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A Roman Socialite and Her Tamer (Nurse x Houdini)

Justus nodded understandingly as she told him she felt better, looking at her almost as if he wasn't the one who'd inflicted the pain on her in the first place. "That's good. If you want, I can rub some more salve on you later," he offered with a smile, actually anxious to see her mark again. But then the topic of Flavia came up. He frowned at this rift brewing in his house. Flavia was a capable maidservant. She was quick, efficient, and skilled when it came to cooking, managing the house, purchasing goods, and keeping everything tidy. He had another female servant, Silvia. But she wasn't as capable in that regard. She was good only for doing what she was told. Adonna wasn't capable of filling Flavia's shoes, and he didn't want to be bothered finding a new servant.

"Hmm," he answered her, furrowing his brow. "You are my wife, and she does need to respect you. So I'll talk to her about that. But, I beg you, please be decent to her. She is a good servant, and you don't need to be jealous. You are my wife, and I'm sure Flavia doesn't have any desire to unseat you," he assured her, lying a little, since he knew of course that Flavia would take her spot in a second.
 
"She has every desire to unseat me, Justus." Adonna insisted, hoping that she wasn't overstepping some kind of boundary with him. She didn't want to fight with him now, she wanted to actually talk to him. That was part of the reason she'd always despised men: they would never actually talk to her. They'd flirt and make inferences but when she wanted to talk about real things they would write her off as being silly and dumb. "As a woman I can see that plainly. She doesn't care to even try to hide it from me, either." she gritted her teeth, trying not to show just how much this upset her.

She sighed and looked down at the ground, wondering what Justus thought of her in this instant. Here she was basically telling him that she was jealous that a servant liked him when she herself said so many times that she didn't like him. She sent so many mixed signals. "I will try to be decent with her. If she disrespects me again I am going to slap some sense into her."
 
Justus frowned again when Adonna continued at the matter. She wasn't one who could be dismissed with a smile and a kind word, he was finding quickly. "Okay," he replied. "So you're feeling threatened, or you just want some revenge on Flavia?" He took a hold of both Adonna's shoulders, leaning in and kissing her on the forehead before he backed away and looked her in the eyes. "Do you really think you should feel threatened? Do you think she can actually unseat you?" He wondered if the action of this morning changed her view, or if it was their activity in bed last night. Or maybe just the finality of the wedding sinking in. Either way, she was starting to sound a little possessive of him.

"When you build up more of a reputation as a loyal wife, perhaps I'll allow you more of a say in the decisions of this household. But for now, you'll have to trust me to make them for us. Oh, and Adonna. I don't want you laying a hand on her without coming to me first," he told her, not too sternly, but seriously enough to show he meant it. "I have to get going now, though. But thank you for telling me about this problem."
 
She closed her eyes when he kissed her on the forehead. He did that often and she found that she sort of liked it. It was less intimate than a kiss on the lips and yet it showed a degree of affection. She huffed a little, obviously defeated by him as she knew she would be. She would have to heed his warning about not hitting Flavia as she knew the little bitch would go running to him. She nodded, understanding that this conversation was over. She was glad he was leaving now. Not because she wanted him gone but because she was feeling distant from the gods. She was in desperate need of some spiritual guidance.

"Shall I see you out then?" she asked softly, moving towards the door. Her feeling about him were even more mixed now. She definitely needed time with the gods.
 
Justus nodded, the issue having been settled, at least in his mind. "Yes, I'd like that," he said, leading her out of the room, through the house, and to the front door. They passed Flavia on the way, who seemed to be skulking around, which was completely unlike her. She had been hoping to have a moment alone with Justus before he left to tell him what Adonna did to her. That chance lost, she gave Adonna a little half-glare, half-scared look as they passed. "I'll be home later this afternoon," he told Adonna when they made their way to the door. "I'll see you then," he said, giving her shoulder a quick rub before Cornelius brought his horse around.

