The Twelve Zenati Pt. 17

"We were just talking about our lack of skill in the kitchen," Vivienne laughed. "Neither of our mothers were able to teach us much." She purposely glossed over why that was.

"Well... that works out well then," Emma grinned. "Junie and the other ladies are making all of us younger wives attend the Christmas baking day at the end of next month, and as you are both now part of the Zenati family, you'll be on my team. There are so many different types of Christmas treats, depending on where you come from and your family background, that it will be more like a bake-off between the generations than anything else. Not that I am competitive or anything," she grinned. "So, between now and then, we'll be getting together to compare and refine our family recipes for biscotti, pizzelle, cuccidati, you know the basics."

"My grandmother used to bake the best fig and almond biscotti," Vivienne said. "Maybe I can get the recipe for you."

"That would be awesome! Once Dominic is back on his feet, and the girls and I have our get-togethers, you have to come. There are no more excuses about being new to the family. Just like the men all work together, so do we," Emma said.

"What sort of work?" Olivia asked, unsure if she should be included. It wasn't like she and Genesis were even engaged, let alone married like Vivienne and Gideon.

"Well, a variety of things really, mostly family related. We get to know the larger context of the family, and all of those who come to the annual gathering, which is only two weeks away. We do quite a bit of charity work, though we just follow the lead of Junie and the other ladies. It's good though, because it gives us a feel of the charities that we will continue to support when we take over the reins of the family. Mostly, we organise family celebrations and gatherings, although we still follow Junie's lead for that at the moment, as well," Emma sighed. "It can be a little frustrating at times, being the understudy."

"I don't think... I mean Genesis and I aren't, well..." in the face of the force of nature that was Emma Zenati, Olivia struggled to put her thoughts into words.

"Oh, sweetheart," Emma said, as if apologising again. "I know that I am jumping the gun again in your case, but I have no doubt that you and Gen will be the next to marry. Unless, of course, Noah works his magic on your sister sooner than we all think."

"What? No," Olivia said, shaking her head and almost laughing at the idea that Marcella would ever consider marrying anyone, let alone one of the men from the twelve families. If Apollo couldn't convince her, she doubted that Noah would have any chance at all. "That won't happen," Olivia giggled.

"From the little bit that I overheard, I think he intends to try to get her to come back. We just have to give them some space to work things out for themselves. There's more going on than anyone realises, I think, but if I have learned anything about Noah lately, it's that he is a strong and determined man when he decides to do something. So, I wouldn't be so sure that she won't be back, and be back with him," Emma grinned.

"Even I don't think that's very likely," Vivienne said seriously in the face of Olivia's giggles. "She has a lot of trust issues when it comes to men." She didn't add that that it was men of the Tables that she didn't trust.

"Ooh well, I bet you Noah and Marcella will come to the family gathering together, as a couple. If they do, you have to join my baking team against the older ladies. If they don't, I will come here and give you both cooking lessons, twice a week for the whole month of November." She smiled slyly at them.

"I could use some personal cooking lessons," Vivienne laughed. "What about you, Olivia?"

"Win or lose, I think we will get them," Olivia giggled shyly.

"No interference by anyone. Not you or me or Olivia or any of our partners on our behalf. We give them the next two weeks, until the gathering, to work things out for themselves," Emma stipulated.

"That won't be hard, Marcella left, and Noah is the only one who knows where she is at the moment," Vivienne sighed sadly. "I can't even call her because we kept all of her personal belongings when she was admitted to hospital." It was no wonder that she had run when they had treated her like a prisoner with no way to leave that room.

"Then the bet is entirely about whether Noah can convert his professional courtroom skills of persuasion into his personal life," Emma announced with a smile. "And I am betting that he can."

"Okay, I'm in," Vivienne said. "But I would have helped you with the bake-off, anyway."

"Olivia?" Emma inclined her head.

"I'll have to check with Genesis. I don't know when my next hearing with the AFP will be. They still don't believe my story and are constantly asking for further information. It's like they think I knew what Remington was doing, but I didn't. He didn't tell me anything about his business," she sighed.

