Olivia quietly manoeuvred around the kitchen, finding plates and cutlery as well as a stack of paper napkins for the food that would arrive with Gideon. She wasn’t sure she followed the whole of what was going on but what had started with just Armando and Isaac visiting to ask a few questions had expanded into a full investigation with Zanto and Orlando arriving. Their arrival was followed by the set up of several monitors and the video presence of Xavier and Dom in their dining room. Armando had made calls of his own and Claudio had arrived with Anthony and Gianni. The room felt crowded, and she was at a loss until Gideon called, and Genesis organised him to bring food for the men in her dining room, all talking loudly and studying various computer screens.
If she was honest, Olivia was glad she had something to keep her busy until Vivienne got there and she would have the excuse to slink away and hide from the drama she had inadvertently caused. Or at least she thought this was all because of her. If she let herself dwell on it, she might begin to panic again so she kept fussing in the kitchen organising everything the men at the table would need to eat and drink while they continued working. For the first time, she was grateful for Emma’s interference in her life because she knew where everything was in the kitchen and could feel useful instead of the constant invalid who needed looking after.
“You doing okay, Little one?” Genesis asked as he walked in to check on her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the top of her head.
“it’s nice to be busy doing something,” she said quietly returning his hug. “I’d rather be in here doing something useful than in there with all that stuff. It’s too much to follow when everyone talks at the same time.”
“We think we know who killed Remington. We need to find proof of our suspicions. It’s important not only for you but to help Noah keep Marcella safe and bring her home to us eventually,” Genesis explained the basics of what they had found out so far. It wasn’t much and hinged on a lot of supposition right now, but it felt right, and they were all keen to follow it through.
“I don’t think she will. Come back with Noah. I mean,” Olivia said quietly. “I know you all think that this curse thing can conquer anything but Marcie is different, she’s… I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t think she will ever trust anyone to keep her safe or bring her home. She does those things herself on her own or at least in her own way, you know? If she comes back here at all, it will be on her own terms for her own reasons.”
“Noah is different too,” Genesis chuckled. “It would be dangerous to underestimate him, especially when he wants something badly enough.”
“The thing is,” she said, drawing in a breath to bolster her courage. “Noah or you or Gideon. None of you come into a relationship alone. If I love you, I have to love all of them,” she looked out into the dining room. “It’s a package deal, and I don’t think any of you realise how overwhelming that can be. Maybe not to someone who grew up close to the larger part of the family, like Vivienne, but me and especially Marcella, she’s…” Olivia gave up and sighed. “I can’t explain it, but I keep trying to tell you all, he won’t bring her back, not for good, and if the curse is real and he needs or wants to stay with her, he won’t either.”
Genesis’s eyes widened. The thought that he could lose his brother to his curse breaker had never crossed his mind. Dread swelled in him because he knew he would have left the family if they hadn’t embraced the sweet woman in his arms and all the drama that came along with her including living and working with the head of the Northern Clans of the Suebi before he found her. They would have had the right to dismiss her, but they didn’t, and thankfully, he was spared that decision. Noah, on the other hand, was fighting the years of mental abuse Marcella had suffered at the hands of not only her father and uncle who were the worst but also her mother and sisters. He had to admit if only to himself that there was a good chance Olivia was right, and the thought of losing his brother like that sliced through his heart.
Gideon and Vivienne arrived then, and the kitchen island was turned into a buffet set up as boxes of pizza and pasta were unpacked, and serving utensils were found for them all. The men slowly got up one or two at a time drawn by the sight and smell of the food to fill plates and go back to the table to continue their investigations each working to their own strengths to find the missing links they believed had to be there.
Isaac had found the initial link and everything had spun out from there. Madonna Schwann was the daughter of the woman Olivia had known as Aunty Bea. Her real name was Beatrice Annegret Kottman – Schwann. It was the deceased husband and son that became the focus of the investigation now as Isaac believed that Schwann was most likely to become the next leader of the northern Clans on the death of the last leader. That was until their lives had been cut short, leaving Remy with the most substantial claim to the mantle. Bea it seemed had been poised to become the Queen of the clan and mistress of the mansion. Then Remy took over the property, once the power plays for the top spot had fizzled out, and had offered Bea the housekeeper role so she wouldn’t have to leave what had essentially been her home for most of her life.
The proof of the story they had sketched out from their investigations so far and Madonna’s role in the clans seemed as elusive as the woman herself. She was like a shadow of a woman never actually appearing in the light of any company records or property sales. She was real, and she was the daughter of Beatrice and Ari Schwann, beyond that there was little proof that the woman had even gone to school, let alone university. She was an enigma which made the men all the more confident that it was her not Bea that was behind the assassination of Remington Royce and the reason Bea wanted the Royce mansion so much she would risk her cover.
*****
Marcella had dozed briefly, and when she woke, Noah was not beside her gloating over his conquest of her for which she was genuinely grateful. Curious as to where he was though, and if he had abandoned her here in the treehouse, she got up pulled on a robe that had been left by the bed. Tangling her hair up into a messy bun, she padded out of the bedroom on silent, bare feet. She could hear Noah mumbling faintly in another room, and she baulked at the fact that someone else might be in the treehouse with them. Peeking around the corner, she saw him sitting on a couch his phone cradled to his ear and a pensive look on his face.
Sensing the woman he had left sleeping, Noah looked up and grinned at her. She was stunning with her messy hair and wearing the oversized robe. He hoped that she was still naked underneath it because he had plans to revisit that home run and the battle he had won earlier.
