CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Emily apologized prettily about it, but she admitted that she'd actually come over to pull Nikolas back to his host duties. Alexis smiled and shooed them away. Soon after that, she stood up and with glass in hand, took herself on a tour of the ballroom.

Eventually she found herself in conversation with Mayor Floyd and a small group of city employees, PR people and a few others. He introduced her to the ones she didn't know and to her pleasure, he was unusually open in his praise of her work as the interim community liaison representative. No doubt it was due to the presence of several out-of-town businessmen and the other political bigwigs in the group. That was the mayor, always working, even at a charity event like this. Before she could escape them, another colleague joined them, much to her sudden annoyance.

"Mrs. Lansing." D.A. Durant all but purred as he made his way through the small crowd surrounding her and the Mayor. "You're looking especially lovely tonight." Charming when he needed to be, he quickly ingratiated himself into the group, obviously making the Mayor even happier. And somehow during all the conversations going on in their little group, he maneuvered himself until he was standing by her side. When there was a lull in the conversation, he took the opportunity to ask her to dance, just as the band struck up a new song. Durant reached out and took her hand even as he asked. Unless she wanted to make a scene, Alexis had no other choice but to say yes.

Once on the dance floor, he swept her into a possessive embrace. "How are you this evening, Mrs. Lansing? You're looking lovely tonight…much too lovely to be flying solo." He sighed dramatically. "Such a waste of a beautiful woman. And you are looking beautiful tonight. I hope that Ric not being here tonight hasn't put a damper on your spirits. I hate to see a woman pining away over a man. Even Ric Lansing"

"I would have thanked you for the compliment, but you had to go and mess it up with the waste comment. And the comment about my husband." I might diss Ric, but perversely, that didn't mean I was going to sit back and allow someone else to do so. Especially John Durant. Until I changed the situation, that was a privilege I had reserved for myself. "You really need to learn to quit when you're ahead." He really ought to; really – he should have. Given the distraction of the last few days, I hadn't given my plans for Durant much thought. But here he was, in my face, bold, brazen and in living color. And reminding me all over again how he had made my hit list to begin with. "And just so you know – I don't do pining. What I want, I go after – and I usually get."

Durant merely grinned at her, one that told me that he hadn't forgotten our little conversation. "So do I."

They danced in silence for a few minutes before Durant spoke again. "So how's that position with the Mayor working out? Are you enjoying working under him?"

I lifted an eyebrow at his little double entendre. "The… position… has its perks."

He jerked his head in Floyd's direction, where he was still holding court over a group of politicians and businessmen. "And is he as annoyingly sycophantic in private as he is in public? Or is he otherwise..stimulating? Perhaps I should sit in on a meeting or two with you..a menage a trois, as it were..."

Oh, so Durant wants to play, does he? "What the Mayor and I do "in private" is really none of your business, Mr. Durant." That was to pay him back for the Mrs. Lansing comment. He knew that it would annoy me, because it was common knowledge that Alexis used her own name for professional purposes.

"And just for future reference, when it comes to positions – I choose the ones I want. And in his defense, Mayor Floyd is doing his job, which is to promote the city….which pays your salary …in case you've forgotten."

"I don't forget things, Alexis. Part of the job – I remember everything someone says to me. I just file it away until I find the right time to use it."

And that just might be your downfall, I thought to myself. Because neither do I. But I didn't let what I was thinking show on my face. Instead I smiled up at him. "Good for you. I can appreciate a man who can remember to do as he's told."

"So you like to be in control?"

"Did you forget that I'm a lawyer?" She allowed herself a laugh and Durant joined in. "Of course I like to be in control. The question is, can you handle that?"

Durant looked at me, the hard glitter of desire very evident in his eyes. "I can handle anything you dish out – Alexis."

Oh, so now we've gone from Mrs. Lansing to Alexis? This was almost too easy. The fish was just throwing himself back onto the hook and I had barely put out the bait.

A part of me hoped that Durant would remember afterwards, that he had asked for whatever came his way. Obviously he hadn't done his research as far as Cassadines were concerned. Or else he really would have known better than to taunt one.

So sad, too bad. For him.

