The Twelve Vitali Ch. 18

Nero arrived within minutes and listened patiently to her story about her own treatment at the hands of Nurse James and the complaints made by the other women during her time at the hospital. She stated that no other nurse was purposely cruel or spoke to them the way he did, so she knew it wasn't necessarily part of the expected experience of becoming a Kept.

"The girls would never say anything, but I wanted you to know," Cat said, using the same quiet voice that had been a feature of her time in this office. "I know he has been helping Hella recently, and she never left me alone with him, but if he returns to the hospital you may want to alter his duties a little," she suggested.

"I will handle it, you have my assurance," Nero said in a stiffly formal way. There would be security footage from her time in the hospital still on the server backup tapes that he could easily pull to confirm what she was saying and confront James.

"Thank you, I'm sorry, I couldn't just let it go. I know those girls now. In fact, I was just like them once. Living a life I didn't want and feeling like I had no options," she said sadly. "I had to say something."

"You did the right thing," Matteo stepped forward, unable to remain a passive watcher anymore. "It's only by identifying problems that they can be fixed. It's the same in any business," he reassured her. He was proud of the way she had spoken and handled herself in the face of such strong alpha type men. "It won't affect the positive reports, and it won't affect mine or Ricco's stance after last night. We trust the men here to handle each situation appropriately, and no more needs to be said about it."

"We appreciate that," Bruno said. "You can trust that we will take all the necessary measures needed in both instances. Thank you for your candour, Miss Leone. I hope you will not think badly of your time here."

"Not at all," Cat rushed to reassure the older man. "I have learned a great deal, not only about the families and protocols, but about myself. I appreciate everything that was done for me during my time here."

"I'm sorry, I have other appointments this morning," Bruno said, visibly noticing the time. "Marcus will take you to see the people you wish before you leave. Have a good flight home, Miss Leone. I will see you again, Matteo, Ricco," he nodded his head on each of the men's names.

"Thank you, Commander," she smiled and came to her feet, following Matteo and Ricco from the room. Cat let out a long breath as she exited the room and looked up at Matteo with a crooked smile. He took her hand as they followed Marcus to the tea room where he had always met with Cat.

"Nymph will be more comfortable meeting you here rather than in an office," Marcus explained. "It would be better for her if you didn't tell her you have been lying about who you are this whole time."

"I understand," she said quietly. "Perhaps it would be better if I saw her alone? These two handsome men might make her question where I am going."

"I'm not leaving," Matteo said stiffly.

"Then perhaps Ricco and I will go and collect Hella while you supervise this meeting," Marcus said easily, as a kitchen staff brought in brunch style food and sweet treats, setting them up on a nearby table for the small group to help themselves.

"While we had a reprieve for twelve hours, I'm afraid Matteo and I are once again joined at the wrist. I will be content to watch from the edges though," Ricco smiled at Cat softly.

"You sent for me, Master Marcus?" Nymph asked, walking into the room.

"I did," he acknowledged and signalled her forward into the room. "Jane is leaving us today, and she wished to speak to you before she left. You may sit with her for a short time," he instructed. "These two men will be observing while I attend to some business, but I will return shortly, as you have other lessons to attend, and I would not like you to be late."

"I understand, Master," Nymph frowned in confusion, showing that she understood very little of what he said and what was going on.

Marcus nodded at the group and left the room to retrieve Hella and allow her to change before facing the Vitali men again.

"Let's grab some coffee," Ricco said to Matteo, encouraging him to give Cat a little space as she spoke to her friend.

"Jane? What's going on?" Nymph whispered, taking a seat beside her. "You can't leave, we're almost finished with the first stages of this course, it's all fun from here."

"I have to go," Cat smiled. "I just couldn't leave without saying goodbye. You've been such a good friend to me. Every time I got down and thought I couldn't go on you were there to make me smile and buoy me up. You are amazing, and the best friend I could have ever hoped to make here."

"But why do you have to go? Is it something to do with whatever is happening around here today?" she asked.

"What's happening?" Cat worried that her issue with Hella would have negative consequences for her friend.

