Risk
Chapter LXXXIV
"Sir! Sir! You really can't go in there without an appointment!" Elton feels as if he's in a Groundhog Day style loop. Only this time instead of Monica Quartermaine, it's Stefan Cassadine rolling thru the foyer of Deception with a full head of steam.
Nikolas looks up at the first sounds of trouble and sees Stefan coming thru the doorway. "It's all right, Elton. I've been expecting this." Nik looks at his watch. "Call my 11:30. I wasn't supposed to be in town anyway and it was a last minute appointment." Nik glances down his book and winces deciding what the hell. It wasn't like he had dinner plans anyway. "Give them my apologies and if they don't have plans for dinner we can make it a business dinner otherwise reschedule." Nik then leans back in his chair. (Carly normally used the sofa and the coffee table) "To what do I owe the pleasure, Uncle?"
"Your Aunt came to see me today."
"How is Kristina doing? I'm going to have to check out her shop when I get a free minute."
"Do not be flip. You know I mean Alexis."
Nik allows a small smile and shakes his head. "Right. I should have realized. Kristina doesn't know I'm back in town yet. Alexis did. I was going to call you. Maybe go riding with Lucas this weekend since I'm in town."
Stefan waves a hand impatiently. "Yes, yes of course. He, we, will be happy to see you."
"Great. I'll call Bobbie and firm up plans." Nik reaches for a piece of paper hoping that will be in the end of it but it has never been that easy with Stefan. His Uncle takes a seat across the desk and makes himself comfortable, patiently waiting for Nikolas to give up the pretense of the paper shuffling. Finally Nik sighs. "I called Alexis because she is my lawyer-- it was a legal issue pertaining to Deception."
"And that is why you notified your Father." One brow of Stefan's goes up inquisitively.
Resting his forearms on the desk, Nik makes a small wave with one hand in a negative motion. "Oh no. I figured that one out back in Italy. Deception is Carly and I. It is not part of the estate. It does not involve Stavros."
"Carly, you and your mother." Stefan adds pointedly.
Nikolas winces. "How much did Alexis actually tell you?"
"For future reference, Nikolas, Confidentiality only applies when the information is known only by the lawyer. Much as any other secret... it is no longer so when a third, fourth, or fifth person knows."
Nik closes his eyes and then attempts to rub out the headache that is building right behind his eyes with one hand. "I wanted to speak to Carly, just Carly, about an issue at Deception." Nikolas sighs. He knows his uncle well, probably better than anyone other than Alexis or maybe Helena. "But that is not why you are here or why you called earlier this morning. I had no intention of involving Stavros."
Stefan nods. "Your father placed himself in the middle. I see."
"Carly wasn't home."
"Might I suggest that next time you call first?" Stefan offers too calmly.
"That would have made things worse, I think." Nik tries to picture what would have happened if he'd called for Carly. If his father would have been alone when he found out Carly had gone out for the evening and not told him where... "Being there stopped Stavros from actually doing anything... rash in her absence." Nikolas makes a conscious effort as always to remember to call his father Stavros when talking to his uncle.
"You mean like killing Jason Morgan?"
Nik mutters under his breath. "Alexis didn't leave much out did she?"
"My sister finds her amusements in the oddest places these days. Stavros and Jason locking horns was evidently the most entertaining element of last night's events."
"Alexis never used to like blood sports."
"My brother's influence undoubtedly."
Nik decides to break from the Cassadine handbook and actually put all his cards on the table. "Look... I'm not going to apologize for not contacting you about Deception business. And it was never my intention to involve my... Stavros in Deception business either. All I wanted to do was clear up a potential problem with Carly's input with Alexis outlining all of the possible outcomes and then go back to Minnesota with Gia to finish up the public relations trip."
"You mean your mother... appropriating $25,000 for her personal use."
"Is there anything that Alexis didn't tell you?"
"I do not know... why don't you tell me?"
Carly wraps the plush, turkish cotton bathsheet around her tucking one end in the hollow between her breasts and grabs a hand towel energetically wiping the condensation from the bathroom mirror. Reaching over she turns up the radio on the combination clock/radio/cd player and plugs in the blowdryer.
