The Twelve Vitali free porn video

"Are you insane!" Jacobi said as he got out of his car. He was breathing heavily and shaking his head, looking at the tree in front of his car before turning his irate glare on the woman who had almost caused this accident. There was dust swirling around them which had been raised in response to her signal for help, which had made him almost drive his car into a tree.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly and approached him. "My name is Maryanne Donati, and I am in a dreadful hurry, but it seems I have run out of petrol. Can you help me, please?" She said in such a rapid string of words she breathed as heavily as him.

"Maryanne Donati?" Jacobi repeated her name, immediately making the connection to her family.

"You've heard of... Well, not me, but my family?" she asked, a frown furrowing her forehead. She looked at him more closely, taking in his handsome features. No, not handsome, she decided, it was more than just being handsome, he was rugged and interesting, she decided, and that was much better than merely being handsome. He looked to be around thirty, with broad shoulders, dark hair and the deep tan of a man who worked outdoors. She took in his dark eyes a moment after acknowledging that he had a great physique under the casual business shirt and pants. She realised he was studying her at the same time and he said her name again.

"Maryanne Donati," he seemed to nod his head as if finally accepting the name belonged to her. "Well, Miss Donati, let me be the first to tell you that dancing into the road on those high heels while lifting your skirt to expose your long legs can cause chaos!" he said in a reprimanding tone.

"You're right, no one has ever told me that before, but my skirt is back in place now, and there was no damage done," she grinned and smoothed her demure shin length denim skirt back into place. "I am sorry," she said contritely when his less than impressed gaze didn't waver. "I just couldn't think of any other way to make sure you stopped!"

Jacobi swore and looked around. It was a country road lined by large fallow fields. There was no sign of habitation or other traffic anywhere around them, and the summer sun was beating down, making it seem inhospitable.

"My car's diesel. I can't give you the petrol you need," he grouched. "Where were you heading?"

"Timboon. Are you? You're heading in the right direction at least." She asked. "Is there any chance I could get a lift with you?"

Jacobi looked her up and down again. She was stunning, her flowing dark hair held red gold highlight and she had unusually dark blue eyes that were almost violet. He imagined she was in her early twenties, and, aside from her face and lovely figure, she had sensational legs. There was an energy about her and an innate loveliness that he couldn't help but admire, even though she had almost caused him to collide with a big tree. Behind the loveliness, though, there was a conviction that she was no mere mortal, and, as such, begging a lift from a stranger held no danger for her. He grimaced, acknowledging that she was a Donati Princess, and, of course, she was a law unto herself. Just like the last Donati princess to spend time with his family, Nik.

"All right, but you can't just leave a car like that here," he looked at the sleek white sports car totally unsuited to life on country roads.

"No," she hesitated. "There is one more tiny thing, my phone died, and I can't charge it if the car doesn't start. Would you have a phone I could borrow?" She asked sweetly, making him shake his head again at the clueless woman who had almost killed him. "I'll pay for the call and the petrol to drive me to Timboon, naturally."

"You don't have to do that, naturally or otherwise," he grumbled, pulling his phone out.

"I insist," she gave an imperious little toss of her head as she took the phone from his hand.

He listened to a one-sided conversation between Maryanne and her Aunt, including a detailed description of his car, including registration. She sheepishly handed his phone back.

"Sorry about that, but she is a worrier," Maryanne explained. "Plus, she explained why I ran out of petrol. She used the car yesterday and forgot to refill it. I was in such a rush I didn't even check it," she smiled. "So I don't have to feel completely stupid."

"Why are you in such a rush?" he enquired, moving toward his car again, sensing that she had an equally airy reason, like being late to get her hair done or some such appointment that shouldn't require this amount of drama.

"Can I tell you as we drive?" she asked, following him to the car. He opened her door for her as he gestured to get in with a nod.

"I was here visiting my aunt and uncle and catching up with a friend from school. My friend was due to have her baby in two weeks but went into labour this morning. Her mother is still up in Queensland, and her husband was out at the mines and is on his way back but won't make it in time, and she called me. I'm all she's got, and I have messed it up terribly," she said sadly. "She has no one else, and this is her first baby."

"I see," he said blandly, but pushed the accelerator a little deeper hearing the emotion in her voice.

"I am truly grateful, even if I had have used your phone and waited for my Uncle to come, I could have lost hours, their home is half an hour in the other direction," she chatted as they drove. "May I ask the name of my rescuer?"

"Cobi," he answered with the single word of his preferred shortening of his name.

"Well, Cobi, may I borrow your phone again, please? I'd like to call the hospital and see how things are going. I am hoping I haven't missed the whole thing; she sounded so lost and scared when she called me." She took the phone he offered and thanked him again before speaking to a nurse in the maternity wing.

"Oh no, I think I am going to miss it entirely," her whole body sagged in defeat.

"Hang on," Jacobi said, and sped up to get her there. Maryanne did hang on, her knuckles turning almost white as her fingers curled around the edge of the seat.

"Thanks so much," she said gratefully when they pulled up in front of the rural hospital. "I thought only my brothers' drove that fast! Well, them and race car drivers." She opened her door. "I..."

"Just go," he gestured toward the building.

"Wait here; I'll get the news and come back. You deserve to know that everything is alright. Besides, I owe you some money!" Maryanne gushed and flung herself out of the car and raced up the stairs to the hospital.

Jacobi hesitated a few moments, then put his car in gear intending to leave when Maryanne called out his name and danced back down the stairs.

"Almost nine pounds, about five minutes ago. Mother and son are doing well," she reported. "I can't thank you enough. However, here's the thing, I can't pay you back because I've left my wallet at home and my phone in the car."

"I never expected you to pay for a couple of phone calls, Miss Donati. Don't give it another thought," Jacobi said easily, eager to be away from this woman who made him feel every hormone in his body reacting to her proximity. He stopped again and looked at her properly. "So, you have nothing?" he asked. "No credit cards, not anything?"

"Nothing," she spread her hands wide. "It will be fine when my Uncle comes," she reassured him. Jacobi reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollars and placed it in her hand.

"Get your friends some flowers," he said gruffly and prepared to leave.

"Thank you, but at least give me your address or phone number so I can send you the money," she said, seeming to search her pockets for pen and paper. Jacobi opened his mouth to tell her to forget it, it wasn't like he needed her to pay him back, but changed his mind.

