Jason cut him off with a playful shove in the shoulder and motioned with his head toward the markets. “My mother’s slave,” he admitted after a few steps. “And there will be no sharing, so do not even ask. Abigail would probably die of shame if another ever approached her. She is the paradigm of modesty, my friends, and purity. You will all writhe in envy when you see what I have taken for myself.”
“And when will that be? When do I get to see this symbol of beauty? Until my own eyes behold this girl you speak of, I will not believe she is so perfect.”
Jason chuckled and slapped a hand to Menelaus’s shoulder. “You will believe. I spoke with my mother this morning, actually. You are both invited to dine with us tomorrow evening.”
“I cannot,” Titus said. “I have a woman of my own to meet tomorrow”
“I will be there.” Menelaus nodded, smiled, and chuckled a bit. “Shall I invite Lentulus and Apidius?”
Jason debated a moment, then gave a lopsided smile. “Not this time. Best to introduce my parents to the beasts I call friends in small doses.”
They shared a laugh and continued their exploration through the markets. They browsed through the stalls, generally ignoring the words that the merchants spoke to try to convince them to buy their wares. The scents warred for place in their nostrils, just as the voices did in their ears. Fruits mixed with perfumes mixed with spices. Merchants mixed with haggling purchasers mixed with laughing children.
A necklace caught Jason’s eye. It was Egyptian, he could see from the colorful beading and bold lines. It would suit Abigail. He could already imagine how her skin would lend it light, how the beads would sparkle and wink at him as he slid her clothing off and kissed her. Nonchalantly, he leaned against the counter of the stall.
He tapped another necklace, one heavier, with precious stones. “How much?”
Eyeing him up, the merchant named a price ridiculously high. Jason arched a brow, smiled. He cut the price in half.
The merchant blustered. “You insult me! It is worth three times as much! I give you a bargain!”
“Bargain! You are blind, old man. Your wares are cheap!”
“They are not!” The man’s eyes gleamed with the bickering he undoubtedly enjoyed.
“They are. Look at this awful craftsmanship.” Jason disgustedly flicked at the necklace of his choice. “It would fall apart with a breath. The other is probably no stronger.”
“No, I assure you, this is the best piece I have! The others are nothing, it is true. But this one–this one is a rare piece of art.”
“On the contrary, you are a thief.” He grinned to soften his words. “Even for that other you would try to rob me. For this one, you would have me pay with my limbs.”
“For nothing, I charge you nothing. For something, I charge you something. It is fair.”
“And I will be generous.” He took a coin out of his purse, put it on the table, and picked up the necklace he had just insulted. “For nothing I will give you something. Have a good afternoon.”
The merchant stood agape for a moment, then let loose a laugh as Jason sauntered away.
“He is buying her gifts,” Titus said in a mock whisper to Menelaus once Jason was close to them again. “This is getting out of hand. Before long, he will be sighing as much as Apidius.”
Jason sent him a teasing scowl. “I have seen the way you dress your women, Titus, and yet never have I heard you sigh. Would you give me less credit than yourself?”
Titus’s grin was wicked. “Naturally. I am better with women. They fall at my feet. If I adorn them, it is to please my eyes before I feast. If you adorn them, how can I know it is not from affection? You have never had your own woman.”
Jason did not mind the poke, since he intended to return it. “And now, my friend, it is I with my own woman, and you who must borrow from the common supply. And if I choose to adorn her, it is to please my eyes before I feast. If you adorn them, it is to pay for their services so they do not cry out against you in the streets and keep their friends from taking you into their rooms.”
They shared a smile, and Jason tucked the necklace into the pouch at his belt, tallying the hours before he could hold that woman in his arms again. With any luck, she would welcome him with fresh water for his feet as she often did, and he would have a few moments in which to sate his appetite until later.
*
Once again Abigail stood before Jason’s door, praying her tasks in there would be innocent. Praying he would ask her only to fetch him something, or give her some task, or just dismiss her for the evening, as he had until all nights before the last. She raised her hand and knocked lightly on the door.
“Enter.”
She did so, slipping the door closed behind her.
Jason stood from his couch with a smile when she came in and went to her, not pausing until he had pulled her into his arms and crushed his mouth against hers. Any hope of escaping another night in his bed vanished. If only she could have continued avoiding him as she done throughout the day.
“I was waiting for you.” He murmured the words against her mouth and untied the end of her braid. His fingers ran through the locks to set them free.