“First, we’re going to learn how to move our feet. Leaders, face this wall.” He pointed behind him. “Followers, stand next to your partner and face that wall.” He pointed to his left. “Followers, your right side is facing your partner. This is an eight-count, with rests for beats four and eight.”
Samantha understood what he meant, but she didn’t know if Stefano did. Stef had been forced to take ballroom dancing lessons as a teen, so he was fine for simple dances, but he hadn’t pursued it beyond what his mother had made him do.
“You get that?”
He quirked the corner of his mouth in an ironic smile. “I’ll wait until he demonstrates.”
Tony showed them what the dance looked like as he counted the steps. “Left foot forward—one. Two—bring it back, three. Right foot back—five. Six—bring it back, seven. And repeat.”
They watched Tony count through it a few more times.
“I don’t know what you’re waiting for, but if you don’t start moving, you won’t learn to dance.” Tony smiled good-naturedly, and the crowd began to move.
Samantha figured it out quickly. She helped Stef, who scowled as he noted, “He said four and eight were rests, but I can’t find two and six.”
“It’s a little lift of your opposite foot. Sway your hips. Give it some attitude.”
“It’s hard when you’re looking so good. My attention naturally goes to you and makes it difficult to concentrate on what I’m doing.”
“Don’t blame me.” She was enjoying the banter. “I always look this good.”
Tony stopped near them and clapped loudly twice. “This is very sexy. You look good together. Salsa is a sexy dance. You will do well here.”
They practiced the moves until Tony said, “Now we will learn a right turn. Leaders, you will turn in the first eight count. Followers will turn in the second count. Watch now.” He stomped on the floor, his shoes echoing on the ancient, worn wood. “Left forward—one. Turn—two. Turn—three. And left—five, six, seven. It’s the same. Now followers, you do the same.”
He counted it through again, not really explaining as much as he showed them what to do. The first turn—on two—was 180 degrees, as was the turn on three, putting the dancer back into starting position. As Stefano had to go first, Samantha helped him through it. After a few times, they had the move down.
“Hey, this is easy,” Stefano said, a huge grin on his face.
“This is crawling,” Tony said as he breezed by. “You aren’t dancing yet.”
Stefano watched the smaller man, an expression of shock and amusement on his face. “I can’t figure out if I like him yet.”
“He’s interesting,” Samantha said. “You have to remember that this is a free class. It looks like he’s been doing this all evening.”
“It’s advertising for his product. He should be nice.” Stefano went through the turns a few more times. “Want to sign up for salsa lessons, honey?”
“I’d like that,” she said. “It can be our thing. We can practice naked, and if you master your moves, I’ll let you put the moves on me.”
Stefano’s smile lasted the whole night. Samantha loved being with him like this. They talked and flirted as they practiced the salsa, bantering back and forth as they learned a dance they both enjoyed. Tony taught them how to lead a right turn, and then he had them put it all together into a brief dance.
Before they left, Stefano signed them up for classes beginning in December. Samantha loved that he committed to them because that meant she had one night each week carved out to spend with him socially. Her heart soared.
* * * *
Alexei wore a monitor for a week. Each morning, Samantha had to make sure he put it back on after his shower. He seemed resistant until he looked into her eyes, and then his protests would fall away, unspoken. He’d also gone in for some follow up testing to rule out different causes of Afib.
When they returned to Doctor Karpov’s office to hear the results, the three of them were nervous. Stefano paced the length of the waiting room, his prowling figure commanding the attention of every waiting patient. Lex sat next to Samantha, her hand gripped in his, with his head casually resting on the wall behind his chair.
The nurse called them into the doctor’s office. Stefano put his hand on Alexei’s shoulder. “You gave them your schedule, right?”
They’d asked for a schedule, a general accounting of his activities during the time he’d worn the halter. Alexei had balked at the idea as an invasion of his privacy. Lex scowled at Stef.
“I did,” Samantha said. “I recorded what you did when you were home, and Stefano helped me figure out what you were doing when you were working.”
