Seducing the Roman

By M.K. Chester

They serve two different masters in two different worlds.

 

The day Sariah transitions into a life of temple service, she becomes part of a treacherous scheme to overthrow the provincial Roman government. When Titus takes her as a concubine, she leverages her knowledge for freedom.

 

She sees a way out of slavery. He sees a way to redeem his family and career. As the city burns in rebellion, will their tenuous bond of trust be enough to keep them together forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: LBD Media
• Release date: Jan 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393877172

M.K. Chester

M.K Chester is an avid reader who began writing at an early age to entertain herself. She began to take writing seriously after college and her work developed timeless themes of redemption and second chances. ​​She won some RWA awards, published with The Wild Rose Press and Carina [Harlequin] and now considers herself a happy Indie. Her romance titles include something for everyone: historical, contemporary, and paranormal. 

Book preview

Phoenicia, 71 A.D.

Next.

Sariah waited with a handful of other young women outside the chamber of High Priestess Irrina, her bare feet shuffling against the cool sandstone of the temple. Holding her breath, she glanced at the passive faces around her, pulse quickening as the first in line entered the darkened room.

Sariah squeezed her eyes shut, a bead of sweat threading down her spine. Sorting would not be delayed. The full moon would not last, of course, and none of them could bypass this intimate examination except by flinging herself off the temple roof and down the side of the mount.

An option she deeply considered in the still hours of the past night.

Being in service to the goddess Anath was supposed to be the most exciting time of their lives, a milestone to be celebrated. Yet the thought of transitioning from training to service tied Saria’s stomach in painful knots.

Long moments passed before the curtain parted and the first of the girls reemerged. Her face flushed, she held her robes together in front of her body as a sly smile emerged behind a wave of dark hair.

She found favor.

As the girl beside her was prodded into the chamber, Sariah swallowed around the tightness in her throat and attempted, unsuccessfully, to move her mind to less important matters.

After today, nothing in their lives would be the same. There would be no escape from fate, no rescue, of which she often daydreamed.

She strained to hear any sound from inside the chamber. Who, besides the high priestess, sat in judgment of them? What would they be asked to do? Closing her eyes, she resigned herself to whatever they might require.

Crude grunts and the laughter of men emanated from behind the curtain. She blocked the invasive sounds from her thoughts. When the girl darted from the room, Sariah could not look at her. Instead, she held her breath and waited to hear her name.

Sariah, you may now enter.

Placing one foot in front of the other, Sariah inched her way into the darkened chamber. Thick clouds of incense assaulted her senses and a haze of smoke clung to the tall walls so she could not clearly see.

The high priestess stepped forward to embrace her, her kisses landing like air on each cheek. Sariah counted four others in the room, all men, their identities cloaked in silence, smoke and shadow.

She is the blessed one, Irrina stated as she turned Sariah to face these strange judges.

Her claim hung in the air, unanswered, until one of the shadows spoke. You say her voice is mature?

As mature as her body, came the response.

We shall see both for ourselves.

Irrina looked to Sariah with one eyebrow raised. She was to remove her clothing. Not a terribly difficult task, yet she moved as an old woman with brittle bones.

Is she shy? A wave of laughter chased the question.

Saria’s gown dropped to the floor and she stepped forward, into a grid of sunlight provided by a single, shuttered window. Her skin prickled in the chill of the room, under their intense scrutiny. Where she would rather have withered, her body flushed and blossomed.

Turn, let them see your beauty, came the instruction. As she followed the command, Irrina crowed, There is none other like her.

She is unusual. Where is she from?

Sariah closed her ears as she pivoted before the nameless, faceless panel. She felt their collective gaze like a living thing, clinging to her skin. Not unpleasant, yet not at all what she desired.

She is from north of the sea, her father gifting her to the temple as a child. The man had five daughters, of whom Sariah was youngest. She has been in the temple longer than any other and her knowledge is complete.

She is untouched?

As are they all, Irrina purred, with a small bow. And she carries the gift of song. She will sing for you now.

Sariah made quick work of answering, a haunting melody floating from her lips despite the lump in her throat. In the silence following her last note, she felt a single moment of peace.

Until the next request. Let us see you.

Irrina led her to a stool, where she sat and opened her legs for their pleasure. She shut her eyes to avoid seeming either too involved or not interested enough.

A rough hand slid up her thigh and she gasped at the intrusion. He preceded to fondle her, and disgust fought against the waves of pleasure his experienced touch brought.

She did not wish to find any good in this arrangement.

She is indeed lovely. When he withdrew, he asked, She is the one, then?

Sariah is all a favored attendant should be, Irrina cooed. She is indeed the one for whom we have waited.

The one who will throw off the Roman noose.

Their secret whispers sent a shiver down her spine. She did not miss the ominous undertone in their conversation, even as political intrigue mattered little to her. Her life had been defined many moons ago, despite her wishes she might find another path.

The man gave Irrina one final instruction. Proceed as planned.

As the priestess bowed, she motioned for Sariah to dress and she scrambled to comply. Irrina escorted her to the doorway with whispers, Come to my chamber after evening prayers. We have work to do.

Nodding, Sariah slipped from her grasp and hurried by the line of girls still waiting their turn. They would know their fates soon enough. Her destiny had been sealed.

She returned to the chamber she shared with Davisha, a girl still in queue for approval. Anyone deemed unfit would be cast from the temple, destitute, a pitiful sacrifice to the goddess. As she sealed herself inside the room, she wished either she had been found lacking or Davisha would be accepted.

She did not want to be alone in this misery.

Sariah paced the room, finding her years sorely lacking. There must be something better for one such as her. More to life than servicing a stone goddess with her body. She envied her nearly-forgotten sisters who would have husbands of their own and children playing at their feet by now.

The door creaked open and Davisha, a small, dark, and slender girl, slipped inside. When their eyes met, Davisha nodded. Sariah put her arms around her friend.

At least they would be together.

#

Titus Antonius Justus baked in the summer heat as he paged through the tide of paperwork from Rome. He hated his job. The endless political maneuverings, the infinite dust and grime from this negligible point on the map.

While he answered only to the Legate and had an acceptable amount of freedom, he should have been the Legate by this point in his career. And not in some hellhole like Phoenicia. This had been the entire point of his demotion, a punishment for his brother’s crime.

Sir, this arrived for you. A centurion saluted and stepped forward to hand him a mail packet sealed with blue wax.  

Local dignitaries used blue. He rose and took the papers. What did they want now? He’d fended off all invitations since his arrival almost a year ago and still these came almost daily.

And from the Legate.

Another, less prestigious looking packet followed. Titus sighed and dismissed the guard, then opened the second missive. ‘Your presence is required at the Temple of Anath on the next full moon. The invitation has been accepted on your behalf.’

He turned his attention to the larger packet sealed with blue wax. Shoving his thumb under the edge, he unfolded an