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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Chapter Nineteen
A Night at the Opera.
AJ waits in the living room for Carly to be ready for their night out. The babysitter is already there. "Carly will call you between acts to see how things are going. Michael is a pretty easy going kid and we'll be home by midnight... sooner if there are any problems."
"I'm sure there will be no problem...Wow... what a great dress!" The babysitter is distracted when Carly comes out of her room.
"Thanks." Carly self-consciously brushes a hand down the front of the strapless short black velvet dress.
AJ takes out a long coat from the closet and holding it for Carly he helps her into it. Running his hands down her arms after she puts the coat on. He takes the moment to whisper in her ear."You look beautiful, Thank you."
"For what?"
"I've been dreaming about you in black velvet since that day I was over at the brownstone trying to put that damn stereo together."
"You sneak! No wonder you were so adament about this dress when we were at the store today. And why you were so quick to offer to buy it."
"I told you if I like it, I'll buy it-- You like it; then you buy it."
Carly runs her hand down AJ's tie, and brushes his shoulders automatically before looking him right in the eye before replying in a throaty low voice. "That could be an expensive mistake... I bet I can find a LOT of things that you'd like."
"And I'll have a blast seeing you try." AJ replies with a devilish grin. He glances down at his watch. "We should get going so we can grab something to eat before the show."
"What are you going to see?" The babysitter inquires politely.
"I have no idea." Carly replies. Then looking in AJ's eyes again. "I'm totally at your mercy this evening."
"We'll check in." AJ reiterates beforing placing a hand on Carly's back escorts her from the room.
A car waits downstairs for them, dinner passes in a blur of pleasant conversation punctuated with laughter and soon they are at the Lincoln Center with a crush of other cars and limos waiting to disembark their passengers for the evenings entertainment.
"So are you ready to tell me what I'm going to be seeing tonight?"
"Samson et Dalila." AJ replies. "I figured that you would follow the story easy enough.
Carly laughs. "You're kidding right? A wicked woman being the downfall of a righteous man. Is there some parallel here?"
"Could have been worse; it could have been Salome." AJ says waiting as the car pulls to the front of the Lincoln Center. Getting out of the car first he holds his hand out to Carly who takes it to ease herself gracefully from the car. AJ places his hand at her back and walk up the steps to the illuminated building. Checking their coats they make their way to their seats at the Center Parterre--not so high up as to not see everything and not so far in the front to miss the whole experiece. In other words, the best seats in the house.
"We have some time before the performance starts. Want to wander around?"
Carly nods looking around in fascination too awestruck to be cool about the experience. "This place is awesome. It's so huge, and so beautiful."
"Next time we'll go to Carnegie Hall." AJ offers. They go back down to the Mezzanine where finding a quiet spot to people watch they have a drink (non-alcoholic for AJ of course). After pointing out to each other on the sly a few of the notables, the lights flash notifing the audience that it's time to find their seats. Carly is soon caught up in the familiar story, the pagentry of the production even though she finds the singing a distraction from the action. The singing is beautiful, powerful and foreign. After the first act, there is a brief break. Carly and AJ go back to the Mezzanine to stretch their legs. While Carly is in the restrooms AJ runs into a business associate that is going to help him in taking down Katherine. Carly comes back to find the two in deep conversation.
Tucking a hand through AJ's arm, Carly assesses the situation rapidly. Seeing that her presense is tampening the associate's candor Carly excuses herself. "AJ, I'm going to get some souvenirs for Bobbie and Lila, you said Lila liked opera right?"
AJ looks a little relieved. "Carly I'd really appreciate it. It'd cut down my time in the doghouse by about half." Carly holds out a hand with palm extended and a quirk of an eyebrow. AJ shakes his head and withdraws his wallet and withdraws a couple of bills. Carly gives him a quick buss on the cheek and makes her way to the giftshop.
"She's got you trained already." Mr.Werner quips."My wife does the same thing to me."
AJ shrugs. "I'm on a tight timetable here; I'm supposed to be on vacation-- the first since my son was born. Is it ready to go?"
"It's already happening. By the time you get back to Port Charles, Deception will be ripe for the picking. Katherine Bell will know that you are the one to deal with. I made sure that your name would be dropped as to the cause and solution to her problem."
AJ nods. "That's great. And our agreement is in place. Whether I'm voted in as CEO of ELQ, I'll be able get you that contract for the most favorable rate." AJ holds out his hand and the deal is sealed with a firm handshake.
AJ follows Carly to the gift shop where she is just finishing up her purchases-- cast cds of the performance and some coffee table books about the Lincoln Center. She looks over as AJ enters the shop. "Well that went well-- I can tell from the look on your face."
"Very well. Things are falling into place." Looking around AJ decides to be discrete. "Let's go back to our seats." Moving through the throng, AJ smoothly negotiates back to their seats. As the intermission is still on they have a private moment in their seats. "He's already moving on Katherine. By Monday she'll need a white knight to pull her out of the hole she's dug for herself."
"You as a white knight, playing against type, aren't you?" Carly teases. "What's going to stop her from going to Edward to bail her cookies out of the fire?" Carly questions getting serious.
"Katherine has been using the Smith transportation network to distribute Deception. On the surface it's very legit but it still ties her to organized crime. The network will break down when there's a combination of legal and union complications. Grandfather won't touch it because of the mob element."
"Union complications? You're calling a strike on Katherine?" Carly leans back in her seat and roars with laughter.
"Taking a page out of Jason's book." AJ admits ruefully "It was her weakest spot."
Carly leans in and crooks a finger at AJ to do the same. As he leans in she stage whispers in his ear. "Jason never called the dock strike-- I did." AJ pulls back surprised. Carly shrugs. "Edward ticked me off. GAWD, I thought that I was dead. Jason was ready to kill me in the limo on the way home. I had a bruise on my arm for a week. He hustled me out of the party so fast. Even Jason's people don't know that it was my big mouth."
"He put his hands on you?!" AJ's eyes flash with sudden fury.
Carly reaches out to put a hand on AJ's arm. "It was my fault; I interfered in Jason's business." Carly reminds AJ bewildered by his ire. "It's no big deal; I bruise easy. I shouldn't have said anything." Carly gnaws on her bottem lip.
AJ grinds out between clenched teeth."You don't talk to him, you don't see him-- no contact. IF he EVER puts his hands on you again I want to know."
"AJ--"
"NO, there's no excuse. He had no right, nobody does." The lights in the house flash signalling the audience to the beginning of the second act. Carly and AJ focus on the opera falling into an uneasy silence. Neither find it easy to concentrate on the drama unfolding on stage.