“Samantha—”
She lifted her hand, cutting him off. Even a month ago, she wouldn’t have dared be that bold. Standing up to him, when warranted, made her feel good. Empowered, but still submissive. “It’s done, Lex. Doctor Karpov can’t do her job if she doesn’t have the information.”
“Alexei, welcome back.” Doctor Karpov came toward the door with her hand extended. Lex shook first, and then she greeted Samantha and Stefano. “Have a seat.”
Samantha and Stefano once again flanked Alexei, offering support even though he accepted it with hostility.
Doctor Karpov took her place behind her desk and folded her hands on top of the polished wood surface. “Let’s start with the good news. You’re one of the ten percent of people who have no underlying heart disease.”
Tension visibly left Alexei. It fled so fast that Samantha felt the wind from its passage.
“So I’m fine?”
The doctor tilted her head to the side in a regretful gesture. “You have atrial fibrillation. Your heart is beating irregularly, which puts you at a higher risk for blood clots. Those clots can travel to your kidneys, intestines, heart, or brain. You’re at a high risk for stroke or heart attack. You’re going to need to make some lifestyle changes.”
Alexei shook his head. “There’s nothing I can change.”
Samantha threw a severe frown in his direction.
“No, I mean it. I’ve cut back on work and caffeine. I don’t smoke. I’m back to working out regularly. There’s literally nothing I can change.”
Stefano scratched his eyebrow, something he did when he was thinking particularly hard. “You’re working just as much, Lex. On the nights Sammy is with me, you’re still pulling all-nighters.”
This time her frown held a dose of fury. He was supposed to be resting.
Alexei shrugged. “I have trouble sleeping alone.”
Oh, he wasn’t going to blame this on her. She’d collude with Stefano later on this issue. Perhaps it was time for them to share a bedroom. They had never discussed changing their sleeping arrangements.
Doctor Karpov cleared her throat. “I suggest cutting out all caffeine and alcohol. Whatever you can do to relieve stress, do it. Your monitor showed that you had more Afib events at work and fewer when you were training your pony. Maybe you want to consider switching careers.”
Stefano guffawed. “You do love dressage. Plenty of people make a career out of that. Maybe you can make it to the Olympics.”
Samantha was tempted to sock him in the gut. Instead she opted to kill him with kindness. “Yes. While you are at work, Lex can spend all day playing with his pony.” She pumped as much innuendo into her tone as she could. “Lex, your pony loves you so much. I know she would be over the moon to be able to spend so much time with you.”
The edges of his mouth quivered, but whether it was with mirth or a response to the impending upheaval he was going to have to face, she couldn’t tell.
Again the doctor drew their attention back to her. “Alexei, the bottom line is this— if you don’t make some significant changes to your lifestyle, then your lifestyle will make some significant changes to you. Listen to your body. It knows what it needs.”
* * * *
Alexei blew one last kiss to Samantha as she disappeared in
to the area where only ticketed passengers could go. Next to him, Stefano watched as the woman they loved headed back to the Caribbean.
“We’ll see her in five days.”
Stefano shook his head. “In Michigan. It’ll be different. She’ll want to see her parents and her sister, spend time visiting with her niece and nephew. We won’t really have her to ourselves until it’s time to leave.”
With November nearly expired and Thanksgiving in six days, Lex felt more pressure than ever to finish up this little venture. What should have been a simple merger had turned into a nightmare, a complicated maze of legal and business interests. He was tired of massaging egos all day long and looking for the fine print that would help circumvent some of the ones that refused to be tamed.
“Come on. Lindsay Stewart is flying in. We need to pick her up.”
Lex frowned at Stef. Stewart was one of their best employees. The twenty-seven year old had been doing her damndest to help them manage this fiasco from Miami. She was a quick-witted, fast-talking woman who people either loved or hated on sight. He and Stef had loved her. Samantha liked her, but the two hadn’t connected on anything but a polite level.
“Why did you call her in? We’re so close to finishing this up.”