"Have dinner with me," he said. "Only if you want to," he named a restaurant and a time in a nearby town, remembering Maryanne had said her Uncle's home was in the opposite direction of the way they had driven. He looked into her surprised violet eyes, let the corners of his mouth tilt up a little and put the car in gear. She stepped back as he slightly revved the engine signalling his intention to leave, and he drove off leaving her speechless on the footpath in front of the hospital.

*****

Jacobi sat at a table for two at the only upmarket restaurant in the small hilltop town overlooking the tempestuous Great Southern Ocean. He was early, but he didn't mind. He had been unable to remove the vivacious Maryanne from his mind all afternoon, despite the fact that she was a spoilt Donati princess. He'd met her sister a few times at his parents' home in Melbourne. Nik Donati was the epitome of a spoilt and selfish princess, and she'd broken his older brother's heart. Beautiful on the outside, most definitely, on the inside though, Jacobi shuddered thinking about it and the number Nik had done on his brother.

His brother had fallen for her badly. Admittedly she was all sweetness and light around him, but he had seen the other side of her personality on more than one occasion. The way she treated everyone as her personal staff, and cruelly mistreated and taunted one of his sisters, who wasn't born to be tall and beautiful like the Donati Princesses. He had been glad when she left and that she had refused any of his brother's overtures of love and his proposal, despite his broken heart. 'Time heals all wounds.' he thought sadly.

Maryanne, however, seemed different in subtle ways. While she did seem to have the same imperious belief that she could do as she liked without any regard for the consequences, she had also been grateful for his help, or appeared to be grateful. Something he had never seen in the arrogant and entitled Nik. He wondered about her place in the Donati clan and had done some investigating on his own when he couldn't focus on his work, as she clouded his mind. He thought to find a profile of a party girl much like Nik, but what he found instead was not what he had been expecting. There was more to this woman than met the eye, and he contemplated his beer as his mind wandered over her looks, her body and those sensational legs.

"Penny for them?" Maryanne asked, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up guiltily and cleared his throat as if he had been caught out doing something he shouldn't have been. He discreetly checked his watch and noted that she was ten minutes early. She pulled out her chair to sit opposite him as he came to his feet automatically. Years of breeding made him nothing, if not well-mannered. She had changed into an evening dress of a violet blue that matched her eyes. It was short enough to highlight those legs that had been walking through his mind all afternoon, but not short enough to appear uncouth in a restaurant like this.

This woman was a more sophisticated version of the woman he had met that morning. Her single strand of pearls and matching earrings told of an elegance and need to be taken seriously. She slid into her chair and looked at the water beaded bottle of champagne that sat in an ice bucket to the side of the table.

Champagne?" he offered, understanding the look she had given him and the bottle.

"Yes, please," she agreed with a small nod. "How nice of you. It's also nice to sit down. Today has definitely been one of my wackier days," she admitted.

"Wacky?" he enquired, tilting his head and pouring her a glass of champagne. "First, though, how are mother and son?"

"They're doing well, despite his early arrival and my late arrival. Totally not your fault, that was all me," Maryanne pulled a face. "Speaking of the wacky things that happened today," she reached into her purse and pulled out a crisp hundred-dollar note. She placed it flat on the table and slid it across to him. "Thank you again, for everything you did for me."

"I take it you got your wallet back?" he said lightly, letting the note stay on the table where she had left it before pulling her hand away.

"Yes, car, wallet, phone, all returned to their rightful working condition. Which was just as well or I wouldn't have made it here tonight," she laughed lightly. "And I did want to come and thank you properly." She took a sip of her champagne. "Mm, delicious," she smiled.

"There's no need to thank me. I would hardly leave a woman stranded on the side of the road. You should be more careful though, not everyone is as nice as me," he warned her. Jacobi couldn't help but like the lively young woman and found himself genuinely enjoying her company during the first few minutes of their conversation.

Maryanne frowned at him. She knew the dangers of flagging down a random motorist, but what choice had she had when her phone died. He was nice though, and handsome. She took in the fact that he had changed too. He was in dark jeans and a polo shirt open at the throat and topped off with a formal jacket. The only jewellery he wore was a watch that she knew was worth a small fortune. He looked right at home in this expensive restaurant, not to mention darkly attractive.

"So what do you do, Jacobi?" she asked considering him carefully.

"This and that," he shrugged.

"That sounds evasive," she said thoughtfully. She lifted a slender finger to trace the rim on her champagne flute. Her senses were being overwhelmed by the pure masculinity of the man.

"It's also true," he answered easily. "My first love is horses. I own a stud and also have a hand in training thoroughbreds. In addition to that, I also help out my family's business. I'm in risk management, I suppose, I can make things happen that might have otherwise been stalled." It was hard to explain what he did precisely. He had a knack for seeing problems and offering solutions that worked when businesses were floundering or in need of a change of direction. His skills were known beyond his family, and he was constantly overrun with job offers.

"I think I understand," Maryanne nodded and saw him raise his eyebrow at her. "We have a go-to-guy in our family too."

"What about you?" He asked curiously.

"I am working with my cousin in her art gallery," she said easily. "I originally travelled to Melbourne with her to check out a new artist, then took a few weeks to visit my Aunt and Uncle down here and see my friend."

"Your cousin doesn't mind you ditching work for a few weeks?" he asked, seeing a flaw in her persona and getting ready to condemn her as being as selfish and spoilt.

"She insisted," Maryanne grinned. "My Aunt is one of the artists we showcase, and she is nearing the completion of her latest collection. I am inventorying them and designing a layout for our space. I know it doesn't sound like a big job, but there's a lot that goes into it." Maryanne continued to talk about this latest collection and her love of the coastal themes and colours created by the artist, her Aunt. Jacobi had to admit he was quietly impressed by her depth of knowledge as they continued to chat at the art world, as Maryanne knew it, over their first course.

"You're surprised, aren't you?" Maryanne asked suddenly in the middle of a conversation as if his question had only just registered in her brain. "I'm starting to get the feeling you don't approve of me, Mr... um... Cobi," she frowned at him and took a sip of her champagne. "It's become quite a strong feeling tonight," she challenged him with the flash of her violet eyes.

"Well, you did almost get me killed earlier today," he chuckled, trying to diffuse the tension that emanated from her.

"Which I have apologised for over and over again. I have explained that I have had a wacky sort of day. I am not usually that unorganised," Maryanne defended herself.

Cobi attempted to stifle a smile and shrugged at her, not knowing what to say.

