The conversation between Olivia and Marcella had been long overdue, and Genesis was grateful that Olivia had finally spoken to her sister. He would have preferred to be present and able to hear the exchange, but he had no doubt she would tell him when she was ready. He glanced over to where she sat beside him as they drove home. He had asked if she was okay when they had left the casino and she had simply nodded not speaking, and he had been content to give her time to process the conversation and her feelings. He reached over and placed a hand on her thigh, and she startled, showing him just how deep in thought she had been.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't plan to do that, and now, I'm just confused," Olivia said and tugged on her seatbelt, pulling it tautly across her body.
"You told her the truth you have been hiding for a long time, and it's only natural that it was difficult for you both," he said cautiously remembering the surprise of Marcella thanking him. "It's only natural you feel a little out of control. It took courage to take the risk you did. To talk to her without preparing for the confrontation," he said noting how tightly she held the seatbelt around her body as if needing to anchor herself in the physical realm as she dealt with all of the emotions this morning had to have dug up.
"Do you think she will be safe tonight? That Noah will look after her?" Olivia asked quietly. "I was listening last night when you and your family were talking about the risks they were taking. I wanted to tell her that I knew she is the hero of the story, in case I didn't get another chance."
"You will get another chance. I am sure of it, and I believe Noah loves her like no one ever has before. He won't let her go without a fight," Genesis reassured her as they pulled into the garage. "For that reason and for you and Vivienne, Gideon and I would not let her go without an argument either. Now loosen the belt, little one. You can tell me about the conversation properly when we are upstairs, and you are more comfortable."
"I told her how I didn't know what she had been through and that's why I was so mean to her," Olivia said sadly.
"I know Little One. Now don't say anything else, until I speak to you. Understood?" Genesis instructed stepping into the dominant role he knew she needed right then before her whirling mind got the better of her.
"Yes, Master," She replied, also sliding into her submissiveness as he walked her up to their apartment and straight through into their playroom.
Without a word from him, Olivia began to strip as soon as they stepped through the playroom doorway then watched as he gathered several coils of rope and came back to her where she stood in display pose for him. She said nothing as he took his time binding her into a rope harness. It was something she had requested early on in their relationship as a way to help her through intensive emotional upheavals. Though he hadn't had the time for the lengthy ritual of binding her recently, he knew it was what she needed when she felt out of control and soothed her as her body stilled in the restraints and urged her mind to still as well. The chaos her life had become seemed to untangle itself into more manageable pieces in the stillness of her body and mind. In these moments, she would often reveal what was bothering her in greater clarity to him than she could without the settling effect of the bindings.
Calmly and taking his time knowing he could never create the artworks of the Shibari Masters, Genesis used the rope to create a firm collar around her neck to start with, then from that, he made a knotted frame around her breasts. Another rope criss-cross of ropes across her abdomen and back creating pleasing patterns while binding her firmly. He was as silent as she was thinking about how he would tackle this next conversation without pushing her too hard to share what had happened on that balcony before Noah interrupted the two women. Noah walked a knifes edge, and until he had Marcella's love in return, he would continue to do so and act out of character where she was concerned. Genesis had to remind himself of how unreasonable he had been when Olivia had denied his love for her in the beginning so he could allow his brother some lee-way to act over the top where Marcella was concerned.
In the prolonged silence, Genesis continued binding her with a bikini harness around her waist and pussy before moving onto her legs. There wasn't any need for words. She knew as she submitted to his will that he, as always, was giving her what she needed. Her mind slowed, and she relaxed under the careful binding of her body. Once a pretty patterned sleeve of rope wound up her legs, bringing them together, Genesis picked her up and placed her on the bed, then with a sleep mask removing the light from her eyes, he lay beside her and gave her permission to speak.
"Feeling better, Little One?" Genesis asked. "Do you feel you can talk to me now, without all of the confusion, or would you like a little while longer?"
"I am feeling better, thank you, Master. May I have just a little longer to think about things," Olivia responded in a small voice.
"Take as long as you need, Little one. Are you comfortable?" He kissed her then and was pleased as she arched up against him, seeking more of his contact. He let his fingers stroke and tease around the ropes binding her breasts for a few moments before kissing her again and rising from the bed. If he was going to give her the few minutes she asked for, then he couldn't lie there like that, or they would both be too distracted to deal with the situation. Her comment as they left the casino bothered him a great deal. It hadn't occurred to him that the risks, they had all discussed last night while she listened in would have such a profound effect on her that unbidden she would ask to speak to Marcella alone.
