The Twelve Zenati Pt. 05

Authors note: Hello everyone. Welcome to the new Twelve Tables series and the new family I have for you all to meet. I hope you come to know and like them as much as the families from the past series. Thank you once again to David and Kate for being my second set of eyes. Enjoy! ~ellie.

*****

Genesis growled deep in his chest, making Olivia look up at him and scowl. He had ordered her to leave Serena, and the last vestiges of the woman who had belonged to Remington Royce, at the hospital when they left. But still she had claimed that she was not Olivia to Marcella. She had explained that Olivia might have been her name once, but Olivia was gone; she died, and so had Serena Seabrook. When asked her name, she had no response. Despite the threats over legalities, and the coming punishments when her body could withstand them, she steadfastly refused to answer to the name Olivia. She would rather have no name than become that girl again.

A battle of wills had begun between Olivia and Genesis once she had arrived at the private clinic and been shown to the suite that she and Genesis would occupy. After the first day, his punishments, though not painful, had begun to hurt, and halfway through the second day neither was giving an inch, though Olivia was regretting that she couldn't give him what he wanted, nor would he give what she needed. She tried to lift her hands and found them still attached to the bed frame despite his presence there. Yesterday, he had at least undone the restraints when he was there to supervise her.

"Tell me what you need, little one," Genesis growled.

"I want relief. Please, Genesis, please," she begged.

"Still such a needy little slut," he murmured and stood to lean over her. His fingertips trailed over her satin-covered breasts, watching her nipple pucker and strain against the fabric. "So needy and ready for my touch, my hands, my mouth," he leaned down to kiss her and trail his lips down her neck. He saw her hips rise slightly from the bed as she tried in vain to close her thighs and rub them together for the slight relief it had given her last night. "Are you ready to accept who you are? Are you ready to take your name back?" he asked in a stern voice and nibbled at her earlobe, hearing her breath quicken again.

"Please, oh God, please Genesis," she whimpered. The hand that had lightly teased her nipples trailed down her body to rest on her mound.

"Who needs this, little slut? Tell me that Olivia needs this and I will gladly give you all the relief you need. Tell me that you will be my sweet girl again, my precious treasure. Admit that you, Olivia, need me to give you, not just this climax, but the fucking you crave," he pushed her with his words, but she turned her head away from him, whining as if in pain. "Still no, Olivia?" he asked and smacked her pussy hard. He could see her body tremble and he leaned over her again and growled, "If you cum without permission then I will not touch you at all as punishment from that point on."

She took a deep breath and grimaced against the pain in her side. Nobody loved Olivia, not her parents, not Kevin really, not even Remy in the beginning, but Serena was loved completely. Marcella might have loved Olivia once, but she was only here to spy for Papa. She wanted to argue, to fight, but knew that would only bring more torture. Why couldn't he be happy that she responded to all his pet names for her? Why did he have to force her to be that horrible girl again?

"Why?" she sobbed. "Why are you doing this?"

Genesis watched her shudder and still her movements as she held back the tide inside her. He understood now why Remington had used drugs on the strong-willed girl. He hadn't thought that she would fight him this hard when they had left the hospital. He was able to do more for her needs and desires in this suite, where he controlled who came and went, but she had refused his every command, every offer of pleasure and punishment. He felt that he couldn't back down now, despite his need now mirroring her own.

"Look at me, sweet girl," he said in a softer tone. "You are mine now. Remington gave you to my care. I am overjoyed about that, but I need the real girl, not one Remington created out of thin air. For you to legally be mine, I need your consent, the consent of Olivia Gambaro. I need that before I can love you properly. We need that so I can give you everything you need, a home, a family, a life with a new name, my name," he explained, not for the first time, although he had never offered to give her his name before. He had stopped before saying that he would do what Remington could not and marry her to make her legally his.

"You need me to be Olivia before you can give me the name you want me to have?" she asked, focusing on the new information.

"My name, yes, but you must show me that you can love me as much as you did Remington, and do as I ask without question. Only then will I give you all he ever promised and more," he vowed.