Heading out, he made his way to one of the military buildings in the center of the city. Although he'd been granted a two week furlough, he needed to meet with some of the other generals to devise some procedural standards for the training of new recruits. This meeting had been long planned, and he wasn't going to miss it, since he had much input to add. The tiresome arguments dragged on well into the evening, some of the older, stodgy Generals unwilling to change anything at all just because it was the way they were used to. Finally, several hours later than he'd hope to get in, he arrived back at his front door, handing the horse off to Cornelius again.
 
As soon as Justus left Adonna when straight to the prayer room. She didn't pay Flavia any mind at all, she wasn't her concern right now. She needed to pray. The gods had always been extremely important to Adonna, and they were even more so now. She felt very lost in this new marriage and she knew the best place for guidance was the gods. She knelt in front of the main alter and placed her hands on the floor in front of her, bowing to the gods. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, relaxing herself enough so that she could be in tune with what they would say to her.

She prayed to Juno and Diana first, her two patron goddesses. She prayed to Mars because he was the god of war, and Justus' patron god. She knew it was a wife's duty to pray to her husband's god. She prayed to Strenua, goddess of strength to allow her to be strong in this marriage and to know what was right for her to do. She lay there in the prayer room for at least two hours. When she left she felt rejuvenated and fresh. The answers would come in time, she was sure.

She was standing at the front door when Justus arrived home. She gave him a genuine smile, still high off of her time in the prayer room. "Good afternoon, Justus." she said gently, "I'm glad to see you home," and she was glad, not gleeful or exuberant, but glad.
 
Justus' lips parted when he saw Adonna, his wife's smile contagious. He only wished she'd do more of that. She'd welcomed him at the door, much like he imagined. Leaning over, he gave her a kiss on the lips, one hand on her shoulder as he walked in. It was for the benefit of anyone out on the street who might have been looking, of course, but it didn't feel bad. Justus had never been one for kissing much. He was more interested in action, but he had to admit that Adonna tasted very nice, and made him feel... different.

"I'm glad to be home. I hope you weren't bored by waiting so long," he said as he closed the door. "My business was quite excruciating." He looked around for Flavia, and saw her lurking in the kitchen doorway, watching them. "Flavia! I hope you have something prepared. Adonna and I will eat together this evening. Fetch us some nice wine, too," he requested. "What put you in such a good mood?" he asked his wife as they sat at the table.
 
She closed her eyes when he kissed her, taken away by it as she always was. She kissed him back gently this time, following him easily when he went inside. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Flavia sulking at the fact that Adonna was with Justus the instant he came home. She followed him to the dining room and sat after he did, in the seat to his right (while he of course was at the head of the table). She shrugged when he asked what had put her in a good mood. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to know just how devoted she was to the gods. Some men didn't like that.

"I spent some time praying," she said carefully, "I had many questions for the gods. I asked them, and already some have been answered. I always feel better after I have time with the holy ones."
 
Justus smiled and nodded as Adonna expressed herself, glad to know this detail about his wife. He wasn't one to spend much time before the Gods, he did his devotion mostly in passing. A little here, a little there. But he certainly respected them, and wouldn't criticize anyone for being too devout. "I wasn't aware you were such a pious person, Adonna," he remarked. Just then, Flavia arrived, and set a clay amphora of wine down on the table, along with two chalices for them to drink from. "Dinner will be here in a moment," Flavia said, a little depressed sounding. Justus poured them each a glass and set one before Adonna. "Do you think, in your opinion... that we have enough objects of reverence in our house, Adonna?" He took a deep sip of the refreshing wine as Flavia went back into the kitchen.
 
She blushed when he called her pious. "I wouldn't call myself pious. I would never be able to serve in a temple. I just have a healthy respect for the gods. I recognize my inferiority to them and look to them for guidance," she realized that the way she spoke about the gods was the way Justus wanted her to speak about him. He wanted her to realize that she was inferior to him and that he was there to guide her and protect her. She was meant to serve him. She still wasn't sure how she felt about all of that, though she knew the gods decreed it. That was one of the things she'd prayed about.

