didn't offer me any other slaves. "And he's already been very generous. I would hate to impose further."

Rose closed the distance between them again, her thigh brushing up against his cock. "Still, he might be amenable if you found yourself attached to one particular slave. You could ... buy her or maybe trade one of your new slaves for her."

Corvus chuckled. "And would this particular slave be qualified to work in the gardens at my new home?"

Rose reached down and traced her fingertips gently over the shaft of his cock. "She might find she prefers your bed to the flowerbeds, whatever she's trained for."

"Really?" Corvus reached up, retrieved the phial of oil, and handed it to Rose. She didn't look away as she applied some to her palm. "Are you suggesting I take you instead of Clover, Rose?"

Rose shook her head and wrapped her now-oily fist around his cock, stroking it. "I wouldn't want you to do that. I know how fond you are of Clover."

Corvus held out his palm, indicating the oil until Rose had poured a quantity onto his hand. He spread it between both hands and slid two fingers on one hand between her thighs, eliciting a gasp. "And I know how fond you are of Clover, Rose. Would you want to follow me to my new house or my body slave? I don't think you care who's in the bed with the two of you as long as it is you two." He probed deeper as he spoke, rolling the nub of her clitoris between his knuckles.

Rose cried out and clung to him with her free hand. "That's ... not true. Service is our life and we are..." She bit down on his shoulder as he honed in on some particularly tender flesh. "We are ... most honored to serve a handsome, young master with a hard cock."

She tried to keep the rhythm she had stroking him, but it dissolved under the onslaught of his fingers and she clung to him to keep herself upright.

"Please..." she moaned in his ear. "Please, Corvus. Senator Scribonius was a ... much older man. Clover and I shared his bed for almost ten years. By the end, all he could do was watch. If we touch each other too much for your liking, it's because we're used to it. We serve you. Service is life."

Corvus wasn't quite sure how this had escalated so quickly into what it became. He hadn't liked being manipulated by Rose. And he wanted to hear her say ... what? That she liked him more than she liked Clover? The other way around? He didn't know and with his arousal pounding in his ears, he couldn't think. It shouldn't matter. Whatever Clover and Rose felt for each other, they were at his disposal and had never given him cause to complain.

Still, if his slaves wouldn't humor him and tell him what he wanted to hear, who would? He leaned in and growled in Rose's ear. "And do you want that young master's hard cock?"

"Yes!" Rose nodded her head emphatically. "More that anything. Please..."

"Grip the bar above your head with both hands," Corvus ordered her. When Rose did, he pushed her legs apart, seeking her sex with his own. Rose stumbled a little and took her weight on her arms, but she regained her balance and wrapped her legs around his waist, writhing to find the best angle to take him inside of her as he thrust, hard and demanding. Whatever her feelings, Rose didn't lack enthusiasm. She matched each thrust by rocking her hips against him, meeting force with force. Corvus gripped the bar, his hands outside of Rose's, getting every bit of traction he could muster.

Usually fairly quiet in bed, Rose gave voice to her pleasure as Corvus took her - calling out his name, affirmation, to Venus or to the gods in general. Her body responded to his and shuddered hard seconds before his own climax filled her with his heat.

Afterwards, he gave a shaky laugh and Rose brought her feet to the floor and her arms around his shoulders, holding him close and trembling with aftershocks of the assault. When Corvus finally shrank out of her, released his death-grip on the bar, she took a moment to compose herself, gathered up the soap and the sponge, and finished washing him.

As Corvus walked up the front path of his new house, the one he'd seen from the outside a hundred times, but never been inside of, he decided that he didn't need a specific plan for dealing with Regula Vitellia. He would speak to her privately, find out what she wanted to do with her life going forward, help her choose something appropriate to her new station in life, and set her to doing it. In that way, he would treat her no differently from her mother or her sister.

He had to resist the urge to knock on the front door before entering. This was the Vitellius house after all ... only of course it wasn't. It was now the Gallicus house and, to everyone who had known it before, it would only be more impressive now. Only Corvus had to adjust his thinking to consider it home.

Inside, the entry hall was empty. He didn't call out, but proceeded to what must be the family room. Whatever furniture had been there was gone. Malcolm had described it as plebeian-shabby and Corvus had agreed to have it all crated up and put into storage. It would be easier to take over the house if there was no sign of its previous owners - aside of course from those previous owners themselves, now serving as slaves.

From there, he could hear the low hum of someone talking and knew by the cadences that it must be Malcolm. He followed the voice into a large office on the first floor. The steward was sitting at a big, wooden desk that bespoke power, papers stacked a few inches high on either side of him. He was speaking on the phone and glanced up only briefly when Corvus entered the office, leaving him to sit across the desk in one of the visitor's chairs.

Corvus didn't interrupt. Malcolm was talking to a furniture dealer, trying to arrange a time for the seller to bring his samples up to the main house for Corvus to choose from. When he finished the call, he turned and said smoothly, "How may I serve?"

