Dominatus grinned as he stared at Lucianus’s profile. The noble was vexed to be teased by the very man that had inspired him to visit a brothel, but he tried his best to hide his thoughts. “That’s none of your business,” he replied coldly. “You don’t have to go to a brothel either, do you? I’m sure that countless women are swooning for you. Why would you pay good money to sleep with one?”
“Experienced women are easier to deal with,” Dominatus said. “They temporarily shower you with endless amounts of affection.”
He doesn’t want to be tied down to another woman, I see. He speaks like a man who’s popular with the ladies.
“Raifa’s a good one, isn’t he?” Dominatus added. “I’m rather fond of him as well.”
Lucianus couldn’t believe his ears at this unexpected confession. “You’ve bought Raifa in the past too?”
“When I’ve grown tired of women, I sometimes hold him in my arms. And which role are you? Do you penetrate him? Or does he penetrate you?”
Dominatus’s inquisitive gaze made Lucianus’s heart leap out of his chest. If the noble told the truth and confessed that he went to a brothel, but wasn’t able to do any acts of intimacy, he felt like he would lose dignity as a man. He didn’t want to be mocked any further, and hesitated to reply. Dominatus took this silence as an answer and jumped to his own conclusions.
“Ah, so you were penetrated by him,” he said. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Be it a noble or a knight, many men like to be on the receiving end.”
Lucianus didn’t quite know what to feel. He was glad that he wasn’t met with contempt, but Dominatus was someone who could sleep with a man, and was familiar with Raifa. Clearly, the two men had been quite intimate with each other numerous times in the past, and simply imagining it made Lucianus’s chest pang with sadness. He felt gloomier by the second.
Is this jealousy? Am I jealous to learn that Dominatus has slept with Raifa? Only then did Lucianus realize that he was on the verge of tears. He had no choice but to admit his true feelings. I’m in love. I’m in love with Dominatus. So, this is how it feels… I’m always thinking about him, and I can’t suppress my pounding heart every time I’m with him. And yet, I’m unable to be honest and end up being stubborn. I feel sharp pain thinking that he’s close with another person, and I become inexplicably sad. Does love sway my heart so violently that I’m forced to feel a thousand feelings in quick succession? Lucianus felt like he couldn’t maintain his composure in silence, and spoke whatever was on his mind.
“I heard that gladiators are often bought by women,” he said. “Is this true for you too?”
“When I was still a slave, yes,” Dominatus replied. “But now that I’ve got the right to refuse, I rarely accept these requests.”
“Rarely? So you still accept from time to time?”
Dominatus placed his empty glass on the table and shrugged. “I have to, sometimes. I’m indebted to my former master and manager of the arena. If he begs me, I’ll sleep with a woman so that he won’t lose face.”
“Have any men tried to buy you?”
“I refuse any requests from men. I love to make a woman cry out, but I wouldn’t want to hear a man moaning and gasping for air.”
“But you sleep with Raifa.”
“He’s special,” Dominatus grinned. “His bewitching appearance and techniques are a form of art. You know that very well, don’t you?”
Asking all these questions only made Lucianus feel more troubled. He silently poured more wine into Dominatus’s empty glass. Just as he was about to place the jar of liquor back onto the table, Dominatus reached out to grab his wrist.
“Wh-what?” Lucianus asked. He braced himself, afraid that his lie of sleeping with Raifa had been sniffed out, but he was soon proven wrong.
“You seem to be awfully curious about me,” Dominatus said. “Especially my bedroom tendencies. Are you interested in me? Let’s see… I suppose I wouldn’t mind being bought by you.”
A strong emotion washed over Lucianus—it was neither humiliation nor rage. His body grew warm in an instant as though he was on fire.
“Nobody’s thinking anything of the sort!” Lucianus cried. He shook himself free of Dominatus’s grip and turned away. Lucianus’s heart was pounding, and his hands were trembling.
“Did I misunderstand you?” Dominatus asked. “Then I apologize for my crude remark. Now then, since I’ve had plenty of your expensive liquor, I suppose I shall take my leave. You should rest easy at least for today.”
