Ellen and Sophia looked at Samantha as a little sister, someone to be tolerated because she was family. Sabrina was more difficult to read. She seemed to genuinely like Samantha and enjoyed spending time with her, but Sam wondered if Sabrina’s friendliness had anything at all to do with her or if it was all due to Jonas.
“Sabrina? If you weren’t married to Jonas, would we be friends?”
Sabrina parked the cart in the little garage next to the main building. She slung one of Sam’s bags over her shoulder before answering. “Probably not. You’re a lot younger than me, and we ran in different circles. I probably would have just bought your paintings and worshipped you from afar.”
“You think you would have bought my paintings?”
“Yes. They’re very good, but you know that already. What brought on that question?”
Sam shrugged, but Sabrina didn’t let her have the evasion. “I was just wondering if you, you know, if you’re friends with me because of my brother.”
“I am,” Sabrina said with a laugh. “He brought a lot of new people into my life, and I’m thankful for each and every one of you. Sometimes not Ellen. She’s a little slow in learning my hard limits. But then we fight and make up. Anyway, not having you in my life would be a serious loss, so stop worrying. I love you, Sam, and I sincerely want to know how the pony play went.”
By this time, they were in the elevator. Samantha stared at Sabrina. “I haven’t told anybody about that.”
Sabrina grinned. “You said enough to Tessa and Nick, who were thrilled to share the pet experience with you, and I figured out the rest.”
A huge grin broke out on Samantha’s face. She couldn’t stop it, and it confirmed Sabrina’s guess, so she divulged the details.
“It’s so wonderful. I get the best workout while spending time in a different section of subspace. Alexei loves it, too, but Stefano has stayed away from it so far. Lex is training me in dressage. It’s not as easy as it looks.” She felt less guilty about spending so much time with Lex now that she and Stef were taking that salsa class together.
With a dreamy expression on her face, Sabrina smiled. “Have you been naughty yet?”
“No, not yet. I have plans, but I never seem to want to follow through with them while I’m in pony mode.” Samantha frowned, but it was the thoughtful kind. Perhaps the urge to go against the rules had come from her frustration at the lack of attention she had been getting. “Maybe I don’t truly want to misbehave.”
Sabrina shot her a knowing, sympathetic look. “I know what you mean. Unless I’m somehow upset, I don’t care to misbehave either. Plus I hate punishment. Jonas and I are working on that. I’m not certain he likes to dish it out either.”
The pair of them giggled and whispered through dinner until Heather joined them. They’d invited her to eat with them, but she’d politely refused, citing the need to be available for an important call.
The tall beauty handed Sabrina an envelope. Puzzled, Sabrina opened it up and scanned the note.
“You’re not serious?” Sabrina asked incredulously.
“I am. My bags are packed, and I’m heading out on the boat that’s bringing Ellen and Sophia here later tonight.”
Samantha snagged the note hanging from Sabrina’s hand. It was a letter of resignation. “But why? I thought you were excited about staying on for the transition.”
Heather shrugged. “I was, and then I wasn’t. I met somebody, and the relationship has progressed to a point where working here isn’t what I want anymore. Besides, now you can bring in your own person who will do things how you want them done.”
This was a huge loss. Heather knew the company intimately, and she’d been supportive of the ways in which the resort was going to change. Sam knew they’d been dealt a blow, but she couldn’t begrudge the woman for following her heart. That’s what Sam had done four years ago, and she did not regret it.
Sabrina nodded stiffly. “I wish you all the best. If you need to use me as a reference, feel free.”
Still processing the loss of the resort’s manager, Samantha stared after her departing figure. Once she was gone, Sabrina exhaled hard.
“I know I shouldn’t, but I’m sort of glad she’s gone. Every once in a while, she would compare me to Jonas’s ex-wife, and that doesn’t exactly make me happy. Sometimes interacting with her was awkward.”
