While Julie was adjusting her position on his lap, shifting her weight slightly to one side to make herself more comfortable, she gave the tiniest wiggle, subtle but unmistakable, as if trying to get the best seat possible.

The slight bounce of her movement made Cassius pause, blinking.

Her comfort around him had clearly increased, and now she didn't even seem too bothered about what that movement might imply.

He could feel the soft plushness of her behind against his thighs, it had that delightful balance of firm and squishy, like something that could bounce right back up with a slap.

Even though he had orchestrated this outcome from the start, he still found himself surprised at just how distracting it really was.

Letting out a long breath, he spoke up suddenly.

"Julie..." He said, voice steady but almost too casual. "Since you're trusting me this much...then I have no right to take that lightly. So I think it's only fair that I...obey that trust. And be completely honest with you."

Julie tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as she glanced back. "Honest?"

He nodded, looking serious now, one hand resting lightly on his knee as the other subtly hovered near her waist, careful not to touch, but there if needed.

"Yeah. Completely. The truth is, the reason I asked you to sit on my lap was...genuinely to help. I mean it."

"Teaching you how to knit like this, side by side, it really is easier if we sit like this. So that I can guide your hands from behind."

Julie blinked, somewhat surprised. "That's it?"

Cassius held up a finger. "That was the idea. But…"

She turned more now, half suspicious, half expectant. "But?"

"But at the same time…" He sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. "I won't lie. Even if my intentions were pure, I am having some rather...unsavory thoughts right now. I mean, come on. A woman sitting on my lap. It's only natural."

Julie stared, stunned. 'A man being this...blatant?'

"You're seriously telling me that?" She asked, squinting in disbelief.

Cassius nodded without hesitation.

"Yes. Because pretending otherwise would be dishonest. I'm not some saintly monk who's immune to women. Especially when a very formidable one is sitting right on top of me."

Julie blinked once. Then twice. "You're...incredibly blunt."

"I try." He gave a sheepish smile.

Instead of pulling away, she actually smiled, eyes lighting up with curiosity and a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

"Alright then, Mr. Honest." She said slowly. "If you're going to be so forthright...what exactly are these unsavory thoughts you're having?"

Cassius raised a brow. "Are you sure you want to know that? I mean, seriously. It's not exactly...noble."

Julie gave a slight scoff, raising her shoulders and arms in exaggerated surrender.

"I'm already sitting on your lap. What's worse could there possibly be? You've won. I've already sacrificed my pride and dignity. A few thoughts won't kill me."

Her words had sarcasm, but there was no real bite. More than anything, there was genuine intrigue flickering beneath them.

"And besides." She added, voice lowering with a teasing smirk. "I kind of want to know. What does that mind of yours really think...about me?"

For reasons she couldn't explain, that last question made her ears burn, and she suddenly became very aware of her posture, sitting right on his lap like some sort of makeshift throne.

Cassius's grin widened. "You're sure you want to know? I'm not pulling punches."

She rolled her eyes. "I just said I want to know, didn't I? Speak, before I start regretting this whole sitting-on-you business."

He leaned back slightly, exhaled, and looked down pointedly. "Well then...to start with...your butt."

Julie immediately narrowed her eyes. "My what?"

"Your butt. Rear. Posterior. Whatever word you prefer. Honestly?" He tilted his head slightly. "It's mesmerizing."

Julie's mouth parted slightly. "Mesmerizing…?"

He nodded solemnly, as if discussing philosophy.

"Like, I'm not joking. Even before you sat on my lap, I've had trouble keeping my eyes off it. It's like, every time you turn around, it's just there. Calling for attention. It's distracting, woman."

Julie's face instantly flushed. "You! Why would you even—!"

But Cassius held up a finger, silencing her.

"No, no. You asked. You said you wanted to know. This is all your fault."

Julie groaned inwardly, but didn't stop him while, Cassius folded his arms and leaned slightly forward, as though getting serious.

"I'll be blunt. I've seen a lot of butts. I'm kind of a butt connoisseur, you could say. And not just the casual 'oh-that's-a-nice-butt' kind...No."

