Chapter 13
Sami awoke to the sound of running water but refused to open her eyes so she could hang onto the wonderful dream she'd had.
She was far away from Salem, far away from everything she knew and frolicking in a magical waterfall in the embrace of a man whose face she could not make out. They had made love for hours and his kiss was more intense, more intoxicating than any she'd shared with Lucas or Austin or even Brandon.
Suddenly Sami remembered where she was and where she had gone to sleep that night and panicked at the thought of how much she had enjoyed sleeping next to a man who wasn't her husband. Yet she opened her eyes to find a pillow in her arms while E.J. was standing shirtless at the wash basin holding a small mirror and shaving his face. She sat up in the bed.
"I thought you'd never wake up," E.J. said flatly staring into the mirror, showing no ill effect in his speech or manner from his ordeal the night before save for some redness around his neck.
"E.J. are you OK?" Sami said, unaware of the bountiful cleavage on display from the black bra she wore without a shirt or sheet to cover it as she spoke.
"Yes, I feel fine," E.J. said turning his head toward her then looking away embarrassed. "And how do you know my name?"
Finished shaving, E.J. retrieved Sami's shirt and pants from across the room and blindly tossed them toward the bed.
"What are you talking about, E.J.?" Sami said as she self-consciously and rapidly dressed. "We've known each other for a year. Quit joking with me."
But Sami sensed E.J. wasn't joking and E.J. confirmed it.
"Well, at the risk of sounding like a cad, my dear, apparently we have not known each other very well, because other than when I found you in my bed this morning I have no recollection of ever meeting you... Miss... Miss..." E.J. asked for help finishing the sentence.
"Sami Brady," Sami said hoping that walking closer to him to inspect him might yield clues about E.J.'s strange change. "Actually, it's Mrs. Sami Brady-Roberts."
"Well, Sami, it's a pleasure to meet you... again," E.J. said taking her hand and then kissing it.
"Wait a second. You seem like you, but something's not right," Sami said trying to pinpoint the difference. "You don't call me Sami. You call me Samantha."
"Well, Samantha, it's a pleasure to meet you... again... again," E.J. said with a laugh kissing her hand once more.
"Stop joking like this. You're weirding me out." Sami frowned.
"I do sincerely apologize for weirding... you... out... as you put it, but I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about, and I do think it's time to go," E.J. said.
"Time to go, E.J.?" Sami puzzled at his words. "Oh, you mean you're ready to try another escape. Are you sure that's a good idea?"
E.J. laughed.
"Actually I'm quite sure helping you escape isn't a good idea, especially since I have been assigned to guard you," E.J. said.
"My guard? Oh, E.J. what did they do to you?" Sami walked toward E.J. and tussled his hair above his ear, dragging her hand along his now-smooth cheek and staring deep into his eyes with a familiarity that troubled E.J.
He gently removed her hand from his cheek.
"Seduction will not secure you my help in your release," E.J. said firmly.
"Seduce you?" Sami laughed at the absurdity of it all while E.J. shot her a quizzical look. "You really don't remember me or anything about us, do you?"
"No, Samantha," E.J. said shaking his head.
Sami didn't stop staring deeply in his eyes.
"If I haven't yet made that clear I hope to do so now by telling you I truly have no recollection of ever meeting you," E.J. said. "And I'm quite sure that based on this encounter, if I had it would have left quite the impression on me."
Sami sighed.
"Now, if you're ready it's time for you to have some breakfast," E.J. said.
"Oh are you going to go get it?" Sami asked as she walked back toward the bed and sat down. "Do you think there is any way you could bring me back some orange juice? My throat is kind of scratchy. Or wait, you could make me some of your nanny's tea!"
E.J. laughed.
"My nanny's tea? What are you...? You're trouble, has anyone ever told you that?" E.J. asked.
"Well, you did. Once." Sami responded.
E.J. laughed harder.
"Smart man," E.J. said. "Now come on, Trouble. We're going to have breakfast."
Sami got up out of the bed and walked toward the door and watched as E.J. knocked twice and it opened.
"After you," E.J. said waving her through and following close behind.
As Sami left the room she passed Bart, who said nothing while E.J. escorted her back toward the fireplace passageway. At that moment, she stopped questioning E.J.'s sanity and began to question her own.
But crazy or not, Sami knew her goal of escaping Maison Blanche had just gotten infinitely more difficult.
Chapter 14
Lucas felt sick as he sat with his mother and Tony for lunch at Chez Rouge watching them giggle and flirt with Tony whispering in Kate's ear and his mother licking her lips every minute. It was too much for him to take... the excessive touching, the stares... it all looked too familiar and then he realized how much he hated the idea that just when his life had been rid of the Dimera who had been ruining his life the past six months another Dimera sprung up in his place.
Lucas turned his head from them and stared off into space.