"Very eloquent. You couldn't possibly have said that you didn't believe me any better with your words," Maryanne placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands.

"I..." Cobi tried to fix the situation with his usual charm and schmoozing, but she cut him off.

"It's okay," she added quickly. "I don't mind. We're a bit like ships passing in the night, aren't we? It's not like our paths are bound to cross again, are they?" Maryanne said lightly. She'd made a bad impression this morning, and she didn't blame him for thinking her a silly air-head. It was disappointing, but she didn't blame him. Her mother kept telling her that first impressions were everything, and it seemed, in this case, it was true.

Had she read his mind? He wondered. He once again became aware of how attractive she was and found he didn't want to be just ships that passed in the night. He wasn't sure he could ignore the way she made him feel. He knew he hadn't been able to today. Their gazes clashed as he decided he wanted this girl in his life and his bed. He wanted to know if she was a Donati princess all the way to her fingertips when she was hot and bothered and writhing beneath him.

The waiter arrived and the moment was lost as they ate. They talked about mundane things like the scenery and weather in this part of the wild, rugged southern coastline. It didn't matter what Maryanne was talking about, Jacobi found himself becoming more enthralled with her as the dinner wore on.

"Do you ride?" Cobi asked as he walked her out of the restaurant to stand on the front patio to wait for her ride home.

"Of course," Maryanne said without hesitation.

"Of course," he queried with an amused tone.

Maryanne looked up at him, hearing the tone. She wasn't short at five foot eight with her heels, and she still looked up. He must be well over six foot, she considered, and she felt a little quiver run through her, because not only was he tall but he was perfectly proportioned.

"Have I said something wrong?" she asked in response to his tone.

"No, I suppose not," he took her hand as they walked toward the waiting car. He was grateful she had insisted on calling her Uncle to pick her up, he wouldn't have liked her to have driven after so much champagne, and he didn't trust himself with her alone in his car.

"You may as well tell me," she sighed. Jacobi stopped walking and turned her to face him. His eyes raked up and down her figure, stopping finally on her long legs, giving her another quiver of arousal.

"It's just that I get the impression you do everything well," he shrugged finally. "Ride, swim, run, play the piano, paint or draw, speak fluent something or other, and..." he stopped as Maryanne held up her hand.

"You still think I'm an idle rich brat, even though I've told you all about my work," she said, not hiding her disappointment from him this time.

"Not idle," he admitted, rubbing his jaw subconsciously, he felt like she had slapped him with the disappointment in her words. "You have the self-assuredness that leads me to believe you went to the best schools and possibly a finishing school. Do you do any of those things I mentioned?"

"I..." Maryanne opened her mouth to defend herself but sighed resignedly. He was right about her education. "I do swim, but not surf. I ride horses and motorbikes. I don't play an instrument, but I sing, sometimes, usually at family holidays and things. I play tennis and touch football. I speak fluent Italian, but I do not paint or draw. Mind you, I have a pretty good eye for art, hence my job. Satisfied?" She asked more abruptly than she planned, feeling like he was judging her. "You asked about riding, and I said of course, because I can't imagine my life without horses in it."
"I'm going to see a couple of horses tomorrow, I thought you might like to go riding with me," he said carefully.

"But I thought..." Maryanne started to speak, the confusion evident in her eyes. She was aware that he still held her hand and she tilted her head. "Well, Mr... What is your name again?"

"Cobi, Jacobi Vitali," he admitted, and he saw the recognition of the name flitter over her face.

"Ah, I met some of your family when I was in Melbourne, your mother, I think," she looked up into his face. Truthfully, aside of Vanessa, who she had blown off this morning in the race to the hospital, she had only met the Vitali patriarch and his wife once. She'd never met any of Jacobi's brothers or the important people of the Vitali table. It was all about the boys, after all. She had no power of her own.

"I doubt that very much," he became serious. "I lost my mother a long time ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, genuinely feeling sorry for the man standing beside her. She squeezed his hand. She couldn't imagine the world without her mother in it. Cobi must be a cousin to the table then, she reassured herself, which didn't mean he could be given a seat at the family table, but it was far less likely. "Riding sounds lovely," she agreed easily, feeling like she owed him that much after making him sad at the end of their evening.

"Would you mind meeting me in Timboon? I have an early morning meeting there, and it will save me backtracking, and you could visit your friend before the ride. I can meet you at the hospital. What did you say your friend's name was?"

"Kathrine Tate," she said without thinking.

"Why don't you visit Kathrine and I'll see you at the hospital about ten?" he asked as they reached the car where her uncle waited. He lifted the hand he held and kissed the back of her knuckles, sending a jolt of electric attraction through her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, quickly withdrawing her hand and allowing him to open the car door her for her.

"Try not to lure any more men to their doom by driving their cars into large immovable objects, Miss Donati," he grinned and leaned into the car a moment before closing the door. He gave her back the hundred-dollar note and murmured. "I wanted to pay for the flowers." Then he stood and shut the door. The window immediately came down.

"I get the feeling you are used to getting your own way," she said in a half teasing voice.

"I've been accused of that, yes," he admitted.

"That makes for interesting and possibly awkward times ahead," Maryanne predicted with a laugh, "Goodnight, Mr Vitali." She closed her window again.

"I'm sure it does," he chuckled to himself.

*****

"Did you make a slide show to go with that Presentation?" Ricco asked his mirror image, Jacobi.

"Would it have helped?" Jacobi asked. "I get why you might not be happy about this as I am."

"Everything you said makes sense. Maryanne's got perfect bloodlines, she's from possibly the most powerful of the tables, and she understands what it is you would be asking of her. I get it, she's the perfect candidate, but not once in all of what you have said tonight have you told me that you love her," Ricco said. "If I'm the one who has to give up my possible future wife to share the woman you choose for us, it better be because you're in love, not just any love, but mad crazy love, the kind you can't live without."

"I thought that much was obvious," Jacobi groaned, but was unable to hide his grin.

"We always said that whoever found love first got to be the groom," Ricco gave in, as he always did. Twins born only minutes apart, they shared an uncanny bond to go with their identical looks. "Just make sure you give us enough time to become friends at least. When and if Papa ever retires, that's going to be important. If she hates me, or I can't stand her, then it's never going to work out, whether you are the second son or not. All this planning you've been doing our whole lives won't matter much then."

