The Twelve Vitali Ch. 15

Once again, he considered Matteo's words to Nero, explaining why he couldn't just give in and change his mind, even though he doubted she would have asked unless it truly bothered her. She needed to know that, even though he was miles away in a different city, he was still in control and still cared about everything she did and experienced. Pushing her too hard could cause her to run, but not pushing her hard enough would breed resentment from her and she would top from the bottom, so to speak. Training this girl was going to be a delicate balance, and Marcus smiled, wondering what Hella would make of her, not knowing her true identity.

"Tea?" he offered, picking up the teapot.

"No thank you, I am a coffee addict, but I never enjoyed the smell or taste of tea," she smiled softly.

"I'm sorry, there is no coffee today. Fresh lemonade perhaps?" he indicated the jug with his free hand.

"That would be nice, thank you," she said politely. She had learned that Marcus was the host of the afternoon tea times, and, as the guest, she waited for him to offer and then pour her the beverage she had accepted.

"I hope I'm not late," a female voice sounded close by, and Cat turned to watch a woman walk towards them. She took in the messy blonde hair that sat around a heart-shaped smiling face and dangled into wide pale blue eyes. She was quite short and slim, and even though the loose top and skirt seemed to hang off her, she looked elegant in a dishevelled way. She reminded Cat of Reece Witherspoon, in a cute blonde kind of way. Cat unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Their guest couldn't be the dominatrix, Miss Hella, she was supposed to meet this afternoon. This woman looked fun and kind and not at all like her image of a Domme.

"Jane," Marcus said formally. "I would like you to meet my cousin, Hella."

Cat froze in the act of standing and reaching out to shake the woman's hand, her eyes widening. "Heh, hell... hello," she stuttered, unsure of whether to use her name or not at this first meeting.

"No need to stand on ceremony, Pet. Sit and enjoy your lemonade," she leaned in to kiss Marcus on the cheek before taking a seat of her own.

"Tea?" Marcus offered as if nothing was amiss, and watched as Cat struggled for a moment before remembering how to sit when she was with him in this room.

"No Thank you, but I will have some lemonade, that looks refreshing," she smiled. "Now, Jane, Marcus thought that it might be nicer if we met while he was here to look after us, which makes me believe you are a little anxious about our interview this afternoon."

"I... um, interview?" Cat asked, still not quite marrying this sweet-seeming woman sitting across the table from with her image of a Mistress that dominated girls like her. She certainly didn't fit the picture of a leather-clad dominatrix that Cat had in her mind's eye.

"Of course, Pet. We have to get to know each other before we can start testing your limitations," she smiled kindly and reached over to pat Cat's hand gently. "The training to be a Kept is a long and slow process that starts with an interview, and some get to know you time." She accepted her lemonade from Marcus and took a sip. "I have the information from your recruitment officer and your time in the hospital, of course, but there is nothing like sitting down and talking with a new pet to get to know her properly."

She'd just come from Nero's office where she had read his file on Jane Bennet and asked the usual questions. The fact that Nero and Marcus had shown an interest in this girl's training made her question who she was and why she was here, but she kept her suspicions to herself. When she reported to Francesco, she would test the waters and see what she could find out. If he, too, showed an obvious interest in this girl's training, she would know for sure that something was up and make a decision then about how this would go.

This woman looked and sounded so sweet and cute, despite using the word limitations and calling her pet. Cat was simultaneously disappointed and relieved by the woman's appearance and stared at her, lost for words. She didn't seem intimidating, even as she spoke of the training she would do with her, yet there was an air about her that told Cat she was not a woman who could be negotiated with or tolerate excuses and arguments.

"Jane, dear, drink your lemonade," Hella said sweetly, but Cat blinked hearing the undertone and realised she had been staring. She blushed, lowering her eyes as she picked up her glass, taking a sip of the home-made lemonade.

The trio engaged in over polite small talk that centred on them asking Cat questions to get her to talk and relax, until, finally, Hella smiled sweetly at Cat again before addressing Marcus.