"Oh, honey, this will help you keep your mind off all of that. Trust me, Noah and Armando won't let them arrest you. Who knows, you might even enjoy getting to know the rest of our little group. Beverley, Orlando's wife, is hilarious, honestly. She's as mad as a hatter, but she has a heart of gold. It will be fun, I promise," Emma said. "I tell you what, the girls and I will work out a schedule and come and give you a few basic lessons in the time left before the gathering. You'll see how much fun you can have with us. In fact, I will call Bev right now and organise the first one."

Before either Vivienne or Olivia could say no, Emma swept them along with her plans. The truth was that she needed a new project, and it seemed that the sisters were as good, if not better, a cause than much of the charity work they did. These women needed to know what it was like belonging to a happy, loving family that trusted each other, and as she couldn't help Marcella until Noah had worked his magic, she had decided to concentrate her energies on Olivia. It was a far better use of her time than sitting around the hospital while Dominic got straight back into work, even though he would need further treatment for a little while yet.

*****

"Are you ready for this?" Xavier asked Dominic. "They're on their way up."

"You have no idea," Dominic grinned evilly. "Thank you for not making me stay in that bed and miss all this," he said, sincerely. Noah needed space to do what he needed, and Dominic was going to make sure that he got it. He knew how hard it was to come to terms with the fact that the woman that you love may never be yours. He had believed that Emma would always belong to his brother until the Table had been named and he discovered how easy an intimate relationship with Xavier could be. It wouldn't be that easy for Noah though, and he felt for him. They'd grown so close since he had been diagnosed, and he knew that Xavier and Emma felt the same. He had no problems doing what Noah had asked of them. He just wished that he could do more.

"Thank Noah. Personally, I wouldn't mind letting Emma wrap you in cotton wool and coddle you for a few more days. You only came out of surgery yesterday, Dom. No one expects you to be Superman. We better make this quick, before she comes back from her little mission and demands to do that coddling," Xavier chuckled.

"I'm allergic to cotton wool, and it's not like Hector is letting me out of his sight anyway, now that I've moved in here." He added his own chuckle to Xavier's. "Emma will be fine. She knows what's going on."

"Knowing and liking you pushing yourself to be involved are two different things," Xavier warned as the main members of their Table slowly started filling the room, including Gideon and Genesis, who naturally looked around for Noah and frowned at seeing Dominic within their midst.

"Great, make yourselves as comfortable as you can get. This room isn't really set up for large gatherings like this, especially when Dom insists on sitting on his big-ass throne like a king," Xavier chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Where's Noah?" Gideon asked quietly as he came to stand beside Xavier, confusion showing in his voice.

"Give me a minute, and I'll explain to everyone at the same time," Xavier said, the authority of his position entering his voice. He raised his voice over the quietening murmurs of the men he led and launched into the reason they had all been gathered here. "If you could all hold off on asking questions until I am done, that will speed this up immensely. I have had the same meeting with Anthony and Gianni today, who are, at this moment, filling in their own Table." He paused and looked around the room as the men finally fell silent and looked at him, expectantly. Rather than continuing on, he looked to Dominic.

"It will take some time to recover fully, but I am well enough, already, to be able to contribute and take back my position from Noah, who has requested a leave of absence," Dominic began and held up his hand as murmurs began around them. "In his absence, I will be resuming most of my duties, with support, and Armando will take over his legal duties with the AFP, Olivia's case in particular. Noah has ensured that Armando has all the files and information needed, should anything occur in his absence." He looked at the shock on Genesis' face, but his cousin eventually nodded, not arguing the statement.

"Noah is undertaking a sensitive project for us, and for that reason, he will be out of communication with everyone except myself and/or Dominic. If you see him in the public sector at any time over the next week or two, we ask that you ignore him. Turn and walk in the opposite direction if at all possible. Not to do this may put his life at risk, so think carefully before taking matters into your own hands." These men could all be emotionally driven at times, particularly Gideon, who would be the most likely to break this rule if Xavier hadn't put it in terms of life and death. "Orlando, we are asking both yourself and Claudio to pull back your watchers at this time, too."

