Warning: Yep, this is an –M– Chapter, and I’m a perv and kinky person, so beware.

CHAPTER 149

 

Between emperor Hadrian and Marcus Pinarius

132 Rome

 

“In Antinous’ honor I built a city on the Nile, where I consecrated a temple and appointed priests to worship him. In Ephesus and Athens, on the way back to Roma, I built more temples in honor of the god Antinous” said Hadrian.

 

Marcus had heard about the emperor’s activities on behalf of the new god. The grandiosity of Hadrian’s grief was the talk of Roma; some dared to ridicule it, but others were in awe of it. Marcus had heard it compared to the madness of Alexander the Great after the death of Alexander’s lover, Hephaestion, but it was hard for Marcus to look at the aging, paunchy Hadrian and see any resemblance to the dashing, doom figure of Alexander. (1)

 

-o-o-o-

 

That night Hephaistion could barely sleep, but this time it had nothing to do with nightmares or worries, this time it was thanks to Achilles who had slept in the same bed with him and Alexander, spreading himself all over the soft mattress as if he were alone and embracing his father by the waist with all his forces, as if the General were a big teddy bear with no need of air to live.

 

Hephaistion couldn’t sleep with someone embracing him, something that Alexander had learned in the hard way, but this was something beyond him; even if he loved the feeling of the King’s body next to him, his arms surrounding him, his breath over his skin, once he was asleep he moved so much than more than once he had kicked Alexander out of bed. A bad habit that, apparently, his son had inherited.

 

The General decided it was pointless to stay in bed any longer and got up. He smiled watching his son sleeping in the weirdest position he had ever seen: lying horizontally in bed, the arms stretched over his head, one foot against the King’s cheek and the other leg bent to one side. It was until this moment that he had the chance to see how tall was his boy, every day he looked more and more like a teenager instead of the child he really was. He brushed his hair with his fingers, changed his cloths and went to see over his duties. 

 

XXX

 

- Peris, I just heard about Bagoas –said Xsayarsa, noisily, storming into Hephaistion’s office as if it were his own, without knocking.

 

- Sure Yarsa, you can come in –said the General, his eyes still on the report in his hands. Every day Alexander gave him more responsibilities over the supplies, enraging Eumenes and increasing his beloved’s importance in the army. And today he was checking the grain supplies before leaving Hyrcania. 

 

- I can’t believe that Nabarzanes had the nerve to bring that viper here –said the Persian, indignant as his patron had only seen him very few times.

 

That caught Hephaistion’s curiosity; he left the report on his desk and lifted his head to look at the eunuch.

 

- Why does this bother you so much?

 

- Because I know that little snake –said Xsayarsa, pacing around and moving his arms constantly at each word—Bagoas was almost 13 years old the last time I saw him, but OHHHH! I know just too well about his kind –he shook his index finger in front of him. 

 

- What are you talking about? –the General crossed his leg and leaned his weight back against the chair.

 

Xsayarsa stopped for a moment, arranging his thoughts, before speaking again.

 

- Bagoas was his late majesty’s, may his soul rest in peace, favorite eunuch –he said.

 

- Nabarzanes mentioned that –the General nodded. 

 

- And the scoundrel has his appeal; I have to admit that –said Xsayarsa pursing his lips—The thing is he is well aware of his beauty and how to use it, when his late divinity, may his soul rest in peace, showed interest in him Bagoas didn’t lose time in seducing him, take advantage of his position and get rid of his own enemies.

 

Who would have thought that with a face like his? –thought Hephaistion, now really interest in his eunuch’s rant.

 

- Do you think Nabarzanes bring him here to spy on Alexander? –asked the General.

 

- Aren’t you listening, Peris? –Xsayarsa scolded him like child—I’m talking about Bagoas, who cares about Nabarzanes?

 

The General sighed.

 

- Fine. So, you are concern because…?

 

- Because he is a danger to you –said the eunuch with such conviction that Hephaistion blinked taken aback.

 

- I beg your pardon –sometimes, when Xsayarsa was very excited or very angry it was difficult to understand what he was saying in his terrible Greek, and the General thought that, for a moment, he may had missed something. 