"I was met by a Master this morning who said he was taking over from Miss Hella. I didn't think that would happen for a few weeks yet. Then I got this call to come here to see Master Marcus when I wouldn't normally see him until our etiquette lesson," she explained. "They never mess with the routine, even on weekends, so something has to be going on, right?"

"I guess you're right. Maybe you have just been doing really well and they are stepping up your training. You still want to do this, don't you?" Cat asked.

"More than ever!" Nymph said excitedly. "You should have seen Master Francesco, he's beautiful."

"I think you mean handsome," Cat laughed.

"Oh yes, that too," Nymph said dreamily. "I can't believe you're leaving. You can't just give up like that."

"I lied about why I was here," Cat said under her breath. "I never planned to take a contract, and they know that now, so I have to go."

"No way," Nymph whispered back. "Why would you lie?"

"I needed to prove I could do it, and I have. Look at me. I have great posture, I can dance and converse about everything, and I can take everything Hella dished out," she smiled. "I needed to understand what it was like to be in that position and be vulnerable and have no control over my life to appreciate what I did have," she admitted.

"So the pimp daddy boyfriend was a lie?" Nymph asked incredulously.

"No, that was true, mostly. I had an awful boyfriend like that a long time ago, he's in jail now. Those two men over there are good men who love me and would never treat me that way, and they have come to take me home," she admitted. "I have responsibilities I can't run away from anymore, so I have to go." She leaned forward and hugged her friend. "Please don't say anything to the other girls about why I left."

"Your secret is safe with me if we can have some of that chocolate cake," she grinned and eyed the table of food.

"You can have anything you like from that table, punishment-free," Cat laughed and watched Nymph jump up and rush over to the table to help herself to the treats and a large glass of juice.

"They're not Masters, are they?" Nymph asked, suddenly remembering the two men who were watching them indulgently.

"No, they have come here to take me home with them, not to stay here," Cat laughed. "Would you like to meet them? It will give you the chance to practice your etiquette skills."

"I don't know," she said nervously. Nymph eyed the two men suspiciously. "They seem to be watching everything we do like the Masters."

"They are dominants, or at least I think they both are," Cat frowned not knowing if Ricco had the same experiences as his brother growing up.

"I'll save you the trouble of guessing," Matteo got to his feet and walked toward the two women. "Hello, Nymph, I'm Matt, and that is my brother, Ric. For the sake of protocol, you can call me Sir and him as Master."

"Thank you, Sir," Nymph grinned.

"My pleasure," he nodded. "Thank you for being a friend to... Jane... during her time here." He had paused over her name and corrected himself before making the mistake of using her real name.

"More coffee?" Ricco groaned. "I feel like I haven't slept for days, oh, wait! I haven't," he chuckled and poured himself another cup of coffee.

"I would have done that for you, Master," Nymph said, moving toward the table of food.

"I'm quite capable, enjoy your time with Jane," he waved her away.

Cat watched both Matteo and Ricco talk to Nymph through different eyes. They were always so normal with her that to see them both treat her friend as a trainee Kept surprised her, but she said nothing as she watched her friend automatically accept the rules and protocol and even look more relaxed than she had done when she first arrived. Nymph had resumed her seat beside Cat and barely taken a sip of her drink when Francesco arrived, and she gasped. Francesco went to greet the brothers, ignoring the two women for the moment.

"See, he is beautiful, isn't he?" Nymph practically swooned. Cat looked at the tall man with salt and pepper hair and deep laugh lines etched around his eyes and mouth.

"Just as well I am leaving so you can keep your new Master all to yourself," Cat laughed softly. "Luckily I find Matt and Ric very handsome, so I won't be too disappointed about it."

"Nymph, it's time to go," Francesco said from a distance and turned back toward the door.

"Good Luck," Nymph whispered, and quickly hugged Cat without saying anything else and followed Francesco from the room.

As if it was a revolving door, Marcus escorted Hella into the room. Cat was mildly surprised that Hella looked fresh and as beautiful, as always. Cat came to her feet to greet the woman she had called Mistress until Matteo had arrived. She wouldn't, or at least couldn't be submissive to her now with Matteo in the room, but neither would she be disrespectful. She invited Hella and Marcus to sit with her and made the offer of refreshments, unsure of whether it was her place to do so, but she had asked for this meeting, and she guessed that made her the host. Matteo and Ricco returned to the small circle of chairs, and once everyone was settled Cat spoke directly to Hella.