Sure, Tony had succeeded in convincing the investors that E.J. had been responsible for Mythic's missing money and E.J. would be broke and likely arrested if the police could ever find him, but that didn't matter. Lucas realized E.J. would always have Sami. If she could forgive him after he raped her... if she was even telling the truth, he thought, and cringed looking down at his left hand... then she was E.J.'s forever no matter what Sami said when she placed the band of gold around his finger that he was now fussing with.
And as he noticed the background to his thoughts was Kate and Tony carrying on and guzzling vodka martini after vodka martini while he sipped on ginger ale, his bitterness only grew. Even though they were probably thousands of miles away, all he could see was E.J. with Sami, his wife, and his fist began clenching on its own tighter and tighter.
"So I was saying... Lucas... Lucas, aren't you listening to me?" Kate attempted to draw him back into their conversation.
"Sorry, mom. I'm just real tired from last night is all," Lucas said. "I think I'm just gonna head back to the apartment and take the rest of the day off."
"Like hell you are," Tony blurted.
Kate was shocked. Suddenly it was as if she was snapped out of a spell and she glared at Tony after hearing him talk to her son that way.
"Now Tony, Lucas flew in late last night to help resolve this shareholder situation and hasn't had hardly any sleep," Kate said. "Can't you give him a break just this once, I mean, especially after what that bitch..."
"MOM!" Lucas shouted.
"Sorry, Lucas... I see even after all that happened you still have feelings for her... but as I was saying after what that witcherr... woman did to him," Kate said as she stirred her martini.
Tony smiled.
"I see how harsh that sounded and I apologize," Tony offered diplomatically. "But what I meant was I don't think you should go home Lucas. I mean, all those memories. You shouldn't put yourself through that right now. If you would like to get some rest I would be willing to put you up in a suite at the Towers for as long as you needed it."
"Well, Tony. That's very generous, but I..." Lucas said before interrupted.
"Oh, Lucas, it's not an entirely selfless gesture," Tony explained. "Just because we pacified the shareholders today doesn't mean that Mythic doesn't remain in a very precarious situation. We need you focused on your work going forward and not getting distracted by what is in the past."
"Lucas, I think that is a great idea," Kate said. "Tony, I truly don't know what I'd do with out you."
Kate cooed while Lucas gagged and turned around to get up to leave after he noticed they had resumed their giggling and flirting. But just then the giggling stopped when Kate and Tony felt a middle-aged man's hands on each of their shoulders.
"Hey, just what in the HELL is going on here?" the man said.
Chapter 15
Sami couldn't have been more confused about what was happening to her at Maison Blanche or what had happened to E.J.
She sat silently at breakfast and watched as Lexie and E.J. laughed carelessly as he told stories about his time on the European racing circuit over their orange juice and the pancakes he had made. The two of them carried on as if they were old friends, Sami thought, then realized no, the banter and stories and jokes reminded her of something else. The conversations she would have when she talked on the phone with her twin brother, Eric. She wondered if she would ever speak to her brother again and almost started to cry before putting him out of her thoughts with other matters.
Even with Bart and Rolf out of sight and E.J. distracted, Sami decided not to attempt another escape for a while. The horrifying work of Rolf on E.J. had served its purpose.
"Sami... Sami..." Lexie said shaking Sami out of her thoughts. "You hardly touched any of your breakfast. Remember, you're eating for two now so you need to be careful.
"How could I forget," she mumbled to herself.
Sami began shoveling in several large bitefuls of her breakfast while E.J. and Lexie went back to their conversation. About a minute later she slammed down her fork on the plate interrupting them.
"All finished," Sami told them. "Now, I would like to lay down for a bit. Is that possible, E.J.?"
"Well, I suppose that's all right," E.J. said turning to Lexie.
"I'll clean up the breakfast mess," Lexie told him. "You go ahead."
E.J. told Sami he had to take care of something first but would be right back.
As the kitchen door shut behind him, Sami started in on Lexie, "So has Rolf wiped your memory clean, too? You sure seemed to enjoy E.J.'s screams of pain last night."
"Listen Sami, I'm just trying to do what I have to do to survive. So that one day I can get back to my son... and my husband, if he'll ever take me back," Lexie said defensively before turning it back on Sami. "That's something I'd think you could relate to, isn't it?"
"But..."
The two of them stopped as E.J. re-entered the room.
"Ready to go, Sami?" E.J. asked cheerfully as Sami looked at him, then Lexie and sighed and got up to leave.
"After you," E.J. said ushering her through the kitchen door.
Sami started walking back toward the fireplace when E.J. came close behind her and grabbed her shoulder.
"Where you going, sweetheart?" E.J. said.
"Well, I thought you were taking me back to my cell so I could lay down," Sami said flatly.
"Your cell?" E.J. laughed. "No, we're not going back to my room. Do you really want to go back to that wretched hovel?"
