Sam was in the middle of her latest dream. Literally. As she surveyed the chaos around her with the photoshoot for the Crimson ad that had taken over her entire office, she was filled with the pride that had returned with each step she took towards putting her business back in line. She almost called off the shoot when she saw just how many people were needed to take what she thought was going to be one simple photo, but she should have known the minute she got Maxie involved that her office would be overrun by a small production team. Photographer and assistant, lighting techs, wardrobe and makeup specialists, manicurist…it apparently was going to take a village.
"This is the last set, Samantha - you look fabulous! Lift your chin just a little higher…little bit more…yes, that's it! Beautiful!"
When Maxie said she had a young photographer who knew his craft really well, she was expecting Dillon Quartermaine, but he was on assignment in the city, so she got the man they used for most of their overseas shoots instead. Maxie had picked out the outfits just like Sam knew she would, four different looks that involved a combination of jeans, slacks, collar shirts and jackets - the last set she now wore, and her favorite of the lot…a sleek pair of skintight space grey jeans, matched with a fitted, navy button up shirt and a darker blue leather jacket, complemented by the new pair of red Cartulo stiletto boots that had Sam feeling in her element. It was the chic look she wanted, with her dark hair cascading past her shoulders, where the loose curled ends bounced playfully when she moved.
She'd taken shots all over the office - behind her desk, standing with the phone to her ear, poring over case files, even outside on the balcony, looking out over the town like she was deep, deep in thought. But she was over it now. It had been hours spent on something she'd expected to take just minutes.
"Are we about done?" She struggled to keep the impatience from her voice but it was bouncing up and all through her.
"Yes, yes - you're almost done, Sam. You'd better hurry, Ian…she lasted a lot longer than I thought she would!" Maxie had been anticipating the complaint for hours and was impressed by the restraint her friend had shown thus far.
"Just one more…and…we're done! Great job, Samantha. I think we got some really good shots here."
"Wonderful! Thanks, Ian - let's take a look." Maxie looped an arm through Sam's as they all moved to where the assistant had set up the laptop on Spinelli's desk with the shots from earlier, queued for viewing. "Oh, wow…you weren't kidding! Sam, how the devil will we choose just one - these are fabulous!"
Seeing herself looking like one of the regular supermodels that usually graced the pages of Crimson, was a first, and Sam was definitely pleased with the outcome of the last dredging few hours. "Oh wow…these are so much better than I expected."
"You're gorgeous, Samantha! Every shot looks better than the last - I could shoot you all day." Ian turned to Maxie, his light brown eyes swimming with mischief, "Are you sure she's not a model? We should use her for the Valentine's Jewelry spread." His eyes flashed back to Sam and an eyebrow raised, "You would look gorgeous in nothing but diamonds and emeralds - I'm picturing it right now."
Walking away from those eyes that were blatantly flirting with her, Sam chuckled aloud. "Thanks, but I already have a day job."
Ian's bright white smile was appreciative as he watched her cross the room. "I can see that. A very impressive one at that…but I'd love the chance to shoot you again."
Sam checked her phone and returned a text to Danny's preschool teacher, barely shaking her head at the compliment, missing when Ian sidled up to Maxie, who was checking her own phone near his assistant.
"So…what's her story? Is she single?"
Maxie looked up in surprise and looked from him to Sam and back again, seeing for the first time the starstruck look on the man's face as he ogled Sam and trained the camera he was holding in her direction, capturing one last candid shot. Poor, besotted bastard! "Ahh, Ian…you don't want to go there." When his look at her was just a more curious one she continued, "Seriously - you are not her type."
"Really? What exactly is her type?"
"Not you…believe me! Sam would eat a lamb like you for breakfast!" Maxie patted his shoulder then grabbed her bag from the desk and gave him a last look, "Trust me - stick to the little bulimic models who think you're funny and charming and hang on your every word. Sam is way too much woman for you, my friend!"
