Slave Girl 2: Chapter 30 (Patreon)

When I get back to the villa I find Rosa and Cassie in the open roofed courtyard at the center of our peristyle.  Since the front door had been left open I am able to pass through the entryway and approach without being immediately heard.

Cassie was standing dead center of the area looking down at the earth then up to the sky and back again.  “Except for midday this area won’t be getting any direct sun.  Your herbs you’ll want outside, we can find a nice sunny spot.  But you could grow some greens here.  Mustard, chicory, scarola, that sort of thing.”

“Mmm.  That sounds nice.”  Comes Rosa’s voice from seemingly nowhere.  As I get closer and I am able to peek over the waist high wall that surrounded the yard and spot my slave squatting with her hands on the earth.  I notice her near ear perk and tilt my way.  “Don’t you think so Master?”

“Huh?”  Cassie turns to look.  “Oh.  Hello Quin.”

“Hey you two.”  I come to lean on the low wall.  “Well, I got myself a job.”

Rosa rises and hurries toward me, arms outstretched.  As she gets close I reach out to guide her in the last couple of feet where we hug across the wall.  “That’s wonderful Master.”  She says softly into my ear.  “I knew you would.”

Again I note Cassie noting the master-slave affection.  While far too publicly affectionate by traditional Roman standards I was glad that she saw Rosa and I’s love for each other just so that she knew exactly where things stood in relation to my heart.  Hugging Rosa extra hard I kiss the top of her head between her horns.

I am all smiles.  “It’s only for harvest.  But that will keep me busy for awhile.”

“And it will get us started.”  Rosa strokes the side of my head.  “I’m so proud of you Quin.”

I blush at Rosa’s praise, especially in front of Cassie like this, but I surely wasn’t going to protest.  I look to Cassie.  “Thank you so much.  This means more than you can know.  I will make this up to you.  To you and your family.”

Cassie shrugs.  “Able bodied man right next door?  Dad was bound to rope you in sooner or later.”

“My Master does have a tendency to find himself roped in and tied down.”  Rosa quips as my blush warms.  “With work that is.”

“Ahem.”  I stand straight.  “Your family seem like good people Cassie.  I like’em.”

“Yeah.  They can be a bit much sometimes but I know I’m blessed to have them.”

“Although…”  I grimace.  “…about your brothers…”

A look of horror and exasperation washes over Cassie.  “Oh no.  What did they do?”

“There was a bit of a dust up.”

“Fighting again Master?”

“Yeah.  Unfortunately.  Trouble seems to find me like flies to dung.”

“Ew!”  Rosa does that cute nose scrunch thing she does.  “Don’t say it like that.”

“Lucas!”  Cassie mutters angrily.  “I am so sorry Quin.  It won’t happen again.”

“Lucas wasn’t so bad.”  I say.  “At least he squared up.  Felix tried to blindside me though.”

“Oh gods.  I will talk to them.”  She says.  “You best believe I’ll be talking with them.”

“I think your Ma’s got it covered.”  I chuckle.

“You didn’t hurt them too badly did you?”  Rosa asks.

“ME hurt THEM?”  I exclaim.  “It was two on one!”

“You forget that I’ve seen you in action.”  Rosa says.  “So?  Did you?”

I grumble.  “Just a few bruises is all.  They’re fine.”

“Well they deserved it no doubt.”  Cassie sighs.  “My brothers are morons.”

“Ah, it’s alright.  They were just looking after their sister.  I get it.”  I shoot her a look.  “It seems folks think that you and I are a thing.”

“That would be Granny.”  She says apologetically.  “You must be some fighter to take both of them.”

“More than you know.”  Rosa finds my hand to hold it lovingly in both of hers.  “My Master saved me from a harpy.  Slayed it with just his dagger.”

“He…what!?”  Cassie exclaims.  “Are you serious?”

“It’s not like it sounds.”  I say humbly.  “If not for Rosa it would have had me.”  Then adding more grimly.  “It nearly did.”

Rosa, absolutely beaming with pride, brings my hand to her lips to kiss the back of it.  “My Master can do anything.  He is the bravest, mightiest, most kind hearted man in the Empire.”  Closing her eyes she hugs my hand to her breast.  “And the finest lover I’ve ever had.”

