The Twelve Vitali Ch. 31

"In a nutshell," Roberto agreed.

"And..." she continued as she became more certain of her assumptions. "Ricco is packing, so he has agreed to your plan. I am guessing it must be Matteo who doesn't like this plan, and the one you would like me to convince to go with you. Tell me, is he upset that you have dictated the plan and he feels he has no control over what is happening? Or is it that he will have to leave me alone and, in his eyes, unprotected that has made him refuse to go along with want you want?"

"Both, possibly, but I also think he is annoyed at Ricco for agreeing to leave without talking it over with his brother first," Stefano gave her a sly smile.

"I have never been able to convince him to give me any form of extra freedom since the wedding. Ricco always manages to talk him around if he is being too controlling. You are asking the wrong person to do this for you," she shrugged.

"No, we aren't. Matteo and Ricco are together talking about the situation as we speak," Stefano chuckled. "You will still be a crucial voice in this plan though, and if you ask him to stay, he will."

"I know," she said honestly. "I think you haven't factored in how much I need Ricco's wisdom, as well as Matt's. I think I will go up and help him pack. I will bear everything you have said in mind, but I won't influence Matteo's decisions if he is determined not to go. I would never send him away just because you told me to. However, if, as you hope, Ricco has convinced him of the importance of this plan, I will not stop him from going either."

"That's fair," Stefano admitted.

"If he agrees to go, I would like a different security man, any of the others will do, but I don't want Bradbury to remain with me. I have never been comfortable with him," Cat admitted. "Bradbury said I reminded him of someone he used to know, but the story he gave me didn't ring true," she shrugged.

"If you were familiar to him, and the story of the Tatar is true, then perhaps having him with us would be for the best," Stefano mused. "If he is with the people behind the subterfuge, then we will find out soon enough. If he is an innocent man, then no harm is done. You are an intelligent girl, Catriona. Trust in that and your gut feelings, and Matteo will too, in time."

"Maybe, but I don't mind his protective nature, it's comforting to me. I think I will go now, thank you for telling me what was happening," she smiled and stood from the table, walking toward the exit.

The two men watched the hulking Bradbury fall into step behind her, alert and sweeping the room with his gaze. Stefano couldn't feel any malice from the bodyguard; in fact, he felt nothing at all from the big man, which was strange.

*****

"Well, that was interesting!" Cat had walked determinedly into Matteo's office where both he and Ricco sat talking quietly, surprising them both with her statement. "This day has been a rollercoaster, and your fathers are worried that you are going to have a tantrum and refuse to leave unless I scold you like a naughty boy! I'm not your mother, Matteo, I shouldn't have to do this! You are the Chair, and you need to do what is necessary to keep this family safe without people having to tell you to suck it up and trust me to be safe here without you watching my every step!"

"I was just..." Ricco started, but she cut him off.

"As for you," she turned on Ricco. "You're a team, closer than any two brothers can be! Why would you just accede to anyone's wishes without taking Matt and me into consideration? They can ask, but we, the three of us, should have been able to at least discuss it! The outcome wouldn't have changed, but this, what's happening right now, could have been a very different farewell!" she ran out of steam as she looked at them both, clearly not happy with either of them.

Matteo said nothing, getting up from his chair and coming around his desk to pull her into his arms and hold her close.

"Neither of you thought dealing with Ned's death was enough of a drama for me to deal with today? You had to put me through that late lunch with your fathers?" Cat asked sullenly.

"I'm sorry," Matteo said contritely. "The thought of leaving you here alone, even for just a few days..." he stopped, stepping back to look at her as she laughed derisively.

"I haven't been alone since I met you! This family doesn't even understand the meaning of the word! I bet your brothers and cousins are downstairs right now drawing straws to find out who gets babysitting duty first!" she laughed mirthlessly.

"None of them feels that way," Ricco interceded, seeing her becoming angrier with them. "We just want to keep you safe, and so do they. They would be volunteering, not drawing straws," he corrected her.

"Come sit with us, and we'll talk now," Matteo pulled her gently towards his chair and pulled her into his lap, holding her possessively as if he was scared to let her go again.

