Chapter THIRTEEN
EJ tutted to himself when he saw the small brown mark on his dress shirt, just near his right elbow.
Missed a spot - damn!
Not that it hadn't been worth it of course but then everything was worth it when it came to Samantha. The frustrating things, the painfully maddening things, the things that you don't manage to get off in the shower and end up staining the last good clean shirt you had in your closet things.
Totally and absolutely worth it.
Besides he'd just keep his jacket on at work - he normally did anyway. It was a small price to pay for discovering exactly where Ali got her sweet tooth from. EJ had never had such a deep and profound respect for the makers of Mrs Baker Homemade Choc Caramel Sauce as he did now thanks to last nights forays into what could be done with half a bottle of the sweet condiment and a little imagination. He was even thinking of writing them a thank you note but had thought better of it… probably just better to send flowers.
EJ walked down the sweeping staircase of DiMera mansion, already a little late for work which he hated but again… worth it! He'd left Samantha sleeping, she needed it because there had been very little sleep last night, for either of them. He actually just wanted to crawl back into bed with her and pull the covers over both of them, blocking out the rest of the world utterly but knew that wasn't going to work - as much as he might want it to.
His schemes wasn't going exactly to plan he had to admit. Firstly this whole thing with Lucas was taking way longer to be resolved than he'd hoped for. It had already been nearly three weeks and it was frustrating the hell out of him. Not that there hadn't been progress of course. His mind flashed back to the Brady Pub and a self satisfied smile found it's way onto his lips. If that wasn't a point for team EJ then nothing was! In fact EJ was going to award himself double points for that little interlude.
The only thing that would have made it better if the clueless little twat had turned around and seen he and Sami 'in flagrante' as it were but of course he didn't. He'd rather sit there and watch TV then give Samantha the attention she deserved. The man was a complete tool and not a useful tool either, he was like a melon baller or a apple corer - you have them in the drawer but never really use them because they are so redundant.
He just couldn't believe how painfully obstinate Sami was about admitting the truth about her feelings for him. In their passionate trysts she gave herself over to utterly and he knew she wouldn't do that if she didn't have some very deep feelings for him.
Just how many times was he going to have to bring her to a noisy, gut wrenching climax before she admitted to herself that she loved him?
Still, if making hot, sweaty love to her day in and day out was what he had to do to convince her of her feelings for him then he had to do what he had to do he supposed. A lecherous grin split his face at the thought. After all, he was more than up for it… just about permanently these days in fact! EJ had to quickly wipe the smile from his face when he saw who was at the bottom of the stairs.
"Good morning Marlena," said EJ cordially, "How are you today?"
"I'm good," she smiled, "Thank you EJ."
"Wonderful," returned EJ, "Well, it's off to work for me. Have a good day won't you, I'm sure I'll see you tonight."
Marlena nodded and returned the sentiment, watching him move towards the door thoughtfully.
'EJ," she called out to him and he turned around, hand still on the door knob, ready to leave.
"You know," she said softly, seeming to be thinking aloud, "I always wanted someone for Sami who could help calm her down, someone to help stabilise her."
"Like Lucas," offered EJ a bit resignedly, letting go of the door and turning around to face her properly.
"Yes," confessed Marlena with a poignant smile, "But you know - I think I was completely wrong about what it was my daughter really needed."
EJ tilted his head, intrigued by where this was going.
"I care very much for Lucas," said Marlena softly, "He has been an important part of my family for many years, he is the father of two of my grandchildren… they are ties that bind."
"Yes," said EJ, his jaw clenching as he realised that he couldn't hope to compete with such history, at least not yet.
"But the truth is I always hoped that the men in Sami's life, Lucas, Austin, Brandon," continued on Marlena softly, "Well, they'd tame her wild ways I suppose but now…"
"Now?" prompted EJ.
"Maybe Sami was never meant to be tame," mused Marlena with a little smile, "Maybe she was always meant to run free until she finds a man wild enough to keep up with her."
Marlena looked up at EJ with a considered look and he looked steadily back at her.
"I love Samantha," he said roughly, his sincerity obvious, "You have to know that Marlena. There is nothing I wouldn't do to make her happy. She and those babies are my whole world."
"I can see that EJ," said Marlena quietly.
