Tammy runs her hand along the wall.

This is a beautiful home. The house is large enough to give off wealthy vibes but small enough to feel familiar and family-like. Different areas of the home are often occupied; various family members come and go. Tammy hadn't ventured out on her own since being here, but Mark had to attend a family meeting, and she found herself bored out of her mind.

There are only so many books to read and documentaries to watch. Besides, she hadn't wanted to give time for Amber to find her. Tammy finds herself in a quieter part of the home. This living room is decorated differently. It's warmer and feels livable. She wonders how many living rooms there are. She knows of two so far. Tammy goes over to the bar.

The first bottle is exactly what she thinks she's looking for as her mouth waters at the wafting cherry scent.

Retrieving a glass, she opens a decanter and sniffs in hopes of identifying something brown that she will like. The first bottle is exactly what she thinks she's looking for as her mouth waters at the cherry scent. Tammy fills her glass and begins to drink heartily. There are a few glasses had before she begins inspecting the room.

As Tammy looks around, she gets the chills. It's too quiet in this part of the house. Here it is too different than the rest of the house. She doesn't like what she feels and ventures to a room where there are people. Mark is in that group, but he doesn't see her go into the room across the hall and diagonal.

Things feel unstable, and Tammy realizes she's had just enough to drink. She stops and holds the wall for support until the room stops spinning. Her eyes close and she takes a few breathes to focus.

"God. . . I know we don't have the best relationship. I need you to see things through. . ." Alexei's voice is reverent, and although he says the words in Russian, which she doesn't understand, everyone knows the universal sound of prayer.

Tammy opens her eyes as she hears the deep timber voice saying serious words. She looks into the far corner of the room and sees Alexei. "You pray?"

Alexei abruptly stands from the seat and looks like a child having been caught stealing cookies. "What are you doing here?"

Tammy shrugs in a tipsy way. She doesn't feel like standing any longer and saunters over to a seat. "I recall your father forcing us here. "

Alexei stares for a moment.

His blond hair is flipped over to the side and gorgeous. His hair isn't curly like Mark's but holds a slight wave. It's still on the straighter side, but it looks nice tasseled. Tammy has never liked long-haired men, but on Alexei, it seems fitting.

He looks at her with just a touch of annoyance and eyes her cooly as she sits on the sofa. "Yeah, I meant more, so what are you doing in this room with me."

Tammy rolls her eyes and smiles snobbishly. "oh, and here I thought we were buddies since, you know, I have a brand on my ass. "

Alexei Smirnov

Tammy is in an odd mood.

Alexei is interested in identifying the source of her behavior. Tammy isn't acting afraid or nervous, as she has been most of the time. She also seems present and coherent, although maybe a little inebriated. He takes in the delicate lace camisole she wears and the grey sweatpants. Her feet are shod in thick cream knit socks. Tammy couldn't look prettier to Alexei, but her hair is up in a messy style to force it out of the way.

Alexei personally enjoys Tammy's hair down. He knows that maybe she thinks her hair looks unkempt when it's big and less defined, draping around her face and falling just past her shoulders, but to Alexei, she looks most stunning the more she isn't fixed up. Tammy has that natural, effortless beauty.

He tries not to stare, but he hasn't had an opportunity outside of the cameras to see Tammy. Here she is up close and tipsy. A beautiful mess, and maybe that's why Mark is falling in love with her. Tammy doesn't even know how much of a disaster she is. It just makes the good about her more beautiful, and it is good about her.

Alexei has gotten his hands on some of her art, and Tammy's insanely talented.

Working in digital advertising is a cop op because Tammy isn't aware of how talented her original style if. It's raw and unlike anything, he's ever seen. That's probably why she doubts how genius her art is because it is a method all of her own making, like when you see Van Gogh, it's something only Tammy does. Alexei feels nervous because he bought one of her rare paintings, and it hangs in his room.

"Why so quiet?" Tammy is suddenly closer, and Alexei realizes he's been lost in his thoughts.

His thoughts. . .

Alexei wants to beat his brain into shit at times. His mind always works, and often he's not in agreement with the things that run through it. For instance, he looks right into Tammy's face and imagines licking the freckles on her left cheek. What's sexy about that?

Something about that thought has his body feeling reactive as his male extremity tightens and begins the process of hardening. He feels disgusted, and that's not even the most unappealing thought he can have.

He swallows hard. It's her body language that makes it hard not to think of her and sex together. Alexei wonders, at times, if sex is just ingrained into Tammy. It's the way her body flows when she walks or how her eyes go dreamy and seductive when she talks. It's almost as though she knows she could have any man on site because she knows he's already enamored.

Tammy

Alexei looks into her eyes, and she can't help but look back.

His blue eyes are almost unique. So many people have blue eyes, but blue has never done anything for Tammy. However, from the night their paths crossed, blue has been everywhere and, in particular, the wintery sky blue of Alexei Smirnov.

It makes her feel indescribable.

She swallows, feeling a childish need to disrupt his calm. Tammy hates how reserved this man is. She envies the steadiness of his body and solid nerves. Alexei never fidgets or taps his fingers. He's stoic, and it infuriates her. Even when they are in rooms and she watches from afar his interactions with others, she hates how easily in charge comes to him.

Tammy's frustrating thing is that Alexei seems not to have any weakness in her being a woman. She's used to men eventually revealing their attraction to her. Not that she's the most beautiful woman globally, but Tammy knows what she can bring energy-wise. Alexei makes her uncomfortable and triggers her insecurities because he isn't just looking at her body or how pretty she is. Tammy can feel the difference in how his eye examines her.