"As if I'd marry someone you hate. And look at yourself, then look at me, do you really think she won't be attracted to you in the same way?" Jacobi laughed at the thought of it.

"Does Matteo know? He got burnt pretty badly by Nik before she went back to Queensland," Ricco said, considering anything that could be a reason to stop his brother from proposing to Maryanne Donati.

"Matteo will be fine. He's neck deep in some new building project. I doubt he even knows let alone cares what's going on with us," Jacobi became serious. "We should probably do something about that. It can't be good for him to be working twenty-four seven the way he does."

"Maybe a day at the races is called for?" Ricco considered the options for spending time with his older brother. He'd witnessed the death of their oldest brother when he was eight and had been injured himself at the time. Prone to bouts of introspection and feeling blue, Matteo kept mostly to himself unless a specific family gathering was called for. He was the first to jump in when his siblings asked for help or assistance, but would never ask for help himself. He had become an island in the sea of people that was their huge family.

"Maybe I should tell him about Maryanne personally. He's already missing in action a lot lately. I'd just been hoping to slip this one past him, but now that you have brought up what Nik did to him I'm not so sure," Jacobi managed to look as thoughtful as he sounded. He'd fallen in love with a Donati princess, and he knew that in proposing to her he was dooming one brother to a life of being a permanent bachelor to the public eye and another brother to relive memories he'd probably rather forget.

"I think you should, and don't forget, he was originally the second son, not you," Ricco reminded him. "So take it easy on how much you talk to him about the plan for table domination."

"Twenty years of being the oldest outweighs eight years of being the second son. We are the second sons, not just me, but both of us. We have been in this together from the womb. Plus, you're going to love Maryanne just as much as I do, I know it. Just give it some time, I promise she is perfect and will be the perfect mother for our table."

*****

Two Years later.

Matteo surveyed the property from the wide-open deck that wrapped around his house. He'd fallen in love with this little town on top of a hill overlooking the Great Southern Ocean when he had come here a few years ago with his brothers to look at a horse stud. He bought the land and built this house with one woman in mind. Now it was just a reminder of the treachery of women. As if his mother hadn't fucked with him enough he'd managed to fall for a manipulative bitch who had no intention of marrying into one of the twelve tables, even though she had been brought up in the most powerful of them.

'I should sell it,' he counselled himself. He knew he was on notice, as were his brothers and cousins, to start settling down and producing heirs. His father's heart attack earlier in the year had made them all realise that the big man wasn't immortal and time could be shorter than they realised to become the men who would sire and lead the next generation to inherit the Vitali Table. His mind whirled back to happier times when he'd thought himself in love with the incredibly beautiful and confident Veronica Donati.

At the age of twenty-five, she had been the most amazing woman he had ever met. Confident and strong with a softer feminine side that she showed only to those she trusted. She had trusted him, and that had made him feel special, different to all of the other men who flirted with her and tried to gain her favour. At least that was the illusion she wove around their relationship, particularly in the beginning. When it had started going horribly wrong, he was in too deep and would have forgiven her anything. Of course, that was before anyone knew what a deceptive, manipulative bitch she truly was.

When Jacobi had started dating Maryanne, he had been forced to face that time in his life. The rush of emotion threatened to overwhelm him to the extent that he began to travel more often rather than see his brother taken for the fool he had been. Maryanne, though, had turned out to be nothing like her sister, except for the family resemblance which made her undeniably beautiful. That beauty, however, was a constant reminder of the pain he had endured at the hands of Nik. He'd never found out the complete truth or the whole story surrounding her imprisonment and subsequent death, but he knew he would need to if he ever wanted move on properly and accept Maryanne as part of his family the way she wanted him to.

Matteo hadn't been back here for a while. He loved this place, he just didn't know if it would ever be a place he could live again without those dark memories. He walked back inside placing his empty coffee mug in the sink and going to make his bed before his brothers arrived. Jacobi was bringing Maryanne's horse down from Queensland as a surprise for her birthday and wanted to keep it at Matteo's until the day, knowing Maryanne wouldn't visit. 'It wasn't that she wasn't welcome.' he thought defensively, even though he knew he had never made her feel welcome, not here, and not in his family.

He had to exorcise Nik from his life, and that had to start with this place, he admitted. There wasn't a room that wasn't filled with the memory of her. He could remember the good things about Nik, along with the bad, and wished they weren't so clear in his mind. The last day they had been here in this house together, the last day he had seen her before she left never to return, was filled with memories too hard to think about. His mind wound back further to happier times' to the first time they had entered the battlefield that was their sex life.

He'd found her beside the pool sunbathing. He'd been pissed off about the night before when they'd been clubbing and she had flirted with a guy he loathed. He'd thought that she cared about him, that they were dating, but she had acted like a single woman at the bar, and he felt like a schmuck for not putting a stop to it there and then. He was there to tell her to get another schmuck, but she rolled to face him, and he saw that she was topless and the words died in his mouth.

"Mattie, I wasn't expecting to see you today," she said, picking up a towel and haphazardly covering her breasts.

"After last nights performance, I don't doubt that," he snarled, his anger still close to the surface, despite being unable to take his eyes from the large but perfectly perky tits that peeked out from the towel she held loosely in front of her.

"How about you talk to me instead of my tits then," she bit back and dropped the towel. Cupping the heavy globes in her hands, she lifted them toward Matteo. "Here, get a better look, pervert. Then maybe we can have a conversation once you're done."

Matteo didn't respond, his reddening cheeks and the tent forming in his pants would give the lie to any words he tried to say at that moment, so he silently endured her barrage of words.

"Geez, look at that. That limp dick of yours is getting to half mast, why don't you come closer, touch them, suckle like a little baby boy. You know you want to," she tormented him, despite the fact that her nipples were hardening as quickly as his cock, belying her pleasure in the scene she was creating. She was surprised that he didn't turn his gaze away and give her the moment of triumph, instead she saw his mouth tighten and his eyes flash with anger at her taunting.

Nik knew she couldn't back down, knowing she must remain arrogant to stay on top. She shook her shoulders and rubbed her hands over her breasts as she watched Matteo bring his hand to his chin and rub his stubble.

"You're such a slut," he remarked. "The fucking Donati ice princess is actually a slut!" he let the incredulity in his voice wash over her and noted with satisfaction her moment of hesitation before she continued.

"Yeah, and you're getting worked up watching this slut. So, what does that say about you?" Nik challenged.