"What's the point?" she asked with a sigh. "Your fathers have already decided on the best course of action, and you have both agreed to it. Even reluctantly you have agreed, or they wouldn't have asked me to encourage you or make it easy for you by supporting the decisions made about what would happen while you are gone. I just wish I had heard it from you."

"I'm sorry," Matteo said contritely again. "There was a second letter, and we are trying to avoid the threat it implies. What we are going to do is important, if that helps at all."

"I know neither of you would leave if it weren't important," Cat's tone softened. "You're the Chair now, or you will be. It's your responsibility to do this, regardless of your personal feelings of leaving me alone," she shook her head as if her being alone in this family would ever happen. "Ricco, too. You were right to agree to go, because you need to go make sure of the situation and smooth the way with the Tatar if they are being used as a catalyst without their knowledge. It was that you didn't stop to think about us before you said yes to your father's plan."

"You were all I thought of!" Ricco exclaimed. "This is the only way to find out for sure if the grandfather is real or not. At the moment we are assuming it is some elaborate hoax for someone else's agenda. There is always that little bit of hope though, and I want to find out for sure, for you and your peace of mind. That sliver of hope could drive you crazy with wondering if we don't follow this through. We've reached out in the normal ways, but the Tatar hasn't responded, so we must go to them now and risk insulting them by going into their territory uninvited."

"He already explained to me why he accepted the plan so quickly," Matteo said gently. "I will go as well. You're right, it is important, not only for our family but for the Martino's. We don't even know if their table is aware of the accusations, let alone if they are true. We don't want a feud that feeds back through the tables, dividing the families. Ours has always been a difficult relationship with the Martino's because we are so close in location and business dealings."

"Then what was with the late lunch and your fathers?" she asked confused.

"Matteo may have not been as accepting of the situation, initially," Ricco chuckled.

Cat considered Ricco. What he had done, and what he had been doing for the last few months was handling Matteo. It was what he did for them all. He had spent his life studying his siblings, and, as she thought about him, she knew that he managed them all. He knew how to approach them, what to say to ease anxiety and tension, as well as how to get them to talk about the things they didn't share with anyone else.

Ricco had grown up with the certainty that his twin, Jacobi, would be the Chair and he would be Oracle. While Jacobi could see problems in situations and fix them for the better, Ricco could do the same with his family and the people close to the family. He had taught himself the skills and created those bonds with his siblings with the Oracle position in mind. He could read and manage Matteo's authoritative and controlling personality especially well, and she wondered how she would survive without having him here to lean on every day.

"Everything, okay?" he asked, noticing her staring at him deep in thought.

"Do you know how long you will be away?" Cat asked quietly.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "As long as it takes, would be my guess."

A soft knock at the door made them all turn to look at Lisa, who stood there quietly. She waited for an acknowledgement before speaking and seemed genuinely apologetic.

"Lisa?" Matteo said, inclining his head toward her.

"Your father is here and asking to speak with you, Master Matteo," she said softly.

"Show him in," Ricco said before Matteo could speak. "I need to shower and finish packing if I am leaving tonight." He looked at Cat, smiling, planning on taking her to help him with both the packing and the shower. "Shall we?" he stood holding his hand out to Cat.

"Sure," she smiled. "You know where to find us when you're done," she kissed Matteo lightly and slipped from his lap. She took Ricco's hand and squealed as he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the door.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm not happy to have a few minutes alone with you before I leave," he chuckled. "See you in there, bro, don't take too long." Ricco grinned and began walking to the bedroom. "You know he'll hurry through that meeting, and we'll be interrupted soon," he grinned, placing her on her feet, closing the door behind him and unzipping the dress she wore. He leaned down to kiss her as he slid the dress off her shoulders.

"Shower," she wrinkled her nose at him, making him chuckle and drag her with him into the bathroom.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Ricco said as he stripped and ran the water, turning with a smile to see her fully naked andeager. He pulled her into the shower with him to hold her close and kiss her deeply.

