The Twelve Tables Ch. 26

"That's probably because I have loved you from afar for a very long time," his mouth curled into a soft smile. "Were you always submissive or was that something you discovered with Josh?" he asked curiously.

Peri looked at Dante thoughtfully, as she chewed a mouthful of Pasta slowly. She asked the same question of herself now and then, but had no real answer.

"I guess it was always there in me. I certainly liked rough sex before I met Josh," she said taking a sip of her wine. "I didn't understand the term submissive or what it entailed before I started working for Josh, though," she laughed softly. Dante cocked his head still curious as she took another mouthful of the pasta.

They ate slowly as she talked about the time Josh had brought her up from the research dungeon to be his personal researcher and the type of books he gave her to research. They had laughed and joked about his ulterior motives and how by the time he had spilled the pasta on her and taken her on their first date, he had already been indoctrinating her on his chosen lifestyle, as well as the traditions of his family.

She talked openly about her experiences with Josh and the weekend at the chalet when she submitted completely to him, as well as her experiences after that and how she had embraced it as she had.

"I understand now what you meant when you said we didn't have that period of growing together. Josh changed you in a very profound way, and we can all see how you have changed him over time and highlighted the best parts of him," Dante nodded. "What you don't seem to see is the profound changes in me since I fell for you. Not for the first time recently, I find myself wishing Lio was here to explain to you how you have changed my life."

"It must be difficult not to have him here to see what you are becoming within the family," Peri reached out and stroked his cheek.

"I think we knew we would separate eventually. Lio wanted to be overseas with Con. He spoke three languages and had been preparing for the time when he might have to leave," Dante admitted. "I guess that's why he encouraged me to play second fiddle to Ben here in the city. I think he always knew what my role would be and assumed Ben would take the chair when the time came."

"No one thought Josh would be chair?" She asked curiously.

"He's the baby brother. We always thought of him as too young, too volatile, too independent, I guess," Dante said honestly. "We were quite obviously wrong." He chuckled. "Now I can't think of anyone better for the job, and I guess I have you to thank for that. You are the reason I turned to Josh when Lio died. I wanted to be with you, and somehow I found Josh. Not the Josh we all knew but the real Josh who is stronger, smarter and more loving than I would have given him credit for before that day. He suffered being Nik's twin and constantly having to defend her and build bridges for her to come back to the family. I think it stopped us from seeing the man he had become."

"She hated me right from the very first day, when I met you all. I'm still not sure why. I would never have stopped Josh from doing anything for or with his family," she shook her head as if even now protesting her innocence.

"It wasn't you," Dante said softly. "Josh had stopped being her advocate for some time before that. Most of us were barely talking to her that day, and he had been too preoccupied to fix her mess for her. She might have blamed you but trust me, Josh had come to the end of his patience with her demands. He'd been supporting her dreams of the fashion boutique for long enough, and he had told her that if she was going to leave the family to make her move or else toe the family line and start to entertain some realistic suitors."

"He did?" Peri looked stunned.

"I think he blamed himself for what happened to you and her because of that," Dante nodded. "We've had many long nights confiding our dark secrets over a bottle of Sambuca or two," he grinned.

"I've noticed that," she laughed. "It's almost as if you and Josh came from completely different families. I wouldn't have thought the age gap would have made such a difference to you both."

Their talk turned once again to Dante's early life and his time at boarding school and university. It shouldn't have surprised her to find that he was an art history major like herself. He lamented that he didn't have the gift for languages that Emilio did so he had concentrated his art history degree on the anthropological sciences. He spoke candidly about his girlfriends or lack thereof and the difficulty he felt in holding back his preference for dominating the women in his life.

Peri opened up about her formative years growing up with a cougar for a mother, who had acted more like a teenager than she ever did. It was painful to admit that she was an ugly duckling and that her mother had continually tried to make her over. She physically cringed admitting that her boyfriends had ultimately ended up sleeping with Andie instead of her. She smiled as she remembered Josh turning Andie down flat and the conversation she had overheard.