Maxie stopped at her friend's side on her way out. "Hey - I have to swing by Mac's and Felicia's for a second - how about you take me to lunch at the MertroCourt for getting this fabulous shoot off the ground in just two days? Plus you look hot in that - let's go show it off, shall we?"
Sam smiled at her friend whom she loved so much. "Deal. I'll meet you there in twenty."
She was definitely feeling the new additions to her wardrobe and was okay with staying in this outfit for the rest of the day, noticing how she was starting to feel as brand new as the clothes were. That feeling she got from exhibiting her own independence had truly been missed. It was like welcoming herself back from a long, overwrought trip from which she was more than ready to come home!
Taking a seat behind her desk and opening her laptop, Sam decided she'd check work email after waving Maxie out, looking up inquiringly when Ian sat in the chair in front and leant forward with that cheshire smile that he undoubtedly knew enhanced his handsome, dark features.
"So, Samantha - what do you say we take this town on tonight? Something tells me you're one hell of a date, so how about it - care to join me for some dinner and a little dancing?"
Surprised by the random request, Sam stared at him for a minute before she smiled and tucked her hair behind an ear and went back to her emails. "Thanks but no, thank you."
Ian rested the camera he was holding ontop of the desk and sat up further. "Why not…I don't see a ring. Unbreak my heart and tell me some schmuck hasn't taken you off the market already?"
Still smiling, Sam thought how cute his little pickup routine was. Even though she wasn't the least bit interested - he was definitely too soft and cuddly for her taste - it was a little flattering to have someone notice again. She laid her hands to the side of the laptop and looked at him closely.
"How old are you, anyway?"
"Old enough, but does it really matter?"
"No, not really…because the answer is still no. But you should probably stick a little closer to your own age…you might have better luck." He was definitely no older than Lucas.
"Come on Samantha…business is over, so what's wrong with taking a little pleasure with each other? I'm not that much younger than you, and besides…a little bit younger might be just what you need."
Cute was losing its appeal and Sam was way more interested in diving into the new emails she'd seen waiting from some former clients. Business was about to restart.
"Okay, you can stop now. You asked, I answered…let's move on. Thanks for the great shoot - I can't wait to see the finished product!" She looked away to the laptop and dove into the first email, ignoring the sigh he released when he rose and headed back to the assistant, who was still gathering his equipment. "And, Ian…" She didn't need to look up to know he'd stopped to look back at her. "…I go by Sam."
For some reason, it always felt to her like men who used her full, given name, did it to feminize her and paint her softer, weaker, for their own purpose. Men who felt that her strength compromised their own, found it necessary to remind her that she was but a girl. Could be why she'd never been turned on by a man calling her, Samantha.
"Bingo!"
A former client who's relationship was saved when her investigative skills proved his wife was being blackmailed and not having an affair, had a new job for her. She reached for the phone and dialed his number, and five minutes later she had her first case in a long time on the books. His wife had a child when she was a teenager and they wanted Sam to find everything she could about the young woman who showed up claiming to be her. After setting a date and time to sit down and find out everything they knew about the adoption, Sam walked Ian and his crew out.
"Hey, think about what we talked about. Maxie knows how to reach me, when you change your mind." He'd watched her on the phone doing her thing, and got even more intrigued by the captivating raven haired beauty with the no-nonsense attitude. He needed to get to know Samantha Morgan.
Sam patted him placatingly on the shoulder as she ushered him out. "You hold onto that confidence there, pal. It'll definitely get you places."
Smiling at the assistant, who came up behind and followed him out the door after rolling his eyes to the ceiling and shaking his head, Sam shared his coy snicker at the man's persistence.
She got to the MetroCourt before Maxie and was holding a glass of bubbly up to her when she sat down at the table on the top floor restaurant.
"Champagne…what are we celebrating?" Maxie took the glass, all smiles, always down for a good bottle of Dom.
"Probably the end of my relationship! Aren't you happy with your home wrecking, bitchy self!"
Sam closed her eyes and threw her head back on the padded chair and prayed out loud. "Why, Lord? Why? Why me?"
