Zurlo, Michele - Two Masters for Samantha [Awakenings 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (47 page)

Alexei growled through his teeth. He ignored Samantha’s fingers biting into his arms. “Tell me this wasn’t going on while Mom was alive. Tell me this wasn’t what killed her.”

Melinda flinched, and the blood drained from her face. It was small comfort to Alexei. He wondered whether she was stung by his accusation or if her reaction indicated guilt.

Dmitri’s ruddy face matched Alexei’s. “How dare you? How dare you come into my home and say such things? I loved your mother. Part of me died with her. For almost twelve years, I’ve carried her memory with me, and I rejected every woman who showed an interest in me because I couldn’t bear to besmirch her memory.”

His father’s words rang hollow. “But you’ll do it now?”

Alexei tried to push Samantha out of the way, but she tightened her hold, refusing to be moved.

“Alexei…” Her plea registered, calming him a bit. Part of him wanted to lock himself in a room with Samantha and let her comfort him, let her make him forget this night ever happened. He had known it would be unpleasant, but he hadn’t expected such a betrayal.

Dmitri took several deep breaths. “I’ve known Melinda and her family for more than forty years. We have a lot in common. Your mother and I were there for Melinda through her two marriages. She was there for me when I lost your mother. We’re friends. It wasn’t until we ran into one another at that party that either one of us entertained the idea of dating.”

The wind of his rage was dying down. Alexei’s shoulders relaxed and the force he used to push against Samantha lessened. What his father said made sense. His mother had been gone for more than a decade. If there had been anything between Dmitri and Melinda back then, it would have surfaced much sooner. Still, the marriage part was a bit sudden. “So you decided to get married?”

Dmitri shrugged, his anger allayed as well. “At our age, there’s no point in beating around the bush. We’re already friends and lovers. The wedding is a formality, a celebration. I’m a forever kind of man, and Melinda needs that in her life. And I need someone who understands me like she does.”

“And you know she’s not after your money.” Stefano laughed as he said it.

Seeing as how he and Stef managed Melinda’s business interests, he was in a position to know that Melinda was quite well off. She released his father’s hand and came forward to lay a hand on Alexei’s arm. Samantha released him now that he no longer needed to be restrained.

“Alexei, I know this is difficult for you, but please understand that I loved your mother. Maggie was one of my dearest friends. I don’t seek to replace her. Dmitri and I are happy together. We deserve this.”

Alexei stared into Melinda’s deep brown eyes that brimmed with sincerity and nervousness. He let his face relax into a tight smile. It was going to take some time to get used to this. “Do Sabrina and Ginny know?”

A blush stained Melinda’s cheeks. “No, not yet. We thought we would break the news to the two of you first. Anastasia is flying in Sunday morning. We planned to have brunch with all the girls and tell them then.”

The unspoken agreement seemed to be that Alexei would take the news hardest. A glance at Stefano showed that his brother had a bland expression. Wasn’t he concerned at all that Melinda couldn’t know the extent to which Dmitri liked to control the people around him?

While those thoughts churned in Alexei’s head, Melinda turned to Samantha.

“Sammy, darling, it’s good to see you.” Melinda linked her arm through Sam’s. Though Samantha dwarfed her, Melinda didn’t seem to notice. “Dmitri and I had dinner, but we had the cook keep things warm for the three of you. Sabrina told me that you met with Treva this afternoon. How did it go?”

He let them go, catching his father’s arm when his dad would follow the women. “Dad, I’m sorry about…” His voice trailed off and his father nodded. Words weren’t necessary.

Dmitri clapped Alexei on the back and squeezed his shoulder. “I know you always blamed me, Lex, and I let you because I felt it was a just punishment for not seeing the signs that your mother was having health problems. But it’s time to put that behind us. Your mother was a remarkable woman. I don’t look to replace her with Melinda. I’m looking to move on with my life. I miss having a woman to tell me what to do.”

As if on cue, Melinda’s voice drifted from the corridor. “Dmitri, are you boys coming? We’re going to start without you.”

Lex’s concerns about Melinda being cowed by his father fled as he recalled just how stubborn and opinionated she’s always been. He grinned at his father. “She’s going to be a handful, Dad.”

Dmitri grinned back, but Stefano answered. “She already is. Watch her at dinner. She keeps Dad in his place quite nicely.”

Alyssa Spencer’s gardens were green and lush, fighting the coming fall with every bit of shelter and fertilizer she provided. For as long as she could remember, Samantha had admired her mother’s ability to keep a meticulous flower bed. Sam had never entertained the desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps in that regard. Though she liked seeing rows of flowers blooming and she didn’t mind planting or weeding, Samantha didn’t have the attention span to keep it going. Her eye never failed to stray to the sky, and her thoughts often took flight, following that path as well.

