The Twelve Vitali Ch. 18

Authors note: Hello everyone. Thank you everyone for the positive feedback and comments they mean the world to me and have brightened my days. I hope you enjoy this series despite its differences to the original story. Thank you once again to Paul who continues to be my second set of eyes. ~ellie.

*

The booming of a door slamming announced someone else was in the townhouse and had slammed the door to make sure the couple cocooned upstairs knew of their arrival. Matteo smiled crookedly and rolled from the bed, pulling on his pants from the night before.

"Leave me the shirt, please, unless you want me to wear that dress again," she pointed to the puddle of blue fabric on the floor.

"I guess he's not ready to see you walk around the house naked," Matteo shrugged and left the shirt on the bed. "It could be cruel to do that to him."

"I understand everything you said, but I am going to need more time to accept that this is the way it has to be before we can joke about it," she said seriously.

"Sorry, humour seemed to be my go to when I think about what it all means at the moment. He's been going through a lot himself lately, and the possibility that you could forgive him and care about him again is the one bright spark in a pretty bleak outlook at the moment," Matteo explained as he had during the night. "There's no rush to do anything, not from him, and definitely not from me." He kissed her and moved out of room

They had stayed awake all night talking about everything that had happened to them over the weeks they had been apart. She had been thrilled for him that his fathers' had told him he would inherit the Vitali Chair. She wasn't sure how she felt about what that meant for her and, in turn, Ricco, who would be his Oracle, not to mention the fact that Ricco had already practically moved into Matteo's apartment and bedroom. Matteo had admitted he wasn't sure how he would feel once it became a reality, but he seemed quite accepting of the situation and the fact that she would need to have an intimate relationship with his brother eventually.

After having the conversation with Roberto, and again with Matteo before she had come here, she had let her mind wander to Ricco often over the last two weeks. Her feelings for him mixed and tumbled in her head as she struggled with the idea of being intimate with him again. She had loved him, but knew at the time that he didn't love her in the same way. There was so much she did like about him, and now that she understood why he had held back in their relationship she could forgive and look at him with the same eyes that had seen so much good in him so long ago. Her attraction to him was still real; he had the same colouring and similar features to Matteo, but was leaner and not quite as tall. She'd imagined what it would be like to sleep with both of them, and each time she had become anxious about Matteo and how he would accept it if she came to love his brother again the way she loved him.

Cat was craving coffee, so she got up and decided to test out how both brothers would react to the situation they would find themselves in once they returned home. She found her underwear from the night before and turned up her nose at the lace panties, wishing she had access to fresh clothes. She found Matteo's boxers and donned his white tuxedo shirt. She looked in the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath. This was as good as it was going to get, so she stamped down on her anxiousness and made her way downstairs. She wandered casually through the lounge room where the two brothers sat talking quietly nursing large mugs of coffee on her way to the kitchen.

"Good morning," she said cheerily as she padded barefoot toward the kitchen.

"My morning just got infinitely better," Ricco said with a chuckle, looking at the mix of emotions crossing his brother's face.

"Do you have to?" Matteo scowled at Ricco.

"Oh, come on. I would have to be dead not to appreciate a girl wearing that shirt with bedroom hair and eyes. The fact that it's Cat, you can't expect me to ignore her!" Ricco shook his head, holding his chuckle.

"There's a housekeeper in there," Cat said, surprise in her voice as she exited the kitchen with a full cup of coffee. "Do you think you could call Marcus and get him to send over some clothes for me? Your boxers aren't a particularly good fit," she chatted casually as if everything was normal between them and took a seat beside Matteo on the couch.

"The dress you wore last night was stunning. Don't tell me he ruined it!" Ricco said in mock horror.

"Not at all, but I can't be seen wearing the same dress two days in a row! I am the fiancé of Matteo Vitali, after all. Or I will be once he proposes properly, if he proposes properly, I should say. He might have changed his mind in the last few weeks. A lot has happened, I understand?" she tilted her head as she asked the question, making Matteo groan.