"I've been all over the world, seen the widest variety. Tall women, short women, warriors, nobles, dancers, believe me, I've done my fair share of admiration."

Julie stared at him, speechless.

"But yours?" He continued, glancing down dramatically. "It's honestly elite-tier. It's got that perfect blend. Soft enough to sink into, but with just enough firmness to bounce back with attitude."

"It's got that shape, too, like a peach sculpted by divine hands. The way it jiggles just a little when you walk? That's art. Like watching poetry in motion."

Julie's hand moved to her forehead. "What am I hearing…"

"Oh, I'm not done." Cassius said dramatically, eyes lighting up with mock reverence. "The way it curves when you lean forward. The symmetry when you squat down to inspect a wound. How your outfit clings to it during sword training like it wants to advertise its majesty."

"...It's criminal, Julie. That butt of yours should have a license."

"I swear to—" She turned around, her cheeks flushed furiously. "Enough! Enough talking about my butt!"

Julie's cheeks were still burning from Cassius's unabashed praise, and though her voice had snapped at him to stop, her mind was already swimming with conflicted thoughts.

'I knew he'd be brazen.' She mused quietly. 'Saying ridiculous things, but this...this was on a whole other level.'

She never expected him to be so bold, so shameless in his words, and yet...beneath the shock, a small, unfamiliar flutter of excitement stirred deep inside her.

It was strange, almost thrilling, that he found her butt to be so graceful.

Sure, Aisha, Skadi, and half the women in her brigade had complimented her on it before, but their words always felt like background noise, annoying.

But Cassius?...When he said it, something clicked inside her. His words felt different, charged. It made her chest puff up just a little, as if she wanted to stand taller and proclaim to the world.

"Yes, I have a fine butt."

Before she could get lost in those thoughts, Cassius shifted slightly, leaning forward.

His hand brushed lightly against her waist, just enough for her to feel the warmth without protest. She noticed, but oddly, she didn't pull away. Instead, his voice cut through the quiet.

"I'm not even finished yet." He said, voice low but clear, eyes locked on hers from behind. "I haven't told you how it feels having you sit on my lap like this. That's the real point."

Julie wanted to deny him immediately. "Enough, you've talked too much already, "

But something in her held her back, the curiosity bubbling up despite herself. There was more to hear, more of her to discover through his words. So she sighed quietly and gave in.

"Fine. I'll humor you." She muttered, turning slightly with a shy gaze. "What exactly do you feel right now? Now that I'm sitting here."

Cassius's smile widened, his fingers tightening gently around her waist, she let him, almost without thinking.

"There's only one thing I feel." He said, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Pure, utter, raw excitement. Like my head's spinning, and my heart's about to leap out of my chest."

Julie's face flamed hotter, but before she could react, he went on, holding her wrist with both hands now, steady and sure.

"You should know, back at home, my wife Diana." He said, as if she should have known the name, "The saintly doctor, yeah, that Diana? We always sat like this when she came to me with questions about prescriptions or medical stuff. She'd hop onto my lap, and I'd help her with all the work, guiding her hands."

His hold on her waist tightened just a fraction, and a shiver ran through her at the intimacy of the memory.

"And her butt..." Cassius continued, voice thickening with fondness and something else. "...isthe biggest among all my wives. Juicy, jiggly, soft but firm enough to drive me crazy. And whenever she sat on me can't help myself; sometimes I'd just grab her waist...and well..."

He glanced at her with a mischievous grin.

"I'd start ramming her from behind until she moaned enough to beg me to stop."

Julie's breath hitched, and a warmth spread through her body from the suggestiveness of his words and the feel of his hands holding her so securely.

She turned around with a playful smile, trying to mask her embarrassment, and asked, "Is that what you're feeling with me? Do you want to do the same...ram me from behind?"

Cassius shook his head quickly, and his grin deepened. "Not at all. I'm just as excited as with Diana, but it's a different kind of excitement."

He relaxed back a little, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

"For one, you've got much firmer ass and glutes than Diana." He said with mock appraisal. "And that certain bounciness she didn't have. You've got...well, something special."