We got the afternoon You got this room for
two
One thing I've left to do Discover me Discovering you
One mile to every inch of Your skin like porcelain
One pair of candy lips and Your bubblegum tongue
Carly grabs another towel and starts getting most of the moisture out of her hair and then grabs goop and comb from her basket on the counter, dropping the towel on the floor. Unlike any other room in the house, this is the one that is clearly marked as a woman living in the house. It's semitidy, it can't be anything else with as much staff as Stavros insisted on, but the drawers and counters have more than share of powder, paint and jewelry. Carly glances at the LED readout to see how late she is running with a muttered curse she turns the blowdryer on high. Between the music and the blowdryer she doesn't hear Stavros enter the bathroom until he is right behind her and reaching for the blowdryer, taking it from her hand and turning it off.
"Hey, I need that." Carly protests. "I'm supposed to be at work... oh gees... in 45 minutes. I'm never going to make it."
"Be late." Stavros brushes Carly's silky and still slightly damp hair away from the nape of her neck and presses a kiss there.
"Aren't you suppose to be going to the zoo with Michael today?"
"He and Kris left directly after breakfast." Stavros reaches around Carly and starts toying with the tuck that is holding up the towel.
Carly's hand comes up to cover his stopping his progress. While the mirror is mostly clear after being wiped and with the heat of the blowdryer there is still just a hint too much distortion and she turns around leaning against the counter looking up at Stavros. "What's going on? You were looking forward to that field trip with Michael. It was going to be guys day out. Something about it being a research trip so that Michael could pick out the next country he wanted to see. Original habitat, photographic safari..." Carly frowns and she pauses to really examine Stavros face. "You're still pissed. I thought we settled this last night."
Stavros steps back. "He had no right...."
Carly starts shaking her head. "I can't believe you are still hot about this. Stavros, you are just going to have to deal, let it go. It's a fact of my life living here in Port Charles as constant as the sun rising in the east."
"We'll leave Port Charles." Stavros declares flatly.
"No, we are not going to leave Port Charles." Carly counters.
"Excuse me?" Both of Stavros' brows go up at being told no. Not something to which he is accustom.
"I haven't finished with this town yet and neither have you." Carly slides in close wrapping her arms around Stavros waist. She rests her chin on the middle of his chest, looking up at him. It did look like she was going to be late to work.
And if you want love- We'll make it
Swimming a deep sea Of blankets
Take all your big plans
And break 'em
This is bound to be a while
"Hey Bowen, howzit going?" Lucky has the phone in the darkroom on speaker phone so that he can keep right on working while he chats.
"Pretty good. Gia and I are pacing ourselves. Don't know if I'm up to a doubleheader out at the ball park though. Entirely too much sitting. Maybe just the first game. I'm going to download some pictures to email to you. Nothing as good as you could take of course."
"Oh of course." Lucky laughs. "What kind of pictures?"
"Just checking out the sights and stuff."
"I can't believe Carly roped you into going to Minnesota with Gia and that you went along with it. It was bad enough Nik telling you to stay put in the apartment."
"Hey you guys where the ones telling me that I had to get out of town. You've been harping on it ever since I got back. Oooohhhh Stavros is back. Oooohhh danger oooohhhh."
"Knock it off." Lucky looks around to see that nothing will be damaged by him flipping on the lights. Everything looks good so he flips on the lights and then gets comfortable on a stool next to the phone. Sick of the echo that went along with talking on speaker he picks up the handset. "So do the Q's know you are out of town?"
"I called Reggie to let Grandmother know."
Lucky looks up as the door to the darkroom opens. Flipping on the light switch unlocks the door... one way to ensure that negatives don't get ruined. "Guess who just walked thru the door. Man, you look like you've been thru a war."
"First Dr Monica Quartermaine shows up this morning and then Stefan."
"Oh I love my job." Lucky says wryly. "Specially that locking door thing."
"Who is on the phone?"
"Em."
"Is Gia there?"
Em hears Nik's question. "She's got a line of about fifty people waiting for her autograph. I'll have her give him a call when she gets a break."
"Slave driver." Lucky jokes but relays the information to Nikolas.
Nik nods and then pulling up a stool decides to get comfortable in the smelly but comforting confines of the dark room. It doesn't last long as his cell phone starts ringing. Nik shakes his head in disbelief. "Cassadine. Wait a minute. That's Carly's meeting. Right. Fine. I'm on my way. Give Carly a call over at my father's and find out what the hell is holding her up." Nik slaps the phone closed.
"Elton?"
Nik looks at his watch. "Carly's running late."
"Well she was fine when we left last night. We might have been the last ones to see her alive."
"Don't start." Nik warns thru gritted teeth. "Have Gia give me a call." Nik leaves the darkroom.
"You hear that?"