“I have to go. Keep me updated,” Noah said, cutting off whatever was being told to him as he came to his feet. Ending the call, he threw his phone down on the coffee table and stalked toward her in such a way that she involuntarily took a step back making his smile wider and his eyes glint with the challenge. “That was my Dad,” he explained. “It seems they might have worked out who attempted to assassinate your sister alongside Remington Royce and why Bea wants the mansion so badly,” he explained knowing she would forget any wariness in her eagerness for the news. “This might just be the break we need to clear Olivia once and for all and capture the person who orchestrated the hit,” he added as she looked at him suspiciously as if what he had said was not a good enough reason for leaving her alone in bed.
“Explain,” she commanded. “Leave nothing out.” He may have won the little battle in the bedroom, but she was still in control of what they did in this investigation.
“Come have a seat, Kitten,” he grinned and patted the couch beside him, making her narrow her eyes at him. “Just come and sit your still in charge I was just gathering the information for you, so you had time to think about it before we met Dad to grab the documents we need for the meeting at the markets this afternoon.”
Marcella sauntered over to where he sat but chose the couch opposite him rather than beside him and inclined her head for him to explain. Despite his words, she could feel him taking over her plan, and she didn’t like it. He had thought he won her over earlier, but now it was a whole new ball game, she just wished he would go and put a shirt on so she wasn’t so distracted by his chest and shoulders as he moved.
“When they were putting the papers together for the meeting with Bea meeting Isaac noticed an anomaly in the arrest documents the AFP provided and Olivia’s statement,” he began slowly. “He’s a stickler for the details which is why I like working with him in my private practice. He picks up little things many people would gloss over.”
“Isaac is a cousin?” Marcella mused it wasn’t really a question, she knew he had no other brothers and didn’t think his uncle would be working for him in private practice.
“Right, he is also next in line to fill my seat on the new table should anything happen to me or if I chose to leave the family,” Noah agreed.
“Wait? What? Why would you Mister-family-always-comes-first consider leaving the table?” Marcella choked out the shock evident in her voice.
“I probably haven’t considered it before, but I guess there are several reasons why I might consider making such a move now, none of which I would take lightly,” he said thoughtfully.
“What reasons? There is no way you would walk away from your brothers, let alone your entire family,” she asked incredulously.
“You,” he said honestly. “If you chose to run again, I would follow you.”
“Good luck with that,” she scoffed. She didn’t believe that for one minute, but she would play along if he pushed the issue. Still, the seriousness in his tone and expression concerned her enough that she didn’t want to press the point right then. “Back to Isaac and the information he has?”
“Well it’s more of a theory at the moment, but it has some legs, so he and Dad are at Gen’s place with a few others. They are searching for the proof tonight while we enjoy the rest of the day I had planned for us. It’s not that late, yet you know, are you hungry?” He asked.
“Starving but I am more interested in this information you’re skirting around right now,” she rolled her eyes at him and folded her arms over her chest silently stating that she was waiting for him to tell her what she wanted to know.
“We can talk while I deal with the food, come help me,” he stood and reached out a hand to her expectantly.
She knew she would never get what she wanted if she didn’t play along with this farce of a date. She finally put her hand in his as he patiently waited her out. Then he pulled her from the chair into his embrace and kissed her tenderly before she could even react.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed, pushing on his chest and wriggling in his embrace once she broke the kiss. “A bet’s a bet, you got your home run, and it’s done.”
“There’s my spitting, hissing kitten,” he said a small smile softly curling his lips. “You can fight fate all you want, but this, you and me? It’s not over, once will never be enough for either of us. You can be as independent as you want and make all the plans you want and I will follow you in public, but when we are alone like this, and you are driving me insane by wearing nothing more than a robe, I will be the one calling the shots,” his hand drifted down to where she had loosely belted the robe and pulled it open to expose her despite her protesting slaps at his hands.
“Noah stop that! You can’t just…” she tried to fight him off.
“Just as I thought even better than the first time I saw all of you,” he moved forward and placed his hand over her pussy and grinned. “Even now your body betrays what you want. Once was definitely not enough but first, I had better feed you because you are going to need the energy to survive tonight!” he taunted as he closed the robe and retook her hand leading her to the kitchen. “Champagne or would you like something else?” he asked.
“If you think you can just…” Marcella started, but he stopped her with a kiss that deepened with possessiveness.
“Champagne it is then,” he grinned when he broke the kiss.
“Fine,” she said petulantly, reaching for the bottle to uncork it herself. He didn’t fight fair, and she hated that he was right about her body betraying her. She was attracted to him, not just his looks but the way he treated her over the last week. Letting her lead but taking charge where and when he could without taking over, except in the bedroom but that could be remedied, she consoled herself. She’d been trained by the best after all.
“Great! I’ll grab the food, and we can eat out on the lower deck. It won’t be as nice as it would have been at sunset, but the stars are pretty spectacular out there away from the city lights,” he said not bothered at all that she had wanted to open the champagne herself or that he was serving her dinner.
Realising she wasn’t about to get any answers before he was ready to tell her Marcella followed Noah out onto the deck with the champagne and glasses. She watched his muscled back as he walked and groaned, placing the bottle and flutes on the table before stalking back to the bedroom they’d used. Snatching up his discarded shirt, she stalked back out to the deck and tossed it to him.
“For god’s sake spare me the ab-flab while we’re eating at least,” she grumbled. Even relaxed there was very little of said ab-flab noticeable to the naked eye, but she couldn’t sit across from a shirtless Noah and concentrate on the food before her, let alone what he had to say.