"I wouldn't worry; he'll get around to it. Unless, of course, you'd accept my proposal, you have choices, you know," he smirked at the look his brother levelled at him. If looks could kill, he would have been six feet under.

"Don't go to any trouble. As you said, I'm sure he'll get around to it," she returned his smirk.

"If you two are quite finished," Matteo grumbled. "Ricco brought your belongings from the facility. You won't be going back there again. You can get out of my underwear and into your own whenever you like."

"Right now works for me!" Ricco said, enjoying himself. He'd been awake all night talking with Marcus and Bruno about what had occurred to upset Matteo and Cat, as well as the outcome of her trial and their recommendations to spend time getting to know the other mothers, starting with Peri and Marina.

"The trial is definitely over?" she asked, unsure of what he had meant by not returning to the facility.

"In a manner of speaking. Marcus has made some recommendations, but they can be dealt with back in Melbourne," Matteo reassured her. "They've recommended you spend some time with Peri and Marina, as well as the other wives of the twelve chairs. Peri was going to come here, but given that Hella is having difficulty remembering who you are, it is best if we take you home today. I told you this last night."

"You did, but I guess I expected to hear it from Marcus or the Commander, and with these recommendations, I feel like it's not over," she said with a frown.

"The trial is over," he reassured her. "We can take you to see the Commander and Marcus, if that is what you need." He watched her as she took a sip of her coffee and could see that there was something else on her mind that she wasn't saying. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'd like to see Marcus this morning, if that's okay," she said, getting to her feet. "I'll go and change. You should probably put a shirt on too," she grinned, trying to make light of his question and expression. She wanted to speak to a few people before she left, including Miss Hella, but she knew by his tone that Matteo wouldn't approve, so she decided to speak to Marcus first and ensure she had passed the trial she had put so much effort into.

"I'll bring your bag up if you want to shower," Matteo said, looking at her critically. He knew something was on her mind, and it wasn't like her to be so evasive.

"Thanks," she leaned over and kissed him, giving Ricco a small smile. "Thank you for bringing my stuff over."

"My pleasure," he returned her smile, and the two men watched her walk back upstairs.

"So you told her, I take it?" he asked. "She didn't seem surprised by my offer of a proposal."

"Yeah, we didn't sleep," he admitted, getting to his feet and grabbing her bag.

"I didn't expect you would, but I thought you'd be occupied with better things than talking," Ricco chuckled. "How did she take it?"

"Pretty well, but she knew this was a probability before she came here. She did a lot of research before agreeing to this trial," Matteo informed his brother. "She will need time to come to terms with it though. She doesn't do anything without over thinking it, which is why I am going upstairs. I know something else is on her mind about the trial and leaving here."

"Good luck," Ricco said. "Did our bags arrive? I could use a shower myself."

"I guess so, I haven't checked," he looked down at the tuxedo pants he had grabbed from the floor this morning and chuckled. "Like you said, better things to do, speaking of which..." he grinned and went to the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Matteo stripped off his pants as he entered the bedroom and walked naked into the adjoining bathroom. He stepped into the shower and took Cat into his arms, kissing her. His hands smoothed over her body, and he felt his arousal immediately spring to life.

"Ricco is waiting for us!" she said in a breathless whisper once released from the kiss.

"It's something he has to get used to, just as we have to get used to him being a constant presence," He held up his arm where he once again wore the watch that tied the brothers together.

Matteo kissed her again, his fingers twisting into her hair as his mouth devoured hers, his tongue roughly dancing with hers, his pure animalistic growl drowning out the sound of her own pleasure-filled moan. He forced her up against the wall with the sheer weight of his body, sandwiching her soft, yielding body between his much harder one and the solid surface of the tiled shower wall. One hand trailed down her ribs and around to her backside, his fingers digging into the curve of her ass and lifting her higher against the wall till his hard, throbbing cock was pressing against the softness of her belly. His other hand moulded to her breast, squeezing, as his fingers pinched her nipple to a hard bud.

"Kitten!" he growled as his mouth left hers to trail hotly along her jaw to her neck, his teeth grazing her soft skin, kissing her just as hard there, feeling her pulse racing against his tongue.