"Maybe because your husband loves you and always has?" Maxie held her glass across the table towards her friend's. "Come on…cheers…you didn't tell me we had more than a splendid photoshoot and a newer, chicer, MAJPI to celebrate!"
Sam opened her eyes and looked at her friend in blatant despair, even as she reached over and clinked her glass to hers so she wouldn't be left hanging. She really didn't need Maxie egging the DespHo on because then she'd never leave! Why, why was Elizabeth Webber her tedious cross in life to bear?
"Laugh it up - I always knew you didn't have much under that blonde bird's nest, and one of these days, you're going to get a rude awakening."
Maxie took a sip of the good stuff and closed her eyes for a blissful moment, blocking out the intrusion. "Mmmm - yum!" Then she looked toward the stuffy nurse with her bloodshot, puffy eyes and quipped, "And yet, I'm not the clingy bimbo Santa brought coal for Christmas. Where's your fiancé, Lizzy…better known as Sam's husband? I mean, you look a little sadder, even more pathetic than usual…Jason got his senses back, huh?"
Turning from Maxie with a cut of her eyes, the nurse focused her attention on Sam, who was still staring at Maxie, trying to shush the jeery drawl that was sure to set the nurse off.
"Sam, we need to talk."
When it was evident she wasn't going away, Sam side eyed the woman distastefully. "What the hell could you and I possibly have to talk about?"
"My boys, for one. They don't deserve for you to break up their home like this…please, I need a few minutes…" She looked at Maxie pointedly, "…alone."
Maxie held a forefinger up and fixed her face with a puzzled expression. "Wait, didn't she just walk up and insult you right off the bat? Now it's please? Is this chick bipolar or what?"
"This has nothing to do with you, Maxie - please leave, so Sam and I can talk like adults!"
Sam finally looked at the woman fully and scoffed. "You are disgustingly rude and distasteful!" She shifted in her seat to directly face her, "First off, my friend isn't going anywhere - she's actually welcome at this table - you're not! Second, you and I have absolutely nothing to say to each other, neither about your family nor anything else, so you can keep walking."
Elizabeth wasn't about to be dismissed while she still had her piece to say. "You have everything to do with my family! It's because of you that Jason hasn't been home in days. It's because of you, my boys have been beside themselves worrying if he's coming back."
Maxie had been happily sipping away at a now half empty glass. "Wow…they escaped from Audrey's basement, and for days too? Doing some actual parenting for a change there, Lizzy?" She looked at Sam with an amused scowl, "Somebody's about to get played, just watch."
Elizabeth singed at the intended swipe. She'd purposely kept the boys home the last two days so they'd know Jason wasn't, and everytime they asked, she laid it on as thick as she could that she was worried he didn't want to live with them anymore. Anything to get them to lay on the guilt as soon as he came back…knowing he'd feel so bad he'd hurt them that he'd undoubtedly stay, if only just to please them. But Maxie Jones had no way of knowing that. Bitch was just always in other people's business.
"Sam please, my boys need their father. You're used to raising Danny alone - you don't need Jason like Jake and I do. Please don't take my little boy's father away from him again."
"This bitch!" Maxie smirked at Sam in disbelief at her jab at Danny. "Why don't you try five minutes not needing a man to save you…and see if you can grow a backbone…just once…and Jason Morgan is not their father - even the one you've pinned on him is still questionable at best…poor, sweet, adorable, little kid! Who the hell knows who any of their daddies really are?"
"I know you, of all people, aren't calling somebody a slut, when you don't even discriminate between married and single when you bed your victims." She hated Maxie Jones with everything in her…a real waste of human skin and donor heart.
Maxie shared an amused look with Sam as they both started to find extreme humor in the sad situation. "O-h…score one for Lizzy! She now knows trying to come between a man and his wife is a mortal sin and makes you a reprehensible human being. It made me trash when I slept with your husband…so what does it make you, Lizzy…when you tried to get Sam to divorce hers so you could have 'your time' - GAG? How's that ring you finally got out of him working for you?" Maxie took a quick sip then pretended to choke on champagne before slumping forward and laughing out, "Oh, wait - you still haven't gotten him to the altar, and he's already bolted! Oops…better luck next husband, Lizzy!"