“If you insist, you’re the one in control until we complete this plan of yours,” he chuckled and donned the shirt doing up two buttons and letting the rest of it hang open as he took his seat. He loved that his body affected her to the point of distraction. At first, he had wondered if she had a problem with nudity when she had told him to put a shirt on back in their hotel room, but he had come to realise that it wasn’t nudity as a whole it was his bare chest, and maybe his back that caused her to react and that was a good thing. It told him that the attraction he felt was mutual and she was fighting those feelings as much as she was fighting his words and actions.
“That’s right. You’re supposed to be my bitch right now. So, you can start by telling me what the hell is going on with your Dad or Isaac or whoever. I’m warning you though if they mess up my hard work by poking in the wrong areas or the wrong people to make Bea renege on our deal, I won’t forgive them or you for interfering with me and my plans,” she said acerbically and scowled at him.
“Me?” he questioned. “I only suggested talking to my Dad as a means to an end to get you that deal. We had to work out how to get that promise note from Olivia. It was you who called my Dad and brought him in on the deal, not me. It was your show, and you gave him access. I am following your lead I haven’t done anything but take a call to gather the relevant information for you since then.”
“You,” she said, without adding anything further because she couldn’t refute what he had said. He had taken a back seat all week except for the one time when he had defied her by remaining at her first meeting with Bea rather than leaving when she told him to, even then he hadn’t tried to take over the negotiations which had redeemed him somewhat on her mind. “Tell me what I need to know before the next meeting with Bea,” she commanded.
“From what Dad said, it was only that Bea’s name has come up again that made Isaac relook at Olivia’s deposition about the woman. According to Olivia whether she misunderstood or not or whether it was purposeful on Bea’s part she only ever mentioned her as Aunty Bea until pressed for a full name by the Agent taking her deposition and she listed it as Bea Kottmann. During her time in incarceration, she went by the name Bea Kottmann. Still, the booking officer listed her from her personal documents, we assume, as Bea Kottmann-Schwann, then went back to correct it, so when she was released she was only known as Bea Kottmann” he paused taking a mouthful of the grilled chicken salad that had been left for the romantic dinner he had requested when he had believed he would still have to seduce her once they got here.
“It’s an easy thing to understand if she divorced and dropped the husband’s name or just decided the two names were cumbersome,” Marcella shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal or a little detail she would have thought worthy of following up on.
“True but Isaac remembered the name from an earlier point in the deposition. Olivia met a woman called Madonna Schwann at a party on the yacht, and she had said that she didn’t think the woman was happy to see her with Remington and that there was tension between the two,” he added before taking another bite of his salad. Like Marcella, he was starving, and he was glad there was dessert waiting for them in the fridge as well.
“Why would that make any difference. Don’t tell me the Suebi respect their women enough to believe them capable of more than keeping house and popping out a gazillion babies?” Marcella asked drolly.
“You really don’t understand how the tables work do you? For all that training they forced upon you, you don’t have any idea who wields the most power in any of the families,” he gave an incredulous laugh. “I can’t believe, well after the attacks on the families I can, but it’s stupid to keep the worst kept secret in the families from the daughters sent for trials.” He shook his head, incredulously.
“You’re right. I did do the training and got great reviews for my knowledge and understanding of Table history and law thanks. I know exactly what the expectations of women that are part of the tables are,” Marcella bristled.
“No, you don’t because you have never seen it in action. Your view of the tables and how they work is distorted because of that bastard father and Uncle who mistreated you in the name of old and archaic laws that they used to their own ends. Pick a table any table just name one,” he challenged.
“My table, the Gambaro’s,” she challenged back.
“Mikayla Gambaro has stepped back from a lot of public appearances, but she has set up and chaired several not-for-profit organisations to assist people living in poverty and women who are subject to domestic violence. Ally has a degree in veterinary science, and she uses that in the animal hospital she founded for rescue animals. She also works for the organisations that Mikayla chairs,” he paused, taking another bite of his food. “Catriona Vitelli is an artist and continues to run her own business as well as managing charities and the like that were set up by her predecessors. Peri Donati is a force to be reckoned with in the historical publishing world. I can’t even begin to imagine how she does everything she does in her career with her husbands seeming to keep her perpetually pregnant. Cat hasn’t had any children yet by the way, and no one will force her if that is not what she wants. Women, even the ones destined to lead our families and keep us all together, can do whatever they want to do. It’s not the nineteen fifties, Honey. No matter what your parents have led you to believe. Talk to Junie or Emma about it when we head back to the city. Emma has a nursing degree much to Dom’s dismay right now,” he chuckled. “Very few of the tables are bogged down in the old traditions any more. Especially not the new tables coming through. Vivienne is a doctor and trust me Gideon would never ask her to give that up for him, just because he holds a seat on the new table.”
“You can’t tell me Genesis would be happy for Olivia to have a career and a life outside of him. She barely utters a word without him giving her permission,” Marcella snapped angrily. What he was telling her was a revelation, but she knew it to be true about Vivienne at least although she was unsure if Vivienne would still make use of her degree now that she was married. She wasn’t sure about the whole story of Peri Donati, but she knew she had been sent to the Battaglia for training before being allowed to marry into the family. According to Veronica, she had been a stupid cow with barely half a brain and needed the training more than anyone there, even the reformed drug addicts.
“You know as well as I do that Olivia is still suffering from the conditioning Remington put her through. When we first discovered her in the hospital, she wasn’t even eating because Remington hadn’t told her she could. You have to have noticed the small improvements and increased independence she is showing thanks to Genesis. If she wanted to run one of the restaurants or bars she’s about to inherit she could, he would help her, but if she doesn’t want to work, she doesn’t have to. Money is not the motivator for any of the women of the tables; they are in a position to follow their passions. Tell me, does Jessa work?” He asked probing into the oldest of the three sisters who seemed reluctant to see or speak to any of her family since marrying into the Farnese family.