"He was the first man I had ever met that had resisted her advances. It was shortly after that, that she became the mother of the year," she mused. Dante knew now what Josh had done in telling Charles about Andie, but he remained quiet rather than bring it up.

"I can't imagine any man in his right mind turning down your obvious charms for those of your mother," Dante murmured leaning close to kiss her, his hand moving to her breast and caressing it gently to reinforce his words. "Just sitting here with you makes me hard," he murmured into the kiss and dropped his hand from her breast to draw her hand back to his cock. He groaned as her fingers curled around the hard shaft. Throughout the meal, they had been touching and kissing. Peri found herself as aroused as he so obviously was.

"I think I can help you with that," she purred in a husky voice sliding from her chair to the deck. Being careful of his injured leg she slid under the table and squirmed between his legs as he shifted his chair slightly backward and loosened his shorts. His hand stroked her hair as she moved up to kiss the tip of his now exposed cock.

Dante sighed loudly in pleasure, at the first tentative kiss of her lips and leaned back in his chair enjoying the sight of this amazing woman on her knees at his feet. She looked up at him through her thick eyelashes, and he felt his cock jump in her hand at the undisguised hunger in those eyes. He locked eyes with her as she continued to look up at him while she swirled her tongue around the swollen head of his cock and sucked it between her lips. He groaned deeply and felt the nails of her left-hand rake down his thigh and slide under his balls to cup them.

Encouraged by the deep groan he made, she broke eye contact with him and took more of his cock into her mouth, bobbing her head gently as she felt him push at her tonsils. She swallowed against the gag reflex as she continued to suck him, her head moving in a slow bobbing action, as she took her time to take him all into the warm cavern of her mouth. She moaned as she felt his hand stop petting her hair and his fingers thread into it grabbing a handful and quickening her pace with not so gentle tugs.

Dante felt the pure pleasure of her mouth working on his cock flow through his body as his hand tightened in her hair and he began to control her movements. Her gurgling moans spurred on his need. His deep groans counterpoint to her higher vibrating murmurs of painful pleasure. He had planned to stop and fuck her, but he couldn't bring himself to stop the absolute pleasure of having her on her knees before him with his cock in the warm wet cavern of her mouth.

"Fuck!" he growled loudly as he came explosively his body bucking his hips up as he held her head in place. From the moment they had arrived, he had been hyper-aroused, and his head spun from the second climax he had managed to reach already that evening.

Peri finally sat back on her heels, crouched over as she remained under the table gasping for breath. She felt rather than saw his hands reaching for her and dragging her up onto his lap. Taking a napkin from the table, he wiped the drool and spittle from her chin and breasts before kissing her deeply and running his lips and tongue down her throat to her breasts as he leaned her back in his arms. His lips locked to her nipple, and he sucked it between his teeth, drawing his head back slightly watching the soft flesh stretch and hearing her whimper, before loosening his hold on it and letting the nipple scrape out over his teeth. He repeated the same action on the other breast before bringing her back up to his chest and kissing her deeply.

"Would you like dessert before I get too carried away?" he murmured.

Peri looked at him with a dazed expression. She was breathless and beyond aroused now, and she couldn't quite make sense of what he was saying at first as the blood pumped in her ears. "Dessert?" she asked making him chuckle.

"Yes, dessert," he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him.

"Thank you, you can serve dessert now," Dante said over her shoulder making her stiffen and remember that they were not alone.

"May I suggest that Sir and Madam have dessert in the salon on the main deck. I am sure you will find the atmosphere quite conducive to your needs this evening," he said in a quiet, respectful voice.

"Thank you, I believe that would be a good idea," Dante said helping Peri to her feet as the steward turned and left them to make their way down to the lower deck. Dante stood and took up his crutch before pulling her into his arms and kissing her again. "I love you," he murmured softly holding her close.

*****

"What the hell is wrong with you," Joseph grumbled as Josh slammed his phone down on the table.

"I can't get hold of Peri, and she knows better than not to have her phone on her," he said, his anxiety and anger mixing to colour his voice darkly.

