For the Love of Sami

by Fayrene Preston

  "I think you’re right. I just can’t quite place . . . ah, well, I suppose it’s not important. Sami, I can tell you’re a charming young woman in your own right, like a breath of fresh air. Daniel, what do you think of this new art? It’s exciting, isn’t it? It reminds me of Paris in the twenties, when Matisse, Miro, and Picasso were there. This fellow has the same quality in his work."

  "I couldn’t agree with you more."

  Sami listened to the conversation with only part of her mind. Marian and Hardin appeared to be very nice, but still, Sami didn’t feel comfortable. Something she had known from the first had just been reconfirmed for her. This was Daniel’s world —a world of high society and money. The very same world she had chosen to run from after her parents’ deaths.

  During the ride home, Sami sat quietly in the corner of the big, luxurious car. She didn’t speak, she didn’t move, she didn’t even think. She was afraid to, because if she allowed herself to think, she might come to the conclusion that she should leave Daniel. And she wasn’t sure she could survive that.

  Daniel pulled the car around the back of the house and parked it in front of the lighted, four-car garage. However, instead of opening his door, getting out, and coming around to help her out, as he usually did, he rolled down the window on his side and turned to study her for a moment.

  Moonlight streamed in through the windows, throwing a pale illumination over her face and hair. Reassured that she wasn’t in total darkness, she turned her head slightly to catch the cooling breeze, which brought with it the seductive fragrance of newly turned autumn leaves.

  Daniel lifted his arm along the back of the seat until his fingertips could touch the softness of her uncovered nape. "What’s wrong, Sami?" he asked quietly. "What’s upset you?"

  Now, how do I begin answering that? Sami wondered sadly. There was just no way to do it but to start from the beginning, and she wasn’t sure she could.

  Daniel’s voice was gentle as he began rubbing the knotted muscles at the back of her neck. "Your silences frighten me, Sami, because I don’t know where you go when you become so silent."

  She turned to look at him. "I never go far, Daniel. There’s really no other place I want to be than with you."

  "Then talk to me, sweetheart. Tell me what’s wrong."

  If only it weren’t so hard to talk about, she thought despairingly. Looking away, she did her best to frame an answer that might make sense to him. "Have you ever in your whole life felt as if you didn’t belong? As if you were out of step with the rest of the world?"

  "No."

  "Then that’s the difference between us. I feel that way most of the time."

  Stripping off his glasses, he placed them with an angrily restrained motion onto the dash, then slid across the seat to her, his voice suddenly harder than she had ever heard it before. "Did someone at the gallery say something to you?"

  "They didn’t have to, Daniel. I just didn’t fit in . . . didn’t belong. I could see it in their faces."

  "What you saw, my love, was pure, unadulterated jealousy. The men couldn’t take their eyes off you, and ninety-nine percent of the women would gladly have murdered to be able to look and dress like you. You were the most beautiful woman there tonight."

  Just then a gust of wind wafted in the window, bringing with it the scent of Daniel’s after-shave. Sami ran her hand up his smoothly shaven cheek. "I’m glad you thought so."

  Turning his lips into the palm of her hand, he glided the tip of his tongue along the sensitive surface. "As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never seen anyone or anything more beautiful than you." His voice had turned husky, causing a subtle warmth of feeling to trickle into the lower part of her body.

  Her hand found its way into his hair, her fingers combing through the thickness of it, her fingertips feeling the shape of his head, then the strength of the back of his neck. Molding her shape against him, she took pleasure in the way they seemed to fit together.

  He pressed his lips against her temple and whispered, "The fact that you don’t know how truly beautiful you are only makes you that much more so." He kissed across her face, stopping to rest his lips against each eyelid. "How you came to me is one of the few mysteries in life I haven’t figured out, but now that you’re here, I’ll never let you go."

  Sami moved her head until she found his mouth, and slipped her tongue between his parted lips, exploring the inside of his mouth, hungry for detail. She felt his immediate leaping response, and then his arms came around her with a fierce passion, pulling her tightly against him.

  "Damn these clothes," he muttered, his hands moving under her opera cape with a hot need.

  "Let’s take them off," Sami suggested breathlessly.

  "We will." He groaned, kneading her lace-covered breast with his hand. "We will." Her nipples made hard points against the exquisite material, making it easy for his thumb to find one of them. Slowly, the revolving strokes of his thumb rubbed the lace over the eager tip again and again. "We’ll go into the house in a minute . . . as soon as I can make myself let go of you." His lips and tongue sought and found hers again with an all-consuming concentration, as if he were trying to absorb her into him, and all the while his thumb kept grazing the lace over her. A wildfire engulfed her.

  "I mean now," Sami whispered achingly, twisting against him with longing. "Let’s take our clothes off and make love right now. I don’t want to wait."

  Daniel’s hands stilled on her body. His uneven breathing was a harsh sound in the night air. He pulled back slightly and looked at her with dazed amazement. "You mean here? In the car?"

  "Why not?" she questioned huskily. She reached to unclasp the cape from around her neck and threw it in the back seat. Then, not letting go of his gaze, she began on the tiny buttons of her dress.

  "Why not?" he agreed with a ragged hoarseness, shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it over the seat to join her cape. He moved the car seat back as far as it would go and started to undo the studs on his pleated shirt.

  Sami finished unbuttoning her dress and sat up. Easing off her boots, she shimmied out of her panties and hose. At last, completely naked except for the champagne-colored fabric of the slip that fell sexily off her shoulders and clung excitingly to her breasts, she turned to Daniel.

  He was ready for her. Taking her into his arms, he slowly lowered them both to the sumptuously fine leather beneath them. "What did I ever do before you came into my life?" he asked, right before his body possessed hers with a tender savageness that drove all of her fears and insecurities right out of her mind—at least for a little while. And it was a long time before either of them thought about going into the house.

  #

  Sami still couldn’t get used to actually waking up in the morning. After so many years of falling asleep at dawn and waking up some time after noon, morning was a revelation to her. Not that she awoke instantly, with great enthusiasm for the day, as Daniel tended to do. It still took her a considerable length of time to straighten out her thoughts to the point where she could discuss anything semicoherently.

  Stretching, she smiled sleepily at Daniel and turned over, burrowing into the covers.

  "No, you don’t, sleepyhead," Daniel said, turning her over toward him again. "You can’t go back to sleep. This is Sunday, and that means I don’t have to go in to work today."

  "Good," Sami mumbled sincerely, if somewhat unintelligibly, not opening her eyes. "I’m really happy for you."

  "Sami!" He shook her slightly. "Wake up, and let’s discuss what we’re going to do today."

  She snuggled closer to him. "Go ahead and start the discussion without me. I’ll catch up later."

  She heard the laughter in his voice as he threatened, "Okay, but if you fall asleep, you’ll be sorry." His palm cupped one shapely buttock and gently kneaded the softly pliant flesh. "I might have to spank you."

  "Promise?" She wiggled her bottom against his hand.

  "Sami!"

  "Ummmm . . . that f
eels good."

  He gave her bottom a light slap. "Pay attention."

  She opened her golden eyes and placed a kiss at the base of his throat. "Yes, sir."

  "That’s better," he said, rubbing the area he had just smacked, massaging the nonexistent hurt away. "Now, I thought we might go for a drive in the country and see the leaves."

  "Boring. I love being in a car with you, but not when it’s moving."

  "Sami!" She shut her eyes.

  "Or we could spend the afternoon in the museum. I understand they have an interesting new exhibit."

  "Dull," she pronounced with a wrinkling of her nose and a further maneuvering of herself into his hand. "Have I told you how good that feels?"

  He gave her a little pinch.

  "Ouch!"

  "Okay, then, sleeping beauty, you make a suggestion."

  "Let’s go to a flea market."

  "I’m almost afraid to ask, but why would you want to go to a flea market?"

  "Because they’re interesting and fun and you never know what you might find at one." Sami smiled to herself, thinking affectionately of Jerome and his stuffed birds.

  "Okay," he acquiesced easily, "if that’s what you want to do, then that’s what we’ll do. Let’s get up and get dressed."

  "Wait a minute!" Sami bolted upright, totally unconcerned about her lack of clothing. "I just remembered something."

  "What?"

  "I’ve got something I need to do this morning."

  "No problem. We’ll do whatever it is first and then we’ll go to the flea market."

  "No! That is, it’s something I’ve got to do alone. I’ll do it first and then come back here to get you."

  "Sami." Daniel pulled her back down to him and cradled her in his arms. ’There’s a whole other part of your life that you keep separate from me. When are you going to let me share in it?"

  In all honesty, Sami couldn’t say she didn’t know what he meant. She knew only too well, and she also knew without a doubt that it wasn’t fair to Daniel to let things continue as they were. She had been over it a hundred times in her mind, and she still didn’t know what she was going to do about it.

  If she were to open up completely to him and tell him everything there was to know about her, it would leave her exposed and very vulnerable. Then what would happen? Would he still say he loved her? Or would he reject her, as her parents had done? And if she couldn’t bring herself to tell him, could she bring herself to leave him? Questions—there were so many of them.

  "Hey." Daniel interrupted her thoughts. "Remember me? I’m the guy who loves you."

  "I remember." She ran her hand lovingly up his cheek. "I shouldn’t be gone too long, and then we’ll have the whole afternoon to ourselves."

  Daniel gave a heavy sigh and opened his arms without another word.

  #

  In the sadly dingy kitchen, Sami sat across the chipped table and watched worriedly while Mama poured her a cup of coffee with a shaking hand that came from having lived a great number of years. Mama was the mother of Bill, the ice cream man, but she was also "Mama" to the rare few on whom she bestowed the privilege. Sami was one of the rare few, and had been since the time several years earlier when Bill had taken her to meet his mother.

  "Have you been to see the doctor lately, Mama?"

  "No, child. I’ve had just too much on my mind lately to worry about whether my palsy has gotten any worse or not."

  "Do you still have the name of that doctor I gave you? I made arrangements with him to send the bill to me."

  "It’s around here somewhere. Now, don’t worry. As soon as we come up with a plan to save my apartment house. I’ll feel a lot better."

  "Mama, I told you I’d find you another apartment—one a lot better them this. And your stuff will be packed and moved for you. All you’ll have to do is walk out of this apartment and into your new one."

  "This is my home, Sami. My husband and I moved here on the day we were married. I had my babies here, I watched them grow up here and go out on their own. My husband died here, and I want to die here. This place isn’t what it used to be, but I don’t want to live anywhere else. And the rest of the tenants feel the same way."

  Sami twisted a curl around her finger, all the while turning the problem over in her mind. She had felt as if she should at least try to talk Mama into moving. It hadn’t worked, and she had known it wouldn’t. Now she was ready to fight. "What do you know about this new landlord of yours?"

  "Not much. Oh, I’ve seen his picture here and there. Seems to be a big man around town. He already bought the places on either side of us. Tore them down and built a great big, tall building, he did, right next door. It blocks out my sunshine, but I’m not complaining. I still get a little slice of sun comin’ through the window in the mornings."

  "But that’s terrible! Well, don’t worry. We’re not going to give up. I’ll be back in a few days time with some people, and we’ll picket." Without warning, memories rushed in on her of how her last picketing escapade had turned out, but she hastily pushed them away and determinedly added, "It’ll draw people’s attention to this man’s inhumanity, and he’ll have to bow to public pressure." Sami got up and walked around the table to drop a kiss on the frail old lady’s bent head. "You’ll see. It will work."

  "You’re a good girl, Sami."

  #

  The bright autumn day seemed made for a jaunt to the flea market. Daniel and Sami strolled among the stalls, although their progress was slow, since Sami managed to find something that she considered of worth at practically every one.

  "Daniel, what do you think about this?" Sami held up a stuffed alligator with a clock in its tummy. Casting a sidelong glance at him, she found Daniel looking properly horrified, and suppressed a grin. "I was thinking maybe the mantle in the drawing room . . . or perhaps your desk at the office. What do you think?"

  "I already have a clock in both places, Sami, but thank you anyway."

  "Well, how about this, then?" Holding up a shocking-pink satin pillow with a big ruffle around it and the greeting "Welcome Home, Sailor" on it, she feigned serious consideration.

  Daniel burst out laughing. "I don’t believe it!"

  "This, then?" She held up an identical pillow, but this one said "Welcome Home, Seventh Fleet." "I think this is a sentiment I could take a stand for."

  He pulled her to him. "Come on, you incorrigible child, I think we’d better move on."

  But minutes later, after a visit to yet another stall, Daniel gave her a look of complete wonder. "I can’t believe I just bought a T-shirt that has ‘Legal Eagle’ written across the front of it."

  "I did give you a choice, you know."

  "You call one that said ‘Lawyers Do It Better Without Their Briefs’ a choice?"

  "We could have had one made up that said ‘Lawyers Do It Better In A Car.’"

  "Sami!"

  "Well, either one of them has got to be better than what you have on."

  "And just what’s wrong with this outfit, may I ask?"

  "Daniel, one just does not wear pure-silk slacks and a linen blazer to a flea market!"

  "You’ll have to excuse me," he requested humbly, barely able to keep the laughter out of his voice. "This is my first time, you know. I suppose your outfit is more suitable."

  "That’s right." She twirled to give him a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of her off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, belted at the waist with a braided rope and worn over yards and yards of cotton the color of golden flames, then danced away, something else already catching her fancy. "Look," she called, holding up a bunch of fresh flowers. "Do you have enough money left to buy me these?"

  "Oh, I think I can manage it," he consented good-naturedly, digging into his pocket to pay the man, "although the garden at home is full of flowers, if you want some."

  "But these are already cut, and those aren’t."

  "That’s very true." He chuckled. "I hadn’t thought of that."

  "And
it would be wasteful to pass these by, go back to your house, and cut some more. Besides, that man probably needs the money, and I doubt if he’ll sell half of those flowers today. If we hadn’t bought these, they might have died without anyone’s ever having enjoyed them."

  His expression was gentle as it rested on her. "So now that you have them, what are you going to do with them?"

  "Make a garland for my hair."

  "Then why don’t we go up there"—he pointed toward a hill—"away from this clamor. We can sit on the grass and rest for a while."

  "Okay, let’s go."

  "Wait a minute. I’ll tell you what. While you make the garland, I’m going to go buy you something."

  "What?"

  "Don’t be so nosy," he admonished. "It’s a surprise."

  "A surprise!" She threw her arms around him. "I’ve never had a true surprise before. What is it? Tell me, Daniel, please, tell me. Oh, please!"

  "No."

  "Can’t I bribe, coerce, or otherwise seduce you into telling me?"

  "Nope. You just sit up there, and I’ll be back before you know it. You won’t even notice I’m gone."

  "Fat chance," Sami grumbled, stomping up the grassy hill that began its rise a little distance from the flea market.

  She had just finished the garland and was threading it through her hair when she raised her eyes and saw Daniel strolling up to her. She caught her breath. He could stir her senses just by walking toward her. What was she going to do about it? Something deep inside her was telling her that things could not go on indefinitely as they were. She had to make a decision, and soon.

  He dropped beside her, holding a small sack in one hand.

  She raised herself on her knees and grabbed for the sack. "What’d you get? Is it for me? Let me see, let me see, let me see!"

  Laughing, he caught her hand easily. "Not so fast. First a kiss."

  "A kiss with all those people down below us!" She pretended dismay. "Why, Daniel, do you think that would be proper?"