Sam couldn't help smiling and shaking her head. Her friend was a damn mess, which the nurse liked to act like she forgets…right up until Maxie bitch slapped her back into reality each and every time.
Just then Carly came over with a fresh bottle and bumped Elizabeth hard and on purpose, ignoring her as she placed it in the middle of the table. "Ladies, I'm sorry, we usually try to ensure our guests aren't bombarded by pests here, but occasionally security gets a little bit lax. I'll take care of it right away."
Sam pushed the bottle back towards Carly. "Thank you, Carly, but Maxie shouldn't be drinking at all, so that's the only glass she'll be having. We're ready to order now though."
"Of course - I'll send your waitress right over…behind pest control. Now, are we celebrating what I think we are? Because Jase and I had one helluva talk on Christmas and I set his ass straight on a few things! I called him yesterday and he's taking time to himself, and we know what that means…hell, that alone deserves two bottles!"
Sam was starting to feel a little bit bad for the suddenly silent intruder, despite how much she couldn't stand her. Why she insisted on jumping in her path every single time she saw her was beyond her. If Liz Webber would choose to never notice her ever again…never have another word to speak in her direction…it would be way too soon for her. "No, Carly - I'm not sure what you're talking about but the one bottle is plenty - thank you though."
"Oh, come on Sam - don't send the bottle back!" Maxie was ready for another and knew she'd get extra thirsty when she was done wiping the MetroCourt floor with the skulking nurse.
"Maxie - no! I know you like to forget all about your heart, but that's what you've got me for. No more! Let's just have a nice lunch and celebrate the start of something beautiful returning, finally! And I couldn't have done it without you!"
Elizabeth watched Carly walk back to the bar with the bottle in one hand and the phone in the other, calling what she assumed to be someone from the first floor to come escort her out. She turned back to the heifers sitting there, gloating about taking Jason away from her, and she'd never felt hate that strong before.
"So you admit it? You're breaking up my family and actually celebrating it? Right in front of me? What kind of woman are you, to wreck the boys' home over a man who's proven he doesn't even want you? Don't you have any pride whatsoever? Jason…"
Sam was exasperated and annoyed beyond belief and it was getting harder to leash the ire when the bitch just wouldn't leave. "Oh, my God…Jason, Jason, Jason! Do you ever talk, or think about anything else? Do you have any kind of life outside of clinging onto someone who can't stand that shit? Go…a-way! You're ruining my appetite and spoiling my damn lunch! I don't care about you, don't want to hear about Jason, about your sorry existence or your drab, dull, boring ass life, for one more second! I'm trying to live mine over here, so can you please just leave and let me live it in peace!"
Maxie broke out into hysterical laughter when Elizabeth's face turned red and she looked like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her, when a quick sweep of the room during Sam's rant, showed all eyes on her. When she gasped out loud and stared straight ahead, the ladies looked to find Jason Morgan standing near the elevator, keenly intent on their table. How long had he been there?
Sam sighed aloud in frustration. "Gotta run to the ladies room - I'll be right back. Order me the garlic shrimp, will you?" Standing up and using her hand to physically push the still pillar out of her way, she brushed past her to walk towards the far corner in the direction of the loo.
Jason was as frozen as Elizabeth was, staring at him in hungry wonder and glee. But he barely registered her bleak presence as his eyes were locked on the most exquisite, dark haired beauty who was moving as though in slow motion away from him, gripping blue eyes that lustily roved her gorgeous figure, from the curls that bounced confident, strong shoulders, right down to the tight, inviting, jean-clad derriere that sashayed the dazed trance that locked him at attention. There was a time when all that was all his, and here he was, now only able to wonder…what was it really like when he had free range? God, Sam Morgan took his breath away!