His back still turned, Lucianus felt Dominatus rise to leave. His beloved was about to excuse himself, and regret filled Lucianus’s chest. He could only curse his short-tempered nature. Dominatus had extended an invitation, and yet, Lucianus had squandered his chance. Perhaps the two would never be able to talk in isolation like this. It had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity bestowed upon by Awla, the God of Love, and Lucianus had let it go to waste like a complete fool. As despair clouded his mind, the words of Juliana flashed across his mind.
“If not for romance, then where else shall I become a fool?”
They echoed in his heart as though they were the words from the gods. She’s right. This is exactly where I shall turn into a fool. Lucianus mustered up his courage.
“Wait, Dominatus,” Lucianus said. He whirled around to face his beloved.
Dominatus froze and tilted his head to one side. “Yes?”
“Your words earlier weren’t a lie, were they?”
“Which words are you talking about exactly?”
“You claimed that you wouldn’t mind being bought by me.”
“Ah, so I did,” Dominatus nodded. “I did say that. What of it?”
“I’d like to buy you.” Lucianus felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
Dominatus remained expressionless as he gazed at Lucianus. “Why?”
Why? Because I love you. I want you. I want to make you mine. Lucianus was able to be honest in his mind, but he couldn’t utter his thoughts aloud. This was his first love, and he was terrified that he’d be ridiculed if he spoke his true feelings.
“Because it’s troublesome to go to a brothel,” Lucianus lied. “I’ve got to worry about attracting the attention of others, and as you saw today, I could be put in dangerous situations. But you’ll come to my manor, won’t you?”
“If you want a man for convenience, you should ask someone else,” Dominatus said.
Seemingly having lost all interest, Dominatus turned once more to leave. Lucianus was tempted to clobber his own head with both hands. Mrs. Skradia had told him that no one would be happy to hear that anyone would do, and yet he’d gone and repeated the same mistake.
“Wait, let me correct myself,” Lucianus called. “To tell you the truth, I’m interested in you. I would like to experience a night in bed with you, the best gladiator there is. I’d like to be held by your muscular body.”
Dominatus hadn’t seemed repulsed when he assumed that Lucianus wanted to be penetrated by another man. And so, Lucianus felt that it was better to be direct. Since Dominatus had already assumed that Lucianus slept with Raifa, it was the perfect opportunity to utilize this misunderstanding. Dominatus turned on his heel and strode to Lucianus’s side.
“Very well,” Dominatus said. “It feels nice to be so honestly pined for by another person. You may buy me from today onward, and I shall be your prostitute.”
There was a fierce light in Dominatus’s eyes as he faintly smiled. Lucianus felt like a small animal, trembling in fear in the face of a predator, trying desperately to flee. Dominatus placed a hand under Lucianus’s chin and kissed him passionately. Instinctively, Lucianus tried to turn away, but his face was locked in place by powerful arms, making it impossible to flee. It was completely different from Raifa’s gentle kisses. This kiss was so passionate and rough that Lucianus started to fear that he’d be swallowed whole, and his lips and tongue would be ripped to shreds.
After this intense locking of lips, Dominatus used his thumb to roughly wipe Lucianus’s mouth, wet from the gladiator’s spit. Lucianus felt his lips twist and contort under the rugged thumb. Dominatus flashed another faint smile. Lucianus, fearing that his pathetic expression would be mocked, struck the gladiator across the cheek.
“I said that I wanted to buy you, but that doesn’t mean you can do as you please!” the noble shouted.
“I don’t care who buys me. I’m not a man who will walk on eggshells to try to gauge your feelings,” Dominatus replied. “If you don’t like that, find another man. But if you’re still fine with me, call me whenever you like. If I’m nearby, I won’t mind paying you a visit.”
After stroking Lucianus’s cheek one last time, Dominatus left. Lucianus was angered by the man’s audacity, but his lips had been so fiery and hot. There was undoubtedly a part of Lucianus that yearned for his next meeting with the gladiator.