Authors note: Hello everyone. Thank to everyone who takes the time to vote and comment, I appreciate all of the people who read this series. Thank you once again to Paul who continues to be my second set of eyes. ~ellie.
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The week flew by for Cat, who seemed to rush from one thing to the next and seemed to always be running late. Her hunt team was rapidly making their way through the list with only a small amount of help from her, or so she thought, until Tate laughingly told her that both her and Logan's siblings had been dropping hints about the hard and impossible cryptic clues during one of their team meetings. Determined to pull her own weight in some way, she asked Matteo and Ricco for help on the Wednesday night. The last night they could guarantee they would all be home together for the remainder of the Gathering.
"It's been forever since I did the hunt," Matteo frowned as he looked at the list. "Your team has done pretty well so far," he said, noting all the crossed off items. "Are you sure you need to put so much time and effort into this?" He asked, feigning disinterest. He and Ricco had been looking at the list since she had first got it.
"Have you met Kalum and Logan?" she asked with an exaggerated eye roll. "They're already carrying me through most of it; I'd really like to accomplish a couple, or hard, or maybe even impossible ones, just so I didn't feel like I was holding them back."
"The first points update went up today. Where are you on that?" Ricco asked.
"That doesn't matter, the idea is to crush this hunt and then retire our team undefeated, much like you did with Chase," she teased Matteo.
"What you need to do is pull that poor sweet little newbie persona on Lucca or the little genius's," Ricco chuckled, also studying the list. "It looks like you've solved a few of the cryptic clues already."
"Not me, the others have, and they don't do me much good, one of those people is dead, apparently," she sighed.
"Then the clue must be wrong," Ricco said. "Or there must be a way to get it. Which one are we talking about? Come on, Matt, you used to be better at this stuff than Lucca, you know that's why he's always trying to find a puzzle you can't solve." He chuckled, adding to the perception that they had no interest in the hunt.
"Yeah, okay, give me more than a minute to look at it," he tore the final page with the impossible puzzles on it from the list and got up, walking to his office. "Give me thirty minutes and I'll get you what I can. But the answers will cost, you realise," he grumbled. "Both of you!" Cat and Ricco looked at each other and grinned.
"He really was king of this game before Nik did a number on him," Ricco said quietly. "He stopped doing anything fun with the family a few years ago. Lucca has been trying ever since to get him back into playing games with the family. He took it the hardest when Matt withdrew from the world and sunk himself into work. Maybe you should do something to motivate him," he suggested with a waggle of his eyebrows.
"Well, if he can help me, I don't mind making it motivational and worth his while," Cat said, standing from the table and walking into the bedroom. Half an hour later, and much to Ricco's delight, she had dressed in the midnight blue corset Matteo had bought for her on their first shopping trip together, as well as a dress he particularly liked, along with thigh-high stockings and stilettos. Then she picked up a basket and went into the red room to gather several lengths of rope, with Ricco's help, some nipple clamps and a few other toys before she walked back toward his office. As a last thought, she donned her robe and left her room to go and see if he had made any progress.
"Wait," Ricco held her back and went to the wet bar to grab a bottle of wine and three glasses. "This is going to be fun, and I plan to sit back and enjoy the show properly. Lisa?" he raised his voice slightly and smiled as she instantly appeared. "Could you make us one of your awesome platters with cheese and fruit, and those little truffles you make, if you have any, please?"
"Of course, Master Ricco. Would you like it on the deck?" she asked.
"No, in Matteo's office, please," he smiled widely. Then he turned to lead the way into Matteo's office. He said nothing as he placed the glasses on Matteo's desk and poured three drinks. "Let me just grab a chair and then you can tell him the deal you're willing to make." Ricco dragged a chair to Matteo's side of his desk and sat back, glass of wine in hand as Matteo raised an eyebrow, first at him and then at Cat.
"I was worried that you might need some motivation, so for every clue you solve and help me to work out how to get the item, I will take off one piece of clothing. Just to get you started," Cat took off the robe, revealing the dress Matteo liked which highlighted the hourglass shape of the corset beneath it. "If you manage to solve more than necessary to find me naked, or near naked, if you prefer, then you can choose an item from the basket for me to put on," she stepped towards him and leant over, giving him a clear view of her cleavage and the top of the corset before unveiling the basket and its contents.
"Sounds very... motivational," he chuckled.
"We have all night, no rush," Ricco said. "Lisa is bringing snacks for the show, and I'll even help, if you like. My favourite rope is in that basket."
"Alright, Mr. Helpful, call Hilary and ask her to clear my morning, and yours, I suppose," he chuckled. "We're going on a road trip." He picked up a glass of wine and took a sip.
"We are?" Ricco asked sceptically.
"You can't complain now. You're the one who forced me into becoming part of this hunt. Now there are consequences," he said. "Cat, text Tate and Logan and have them meet us here for breakfast, leave Kalum out of it for now, because you can guarantee he is sharing with Mia."
"I don't mind sharing with Mia," Cat said easily.
"You mightn't, but I do, and this will come down to a race at the finish, because some of these are pretty easy and, with the right motivation, I could probably help you get most of them. If you seriously want to crush the hunt, then we do it my way, and Kalum would agree, what he doesn't know he can't divulge. I'll call him myself and explain, if you like."
"What have I done?" she asked, marvelling at his ruthlessness where his sister was concerned and the intensity of his gaze.
"I did tell you he used to be the king of the hunt," Ricco shrugged, enjoying the small glimpse of the old Matteo helping Cat was affording him.
"Weren't you making a call?" Matteo turned his gaze to his brother as he picked up his phone.
Lisa came in with the platter of food and Ricco laughed, telling her that they would need a second bottle of wine. Cat had never actually seen Matteo, the businessman, who was totally in control and managed the people and resources around him to the best advantage, before. He made several phone calls after speaking with Kalum and looking at the schedule Ricco showed him, and at the same time was emailing people. When he finally sat back after organising at least half a dozen people and his schedule for the morning, he gave her a small smile and raised his eyebrows, and she knew she would be disrobing fairly quickly from this point on.
"Here you go," Matteo slid his laptop to Ricco, "Make yourself useful and make notes on the master list Kalum just sent me." He picked up the list he had been writing all over and eyed Cat in a predatory way.
