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The Quintessential Q
Chapter Eighteen
Matter of Lust.
The Port Charles Country club-- Nikolas snaps his phone shut. "I'm really sorry, that was my brother; there is a family emergency."
"I hope everything is okay?" Viki asks with sweet concern.
"I won't know until I talk to him. I hope you will excuse me." Nik packs up his gear.
"Only as long as you promise me a raincheck." Viki pouts prettily.
Nik grimaces unseen by his mixed doubles partner. "Of course. We'll make arrangements next time you're at the hospital." Nik tosses his bag over his shoulder. Saying goodbye to the other couple he makes his way out to the parking lot.
"Do you know what I had to cancel to do this, Viki?" The male half of the couple complains putting up his own gear.
"You were winning; what are you bitching about?" Viki retorts sharply.
"Yeah, he's pretty but he's awful rusty isn't he?" Viki's sorority sister says.
"Very pretty." Viki stares after Nik's rear view. "Rich, connected and single-- who cares if he can play tennis?!"
"Listen, I'm going into the club to grab a beer. You ladies can lust at your leisure." The guy leaves with a disgusted snort.
"Don't mind him. If he's not the prettiest one on the court he gets testy. So what do you know about the guy?" The sorority sister asks curiously.
"Not enough. But I've started volunteering at the hospital. His parents both work there. I'll be able to find out what I need to know."
"The family is rather... notorious."
"Only if you read the tabloids."
"Which you do!"
"I know. But my father doesn't."
The little cottage in the woods.
Liz and Lucky arrive before Nikolas and take a seat on the steps leading up to the front door. "So I take it that Emily has finally gotten fed up with Katherine Bell and is going to make her life hell?"
"That's the plan. You know the old Emily would never have done anything like this." Lucky laments.
"Oh please. She might have thought it, dreamed it-- NOW she is following through. Emily isn't a saint."
"She's as close as the Quartermaines have gotten in the last two generations and they had to adopt to get it."
"Wasn't Jason *good* once upon a time?"
"He still is; we're just not going to discuss at what." Lucky laughs. "You know that Jason is straight now right? He and Sonny keep the *business* separate. Jason stays out of the other. But he is still the back up. Anyone looks funny at Sonny knows that they will have to deal with Jason. And Jason doesn't offer to take someone out or threaten them... they just disappear."
"Doesn't sound too straight to me." Liz shudders. "Have you talked to Emily about this?"
"Nope. No need. She knows what is going on. We don't have to talk about it." Lucky hears the throaty purr of the jag coming up the lane. Nikolas sees Lucky and Liz waiting for him. He climbs out of the car and walks up the steps.
"You should have gone in."
"It's your house, man. I only break into people's house I don't know or like. And I know you."
Nikolas unlocks the door and walks in to the living room. Lucky and liz follow him and take seats on the couch getting comfortable. "You were kind of cryptic on the phone. What's up?"
"You have any plans on fathering a baby for Katherine Bell?"
"WHAT!" Liz screeches.
"Hell no!" Nik denies at the same time. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"A confidental and reliable source has brought it to my attention that Ms Bell is working on getting pregnant. Thought I should find out if I'm going to be an uncle."
"Katherine and I aren't seeing each other anymore. We haven't since I left Deception." Nik denies STRONGLY.
"But she is still calling." Lucky reminds Nik. "The lady has some lusty plans, bro, and I think you're the star." Lucky puts a finger right in Nik's chest for emphasis.
"I want to know who is saying this." Nikolas demands pacing the living room.
"Like I said-- it's confidental and reliable, and it's first hand, man, not some rumor mill thing. The lady is trying to get pregnant. I figured you had a right to know, just in case she shows up on your doorstep some night. Make sure you use your condoms and not the one she brings with her. You were using condoms right?"
"I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH KATHERINE!" Nik calms himself down. "Will your source keep quiet about this? Emily can't find out about this. She and I are finally on the same page. She hears something like this and she might take off to Italy for the rest of the summer on a shoot or something." Nik runs his fingers through his hair.
"I didn't know you played tennis, Nik." Liz asks out of nowhere.
"One of the volunteers at the hospital invited me. It was the polite thing to do." Nik replies absently.
"Anyone I know?" Liz insists trying to divert the conversation from Lucky's "source". Lucky had been right; she'd picked up quickly enough what was going on. Push come to shove, sorry Nik, the loyalty was to the girlfriend. Especially the friend that had gotten burned so many times before.
"Victoria Porter."
"Rita Porter's sister right? I think Rita went horse shopping with Emily and Carly that time." Liz looks over at Lucky who nods. "But I haven't heard anything about Victoria."
"I need to talk to Emily." Nikolas decides. "I have to know if she's heard these rumors too."
