Hylas hadn’t tried to bolt or vanish into the market place crowd on their way back to Felix’s apartment on the Insula Arriana Polliana. Felix wasn’t sure if he was pleased or slightly disappointed by that, but he certainly wasn’t disappointed by the young Greek in any other respect. He was every bit the sulky, skittish beauty Felix had expected, with loose glossy black curls and liquid dark eyes that alternated between smoldering seduction and the spiteful calculation of a Suburran whore. He had quickly recovered from his initial shock at finding his activities had been tracked, and once he realized Felix was appreciative but not helplessly smitten by his charms, he dropped much of his wide-eyed pretense at innocence and settled into wary defiance.

      Felix watched the ex-slave with an amused smile as he drifted around the pleasantly bright and cool rooms of the apartment like a curious cat exploring new territory. Eventually, Hylas returned to the exhedra and accepted the cup of wine Felix offered him, drinking half of it before asking, “So what did you bring me back here for? Just the obvious?”

      “That depends on what you mean by ‘obvious’, doesn’t it?” Felix knew very well what the boy meant and had no doubt it was his for the taking. He did not however, intend to take advantage of the offer right this moment—if indeed, ever. It all depended on many things.

      “For a start, I’m interested to know why, since you’re now free, you still play at being some old guy’s tart. Surely you managed to screw enough cash as well as a manumission from your most recent masters to be able to live a decent, independent life?”

      Hylas shrugged and settled on the couch with his wine. “Doing what? I wasn’t exactly trained in any ‘decent’ trade. Does that answer your question?” He shot Felix a defensive look. “Anyway, it wasn’t like you think it was—I didn’t work for my freedom in bed. In fact, I didn’t ask for it at all.”

      “So you’re just an ungrateful brat then?” Felix raised an eyebrow at Hylas, deliberately needling him a little and laughing as the boy flushed with temper. “Oh cool down, I’m not judging you. In fact, quite the opposite. It seems to me you have rather unique talents, Hylas, besides the bedroom tricks. Have you ever considered using them more effectively?”

      “What do you mean?” Hylas stared at him cautiously.

      Felix could see the boy was interested, despite his residual sulkiness. He moved across to sit on the couch next to him, ignoring the distraction of the sleek thighs revealed by the Greek’s short tunic. He poured a little more wine into Hylas’s cup and smiled directly into the wary dark eyes. “I mean, I’m offering you a job.”