"I think we girls will be just fine this afternoon, thank you, Marcus," she said, dismissing one of the most powerful men in her family as if he were a staff member.

"I'll let Francesco know to check on you later," Marcus said in a voice that told of his displeasure, but not rebuking Hella openly in front of Cat.

"If you think it's best, but there is no need," she dismissed his remark. "Come, Jane, I will show you where my office is for our future appointments." With those words she stood and walked away, not looking back at all as she expected Cat to follow her without hesitation.

Cat looked at Marcus, who merely tilted his head and watched her, saying nothing, so she got to her feet and followed Hella, hurrying to catch up with her quick steps.

*****

Ricco gave Matteo the cold shoulder for the remainder of the day. He immersed himself with work, and any time a member of his family tried to engage him in a conversation he immediately shut it down and went back to the files he was working on. A week ago, he had believed that it was possible to have everything he wanted in his life, now he wasn't sure he wanted any of it anymore. He wanted to go out to the house on the hill and just be alone to think, but the promise to wear the watch and stay with Matteo hung heavily on him, and he wouldn't break his word, he couldn't, just as he couldn't have broken his commitment to Jacobi when Cat had left him.

"Alright, get your shit together, we're going out to a job site, there's been an accident. Whether you're talking to me or not, we have to go, now," Matteo said, stepping into Ricco's office looking agitated.

"What happened?" Ricco asked, his mood forgotten as he worried for his brother. Accidents on job sites were never good for those involved, or for the business. This time it was Matteo who was silent and pensive as Knox drove beyond the speed limit to the work site where the accident had occurred, and Ricco left him to his thoughts, knowing that they would get all the answers they needed when they arrived.

The accident wasn't as bad as it could have been because of the stringent workplace health and safety rules Matteo insisted on for his company. The ambulance was already in attendance, and the man who had fallen after being knocked by a steel girder being hoisted by a crane was being examined. His leg was broken in several places, and his hip was possibly fractured. He had damage to his shoulder, and a possible head injury was also being investigated, but it seemed his left leg and hip had taken the brunt of the fall.

"He had been wearing headphones instead of the regular earbuds. He shouldn't have been up there in the first place, but the headphones must have negated the sirens that go off whenever the crane is in use. He didn't see it coming until it was too late, and the wind was rocking the cables pretty hard," Aimee filled Matteo in as he walked through the site to where Martyn had gathered most of the workers and his assistants were gathering statements.

It took them the rest of the afternoon to sort of the drama and speak to the police. From all reports, it was an accident where a combination of worker fault and weather conditions combined to make it unavoidable. Ricco was satisfied that the company wouldn't be held accountable, and Matteo was unconcerned by the union representative who spouted rhetoric and threatened to lead the men in a strike against unsafe workplace practice. He treated his employees well and knew the man would get no traction.

Matteo's concern was for the man and his family, if he had one, instructing the project manager to continue paying the man until his compensation claim came in. By the time they left the site, Matteo was still seething that an accident like this could have happened on one of his sites. The investigation would show where the fault lay. Even the video footage taken by a few of the nearby workers who were yelling to warn the man would vindicate him and his team, but he knew once the media found out there was little chance of hushing up the accident as he could with social indiscretions in his family.

"I'm starving," Ricco said as they climbed back into the car in the early evening. "We both missed lunch, let's go to Jericho's place."

"You're always starving," Matteo rolled his eyes.

"Not my fault, I have a high metabolism," Ricco grinned.

"Yeah, food would be good," Matteo said, sounding exhausted. "Then maybe you can tell me what's up with you and Cobi and I'll answer any questions you have about the phone call you overheard this morning. Otherwise, we may as well give up this trial now, because there's no point if we can't talk about the stuff the matters."

Ricco grunted in acknowledgement as he climbed into the car and gave Knox directions to a quiet restaurant he preferred, and once again fell silent. He considered Jacobi and the argument they had before he left for Europe. Still, Matteo was right. If they couldn't be honest with each other, how could they possibly hope to get through this trial successfully?