Samantha didn’t really know Heather. Though the woman had been friends with Jonas years ago, Samantha hadn’t been old enough to establish any kind of relationship with Heather. At best, she was ambivalent about losing their manager. Samantha cleared her throat to change the subject.
“We have our work cut out for us tomorrow,” Samantha said. Lists of items that needed to be addressed flew through her head, overwhelming her with sheer numbers. “We need to hammer out a revised plan for the remodel, and now we need to find someone new to run this place.”
“Yep,” Sabrina said. She had the same glazed look in her eyes that Samantha was sure mirrored her own. “Sophie and Ellen will be here soon. I say we all get drunk tonight, and that we get a head start. With any luck, we’ll all have a great time tonight.”
“That sounds like a great plan.”
Chapter Thirteen
Surprising Alexei with Lindsay Stewart and all she represented had gone much better than expected, and it proved to Stef that his brother wasn’t feeling as good as he tried to pretend. The idea of losing Lex scared the shit out of Stef. He was willing to give up control of Morozov Industries to make sure that Lex remained healthy.
Besides, it wasn’t like they were washing their hands completely, and they’d spent years surrounding themselves with valuable, trustworthy employees. Now was the time to take advantage of those resources.
They took their things to the hotel they always used when they were visiting their father. He still lived in the same posh West Bloomfield house where the boys had grown up. Four years ago, he’d taken a second wife, a woman who had been their mother’s friend. Though, at the time, twelve years had elapsed since their mother had passed away, Lex had taken the news hard.
Sammy had been instrumental in convincing Lex that over a decade was a long enough time for their father to mourn and that Melinda Breszewski, who was wealthy in her own right, was a perfect companion for Dmitri Morozov.
Indeed, their father had mellowed a lot in the past four years. Melinda brought a peaceful serenity to Dmitri’s life, and she never interfered with matters between her husband and his children. Melinda had kids of her own, and she expected Dmitri to respect her privacy that way. Ironically, Sabrina was Melinda’s oldest daughter, which made Sabrina their step-sister, and as soon as Sammy married Lex, Sabrina would also be their sister-in-law.
“Did you tell Dad we were coming early?” Lex drove the rented car.
Though his brother drove fast, Stef was confident in his abilities. If Sammy had been with them, Stefano would have driven because having Lex behind the wheel freaked her out.
“Nope. I thought we’d surprise him.”
Lex chuckled. The two of them often had to be dragged back to Michigan for a visit. Their father would definitely not be expecting them. Using their magnetic entry card, they cruised through the guarded entrance to the subdivision. They’d grown up here, as had Sabrina and Drew. Drew, Sophia, and Neal lived around the corner from the Morozov estate.
Stefano pressed the doorbell and checked out the tasteful holiday decorations. His whole life, the Morozovs had never decorated the outside of their house for any occasion. Dmitri was dead set against it. He maintained that putting up a tree and some mistletoe was plenty. This was Melinda’s doing, and he had to admire her persistence. The place looked inviting and festive like a home should.
The door swung open to reveal a tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Two years younger than Lex and Stef, Anastasia Morozov had grown up suffering with two overprotective brothers. Not that she’d taken their crap lying down. Nope. She’d developed one hell of a s
tubborn streak, and she’d ended up winning most of their battles. At eighteen, she’d gone away to college in California, and she’d never returned home. Her job as an oceanographer took her all over the world. While they visited one another every now and again, large gaps of time passed without communication.
“Ana!” Stef threw his arms open and scooped up his little sister. “You said you weren’t coming for Thanksgiving.”
He set her down and Lex did the same thing. “It’s good to see you, Ana. I’m glad you could make it.”
She kissed their cheeks and took their jackets. “Dad made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Where’s Sam?”
“She’s clearing up some business matters related to the island resort we bought for her,” Stefano said.
Ana gave them a strange look. “You bought her an island resort?”