She turned her head away from him again and closed her eyes. He didn't know what he was asking. He couldn't love Olivia. Not even Remy loved Olivia; she had to be changed, altered and then erased. Genesis wouldn't love her at all if she were Olivia. Why couldn't he see that?

Genesis sighed. He had one last idea of how to overcome her resolve and undo whatever block Remington had put in place against her real identity, but he needed to speak to his cousin before he risked it. Hector had said that he would come this afternoon and examine his new patient.

*****

The five-story building in which Vivienne and Marcella had each been given an apartment belonged to the three brothers. The top two levels housed the four siblings, including Serafina, while the lower levels had one, two and three-bedroom suites for visitors. These were generally vacant except during the Zenati gathering when people who chose to fly in and out of the remote station where the leaders currently lived, opted to stay close to the city.

The Northern Territory was essentially a wilderness dotted with small remote towns. Even its capital, Darwin, was not particularly big in comparison to the other state capitals. It was a very pretty city, however, and Marcella loved the area in which they were staying. She took long walks along the parkway at the top of the cliffs and gazed out at the white boats bobbing rhythmically on the harbour. She felt at peace here, able to think clearly and forget the claustrophobic life that she and Olivia had tried to run from. Olivia had done it, run away without looking back, but the consequences were grave. Marcella, on the other hand, had used subterfuge and negotiation to have the life she wanted but still paid a high price to keep her mother in her life.

Approaching the café that nestled on the parkway across from the building where she was staying, Marcella took a deep breath. She needed all of her skills of persuasion and negotiation to ask the two favours that she needed from Noah. She had finally decided on a plan of action to help Olivia, but she couldn't do it alone. She needed him to join in her deceptions and subterfuge where her father was concerned. She wandered through the beanbags and beach chairs that littered the lawn in front of the café and that gave it a picnic feel, to approach the table where Noah sat waiting for her.

"Hey," He stood as she approached and kissed her cheek in greeting. "Nice walk?" he asked, pulling out a chair for her.

"Yes, thank you," she replied. "I have come to a few conclusions, and I would like your help, if you are willing," she continued with a smile.

"This sounds like a serious discussion, so hold that thought until we order something to drink and some food," he suggested, though it sounded more like a command. "I'll order. What would you like?" He passed Marcella a menu.

"Surprise me," she smiled again and slid it back across the table. She knew the menu here after two days. Everything on the menu was light and tasty, and she didn't want to think about making the little decisions right now when she had some big plans to put into motion.

"All right then," he chuckled and went the counter. It was only a few minutes before he came back with a number on a metal stand and announced, "They'll bring it out when its ready. So tell me what I can do to help?"

"Can I ask a personal question first?" she asked.

"Sure," he shrugged. "It's not huge, but I'm not shy about showering at the gym," Noah chuckled through his reply, giving her a wide grin as he waggled his eyebrows.

"What?" Her eyes went wide, and a blush crept up her neck. Then, getting a grip on herself, she burst out laughing. "Well, that's good to know. I expect your girlfriend is more than pleased," she dangled the question that she had been planning to ask like a comment.

"Falling for the Zenati charm?" He waggled his eyebrows at her again with a knowing smile.

"You are very charming, Noah, but that's not why I am asking." She shook her head. It wouldn't hurt to flatter him, considering what she was about to ask.

"No, there is no girlfriend, and I am not gay, before you start being politically correct and asking about a partner," he chuckled. "For reasons that I can't really explain, I'm just not into the whole dating scene at the moment," he shrugged.

"That's a relief. I mean, I'm surprised but relieved. I assumed that you and your brothers probably had girls falling over themselves to date you," Marcella laughed lightly as her nerves about what she wanted to do kicked in.

"Are you offering to fall all over my brothers and me? I'm not opposed, but Gideon has this whole thing going with Viv at the moment, and you can see the way that Gen looks at Olivia, so they may not appreciate it as much," he continued to chuckle.

"No! That's not what I meant! Stop twisting my words," she admonished him.

"Okay, tell me why you find it such a relief that I am happily single then?" he asked. "I assume it has something to do with whatever plans you concoct while you walk along the foreshore here, every chance you get."