“No, but she was always a homebody,” Marcella admitted.
“I thought once everything was settled with Olivia, you might like to take over my private practice,” he said casually. “Isaac is looking after the on-going cases we have for now, but eventually we will have to close up shop to take up our roles in the family businesses.”
“Speaking of the family business,” Marcella said, straightening her posture. “You haven’t told me anything useful about Bea that could help with the meeting tomorrow night,” she switched the subject back onto more solid ground. His constant pushing over the last few days for her to stay here in Darwin was unsettling her as was his different view of the tables. She knew about the tabled men. She had grown up in the midst of it. Well, not quite in the midst of it but on the periphery with a father who enforced the Table laws and traditions.
“Okay then,” he put down his fork. “Isaac found out that Madonna was the daughter of Bea and a man called Ari Schwann. Ari Schwann had been groomed as the man most likely to inherit the mantle of Chieftan of the northern clans despite Remington’s favour with the old Chieftain and his rapid rise through the ranks of the Suebi. Remington was seen as too young and inexperienced at the time, and Schwann had the added advantage of being the Chieftain’s son in law and therefore privy to his private world as well as his business dealings.”
“Wait! Backtrack just a little. Ari was the Chieftain’s son in law, and he had married Bea, so she was like a Suebian princess?” Marcella asked without needing a response. “So how does a Suebian princess end up as the housekeeper for the new Chieftain?”
“Exactly! So, Isaacs theory which has traction is that Remington, seeing that he wasn’t going to get to the chieftain position with Ari and his children in the way somehow organised the accident which killed not only Ari and the Chieftain but Ari’s son as well. This is supposition until we can find proof but go with me on this. Bea was left an orphan and a widow in the blink of an eye as well as losing her second child, her son. There was a lot of upheaval amongst the clans after that but when the dust settled Remington was on the top of the heap and Bea was standing at his side as if she had adopted him in place of her son. He moved into the mansion that had been Bea’s family home, having belonged to her father. Isaac is speculating that Remington acquired Bea’s support by promising an arranged marriage with her daughter or something similar to a sharing of power. As time went on, Bea’s role in the Suebi clans became less and respect for her as a princess diminished, for the most part, and Remington was able to cast aside his promise regarding Madonna. When he made plans to marry Olivia, the perfect woman he had created through conditioning comprised of drugs, fear and violence,” he picked up his fork again. “Bea and her daughter devised the massacre at the wedding, which would take out all Remingtons loyal men with him. I doubt even Olivia was meant to survive.”
“That would explain why Bea wants the house back so much and why she called it her home,” Marcella acknowledged.
“As for Madonna Schwann. There is no record of her in the arrests or in any of the statements taken. She seems like a ghost. Dad called in the cavalry, and they are working to find her. They believe that she and Bea have been working together to overthrow Remington and get rid of Olivia because of the slight to Madonna who as a Suebian Princess herself when she was a child is now poised to regain her birthright starting with her family home,” He continued.
“And have us do the dirty work of taking out the prominent Suebi standing in the way of her taking over the clans. It makes sense in that light. It would explain why Bea would be risking getting arrested again by talking to us and making the demands she has for the information I need.
“It also means that Olivia is one of the people standing in her way. Bea might very well give you the location of Hermione’s and the names of the people meeting there. I would bet, however, that she isn’t doing it to help Olivia, which answers some of my biggest questions about why she would even expose herself to you in the first place,” he said suddenly serious. “I don’t have a good feeling about this meeting tomorrow night, but it’s your call. If we go in there alone we prove she can trust us but with the documents for the house in hand she has no need of us and could decide that you are far too clever to be left to your investigations of the Suebi who helped destroy your sister,” he made his point harshly. He needed her to acknowledge the danger she was putting herself in.
“But we have no proof yet,” she stated rather than asked. “Just a theory and a lot of conjecture.”
“The guys are working on it. Zanto’s there, and between him and Isaac, I imagine they will find more than they need to prove their theory,” Noah assured her. “The question is, assuming they are right and can prove it, what do you want to do now?”
“None of it matters if we can’t get the proof that Olivia’s deposition is one hundred per cent reliable. We have to follow through and find Hermione’s and the people she listed as known Suebi. Ask me after we get the information we need because without Hermione’s none of the rest of that speculation does Olivia one ounce of good. I’m trying to keep my sister out of jail and get her what she deserves as compensation for the hell that monster put her through. None of the rest of it matters without that. I am not some do-gooder fighting for common good here. My priority is Olivia. You and the AFP can worry about ending the northern clans of the Suebi,” she told him honestly.
“Okay, your plan stands unchanged,” he nodded.
“I’ll be more alert in light of what you have told me,” she conceded.
“Thanks, but I will be there to have your back. Bea expects me there now just as she expects that I would have brokered the deal with Olivia, which means I will need to at least appear to see her so I will go and visit Gen first thing in the morning, in case they are watching us, or maybe he could bring her here,” he mused.
“I’m a lawyer why can’t I have brokered the deal?” she huffed.
“Because like you, the Suebi have the wrong idea about how the tables work or our most valuable commodity. They wouldn’t believe I let you fully take the lead despite appearances at our last meeting,” he shrugged.
“Answer me one question then,” she said with a smirk. “How much is it hurting you not to take over control of the situation right now?”
“Honestly, a lot, but not for the reasons you think. I just want you to be safe and not take so many risks with these people. It’s knowing you are purposely putting yourself in harm’s way that is killing me,” Noah admitted. “I want the same outcome as you, Kitten. I’m just not as willing to risk your life to get it.”