Cat gasped for breath as his mouth left hers to move to her neck, her hand gripping the back of his neck for support as he lifted her against him, moaning as he pushed his hard, thick cock against her belly. Her body ached for his, even after the night they had spent together, need and desire for him overcoming her yet again, making her pussy clench and her thighs quiver. Her nails raked the skin of his shoulders as she felt the bite, her yelp turning to a deep purring moan of pure pleasure as his teeth sank into her skin and she arched even closer to him. Her nails raked the smooth skin of his chest, down the muscles of his abdomen, her hot palm gliding lower to wrap around his cock. She felt him jerk in her hand, felt his groan against her neck as she caressed him with sure strokes.

He raised his head, gazing down into her desire filled eyes. He had every intention of making this a quick and easy fuck, but he found that thought escaping his brain looking into her eyes and knowing that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. His hand left her breast to take hold of her chin, tipping her head back far enough that he could see her face fully. His breathing was short and slightly ragged, what blood he had left in his brain was roaring in his ears, fogging his brain, making him forget everything but her hand and what it was doing to his cock.

She stared up at him, into those dark eyes that gazed down at her with lust and desire. She knew exactly what she wanted, or she wouldn't have waved a red flag in front of the raging bull. She had made mistakes in the past, but the biggest one was not being honest about what she wanted. She tightened her fingers on the girth of his cock. She slowly smiled at his sudden intake of breath, purring in pleasure as his cock throbbed in her hand, growing even harder. She slowly stroked him, feeling his hot, hard flesh pulse when she slowly sank to her knees.

His hand squeezed her ass hard as he growled; her hand had stroked him to an even greater state of arousal, pushing a strand of pre-cum from the swollen glands. His breathing hitched when she started to drop to her knees in front of him, and then he hissed through gritted teeth, slapping his hands against the wall above her head for support. He steadied his legs under him when the tip of her tongue touched the sensitive underside of his cock. He stared down at her, his chest heaving as he tried to regain control over his breathing. He watched as she flattened her tongue to the underside of his cock and licked him from base to tip, flicking and swirling her tongue over and around the swollen, smooth head to gather up the pearl of pre-cum.

When she closed her kiss-swollen lips around the girth of his thick cock, taking him as far as she could into her hot, wet mouth, he groaned deeply. He stared down at her, watching as her head started to bob, her lips sealed around his cock, her hand sliding up and down the shaft, stroking what her mouth couldn't contain at that moment, groaning in pure pleasure. He would admit to anyone that he had enjoyed many good blowjobs in the past, but with Cat he always felt like he could lose control rapidly, with his head exploding right along with his cock.

Cat briefly looked up at him as he stared down at her, his lips parted as he breathed, each inhale accompanied by a low hiss, and she would have smiled, but her mouth was full of his thick, throbbing cock. She was so wet and aching with desire for this man, and she sucked his cock harder, her fisted hand sliding along his saliva coated flesh even faster, keeping up with the rhythm of her bobbing head. Her slurping and sucking were almost completely drowned out by the shower and sound of his groans. When he reached down and fisted his hand in her hair, holding her head in place as he started to fuck her mouth, she dropped her hand and moaned, showing him just how well Miss Hella had taught her to suck cock, despite using toys.

She began sucking him even harder, her tongue stroking his swollen glands as he withdrew before thrusting in again. She tasted the steady stream of pre-cum that dribbled down onto her tongue, feeling him grow even harder, thicker in her mouth. She gasped when he suddenly pulled himself out of her mouth and hauled her to her feet, her eyes locking with his. She could tell by the burning desire in his eyes that she had pushed him to even greater need. His mouth came crashing down on hers once again, and she arched against him, kissing him back with just as much passion, just as much burning desire, moaning at the feel of his hot, saliva coated cock pressing insistently against her belly.