He stepped back and picked up the soap, taking a moment to admire her body as he began to slide the soap over her shoulder and across her breasts. He had always loved her svelte curves, and he was looking forward to those curves becoming more pronounced with each stage of her pregnancy. He hated to miss a moment of that time with her. He knew that without this amazing, beautiful, and loving woman the successes he was experiencing both professionally and personally might not have occurred.

He spent more time than was necessary soaping her breasts until she sighed in pleasure and took the soap from his hands. She began to follow the same path as his soapy hands remained on her breasts for the moment.

"What am I going to do without you here?" Cat sighed.

"You can never truly be without me now, you belong to me in a way no one else ever could, and I, you. I will never leave you, even when you left me last year I never stopped loving you. Don't start doubting that now," he murmured and pulled her close, smacking her wet ass. It echoed loudly in the large shower, and he smacked her again just to hear it as he kissed her deeply. Ricco took the soap and quickly soaped up most of his body as Cat watched, admiring the glistening beads of water and bubbles of soap that dripped down his chest and stomach towards his cock which showed his arousal.

Cat closed the gap between them as he rinsed off the grime of the day. She kissed him tenderly, and his hands went around her, still holding the soap to glide smoothly over her ass. He bent his head to nibble at her neck, and, as he felt her hand wrap around his cock, he slid his hand between her legs. Cat moaned softly as his fingers began to work into her, rubbing the soapy slipperiness against her clit. The water splashed over them in the big shower as they each used their hands on the other, building their arousal to the point of urgency.

Ricco leaned back against the tiled wall, picking up her leg to curl over his hip and bending his legs to enter her slowly and delicately, treasuring the feeling of her hot wet cunt as he sheathed himself within her. The soap in his hand ran between the cheeks of her ass as they ground against each other until he was fully embedded.

"Make some room, and I'll help you with that if you like. You seem to be struggling with such a hot package, little brother," Matteo chuckled as he stepped into the large shower, lifting Cat's other leg and stepping close to her, taking some of the weight.

"You need the soap more than we do," Cat said breathlessly, not surprised hearing his voice behind her.

"You could be right about that," he caressed the open cheeks of her ass, making her purr softly into Ricco's neck. He took the soap from Ricco's hand and stepped under the water, taking the spray away from Ricco, who gripped Cat's ass with both hands and began to move her up and down on his cock.

Minutes later Cat gasped when she felt the soap move between her ass cheeks again. Opening her eyes, she saw Ricco smile tightly, watching the mixture of emotions play across her face as Matteo coerced the tight anal muscle open with his soapy fingers. She whimpered and gasped for breath and could feel Ricco pull her cheeks wider as Matteo embedded his fingers deep inside her.

Ricco leaned forward and kissed her deeply, feeling her arms tighten around his neck as she rocked with the movement of the fingers invading her ass. He loved the sounds she made, and the look of simultaneous pain and pleasure on her face as Matteo worked to open her up to him.

Cat felt a strange mix of sensation as she was held between the two men she loved. She felt the fingers withdraw from her, and Matteo step up behind her. She broke the kiss with Ricco and lifted her head slightly, bracing for what was to come as her eyes locked on Ricco's. She could see the heat and lust in his eyes as he studied her face. She could also feel the hardness of Matteo's cock as he rubbed it against her ass, its slippery surface mixing with the soap that coated her now inside and out, and she knew at that moment she wanted this more than any other time they had both penetrated her at the same time.

Matteo pressed up against her, finding the right position and moving his hands between her body and Ricco's to grip her breasts as he began to push his way slowly into her ass. It was unbelievably tight, and he groaned as the head of his cock popped through the barrier and her tight ring threatened to strangle him below it. It was an awkward position, but it felt so good, he gave her barely a minute to adjust before pushing further into her, listening to her mewl loudly as she tried not to cry out in painful pleasure.

"Fuck!" Ricco growled, his eyes glued to Cat's face as he felt his brother's cock enter her ass through the thin membrane that separated them. Unable to help himself, he bucked his hips, feeling the awkwardness of the position, and groaned loudly.