Marcella was about to argue with him but let it go. She knew what she was doing could be dangerous, but she had it under control. She could do this and would do this for her sister. Still, the sincerity in Noah’s voice had made her pause. No one cared if she lived or died. She wasn’t sure that her father wouldn’t have killed her more than once if he thought he could get away with it. Olivia barely acknowledged her, Jessa hardly spoke to her since she married, and her mother was too scared even to pretend to love her anymore. Why did this man care so much? He had rejected her and held her at arm’s length tormenting her for so long that she couldn’t quite reconcile the man who had tried to claim her as his only an hour ago with everything that had occurred between them.
“Dessert?” Noah asked into the silence that had fallen between them, stirring her from her thoughts.
“Sure,” she shrugged and went to pick up her plate and follow him to the kitchen, but he waved her away.
“Just sit, I’ll do it,” he offered and took the plate from in front of her walking into the kitchen. He’d given her a lot to think about. Not just her plan and the theory Isaac had come up with as to why Bea wanted the house but also his thinly veiled offer of letting her take over his practice and how much he cared about her, wanted her. He knew that his declaration that if she did run again or left Darwin, he would give up his position in the family to follow her had rattled her a little.
Marcella watched him, and despite herself, she had to admit sex with Noah was mind-blowing. Even if they had battled for dominance the whole time, in the end, she had been wiped out by the high she had managed to reach with him. She’d opened the gate now and given in so she may as well enjoy tonight because whatever happened tomorrow, the status quo between then would change again. She watched as he reappeared in the doorway and appreciated just how handsome he was, she felt a real magnetic pull to him and always had. It was just a shame that magnets could repel as well as much as attract so she may as well make the most of this small cease-fire before their time together was done for good, and she had to leave him behind for everyone’s else’s sake. She couldn’t take him from his family, his brothers.
“So, you had this planned all day?” she asked as he came back to the table with a simple dessert of Chocolate chiffon cake and ice cream. “Run me ragged all day and then bring me this isolated treehouse to take advantage of me with your home run baseball metaphor?”
“Yep,” he said with a perfectly straight face digging into his dessert, “Although I had planned to feed you before claiming my home run,” he couldn’t help but smirk a little at the memory of the battle they had just fought in the bedroom. “I mean I would have fed you, but I couldn’t wait a minute longer with you spitting and hissing at me like a sexy little feral kitten you are when aroused.”
“I’m hardly a kitten, Noah,” she rebuked. “You’re so used to submissive women doing whatever you want. You paint all women as submissive whether they are or not. The truth is that you wouldn’t know what to do with a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to take it.”
“Is that right?” he asked a smirk forming on his face. He was eager to see where this was going and turn the tables on her again.
“Strong women scare you. Just like losing your infamous control scares you,” she challenged. Pushing her chair back, she stalked around the table towards him. Noting her move, he too slid his chair out and turned it to face her as she approached him. “But you forget that we made a deal, baseball analogy aside, that I was in control of what we did until I got Hermione’s for Olivia.”
“Not at all,” he said, thinking he knew where this was going now. “We also agreed that I would get equal time in control once this was done, so do what you want, and show me what you like but you should know that you are setting the rules for what comes next.” He challenged as she paused in front of him, looking down at him still seated in his chair as if weighing up the pros and cons of what she had planned to do.
He looked her up, then down in the bulky robe covering her delectable body, then raised his eyes again, slowly, so slowly, back to her face. She placed one hand on her hip, pure confidence showing in her stance, her bearing, her face. She was good, and she knew it, he admitted, but she doesn’t realise she has met her match yet, he grinned.
She took another step towards him, and he started to rise from the chair to meet her, but she moved quickly to push him back down, spreading his legs and sliding in between them, maintaining the position of power over him.
Noah was hard with anticipation. He could sense that her mood had changed, and he could feel her calculating how to seduce him and maintain control. The thought of her attempting to seduce him fuelled his arousal and need for her and while typically being dominated by a woman would do nothing for him, the sight of this beautiful woman exuding her power over him excited him. Not that he would allow it to happen often but with the knowledge that soon she would have no choice but to submit to him he could give her this moment.
She leaned forward to place a hand on the curve between his neck and shoulder. Not breaking eye contact, she leaned forward to kiss him, hard, hot and passionate. She let her hands drift down to unbutton the two buttons on his shirt that hampered her access to his chest. With slow, deliberate movements, she stroked her hands over his chest, removing the shirt by sliding it over his shoulders and down his arms. Trailing her fingers back up his arms and over his chest, she smiled as a faint groan left his lips, and his hands lifted to reach for her. She stepped back out of his reach with surprising speed.
“Uh-uh, uh. No Touching, keep your hands on the arms of your chair,” Marcella commanded.
Noah groaned but did as she instructed. Then he gasped as she undid the belt to her robe, giving him a teasingly tantalising glimpse of the divine body beneath it. She moved back between his legs and the temptation to reach inside the slightly parted robe nearly undid him, but he clutched the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white and realised too late that she planned to blindfold him with the belt from her robe. It took all his will power to remain still as she bound his eyes with the soft material, and he drew in deep steadying breaths which told of his discomfort.
“Do you need a safe word, Lover?” Marcella taunted in a soft purr, her breath fanning over his cheek and neck as she tied the makeshift blindfold in place.
“I believe that I can trust you, kitten,” Noah ground out, his voice more unsteady than he would have liked.
“You can trust me,” she purred moving her mouth close to his ear and licking around the outer rim before sharply nipping the top of it, pleased at the small but telling jerk of his body. Pulling back she smiled as he moved his head to where he believed hers would be seeking another fiery kiss but again she moved away enjoying his eagerness but not ready to let him even have even that small amount of control. When he stopped moving to seek her out, she placed a hand on his cheek and closed the distance to reward him with a hot, hard kiss, full of their desire, leaving him in no doubt that she was in control of the scene right then. She broke the kiss and hovered just out of reach but close enough that he could feel her thighs between his knees and her breath fan over his face.