Matteo was no longer listening to her barbs. He was aroused beyond reasoning by her behaviour. He had not had sex in weeks as she had kept him at arm's length; he had taken a day's insulting jibes from first his friends about his taste in women. Here was that same woman flaunting her body at him, taunting him that he was less than a man. He ran his eyes down from her breasts noting the slim waist, tiny white bikini bottoms tied on each side of her hips, then on down her long slim, partially spread thighs to her gold ankle bracelet.

Nik knew this look. She had seen men look at her like that all the time. She knew how to use that look to her advantage. It was the look of pure lust. Whether he would continue being the nice would-be boyfriend or not, there was sexual energy in the room, and she enjoyed having this effect on a man. The feelings of arousal in her lower stomach were flooding into the rest of her body now. She dropped one hand off her breast and moved it to her stomach. Without saying a word, Matteo slipped off his jacket and pulled his shirt over his head. The sight of his well-muscled tanned torso did nothing to quell the butterflies ravaging Nik's tummy and transferring throughout her body. He kicked off his shoes and socks and dropped his trousers and underwear to the floor in one swift movement.

Matteo stood naked before Nik, his erect cock just out of her reach. She noted it was considerably bigger than she had imagined and she could not avert her eyes. The sight raised her arousal levels even higher, and now she felt the dampness between her thighs making her squirm. She swallowed hard, feeling a little weak in her hungover state, but quickly looked to hide the fact with more talk.

"Oh, now the big man gets his dick out and waves it around. What am I supposed to do, get down on my knees and worship it? I guess that would make you a real man, wouldn't it?"

Matteo said nothing but took a small step toward where she sat. It was clear to Nik that the usually sweet and gentle Matteo was determined to get sexual action of some sort from her after the taunting. She was still stunned that he hadn't back down and run away with his tail between his legs. She wasn't about to back down before him.

The men in her life always won the arguments because of their size and physical strength, but not this time. Nik knew this could well be more than a small victory for her. It could be something she could hold over him in the future... If she decided to keep him around.

Matteo stood there, breathing deeply, desperate to have his cock touched. Nik sat up straight on the couch, an action which brought her head to within a foot of the focus of both their attention.

"Little Mattie needs some attention, does he?" Nik teased in a mock baby voice. "Aww... come here little tiny Mattie," she smirked knowing her words would sting him. She brought her hand up and wrapped it around his engorged shaft. He was far from tiny or little. she thought. bringing his cock closer and blowing lightly on its head. "Say please," Nik tormented him, pushing him past the point of sanity.

Matteo said nothing, but moved a hand to the back of her head and lightly pushed. Nik did not mind that he had not pleaded. She would suck his cock for him. She enjoyed sucking cock, and, in her current state, she had to actively stop herself from engulfing it.

Nik licked her full lips in an exaggerated manner and brought them to the mushroomed head. However, the moment she brought her tongue to touch it, Matteo's cock gave a twitch. Nik was experienced enough to know that this meant things wouldn't last too long. Matteo knew this as well and was now desperate to have his cock inside her warm slutty mouth.

Nik brought her tongue to the underside of the thick shaft and licked it slowly up to the head. She looked up at Matteo while doing this and enjoyed seeing his face contorted in ecstasy. She loved the feeling when the usual hierarchy was reversed. Now she was the Boss. She ran her tongue around the head and dipped it into the small slit, dribbling more saliva on it as she went. His cock twitched again. Nik did not want to get a face full of cum. Other men had done this to her before she had learnt to swallow and she didn't like it. So, she quickly placed her moist lips on the helmet and began to give short, sharp bobs of her head.

Matteo was initially disappointed, as he thought this was all Nik knew how to do. Her hand around the base felt good, as did her mouth on the top inch, but there were several inches in between being neglected. Then, to his delight, Nik moved her head forward and engulfed most of the cock until it hit the back of her throat. She withdrew slowly, running her tongue up the base and then repeated the process. Matteo moaned aloud as he struggled to contain the forced celibacy build up in his balls. He was having some success until she again took him by surprise. Moving forward, she took his cock in until it hit the back of her mouth, then she dropped her hand off the base of the shaft and slowly swallowed, working his cock into her throat.

Her best friend at the last school she attended had taught Nik how to do this. She had provided her with a dildo and told her to practice if she ever wanted to have the power in her relationships. Sex was power, and they both intended to be experts at every depraved act. At first she had thought she would never achieve the feat, but slowly she had learnt to relax her throat and overcome the gagging effect. Some days she was better at it than others, but today she was determined because she knew it would enslave this man and give her an excuse to delay returning to her family.

Matteo looked down in utter amazement. No women had ever done this to him before. Watching his large cock disappearing down her throat was a huge turn on. Nik withdrew all the way and then pushed the cock in again. She could not take the entire shaft, but was almost there. When she withdrew for a fifth time, continuing to run her tongue along the underside, Matteo's cock twitched again. She quickly brought her hand back to the base of his cock and began to pump rapidly, just as he came in her warm mouth.

Matteo knew he should have held out longer, tried harder to push her away and fuck her, but she had driven him insane, and as his cum pumped into her mouth he groaned loudly in absolute pleasure.

When she felt the first spurt hit the roof of her mouth, Nik really went to work on his cock. She bobbed in and out at a rapid pace while she sucked and swallowed every drop. Matteo could not believe it. This gorgeous slut was giving him the most amazing blowjob he had ever experienced. He massaged her head as she continued to lick and suck him dry. When she was sure she had every drop, Nik pulled her mouth off his cock with an exaggerated pop. She ran her tongue around her lips and fluttered her eyelashes at him for extra effect, knowing she had won a new heart and slave.

"I'm guessing from that groan that you enjoyed getting head from someone you called a slut ice princess," she immediately taunted him, basking in her control of the situation.

'Fuck,' he thought as the barbed words hit their mark, 'That's not right. You don't do that with a Donati princess.' However, this thought was immediately followed by thoughts of those luscious smiling lips around his cock.

Nik threw herself back into the back of the sun lounge, smiling. She remained very aroused by what had just taken place but did her best to hide the fact.

"It's a pity you don't know how to please a girl. I met your last girlfriend, Candace, and she told me that you are totally devoid of a clue as to how to please women," she said as she rubbed her hand over her pussy through the bikini bottoms. Once again, the taunting and his arousal prompted Matteo to action. He was damned if he was going to let her think he wasn't equal to her in any way, and he admitted that he enjoyed going down on a woman and was suddenly extraordinarily hungry to dine out on her.
"I doubt you could satisfy a woman like me," Nik said, easing her bikini bottoms down her thighs. "I'm willing to give you a chance to fail though," she sneered, knowing that she had him hook line and sinker now.