"Well, yes, I do have plans actually, but I need two big favours first, and then just a little additional help," she admitted.

"Two!" he said in mock horror as if she were asking for the world. "We might have to negotiate my fee depending on how big these favours are."

"Maybe this is a mistake," she sighed and slumped her shoulders, realising what an awkward position she would be putting this man in if he agreed. He was so nice and what she was asking of him wouldn't benefit him at all.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "Tell me what you need, and if I can, I will give you all the help you need. I have pretty good connections, you realise," he chuckled yet again.

"Yeah, I thought you might," she grinned and shook her head. "Okay, here's the short version. My Papa is old school. He was older when he met my mother, and they wanted to have children. He was big on the traditional roles for women in the Tables. Cook, clean, have babies after marrying well into another Table. Not in that order, of course. He was not a bad man. He loved us, he was just... rigid, strict..." She tried to put as positive a spin on her upbringing as she could.

"I get the picture. I assume this is why Olivia ran away from home?" Noah asked.

"Yes, and I encouraged her and feel enormous guilt about that. That's why I feel such a need to help her in any way I can, and I think I have come up with a plan, but Papa found out that I came here and has demanded that I come home. He has turned his back on Olivia and doesn't want me or Mama involved. Only it's killing Mama. I think I have a way to make it so that I can stay and maybe Mama can come to see Olivia, but it would mean getting you to lie for me."

"Why lie? Just call Bernardo and tell him what's happening and get him to sort it out. I can do that for you, if you like," he offered.

"No, my father would never forgive Mama or me if he lost face to the leaders of the Family. The humiliation he feels over the fact that his runaway daughter has shown up, not only alive, but as part of the Suebi, has almost killed him," she sighed. "He couldn't handle being made to look like a tyrant in the eyes of the Table. I love him, even though he is difficult at times, especially now, and it's just a small lie. I promise that I will make sure it doesn't cause any problems for you."

"All right, tell me about this plan, why I have to lie exactly, and what's in it for me. How will you make it worth my while?" he asked curiously.

"I need a lawyer to help me negotiate the law here in this territory. It's quite a bit different to the states, or so I have been led to believe, and you happen to be a lawyer. I know what I want to do. I'm just not one hundred per cent sure of the legal ins and outs of it," she paused, and when he tried to speak, she held up her hand. "I also need..." Marcella stopped and looked up as the waitress brought their food and drinks. She shook her head as the young woman openly flirted with Noah, and he appeared to take no notice. "Thank you," Marcella said, earning her a quick glance from the waitress who only had eyes for Noah, making Marcella giggle softly.

"What's so funny?" Noah asked, looking at the food as the waitress walked away.

"I may as well be invisible when I am sitting here with you. I'm lucky she didn't dump this food in my lap," Marcella continued to laugh.

"She was just friendly," Noah frowned, then looked over his shoulder at the retreating waitress.

"To you. I had to practically shout at her to get her to acknowledge my 'thank you' when she dropped my plate on the table. Men can be so oblivious sometimes. Honestly, I get why you're not dating at the moment, but that's where my second big favour comes in," she said smugly.

"Oh?" his curiosity was peaked. Marcella was treading on dangerous ground if she thought that she could train him into a more refined version of himself. She would find out very quickly that he was exactly who he wanted to be. Still, it could be fun to string her along for a day or two and then turn the tables and make her submit to him and his desires. An image of Marcella, bound and on her knees before him, filled his mind, and his cock stiffened at the thought. He pushed it to the back of his mind for later perusal and focused back on what she was saying.

"The lie," she paused, as if reading a title on a page. "If I told my Papa that I'd met a nice Zenati boy and we were seriously dating then he wouldn't be trying to order me home so fast. Maybe if we talked about a future, no actual engagement or anything, but a future, Mama might be able to come to meet you and see Olivia while she is here."

"So, the lie would be that we are dating?" Noah asked the obvious to be clarified.

"Yes, seriously dating," she qualified.