Lex lifted his shoulder nonchalantly. “We bought a share. She’s a quarter owner. So is Sabrina. What was the offer that Dad made you?”
“He’s going to fund a remote submersible for my next study on phosphorescence in the deep sea.” Ana mimicked Lex’s shrug. “I have my price.”
It disgusted Stefano more than a little that money is what brought Ana home, but he wasn’t surprised. For her entire life, their father had lavished Ana with expensive things in order to make up for the fact that their mother had never really taken an interest in raising her daughter. She’d performed whatever motherly duties Dmitri had ordered her to do, but she hadn’t approached spending time with Ana with the same enthusiasm she’d showered on Lex and Stef.
In short, Ana was a brat, and they loved her dearly.
Ana slung her arms around both of them, herding them toward the study. “Tell me about this resort, big brothers. It sounds kinky.”
In the study, they found their father and Melinda. Dmitri lounged in a leather wingback chair reading a newspaper, a real, honest-to-goodness newspaper. Melinda sat in a matching chair with an eReader in hand.
She looked up first, a welcoming smile lighting her face. Lines radiated from her eyes and emphasized her mouth, showing how often she smiled since she’d fallen for their father. “Boys! Welcome home.”
Though Melinda couldn’t tell them apart, she’d long ago overcome her embarrassment. Now she looked for the clues. Though they had changed out of their suits, Stef made sure to wear a blue sweater, and Lex had donned red.
Dmitri folded his paper and got to his feet. They greeted Melinda with kisses on the cheek, and then they took turns shaking Dmitri’s hand. He pulled each of them closer for a proper hug.
“If I had known you were coming, I would have held dinner.” There was a bit of reproof in Dmitri’s voice, but the pleasure of having his kids under one roof overrode it.
“We’re fine,” Stefano said. “We grabbed a bite on the road.”
“Let me get you a drink.”
Stef glanced at Lex. “Water is fine. Or fruit juice.”
Dmitri frowned at Lex. “Are you letting Stefano speak for you again?”
When they were little, Stefano had often answered for Alexei, not because his brother couldn’t, but because Stef knew what his brother wanted. In this case, Lex probably would have loved a drink, but Sammy would kill them both if she found out that Alexei had gone against the doctor’s orders.
Lex sank onto the black leather sofa. “Looks that way.”
Stefano helped his dad get the drinks. The five of them settled down with the friendly kind of chit-chat that people had when they hadn’t seen one another for a few months. Ana spoke passionately about her undersea adventures, and Stefano understood why his father had agreed to fund her next expedition. Her eyes lit so brightly, and she positively glowed. She might not be in love with a person, but she was in love with her job, and that was enough for her at this point in her life. Melinda and Dmitri related a few anecdotes of the time they spent with their grandchildren—Sabrina’s kids—and dropped hints about loving the idea of having more rug rats to spoil.
“So, how are things going at Morozov Industries?” Dmitri asked, turning the conversation to the boys.
Alexei and Stefano fell silent. They could count the number of times they’d failed at anything business related on one hand.
Dmitri gave a low chuckle. “That bad?”
Stefano shook his head. “The bottom line is still good.”
“But?” Dmitri leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “How is the Resto deal going?”
“It’s not,” Lex said. “We cut bait and brought in Lindsay Stewart to clean up the mess.”
If Stefano had expected his father to loudly voice his displeasure, he was doomed to be disappointed. Dmitri sat back, relaxed. “Holbrook and Sons.”
The three of them stared at Dmitri with blank looks on their faces. Melinda cleared away their empty glasses and left the room.
“My first failure,” Dmitri said. “I remember it better than I can recall any of my successes.”
By all measures, Dmitri Morozov had been a very successful businessman. Stefano exchanged a look with Alexei. Ana went to Dmitri’s side and perched on the arm of his chair. She put a soothing hand on his shoulder.
“Papa, you built a multimillion dollar corporation from nothing.”