"I can make her happy," he told her earnestly, "All I want for her is to be free to be the remarkable woman that she was always meant to be."
"I know," said Marlena, "And maybe you're the only one who can."
EJ's eyes widened at her words. Had he just gotten approval from Marlena about pursuing Samantha? If anyone had told him a year ago that something like that could happen then he would have laughed in their face. A year ago he wouldn't have cared what anyone else thought about his loving Samantha and in some ways he still didn't but Sami loved her mother and to have Marlena's blessing would be something very important to her, so that made it important to EJ.
"Thank you," he said simply.
"My daughter is no walk in the park," Marlena warned him with a quirk of her lips, "I hope you know what it is you're getting yourself into."
"I don't," said EJ, a smile on his face, "And I wouldn't have it any other way!"
"Good answer," Marlena told him with a little laugh.
EJ's grin widened - oh yes, things were definitely coming along nicely for team EJ!
Samantha sat in the kitchen, sipping on her coffee. The twins were down for their mid morning nap, a bit late seeing as it was nearly midday but Sami was going to take what she could get. Sleeping babies were sleeping babies after all. Rolf was in the kitchen making yet more food into balls… frankly it was starting to get a bit creepy. She looked up as John walked in, Scotch in hand and walked to the fridge. He opened the refrigerator and looked around for a moment.
"Where's my ice?" he asked.
"I made a fresh batch yezterday," said Rolf, looking over his shoulder, "It's in zee top."
"No," said John flatly, closing the door, "It's not."
Sami meanwhile had felt her cheeks go flame red as she remembered exactly what it was that had happened to that last batch of ice Rolf had made and she squirmed in her chair in embarrassment.
"It haz to be," said Rolf, going over to the fridge and opening it, "Were else vould it be?"
Sami prayed that neither one of them would ever find out the answer to that question!
Sami looked up to find both of them looking at her.
"Well don't look at me!" she snapped, using anger to hide her embarrassment, "Why would I know what happened to your ice, what do I look like, the ice police? It's just ice, it's not hard to make some more - why are we even talking about ice? I've got better things to do then sit here and listen to you two obsess about ice!"
Okay Sami, way to go - that wasn't suspicious at all!
Both men were just openly staring at her now and she got up and threw the last of her coffee down the sink, just to have something to do rather than sit there and have them look at her like that. She turned back round, leaning back against the sink and gave a defiant shrug.
"What!" she asked them.
"You've got a lot of opinions about ice," commented John idly, "Didn't realise it was one of your passions."
"Who said anything about passion?!" she said, her face flushing again, "Ice is ice, where is the passion in ice?"
Oh god EJ, more please, do it again, don't stop!
Sami tried her very best to maintain an nonchalant expression as she remembered the very many ways EJ had found to pleasure her with the now much discussed ice in question. She doubted very much that she was pulling it off though by the way the two men were still looking at her.
"Can we talk about something else?" she snapped as the silence lengthened.
"Alright," agreed John evenly, "Rolf I need you to do something for me."
"Ya?" said Rolf.
"I need you to get something to get rid of stray cats, I heard one last night yowling it's head off, woke me in fact," said John expressionlessly.
Sami froze in horror, her eyes widening as she wondered just how many more ways she could be embarrassed this morning. The thought that John may have heard her and EJ last night was beyond mortifying!
"Catz?" queried Rolf in surprise, "Ve have catz coming into zee mansion?"
"That's what it sounded like," said John stoically, "I think there may have been something wrong with it though, it sounded like it was stuck or something. There was a lot of howling."
Sami bit back the whimper of dismay but she had no one else to blame but herself, EJ had warned her but she just didn't seem to be able to have anything resembling dignity when he was touching her.
"Seeing as my nephew's got such a bad allergy to cats I thought we should try and get rid of it," continued on John casually.
Sami looked at John out of the corner of her eye and she could swear she could see just the barest whisper of a smile on his lips. And she thought she couldn't have been more humiliated after the back scratch thing… how wrong could one person be?!
"What do you think Samantha?" asked John innocently.
"I think I should check on the twins," said Sami weakly, needing to be out of that kitchen so badly before they managed to find anything else to embarrass her with.
Where did that bottle of chocolate sauce end up anyway?