Gently she kissed him on the corner of his mouth, just out of reach and began to kiss lightly and slowly over his jaw and down his neck. She had made the first few kisses down his chest teasing her fingers over the beautiful broad expanse when he lost control and reached for her face to bring her back up to his for another kiss. Taking hold of his wrists, she moved them back to the arms of the chair chastising him in a seductive purr.
“If you move again, this all stops, and you sleep on the couch for the rest of the night,” she warned, pressing down on his hands as they gripped the arms of his chair again. She watched as he drew in several deeps breaths again before starting over with a kiss to the side of his mouth, allowing herself to move to her knees between his legs as she moved down his body watching his hands from the corners of her eyes. She could also see his cock, straining under his boxers, long, thick, hard and ready for her use. The very thought was titillating, and as she placed slow kisses across his abdomen, she considered her next move.
Noah was losing his mind. It took everything he had to remain still and allow her to tease him this way. It had been a long time since he had allowed a woman any sexual control over him and while he had never been able to enjoy it fully in the past, this woman whose soft lips and delightful tongue who teased him relentlessly now was going to make him combust with the hot need he had for her. His breath caught as her hand caressed down over the soft the material of his boxers, along the hard ridge of his cock and he groaned as he felt the heat of her breath through the material and what he knew to be the soft press of her lips on the material covered crown.
Marcella pressed her lips to his cock again running her fingers along the stiff shaft still hidden by the material of his boxers. His hips bucked up towards her, but as she pulled back, she noted that his hands had stayed on the arms of the chair. She was playing with fire, and she knew it, but she was in total control of the moment, and she loved it.
Noah felt her nails scrape along the waistline of his boxers and resisted the very real urge to lift in his seat so she could remove them without her asking him to. His teeth ground as he strained against every impulse he had to grab her and punish her before fucking her brains out for teasing him this way. His body shuddered as she pulled the boxers down only enough to release his cock and run her hand up and down his length. His control eroded with every teasing touch of the delicate hand that cradled him, and then he felt her lips leave a tender kiss of the tip of his cock, and he groaned loudly bucking his hips involuntarily.
“Mm,” she purred and ran her tongue over his crown, rolling it around the ridges before taking only the flared head of his cock into the warm cavern of her mouth. She could feel the tell-tale tremor run through him and smiled. All that legendary control and she could undo him so easily. Releasing his cock so he could gather himself for a minute, she tugged on the boxers and commanded. “Lift.”
His knuckles were probably white as he gripped the chair and lifted himself for her to tug his boxers free. He was beside himself with the need to end this charade, but he stilled himself with thoughts of what he would do to her in retribution when he was entirely in control of their lives.
Marcella scooted back to remove the boxers and eyed Noah. He was a gorgeous man; there was no denying that, especially as he sat there blind and vulnerable to her whims. A wicked smile parted her lips as she watched him try not to fidget in his discomfort with the situation; he was losing control rapidly. She knew she would have to move things along faster if she wanted to remain in control of this situation and get her release before making him sleep on the couch for moving when she had told him to stay where he was with his arms and legs where she had placed them.
Trailing her eyes over his nakedness once more as she moved forward, she reached up to grab his cock firmly and lick the precum beading on the head so deliciously. Unable to resist, she leaned forward further to lick and swirl her tongue around the head of his cock, moving away from the buck of his hips rather than chastise him and came to her feet.
“Having fun?” she taunted placing her hands on his shoulders as she manoeuvred herself to straddle his legs and move to kneel over him the heat of her body radiating from beneath the robe she still wore. She could feel his trembling with the effort to restrain himself as she kissed him deeply tangling her tongue with is as she lowered her pussy to hover over his cock without making contact. He thrust up at her, and she broke the kiss and clucked her tongue following it with a purr of pure enjoyment.
Noah was sure he was losing his mind. He’d never let anyone do something like this to him. He moved his head to try and capture her lips again, but she moved to fast for him to track where she was. He was about to remove the blindfold and take this cruelly torturous woman in hand when she retook his mouth, her hands caressing his neck and jaw holding him in place as she hovered over his cock once more. Groaning at the feel of her tongue dancing with his own, Noah froze as she lowed herself onto his cock, the feeling of her tight pussy enveloping him making him growl in heat and lust.
With slow movements that threatened her own sanity, Marcella lowered herself onto Noah’s cock ready to reap the rewards from all the teasing that had left her almost as needy as he obviously was. Truth be told she hadn’t expected him to last this long as she had dragged out as much of her teasing as possible without sending him over the edge into release. She was the needy one now, and she wanted all of him filling her to overflowing, but she made herself move slowly and grind down into him when she hit the base of him. She sat there for a long moment, unmoving as she continued to kiss him.
Breaking the kiss, she widened the robe so that her breasts would brush over his chest as she rose and fell on his cock. With excruciating slowness, she moved to fuck him the tips of her pebbled nipples dragging over his chest.
“Fuck!” Noah growled and unable to help himself he moved slightly to meet her with small thrusts of his own and moaned into her kiss as she retook his mouth, kissing him with the passion of a starving woman.
Wanting to come with him Marcella ran her fingers down to her clit teasing at the swollen bud until she couldn’t take much more. The angle of his cock pounding her G spot and the whole sense of power she had at the moment sent her spiralling over the edge. She broke the kiss throwing back her head and crying out as she ground down on him, her pussy milking at his cock with her orgasm.