"Well, maybe we'll just have to see about that sometime soon..." I murmured just as the song was coming to an end. I stepped out of his grip, but was halted by Durant's hand on my arm.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Alexis." he warned me.

I smiled at him again. "I never do - John. Make sure you attend the Bacchanalia Ball Saturday night. Do that and just maybe it will be a night you'll never forget."

I saw the thinly covered triumphant look in his smile as he walked me back to the group. Typical male arrogance; he thought I just couldn't resist his oh so manly masculine charms. Luckily for me, as I walked in front of him, he couldn't see the small smile that played at the edges of my lips nor the bigger smile that I wore on the inside – it was twice as big as his. Poor Durant, standing him up would be a pleasure. If I didn't have so many other things going on, I'd deal with him the way I had promised myself I would, but unfortunately, I had bigger fish to fry.

But even though I felt I'd been batting two for two, obviously my luck was about to change. Yet another familiar face was waiting for me when we returned to the group.

The familiar face was that of my husband. Who wasn't looking altogether pleased. Not that anyone else besides me could tell. To the causal observer, Ric was charming and gave of every appearance of being the perfect, doting husband; he moved towards me with an expression on his face that was meant to show that he was actually glad to see me.

But as our eyes met, I instantly knew that we both knew better. His gaze was cool and calculating, in spite of the smile he'd plastered on his expression for the rest of the world to see.

"Hello, wife." he said just before he bent down for a kiss.

The smell of alcohol was already strong on him. He reeked of it, and my stomach churned at the smell. It was done on instinct, not with any forethought, but Alexis turned her face so that his lips brushed her cheeks and not her lips. Ric's only outward reaction was another cool smile. "Did I surprise you?"

"Actually, you did." Alexis said as she nodded. "The last time we talked, you gave me the impression that here with me was the last place you wanted to be. "

"I didn't say that." Ric shot back. "It was business; I told you that. In fact, somehow your Mayor Floyd managed to extend an invitation to the very people I was doing business with."

"Which explains your presence." Alexis said.

"I'm here now, right? So let's just do what we came to do. You be the good little adoring wife wielding all of her political connections and clout, and I'll be the doting husband who caters to her every whim."

Like that ever happened. Alexis paused, but couldn't resist a caustic reply. "Oh, so we're both going to play make-believe?" But she still wasn't ready for an outright war with Ric, so she backed down - for now. "Look Ric, you're wrong about me using any kind of political clout and connections, and I don't know why you would think so, but let's not get into that right now, okay?"

"By all means, wife, let's not. We wouldn't want to do anything except put our best foot forward in front of the Mayor, would we? But I'm sure he's been very understanding of your position."

"How so, Mr. Lansing?" Mayor Floyd said as he joined them.

Ric accepted a glass from a passing waiter. Alexis and the mayor both declined. He gestured with the glass at the room before draining it. "My wife is a very influential member of this community. Isn't the Cassadines a major force behind this gala?"

"I understand that yes, Nikolas Cassadine is a major underwriter for this charity event. Along with the Quartermaines. He and Emily Quartermaine are our hosts this evening...and there's the Bacchanalia Ball of course."

"And don't you see – Nikolas is her nephew...it must be wonderful to have Alexis on staff...I'm sure Nikolas' presence and financial – not to mention his international connections is just one of the many benefits you've received since bringing her on board. I mean, look around, I'd say at the very least, one quarter of the guests tonight are from the international business community. Tell me, Mayor, when was the last time a city event got this much attention and had such a prestigious guest list?"

The mayor looked at him uneasily, whatever kind of smile was on Ric's face, his words and tone were in direct opposition to it. "We've had other contributors...Jasper Jax, for example, has been most generous..."

Ric cut the Mayor off with a sarcastic laugh. "There you go...another perk! Didn't you know that Jax is Alexis' ex-husband? Her favorite one, is how she describes him." He turned to Alexis. "Although sweetheart, I do believe before me, he was the only one, wasn't he?… I mean you've had your share of …affairs, but marriage proposals? Not so much. Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, right?"

