Chapter 5
Sami frowned at her husband, who was busily engaging her friend Madeleine in conversation about Basic Black. It's not that she was jealous, but she wished he would make that sort of effort to speak to Tony. The whole idea of Tony coming to dinner was so that he and Lucas could become friends, but so far she'd been stuck talking to Tony and watching her husband charm her best friend. She decided to put a stop to it, by interrupting their conversation. "Tony." She said. Did I tell you that Madeleine is opening her second art gallery in New York next month?" "No." Tony said, frowning slightly. He'd been happily conversing with Sami all evening, but now he got the feeling she was trying to push him towards her friend. Not that he didn't find Madeleine attractive, and why wouldn't he." She was tall and slim, with the fine features of the French. But there was also an unmistakable exotic quality to her that came from her Chinese background as well. It was not only in the slant of her dark eyes or the ebony gleam of her long, jet-black hair, but also in the air of mystery that seemed to surround her. She came across as both open and charming, but with a hard and aloof edge to her that intrigued him. Still, she was no Sami and he doubted that any other woman would ever hold his heart the way she did. "So where is your gallery going to be situated?" He asked her. "Oh well, since we already have one uptown, I decided to have this one in Soho." She said. "We're having the opening next month, you should come. Sami and Lucas are going." "Why, thank you." Tony said. "I'd be delighted." Sami smiled at the two of them, sure that her other plan, to hook Tony and Leine up, might just work out after all.
Sami closed the door after having said goodnight to her guests and strolled happily into the kitchen where Lucas was washing the dishes. Picking up a dishrag, she began to help him dry, humming happily. "Well, you're certainly pleased with yourself." Lucas said handing her a dish. "And why shouldn't I be? Tonight was a success." She answered with a huge grin. "Well, I wouldn't start making out the wedding invitations just yet, "Hello Dolly". Lucas said frowning at her. "Tony was polite to her, but his attention was on you all night, as usual." "Lucas, don't start that!" Sami said, her good mood suddenly disappearing as she glared at her husband. "Tony has absolutely no interest in me, outside of friendship. If he spent most of tonight speaking to me, it's only because you were monopolizing Madeleine." "What?" Lucas shouted as the anger he'd been feeling towards Sami and Tony all evening came to the fore. "I did not monopolize her tonight! He was sitting right next to her, he could have talked to her anytime he wanted to, he'd just rather sit and stare at you! God, Sami when are you gonna wake up and realize that Tony Dimera wants you!" Sami slammed the dishtowel down on the counter. "I've heard enough, I'm going to bed!" She said and stalked away into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. "Yeah." Lucas shouted at the closed door. "Just run away and hide again! It's what you're good at!" He put the dish he was holding back into the sink and spotted the second unopened bottle of wine on the counter. Without giving himself a chance to think about not doing it, he uncorked the bottle and poured himself a glass.