“We’ve been close for six weeks. I’m tired of it. I’m going to tell Lindsay to close the deal or withdraw by Wednesday. Either way, we’re finished.”
“We stand to lose millions.”
Stef shrugged. “We have millions to lose.”
That familiar rage boiled in Lex’s blood. He felt his heart speed up, and that pissed him off even more. “Damn it, Stefano. You heard what the doctor said. I have decades before I’m in danger.”
The concourse was packed. Even so, Stefano managed to slam Lex against the wall. He held him there with his forearm across his twin’s chest, his elbow digging into Lex’s rib cage. Shocked at Stef’s show of anger—Lex was usually the one to blow his top—Alexei stared at his brother.
“This could kill you. Every second you stay in this job is taking you to the grave. No amount of money in the world is worth your life. Sammy only got on that plane to take care of her business because I promised I would take care of you.”
Stefano let him down. Lex straightened his jacket, ignored the stares of passersby, and waved off security. “The two of you planned this?” He couldn’t be mad at Samantha, but he could be furious with Stef for dragging her into something so fucking irritating.
“No. She has no idea. I thought we’d surprise her.”
Lex lifted a challenging brow. “You’re stepping down, too?”
“We’re not stepping down. We’re stepping back. Lindsay can take this deal, bring in her team to help her out. Other parts of the business can be sold off or we can find the right people to run them.”
For as long as he could remember, Alexei had worked in this world. He’d entered Morozov Industries at the tender age of twelve, and he’d spent his life becoming intimately acquainted with every aspect of the operation. Stefano had as well. It had been the only way to get their father’s attention. Dmitri Morozov had been openly proud of them for their professional accomplishments, but he’d never seemed to notice anything else they did.
He considered Stefano’s idea. “We’re still running the company, but we don’t have to be so hands-on. That’s what you’re saying.”
“Yeah.”
Most of his anger drained away. “Why the fuck didn’t you just say that? You think I wouldn’t have a conversation with you about this? For Christ’s sake. I remember resenting Dad for always putting the business first. We want to marry Samantha and have kids, and we both vowed to be there to raise our kids.”
Stefano led them toward the baggage carousel where they’d probably find Lindsay. “If I said any of that to you with Sammy nearby, you would have dug your heels in and refused. That fricking pony thing really calms you both down, and you forget there’s anything wrong. With Sammy gone, your stress level is back up, and you’re taking it seriously. Plus, Lindsay is here, and you’re not enough of a dickhead to throw a fit and send her back.”
With a superior grin, Stefano strutted to where Lindsay’s flight number was displayed. Lex wanted to simultaneously hug and punch his brother. It could be done, but he’d wait until later, when Stef wasn’t expecting retaliation.
Lindsay was a little Jewish powerhouse. She stood at about five-four, and her compact build hid a parkour expert. Long dark hair was gathered in a ponytail and tumbled down her back. She turned as they came closer.
She grinned, revealing a cheeky smile. “Hey there, boss men. Reinforcements are here.”
“Good afternoon, Stewart. Did you have a nice flight?”
She heaved her bag from the conveyor belt. Stefano took it from her, and Lex relieved her of her carry-on bag.
Lindsay sighed, but she knew better than to protest. “The flight sucked. I hate flying. At least you guys spring for first class tickets. Who’s who?”
They’d defaulted to the blue tie/red tie thing. Lex wore red, and Stef wore blue. Other than that, they were identically dressed. Alexei said his name, and Stefano identified himself. Lindsay didn’t treat them as if they were interchangeable, and that was one of the things they’d liked about her. That didn’t mean she could tell them apart.
“We want to thank you for coming,” Stefano said. “But I’m afraid you misunderstood my message. You’re not here to back us up. You’ll be taking over.”
She stopped in the middle of the crowd, forcing everybody to part around her. “Wait. Taking over? You want me to close a deal you couldn’t? That’s some tall order.”
Alexei put his hand on her upper arm and urged her to make forward progress. “We’re not asking you to do that. We’re done dealing with these assholes. You can give them twenty-four hours, but we pretty much want you to close out our interests with regard to this deal.”