“Aw, geez.  Rosa!”  I groan embarrassedly.  Now she had both Cassie and I pink in the cheeks.  Leaning down I whisper.  “Stop.  Please.”

“Forgive me Master.”  She whispers back.

“I’m living next door a real life hero.  You really are a Hercules.”  Cassie says.  “A harpy!  Gods!”

“No!”  I protest.  “Please, don’t spread that around.  It really wasn’t what you think.  I am no hero.”

Looking to Cassie Rosa asks. “Is he blushing?”

“Erm.”  Cassie glances up to my face.  “Yes.”

“He is such a cutie.”  Rosa smooths my tunic across my broad chest.  “Don’t you think so Cassie?”

“Errr…”

“Don’t answer that.”  I laugh.  Putting my head to Rosa’s I say.  “You are being a naughty slave again.”

“Yes Master.”  She giggles

“I want you to be good now.”

“Yes Master.  I’ll try.”

Stealing a line from my Lady I say softly.  “Tell me you love me.”

Rosa smiles and sneaks a little smooch to my lips.  “Love you Master.”

“I love you too.”  I reply with all of my heart.  On this I was not embarrassed.  On this I would cry it loudly from the rooftop for the world to hear.

Cassie, shaking her head in disbelief with her hands on her wide hips, chuckles.  “I’ve never seen a pair like you.  Not ever.”

“You’ll learn that in this house we make our own rules.”  Rosa says.  “We’re free to be who we want to be.  And as long as you respect our privacy, so are you Miss Cassie.”

“Be who I want to be?.”  Cassie smiles warmly.  “That sounds…nice.”

“Yeah.”  I say.  “If you ever need a place just to let loose and be yourself, or even just to get away from your family, we’re right next door.  We won’t judge you.”

Cassie looks from me to Rosa, studying us as if we might be trying to fool her, before finally saying.  “You two talk and act so differently than how we are supposed to.  It’s refreshing.  It’s…it’s wonderful.”

“I hope this means we can be friends Cassie.”  I say, really leaning on that platonic term ‘friends’.

“That would be nice Quin.”  Cassie says.  “I am so happy that you two ended up here.”

“Well.”  I say.  “You gals seemed to be in the middle of something and I’ve got more work than I know what to do with.  I won’t keep you any longer.  I’ll be around if you need me.”

“Yes Master.”  Rosa nods and steps back.  Holding out her left arm she says in the familiar firm timbre that makes me instinctively snap to attention.  It was the commanding voice of the Lady…but for once it was not addressing me.  “Miss Cassie.”  She says.  “I will show you outside.  Perhaps we might find a spot for that garden.”

I look to our neighbor, worried how this free woman would react to being addressed like that by a slave.  In many houses Rosa would receive a lashing simply for addressing her betters with that tone.  Though taken aback at first thankfully she takes it with good humor.  Walking up beside Rosa Cassie takes her arm.  “Your wish is my command.”  She jests.

Rosa hugs her arm tight to her side and pats the larger woman’s hand.  “Atta girl.”  With a trouble making look on her impish face she tilts he head my way.  “Was there something else you needed Master?”

“Huh?  Oh, no.”

“Off you go then.”  She waves me away as if I were the slave and she the Master.  My submissive heart beats just a little faster.  “Leave us be now.  We’ll call you if we need you.”

Cassie and I look at each other, both of us free citizens bemused by this diminutive slave’s impudent behavior though for very different reasons.  For Cassie Rosa must have seemed the most eccentric and playfully disrespectful slave she’d ever encountered.  For my part I was resisting a powerfully deep urge to kneel down and show off my proud submission to my beautiful demon Lady.  Cassie wasn’t like Peisandros and Aemlia though, she was not a member of our secret culture.  Neither was she Ignatius those ensorcelled soldiers whom I would never see again, she was our neighbor.  I dare not reveal such a thing that might be seen as shameful for a man to do to an outsider who did not understand our ways.  Resisting my need to yield as much as I can I give a slow, bowing nod of my head and walk away.

As they go their way I catch Cassie say.  “Quin is a master of a different sort isn’t he?”

“My Master is a one of a kind.”

Chapter 31