Part 38

Sergei took Zander and Quinn out to celebrate. Peter was allowed to come along.

"See how much good you've done, Sander?" Quinn asked him. "Oksana let Pete come along with no fuss."

Sergei said he consented, amused.

"That's good," Quinn said. "You wouldn't believe the threats he was making against you if you didn't."

"He cannot possibly do any better for a bride," said Sergei.

"He can't have better in-laws, either," Peter said. "Isn't that right, Q.?"

Quinn smiled at him.

"No, I couldn't," Zander agreed.

Zander and Quinn were lying in bed the next morning, at the gate house.

"Do you want to live here first, for a little while?" Zander asked her.

"Yeah," she said. "For sentimental reasons, this is the best first house."

"Yes, we decorated our first New Year's Tree here. And you gave me the little shamrock ornament."

"We had a long talk, on Thanksgiving," Quinn remembered. "You didn't live here yet. You didn't live here for the tree, either. You just put up the tree."

He smiled. "I remember. And on New Year's, you made up a tradition about kissing your worst patient. Better not do that again. I don't know who it was this year, but you can't kiss him!"

"OK, that tradition dies out fast! And you kissed me the first time here, reading Ulysses."

"Oh, good old James Joyce. Can we see his house in Ireland?"

"I don't know. You can kiss the Blarney Stone. That gives you the gift of gab."

"So long as it doesn't come out as the same gift the shyster appears to have."

Quinn laughed. She snuggled against him again. "Then you made a Happy New Year sign in Russian."

"You asked me if I was happy."

"I did?"

"You don't remember? I do. Nobody ever asked me that."

"Were you happy?"

"I think I was. Yeah, I told you I was."

"And this is where I spent my first night with you. Right here."

He leaned over and kissed her. "There's only one thing, though. It could seem like it's my house. It might not feel like it's yours, to you."

She kissed his cheek. "You're sweet to even think of that. It'll be OK."

"You can do whatever you want to it."

She stroked his hair, then kissed him.

"It feels like ours," she said. "I think it always has been."

Sergei went to the ELQ board meeting.

He had been to a lot of board meetings for many corporations in his life. None were so amusing as those of ELQ corporation. The posturing and the attempt to manipulate and control each other was blatant. It seemed that they were interested in that - much more interested in that than in the corporate business. The attempts to get Sergei to sell his shares to them were hilarious, almost, to Sergei. He usually smiled and didn't answered them.

Edward Quartermaine was always there. His wife never was. Alan and Monica were usually there, having enough control of their time to attend, though they were doctors. The younger son was a doctor and usually couldn't make it. The elder son and elder daughter were usually there. Then there was the younger daughter, she was there most of the time lately. She went to PCU this semester. Somebody usually asked her about it. Another grown-up grandson of Edward's usually showed up, too.

Then there was Jasper Jax. He waffled between trying to ignore Sergei and trying to buy him out. One day he was polite, another tough, another friendly, another threatening. However, he had no threats that were going to get Sergei to do what he wanted.

They were milling around, drinking orange juice and coffee, waiting for Edward to get there to start the meeting, bluffing, manipulating and threatening each other, as usual.

"I was thinking of looking for another job. Outside the family company," Sergei heard Skye telling A.J.

"Use that public relations degree?" AJ said. "Good idea."

"What kind of work did you do?" Sergei asked her.

"I was the communications director," she said. "And a publicity assistant. Titles like that. I was good at it, but I got fired because of personal reasons."

"That could be," AJ said.

"AJ!" Skye protested. "Would you mind supporting my career the tiniest bit?"

"OK, you were good enough at it."

"Enough!"

"Very good enough."

"Ahhh!" Skye marched off.

Later, after the meeting, Sergei saw Skye in the driveway. She was going to her brand new Mercedes sports car. She looked at Sergei's Porsche. "Nice car," she said.

"You really looking to work in publicity?" he asked, with an air of innocence.

"I was thinking about it."

"I got a company, Alter Corporation. Come see me in my office some time."

"Where's your office?"

He told her.

Skye watched his car as he drove off. She wondered what he was trying to pull.