“Untangle the web you wove to capture the company?”
Stefano bared his teeth in a pale imitation of a smile. “You have a problem with that?”
“Nope,” she said. “I just like having a clear objective. So, this is now my baby, and neither of you get to interfere.”
She wasn’t asking for permission. Over her head, Lex exchanged a look with Stef. They weren’t used to taking orders from anybody, and this new development struck them both as funny.
Stef chuckled first. “Yes, ma’am.”
In the taxi, Stefano gave the driver the address for their rented apartment.
“Where am I staying?” Lindsay asked.
“Our apartment,” Stefano answered. “We’re heading to Michigan, so you’ll have the place to yourself.”
This was another piece of news to Alexei. “When the hell do you find time to make all these plans without consulting me?”
“When you’re playing with your pony. I don’t think you know how much time you spend doing that particular activity.”
If Lex wasn’t mistaken, Stefano wasn’t too happy that he’d been monopolizing Samantha’s time. He felt the first pangs of guilt over it. “You could have said something.”
Stefano shrugged, and Lex knew his brother had been silent because he was concerned about Lex’s health. That didn’t mean he didn’t resent Lex cutting into Stef’s time with their woman. “She kept you occupied so you couldn’t argue with me. It was a win-win situation.”
“Whew!” Lindsay said. “I’m starting to drown in the subtext here.”
An employee should never see them argue. They both had a strict policy of having these kinds of discussions without subordinates around. Alexei spent the rest of the ride updating Lindsay on their progress, or lack thereof.
* * * *
The weather at Sanctuary was perfect, as was the company. For the first time since they’d purchased the island, Samantha was meeting with Sophia, Sabrina, and Ellen at the same time. The four of them had left their families and significant others back home for this three day poww
ow.
Samantha was the second to arrive. Sabrina greeted her at the dock with a huge hug. “Damn, but you look good, Sam. New York agrees with you.”
She was of the opinion that having more time with Stef and Lex agreed with her, but she accepted the compliment. “Thanks. You’re looking great as well.” She looked Sabrina up and down. Her petite sister-in-law wore a stylish shirt that gathered under her breasts and flowed to her hips, and the matching skirt was equally as loose.
“Oh my God! You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
Sabrina blushed. “No. Jonas gave me a thorough going-over before I left this morning. We’re experimenting with harsher floggers and whips. It takes me to a deeper subspace, and I’m finding that I really like it.”
There hadn’t been time for Lex or Stef to send her off the same way, though they’d both made love to her. She lifted an interested brow. “Can I see?”
Sabrina turned around and let Samantha lift her shirt. A few angry welts crossed her sister-in-law’s back. “I have some neat bruises on my bottom, but I’m not showing you those.”
Samantha giggled. “You’ll think of him every time you sit down.”
“Or try to walk. Come on, I brought a cart.”
They climbed onto the motorized vehicle and Sabrina drove them to the resort proper.
“Tessa is doing a wonderful job. Evan got here last week. Everything’s going to stop for Thanksgiving, and then he said he wanted to bring the rest of his family back with him in December.”
“How are he and Tessa getting along?”
“Fabulously. And he’s great with the crew. You know, I never thought of Evan as a take-charge kind of guy, probably because he’s so quiet, but he is.”
Samantha considered that. “It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
“Yeah, well, I like him. I’m willing to offer him whatever he wants to finish the job. After what you, Sophia, and I went through with the original contractor, I don’t want to take our chances with another one, but we can talk about that tomorrow.”
The main building where the staff was being headquartered came into view. Space was now at a premium. Samantha knew she would be sharing a room with Sabrina. When she thought about her four partners, she realized they were all friends with each other. Jonas had brought them together. He was the common link, but the fact that Samantha lived clear across the country put her at a disadvantage. All her life, she’d gathered acquaintances by the dozens, but none of them had developed into deeper friendships. Except for Lex and Stef, she was essentially friendless. That realization made her sad.
Two Masters for Samantha 2: In Their Hearts [Awakenings 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 16