Her head resting on Vulpes’ shoulder and her hand trailing down his chest, the courier sighed and turn her face to him. “Shouldn’t I be on my way to Caesar?”, she muttered.
“At this hour? Unlikely. We have to wait until daybreak.”
“But... you know... what if he refuses? What if I can’t convince him?”
The strange smile on his lips made her lift her head to be able to look him fully in the face. He noticed that and turned his head. “He will have to.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you cannot hold the position of the leader of the Frumentarii when you are my wife.”
“Your... what?”
“What else would you be after a night like this, with me having taken your virginity?”
“My...? The courier jerked upright and stared at the man beside her, who sat up with the slow grace of a cat. He smiled, a strange, enticing and all too victorious smile.
He tilted his head in a gesture of mild inquisitiveness, and the courier shook her head with a laugh. “You naughty, devious, cheating bastard.”
“Yet more compliments?” There was an unmistakable trace of mischievous amusement in Vulpes’ voice.
“And here I thought you hated my very guts”, the courier said after a while and leaned forward so her breath brushed his lips as she spoke.
“Appearances can be deceiving”, Vulpes replied and claimed her lips again with his. The courier sank into his arms with a chuckle and they settled back onto the mattress again.

A candle spluttered and went out.