"Yeah. What was my mother doing at Deception this morning?"
"Uno guess."
"Oh great. I better give her a call."
Stefan hands his coat to the maid. "Tell my brother I am here."
The maid winces. This is one of those no win situations. "Prince Stavros cannot be disturbed." She finally says. "If you would care to wait...."
Stefan sighs reading the maid's expression. For a Cassadine retainer her face is easy, too easy, she's not going to last long. "I will wait. But not long." He follows the maid into the front room of the large house. "In the future it would be better to say that Prince Stavros is unavailable rather than he cannot be disturbed. It is more... ambiguous."
"Yes, sir. Thank you sir." The maid leaves the room as fast as she can without appearing to be fleeing once in the kitchen she calls up to the Master Bedroom and leaves a message on the voice mail. It had plenty of company-- that Elton Herbert had called, as well as Mrs Cassadine and Prince Nikolas.
Something 'bout the way your hair
falls in your face
I love the shape you take
when crawling towards the pillowcase
Carly's eyes are sparkling as she makes her way up the bed. Her hair falls down past her bare shoulders. She straddles Stavros, the blankets and topsheet had already been cast aside in the first round and litter the floor. Stavros runs his hand up her bare back delighting in the shiver as her back arches just like a little cat. His hand comes up to the back of her neck and pulls her to him ravishing her mouth. With lightening fast speed he reverses their positions so that he is on top.
(I'll use my hands)
Your body Is a wonderland
You tell me where to go
and Though I might leave to find it
I'll never let your head hit the bed
Without my hand behind it.
As soon as he is on top, Stavros slows down and takes his time savoring every response Carly has to his touch, his kiss. He can feel the moment when she is on the edge of exploding and taking him with her. Her nails scar his shoulders unnoticed, she bites at his lower lip impatiently and digs in her heels. "There. Oh... Gawd. Oh Gawd!" Carly rocks her hips forward taking them both over.
Damn baby You frustrate me
I know you're mine all mine all mine
But you look so good it hurts sometimes
Your body Is a wonderland
"I'm here to see my daughter. I've already called Deception and she's not there." Bobbie hands her coat to the maid.
"No, Mrs Cassadine."
"No, I can't see her?!"
"No, I mean she isn't at Deception. umm... she can't really be... um she's unavailable but..." oh hell "Would you like to wait in the front room while I get her for you?"
Bobbie smiles showing all her teeth. "That would be fine. And if she isn't down here in ten minutes or less I'm going to go looking for her."
"Yes, of course, ma'am." The maid leads Bobbie to the same room where Stefan is and shuts the door behind her. "I am so dead. Mr Kris should be handling this." Straightening as if facing a firing squad the maid goes up to the master bedroom and softly raps on the door.
"Go Away!" Stavros roars from inside the room.
so dead "I'm sorry, sir, but Miss Carly's mother is here and she didn't sound as if she was going to go away."
"Mama?" Carly crawls out of bed and grabs a robe. She tosses the sheets back on the bed in Stavros direction and then after running her hand thru her sweat streaked hair opens the door thismuch. "What is my mother doing here?"
The maid keeps her voice to a low whisper. "She did call earlier trying to get hold of you, the voice mail has been picking up your calls."
"Calls?"
The maid nods. "Lots of calls."
Carly looks over her shoulder to the clock and groans then she looks down at herself and shakes her head. "Twenty minutes. Just give me twenty minutes. Make her a pot of tea... give her some cookies... Michael's latest homework. I'll be right down."
Before Carly can shut the door the maid adds an additional message in a low hiss. "The Prince's brother is here too. He's been waiting for the prince for about half an hour."
"Oh the hits just keep on coming." Carly shoves her hands thru her hair raking it back out of her face. "Is anyone else waiting?"
"You'd better check your messages." The maid gives a half smile, half grimace.
"Thanks. Oodles." Carly shuts the door and then leans up against it. Stavros has adjusted the pillows so that they are supporting his back against the headboard and he has pulled the sheet up to cover his assets. "Mama's here. And so is Stefan."
"I heard. Come back to bed."
Carly shakes her head. "Unuh. No way. And you just stay right over there... don't you get that thing anywhere near me..."
Stavros throws off the covers.
Carly races to the bathroom.
Take all your big plans And break 'em
This is bound to be a while
Your body Is a wonderland
Your body is a wonder
Have a great weekend y'all and happy new year.
Deb
your body is a wonderland lyrics by john mayer