"Papa will blow a gasket!" Orlando blurted.

"No, he won't. For the next week, two at the most, Noah is off the grid," Xavier said and looked at them all. "We expect that you will inform the seconds not to approach him if they see him. It's important that you trust us about this and do as we ask."

"What about Marcella?" Genesis asked. "I heard that he located her earlier today."

"We have eyes on her, but dragging her back would serve no purpose at this time, except to prove that we are yet another Table that will imprison her as we tried to last night. She is more resourceful than perhaps anyone gave her credit for," Dominic said shortly. "Thanks for going out to pick up my phone and wallet for me, Val." He nodded his head at his brother, who grinned back.

"She has been given the option to return, if she so chooses, but I believe that she has declined that offer, although I am sure she will be in contact with her sister eventually. She still has concerns about the investigation being conducted by the AFP." Xavier took over answering the unasked questions. "We're still assisting the AFP, in conjunction with the seers loaned to us by the Tatar people, and this is a highly sensitive and volatile undertaking. We expect everyone to continue with the investigations they have been assigned to and to liaise with us each day by email, if not in person," he continued, moving onto other business. He planned on talking to Genesis and Gideon privately at the end of the meeting regarding his wife's project involving Vivienne and Olivia.

The conversation went on, with each man discussing what discoveries they had made, if any, over the last few days and plans for the near future. Dominic watched the interplay between Genesis and Gideon. He and Xavier would have to talk to them again before they left about giving Noah space to deal with his issues on his own, and in his own way. They couldn't afford to send them on dubious errands out of state, not that Genesis would leave Olivia, but they needed to find some way to make them back off and give him the space he asked for, regardless of what happened before his departure.

*****

"I thought that we agreed that you'd wear the fuck-me heels?" Noah drawled, looking over Marcella as she reappeared in a short, flowing dress and casual slip-on shoes.

"That wasn't part of the agreement," Marcella almost snarled. "Forgotten who's in charge already?" she goaded him.

"In my head, it was part of the agreement," he complained. In his mind, there were a lot of benefits that were part of this agreement that she probably would correct his thinking on. He only had to deal with it for a week, possibly two, and then he could correct her thinking instead, he thought smugly.

"You'll do," she said flippantly, after overtly letting her eyes travel from his face, down his body and back again. "Let's go and make this look legit then."

"Anything you say, Shnookums," he gave her a sly grin as he spoke.

"Shnookums is definitely off the table," she growled.

"Better than some of the names that I could call you right now," he growled in return. "Let's go, sweetie-pie. Without my real name to pull strings, we don't have much time before the stores shut," he smirked, determined to come up with the perfect pet name for her by trying out as many as he could this evening.

"This name calling thing goes both ways, don't forget, poodle," she countered as she gave him a fake smile and batted her lashes at him.

"Poodle?" he queried, running a hand through the messy waves of his hair. Normally he would have styled his hair into submission with product, but this was the casual disguise that he adopted from time to time. "Says the girl with out of control curls," he chuckled.

"Because you're a dog, expecting me to wear fuck-me heels when you have blackmailed me into this agreement," she snarled at him and hated that her words only made him chuckle more.

"But a poodle?" he asked, between snickers.

"Oh yes, a small dog, who thinks he's bigger than what he is." She let her eyes drop down to his belt. "All bark and no bite," she quipped smugly.

"Oh, trust me. You couldn't be more wrong about that," he waggled his eyebrows. "But I won't bite you. Unless you ask me to, of course. You're the boss, after all."

"Okay, let's go," Marcella commanded, and they left the suite, heading toward the entrance through the populated parts of the casino. No one gave them a second look. Maybe Noah was right and being part of a couple took away much of the scrutiny she had been enduring when she had gone for a swim earlier. She hated that he was right most of the time, and her mood darkened. Fucking Noah, coming to find her. Why couldn't he have just left her alone?