His fingers curled possessively around her waist again. "May I?"

Julie hesitated for just a second, then nodded, curiosity piqued. Cassius in response pulled her up slightly, then let her drop back down with a soft plop onto his lap. She bounced a bit, the motion soft and playful.

"See?" He said, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "If I did that with Diana, she'd just sink right down. But you? You bounce. That's what I mean."

Julie blinked, taken aback by his frankness and the easy way he talked about his wife.

Normally, she would have told him to stop long ago, but now...now she felt a strange comfort in this honesty. Her body was warming to his touch and presence, the awkwardness fading away, replaced with something softer.

She leaned back just a little, curiosity pushing her forward. "Is the difference really that big? Does it really matter?"

Cassius pulled her closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "It matters. Big time. If it was Diana, I'd want to pound her from behind, watch her body ripple under me, take her completely."

"But with you?" He pulled her even tighter, voice full of promise. "I want to lie back, have you jump on top of me. Rock your butt right in front of me. I want to watch it burn, unbuckled, jiggling just for me."

" ...Basically bounce on it, crazy style"

Julie's blush deepened as her heart pounded wildly. She wanted to hide her reaction, wanted to be brave, so she turned around, putting on a teasing smile.

"So basically..." She said. "You want me to do all the work while you just relax?"

Cassius gave an awkward chuckle. "Yeah...kind of."

Julie rolled her eyes, though her lips curled into a smirk that betrayed her amusement.

"You really are unbelievable." She murmured, giving him a sharp but playful glance over her shoulder. "You treat Diana like she's made of glass...all gentle and caring, doing all the work yourself."

She leaned back slightly, pressing against him just enough to make her point clear.

"But me? Oh no, you treat me like one of your soldiers...Toss me in the mud, make me do all the work." Her tone was light and teasing, but her smile had the edge of something more, something sultry and mischievous.

Cassius couldn't help but grin, his fingers instinctively sliding around her waist again.

"If you want me to treat you like a wife, I can gladly do that too." He said with a soft laugh, his voice warm, a little husky. "I didn't know we were taking applications."

But even though he seemed quite cool-headed at the moment, his mind was already swimming.

She was relaxing into this, finally letting herself ride the moment, and he could feel it in the way her body melted ever so slightly into his. She was finally playing along.

And gosh, she was making it hard not to get carried away.

He thought he was about to get lucky, so quickly, so unexpectedly. But just as his hands settled around her waist with a little more certainty, Julie's fingers snapped down on his wrist, swift and sure. She slapped him off with a single movement, making him pause.

She then looked back at him then, her eyes sparkling, her lips tugging into a little grin that said she was completely in control.

"Don't get too cheeky, Cassius." She warned, her voice a silken purr. "Just because I'm letting you run that filthy mouth of yours doesn't mean I'm handing you the keys to the kingdom."

Her smile deepened as she leaned in close to his face.

"Try something like that again, and I'm off your lap faster than you can blink...And I won't be coming back."

Cassius groaned and leaned back with exaggerated disappointment, throwing his head like a man denied his last meal.

"Alright, alright, I surrender." He muttered. "But I was this close to victory."

Julie turned away again with a scoff, her expression softening into something thoughtful, though still touched with heat. She was thinking, thinking about herself, about him, about how strangely easy this all felt.

'Why am I like this right now…?' She wondered, biting the inside of her cheek.

Normally, she'd be red as a tomato, heart hammering just from hearing a mildly dirty joke, but now she was sitting on Cassius's lap, joking about her butt, letting him talk about his wife and her soft curves, and even flirting back, like it was second nature.

She didn't know when it had started, this desire to keep talking like this.

To let herself go. To not just allow the heat to build but to stoke it further.

And she didn't know why it felt so right, except that maybe, deep down, she'd always wanted to have these kinds of moments. These exact kinds of conversations.

She'd always kept her desires buried under armor, discipline, and rank. She never let herself indulge. Never let herself think of this kind of talk as something she could have. And yet...here she was.

Here, with Cassius, she was letting. She didn't know why but for some reason with him it just felt natural as breathing and just felt...right.