Noah lifted his hands to steady the woman riding his cock as she leaned back and cried out her climax. Lifting her slightly, he thrust up into her enhancing and elongating that orgasm for her before he roared out his own climax into the night air. Coming back down to earth with heavy breaths he gathered her to him pressing her into his chest as he heaved for the air he so desperately needed, pleased that the air he breathed held her scent now.
“Fuck,” he groaned breathlessly, as he removed the blindfold and took charge of looking after her now. He stood on shaky legs holding her in his arms and walked through to the bedroom, planning on continuing their exploration of each other in the shower.
*****
Vivienne sat quietly, watching the man she loved work seamlessly with his family. Each complemented the other. There were no egos or commands just true collaboration and praise when one of them discovered a missing piece to the puzzle they were unravelling. She smiled content that she was now part of this fantastic family and considered her earlier idea. She would like to keep it as close to this family as possible but admitted she would need help. Emma she knew could be the one to help her in the end but what she needed was to spend some time with Madrina or Junie to find out more about the origins of this curse that affected the men of this family. It seemed that it had been weeks since she had seen the older woman and wondered if a surprise visit to Madrina might be in order if Gideon was still caught up in this investigation tomorrow. Maybe she could even take Olivia with her if her bodyguards came with them. Genesis wasn’t inclined to let her out of his sight for long at the moment, though. Still, there was no harm in asking, and Olivia might enjoy a day outside of this apartment.
“I had an idea,” Vivienne said quietly to Olivia. “About a project, we might be able to work on together with Marcella when she comes back. You know to keep ourselves busy while the men are off saving the world from the Suebi influence.”
“Oh? What sort of a project?” Olivia asked. “I can’t really do much. I never went to college like you, and if I am honest, I barely graduated high school. I don’t believe Marcella will return unless she has a good reason which if everything goes well with her plan won’t happen. Maybe you should ask someone else to help you.”
“But nobody else can, only you and Marcella can do this project with me,” Vivienne explained making Olivia frown in disbelief. “Those fairy tales you talk about, that Marcella created for you as a child to get you and Jessa through some rough spots, sound like something that could help other children who are in similar situations? I thought maybe we could write them down and make them into children’s books that parents or even therapists could personalise for children to help them navigate some very tricky situations. When I was little, there was a book called The Invisible String; it was a simple picture book that got me through some of the rough stuff in my life.”
“You want me to tell children fairy tales?” Olivia wrinkled her nose.
“No,” Vivienne laughed. “I’m not sure either of us wants to tell stories for an audience of children, but I thought maybe we could make your stories into picture books and then therapists and parents could buy them for their kids to help them through rough times. We could start with the ones Marcella created for you and once we have all of the characters we can extend them to other books to address other issues that affect kids differently, like school bullies and or when life seems out of control. Whenever you talk about those stories, your mood lightens like you remember the difference they made to you. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to help someone else in the same way?”
“I guess, but they were never my stories they were Marcella’s, and she’s the one who made up all the characters and told the stories to both Jessa and me,” Olivia explained. “I’m not sure Marcella would like it if we did that with her stories.”
“I hadn’t thought of that but think about it anyway, and we can ask her when she comes back,” Vivienne said brightly.
“You know she won’t come back,” Olivia said, sighing with resignation and looking up at the table of men.
“No, I don’t know that, and I would like to think that Noah can convince her to give us all a second chance,” Vivienne said hopefully.
“She thinks she needs to be here right now to protect me. Once she finds Hermione’s she won’t need to be here anymore and she won’t stay in case the Battaglia come back again. I don’t think you or they,” she looked at the men again, “Understand how much being there with Veronica Donati affected her. She came back from the Battaglia different that last time and she had the frog to protect her instead of being the one to protect us. She never came home, she went to live with my Aunt and got me to leave home too because Papa was so mad at us all when he couldn’t punish her for getting caught again.” Olivia said.
“You understand why she couldn’t go home to you, don’t you?” Vivienne asked gently.
“Now I do, Genesis told me and let me read the report you wrote,” Olivia nodded. “I didn’t back then, though. All I could see back then was that she had left us again and didn’t care that Papa was madder than ever and hurting Mama so bad.”
“Well think about the project anyway, and when we see her we can ask her if she would mind if we used those stories to help others,” Vivienne said resigned to the fact that she couldn’t move Olivia from her stance and oddly proud of her for making one on her own without seeking Genesis’s approval first. “Somehow I don’t think the men are going to be finished any time soon,” Vivienne laughed, indicating the men at the table. “I’ll let them know I am going to go up to bed and hint that Gen should encourage you to do the same.”
“That’s okay. I’m comfy here for now, and I like being around the noise and action,” Olivia gave her a small smile.
“As long as your sure,” Vivienne smiled and took her hand squeezing it and noticing just how much Olivia had grown in her confidence and self-expression since she had first found her at the hospital. Whatever Genesis was doing was working miracles for Olivia. Then she got up and crossed the room to Gideon. “It’s starting to get late. I’m going to head upstairs, good luck with your research,” she went up on her toes to kiss his check and was temporarily stunned with he pulled her to him and dipped her back kissing her long and deep despite the good-natured jeering of the other men in the room.
“I’ve hit a dead-end, for now, I’m going to walk my wife upstairs, but I’ll be back,” he informed them and took her hand.
“Sure you will,” Genesis chuckled and looked over to where Olivia had made herself comfortable on the couch. He knew he should have encouraged her to go to bed, but he liked being able to see her while he was working, so he left her where she was.
Gideon was halfway out the door when Zanto stood up grabbing his laptop and without a word to any of the men stunned by his sudden movement he walked into the living room where Olivia was curled on the couch listening to the noise of their research. Turning the laptop around to face her, he spoke quietly, barely above a whisper.