 

- Peris –Xsayarsa walked to him, and bent over in front of his desk, hands on the wood, talking very slowly— That gravedigger spider will to do everything in his power to seduce the King, he is going to make him fall in his charms until he forgets about you, leaving you as a forgotten and depressed lover crying in the corners and begging the scraps of the King’s attention and love while he becomes the only one.

 

The General laughed out loud until tears came out, sincerely amused as if he had been told be most absurd comedy of all times.

 

- Yarsa, you should write plays, this is insane! –he said still laughing. 

 

- No is not –the Persian insisted, dead serious—You don’t know him, the wretched eunuch is a great actor and is very skilful in bed, he can be 15 years old but has the vices of a man of 50, and if you lose your status as the King’s favorite I’ll be also in troubles.

 

Hephaistion stood up, shaking his head and approached him. He knew Xsayarsa was always melodramatic, but this?

 

- I understand and appreciate your concern –he said almost sweetly, cocking his head and looking absolutely adorable, knowing that would disarmed the eunuch—But really, you have nothing to worry about –Xsayarsa pursed his lips, he wasn’t convinced— Alexander is not Darius.

 

- No, he is more naïve and clumsy in bed which makes him the perfect victim of that bitch –said the eunuch, making the General chuckled. The Persian sighed—That’s it! I have made up my mind –he exclaimed suddenly, raising his voice and his arms—I’m going to make you a sex god.

 

- Excuse me? –how they had gone from “a eunuch is going to steal your lover” to “you will be a sex god” Hephaistion had no idea. 

 

- I told you once, we can’t let your King get bore of you so I’ll teach everything I know about sex, now sit down and try to learn something –said Xsayarsa proudly but the General felt a knot in his stomach.

 

Something tells me I’m not going to like this –he thought.

 

XXX

 

That warm and peaceful night found Bagoas hidden behind a false wall in the King’s bedroom. Unlike the last time, this night the eunuch had looked deliberately for a place to spy on his new master, he knew he was risking his life doing this but it was necessary. He needed desperately to learn more about Alexander if he wanted to please him then he had to know even the most insignificant details of his life and routine.

 

He took care of his room, giving his best to please him, but the King was a complete enigma to him. Maybe it was that his new master came from a far away country, maybe it was that he had a complicated personality or maybe it was that Bagoas didn’t understand a word of Macedonian and only knew 5 or 6 words of Greek, but the eunuch was starting to despair. 

 

Alexander was so different from Darius that he might as well come from another planet. So far the blond conqueror hadn’t noticed everything Bagoas had done for him or his room, and had treated the eunuch the same way he did with his pages. The King hadn’t even looked at him to notice the extra work he had put on his person to look astonishing, he had used all the jewels and cloths Darius had given to him, bathed in scented oils. What was he doing wrong?

 

Last night, when Hephaistion discovered him behind the curtain, he had hoped to catch his new King’s attention, even to be asked to share his bed, he had eagerly waited this not only because Alexander was the Great King, also because he was young and handsome, he truly liked him; but when he saw Alexander and Hephaistion together he knew his task would be more difficult than he had imagined.

 

Bagoas knew about all the beautiful boys and girls the Persian nobles had given to Alexander, he knew about the royal concubines he had inherited from his predecessor and he had expected to have competition, a man as important and powerful as Alexander was always surrounded by beautiful lovers, but the last thing he had expected was to have one of his master’s own ‘nobles’ as the competition.

 

First of all it was very uncommon to see a King with a male lover of his own age. The eunuch had met Darius’ other lovers, and when he chose a boy to share his bed it was always a teenager. All right, he admitted that Hephaistion was everything but common, and he was also the most striking man he had ever seen, but still, the relationship between him and the King confused him. Did the handsome General of dark gray eyes manipulate the King?

 

Bagoas was desperate to learn Greek, it was the first thing in his ‘to do’ list and the little information he had gathered so far from other Persians wasn’t very encouraging for him. Alexander never had another lover besides the General and when he had done so, they were always women. The eunuch had lived as the favorite of a Great King, he had always had what he wanted and he was willing to risk everything to become the Macedonian’s King favorite. Hephaistion could be beautiful, but so he was.   