She took a sip of her wine also, mulling over his question. "I think the house is adequately equipped, yes. I would like it, though, if we could decorate for certain festivals. I don't know if that has been a habit of yours in the past...but it would please me,"
 
Justus hadn't decorated for the festivals much in the past. He usually celebrated out in public or at the homes of others when he'd been a bachelor. Often, of course, he was out fighting the battles of the empire, where the men didn't do much in the way of celebrating. "I'm glad you approve," he said, a little bit of a tease in his voice. "But yes, perhaps we should decorate for the festivals. Especially since, as a couple, we will be expected to do some entertaining," he observed. "That shall be the first thing that I'll delegate to your oversight," he added. "The festivals."

Just then, Flavia arrived with the food. It was delicious smelling medley of fish and greens, with a salad of eggs, cucumbers, and mushrooms on the side. Justus finished his glass of strong wine and poured himself another as Flavia served them, topping off Adonna's glass as well. "Perhaps we should retire to the bedroom and talk some more after dinner," he suggested as he started to eat. You make better conversation than I thought you might."
 
She smiled widely when he told her that she made good conversation. That, more than almost anything else he could possibly say to her, elated Adonna. She reached for her cup when he topped it off and took a deep sip of it, letting the warmth of the wine course through her. She'd always been a lover of wine, and Justus only had the best in his house. She almost never got drunk off of wine, but when it was the right kind she was known to get very loose. Not ever loose in the bad way, just losing her usual uptight nature.

"Thank you, Justus. I would like that. A lot," she began to eat the food set in front of her eagerly. She felt very good about the two of them right now, and she wanted to savor that while it lasted. It seemed that Justus wasn't as horrid as she thought he was, though there were still a great many things about him that she disliked.
 
Justus smiled back at Adonna and ate his dinner at a relaxing pace. They discussed the upcoming festivals and the merits of each as they finished up and sipped some more wine. Adonna had earned a lot of points in his book today, first and foremost by her relative acceptance of the branding, but also by how she'd acted the rest of the day. He was sure her strong-willed, petulant nature would come to the fore again, but it seemed back in the recesses of her soul for now. He'd teach her a lesson when she needed it, but he thought it best just enjoy her company for now, which was more pleasant than he expected. Justus felt a bit relaxed from the three glasses of good wine, but it would have taken much more than that to really affect him.

Standing up after he'd had enough to drink, he slid Adonna's chair out a little and took her hand, leading her to the bedroom in front of a madly jealous Flavia, who was still dying to tell Justus about her abuse at Adonna's hands. "Lie down, get comfortable, Adonna," he urged after closing the door. "I think we've made a lot of progress. This time yesterday you were flailing to get out of my arms as I carried you to this very bed," he observed with a little smile, placing his strong hand on the back of her neck as she got close to their bed.
 
She grasped his hand when he slid her chair out and let him lead her to their bedroom. She didn't even bother to give Flavia a glance, she wasn't important right now. When they were inside she went over to the bed and sat on it, wincing lightly at the soreness from her bottom. She slid back further on the bed and rolled over to be on her side. She propped her head up with her hand, her elbow resting on one of the pillows. She thought about what he said. Yesterday at this time she [ii]had[/i] been fighting to get out of his arms. When he'd brought her in and put his hand on her neck she felt a small shiver go down her spine. That was a sign of dominance, when a man's hand was on a woman's neck. Before this she'd always hated that, many men had tried to do that to her. It was a sign of property. But when Justus did it...it just sort of felt right.

"I like talking with you," she said as she watched him from the bed. "No man has ever taken the time to talk with me before. They just dismissed me,"
 
Justus snickered at first when Adonna said no man had ever taken the time to talk with her before. He couldn't believe that was true. But after thinking about it for a moment, he supposed that if you excluded all the men who were just vying to take her chastity, it might be true. She was actually quite capable of holding his interest when they spoke, but he didn't want to tell her again, lest she think she could wrap him around her finger, as she'd probably love to do.