"She is perfectly fine, Dante is with her," Joseph said easily. "Put your phone away and enjoy the evening." Joseph looked around at the exclusive men's club owned by the Martino family. He had taken Josh on a good-will trip, to a rival family within the twelve, thinking that this club would distract him from the family he had left at home.

"Neither are answering their phones," he said abruptly. "Nor are the security team I assigned to her."

"Perhaps they are enjoying a night out together. I don't imagine they've had the opportunity since before the holidays, when we travelled to Canberra," Joseph reasoned watching his son carefully.

"You think that is an excuse not to answer my calls?" he snapped.

"Joshua, remember where we are and who you are talking to," Joseph said in a deceptively quiet tone. "They probably have no reception where they are."

"They would have asked or at least told me before making plans to go anywhere," Josh kept his voice steady as he spoke after his father's rebuke.

"I asked her not to tell you. Just as she hasn't told Dante that she has made plans to spend the weekend alone with you while he is otherwise occupied," Joseph explained. "She is on Vincenzo's yacht with Dante and the security detail you need not worry; she is safe I assure you."

"What about the children?" Josh was angry now and despite his best attempts to keep his voice reasonable, it had an edge to it.

"Your mother is looking after all the children this weekend," Joseph said. "I will join her tomorrow when we return while you go to meet your wife."

"That's right. She's my wife, not Dante's. They should ask me before making plans that don't include me. Taking off together is unacceptable," he was fuming, and he felt as if they had purposefully slighted him by leaving him out of their plans.

"Firstly, Dante knew nothing of the plans for this weekend. Secondly, Peri is only doing as I insisted. If you want to be mad and brutish in your need to control the people who love you the most, then be mad at me, if you dare," Joseph challenged him. "They will end up resenting you and the great love she has for you, even over your brother will wane, and she will turn to him for comfort and support, rather than you." He gave Joshua a steady stare as he frowned at his youngest son, surprised by his reaction to the surprise plans.

"Get your head out of your ass and realise you cannot put yourself above your brother, but must rule with him, side by side, both personally and professionally. You will lose her love and his respect if you continue this stupidity." Joseph raised his voice slightly having not seen his sons temper for some time and remembering his childhood tantrums.

"She's mine. She's always been mine. Nik tried to take her away, the Battaglia, even you. I had to fight for a long time to make her see that she belonged to me. I managed to keep her and make her mine for forever, not you or Nik or anyone can take that away from me," he declared. "I have welcomed Dante into our home and our bed, but it's me she promised to love, honour and obey. She is mine," Josh asserted. "She planned this night with him and never said a word to me. She will learn that it was a mistake," Josh said darkly.

"She was doing as I asked. That is never a mistake as you should know. Should I ask you to keep something between us, I would expect the same loyalty that she has shown me," Joseph was becoming angry now. The future leader of his family was acting like a petulant child. "Perhaps you are not the man I believe you to be. Your potential is huge, but this side of you is abhorrent. Your belief that your wife is a possession, is so far removed from reality, that I worry about your sanity. You are her husband and hold her love because she allows it, not because you won it like a prize to be held tightly in your fist."

"She loves me completely," Josh stated and stared at his father as if he had slapped him.

"Then what are you worried about?" Joseph spread his hands. "She has planned a weekend to show you that love, you claim to possess and you are angry that she spends one night with your brother?"

"She could spend every night with him. He could fuck her into the middle of next year for all I care. What I am angry about is that she kept it hidden from me. Her honesty and lack of guile have always been her most attractive qualities. She knows I expect complete honesty from her at all times and that I must be able to contact her at all times," Josh spoke with a hard voice. His anger had mellowed slightly, but he was not giving in to his father's words completely. "After what Nik did she knows!"

"Is it not enough that she wears a tracking ring, and you have security shadow her every move? The girl can't fart without a ten-page report being written about it," Joseph exaggerated to make his point.

"You don't understand," Josh snapped again.