"I apologise for my behaviour last night. Matteo's appearance had been a surprise, and then seeing you was even more of a surprise and I reacted badly. We had never discussed Matteo or the fact that I was here because I loved him," she said quietly. "Perhaps if we had talked about it you would have realised that I would always do as he asked over another. He asked me to be here. He asked me to accept a Mistress rather than a Master. He is the reason we had our time together."

"You have nothing to apologise for," Matteo frowned at her.

"I think maybe I do. I am sorry if I ever gave the impression that I would be submissive outside of the training I received here. I was doing what was asked of me, but having had a little time to think about it I never said that to you directly. I wasn't here by choice, it was a requirement so I could be with the man I love. I am not submissive across all areas of my life," Cat finished.

"You didn't have to tell me, I knew. You played your part here so well that I allowed myself to get carried away. I apologise," Hella admitted through gritted teeth. "Thank you though, for this. I appreciate that you don't hold the incident last night against me." She forced the words out as if they were hard to say. She turned her head to look at the man who would take the girl she had enjoyed owning away from her and studied him. "She made the name Kitten a hard limit because of you," she said, trying to temper her tone from accusatory to casual.

"Did she?" he smiled approvingly at Cat. "I am glad of that. I expect that you and Francesco will add the testing of her limits to the report. I will enjoy reading what else she made a hard limit for you." His tone was arrogant, as if nothing was off limits to him, and he saw her recoil slightly and smirked.

"Are we done here?" Marcus cut into the conversation before Hella could disgrace the family any further by reacting to Matteo's deliberate baiting.

"I wanted Matteo to know that, in spite of last night, Miss Hella was very good to me. She was patient and kept me safe at all times. She respected my limits and indulged my kinks. I came to care for her and had thought her care for me was what caused the incident last night," Cat said quietly. "I can see that I was mistaken, I'm sorry for taking up your morning," she said sincerely. "I know you're a busy man."

"Not at all, give me just a minute and I will call Marina to bring the ladies down to see you," he smiled. "Hella, you can return to your room," he commanded and stood to walk the woman from the room.

"I called the girl 'Pet' as another might use the word 'Dear'. It is hard to believe you were all so offended by such an innocuous word," Hella rolled her eyes as she came to her feet. "This whole thing is ridiculous. You need to grow up and start acting like men instead of boys who won't share their toys!"

"As I explained last night," Ricco said, leaning across Cat to place a steadying hand on his brother's shoulder. "It was never about what you said, it was about the way you said it and the tone you used. Just as rolling your eyes at my brother will also put him offside. Would you allow any of your charges to speak like that to you?" He asked pleasantly.

"Of course not, but they are..." she paused, realising that these men were putting her in her place, and she re-evaluated the situation.

"Would you speak to Marcus or Bruno in that tone?" Ricco pushed further. "Perhaps you feel that the other tables aren't worth your respect, but the leaders of those families make up the thirteenth, and Bruno must face those thirteen and be accountable for his family. I'm afraid even Cat's goodwill may not help you come back from this little outburst. Your respect for the Battaglia chair, which allows to you lead a privileged life, should have been enough to stay your inner bitch for thirty minutes!"

"My family has my respect! I owe you nothing! You don't deserve a girl like her! You have no idea how to treat her properly to get the best from her! She needs me! You will only ruin all the training I have given her! You should think about more than your tiny dick and leave her here to complete her training properly! She may claim not to be submissive, but she is a natural, and you will waste the gift that she would give you willingly!" she spat.

"I believe," Matteo growled, "That I would be happier with a more formal punishment for Hella after this little exchange! Catriona asked for this meeting with the best of intentions, and even apologised for her part in the incident last night, though as far as I can see she did no wrong. Instead of accepting our leniency with grace and gratitude it has been dismissed with vitriol and slander!" Matteo snarled, directing his comments directly to Hella, who seemed to shrink under his gaze.