With her luck they were going to find a chocolate arse print in the next minute with the way things were going! She had to get out of here! Sami went to leave but before she did, John put out a hand to stop her.
"Do you have the number for EJ's cell phone number?" he asked, looking at Sami quizzically.
"Why?" frowned Sami, frustrated at not being able to make good her escape.
"Nicole rang here earlier this morning and I was meant to give him a message but he left before I saw him," said John calmly.
"What kind of message?" scowled Sami, "What did she want?"
"Apparently they had lunch plans," said John, "And the place they normally go to, the Palace Hotel is booked so she was ringing up to change it to the Reagent."
"Excuse me?" squawked Sami, "A hotel? Nicole and EJ have been meeting at a hotel? For how long?"
"Didn't say, didn't ask," said John with an unconcerned shrug.
"Are you telling me that my husband and that slut have been meeting secretly together in a hotel for god only knows how long?!" repeated Sami, the storm clouds gathering on her face.
"So am I hearing a 'no' on knowing EJ's cell phone number then?" asked John flatly, "Because it's almost lunch time now and I should really let him know."
"You are not going to do any such thing!" spat out Sami, "I'm going to deal with this myself!"
Sami was so mad she could hardly speak. All this time he'd been coming to her bed after getting out of Nicole's - she was going to kill them both with her bare hands! No wonder he was finding it so easy to ignore her when he was getting it from somewhere else! She was finally going to end things with Lucas and now she was finding out that it might be too late - that EJ had moved on! Some part of her brain tried to remind her about last night and how he was giving no indication whatsoever of having 'moved on' but she was too incensed to listen.
"I can't believe that he's been meeting that bony ho in some seedy dive all this time!" raged Sami, her eyes flashing wildly, "I hope he gets rabies from that flea ridden dog that she's always carrying around!"
"Wait," said John in what almost sounded like surprise, "That thing in her purse is a dog?"
"Of course it is!" snapped Sami, "What else would it be?"
"Some kind of deformed hamster?" offered up John musingly.
"Why would even Nicole have a hamster in her bag?" asked Sami in exasperation, not knowing why she was bothering with this conversation when that bottle blonde probably had her slimy hands all over EJ right now!
"Why would anyone carry around a creature that poops at will and without warning in their bag?" countered John flatly, "It's… unsettling."
"Oh no John," said Rolf, "It eez quite zee fashion ya? Many of zee ladies do it now."
"Again," said John blankly, "Why?"
"It doesn't matter why!" bit out Sami in frustration.
Why was she standing here listening to these two bleat on when Nicole was circling EJ like some deranged bitch in heat?! She needed to get out of here and set EJ straight on who's bed he should be, not listening to two insane men having a conversation!
"Can you watch the twins John?" Sami asked distractedly, she normally would never ask him but she had some trash that needed taking out!
"Can I watch the twins do what?" asked John blankly.
"No, I mean just you know, just look after them until Mom gets home," said Sami in frustration, honestly the man was so literal nowadays.
"Sure," said John flatly, "We'll bond."
"No, no bonding," said Sami distractedly, "Just leave them alone and call me if they wake up. Mom will be home in about half an hour anyway."
"If you're sure," shrugged John,
"I'm very sure," said Sami firmly.
John seemed to think the matter was settled and turned back to Rolf.
"So…" said John, looking down at the glass of Scotch he had in his hand and then back at Rolf, "Ice?"
"I just put zee tray back in zee freezer," said Rolf in bemusement, "It vill be at least an hour or zo before zere is ice."
"Not my problem," said John expressionlessly, holding out his glass, "Ice."
John stood there then expectantly as though Rolf was going to just miraculously bend the laws of physics and produce ice out of nowhere. Although in John's defence it wouldn't exactly be the first time Rolf had sinned against the laws of nature - case in point the formerly dead man standing there demanding ice for his drink.
Sami rolled her eyes at the two of them, feeling a flash of anxiety at leaving her twins in the care of either one of them. They were like the original odd couple but instead of 'odd' insert 'bizarre'! If it wasn't an emergency Sami would never contemplate doing such a thing but it was an emergency.
So all she had to do was go to EJ's office, throw that skank Nicole out on her bony arse, stake her claim on her husband and then come home and kill herself so that she would never have to look John in the eye again.
It was shaping up to be a full afternoon.