He climbed next to Adonna on the bed, lying on his back and making a little pillow for his head with his folded hands. "Although you are mine, Adonna, we are one before the gods," he told her. He turned his head to face her, reaching over and placing one hand on her hip. "So, I'd converse with you even if you weren't very interesting. But, fortunately for me, you are." He ran his hand back along Adonna's curves, searching for the area he'd branded her in, making a circle around it through her gown, but careful not to touch it. "You know, Adonna, I think there was something about the way things happened in bed last night that helped you come to terms with our marriage. I was gentle, then quite forceful when you resisted, then gentle again," he thought out loud.
 
Her face twitched a little when he mentioned the fact that she belonged to him again. She tried not to think about it even though she knew it was irrevocably true. She glanced down at his hand when he placed it on her hip. Then his hand travelled toward her fresh brand and she tensed up. What was he trying to do? Remind her of what he'd done to her early that morning? But he didn't end up touching it, he just traced around it. It was still very sore and would remain so for more than a week, but it wasn't unbearable anymore.

She blinked at him a couple of times when he said he thought their consummation had made her come to terms with their marriage. Was that true? She thought about it for a moment, looking down at the small area of sheet that separated them, bridged by his arm slung over her hip. "You are certainly unlike any man I've encountered before, Justus." she mused softly, not quite sure what she should say to his statement. "I could have ended up with much worse," she finally concluded.

"Not anyone much better," she mumbled to herself as an afterthought, barely conscious of the fact that she'd actually said it out loud.
 
Justus frowned a little bit when she said she could have ended up with someone much worse. He certainly had a high enough view of himself, and didn't need approval of his worth from Adonna, he thought, but it didn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement. But then, he heard her next utterance. He looked her in the eye, removing his hand from her side once she said it. Her look told him it had almost slipped out by accident. That saying suddenly made a tingle run through him, because he knew it came from her heart, even if it did slip out. The fact that he'd changed how she viewed him so radically in the last day made him feel... odd in a way. Leaning across the bed, he gave her a kiss on the lips, before he even realized he'd done it.

"I think we should act in such a way in bed again... for the sake of our marriage. Tonight," he decided out loud. "I will pursue you, and you will resist me for some time," he said, leaning on his elbow and facing Adonna now. "But this time you'll know that I am doing it out of concern for you. And for our improvement together." He looked her in the eyes, waiting her response to his unusual proposal.
 
She looked up in surprise when she felt his lips against hers. Why was he kissing her? She was so surprised that she didn't kiss him back, but she didn't refuse either. She just kind of sat there in shock until he moved her away. When he began detailing what he wanted to do in bed with her that night she frowned at him. "You want me to not want you?" she asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow. Was it just that he wanted to be able to conquer her, or did he actually think fighting her and then her giving in was good for their marriage? She didn't see how fighting could be very good for a marriage, but if that was what he wanted, she supposed she would do it.
 
He noticed that she seemed to act very surprised at the idea of not wanting him in bed, which was a complete turnaround from the night before. "Why is that so strange to you?" he asked slowly, placing a hand just above her knee under the gown. "Are you saying you do want me?" Justus paused for a moment, pondering his next words. "I'll admit it. I want you, Adonna," he acknowledged, sliding his hand up her leg a little more. "More than yesterday, in fact. Yesterday I wanted to put you in your place. Today I just want you."

He wondered for a moment why he'd made this admission to her. Justus had promised himself before getting married that he'd never open up to his wife about his thought process, his motivations. He'd never give his wife knowledge she could use against him. But here he was, violating his self-imposed rule on the second night. He was going to have to toughen up on her, he thought. But not tonight.
 
"I just never thought I'd hear you tell me that you wanted me to not want you," she said, squirming a little bit when he slid his hand up her leg. She looked down at his hand as it pushed her gown up, revealing her white soft flesh. So he wanted her. Did he want Flavia? She didn't think so. He looked at Flavia with disinterest, he didn't go out of his way to talk to her, he didn't spend any time with her that Adonna knew of. But he wanted Adonna.

She decided she'd play his game. She wasn't sure if she wanted him or not. She actually thought she might want him a little bit but then she remembered he said he wanted her to clean him after he was inside of her. She did not want to do that. She frowned at him and pushed his hand off of her leg, beginning the game full force. It wasn't going to be hard for her to refuse him, "No, Justus. I don't want you," she said severely. She sat up and pulled her dress back to where it was supposed to be, shooting him an angry glance.
 