He chuckled as though to take the sting and insult out of his words, but failed. "But as I was saying about Jacks, I understand that the divorce was very amicable, wasn't it?" Again he smiled down on Alexis with that same strange little smile that he'd been giving her since he'd arrived. "And to this very day, he'd do anything for her. See, with all of her connections, I'm sure you've found my wife to be a wonderful addition to your staff."

"She's proven to be very valuable, yes." Mayor Floyd said cautiously. He made an attempt to heal the rift Ric was obviously heading for. "But it's not about any connections she might have. Her caring about the youth in our community is what brought her to my attention – but her work since then speaks for itself. There are several people on my staff that would agree with me."

Another waiter happened by and Ric helped himself to another glass. "Oh, I know all about my wife's legal talents. She's always been in high demand by those who get – lucky with her - lucky enough to warrant attention from my Alexis…isn't that right, sweetheart? She's always had a soft spot for the wounded souls, haven't you, Alexis?" He looked at her meaningfully. "Oh, Mr. Mayor, the stories I could tell…. About Alexis and her never-ending quests to save the wounded souls that cross her path."

Alexis stiffened at the crude double-entendre. Mayor Floyd glanced away in empathy, surely as embarrassed as she was. Ric went on as though he hadn't noticed either reaction.

"But admit it, the clout the Cassadine name has in this town has got to be the icing on the cake, isn't it?" He laughed as he toasted his own words and drank again.

The mayor was clearly uncomfortable, but to his credit, did his best to help defuse the situation. After an apologetic and decidedly sympathetic look at Alexis, he managed to maneuver them back to the rest of the group. But Ric wasn't done with his barefaced double-dealing. To Alexis' increasing irritation, the very qualities that Ric had just got through commenting negatively about, her Cassadine and Jax connections, he turned right around and in a truly blatant hypocritically manner, praised her for those very same things, including himself as much as possible.

Alexis was beyond mortified at Ric's behavior. Ric had always had a sense of arrogance in him; he was very much like his brother that way. In its own way, his sense of sureness in himself had had its own kind of appeal. Again, much like Sonny had. But this was an ugly side of Ric she hadn't seen often and as blatantly. He was being boastful and dominating. What had gotten into him? For the moment, she didn't know and cared less. All she knew was that his two-facedness was suffocating. "If you'll excuse me for a moment," she murmured as she moved away, only to be stopped as Ric's hand came down heavily on her shoulder.

"Just a moment, wife." Ric stepped closer. "Maybe I won't." He spoke low enough so that only she could hear him. "Maybe I won't excuse you."

"Excuse me? – won't excuse me for what?" Being physically stopped twice in one evening was more than Alexis was willing to put up with. She spun around to face him. "Never mind –just back off, Ric." she said, finally allowing her anger to show.

"Maybe I won't excuse you from walking away from me, wife. Especially with that rather mutinous look in your eye. That wouldn't look too good to the mayor or any of our guests, would it?"

"Not that I feel under any obligation to inform you of my whereabouts – since you obviously feel no need to inform me of yours….but for your information, I was just on my way to the ladies' room; but let me ask you something. Our guests? Since when did we have guests? Last time I checked, this charity event had very little to do with us, so where is the our guest thing coming from?"

"Why wife, with the Cassadine name being so heavily involved, it's common knowledge that we, as a prominent branch of this internationally famous family, are staunch supports of this altruistic event. It's good to see so many guests tonight whose presence can only be attributed to the Cassadine name – our family is being shown the respect it deserves. Shouldn't we at least acknowledge it?"

His constant use of the term wife only poured fuel on the fire; it lent a sharp sense of sarcasm to her tongue. "Oh, is that the spin you've put on it for your- guests? Trying to impress to impress them with a little Cassadine reflected glory? I think you're the one more concerned with appearances than I am." Alexis said. "And speaking of looking good to our so-called guests, you didn't make a very good impression with the mayor a few minutes ago." she pointed out. "What were you thinking, talking to him like that? You may not have to, but after tonight, while you jet back off to New York City or wherever, I have to work with the man – and the system he runs. You might have taken that – along with me and my feelings - into consideration."