Matteo took in the object of his desire, his eyes raking down her body and over the small manicured patch of pubic hair in the shape of a love heart. She remained amazed at the effect this had on a man, and, as she watched Matteo, she saw his cock rise just a little. Despite her arousal and need to be touched, Nik was determined to maintain the upper hand.

"Are you sure you know what to do, stud?" she shot at him as he put his hands behind her knees and lifted them. Now he had a clearer view of her pussy and could see it already glistened with moisture. He placed her legs on his shoulders and lowered his head toward her pussy. He smelt her sex, and this aroused him further.

"I'll show you just how good I am at everything I do, you little slut!" he growled as he brought his lips to one soft inner thigh and then the other.

Matteo continued this for some time. Kissing and nibbling her inner thighs and the edges of her pussy without making any deep movements to ease her need. He was well aware of the effect this teasing would have, and he was right. Nik's breathing became slower as she struggled to contain the sensations he was arousing in her. Nik was compromised. She was desperately wanting satisfaction but knew her arousal placed her at his mercy. The control she had gained would be gone if she couldn't get a grip on herself.

In the end, Nik's body took the decision out of her hands. When she moved her hands to his head and gently pushed him forward, it was clear to both of them that she had surrendered. Matteo had gained the advantage on this battlefield.

Knowing full well the effect he was having on her, Matteo redirected his attention and ran his lips and tongue up and down her slit, nibbling at each soft plump side. Nik pressed with more force upon his head. He knew what she wanted, but he was determined to deny her the pleasure of his tongue on her clit, which sat swollen and wet at the top of her slit being tormented by the barely-there touch of his tongue.

Playing with a women's pussy always aroused him, and he felt his cock begin to harden again. He slipped a finger inside her, and then just as quickly withdrew it. He repeated this a number of times. Nick whined with her need and desire, trying to pull him closer still. She had completely surrendered all pretence of being the one in control and let out a long soft moan. Matteo knew he could make her cum easily, but he delighted in continuing to tease her, wanting to make her beg for him.

His cock was hardening to full capacity again, so he didn't wait for her begging words and accepted the begging movements of her body as a clear enough sign that he was in control of this fuck. He moved his attention directly to her aching clitoris and plunged two fingers into her hole. He was pleased to feel her tightness around the probing digits, and his desire for her almost undid him.

The moment he touched her clit she felt her body jerk and quiver in response. She knew she was building to an incredible orgasm and moaned loudly while grinding herself into his mouth and tongue. When he flattened his tongue and rotated it upon her clit, the floodgates opened, and a wave after intense wave of ecstasy rolled over her.

Matteo heard her loud moan and felt her quivering thighs around his ears as her pussy began to contract around his fingers. He wanted to fuck her badly but allowed her to ride out the moment. As the contractions began to subside he stood and allowed himself to indulge in a small moment of triumph. When she had her mouth wrapped around his cock, she had briefly taken control, but now he was the man in charge, once again.

"Satisfying enough for you?" he asked smugly, as he held her ankles keeping her legs spread wide and her body in the same vulnerable position.

Nik, still coming down from her intense orgasm, could not speak at first, but was cut by his remark and the look on Matteo's face. She summoned her strength to deliver a hurtful barb.

"You like being on your knees before a woman, don't you? You're just another submissive fuck masquerading as a real man. You fucker!"

Matteo couldn't care less what she threw at him now. He climbed onto the sun lounge between her legs keeping a tight hold on her ankles. Lifting his arms, he pushed her knees toward her chest. His cock was rock hard again and lust blinded him. Looking down at the inviting body that lay beneath him ripe for the taking, he didn't see the ice princess that he should treat like a lady, he saw a foul-mouthed little slut who needed to be reminded of her place with him.

"Yeah, and now I'm going to fuck like the real slut you are," he replied.

Nik didn't reply. She had her eyes on his cock, and she again thought it was considerably larger than any she'd seen this close; the truth was she hadn't slept with many men. Teased, flirted and cajoled, certainly, but she had rarely been in a situation she couldn't control and back out of once she'd had her fun. The sight did not frighten her in any way. She knew she was wet and she welcomed having her pussy filled. At this moment she desired Matteo as much as he did her, and it was a strange and unsettling feeling for her.

Matteo didn't hesitate. He pushed Nik's legs right back until they rested beside her breasts, completely exposing her pussy to his cock. He took up a position with his vertical arms outside her thighs and inside her calves, effectively pinning her in the position he desired. Remaining in this position would not be a problem given his upper body strength. It was his favourite, allowing him a feeling of dominance and a view of his lover's entire body. Without any warning for her, Matteo dropped his hips and pushed his shaft into her warm wet hole.

The orgasm that he had given her ensured she was well lubricated and welcomed the feeling of him filling her tight pussy. In fact, he revelled in how tight she was. When he was halfway inside her he withdrew before pushing forward again to embed himself entirely, his balls resting on her upturned ass. Then, just as he had promised, he began to fuck her hard and fast like the slut he now knew her to be.

Nik would have liked a little more time to allow her to accommodate his girth. She clenched her teeth and threw her head to the side trying to deny him seeing she was in any way feeling discomfort as Matteo continued to piston into her without mercy. She was not about to lie there passively. She schooled her features as much as she could and looked up at him with what she hoped was bored eyes. As far as she was concerned, they were still fighting, and she needed to at least gain parity. She grabbed hold of his arms and began to fuck him back, pushing her hips up to meet his downward thrusts. The result was a loud slapping sound as his hips hit her ass.

Matteo had never fucked a woman like the one who now bucked and writhed to fuck him back. Matteo's last girlfriend had not enjoyed being pinned in this position. She likened it to being ****d and had remained passive throughout. Unwittingly, she had prolonged her discomfort, because Nik's efforts to fuck him back aroused Matteo even more. He felt the cum beginning to rise from his balls.

Nik saw the grimace spread over his face and once again recognised the signs. She was determined she would not allow him to cum alone. She closed her eyes, continued to buck her hips and willed the sensations of her orgasm to rise again to new heights.