As they approached the lobby, Noah took advantage of the moment and took Marcella's hand in his. They were posing as a couple after all. Her hand felt so small and delicate in his, and it would be easy to forget what a tough bitch she could be when she felt it was needed. Ever the gentlemen, he went to help her into the passenger's side of the car, but she stalled and narrowed her eyes at him before snatching the keys and moving to the driver's side. He chuckled at her antics and slid into the passenger's seat, wondering if this would be the ride from hell.

"I take it that you have a place in mind to shop, then," he said, once she was situated and had adjusted the seat and mirrors to suit her much smaller frame.

"I'm sure you won't have any trouble playing navigator and telling me where to go," she grumbled, seeing her error now. It would have been easier just to let him drive, but she hadn't been able to resist testing his resolve to let her take the lead.

They drove in relative silence, apart from the occasional instruction from Noah to turn here or go there. When they finally pulled up to a small shopping village, she was surprised. She had expected that he would have wanted to head into the city. She was even more surprised by the quaint little jewellery shop and its unusual array of sparkling pendants, bracelets and rings.

"Choose one," he said magnanimously, sweeping his arm over the display case.

"Isn't that your job?" she asked in return, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"I would, but somehow I doubt that anything I chose would be suitable, so I am just cutting down on the rejection due to time constraints," he shrugged.

"I'd like to see what you'd choose. You choose three, and I will choose three, and then we can compare before I decide," Marcella said, pushing Noah to be part of this process. It was his idea, after all, and he didn't need to act like buying her a ring was the last thing he wanted to do. She felt a small sting from his nonchalance. The kiss they had shared had obviously affected her way more than him. Still, she was in charge, and she could have a little fun with this. She could make his life extraordinarily difficult this week and take her revenge for his rejection of her. Kissing was one thing, they had never had trouble with that. It was when she tried to take it further that he continually backed off.

The buying of the ring, something that he should be in full control of, would be irritating him, she had no doubt, and she smiled as the small man behind the counter assembled the six rings that they had chosen for her to inspect. While the rings she chose weren't exactly over the top ostentatious, they looked gaudy and unrefined next to the three beautifully-designed rings that Noah had chosen. All them had similar carats of diamonds, but it was the simplicity of the design that set them apart. She tried on all six, studying her hand and feeling the weight of the rings.

"That one may catch on your clothes, or other things, if you aren't careful," he said of one of the rings, being practical about the process. Marcella hated that he had chosen so perfectly for her. Her small hands looked awkward with the larger rocks that she had chosen, but the small stones, banded by smaller ones, again seemed to sit better. She was continually drawn to a ring that she thought had an onyx stone. Its blackness was surrounded by brilliant white diamonds, as well as along the top of the band. It was an unusual shape, and when she went back to try it on the third time, she caught the small smile that Noah was trying to hide.

"Can you tell me what the stone is? It's black like onyx, but something is just a little different, like it's too shiny or sparkly to be onyx," Marcella asked, genuinely curious, despite Noah's obvious pleasure that she liked a ring that he had chosen.

"Black diamond," the salesman informed her.

"Seriously?" she asked, gazing at it again. "That's a shame," she sighed, remembering that Vivienne had told her that the Zenati men gave their wives-to-be a black diamond engagement ring. It would be far too obvious if she chose that, and she had no intention of continuing the charade once she had what she needed from this agreement.

"Why is that a shame?" the salesman asked, in dismay.

"Oh, a close friend of mine got engaged and married recently, and she has a black diamond engagement ring. I want something unique to me. I mean, who wants to be called a copycat on the best day of her life, right, hunnybunny?" She snuggled into Noah's side and was surprised to feel his hand wrap around her waist.

"If you don't mind me making a suggestion or two, I have a few rings that I think you will find are quite unique," the salesman offered. He went to a different counter, bending down to obviously lift a drawer from its slot, before bringing it to them and placing it before them to have a look. Noah raised an eyebrow at her, after a cursory look, and gave her a half smile.

"Your suggestions?" Marcella asked the salesman, curiously.