 

Bagoas knew that every Persian palace had hidden rooms and false walls, and the palace at Zadracarta wasn’t different, it didn’t take him long to find a false wall to have a great view of the King’s bedroom. He had been hidden for 2 hours and was dozing when he heard noise and saw Alexander coming in. Bagoas stirred in his hidden place and watched how the pages helped the King to undressed.

 

The eunuch had helped Alexander that morning to undress and he still felt his fingertips throbbing, remembering the sensation of the King’s skin. He had been very careful to touch him slightly, nothing too obvious, butterfly caresses that could be easily disguised behind the pretext of being undressing him. But apparently Alexander was unable to detect these subtleties or was too concentrated in his own thoughts, but he didn’t notice anything. 

 

Bagoas had decided to change his strategy. He would need to be bolder but for that he needed to be sure of what the King liked.

 

The pages retired and Alexander dropped on the bed as if he were dead, leaving an oil lamp on. He had an exhausting day, and was so tired that it would be a miracle if he could wake up before noon. Bagoas waiting a little, but when he heard the King snoring he decided it was time to go. He was ready to leave when he heard a creaking noise and saw the door opening, the light bathing the floor and the furniture. The eunuch stayed where he was, watching with all his attention and feeling his heart beating faster, could it be an assassin? He held his breath, but soon the scarce light of the only oil lamp showed Bagoas that the newcomer was Hephaistion.

 

The eunuch bit his lower lip with expectation, thinking a myriad of reason of why the General could be here and saw how the King’s beloved approached the bed and checked that Alexander were sleeping. Hephaistion called the blond by his name and shook him softly but the King didn’t do as much as open his eyes and continued snoring; if it weren’t for this Hephaistion would have sworn he was dead. This made the General recalled that morning before the battle of Gaugamela when Parmelio had had troubles waking Alexander up. Sometimes Hephaistion was sure that his lover could sleep through anything.

 

He sighed a little disappointed; he had hoped to spend the night with him and he cursed Xsayarsa, that talk with the eunuch had left him really horny, why on earth had he agreed to talk to him in the first place? Maybe he should do as all his friends and start bedding Kyros, at 18 years old the boy was still attractive and very much infatuated with him. He shook his head, that was his arousal talking. He headed to the door and took the doorknob, and he was about to open it when an idea struck him. Alexander could sleep through anything, right? 

 

The General was sure he had gone insane for thinking this. He went back and climbed into bed crawling under the blankets right between Alexander’s legs. Hephaistion could feel his whole body trembling with anticipating and a soft hot tickling reminding him that this was so wrong and at the same time it was so exciting. The King was fast asleep, as the snoring assured him, face up, with one arm over his abdomen and the other resting at his side, and that didn’t help the General’s dirty thoughts.

 

Hephaistion stopped. He hesitated a little before leaving a soft trembling kiss over one of his King’s thighs testing if Alexander woke up, but the King remained the same.

 

All right –thought the General licking his lower lip—I’ll go to Hades for this.

 

He kissed again Alexander’s hot skin, inhaling that characteristic smell of his lover’s body, dragging his lips over his thigh. That was intoxicating, and soon the General opened his mouth to taste the salty flavor; Hephaistion had to admit this situation had it’s appeal, it was exciting, he wanted to know how far he could go without waking him up, or could he go all the way without waking him up at all? The King slept profoundly, the contrary of him, and the idea didn’t sound too far-fetched in that moment.

 

The General put both hands over Alexander’s thighs, his elbows on the mattress, and spread his legs slowly, to his surprise the King didn’t do as much as move, and soon he had him completely expose in front of him. An arrogant and lazy smile full with mischief curved Hephaistion’s lips. He licked the King’s inner thigh, going all the way up, lifting his sleeping tunic. He sucked, savored and nipped his skin; how many times had he done this in 13 years? He closed his eyes. He knew Alexander’s body better than his own and still he couldn’t get enough of it, it was like a drug, highly addictive, nothing could compare to the feeling of his King’s body against his own.      

 

Alexander breathed faster, as if he were having a nightmare, even his eyelashes trembled like leaves dancing at the wind’s mercy, but nothing was farther from what he was feeling. Hephaistion slid his fingers through the hard muscles of his legs, his lips leaving a trail of wet kisses and his breath caressing his lover, but the King didn’t wake up, not even when his beloved’s mouth played between his legs, tasting his length.