"Worried about your halo being a little tarnished? I think you should have stopped worrying about that years ago. I didn't say anything that isn't common knowledge." Ric shrugged the thought of the mayor away. "Mayor Floyd? He's not the only big fish in the sea. And Port Charles is just a little pond. I did all right with the ones who counted. No thanks to you," he added with a sneer. "There are way bigger ponds than this one. You may be content to swim with the little fishes, but that doesn't mean I have to be. Of course, you've got lots of reasons to keep you here, don't you?" His voice was heavy with irony.

Alexis looked at Ric as though he had grown a second head. What was he thinking? First he wanted to play the loving husband, and then he was doing his best to undermine her position with all of his stupid insulting innuendos. And as to his last remark, she purposefully chose to ignore it. "Oh, yes, there's NYC... obviously you're finding what you're looking for up there. Better waters to fish in than here? Sweeter fish to fry? I'm sure there's all kinds of interesting – catch – to be had."

"Bigger and better." Ric informed her.

"Well, by all means, don't let me keep you from it." Alexis said. But Ric wasn't done with her yet; his hand slid down to grasp her wrist. "We're not putting that best foot forward, wife. Unless you have a previous engagement, may I have this dance?" It wasn't a question. Even as he spoke, Ric pulled her towards the dance floor.

"Ric…wait…I don't…"

She tried to pull away, to protest, to jerk free, but he continued to ignore her words, never giving her a chance to finish her sentence. Before she knew it, Alexis found herself in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by the multitude of guests and it was too late. Ric took her into his arms and they began to move to the rhythm of the music.

Alexis was icily silent with anger for a time. She refused to look at him. Ric looked down at her with a smile. "You know, I almost prefer you this way. At least you're quiet."

"Only because unlike you, I have no desire to cause a scene. " Alexis replied.

"Well you should have thought about that before you chose to play your little games."

Her eyes shot up to his face. "What games? I didn't even know you were going to be here tonight."

"And that's exactly what I'm talking about. I didn't appreciate your machinations."

"I still have no idea what you're talking about." Alexis answered sharply. "But I'm not surprised; you're obviously indulging yourself in some drunken fantasy." But unwillingly, Luke's words flashed into her head. "He may not know a single solitary thing about the particulars...but trust me…us men all about proprietariness. And you can bet, something is ringing Ric's alarm bell even if he doesn't know the who and why of it."

Ric pulled her a little closer, knowing that she would hate his possessive gesture but obviously determined to prove his dominance over her. "I was plenty sober when I received the summons from the mayor's office."

"The invitation, you mean. I had nothing to do with that. I asked you about it,yes; but I realized it was very last minute – that's why I didn't press you. Or expect you here tonight."

"Am I supposed to believe that, wife? I find that very hard to do, considering my corporate clients were contacted and given invitations too. They are a very important corporate clients of mine and I didn't appreciate their being used just so you could use them as a stepping stone for your own career." Seeing the denial in her expression, Ric shook his head. "Please, don't expect me to believe that you had absolutely nothing to do with any of this happening. Somehow, I don't think that our Mayor Floyd came up with that little plan…it just seems so much more of a Cassadine thing to do. You know, devious schemes and manipulations…. It's a Cassadine trait, isn't it? When you want something – you'll pretty much do anything to get it."

"Why would I do that? What did I want? The pleasure" – and the way she says the word pleasure makes it clear that it's anything but pleasure - "…of your drunken company? If this was how you were going to present yourself, you could have stayed in the city. In fact, I think I would have preferred it."

"Oh, I intend on returning there as soon as possible. But in the meanwhile, we do have appearances to keep up." His hold on her was ungentle. "But as long as I'm here, we will continue to pretend to be the loving couple." Ric smiled insincerely.

Alexis' smile was just as false. "Pretend is the key word right now, isn't it?"

"That's it…you're one smart cookie, you know that? Of course you do. It's another one of those Cassadine traits."

I retreated into a cool silence. It would do no good to argue with Ric, I could see that. Oh, I could release my inner Cassadine on him and show him some traits he didn't know about, but what good would it do in the here and now? One of us had to do the thinking here and I'd much rather it were me instead of Ric. So let him have this little victory.

I was planning on winning the war.