"Cat got your tongue?" Tammy raises an eyebrow and looks over his large frame as he is casually posed in the chair.

Mark always exudes asexuality. No matter what Mark does, it just seems provocative.

Alexei Smirnov has that same thing differently. As Alexei sits on the couch, he moves forward with controlled fluid movements and intertwines his fingers before looking at her with the nearest expression to a smile she's seen on him. He appears younger, so much younger in this moment.

"Why would you care where my tongue is?" His deep voice is different.

Alexei's voice takes on a lighter and almost playful tone. His eyes sparkle anew as though he's tapped into a youthful innocence of a teenager, just beginning to experiment with the Good and Bad of life but not truly knowing the outcomes. It's fleeting energy as he returns to stoic.

"I wouldn't," Tammy says sternly. Her skin begins to warm in embarrassment from the insinuation in his tone.

"I think you're lying," Alexei says with a careless shrug.

Unlike Mark, this isn't a playful flirtation.

When Mark calls her out on things, he does it so that it feels light. She can't just smile and giggle into the confrontation of truths with Mark, and it feels right. Alexei's conflict feels powerless. She doesn't want to think about anyone other than Mark and especially not a sociopath.

"Well, I think you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. " The words tumble out of her mouth quickly as her anger makes her forget whom she is speaking to.

Alexei blinks slowly and is odd.

Each eye blinks separately and then together. Tammy feels a shift that makes her arms break out in goosebumps. He sits back on the couch and gives an arrogant smirk. His eyes are suddenly more predator-like, seeming slanted and snake-like.

Once again, his body language and voice are different. His voice is sure and silky. "Tammy, I know about you. I have obtained everything there is to know about you. You're lying to me. Tell me. . . Does lying make you feel powerful, or does it just excite you?"

Tammy swallows hard as his tone begins to do things to her that are against her will. She doesn't appreciate the sheen of sweat her body has broken out in or the way it suddenly feels impossible to breathe. Tammy doesn't like hearing the beat of her heart in her ears.

"I'm going to my room." Tammy hears herself saying the words, and her fear increases as that underwater feeling begin to take over.

Tammy is heading for the entrance. She can't have one of those blackouts here again with him. Who knows what will go wrong in another moment of senselessness with Alexei Smirnov.

Alexei is silent but on her heels, his hand firmly touching her elbow and twirling her back to face him. "Why are you running when you aren't afraid?"

Tammy feels captured. Alexei is right, and he's wrong. She is afraid. She's not scared of him right now. "Let me go, please. "

Alexei looks into her eyes, and his gaze is searching.

Tammy feels naked. Lust, she can take someone looking her over with sexual intent. She's confident then, and she's satisfied knowing that she can be whatever they fantasize about. However, Alexei Smirnov looks at her the way she's wished since she was a little girl.

Alexei is seeing her and all of her fucked up glory.

Tammy feels panic. She wonders what exactly he's noticing about her right now, and she pulls her arm away from his grip. He isn't letting go as he stands transfixed and looking into her eyes as though he sees her soul. Their faces feel closer and closer, and he doesn't seem to realize he's going to kiss her. She absolutely can't allow Alexei to kiss her, and she feels the warning in every fiber of her being.

Tammy raises her hand and slaps him.

Quickly, she whirls away from the room and seeking privacy. There are warm salty tears that graze her lashes but don't fall. She's angry for so many reasons but none that are clear. She hates Alexei for that moment more than she hates him for branding her.

She barely realizes when she's returned to her room because her mind has retreated into a vivid world of fantasy. A world where she didn't have to be afraid of the only other living person who appeared to notice the real fucked up her.

Everything is terrible timing.

Mark Ricco

Tammy storms out of the room, and it takes everything in his body to feign ignorance.

Mark pretends that he hadn't noticed Tammy enter that room with Alexei. Now, he pretends that he doesn't see her leave and is emotionally fucked up. Mark hadn't expected Alexei to make her cry so soon, but Alexei was so good at getting into women's emotions. That's always been the problem. Alexei can make women feel more than Mark ever can. However, Alexei doesn't see it that way.

Mark notices Alexei doesn't follow. He isn't worried about Tammy being unfaithful to him. Tammy is addicted to him, and Mark feels very confident she would do anything for him. It's a plus and a negative because Tammy has no clue what he secretly wishes she would do for him. He needs her to put things the way they need to be and maybe even fix things between himself and Alexei.

He knew Alexei would be attracted to Tammy.

It does hurt the thought of sharing Tammy with him, but Mark has his eye on the prize. Yes, it is business, but he misses Alexei. He has never gotten over the loss of his closest friend, his everything, in Alexei. No one will ever understand him the way Alexei can.

Mark tosses back the drink and begins to see the future he wants to create. If Tammy can fall into the role of Cassandra, but better because they are all older, they know what not to do, then Mark could have perfection back in his life. His happiest times were all Cassandra, Alexei, and himself. Tammy could make that alive again.

Mark knows he'll be whole with Alexei and Tammy by his side and the families running in order. He even considers giving up being head of the Italian Family. He could work behind Alexei if his life were whole again. Maybe he could pay that price, give up the power and notoriety in exchange for the missing pieces of his soul ever since Cassandra's death.

So he drains his cup and turns his attention to the meeting. He has to watch Tammy hurt. He has to watch Alexei pursue her. He has to pretend he doesn't know what's going on for now. It'll all pay off in the end.