 

The General felt an electric sensation running through his body, his cheeks were so hot that he thought it would burn his skin, he felt feverish, his whole being wanted so badly to take Alexander in that moment, without another pause…But that was wrong, right? It was bad enough to be doing this, what kind of General sneaks in the middle of the night into the Great King’s bedroom to make love to his sleeping sovereign? A mad and pervert one.

 

But, what now? A decent person would go back to his room…All right, strictly speaking, a decent person wouldn’t be here in the first place. 

 

Right, but, if I go to my room in this moment, I would end bedding the first person who crosses by path and that would bother Alex –thought Hephaistion feeling a little dizzy with a myriad of emotions hitting his body like waves, making circles with his thumbs around the blond’s hip bones— Alex wouldn’t want me to sleep with another person, he would prefer if I stay here. I’m sure he won’t mind –he lied to himself seeing that the King was as hard as he was. He liked his lips, compulsively, wondering what would be he dreaming about.

 

Hephaistion’s didn’t know what to do, his body felt so strange in those moments, a burning flame of passion and desire, his cloths almost hurting his oversensitive skin; his eyes left heavy and his chest moved up and down rapidly. At the end he made up his mind and licked 2 of his fingers, burying them inside the King. Alexander moaned uncomfortable and tried to close his legs, but his beloved didn’t let him. Hephaistion’s fingers throbbed inside his warm entrance, scissoring and stretching him. He put the blankets aside, they were starting to bother him and the General wanted to see his lover’s face. He didn’t want to wake Alexander up and forced himself to go slowly, stopping every time he heard the blond moaning too loudly.

 

The King squirmed and writhed, and Hephaistion would have thought he was uncomfortable but Alexander’s body was telling a completely different story. He rubbed again and again that particularly spot that drove his King crazy and saw how his body melted, dissolving in a whirlwind of pleasure. Alexander moaned louder and louder. If His beloved wanted him to stay asleep he would have to stop, so, reluctantly he withdrew his fingers.

 

He climbed on all four over the King, his arms at each side of his head, his knees at each side of his waist, and stopped. Hephaistion took a moment to admire him, watching two red spots burning his cheeks, his chest heaving. Alexander was so beautiful, so helpless, so expose, and with the weak scarce light of the oil lamp he looked almost divine. The General moved closer, and, softly, leaned his cheek against Alexander’s, as kittens do. A powerful feeling invaded him every time they were together like this, a sensation that he was complete, something difficult to explain with words but something that filled his heart with a warmth feeling that men had managed to call love.

 

There was nothing more beautiful than watch your loved one sleeping, and the General couldn’t restrain himself from caressing his hair, brushing the blond locks away, tenderly, almost as if he didn’t want to touch him. He left a butterfly kiss on his cheek, sliding his lips, like the touch of a rose, to kiss his jaw and then going up to taste the skin behind his ear. Hephaistion went all the way down feeling that hot tickling, knowing that what he was doing wasn’t correct. He should let the King sleep, Alexander had a very difficult day, but that night he didn’t care much about what was right and wrong, and soon the voice of his conscious was silenced.    

 

Alexander moved his head and for Hephaistion’s amusement, he rolled to rest on his side, making his beloved smiled like a predator in front of a helpless prey. He kissed the King’s shoulder, savoring his skin while his hand played on his back.

 

He had to do it now or the heat was going to drive him crazy, his oversensitive skin made him shiver just with the simple touch of the blond’s clothes. Alexander was still resting on his side when Hephaistion took his leg over his shoulder, it was a little complicated and this time the General was sure the King was going to wake up but the only thing Alexander tried to do was move. 

  

Oh, no, you are not going anywhere –thought the General.

 

Hephaistion held his leg with one hand, and took the other to the blond’s butt. Alexander tried to move again when he felt an intrusion but his beloved didn’t let him go and buried himself inside his warmth body. The King opened his eyes immediately. It was the strangest way of waking up, Alexander felt lost, he didn’t know where he was or what was happening, he felt his whole body burning, his manhood so hard that was almost painful and the very familiar sensation of Hephaistion inside him.  