"Yes, Master," Olivia whispered.
*****
As soon as Olivia had left, Marcella had hurried back to the bathroom and locked herself in, running the shower. Torn between forcing himself into the bathroom again or letting her work through whatever Olivia had said, Noah was left to pace agitatedly outside the locked door. When she emerged, she was back to her ass-kicking bossy in command self which worried Noah all the more.
"Talk to me, Kitten," he'd urged, but she had rounded on him as argumentative as always.
"We have a job to do and a meeting to get to, or did you forget? There's nothing to talk about at least not right now. First, we deal with this shit and get my sister her life back, and then we deal with the other shit. Right now, I am not your Kitten, nor am I a sweet submissive table woman so stop with all that macho trying to look after me shit. We both know I can look after myself," Marcella lectured him.
"Three shit's in a row, I'll consider myself warned and be happy to have the bass-ass Marcella back for the meeting," Noah held up his hands in surrender. "It's your show, so what do you want to do now?"
"I want you to go back to your family and let me handle this alone," She said abruptly.
"Bea knows I'm involved and that I would have had to get the documents from my family. I am already neck-deep in this shit, as you so eloquently put it, so it's a bit late to be sending me home now," he argued logically.
"As long as I have the paperwork she won't care if you're there or not," Marcella huffed.
"I'm coming with you," Noah said with no emotion in his voice, just stating a fact. "You agreed we would do this together. Or you can assume my family will be there watching every move you make." He wished he could take the threat back as soon as it passed his lips and fell silent when she didn't automatically bite back at him. He watched her finish getting dressed. She wore tight black pants and a soft white T-shirt, boots with reasonably high heels. However, Noah had seen her in higher. "You don't have to do this alone, Marcella. You never did," he said with a softer inflexion. "Trust me, please. I can look after myself just as you can. You don't have to be the one pulling the macho shit and trying to look after me either."
"Fine," she huffed again. "Let's go then I want to get there before they set up so we can see the inner workings before the crowds arrive," Marcella said grabbing a jacket and large shoulder bag with the paperwork. She didn't want to put him in any danger, she never had, but things had changed between them, and she couldn't bear to see him get hurt trying to protect her more than ever.
"We have hours before the markets even open, let alone our meeting with Bea," Noah said, taking a step toward her. Since waking up this with her in his arms this morning, they had grown steadily further apart, and he desperately wanted to bridge that gap between them again. His desire for the feisty little Kitten standing in front of him was riding him hard again and reminding him there were much better ways to while away the time before their meeting.
"Yesterday was an anomaly," she tried to say in a harsh tone, but it came out softer with the emotion and care she felt for the man who was standing by her side to help her sister despite the danger to himself and his family. "I need to make sure this goes off without a hitch, and I have a plan to ensure it will, but there are risks just as you keep warning me which is why I need to keep my head on straight and not let you fuck with it like you did yesterday."
"And this morning was that an anomaly too?" he asked feeling both amused and annoyed by her denial of all they had done and said to each other as meaning so much more for them. It was true she had pushed him away at the end and tried to distance herself physically, but he knew she felt the pull between them. She had to feel it because he could barely think straight with his need for her to embrace him and their fate riding him hard.
"This morning was fun," she shrugged nonchalantly and hated herself a moment later for the look on his face. It was only a moment, but then the blank face that was prepared to argue with her was back. She sighed and slumped. "Noah, I care about you, which is why if you want to save me any more stress then you will stay here if you won't go home. I will call as soon as I have the location and time."
"You care," he grinned at her. It was more than she had ever willing given him before.
"So, you'll stay here and wait for me?" she asked hopefully.
"Not a chance, especially now," he continued to grin at her as he stepped closer, trying to close the distance between them again.
"Did you not hear anything I said?" she asked, holding a hand out before her in a stopping motion.
"I heard and you're in charge, but we agreed that we would stay together until this was done and honestly, I am enjoying the together part of this scenario so very much," he grinned at her again. He knew it had cost her in some way to admit she cared, but it was out in the ether now, and she couldn't take it back no matter how hard she tried. "I was just going to grab my wallet and keys off the table," he indicated the table she stood beside. "You wanted to go, right?"