The noise and smell of sex filled the air around them. Eventually Matteo couldn't hold off any longer. He buried himself one final time, deep inside his slut. As he did so, Nik achieved what she had been desperately striving for. Matteo felt her pussy grip his cock again and again as they came together, staring into each other's eyes, still challenging each other.

Matteo moved his arms free of her legs. Her legs flopped down and he collapsed on top of her on the narrow sun lounge, still buried deep inside of her. He felt her soft breasts pressing into his lower chest, their groin's meshed together and her soft legs on the outside of his well-muscled thighs. He revelled in feeling a women's body beneath him as he basked in the afterglow of good sex.

Nik groaned and bucked, trying to push him off her as she found him suffocating her with his dead weight. He quickly raised himself and moved to a sitting position and smirked at her.

"You want more so soon, even Superman couldn't do that, perhaps if you'd like to clean my cock of the mess you made, I could go another round," he offered, reliving the vision of her beautiful lips wrapped around his cock and the feeling of being deep throated.

"You're a depraved bastard!" she levelled a new round of insults at him. "You practically ****d me just then and expected me to beg you for more?"

"You can't call it **** when you fucked me right back! You loved it, you nasty slut! Taking me down your throat and fucking back at me hard!" He accused, bringing his own arsenal of insults to the battleground.

"Bullshit, I hated every minute of it," Nik replied without conviction, becoming aware she continued to lie naked, legs parted, beside him.

"Your body begs to differ," he ran a finger from her wet pussy up over her still hard nipples. What are you going to do? Tell everybody that I fucked your brains out? Go on then, away you go. See how you get on. See where that leaves you? I can tell you where, in a white gown in front of a priest with both our parents looking very happy."

'The bastard!' she thought. She knew Matteo was right. There was no way she could tell anyone what had just occurred without completely fucking up her plans for her life. She swung her legs around and sat up, leaning against the backrest, hating the fact that he'd won this particular battle. She reached across and squeezed his now flaccid cock, a punishment for that humiliation. He replied by thrusting a hand between her legs and pressing it into her still puffy, lips. They looked each other hard in the eye without a word knowing that this battle was far from over.

Matteo groaned as his fist slowed the rapid movements that had sent cum arcing up onto his chest. That first time had only been the tip of the iceberg. As Nik had reminded him on that last day, the sex between them had always been amazing. He walked to the bathroom planning on having a quick shower before his brother arrived. His mind focused in on that last conversation, his proposal, as well as her final words that had pulled his heart from his chest as a dark mood settled over him.

"You don't honestly think I will ever be a table wife?" Nik had said s**thingly of his proposal. "You think I will just give up my life for bare feet and pregnancy like a broodmare. I'm better than that, and you know it. Trust me, I have other plans, and they never included you. Don't get me wrong, this has been fun, but seriously? Me? Married to you?" he had been devastated and hadn't bothered to hide it as he silently took the bullets her words felt like.

"Aw, that's sweet, you thought this was love," Nik had sneered. "You're a diversion, Matt, to appease my parents and brothers. That's all. You can't give me what I want or need, well, maybe one thing I need," she gave him a lascivious grin and eyed his crotch. "I don't suppose you'd want one last fuck for the road," she laughed as if the proposal and their obvious breakup were a joke to her. He had been mortified and turned and walked away, dismissing her from his thoughts and his life.

She'd raged at him. No one, it seemed, turned their back on Veronica Donati. He hadn't seen what his brothers had seen in her, but he saw it at that moment. She was a selfish, spoilt Princess, and she was used to doing what she wanted and having everyone accept that as her right. She was livid that after such a humiliating experience that he wouldn't just jump back into bed with her and act like the love-starved puppy he had been for the months prior.

He'd gone for a long walk, licking his wounds, and when he'd come back she was gone. He'd stayed in the country, not wanting to return to Melbourne while she was in town. That was years ago now, but it still stung, the whole ugly scene. His brothers not so subtle "I told you so's" and the gaping wound in his heart where his mother's betrayal, which had festered for years, became a burning ulcer of pain as Veronica opened the old wounds he had buried as deeply as he could. The sad fact was that he was unlovable.

She was dead now, though he couldn't quite believe it. Nor could he believe the circumstances surrounding her death and how she had died. He'd gone to the memorial and hung around for the New Year's Eve Celebrations but had never asked or known the real story behind it all. Despite losing so much, the Donati's were resilient. They'd had to be to accept Veronica's betrayal of everything they stood for and believed in. She had hurt so many people that his own heartache paled in comparison.

Love was no longer a commodity he dealt in. He didn't need the love of a woman, what he needed was the respect and warm friendship of a business partnership. He'd thrown himself into work, and, while he had visited other tables, he couldn't imagine any of the women he met wanting the partnership he would be offering in return for a life tied to old-world family laws and restrictions. His family, like the Donati's, held to tradition, perhaps not quite as closely as the Donati's had, but in this modern world most of the family laws would seem archaic to an outsider.

He considered the Kept, but knew that a woman didn't choose that life unless they had a dark past. Most were runaways, addicts, hookers, criminals, and some few who sought it out, but their attitudes were ones of pure submission that bordered on masochism, and that was not what he wanted in a partner. Although it would make life easier for him, he guessed. He considered the problem as he sipped his second cup of morning coffee and waited for his brothers to arrive.

*****

"You what?" Matteo stared at his brother.

"I want to know what happened to you and Nik," Jacobi said in the face of his brother's obvious anger. "We never asked when she arrived back in the city without you and started partying hard with her bratty friends. It obviously was a brutal break-up by your reaction, but I want to know what happened."

"She used me, Cobi, as a distraction so her parents would think she was toeing the family line. She was nothing but a bitch who used everyone she came in contact with for what she needed, then discarded them without a backwards glance," Matt said through gritted teeth. "You know what she did to her own family; I was just a means to an end. I suppose I should feel lucky that I got out alive."

"Maryanne thinks you're avoiding her," Jacobi came to the point of his question. "She's not like Nik, Matt. You can trust me on that."

"I know she's not. She loves you, she's committed to you, and she's great, with the whole family," he said, knowing that he had been avoiding her for a lot of stupid reasons.

"She doesn't want you to think she in any way condoned what Nik did in any way. She admitted she said some cruel things to you when her parents died and that you won't let her apologise." Jacobi said with a large sigh. "I miss you, I want you around, and she blames herself for your absence."

"Spoilt Donati's Princesses. It's got nothing to do with her, but let's make it all about her anyway, shall we," Matt grumbled, shaking his head and immediately regretted his words.

