LallaGatta
Roman Seduction
"Please, tell me about the Celts," Aurelius asked once. "I find those far-away tribes fascinating."
Attilio swallowed a generous sip of wine. "I hate to admit it, but the Celts are one of the few people I didn't quite become connected to."
"Why not? Are they so very different from us?"
The centurion shrugged. "In many ways they are." He drank again, unwilling to get into any detail. "I only spent a year at Curia Raetorum, one of our border cities, and it wasn't enough to-"
"Get into their heads?" Aurelius teased.
"Right," Attilio admitted, a little surprised his young friend had already caught on to his mind's workings. "Their way of thinking still escapes me, but I know I'll get another chance to study them, even though my men don't look forward to it," he concluded, mentioning his soldiers for the first time.
"Where are they now?" Aurelius wondered.
"They've earned a much needed rest in Rome or wherever they chose to go."
"But you're here working."
"My choice, Pullus." To take that damn woman off my mind and resolve some very personal trust issues. He had answered neutrally, not intending to tell his young friend about Keitha or her betrayal. "In Curia Raetorum, our last post, we had a difficult time. The situation got out of control, ending with a violent rebellion, and we had to kill all the rebels. Afterward, the general felt he owed us some rest. I was happy for my men, of course, but asked him for another assignment, even if alone."
"Do you miss them?"
"I miss army life from time to time. The tight discipline is invaluable and I wish civilians had half of our training."
"If they had, you probably wouldn't have had to deal with the rebellion."
Again surprised by his insight, Attilio nodded.
"And were women involved, too?" Aurelius asked candidly.
"Why do you ask?" the centurion challenged.
Aurelius shrugged. "They tell me their women are…different."
Attilio sent him an ironic glance. "Since when do women interest you, Pullus?"
Aurelius blushed. "I…just something I heard."
"And since we're on the subject," the centurion continued, "what have you got against women anyway?"
Aurelius shifted nervously as if his seat had turned into a heated brazier. "I…I don't like them much, that's all."
"Let me get this straight," Attilio pursued relentlessly, the answer hardly enough to let his young friend off the hook. "You have a mother, right?"
"Of course, I do."
"And you don't like her."
"I didn't say that," the dark-haired man flared.
"Funny, that's exactly what I thought I heard just a second ago."
"I said it, yes, but I didn't mean it like that."
The centurion leaned forward, his chest extending over the table. "Then please explain."