"You wanted to discuss staffing issues," Corvus said pleasantly. "What do I need to know?"

"Ah, yes. Your ... staffing issues are currently waiting in the inner courtyard," said Malcolm with a faint smirk. "I have a reasonably good idea of what to do with the ones who were born slaves, but as for the others..."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk blotter and steepling his fingers between them. "I thought perhaps it would be best if you were to meet them all and get some idea of what we're dealing with before we discussed the matter further. I've deputized one of them to watch the rest while I got some work done."

"You weren't afraid they'd run off?"

Corvus meant it as a joke, but Malcolm seemed to take it entirely seriously. "As Imperial property, they were all injected with subcutaneous tracer chips and none of them seemed terribly fleet of foot. I thought it safe enough. Shall we go see them?"

When Corvus agreed, Malcolm led him through the house to the inner courtyard. It was a green space bigger than his aunt's house, surrounded on all four sides by the two-story whitewashed house with the red trim. An older woman and a young teen girl sat on a bench with their hands folded in their laps. Two young women knelt on the grass at their feet, all facing towards the door from which he and Malcolm were emerging, but probably unable to see them in the shadows at that distance. Facing the group and away from Corvus stood a man who might not accurately be called a mountain, but was at least a good-sized foothill. He held a short staff in one hand and seemed to be staring intently at the young woman kneeling in front of him and facing the other four as if they were a jury about to decide her fate.

Even at this distance and from behind, Corvus recognized Regula Vitellius. Even though the fine clothes had been replaced by a simple linen slave tunic identical to those worn by the other women and her hair was no longer in its familiar braid, but hung loose around her shoulders, he could see the poise and grace with which she held herself, head unbowed, neck long and graceful. She might have hit hard times, but she was clearly determined to face it with dignity and gravitas. His heart went out to her and he privately cursed the system that had found her guilty of her father's crimes.

The ones facing the door must have seen them approaching, but gave no sign. The girl sat with her head resting on her mother's shoulder with her mother holding her close. The women who must have been born slaves continued to kneel with their backs straight, ready to respond to whatever orders Corvus chose to give.

"I should speak to John first," Malcolm whispered as they got closer. "He seems a good sort, but he's not all there ... mentally. I set him to guarding them earlier."

Corvus nodded and Malcolm called out. "John, come here, please."

The big man turned and loped towards them. At the same time, Regula turned to look over her shoulder, then looked back again as if she didn't want to be caught peeking.

"Thank you for your service, John." Malcolm smiled at the big man and laid a hand on the staff. "You can go back to your shed and rest now if you like. We won't be needing your services until morning."

John actually pulled on one of his bangs. "Thank you, Mr. Malcolm, sir. I'll be in my shed if you need me." Then, he loped off. Apparently, loping was his preferred means of locomotion.

When Corvus looked down again, Regula had turned to look back over her shoulder at him. Her face was full of hope as if Corvus Gallicus was the only person who could save her from whatever nightmare she'd been living for the last few days. "Corvus?"

He smiled at her and held out his hand. "Regula?"

For a moment, she didn't move. Malcolm cleared his throat. "The slave once known as Regula Vitellius will rise and greet her master."

Regula gave him an enigmatic look and offered her hand to Corvus. "Could you ... help me up, please? I'm afraid I have a few bruises and they make it difficult to rise."

Corvus looked at Malcolm, who was conspicuously looking elsewhere. He would have to have a serious discussion with him over who had put bruises on Regula. For now, he offered her a hand up. "Please, everyone. Relax and be comfortable. I know this is a horrible situation and I'm here to help make the best of it. Just because I've been elevated, I haven't suddenly turned into some sort of cyclops. We'll ... get this all squared up."

"Oh, Corvus." Regula was in his arms a moment later, hugging him fiercely, her body shaking with fear or exhaustion. Corvus held her close. The shift she wore did nothing to disguise the shape of her body and he had to turn to keep her from noticing how it affected him. "Gods, this has just been a nightmare. I was so glad to hear you were doing something about it."

The way she looked at him, with such hope and trust in her eyes - possibly even a little bit of worship, Corvus felt about a thousand feet tall. He smiled at her softly. "I'm here now, Regula. We'll figure it out together."

Malcolm, his back still turned, crossed his arms, his body shaking. Later, Corvus would realize the man had been laughing. At the time, he actually thought his father's steward had been overcome with emotion. Regula glowered at his back. "That ... slave has been absolutely dreadful to me. He made me kneel here and told John to hit me with that stick if I got up from my knees or turned around!"

Corvus took Regula by one shoulder, turning her to face away from the group and get her walking before the conversation could turn into an argument between her and Malcolm. He looked back at the steward. "I'll hear your side of it after I talk to Regula."

Malcolm's shoulders shook harder. "Of course, sir. I will be right here."

As Corvus led Regula away, she stumbled and went to one knee. He helped her up again, putting one arm protectively around her waist. When they were out of earshot of the others, Corvus said, "Tell me everything that's happened."