Ricco was greeted as on old friend at the restaurant, and even though they were obviously early for the evening shift of the restaurant, they were shown to a quiet booth and given menus. Ricco ordered without looking at the menu, and Matteo nodded that he would have the same. He didn't want to waste time reading through the variety of meals instead of having the conversation they had to have.

"Cobi blames me for the trip to the Papillo and the loss of the chair," Ricco admitted with a shrug. "We both said things that are hard to come back from and forgive each other."

"Details," Matteo said, giving him a hard stare. "How the hell is anything Papa does your fault?"

"The way Cobi sees it, I shouldn't have been dating at all and just living like a monk to give the impression that Maryanne and I were developing a relationship of our own, but any fool could see that she treated me no different to any of our brothers. Papa encouraged my relationship with Cat and warned me not to get caught up in Cobi's ambitions, because nothing could be certain about the future, but I'd been living the lie for so long..." His voice petered out, and once again he shrugged.

"You loved her," Matteo nodded, meaning Cat.

"I didn't admit it at the time, but, yeah, and I let her go because it wasn't fair to either of us. Not the position I was in or the position I put her in. I guess that had festered for a while, because when Cobi blamed my dating Cat for the loss of the chair, I told him what a selfish bastard he had been in great detail. I also told him how I really felt about the fact that he gave me little choice and no time to get to know Maryanne before he proposed and announced their engagement," he paused as the waiter brought a bottle of the red wine he always ordered here.

"I thought as much from what Papa said at the hospital this morning," Matteo said as their wine glasses were filled.

"I want what everyone wants, a loving relationship and a family. I don't want a Kept and acting the part of being part of their lives when they've never included me in anything. I was hoping, because Cat and I already had a relationship of sorts, that it would be easier for you and her, but you have made it clear that it won't. You'd rather leave the family than see her with me, despite the fact you know we've already slept together!" Ricco sounded angry and frustrated. "Worse than that, you're training her as a Kept?"

"That's fair," Matteo agreed, not denying anything he said. "Let's say, for shits and giggles, you and Cat remained together and you admitted you loved each other and planned to marry, then Papa gave you the same ultimatum as me. Would you be generous as to share the first real love of your life with me?"

"I always knew I would have to share, and in my mind I already am," Ricco stared at Matteo. "By the time I realised just how wrong I had been to let her go, Cat had already met you. I knew I had no chance to make amends and get her back, but I know she still cares about me, on some level, and I still love her."

Matteo fell silent as he considered his younger brother, the truth would hurt him, he knew, but at this point honesty was the only thing that could save their relationship from becoming resentful and nasty. He was trying to work out how he would say what needed to be said when Ricco spoke again.

"After everything she's been through, you sent her for training as a Kept? Why would you do that?" Ricco shook his head disbelievingly.

"Shit, where to start with this conversation. Believe it or not, it's what Cat wants and needs," Matteo said, and looked his brother in the eyes as he said it, trying to convey his honesty. "There's a long story behind it, and I'm not sure you're ready to hear it."

"I'm not going anywhere, and like it or not we're stuck together like Siamese twins at the moment, so neither are you. We may as well leave nothing unsaid tonight if we have any hope of moving on together, or if we decided to call it a day and give up playing Papa's games after everything had been said," Ricco sighed. "Truthfully, I'm tired of being the third wheel to you and Jacobi and the women you love."

"Alright, then let's start from the beginning when you first met Cat, and I'll carry on after your break up. No holds barred, brutally honest retell of the last year that she has been part of our family in one way or another," Matteo said. "It will make sense why you need to relive your story when I tell you mine, trust me."

"Let's see, it was May last year when Frankie convinced Vanessa to hire Cat as a corporate artist for the new building where you had her decorating some of the offices," Ricco began. Over the course of the dinner he detailed the relationship he had enjoyed with Cat, including the breakup, and then the on again and off again meeting before the final meeting at Frankie's where she had stopped what they were doing and walked out on him and made plans to leave town.