"I understand more than you know. I understand that you are a domineering man who can't bear that she didn't ask your permission to spend a romantic evening with one of the men she loves. I also understand that if you don't get over it pretty damn quick, you're going to lose that love you are crowing about owning, like a two-dollar prize you won at the fair." Joseph had lost all patience with his petulant son. "You are better than this Joshua and if you punish her for obeying me, there will be consequences."

"Will you ground me like a naughty child?" Josh said with a sneer of derision. "Those days have long since passed Papa."

"If you continue to act like a petulant child, I might keep you grounded here in Sydney for the weekend, but the consequences I spoke of won't come from me. If you punish her for obeying the leader of this family, the consequences will come from Peri, and you will see it in her eyes, and her actions each time she looks at you after that." Joseph's voice was deadly serious. "Trust me, Joshua, she is safe and secure, I would never endanger her."

"You said that about the Battaglia," Josh growled, and he watched as his father lost all pretence of holding his anger in check.

"I didn't send two security men to dog her every step there. She has them both with her tonight, as well as your brother, who would die rather than see harm come to her," Joseph argued the point through gritted teeth. This whole conversation has surprised him, and he worried about Joshua's obsession. "Keep going my boy, accuse everyone who loves you of misdeeds and see what consequences will ensue. I will apologise that I didn't realise you were so obsessive about controlling her life that you would react this way. I should have stepped in and separated you sooner. You are far worse than I ever was, and I almost lost everything!"

Josh was taken aback by his father's admission, and it showed on his face as he stared at his father in disbelief.

"Driven by resentment, spite, and jealousy I made some disastrous decisions in my early days as leader. Without Christo and Antonia's love and support, I could never have survived it and become the family man I am. I didn't have my father to take me in hand but so help me, Joshua, grounding is least of what I will do to you if you don't stop this!" Joseph hissed through gritted teeth his fury with his son obvious to anyone close enough to see them in the dimly lit club.

"The only time I hadn't spoken to her before she slept was when she refused to see me during her recovery and the trial. I need to hear her voice to reassure me, that she is there and mine," Josh finally admitted. "I need her to answer her phone. I need to hear her voice."

Joseph considered his son's admission. He wondered if he had it wrong about Josh holding the leash around Peri's throat too tightly and if it was a small delicate hand that held his son's heart in a mighty grip making him irrational when he couldn't reach her. Either way, this was a lesson Josh had to learn. He shared her love now, and it was the way it had to be by tradition and family law. Joshua needed to give them space now and then to enjoy each other without intrusion.

"Have you left messages in anger that you will regret tomorrow when you see her?" Joseph asked carefully his anger dissipating along with Josh's.

"Probably," Josh conceded. "I'll call CJ," Josh said in a resigned tone realising there was no way to contact her now and that he had to trust his father's explanation of having no reception where they were. He felt reassured that she was safe, but he was still angry that she had not confided her plans to him despite her promise to his father.

*****

As they had descended to the main deck, Peri had excused herself to go to the bathroom and left Dante to speak with the steward who was setting up a small table for the dessert course of the dinner.

Dante was pleased to find that much like the hidden fixtures he had installed in various rooms in the penthouse, the main salon that opened onto the back deck of the yacht was littered with interesting nooks and crannies that held fixtures to enable practitioners of bondage to enjoy the room to its fullest.

Peri had gone down to the master suite to use the bathroom and check her phone. She hadn't wanted to take it upstairs to intrude on her time with Dante, but she knew that once Josh realised he couldn't contact her, he would be furious. She looked at her phone and worried further seeing that there was no reception. She hoped Joseph would explain to him about her absence so he didn't worry and would call him as soon as they returned to the dock.

Returning her phone to the front pocket of her bag, she spied the boxes on the bed and wondered if she should take them up with her to rejoin Dante. She was enjoying getting to know Dante, talking so much with him as they flirted and fondled each other that she worried it would all stop once a scene began. She left the boxes where they were and hurried back upstairs feeling the awkwardness of her breasts as they bounced unfettered with each step. She pulled the dress up as she walked holding it against her chest as she padded up the stairs in bare feet and let it drop a moment before entering the beautifully appointed salon.