Passia And Thrasius Quotes

“She moved closer to me. I put my arm around her, marveling at the smoothness of her skin.
"Thrasius..."
"Passia?"
She paused, and I realized that she was gathering her courage to speak. "That night, in your cubiculum, I..."
I took her hands and held them together between my own. "It's all right, Passia. You don't have to say anything."
"You surprised me," she blurted out.
"I surprised myself. It took everything I had not to keep you there with me."
She leaned forward until our faces were close. "I know."
There was nothing to do but kiss her, with all the passion I had harbored from the moment when she first appeared in the kitchen on the day of my arrival. Her lips were soft, and sweet like fresh Iberian honey. I ran my hands along her back and up into the tangle of her hair. My thumbs stroked the flesh of her neck and cheeks, and when they pulled away, her lips.
We fell into the sand, twining together our summer-tanned limbs. Our hands roamed up and down the length of each other, slowly removing each article of clothing. I delighted in feeling the way the measure of my passion made my skin tingle with desire from head to toe.
"Apicius always says you are the answer to his prayers. I think he is wrong. I think you are the answer to mine," she whispered in my ear before I entered her and we both cried aloud. The sound was washed away by the crash of waves beyond us.”
― Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

“Slave, my hands are sticky. Come, wash them. Bring the perfumed water." Passia waved at me with a finger slick with honey. She was radiant, lying on the couch next to Helene. Both were dressed in new stolae that Aelia had gifted them for the holiday.
I grinned and rushed forward with the basin and a towel. "Permission to speak," I asked her as I took her sticky hand in mine.
She smirked. "Permission granted."
I slowly ran the damp towel across each slender finger. I kept my voice low so only she could hear. "Later, my dear Domina, I would be delighted to wash you in private."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "I think you will have to prove yourself first, boy."
I bowed in front of her, my head on the tiles. "I will do anything you require, Domina."
"Good. Now fetch me some more honey fritters. And you will clean my hands again, when I call for you."
I winked at her. "Yes, Domina. Anything for you."
That night our lovemaking tasted sweeter than all the honey in Iberia.”
― Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

“When I returned from the triclinium, where the guests were finishing their honey cakes and drinking from jeweled goblets of pear juice, a woman entered the kitchen from a side door.
Out of all the surprises I'd had that day, she was the most surprising of all. The vision of her dark eyes, waves of auburn curls, and the sylphlike curve of her hips would haunt me in the days to come.
"I came for Apicata's meal," she said. Her voice floated across the room, undulations of sound washing over my skin. This was the woman Aelia had said would come for the tray. Passia. The name glittered in my mind as I made the connection.
"Is that it?" She pointed, one long finger tipped with carefully curved, pink-pale nails. I had been standing like a statue, stunned by my close proximity to what I thought might be the physical manifestation of Venus herself.
"That's the plate, yes, over there. There." Suddenly I wished she would leave. If not, all would be lost. I wouldn't be able to complete the cena, wouldn't be able to direct the servers, and would end up under the lash as the result of my gloomy failure to live up to Apicius's expectations. Inside my head, I said a prayer to Venus that Passia would go, but in the same breath, I begged the goddess that Passia would remember me, as I knew I would remember every sumptuous detail about the moments she stood before me.”
― Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

“Pepper, dr, dri, dried onion, cumin, love, love, love..." She fought to say the word lovage.
In our practice, I would have helped her finish the word, but at that moment, hearing her say what I was feeling was almost too much for me to bear.”
― Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

“Apicius is loath to discipline me, as you know. But he would not hesitate to strip your skin bare, despite my influence on him."
Her index finger traced my lip. "Brilliant idea! I, however, would love to have you strip me bare."
I chuckled. "You're already bare, my love."
"I could dress again and you could strip me..."
I grasped her shoulders and rolled her on top of me. "Let's move on to the best part, why don't we?"
She laughed and slid her hips over mine.”
― Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

“He keeps saying this will be the most amazing meal Rome has ever seen, and if so, it means Rome's best cook needs to be in charge of the kitchen. Which I suppose I should be flattered he thinks is me."
"Well, you are the best cook in Rome." Passia climbed into bed next to me, and I marveled at how her body was still so slender after all these years. She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek.
I snatched her by the arm and pulled her close. "Good thing you are married to me, then, right?"
She laughed and her hair tickled my face. "I didn't marry you for your food, you silly goat." I felt her hand between my legs.
I smiled and put Apicius and everyone else out of my mind.”
― Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow