Serenity (Inevitable Book 5)

by Janet Nissenson

  He gave her one of those wide, goofy grins that always made her toes curl up a little and cause a warm feeling to spread through her midsection. “Really? Not one of the handsomest, but the handsomest?”

  With the added height from her stilettos, she didn’t have to reach up on tiptoes as she normally did in order to press a kiss to his cheek. “I never say anything I don’t mean, Matthew,” she reminded him, then looped her arm through his and steered him over to where the Gregsons were standing.

  The call to dinner was made a few minutes later, and Sasha was grateful that Tessa had made the arrangements for the two couples to sit together. The other four people at their table were two of Ian’s management team and their spouses, and she guessed that Tessa had hand selected them to make sure Sasha would feel at ease in their presence.

  And it turned out to be a very pleasant dinner, far more so than Sasha had expected, and she was surprised to find that she was actually enjoying herself. Though she had never attended college, she was extremely well read and made sure to read at least one newspaper every day to keep up on current events. It was easy for her, therefore, to join in the conversation at the table, and every so often Matthew would catch her eye and beam his approval at her.

  The only slightly tense moment came when their dinner entrees were served, and the waiter placed a plate of beef tenderloin at Sasha’s place. She felt a bit sorry for the visibly harried waiter, and attempted to call him over discreetly to point out his error. Matthew, however, was nowhere near as tolerant and impatiently motioned the man over.

  “This is the wrong order,” he told him bluntly. “The lady is supposed to have a vegetarian entrée.”

  The waiter shook his head. “I don’t think so, sir. I didn’t see that on my list. And I don’t even think we have a vegetarian option available for tonight.”

  Ian, who’d closely observed the goings-on, was about to intervene, but Matthew held up a hand to forestall him.

  “Then I suggest you ask the chef to prepare one,” he told the waiter in a not so pleasant tone. “And quickly. And if your boss gives you a bad time about it, you might want to mention that his boss is in attendance this evening and watching carefully to see how all of this plays out.”

  Matthew indicated his head in Ian’s direction, and it was obvious from the way the waiter’s eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets that he knew exactly who he was. The waiter nodded wordlessly, plucked up Sasha’s plate, and practically jogged into the kitchen.

  Matthew pulled back the cuff of his white dress shirt and checked his watch. “Want to make a bet on how long it’ll take him to return with the right order?” he asked Ian, chuckling.

  Ian grimaced. “If he knows what’s good for him, the answer had best be ten minutes or less. I’m sorry about the confusion, Sasha. I will certainly be making a phone call to his supervisor about this.”

  “Please, that really isn’t necessary,” she protested. “This certainly isn’t the first time I’ve received the wrong food at a restaurant or an event. I’ve come to accept over the years that mistakes of that sort will happen. It comes with being a vegetarian.”

  “Still, being a vegetarian is not that unusual nowadays, and especially in California,” argued Matthew. “I guarantee that the chef prepared a vegetarian dish, and that our waiter just screwed up. I should - ”

  “Forget about it,” finished Sasha. “Especially since he’s already headed back this way with my food.”

  The waiter apologized profusely as he set the steaming plate of pasta primavera in front of Sasha, then continued to fuss over her for another minute or two, making sure that everything was to her liking and asking if there was anything else he could do for her. And even though she thanked him profusely, assured him that everything was fine, he still looked anxious as he moved to another table.

  Fortunately, there were no other mishaps for the remainder of the evening, and Sasha couldn’t recall the last time she’d enjoyed herself so much. Even the dreaded high heels proved to be more comfortable than she’d feared, and remained on her feet the whole night. At some point, a jazz ensemble began to play some soft music, and after the other three couples at their table left for the dance floor, Matthew turned to Sasha hesitantly.

  “Uh, I’d ask if you’d like to dance, but I guess that’s sort of a silly question,” he quipped.

  She laughed. “You know I love to dance, but I also know that it isn’t necessarily your favorite thing. I’m fine with staying here at the table and just listening to the music.”

  In reply, he rose to his feet and held a hand out to her. “But I’m not. I have too many bad memories of watching Lindsey dance with dozens of other men at these events, and feeling sort of helpless to do anything about it. Or maybe helpless isn’t the right word. More like apathetic. I don’t want to feel that way about anything or anyone again. You’ve managed to make me feel ten years younger, and a whole lot happier, and I don’t want to miss out on things anymore. So, please. Will you honor me with this dance?”

  Sasha’s heart felt like it was stuck in her throat as she let him draw her to her feet. “I have never felt more like dancing than I do right now,” she whispered.

  “Good,” he replied, as he guided her out to the dance floor. “Because we’re going to dance a lot tonight. Maybe you can teach me a few new moves. Not that I’ve got any old ones, that is.”

  Their combined laughter rang out happily as he drew her close against his chest.

  Sasha couldn’t suppress a yawn as she snuggled into her pillow. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m really tired,” she told him regretfully. “It would be different if I didn’t have to get up early to teach in the morning. I’m sorry.”

  Matthew kissed her naked shoulder. “Don’t be. You have nothing to be sorry for. Especially since we’ve already had one really spectacular time tonight. I’m just getting greedy, I suppose.”

  His hand caressed the sleek curve of her hip, before pulling the duvet up over her nude body. After arriving home from the party more than an hour ago, they had instantly fallen into bed, their lovemaking a little lustier than usual since they had both been a bit tipsy. But Matthew was hungrier than ever for her, and even after a tumultuous orgasm he was still semi-aroused.

  Sasha was clearly exhausted, though, and he put a damper on his raging libido, even though he wasn’t feeling in the least bit gentlemanly at the moment. But he sighed, and settled for a sweet good-night kiss, instead of the second round of lovemaking he really craved.

  “Good night,” she murmured sleepily. “Tonight was actually fun. More fun than I expected. So I’d be okay with going to more events with you in the future. That is, if you want me to.”

  He caressed her cheek tenderly. “Of course I want you to,” he whispered. “Don’t you know by now that I want you with me all the time? Or that I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen in love with you?”

  But as he waited with bated breath for her reply or reaction, all he got in return was a faint snore, and he realized with a frustrated grin that she’d already fallen asleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  February

  “Wow, you really weren’t exaggerating about those two. Do they always bicker this much?”

  Sasha smiled faintly at Matthew’s urgently whispered question. “This is actually pretty tame for them. When my mother starts looking for sharp objects to throw at my dad, that’s the time to quietly duck out of the room and leave them to it.”

  Matthew grinned in spite of the increasingly loud and heated argument that was going on in his living room. “What is it exactly that they’re arguing about anyway? Kind of hard to tell, given that they keep switching languages.”

  Katya and Enzo seemed to be arguing back and forth in either English or French, languages that they were both fluent in, and then occasionally would revert to their respective native tongues. And Matthew was just guessing that the Russian and Portuguese words they were flinging at
each other weren’t especially complimentary.

  “Who really knows at this point?” asked Sasha tiredly. “I’m not even sure they remember what started this particular argument off. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to take very much to get them going.”

  “Gee, the only thing I ever remember my parents arguing about was whether a colleague’s paper on the current status of advanced mathematics in high schools had real merit or not. And that was really more of a debate than an argument,” he recalled.

  Sasha glanced across the room to where her mother was now stomping one stiletto-clad foot to emphasize whatever point she was trying to make, while her father was muttering in Portuguese, his face darkening in anger. “Lucky you,” she sighed. “Meanwhile, living with these two was like being a permanent cast member in a telenovela. You never knew what drama was going to be enacted the next day. Ah, and then of course, their fights more often than not ended just like this.”

  Matthew followed the direction of her gaze to where Katya and Enzo were now locked in a passionate embrace, startled at how quickly they had made the transition from adversaries to lovers. But from the resigned expression on Sasha’s face, this, too, was far from something new to her.

  “Good thing they aren’t staying here with you, like you originally suggested,” she whispered to him. “Otherwise, my father would think nothing of carrying Mama off to the bedroom right about now. After they each discarded several articles of clothing first, of course.”

  His eyes widened as Enzo forcefully pushed Katya up against the wall, lifting one of her legs to wrap around his waist as he ground himself against her. And since Katya apparently didn’t have a submissive bone in her body, she gave it back as good as she got, raking her long, blood red fingernails down her lover’s back before biting down on his earlobe. That caused Enzo to smack her on the buttocks, which in return made Katya retaliate by biting his bottom lip this time.

  “Cristo!” yelped Enzo, stepping away from the wall as blood began to trickle down his chin. “I’ve always sworn you were part vampire, Katya. Or maybe a witch. You’re definitely crazy.”

  Katya glared at him, rubbing her abused posterior. “I don’t like the spanking, Enzo,” she snarled. “You know that. You watched that movie again, didn’t you? The one where the man likes whipping women, or tying them up. If you ever try that with me, you will be the one who gets spanked. Ach, but knowing you, that would probably give you pleasure, wouldn’t it? You like that sort of - ”

  “Okay, enough. Both of you,” insisted Sasha, rising gracefully to her feet. “In case you’ve forgotten, today is my birthday. It’s why Matthew arranged for you both to fly into town - first class no less - and reserved one of the nicest suites for you at the Gregson Hotel for three nights. And why he’s taking us out to dinner tonight at one of the best restaurants in San Francisco to celebrate. So, please. Can you stop arguing for the next few hours so we can enjoy the evening? Please.”

  Enzo’s features softened instantly, and he was at his daughter’s side in the next moment. “My bebé,” he crooned, cupping her cheek in his hand. “My lovely Sasha. Of course your mother and I will behave ourselves to honor your birthday. I will do my best to ignore that crazy woman during our dinner, so that we can all enjoy ourselves, yes?”

  “Crazy!” screeched Katya. “You are the crazy one, Enzo! And you have been driving me crazy for almost thirty years. The first time you left me I should have never taken you back. My life would have been much more peaceful if I had listened to Polina and married that nice Russian man who lived across the street from us in Paris.”

  Enzo smirked. “That old fool? You would have killed him after just one year - either by giving him a heart attack with all of your dramatics, or causing him to hang himself because he couldn’t take any more of it. Katya, meu amor, I am the only man alive capable of handling you, and you know it. Now, no more arguing, hmm? Sasha is right. It’s her birthday, and Matthew has been kind enough to make all of these plans so we could celebrate together. So now we celebrate, not fight. Agreed?”

  The expression in Katya’s green eyes was almost deadly as she glared at Enzo, but she merely nodded in response. “Yes. Agreed. Even if I want to break that vase over your head right now.”

  “Please don’t,” begged Matthew. “It’s one of the few things I like in this place. And according to the bill from the decorator, that vase cost around five thousand dollars.”

  “For this?” Katya flicked a finger over the simple pottery urn disdainfully. “Hmm, I think maybe this decorator - how do you say it, Sasha - tore him off?”

  “Ripped him off,” corrected Sasha patiently. “Regardless, Mama, that’s Matthew’s business, not yours. Now, as soon as Papa wipes the blood off his mouth, we should leave for dinner.”

  Enzo grinned at his only child and obligingly dashed inside the guest bathroom to clean himself up a bit. During his brief absence, Katya wasted no time in unleashing a rapid fire stream of Russian at Sasha, and Matthew wryly assumed that the older woman was complaining loudly and bitterly about her on-again, off-again lover.

  It had been quite a kick meeting Sasha’s parents, he thought in amusement, and since they had arrived in town last evening he hadn’t been bored for even a second in their presence. And while their personalities couldn’t have been much different - fun-loving, gregarious, and easily amused Enzo, and the fiery-tempered, stubborn, and hard to impress Katya - the physical and emotional attraction between the couple practically gave off sparks every time their eyes met.

  The more time he had spent in their presence, the more Matthew had marveled at just how different Sasha was in temperament and personality from either of her parents. She was most definitely her own woman, with her own unique set of values and beliefs, and if she hadn’t born a noticeable physical resemblance to them, there was no way he would have believed them to be her parents.

  Sasha and Katya were built along very similar lines - of medium height, small frame, and leanly muscled. Sasha’s figure seemed a bit softer than Katya’s, who was bordering on being skinny rather than slender. Matthew guessed the older woman was under constant pressure from the producers of her television show to look as thin as possible for the cameras, and judging from the way Katya watched her diet like a hawk he was willing to bet his hunch was right.

  Without the spray-on tan she always applied for the television show, Katya’s natural complexion was much lighter than the pale gold skin tone Sasha had obviously inherited from her father. Matthew suspected that Katya’s carefully groomed mane of silky blonde hair owed most of its color these days to a bottle, though he had little trouble believing that the shade had once been her natural hue. And unlike her down-to-earth daughter, Katya loved clothes - expensive designer labels from what he’d been able to determine - like the sleek burgundy wool sheath dress and high heeled black leather ankle boots she was wearing now. Her gold earrings, chain necklace, and diamond studded bangle bracelet were discreet but obviously costly, and her strikingly lovely face was expertly made up. She looked glamorous and sophisticated, and much younger than her forty-nine years.

  Enzo, on the other hand, with the streaks of silver in his otherwise black hair, and visible crow’s feet at the corners of the green-gold eyes he’d passed on to his daughter, easily looked like the fifty-four year old man that he was - a man who had traveled the globe too many times to count, and who made it a point to live every day to its fullest. At the hotel suite last night, he’d confessed over an after dinner drink to Matthew that he had admittedly drank too much, partied too hard, and seduced too many pretty girls over the years, but that the only real regrets he had in his well-lived life revolved around Katya and Sasha.

  “I should have been there for both of them more,” he’d lamented drunkenly. “I should have forced that hard head Katya to marry me when we found out she was pregnant, should have chained her to my side. And we should have made a real home for our little girl, instead of carting her around
the world with us like a piece of luggage. That was why, when she insisted on living with my sister-in-law, I stood up for her against Katya. My Sasha - she deserved those years with Linda after everything her mother and I put her through. She’s a good girl, my daughter, you know?”

  “I know,” Matthew had assured him. “She’s kind and compassionate and never judges people. She has the patience of a saint, and the disposition of an angel.”

  Enzo had grinned wickedly. “In other words, not a thing like me or Katya! I used to wonder sometimes if the babies were switched at birth, and we got the wrong one. Sasha is so calm, so gentle, while her mother and I are like the hurricane and the tornado meeting up. And my daughter is the most important thing in the world to me, Matthew. I may not call her or see her as often as I should, but I think of her every day. And wish all the time that I’d done things differently.”

  “Well, she turned out just fine under the circumstances,” Matthew had told him. “I think that Sasha is the woman she is today because of the way she grew up. So - thank you, Enzo, because I happen to love your daughter just the way she is.”

  “Love, eh?” Enzo had regarded Matthew a bit warily, running a hand through his unruly mane of dark, curly hair, the same sort of curls Sasha had. “Hmm. Sasha tells me that you already have a wife, no?”

  “No.” Matthew had given an emphatic shake of his head. “That is, not in any way that still matters.”

  He had explained what the current situation with Lindsey was, an explanation that had seemed to satisfy Enzo and assure him that Matthew’s intentions toward Sasha were all above board.

  “My Sasha needs a good man in her life,” Enzo had confided. “She’s too independent, too afraid of commitment. But it’s a good sign that she wanted me and Katya to meet you. Sasha has been alone too much in her life already, so I’m happy that she has someone like you to take care of her. And you’re a good man, I can tell. You take care of your woman and her parents, and Sasha tells me you’re a very good father as well. You can always tell the measure of a man by how he treats other people, Matthew. And by the quality of the alcohol he provides for his guests.”