"Why lie? If you wanted to date me, you only had to ask. You're smart and attractive, Marcie. I'm not idiot enough to turn you down if you had just asked for a date," he chuckled.

"I was hoping to avoid the complications that go along with dating, you know..." she found herself at a loss to his response. She had hoped to maintain the beginning friendship without complicating it by starting a more intimate relationship.

"Are you worried that I'm not a good kisser?" he asked with a grin, enjoying how uncomfortable she looked at the turn in the conversation. Sure, he hadn't felt any tummy twisting or heart attack symptoms that would signal the breaking of the curse, but he wasn't doing anything better at the moment, and until his one came along, Marcella could be a very sexy way to pass the time. Plus, he liked her, he had from the time that he picked her up at the airport. If he was going to help her with any legal queries, then they could meet and discuss those over dinner or in bed. Once again, he pushed the image of her submitting to him to the back of his mind and chuckled at how flustered she was.

"That's not what I meant," she gasped.

"I'll agree to helping you with the legal issues and to dating you, but I won't lie about either. Especially not to your parents or my family," he said sternly. "Liars always get caught out, and the consequences can be far more hazardous than what the lie was invented to avoid."

"You, Mr I'm-so-hot-I-don't-even-notice-girls-flirting-with-me-anymore, want to date me, the invisible woman?" she asked, looking at him incredulously before laughing again.

"You're not invisible to me, but that would be a great superpower. What's your superhero name?" he asked. "Invisible Girl is already taken, I think."

"So is Mighty Mouse, but it's better than some of the things I was called at University," she said and shook her head.

"I think we could come up with something better than that, leave it with me," he chuckled.

"Great, you're a closet nerd, aren't you?" she asked.

"Not at all. I am out and proud of my nerdiness," Noah grinned. "Admit it, being a nerd just makes me hotter right?"

"Good grief," she rolled her eyes at him but couldn't help her laugh.

"If your father is so wound up with tradition, how did you manage to go to University? I wouldn't have thought that would be high on his agenda for girls destined to be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen," Noah frowned, finding a hole in her story about her father and changing the subject, not liking the way she rolled her eyes at him instead of continuing the banter.

"It wasn't. He refused to pay for my education because he said that it was a waste of time and money for a girl to go to University. So, I fought for a partial scholarship and took out some student loans and worked a couple of part-time jobs. It caused a few arguments, and I went to stay with my aunt for a while, to take the pressure off Mama. I have been a disappointment to him overall, but if he knew that I was dating a nice boy who was going to be on the next Zenati Table..." she let her voice trail off.

"I won't lie for you, Marcie. If you want to tell them that we are dating, then we date, properly. That includes, dinners, movies, drives to the country, holding hands, meeting each other's family and friends, kissing, staying the night at each other's places," he continued, loving the blush that crept up her neck into her cheeks. "Hot sex," he added and laughed loudly as she spluttered and choked on her drink. "You did promise to make it worth my while," he teased and waited until she got her choking under control. "I guess you have some say over the timing of those things, but if we date, they are all on the table." He waggled his eyebrows again.

"Oh, you're joking," she breathed out loudly in relief, seeing the waggle of his eyebrows. "Sorry. I can't believe I fell for that. I am sure that you have many beautiful women lining up to jump you," she laughed easily.

"Marcie," Noah reached across the table and took her hand. "I am deadly serious and very happy to be sitting across the table from a beautiful woman that I wouldn't mind jumping and discussing dating her seriously," he grinned, and leaned across to kiss her lips chastely, taking advantage of her momentary confusion.

Frozen to the spot and speechless, Marcie stared at Noah. This conversation had not gone at all as she had planned it. True, she had gotten what she wanted, but she was also getting a whole lot more that she didn't. Or, at least she thought she didn't. How would she know? Aside of a couple of failed teenage romances, she'd never dated seriously. Deemed too intimidating by her fellow law students when in classes, and spending all her free time running between classes, studying, visiting her mother and working at her part-time jobs, it had been impossible for her to have a social life of any description, let alone date. She had friends with benefits and late night booty calls that she could always initiate or turn down. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been on an actual date.