Michael engaged the security system and headed toward the living room. Nikita was standing by the window, her arms hugging her torso. Whispers of moonlight shone through the window casting Nikita's blond hair into soft golden relief. She'd seemed fine at dinner earlier, if a little distracted, but now her body language bespoke tension. He crossed the room and approaching her from behind, his arms circled her waist and his hands gently cupped her rounded stomach. Stiffening at his initial touch, Nikita slowly relaxed and settled into Michael's embrace, resting her head back on his shoulder.
Staring at the midnight sky, they allowed the silence to wash over them in a calm wave. Feeling her take a deep breath, Michael steeled himself to hear whatever it was that she was going to say. "Susan McNeily's office called today," she finally said.
"Why? Is there something wrong?"
She was trembling slightly so Michael hugged her closer. "I don't know. They wouldn't give me a straight answer except to say that they want to run some more tests. Apparently the initial ones were inconclusive."
"When does she want to see you?"
"Thursday."
"So soon? If it's simply a question of replacement tests..."
She turned in his arms, and pulled back to see his face. "Something's not right Michael, I can feel it. I'm scared." She glazed into his eyes, her voice tremulous.
He drew her closer, and kissed her temple. "I'll postpone my trip and go with you."
"You can't just blow off this meeting, Michael. You've been working on this acquisition for the better part of a year. The lawyers and the accountants can't sign off on the deciding points without your approval. This is important to the company-"
"Do you really think that I'm going to let you face this alone? You are very important to me, more so than the Mannus deal," he said interrupting her. "I'll send Birkoff, let him pick up some of the administrative slack instead of playing with his computers all day."
"Birkoff? Birkoff doesn't do people Michael, his interpersonal skills are rusty at best. He can barely tolerate us, and he likes us," Nikita said with a wary chuckled, thinking of Michael's vice president of technological communications, research and development. "The Mannus people won't work with him. You have to go."
"They'll work with whomever I tell them to work. Kita, this takeover is as good as done. This last-minute wrangling is merely perfunctory face saving on their part. I indulge them because it cost me nothing to do so," he asserted arrogantly. In that instance it was again evident to Nikita how Michael was able to build the floundering Samuelle Group that his father left him into a formidable multinational concern.
"But all that time, all that money," she protested.
"It's only money, Nikita," he said with a very Gallic shrug. "You are my wife, you come first. Always."
Weakly she allowed her head to drop forward, the pale curve of her neck bending until her forehead rested on his shoulder. Michael lightly stroked her nape; he felt the knots and began to carefully knead the coiled muscles. Brushing a soft kiss just before the silky strands of her hairline, he soothed away her tension with deep circular massaging movements.
"I love you so much Michael," Nikita whispered into his shirt.
He raised her chin with a tender touch, smoothing her hair out of her face until her eyes met his. "We're in this together. This is our life, our family," he said softly. "We fought long and hard to get to where we are, and I'll let nothing get in the way of that. Nothing is more important to me than you and our children", Michael said as he laid a caressing hand over their daughter.
His dark head lowered slowly and his lips took gentle possession of hers in a kiss, one not so much of passion, but of comfort and commitment. "Anyway, you know I'd do anything to get you back into one of those cute paper gowns with the backs out. It brings back such pleasant memories of your last stay in hospital," Michael teased.
"Had it not been for your son's impeccable timing in making his appearance when he did Michael Samuelle, that head nurse would have had your very cute, very bare butt warming the street curb that night buster," Nikita tossed back.
"Well, if someone hadn't been quite so...ah...vocal we wouldn'tve been caught with our pants down in the first place..." he trailed off taking her lips in another kiss; smiling in response to the smile he tasted on her lips.