Title: Dance with Me

Author: Ms. Quartermaine

Summary: Set in April 2005. While holding Tracy hostage on the Haunted Star, Luke gives Tracy a chance to stretch. REVISITED. Thanks Deb!

"Luke Spencer!" Tracy cried out. "I'd like to feel the circulation in my legs again by Christmas if that's all right with you!" Irritated, she lowered her head, and her eyes met with her ankles that remained snugly tied to a wheelchair. Unable to free herself from the bonds that secured her tightly, the woman just let out a sigh of frustration.

The previous night, Tracy Quartermaine found herself right in the middle of a Great Luke Spencer Scheme. Unbeknownst to her at the time, Luke had drugged her scotch with the intention of "woman-napping" her, as he called it, and holding her hostage on his Haunted Star casino until she revealed Helena Cassadine's whereabouts.

Having teamed up with the homicidal maniac in the past, it wasn't improbable that Tracy had once again resorted to such desperate measures. However, she had no reason to ever again interact with the loon. Luke, of course, believed otherwise. After more than two decades of battling the Cassadine family, Luke was determined to finish off Helena for good, and Tracy was his bait to do just that.

She sat quite impatiently.

"No can do, darling. You're staying right there," he reminded her in a playful, flirtatious tone, to which Tracy pursed her lips and glared.

And then, she responded sweetly, "I won't run off. I promise."

"You are not very convincing," he responded.

"Aw, come on, Luke!" she pleaded, twisting her wrists around in an effort to break them free from the arms of the wheelchair.

"All right."

Too easy, she thought. Out loud she wondered, "Well, what are you waiting for? Untie me."

"Hold on, woman. Jeez." Luke began to untie her. "I have to make sure you don't run off on me, so—"

"What?" she scoffed. "My word isn't good enough?"

"I'm assuming that's a rhetorical question," he smirked.

Tracy squinted her eyes, "And when did that word become part of your vocabulary? You know what? It doesn't matter. Just untie me."

"All right. Here we go. Easy now," Luke helped Tracy lift herself up.

"Oh my goodness gracious!" she shouted. Having been in the same position for nearly twelve hours had definitely taken its toll on Tracy's body, which ached in places she didn't even know existed until now.

"You all right there?"

Tracy didn't answer. Instead, she bolted for the door, not expecting to trip over her oversized blue and silver robe. "Damnit."

Luke laughed and held out his hand to help her up. "Oh, Spunky," he smiled.

"Well, I'm glad SOMEONE is amused," she said.

She pretended to accept his help and tried escaping once more. This time, she didn't trip, but Luke had grabbed her from behind.

"Luke Spencer! Let me go!"

"Do you want to go back into the chair?" he whispered into her ear.

Tracy made a saddened little girl face. "No," she replied.

"Then dance with me." Once again, he spoke softly and directly into her ear. Luke hadn't used his usual dallying tone, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was only doing to this annoy her. He was still behind her, his arms still tightly around her shoulders. He stood close; so close that Tracy could feel his breath on her skin, which sent shivers down her spine. She wasn't supposed to be savoring the moment.

In order to control her emotions, she broke free from his grasp. "What?" she asked, surprised, but also a little bit disgusted. Enjoying this or not, she was Tracy Quartermaine, very sophisticated and very rich, and she didn't dance with likes of Luke Spencer. After all, he was a drunk. An adrenaline junkie. More specifically, he found great excitement in disguising himself as a bum, and spending the night in a cardboard box with live cockroaches. Tracy couldn't fathom what possessed someone to want to do that.

"Do you want to stretch your legs or not?" he interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, but," she was confused.

"Shh…Then dance."

"Hahaha, no," she laughed her Tracy Quartermaine laugh. Luke persisted, but upon moving forward to bring her towards him, Tracy immediately pulled away. "No," she repeated, possibly protesting more than she should have been.

"Dance with me, or remain in the chair. Take your pick,"

Tracy cleared her throat. "Dancing it is." She smiled coyly, before flipping her hair.

Luke placed his hands on Tracy's hips, and she rested her arms on his shoulders.

"Oooh, Ms. Quartermaine is making herself comfortable."

Tracy pulled back.

"Now, now, Spunky. You had it right before."

Tracy rolled her eyes. "You know what? There's no music. We can't dance."

"Sure we can," he winked. Luke tried another position. With one arm wrapped gently around her back, he used his other hand to take a firm grip of hers. "Here we go," he murmured.

Then the two began to dance slowly. It was quite basic, but even so, Tracy was surprised she remembered how. It had been that long. And so, Luke stepped forward with his left foot; Tracy stepped back with her right. Luke stepped forward with his right foot; Tracy stepped back with her left. And so on. The dance, despite Tracy's initial reluctance, turned out to be quite smooth.

"Now I can make sure you don't run off," he whispered, pulling her in closer, just to keep her from taking off again.

"I'm just so lucky," she responded in a sarcastic tone to cover up her true feelings. In reality, she continued to find herself enjoying all of this, but Luke Spencer could never find out.

And at this point, he didn't have a clue. "Hey! You are lucky. Luke Spencer doesn't dance with just any woman."

"Should I be flattered?" she laughed.

"That's up to you," Luke smirked, as the two continued to dance.

Tracy smiled, satisfied. There were worst ways to spend the afternoon.