"You chose the wrong man to test; your good will means nothing to me. You can hate me until the end of time, for all I care, and while I would have let the matter go because the woman I loved asked it of me, I find that I can no longer do that. You are an arrogant bitch who just threw away the next two years of her life because you believed my love for Cat made me weak!" he said sharply. "You could not be more wrong. The gift of her love has only made me stronger, as you are about to find out."

"Stay here with Ricco!" he said sternly to Cat, and stepped forward, wrapping a fist around Hella's upper arm and practically dragged her from the room.

"You can't do this to me!" She shrieked at him. "You have no rights here!"

"If one of my family members spoke to Marcus or Bruno the way you spoke to me, they would already be on their way to the Papillo! Do you seriously have no idea who I am and the power I can wield?" He practically shouted at her as the door closed behind them.

Ricco immediately moved to comfort Cat, who he knew would be blaming herself for the scene they had just witnessed. Cat automatically moved into the familiar comfort of his arms as she had done so many months ago and tried to push back the tears that threatened. She hadn't expected Hella to attack Matteo like that, she had been trying to make things better between the two families.

*****

Cat sat on the plane listening to Matteo and Ricco talk as if nothing had happened before they left. The opposite was true, and seeing Matteo so mad had frightened her. She'd managed to keep it together while talking to the ladies and exchanging numbers so that she could seek their assistance with ball gowns that suited her figure and colouring. She had loved how they took what she liked from each dress and melded it into a single beautiful gown.

She had apologised profusely to Marcus for causing the second scene with her request to see Hella. While he had said he was grateful for exposing a flaw in their training program, he had seemed deeply unhappy when they finally left, and she felt guilty for that. She felt guilty about putting everyone in the position they were in now, and she felt her eyes well up with tears. She didn't belong in this world, she had no idea what she was doing, and all she had managed to do since getting involved with this family was hurt the people around her.

"Cat?" Matteo frowned seeing her eyes mist over. "Tell me." he said, softly removing his belt and moving over to where she sat.

"I'm sorry. Everything just went so wrong! I didn't expect her to be so angry, or you..." she swallowed loudly. "You were so angry!" He voice was pitched, and the tear that had been threatening finally spilt over to her cheek.

"I wasn't," he took her in his arms and rubbed her back. "I needed to talk to her like that to get her full attention. She was treating me like every other man she comes into contact with, and she needed a reality check. Neither Ricco nor I are weak little bit players in her fantasy world. She had high connections in that family and believed she was untouchable. Now she knows there are consequences no matter who you are."

"Marcus looked so upset too. He said he wasn't, but..." she shrugged helplessly. "It's all my fault. I should have just let you take me home this morning."

"Marcus is a man who prides himself on being thorough, and it was he that chose Hella as your trainer. He has taken it badly that his decision has caused his family embarrassment, as I would for any bad decision I made that brought our family into disrepute. It is the type of men we are," he tried to explain. "You did nothing but do what was asked of you and try to make a bad situation better today," he kissed her forehead as he continued to stroke her back.

"Marcus and Marina will be visiting us soon, as will Peri and Joshua. Maybe we can spend some time at the house on the hill and do some riding. Marcus always enjoys riding, it will help him to relax," Ricco suggested.

"You'd have to ask Cat, I gave her the house the day she agreed to marry me," he shrugged. "I wanted to knock it down, but she has asked to renovate and redecorate it instead. I guess I should find you an architect and builder when we get home." He said, taking Ricco's cue to move onto other subjects so she wouldn't wallow in her guilt.

"You still need to propose properly," Ricco reminded him. "You haven't put a ring on it," he chided his brother. "What does proper proposal entail, exactly?" Ricco asked Cat, steering her onto happier topics.

"That is for him to work out. I want romance and emotions, and... I don't know. I want more than a business proposal and a paper ring made from a beer bottle label. Although the ring was pretty cute the second time you gave it to me," she grinned. "That is what got you the tentative yes." Cat knew they were trying to take her mind off what happened and the guilt she felt, and she was grateful, even though she was still upset by the scene.