Cat felt the strength and power of the two men, and at that moment gave herself over to the sensation of not only their cocks but their hands and bodies that pressed against her. She felt Matteo's cheek caress hers as he leaned in, his body curving to her position. She turned her head and kissed him as they started to move, the awkward position hampering them at first until they found some rhythm. She started to come, and, floating on a cloud of painful pleasure, she trembled and spasmed as they held her in place, one coming after the other, filling her to overfull.

Matteo staggered back, leaning against the wall underneath the streaming water as Ricco's legs buckled, carrying him and Cat to the floor of the shower stall. Matteo cleaned himself again before helping Cat to her feet and tenderly holding her and helping her wash off the evidence of their lovemaking before making room for Ricco. They towelled off slowly, both helping Cat as she took the time to come down from the high she still felt. They lay on the bed together for a few moments before Ricco moved to get up and dress, knowing he had a time limit to pack and join Stefano for the trip inland.

*****

Despite her protestations, neither Ricco nor Matteo had budged on removing Bradbury from his position of guarding Cat, a fact she had been less than happy about when Matteo had left the following day for Canberra. She had felt at an immediate loss once they were gone, and she knew they weren't just downstairs in their company offices, only minutes away if she ever needed them. For the first time since meeting Matteo, she felt truly alone, despite the people around her.

Theresa had arrived with her assistant within an hour of Matteo and Roberto leaving, and called Arturo in to sit with them as they went over the schedule she had mapped out for the follow weeks now that Cat was back in the city until the renovations and building at the house of the hill were mostly complete.

Cat insisted that Arturo carve out some painting time each day, despite the calendar Theresa seemed hell-bent on creating for her. It seemed that each of her brothers-in-law, and most of the other men of the table, had sent lunch and or dinner invitations for the following days.

"I'm going to be as big as a house if I accept all the invitations and events that Theresa wants me to," Cat sighed, as Arturo sent the latest revision of her calendar diary.

"Can I give you some advice? You can take it or tell me to shove it, but..." he trailed off.

"Everyone else is, there is no reason you shouldn't!" Cat rolled her eyes and immediately regretted her abruptness. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Please, tell me what you're thinking."

"How brave are you feeling?" Arturo asked, changing his mind and realising he would need to say what he needed to say where she would be more receptive to it.

"Why? What do you have in mind?" Cat frowned at him.

"I have said right from the beginning that if you gave me this job and the chance to be part of this family in a very real way that I would be loyal to you, not to Matt or Ric, loyal to you. I haven't always understood what that will entail, or who you were as a person, but I believe I do now, and I want you to trust me to always have your best interests at heart," Arturo said. "Now, how brave are you feeling?"

"Pretty brave. What do you have in mind?" she asked again.

"We're going out for a little while, and, before you protest, Knox can drive, Bradbury can escort, and, if you really feel the need, we can take Lucca or Zion with us," Arturo said.

"Where are we going?" she asked again.

"Football training, so you might want to change," he eyed the designer dress she wore.

"Why?" she asked, shocked by his answer.

"It's important. Can you just trust me, please?" Arturo asked, seeing a spark of curiosity in her expression now. "I'll call Knox and Bradbury while you change."

"Okay," she said slowly, showing her uncertainty. She knew David was helping Frankie train a team of troubled boys now, and she had been wanting to go and watch, the way she used to when he had been playing for the club himself. "If we are going to the Football club there is no need to worry Lucca or Zion about it."

"Worry Lucca about what?" Lucca asked, walking into the office Cat shared with Arturo unannounced.

"Arturo and I were going to go and watch Frankie and David's team practice," Cat said. "Bradbury and Knox will go with us, so there is no need to worry."

"Sounds like fun, I'm in," Lucca said. "Maybe we can pick up some burgers on the way for dinner. I'm so tired of this moonboot, getting out to the footy club would be great."

Half an hour later Cat sat in the back of the car between Arturo and Lucca, dressed in jeans and an oversized jersey she had found in Ricco's closet. They'd arrived and surprised Frankie and David as they climbed up into the bleachers to watch their training session. Cat enjoyed the session, as old friends who had been longtime members of the club came to greet her and talk to her, many of them unsympathetic about Ned's demise and happy for her good fortune in her marriage.