“Could this be the woman you were introduced to as Madonna Schwann?” he asked softly.
“I think so it’s hard to tell, but she was tall and beautiful like that and,” she narrowed her eyes a little. “I think she is wearing the necklace Remy gave me but its hard to tell, the necklace was important to her for some reason. She didn’t like that I was wearing it.”
“Give me a minute,” Zanto said, sitting beside her and zooming in on the photo while trying to keep the clarity of the image. “It looks like a Suebian knot,” he nodded.
“Can you look at her face that closely? I’m not sure I remember much except that she was stunning, but it might help,” Olivia asked. Then watched as Zanto moved the image and tapped the keys with lightning speed to make it as clear as possible for her. “I think it is, but Remy had already started to mess with my head when I met her, I think. I can’t be positive, but it is my necklace or its identical twin,” she gave him a half-smile.
“Thank you, are you okay to stay here if I need to ask you any more questions? Would you like a blanket?” he asked solicitously.
“There’s a throw on the couch if I need it. I’m comfortable here, and I like to listen to you all talk,” she smiled at the shy young man. Or at least he came across as shy. He was sweet at the very least, she decided as she watched him walk back to the others to explain what he had found.
Having found that one photo of the woman they suspected was Madonna Schwann their job became infinitely easier with a reverse google search. By the time Gideon returned an hour later they had the name she had used as an alias, her address and business premises now they just needed to decide how to proceed with that information. Picking her up to question her and find out if their theory was right would be the most apparent course of action. Still, it would also put Bea on alert and thereby Marcella’s plans to discover Hermione’s and the Suebi power players who would be there. No this would be a waiting game, but they had more information than before and delving a little deeper might give them details of one of Madonna’s cohorts who might have the information they needed to prove the theory.
“We’re not going to do anything to risk Marcella or Noah’s lives. A few days sitting on this information while she gathers the information about the meeting at Hermione’s won’t kill us and What she is doing is far more important and infinitely dangerous than proving a theory from behind computer screens,” Armando said.
“Agreed,” Xavier said. “Let’s let Marcella do her thing, and then we will do ours. She’s the one leading the charge to exonerate Olivia, and that has to be the priority. Once that’s done, we can go after the people who tried to kill her.”
“Agreed,” the men at the table said almost in unison and Armando pulled out his phone to call Marcella hoping she was awake by now and that Noah had filled her in. He knew how important it was to her to be in control of this situation and he wasn’t about to hurt all of the work Noah was doing to convince her to stay with him by messing with their dynamic.
*****
Noah restrained himself from taking Marcella the way he wanted after all her teasing earlier in the night. He had been attentive and affectionate with her in the shower that followed and was pleasantly surprised when she reciprocated. She was in control, and he should have realised how much she needed that in light of her background. Not that he would give in to her like that often but if it soothed the tension between them the way this interlude had he could meet her halfway on occasion and alter the way he approached her. His mind went back to their earlier battle, and his cock jumped in response, she had been spectacular in her resistance, and he would need to find a way to recreate that scene as well for them both.
“Kitten,” Noah prodded Marcella as she slept in his arms. “Honey, that’s your phone, and if you don’t answer it Dad will only call me again,” he warned. “I’m not sure how cut out I am to be your secretary,” he grumbled and reached over her to grab her phone and bring it to her as it continued to peel with the distinctive tone she assigned to his father.
“Hello?” Marcella croaked.
“Yeah, your stupid middle child made me get up before the sun this morning and then ran me ragged all day, so now I just can’t think straight because I’m so tired,” she grumbled rolling onto her back and scowling at Noah.
“Yes! Threw me out of a perfectly good plane into the sunrise!” she exclaimed, shaking her head and Noah raised an eyebrow at the conversation.
“We’re at the treehouse. I’m guessing you know the one,” she said.
“No, I’m awake now,” she said, sitting up and letting the sheet drop from her body exposing her breasts to Noah who watched her appreciatively.
“He told me about Isaacs theory, but that doesn’t matter right now. It doesn’t change the fact that I need to find Hermione’s for Olivia so she can watch it bulldozed to the ground. Even if this Bea or her daughter is the one behind the assassination of Remington Royce, if they realise you are watching them they will call off this exchange and find another way to get rid of their rivals for the leadership of the Suebi,” she said. She was pleasantly surprised that the men with Armando had come up with the same outcome and had decided to wait to make a move on Bea and more so Madonna until after the exchange and subsequent raid on Hermione’s had taken place.
“Thank you,” she said and dipped her head so Noah couldn’t see her expression any longer and could barely hear her voice. “I’m glad they understand why I had to do it this way,” she said quietly.
“Yes, I promise I will be safe and try to keep Noah out of trouble. He doesn’t make it easy, though. His self-preservation skills are way off,” she gave a small laugh. “Are you sure you can’t order him to come home so I can just get this done?” she smiled and put her hand over the phone looking over at Noah.
“Your Dad says you’re grounded and have to go home,” she said with a perfectly straight face.
“We’re stuck together remember. I’ll go home and stay in my room the moment you agree to come with me,” Noah said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Did you hear that?” she asked. “Yeah, I know. Thank you. I will see you for brunch in the morning at Star city.” She ended the call and flopped back on the bed.
“You better cover up if you don’t want me starting round three tonight,” Noah warned his eyes raking over her naked upper body.
“You need to sleep on the couch,” she said imperiously. “I can barely move after everything we did today.”
“Then sleep, Kitten,” he said softly pulling the covers up over her and spooning against her body. “Sleep because tomorrow will be a big day too.”
*****