She did. It was a long litany of complaints starting with how she'd been woken up in the middle of the night by soldiers taking her father away and leading to the minute Corvus himself had walked in. From Corvus's perspective, it could be summarized as a short list of details: She hadn't known her father was stealing. She didn't believe her father was stealing because he never had enough money. Apart from a few harsh words and the injection of her tracking chip, Regula had pretty much been treated as well as could possibly be expected until Malcolm had showed up a few days earlier to take possession of the household from the treasury. Until then, she'd lived more or less as she pleased, albeit under house arrest.

"He keeps addressing me as 'slave this' and 'slave that' and 'the slave formerly known as Regula Vitellius.'" she wailed. "And he won't let me do anything. I don't know what he's done with my clothes or my things and he's ordered Nerida to ignore me when I try to talk to her. He's an awful, awful little man. You should have him flogged."

Corvus allowed himself a small chuckle. "You're not the first to suggest it, but before I do, I'll need to know exactly what he's done to deserve it."

"I told you..." Regula's voice took on a hint of a whine. "He keeps calling me 'slave.' Do you know how humiliating that is?"

Corvus took both of Regula's hands in his and turned her to face him. He looked into her beautiful eyes, so full of trust and hope and hated to say the next words to her, but had to. "Regula, you do understand ... you are a slave now. The government won't even let you keep a Roman name. You'll have to pick something else."

"I know, Corvus." Regula nodded gravely and enunciated clearly. "My father committed an unspeakable crime and his whole family will suffer for it. That's the way it's always been and the Empire can't survive if treason isn't dealt with harshly and dug out root and branch." She gave him a soft smile. "We both took the same civics classes, you know."

Corvus chuckled. "You probably did a lot better on the tests than I did. I was more interested in the practical sides of governance."

Regula lowered her head. "I wasn't ever expected to worry about anything practical. I only ever had to worry about finding a good husband so I could be a wife and mother as the Empire intended." She sighed and looked Corvus in the eyes. "It could still happen, you know."

Corvus frowned. He'd lost the thread of the conversation. "I'm sorry. What could happen, Regula?"

She lowered her eyes. "I could still be a wife and mother. It's what I've been preparing my whole life for. And it could solve all our problems at once."

"I'm not sure I follow," Corvus said, afraid that he followed perfectly.

"Well, I can't very well life my life as a slave. That's just absurd," said Regula. "But, if you were to elevate me and marry me like General Gallicus did for your mother, it would all fall into place. Wouldn't it? We could put all this unpleasantness behind us and get on with our lives. I ... never thought of you as someone I might marry, but our situations have changed so much."

Corvus was a bit stunned by the audacity of the plan. Even at his most speculative, he'd imagined buying Regula, her mother, and her sister, paying off their debt to the Empire, and manumitting them so they could go back to their lives as plebeians. But, Regula had taken the next illogical leap. Why settle for going back to being a plebe when there was a perfectly good unmarried patrician right here waiting to rescue her.

Worse, the idea wasn't without merit. Corvus had no doubt Regula Vitellius would be more at home among the aristocracy that he was. She acted like she had been born to it and now assumed that he would fall at her feet, grateful for the chance to be her husband. Once, he would have considered himself incredibly lucky to do so. But, the world had changed.

He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Regula. That's not possible. If anyone even finds out I bought your household because I like you, there would be a ton of political fallout for my father and me to deal with. We would survive it, but..." He sighed.

"Corvus, you're not listening to me," Regula insisted. "That's how it has to work. How else will I get my citizenship back?"

Corvus laid a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe ... once your father's crime is old news, we can find someone to marry you or your sister and even manumit you. Given the right spin, it could even work out as..."

Regula stepped out from under his hand and put her fists on her hips. "Corvus, listen to yourself. You're talking about politics and spin and I'm talking about losing the franchise. Do you realize I'm technically a slave right now? We have to solve this before any more time passes. As it is, I'm dangerously close to not having time to prepare for finals and I need those to graduate."

Corvus just stared at her open-mouthed for a few seconds before forcing himself to regain his composure. "Regula, this isn't just about politics. I can't marry you. I can't manumit you. I certainly can't elevate you. All of that requires special dispensation from the senate and they rarely give it under normal circumstances. For a traitor's daughter ... particularly one whose crime is so fresh, they'd never allow it."

"Not even for General Gaius Gallicus, hero of the Eternal City?" Regula said smugly as if she'd just won an argument. "I was told the senate would give him whatever he asked for."

"Once ... maybe," said Corvus. "But if he used up all his capital on one such request, they'd eat him alive next and I'm not him. I can ask him for favors, but I may have used up whatever generosity he felt towards me by buying you and your family."

"Corvus, don't be vulgar." Regula crossed her arms and turned away from him. "I'm sure you could do it if you wanted to. I hope you're not planning to ask me for something ... disgusting in return for marrying me. You know I'm at a terrible disadvantage and I would hope you'd be too much of a gentleman to abuse your position."