Her father labeled her a dreamer. He hadn’t crushed her dreams, but he did his level best to instill in her the understanding that dreams didn’t pay the bills. Given her current financial situation, she had to wholeheartedly agree.

They had arrived at her parents’ house almost ten minutes ago. Samantha had driven Stefano’s Lexus and she parked it in the street for a quick getaway. Dinner with Melinda had taught her a few things about living with dominant men. As long as she acquiesced in the areas that mattered most to them, they would bend to her will in all other situations. The drive to her parents’ house was a good example. First, she had put her foot down with regard to Stefano’s driving. She had no problem with him as a passenger, but she didn’t care to chance their lives on his vehicular craziness.

With a sheepish smile, Stefano had handed over his keys and called shotgun. Alexei had rolled his eyes and slid into the back seat.

He was back there now, staring at her as she stared at the house where she had grown up. Turmoil churned her stomach, leaving no room for the promised cake and ice cream.

“Samantha, staying in the car isn’t going to make it any easier.”

“Yeah, Sammy.” Stefano lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Sabrina and Jonas already know and they don’t seem to have a problem with it. Ellen will be there for you, too.”

At long last, Samantha nodded. Her things were packed. Alexei and Stefano had already hired movers to transport her things to their home in
Florida
. They would arrive sometime Monday. The flight home had been booked as well. The only thing left to do was to inform her parents and Amanda.

Alexei opened her door and helped her from the car. He provided support and strength when she most needed it.

They rounded the car and joined Stefano in the driveway. Out of respect for her parents, they had dressed differently. Lex wore jeans and a white polo shirt. Stefano chose tan cargo shorts and a sky blue T-shirt. Samantha missed having them dressed similarly. She was beginning to like that nobody else could tell them apart.

The front door opened and Alyssa stepped out onto the porch. She shaded her eyes with one hand. “If you’re expecting us to bring the party out to you, Samantha Jean, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed.”

As she mounted the steps, Sam hazarded a glance to where her mother was standing. She wore her favorite jean skirt and a white tank top that tied behind her neck. Her blonde hair streamed over her shoulders, hanging loose and free. The smile on her mother’s face was the same joyous expression that had greeted her every time she came home.

Sam froze in shock as she realized something. “You knew?”

Alyssa’s smile softened even further. “Of course I knew, Sammy. I’m not blind.” She enfolded Samantha in a tight hug and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Of course, your father is upset because you’ll be moving out of the state. I told him not to give you grief about that. We always knew you’d be the one to fly the farthest.”

The screen door opened and her father came outside. Brandon Spencer had the same dark blond curls as Jonas and Amanda. His sweeping glance took in his wife hugging his daughter and the two men waiting patiently on the steps behind them. Stepping around the women, he extended a hand to Alexei.

“Hi. I’m Brandon Spencer, Sammy’s father.”

Alexei shook her father’s hand. “Alexei Morozov, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Brandon
extended the same greeting to Stefano. Samantha breathed a sigh of relief before turning to face her mother.

“How did you know?”

Alyssa shrugged, lifting one shoulder in a careless, dismissive gesture. “A mother always knows.”

Alyssa winked, and Sam knew her mother wasn’t going to explain further.

Later, she sat in the backyard, finishing off the last of the soda with her father. Stefano and her six-year-old nephew, Ricky, teamed up against Jonas, playing touch football. Four-year-old Faith ran interference for both teams, though she was technically supposed to be helping Jonas.

Alexei was deep in conversation with Sabrina, taking delight in calling her “sister” and not telling her that her mother was engaged to his father.

Samantha summoned the courage to look her father square in the eyes. “Dad, are you really okay with this?”

Brandon
scratched at his chin as he thought. “I can’t pretend to understand it, Sammy, but you’re happy and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”

He threw his arm around her and she leaned into his embrace. “I love them both, Daddy. I can’t imagine my life without them.”

Her father nodded and sipped his soda. “It’ll take me some time to get used to it, honey. As long as they treat you well, I have no complaints. The minute that changes, I’ll kill them both.”

* * * *

Samantha expected to fly to her new home in first class. She did not expect to fly home via private jet. It was spacious and open, featuring a kitchen and a huge television. The seats were huge and the couches were even bigger. Stefano had mentioned owning his own jet, but she hadn’t really considered what that meant.

The moment the pilot announced that they didn’t have to be belted in, Stefano and Alexei turned to her, each sporting huge grins.

“Take your clothes off,” Stefano said, tugging at the short sleeve of her top.

“It’s time to join the Mile High Club,” Alexei added. He pointed to a spot right in front of their seats. “Strip for us, slave.”

Shivers shot straight to her pussy as she took her appointed position and threw a cheeky grin to each of them. “Yes, Masters.”

THE END

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