Adonna was quite convincing when she said she didn't want him. Maybe it was true, Justus thought. If that was the case, it was quite embarrassing, since he'd just admitted that he wanted her. Springing into action, he flipped over, corralling her in by placing his hands and knees all around her body. He let one hand dart right back onto her milky white thigh, only higher up than it'd been before. Trying to push her gown up, he tangled with Adonna as she tried to fight him off.

"Why don't you want me?" he demanded in a half-sneer. "You can't still be shy, can you, Adonna?" His hands continued to try and force their way up her gown, making a little progress due to his vastly superior strength. "After all, I've seen every inch of skin, each curve, bump and fold on your entire body," he taunted. "You've nothing left to hide now." He pushed on her shoulder with the other hand, forcing her back into the bed and purposely putting more pressure on her tender bottom.
 
She yelped in pain when he pushed her deeper into the bed, her hips bucking up to try to get the pressure off of her sore butt. She growled at him and tried to push his chest away from her with one hand while the other frantically tried to keep her gown where it was supposed to be. Her efforts were null though and fairly soon he had the dress up around her hips. "Of course I'm still shy!" she screeched at him, flailing her legs now, occasionally wincing when she would hit her butt against the bed below her.

"Just because you've seen it doesn't make me not shy! And maybe I don't want you to see it again!" she insisted, rolling on her side to try to wriggle her way away from him by going between his arm and his knee.
 
He struggled against Adonna's defenses, letting out a few grunts as she kicked at him and struck his chest. Her body was flailing all over the place beneath him, but he decided to resist the temptation to hold down her wrists. He'd take the punches and make better use of his hands. "I'm going to see it again, Adonna," he said between grunts. "Again, and again. Until you think nothing of showing me your entire pretty, naked body."

Once she tried to get away, he took her shoulders and shoved her firmly down on the bed, and threw his body down on top of hers. Now she was pinned to the bed so she couldn't flail about or kick any longer. Forcing his hand up between her squeezing legs, he turned it sideways, which forced her legs to open just a little, his fingers almost up to her womanhood. "I'll let you up and turn onto your stomach so your ass doesn't hurt as much," he offered with a smile as he looked into her eyes, starting to feel a little out of breath.
 
"I will never feel that way!" she protested, flinging her arm out to try to wrench herself to the other side of the bed. But he caught her and pushed himself down on top of her, pressing his much stronger self on her. She yelped when he turned her sideways and forced his hand in between her legs. She wriggled and squirmed in protest but it only resulted in his hand writhing against her womanhood (that was, strangely, becoming moist from their actions....).

She growled at him when he offered for her to be on her stomach. "Why? So I can't see what you plan on doing to me?" she extended her arm again and gave him one last final shove, her chest heaving up and down with fatigue. She knew she didn't have much fight left in her. "I'd rather have a sore ass."
 
Justus didn't even have to wrestle his hand in to get his first touch of her womanhood, since Adonna did it for him as she twisted and turned. He felt a little bit of moisture there, and after a couple of stabs, got one finger just a little bit inside of her sex, now that her gown was up and over her hips. "Ha, your womanhood is moist, Adonna," he shouted in triumph. "It gives you away. You need some meat in there," he continued with a laugh. Just then, her last-ditch shove caught him around the neck, causing him to choke for a moment before he regained his composure. Once he did, he grabbed her naked hips, and pressed them down into the bed. Looking down, he at least had her womanhood exposed to him now, glancing down at its soft, delicate folds centered between plenty of milky, smooth skin.

"Good," he agreed, squinting down into Adonna's eyes as she heaved up and down, a little tired now from the fight. "You'll have a sore ass, then. After all, there's no need to be gentle any longer now that you're used goods," he taunted. "Now untie my toga." He moved his hips towards her a little so she could reach the knot, gazing intently at her as if he dared her to defy him.
 
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