 

- Phai…Mm? –a moaned cut the King’s words and the most powerful man of the known world found himself helplessly moaning, groaning, sighing, panting and twisting in pleasure at the mercy of his General. Alexander grabbed the sheets with force when his beloved turned him to make him rest face up, without stopping his thrusts—What the…are you…Nn…? 

 

But Hephaistion covered his mouth with his hand to shush him, moving inside him without delicacy, making the King’s body tremble and shudder. Alexander closed his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by the sudden avalanche of sensation, he had many questions in his mind but none matter in that moment. He felt delirious, lost, wanting and needing more of whatever Hephaistion could give him, he could give everything just to keep feeling, to make that moment last forever.

 

Alexander opened his uneven eyes again, and found himself sitting on his beloved’s lap, trapped between the headboard and the strong dream body of Hephaistion. For a moment he thought he was going to pass out, he could feel his beloved so deep inside him, almost touching the very core of his desire, his body melting. 

 

The General tore the blond’s tunic with his free hand until his chest was exposed, making him moaned against his hand when Alexander felt his teeth scraping over his nipple. Enough air wasn’t reaching his lungs, the King wanted to open his mouth but Hephaistion didn’t let him, and that only served to ignite every inch of his body. 

 

For Bagoas, hidden behind the wall, it looked as if the General were raping the King, which was as surprising as it was shocking, the Great King raped? But he soon dismissed the idea when he saw Alexander surrounding Hephaistion’s waist with his legs, pulling him closer and rocking his hips to meet the General’s thrusts in a frenetic dance that seem to last for hours. 

 

Hephaistion didn’t let him go until he was completely satiated, and then he dropped at his side panting and hearing Alexander trying to catch his breath. 

 

- What…the…hell was…that? –asked the King, rolling to rest face up. His whole body ached, throbbed and trembled. 

 

- I was horny –answered his beloved innocently and Alexander turned to look at him in disbelief.

 

- I can see that, but I was sleeping –said the King, making Hephaistion laugh—Why didn’t you wake me up?

 

- I got more fun this way –said his beloved almost purring, he was tired, his voice hoarse and a little sleepy. Alexander hit him with a pillow, but his beloved laugh even harder.

 

- You raped me…again –the King complained but the happy tone of his voice betrayed him.

 

- And you love it, admit it –Hephaistion teased him, kissing his cheek noisily.

 

- You know? I only tolerate you because you are handsome –said Alexander and his beloved laugh amused.

 

- Only handsome? I’m gorgeous Alex –said the General arrogantly, rolling his eyes and pretending to be mortally offended and now it was the King’s turn to laugh.

 

And they laughed for a long time, unable to stop, until their stomachs hurt, like a pair of fools. They spent a long time in silence, just hearing their breathing and the distance footsteps outside the room. It was that kind of silence where they didn’t have to say a word, just enjoy the presence of the other, a moment of quiet they cherished immensely because lately it had been more and more difficult to have time for themselves. 

 

- Phai? –said Alexander in a whisper.

 

- Mm?

 

- Why do you love me? –he asked, his uneven eyes on the ceiling.

 

- Honestly? –asked his beloved and the blond nodded—For your money. 

 

- Hephaistion! –the King scolded him, he was no longer in the mood for jokes, and his beloved turned to face him.

 

- Why are you asking me this? –the General wanted to know—I thought you consider yourself the best of all men, then my answer should be obvious to you.

 

Alexander sighed.

 

- Yes, but I want to know, what do you think of me –he insisted.

 

That plea took Hephaistion by surprise, what had gotten into Alexander? He took a moment to choose his words.

 

- I love you because you make me a better person –the King opened his eyes, that was the last thing he had expected to hear—And what do I think of you? That you are the man I admire the most.

 

Alexander embraced him, hiding his face in his neck, feeling his strong body against his own, his skin still hot and beaded in sweat.

 

Bagoas didn’t understand a word of what they said, but he didn’t need to know Macedonian or Greek to understand that, what his new King felt for his General, was more than simply lust it was love. This was bad for him and he would need to think what to do now.

 

XXX

 

(1) Steven Saylor. Empire, p 557