"You know that's not how it is," Ricco mediated. It was why he was here after all. To protect his twin from his older brother's rage. "She's a good woman, Matt, and she's desperate to prove she's not like her sister. She wouldn't hurt a fly, and she does so much for other people. Yes, she's a princess, but she'd never purposely hurt someone like you just did."

"Fine, I'll go see her when I come back to the city. She's got nothing to apologise for, everything she said had some truth to it. We all should have seen what was happening to Nik but chose to ignore it." He ran his hands through his hair.

"Nik really did a number on you, didn't she?" Jacobi asked, regretting having started this conversation.

"No more than every other woman in my life," Matt admitted, then, seeing his brother about to argue the point, held up his hand. "Sisters don't count."

Jacobi shot a glance at Ricco. Both were too young at the time to understand what had happened when their mother and brother died. They knew that Matteo lived with the memory of that day though, even though he would deny it if they brought it up. Perhaps it was time to get to the truth of what had happened.

"Give Maryanne a chance, Matt. She's not nearly as spoilt as you might think. She just wants us all to be close, and she feels like there is a wedge between you and her because of Nik," Jacobi explained. "She's finding it really hard to live down the legacy her sister left her with, and her brothers are so busy she's barely seen them in the last year. I've asked Josh if he and Dante can bring Peri down for a visit, which should help, but if you can make an effort, I'd appreciate it."

"Okay," he nodded. "It's been too long since I spent some time with D. I'll call him and put on some added pressure if you call Josh," he offered. For as much as he disliked the Donati women, he loved the Donati men, and counted Dante, and, until his death, Lio, as two of his closest friends. The family were still putting their lives back together after the devastation of the attack that claimed the life of their parents. It might be good for them to have a few days away from the chaos.

"They can have this place for a few days, it's big enough for them and all of our family if need be," Matteo said, acknowledging that he had planned for this to be a family home for him and Nik. "I think it will do me as much good as it will do Maryanne to see them all again." He paused and looked at them both. "I'm sorry. I'll try harder to make an effort. I guess I have just let work take over for the last year or two and forgotten to enjoy just hanging with you guys," Matteo admitted.

*****

Jacobi hung up his phone and shook his head. The woman was a force of nature that he couldn't help but stand in the path of. He checked his watch and groaned. Then he picked up his phone and did as the force of nature had asked.

"Did I just hear the sound of a whip cracking?" Matteo asked, walking into the office and regarding his younger brother.

"How do you feel about taking the tub out for a run this afternoon?" Jacobi asked.

"I can't go, but help yourself," Matteo said. "Are you both going?" he turned to regard the mirror image of Jacobi who sat across the room at a matching desk.

"Yeah, I'll probably tag along; Uncle Frankie has said he'd wanted to meet with Maryanne and Vanessa about some artist or another that he knows. I'm curious, to tell you the truth. It's not like Frankie is the most cultured person or someone I'd expect to have contacts in the art world," Ricco mused. "Besides, I wouldn't mind an afternoon of sea and sun rather than pencil pushing here."

"How's the new project looking?" Jacobi asked. "I know Frankie's going to ask about it."

"We broke ground two weeks ago and have had good weather ever since, so we're ahead of schedule. We should get the Donati's to bring some of the Sunshine State weather with them more often. It's been unusual to have an unbroken fortnight for the construction guys," Matteo chuckled. He had enjoyed the time he had managed to spend with Josh and Dante. He even liked Peri, but then she hadn't been born into the Donati family, so she didn't have those imperious princess's family traits.
It had only been a year since everything had been lost to them, but in talking with them, you wouldn't know it. The Donati's lived, loved and laughed in equal measure and without restraint, despite the heartache of losing so many people in quick succession. He loved his family in the same way, he supposed, but he held a protective shield around his heart tightly. He knew only too well that family could hurt you even worse than a lover. The Donati's were a prime example of that, even if he hadn't had the memory and knowledge of what his mother had done to them when they were c***dren.

He had planned to ask Dante about Nik, but it seemed the three leaders of the Donati family were inseparable. He'd have to go to visit them in Queensland, he suspected, where they weren't on constant alert and so overprotective of the woman they both clearly loved.

*****

The low-income housing project that Matteo had taken on as part of the philanthropic side of his business was nearing the end of the first phase of building, and he toured the site with his Uncle Frankie. He was proud to be able to point out the environmentally friendly features and works that would cut down considerably on heating and cooling costs for the families that would eventually live here.

Like most of his generation, Frank gave a lot of himself and his resources to pet projects. In this case, however, he had gone into one of the poorest areas of the city and tried to make a difference for the k**s through sport. He volunteered as a junior grade coach and putting money into the local football club, as well as organising scholarships and tryouts for the wealthier clubs that fed into the A-league teams.

Frank had been over the moon when Matteo had approached him about the project, and had kept him close in an advisory capacity during the project. Tradesmen seemed to be everywhere now as phase two began, but Frank could easily see what was happening. In addition to the large building of high-density housing, there were two other gated communities of townhouses and a shopping precinct to be erected on the two block allotment. Matteo had been able to purchase the land from the government, as they closed down the derelict welfare housing that had aptly been named welfare alley and decided whether to refurbish or rebuild.

The project, he knew, now would probably run at a loss for his company, but they could afford to absorb the costs with all of the other projects the company was involved in, not just here but worldwide. They were world leaders in the use of environmentally friendly materials and energy saving features. Now he wanted to build a reputation in low-income housing areas as well and hoped that as they designed more of these types of spaces, they would be able to cut down costs and at least break even, if not make a small profit in the future.

Matteo was happy with the work to date and his manager's work on the build, but he knew he needed a break and a change of pace, so once Frankie had left he had picked up the phone and called Dante. He was grateful for the cheerful, welcoming voice on the other end of the line. Matteo suggested that he might fly up for the weekend and asked when it would be a good time. Dante had been happy about the visit and offered one of the town apartments the family owned for the duration of his stay, whenever he wanted to come, but if he delayed it for a month there would be several projects that he could consult on. Dante had also suggested that if he could extend his stay he could use some help designing a brand-new building he and Josh were considering putting under construction.

When he hung up he was still chuckling and regretting the time he had not wanted to continue his friendships with anyone in the Donati family. He enjoyed the droll dark humour that rolled off Dante's tongue that somehow matched his own. He picked up his phone again and made plans for some time off next month.