Hotel Lethe

EJ DiMera was on his cell phone trying to reason with his father Stefano, telling him outright DiMera Enterprises did not need to delve into a new business venture and start up another division of their empire at this time, but as usual his father did not listen. Stefano had his rather almost non-existent heart set upon acquisitions of acquiring older hostels and remodelling them to their former glory.

Apparently, this had also been a fondness of his late grandfather Santo, a man he had never met seeing as he had died long before EJ was born. Stefano had never spoken of his father Santo to EJ until a few months ago when Stefano had suffered a major heart attack. Suddenly it was all important for Stefano to impart any information to EJ about his family ties and heritage.

Well the heritage part Stefano had always stressed to EJ with talks of loyalty to the family, how the family always came first no matter what happened in the world around them. The DiMera name was one to be feared and respected and it was up to their generation to preserve this standard.

While EJ loved his father, he was beginning to think this latest venture was pushing things too far. Their family had more money than they could ever spend in their lifetime, but if DiMera Enterprises went into the hotel restoration business, it was going to cost a pretty penny.

And to be quite honest, EJ loved the money and power being a DiMera brought him and he wanted to hold onto it as long as possible. He thought his father was going soft after his brush with death, not that he would ever disrespect Stefano and tell him that, but still, in EJ's honest opinion this was only a waste of time and money.

He sighed, no use putting it off any longer, he'd procrastinated too long already. Stefano wanted a report over his findings by the end of the week and it was already Wednesday. One important thing EJ had learned ever since adulthood and joining the family business was that when Stefano DiMera wanted something you better do whatever it took to get it for him or there would be hell to pay.

EJ stood on the sidewalk outside Hotel Lethe noting the unique architecture design of the building. He bet in its heyday most likely around the early 1920's before the depression had hit the States it had been grand, the place to go, the lines of symmetry were quite unusual.

Now though the sidewalk was cracked and even broken away in some places, really the entire neighbourhood surrounding the structure all appeared worn and tired looking. He guessed as soon as he walked into the foyer, it would be depressing, but he was wrong, dead wrong.

Maybe EJ should have stepped away from the building and left before ever entering Hotel Lethe because when he touched the ornate door handles he immediately felt a flow of electricity hit him. Although he wasn't a superstitious person there was just something in the air surrounding the entrance. EJ ignored the obvious warning signs that this wasn't just a run-down hotel in desperate need of renovations. No, Hotel Lethe had a different atmosphere, the likes of which EJ DiMera had never experienced before.

As soon as he walked in the door, he saw her and he couldn't have turned back and left the building if he had even tried because the woman behind the front desk was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen before in his life. And EJ had seen and done plenty with beautiful women.

*Hotel Lethe*

Sami thought this was going to be another boring day, one just like the thousands of others she had experienced until he walked in the hotel. She almost called out his name or the name she thought he was called, but that wasn't possible; the man she had loved and eventually lost had long since passed away from this earth.

Yet her heart wanted to argue with her, it had to be him. He was built exactly the way she remembered from the last time she had seen him, kissed him, lain with him and then broken his heart, shattering it into a million different pieces.

Santo DiMera had deserved better than to be sentenced to the life she was enslaved to and so she had done the decent thing and let him go. She had made him believe she had died and it had taken everything she possessed over the following years not to go back to him, to tell him it was all a ruse, but he'd had a child to raise and for once she had been unselfish.

Although her siblings would never believe that in a million years, oh how they would scoff at her if she had ever revealed the truth, that long ago she used to have a heart and it had beat only for him.

He kept walking towards her and suddenly her absent heart began to leap for the first time in decades. When Sami finally saw his hazel eyes, she knew it wasn't Santo because they didn't hold the love in them for her that Santo had for her, but damn this man had to be the reincarnation of him.

When he opened his mouth to speak telling her his name was EJ DiMera and he wanted to speak to the owner of the hotel his accent was English, not Italian, yet it held an intoxicating quality to it. Even if he hadn't of told her, that he was a DiMera, Sami would have known he was a descendant of Santo's and this time she was determined things would have a different ending for her.

Or she thought, in the very least, not until she had her fill of him and if he were anything close to his grandfather she most definitely would be filled.

"So you want to meet with the owner of this hotel?" Sami asked softly although her voice held just a smidgen of humour within its tone as she spoke with him.

"Yes, if it is possible," he replied, never once taking his eyes off her. It was almost as if he were in a trance, all he could see was her and nothing else.

"You're looking at her," Sami answered and had to control the urge to laugh when the look of disbelief over her statement to him came upon his face.

"You own this hotel?"

"Lock, stock and barrel," Sami couldn't wait any longer and reached out to touch him. The moment her hand touched his she knew without a doubt she had to have him.

"If that is so; than I have a proposition for you to consider if you could schedule some time for me to speak with you."

"What better time than the present," Sami stated and suddenly a man appeared behind her, and it amazed EJ that he hadn't heard him approach, but then again the woman standing behind the desk had mesmerised him as soon as he had walked in the door of Hotel Lethe.

Sami turned to the man who had appeared, "Brady, I need for you to watch the front desk for me for a while. I have some very important business to tend to at the moment."

Brady whispered in her ear, "May I have him when you're finished with him?"

Sami looked at EJ, "Please excuse me for a moment. I need to leave some very important instructions for Brady."

"I'll be here waiting," EJ stated as he watched her push the man back into the room from which EJ guessed he had walked out of to reach the front desk in the first place.

Sami shook her head as soon as she had shoved Brady into a wall, "No this one is all mine."

"You're such a greedy whore," Brady began to whine until Sami shot him a warning look not to further this conversation with her. "You never want to share any of your goodies."

"Not everyone is a junkie like you," Sami poked a finger into Brady's chest hard enough to make him wince.

"We're all jonesing for something sis," Brady swiped at her hand to make her stop poking him. Thankfully she wasn't clawing at him or that would hurt like a bitch.

"This one is not to be touched," Sami warned Brady.

"Should I summon Eric to bring the coach when you are finished?"

"Hell no, I told you this one is mine."

"Not even sweet Belle in all her blackened finery?" Brady questioned.

"Especially not Belle, and I swear Brady if you alert either one of them I will slash up that pretty face of yours to the point where no one can even recognize you."

"Sheath your claws, I won't summon them, but we never let anyone leave once they arrive. Why is this one different?"

"Trust me, he is different and not to be harmed by anyone in this place or there will be hell to pay."

Brady shuddered slightly, he had seen versions of Sami's hell to pay and they weren't pretty.

"So are we clear on this subject?" Sami asked as she narrowed her eyes at Brady.

"Crystal," Brady answered and then Sami patted his cheek sweetly.

Then she returned to the front desk with a meek Brady in tow. She smiled brightly at EJ as she walked around to meet him.

Oh the fun she was going to have with this one…