Matteo knew most of it from Cat, and Ricco's story was not very different from what he knew. He added a few little comments that Cat had told him to let his brother know that he was aware of the time they spent at his house on the hill, as well as her perspective of the breakup and how she felt at the time. He explained the hurt and embarrassed she felt because she believed he thought her not worthy of his family. He then began his story from the moment she fell into the Donati apartment where he had been staying. He was honest about the fiancé contract, and her reaction to his name and their ultimate break up, because once again she didn't feel good enough for him, and her plans to run away again.

"You see the pattern here, right?" Matteo asked before moving on to talk about their trip to the Kimberley's and his return and subsequent pursuit of Cat. "It was David who made me wake up to myself. He likened me to Ned, and threatened me," he chuckled. "So I gave her space and put up with her delays and prevarication until she returned to the city, and then I showed up and wouldn't leave until we talked with total honesty."

"The night you tried to kill her in one of Lorenzo's cars?" Ricco asked with a small chuckle.

"She was never in any danger," Matteo groaned. "I was in control the whole time." Rico chuckled, but kept eating his meal, waving on Matteo in his retelling of his story. Matteo talked about Pete and his suspicion that he had been grooming Cat, as well as his offer to oversee her trial for her rather than letting their fathers or Zio handle it.

"You said no, obviously," Ricco said with obvious approval of his brother's actions.

"Pete, and many of the Donati family, answered all her questions about the tables, as well as gave her information about all of us. Bianca was a fountain of information, apparently, and between her and Pete, Cat became fascinated with the staff, particularly the Kept, and those that lived as a submissive. We had lunch with Pete, and he brought his Kept to meet Cat, making it even more real for her," he said.

"Fascinated, how?" Ricco frowned.

"Originally, she said it was because she couldn't understand why someone would sign away years of their life to a family," Matteo said. "At this stage, though, our relationship was built on honesty, and I could tell every time she pulled away from me, so we talked in depth and she admitted vanilla sex was nice. Do you want to know what she said about your sex life?" he asked, letting his brother know the answer was there if he wanted it.

"Brutally honest is fine with me at this point," Ricco said, putting his fork down and pushing his plate away, picking up his glass of wine. They were well into the second bottle now.

"She said it was soft and sweet and loving, but she never managed to get the same highs she had with Ned," he paused as Ricco choked on his wine that the brutal ex-boyfriend who raped and beat her gave her better sex than he ever had.

"She said I was rougher and had more control, but, again, she never reached the same highs. She wanted to try a dominant-submissive sex life like she'd read about, in of all things, Fifty Shades. Later on, I found out she read some online stuff and had seen a few things, but that was what she asked for in the beginning. We talked about it a lot before I gave in and, even then, I gave her so many opportunities to change her mind. I started out going easy on her, but," he sighed. "You should see her like that, it's an amazing transformation."

Ricco was stunned to silence and sat taking in what his brother was saying silently.

"After that first time, she told me she had thought she was broken, that Ned had broken something inside her so that she couldn't enjoy soft sweet love-making. She had been embarrassed that she wanted more and craved that sort of treatment, and having that sort of relationship with me, and seeing how happy it made me as well, seemed to change something profound in her." He tried to explain.

"She thought there was something wrong with her? I made her feel that way?" Ricco asked incredulously.

"After that first time, she tried to run again when I questioned how happy and relaxed she seemed. She believed I would think badly of her or treat her like the whore Ned constantly told her she was. She had convinced herself for so many years that she shouldn't like the pain and being treated that way, that she couldn't quite believe there was a safe and sane way to enjoy it with someone who loved her, regardless of her needs. She was panicked and went into fight or flight mode again," Matteo admitted.

"I see the pattern again," Ricco nodded.

"The thing is, and what became blindingly clear that night, was that when I am the nice guy who loves her and will give her anything she asks for, she is constantly arguing and negotiating every little thing I ask. Yet when I am in control and demanding, she accepts what I am saying and does as I ask. I call her Kitten when I expect to her do what I am asking, which is what you heard this morning," he came to the point of everything he was saying.