“I know.” A fond grin lit his face. “But it’s that first failure that stays with you. It gives you perspective. I spent thirteen months researching, meeting, massaging egos, amassing resources, tying up all the loose ends, and for what? Nothing. I lost a year of my life, time I could have spent with my wife and children, to a deal that never happened. That’s when I realized there were more important things out there than another business deal that I’d hand off to my staff as soon as the ink was dry.”
Stefano listened to his father’s wisdom, and he wondered if Alexei understood the old man’s message. Lex had a history of friction with their father that had only begun to ease in the past few years.
“Sammy said something similar to us,” Lex said. “She asked us how much money we had to make before it was enough.”
“It’s a fair question,” Ana said. “I remember when you started spending more time with us, Papa. I was seven, and I treasured every second.”
Stefano rolled his eyes. He could stand only so much of Ana’s simpering. “Stop kissing up. He’s getting you a submersible, and if you truly treasured time spent with Dad, then you wouldn’t have to be bribed to come for a visit.”
Dmitri held up his hand. “No fighting, kids.”
In a turn of events, Alexei tried to defuse the situation. “I get what you’re saying. Samantha has let us know in no uncertain terms that we had to cut our losses with this one.”
“And it’s all right,” Dmitri said. “You can’t win every time. In the twelve years you’ve run Morozov Industries, you’ve tripled the worth of the company. I’m proud of you both for that, and of Ana for her contributions to science. It’s okay to step back like I did and focus on the important things in life—family.”
Stefano knew the time had come to tell their father of Alexei’s condition, but he also knew he couldn’t speak for his brother on this issue. He looked to Lex, and the two exchanged a significant glance.
“Dad, there’s something I think you should know, another reason Stef and I are pulling back on the workload. I’ve been having some issues lately, and when I went to the doctor, she diagnosed me with atrial fibrillation. If I take care of myself, avoid alcohol and caffeine, cut down the stress, I stop having symptoms.”
Dmitri regarded Alexei intently. Stefano’s stomach clenched. He disliked imparting bad news of any kind to his father, and he knew that Lex viewed this as a failing on his part, as if he should have overcome this through sheer tenacity and grit instead of admitting weakness.
“You have it under control, or you’re getting it under control? Are you taking medication? Did they rule out heart disease or hyperthyroidism or high blood pressure?” Their father’s questions were calm and unhurried.
“I
’m getting it under control. They ruled out all the other stuff. Mostly it was stress.”
Dmitri nodded sagely. “You had heart issues when you were born. The two of you shared a placenta, and Stefano hogged the nutrients a little more. You were born small and sickly. Until you were three and your symptoms disappeared, your mother and I employed a registered nurse to sit with you at night while you slept.”
Stefano hadn’t known anything about this, and he knew Alexei hadn’t either. He clenched his fists. “Why didn’t you ever tell us about that before?”
Dmitri lifted a shoulder. “Lex was fine. He caught up to you in growth and health, and he never had another problem. The doctors said we went overboard, engaging a nurse like we did, but if anything had happened to either of you, your mother wouldn’t have survived it, and frankly, I’m not sure I would have either.”
“But you never said anything,” Alexei said. From the way the tips of his ears turned pink, his temper was flaring. “You always said we were healthy, not a thing wrong. It was a point of pride with you.”
“And you were,” Dmitri said, dismissing Lex’s concern. “You still are. I’m glad you aren’t ignoring this, Alexei. You’ve accomplished more in twelve years than I did in thirty. Saying that I’m proud of you is an understatement. I know you have a driving need to be better than me, and you’ve proven you are. Now you can turn your attention to other things. Have you considered philanthropy? Ana does a lot of philanthropic work.”
That was one good thing about their sister. She might be a materialistic princess, but she gave tirelessly of her time and talent to a number of charitable causes.
Two Masters for Samantha 2: In Their Hearts [Awakenings 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 17