"I saw Emily at Kelly's. She stopped by but she has a party tonight for Rita's dad and stepmom. They are getting back from their honeymoon. Em is tight with Cook. She's probably already with Carly helping to get ready." Nik is about to protest when there is a ring on the door. He walks over and pulls the door open.
"Delivery-- Nikolas Cassadine?" The man looks up from his clipboard. When Nik nods he hands the clipboard to Nik. "Please sign by the X." Nik signs and the delivery man hands over a cardboard tube. Nik tips the guy and shuts the door.
"What is it?" Liz asks.
"A project I'm working on. I'm planning on moving into town."
"Since when?" Lucky asks. "And if you were planning on moving into town why did you put a stables in back of this property?"
"I had not seen this house yet." Nik replies.
"Can we see?" Liz slides in closer to Nik.
"I guess. But remember this is a surprise-- don't tell anyone outside this room. My father doesn't know about it yet."
"Yeah, right." Lucky laughs. "You keep believing that."
"He'll find out when he gets the statements on my accounts but I haven't gone over the spending limit that raises the red flags with the accountant." Nik goes over to the desk and rolls out the plans from the tube.
"That's the same account that you bought the jag out of? and then turned around and bought this place and built a stable in the back." Lucky rolls his eyes. "How many figures are in that monthly allowance, Bro?"
Liz squints at the plans trying to figure them out. "It's a victorian? They had some great victorians in Denver-- places that were built during the gold rush."
"Yeah, Wyndemere lite." Nikolas quips. "Queen Anne instead of gothic." He grows serious. "It's downtown convenient to everything: the hospital, the university, the new theater that Mrs Quartermaine is backing. It isn't going to be habitable for months. But will hopefully be finished before the first time I'm snowed in here. There is a carriage house that is going to be converted to an apartment. If you're interested." Nik looks at Lucky.
"You offering me a place at your house?" Lucky confirms.
"Yeah, if you're getting tired of the smell of motor oil and gasoline. That place is a firetrap. And you froze last winter."
"Lets see how it goes." Lucky says noncommitally. Liz had finally gotten his room the way he liked it. Lucky watches as Liz pulls the plans away from Nik and starts examining them closely. Nik steps back and nods to Lucky who nods back they make their way out to the front porch. Nik shuts the door silently behind them. "Did you see this coming?"
"No way. Maybe it's somebody else?" Nik wishes aloud.
"Sure. Who?" Lucky and Nik are both silent. "Man, I think you got an ex- girlfriend problem. And as much as I really hate saying it-- I think Katherine Bell believes getting pregnant is going to get you and her back on the same page or at least under the same sheets."
"It's not going to happen." Nik says emphatically.
Happy Family house.
Johnny uses the code Carly gave him to enter the gates and drives around to the kitchen door with his van. He tests the door and finds it locked. Taking a step back he examines the doorway and porch. "Okay if I were Ms Benson, where would I stash a key?" Johnny laughs and grabs the pot of rosemary. Sure enough the key was right underneath it. "Rosemary for remembrance, right Ms B, and a key for when you forget." Johnny unlocks the kitchen door and steps in. He uses the same code as he used for the front gate in the security system. Blocking the door open, he starts bringing in trays and platters of snacks for this get together. He has his head in the fridge rearranging things to make room when Emily walks in behind him.
"Burglary always makes me hungry too. And I'm starving." Johnny jumps and bumps his head on the top of the fridge.
"Gees," he rubs the red mark on his forehead. "wear a bell or something."
"Like you wouldn't have started at the sound of a bell too. Jumpy for some reason, Johnny?" Emily leans against the doorway.
"I'm not jumpy." Johnny grumps and rises to his feet. "I got a lot to do before this thing goes off tonight."
"Delivery and catering, you're already branching out. Who is running the restaurant while you're here?"
"It's closed. I still haven't had time to hire someone to replace the chef your grandfather stole while I was out looking for you."
Emily is initially sympathetic until Johnny starts talking about looking for her. "I was fine. There was no reason for you to play dirty Harry over at Nik's house." Emily puts on an Eastwood imitation. "Ya feel lucky, punk?" Then reverts to her normal voice. "HA. IF you lost your chef, don't put that on me."
Johnny walks over to the doorway ready to make another trip to the van. Emily blocks the doorway. "AH HELL. Lets just get this over with already." Johnny pulls Emily to him and kisses her with enthusiasm. Emily's eyes close and her knees go weak before she starts thinking again and bites down warningly on Johnny's lip. Johnny laughs and pulls back brushing the back of his hand against his lip to see if Em had drawn blood. Then he cups her face with his hand holding her chin firmly in his grasp as he looks down into her eyes. "If burglary makes you hungry and you're starving.... What in the hell have you been up to today, Emily Bowen Quartermaine?"