Sami was perplexed.
"I've been told a flat for you in the attic has finally been finished so if you would like me to show you I'll take you there," E.J. said.
"O.K." Sami said, a little fearful but less so once E.J. grabbed her hand and held it as they made their way up to the stairs to the heavy door at the top of the stairs that he started to unlock.
Chapter 16
"I've been told a flat for you in the attic has finally been finished so if you would like me to show you I'll take you there," E.J. said.
"O.K." Sami said, a little fearful but less so once E.J. grabbed her hand and held it as they made their way up to the stairs to the heavy door at the top of the stairs that he started to unlock.
Sami held her breath as the key turned and E.J. opened the door to the dark room.
"After you," E.J. said, but this time his gentlemanly ways were not appreciated.
"No. You go first," Sami said frightened of the unknown, which E.J. sensed immediately after he had said the words.
"As you wish," E.J. said and kissed the top of her head. He stepped up into the room leaving Sami on the top step while he retrieved a lantern, lit it, and returned back to her.
Sami could have run away just then but she didn't think to. Perhaps it was her curiosity that compelled her to stay.
"Well, I checked, Samantha, and there are no monsters here," E.J. said with an impish smile.
Sami made a face as she thought, I hope so.
"A lot of dust and maybe some cobwebs, but if there are any spiders here they are no match for me," E.J. said making a show of putting up his fists.
Sami shook her head and let out a sheepish grin as she stepped up into the room to join him.
"Did I just get a smile out of you?" E.J. said teasing. "I think I did."
But Sami was too distracted by the room to notice. Sure there were plenty of dusty boxes, candles everywhere, bookcases stacked with old books and odd pieces of furniture including an old desk, benches and even a large globe that she would have to sort through later... but first her eyes were drawn to the far corner where the room offered a beautiful dark brown Jacobean four poster bed with a trunk to match resting at the foot of it, the most beautiful bed Sami had ever seen.
Sami just loved the wine-colored plush drapes that gilded the posts and its same-colored bedding. Despite her earlier fear of this room and how little she still knew of it she couldn't resist racing over to the bed for closer inspection and began running her fingers over the soft luxury it provided. She sat down and found the bed soft, but not too soft and smiled to herself.
"A little bit nicer than your accommodations last night, eh?" E.J. said as he set down the lantern and used his entire 6'4" inch frame to reach up and pull back some dusty curtains on a small window that seemed to let in a quite disproportionate amount of sunlight into the room for its size. The sunshine did more than just illuminate the room. It filled Sami with a feeling of warmth.
E.J. looked back at Sami and bit his lip as he saw the way the sunlight made her bright blonde hair sparkle before snapping out of it.
"And I believe this is your suitcase, Samantha," E.J. said dragging a heavy piece of luggage from a large walk-in closet that Sami had not yet spotted. "If you so choose however, you are welcome to any of the clothes here in this closet. They're a bit old and fancy and formal for just lounging around the house, of course, but they've just been cleaned and I'd have to say they are in pretty remarkable condition."
Sami's blue eyes appeared almost green as her eyes perked up at the thought.
"Although judging by how heavy that bag is of yours I'm not sure how necessary you will find the closet," E.J. said with a chuckle.
Next he pulled back a curtain along the wall opposite from the bed.
"Sorry this water closet doesn't offer more privacy, my dear, but it does work well and it looks like someone left you quite the array of toiletries and some fresh towels here," E.J. said as he picked up one and held it in front of his face for a second to take in the feeling of home it gave to him.
Sami didn't know why but she had always loved white tubs with feet and was glad this room had one. She couldn't wait to use the flower-scented bubble bath that had been left for her and soak for a while and relax. She couldn't remember the last time she relaxed between her breakup with E.J. and getting back together with Lucas and what happened the night she and E.J. were together and Lucas was saved and all the lies and heartbreak and wedding stress and now this awful honeymoon that followed. She needed to relax.
And as she saw E.J. holding that plush, white towel she couldn't help thinking back to their first their meeting when he was wearing nothing but one and laughed to herself. She started to mention it, but then she remembered E.J. would have no recollection of the memory.
"Hey, E.J. This is all... great... I mean... I never would have expected all this..." Sami tried to get out.
"Samantha, it is nothing," E.J. said. "You deserve nothing less and probably much more."
"That's nice, E.J.," Sami said getting off the bed and walking toward him. "But I have to say I'm rather confused exactly why you are letting me stay in this room and why you're being so nice to me. I mean if Stefano sent you to guard me and keep me prisoner here, I don't get it."
"Prisoner?" E.J. said just as confused as Sami had been. "I'm not here to keep you captive. I've been instructed by my father to protect you."
"Protect me?" Sami said exasperated. "From what?"
"From yourself," E.J. said to Sami's surprise.