Never breaking the kiss, Matteo bent slightly at the knees and hooked one strong arm under the curve of her ass, lifting her against his body. Her mouth swallowed his groan, and she curled her fingers around the back of his head, wrapping her legs around his hips as he positioned himself so the swollen head of his cock rubbed against her pussy. He broke the kiss, staring down at her with lust filled eyes, his chest heaving with every deep breath he drew into his lungs, then he slammed his cock into her, making her cry out loudly. The morning sunlight streamed in through the open curtains, bathing her in its light as the shower continued to bathe her in its water. He stilled for a moment, feeling all of her and looking down on her naked body flush with desire, her breasts with their perfect pink nipples, tight hard buds of flesh, and he felt his cock throb even harder inside her.

He fucked her like a man possessed then, his hands hard and rough against her body as he took her and possessed her. She was his, and no one else mattered. She loved him and desired him in the same way he did her, and he took her as always with a passion he had never known existed before her. He roared loudly as they came together and finally let his knees buckle, carrying them both to the floor of the shower stall.

Cat whimpered into Matteo's chest, coming down from the great high she knew only he could give her. She had soared to highs under the cruel and needful urgings of Hella, but never like this. Never the way Matteo could make her soar to the heights of pleasure. She sat, coming down from her high, clinging to his big, strong body, uncaring of the water the shower rained down on them. Eventually, Matteo moved to pull down the soap and a soft loofah and began to wash her and himself slowly and gently. She let out a soft purring sigh of pleasure and nuzzled into him further.

*****

"I understand you wanted to talk to me before leaving this afternoon, Catriona," Bruno said as Cat took her seat in front of his desk. "Would you prefer to speak alone?" he indicated Marcus at his side, and Matteo, who stood with Ricco behind her chair.

"Our relationship has always been built on absolute honesty, and I have no wish to change that now, nor make Matteo doubt me by sending them away," she said quietly, lacing her fingers in her lap.

"Very good. First, let me apologise for any embarrassment Hella caused you last night," he said somewhat stiffly. "It was a gross breach of protocol and was contained from anyone else at the ball knowing of your relationship to her." He explained apologetically.

"I, too, could have handled the situation better," Cat admitted. "I am sure Marcus is well versed in handling such issues, and I trust him to do so," she smiled up at the tall heir to the Battaglia family.

"How can I help you this morning?" Bruno asked, leaning back in his chair looking more relaxed.

"I would like to know that when I leave my trial will be complete and that any report to Roberto or a member of his family will reflect that," she said without beating around the bush. "After last night's incident, where I could have behaved better, I would like your reassurance that the report will be a positive one, regardless," she got to what she needed to know.

"All reports I have received concerning your behaviour here at the facility have been glowing. A single incident that was not of your making will not reflect on you at all," Bruno spread his hands palm up as if to dismiss the whole incident.

"I would like the opportunity to see a few people I have spent time with during my trial before I leave," she said in the same quiet voice. "Including Hella, if I may."

"Who would these people be?" Bruno asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aside of Hella, of course. I will allow you to see her if you are accompanied by Marcus."

"I'd also like to properly thank the three ladies who made my dress for the ball," she said. "And I would like to see Nymph, please."

"Nymph?" Bruno queried, looking up at Marcus.

"A young woman in training to be a Kept. I believe she and Cat formed a friendship during their time here," Marcus informed his father. "Marina can gather the seamstresses together, and I can take her to see both Hella and Nymph."

"Was that all you needed, Miss Leone?" Bruno asked.

"I..." Cat took a steadying breath. She had thought about this all morning deciding what the right thing to do would be. She worried about Matteo's reaction and how the man she was talking to would take it, but she decided that it was for the best that she made the small complaint. "I would like to talk to Nero about one of his nurses who was unnecessarily cruel and demeaning to the girls when left alone with them at the hospital, including me."

"Get Nero in here now!" Bruno snapped at Marcus, who had already fished his phone out of his pocket. After Hella's breach of protocol last night, to have a second complaint from this young woman was unbearable for the older man. His family's reputation could not sustain it if word got out about mistreatment of the hospital patients. So many families used the facility as a drug rehabilitation facility and trusted the Battaglia with their sons and daughters. He doubted that such a nurse would dare to treat a known family member with anything but respect, but the idea that any of the people who came here for sanctuary and a new life could be scared away during the medical portion of the training sickened him.