Chapter 35:

Lulu got ready for the gala in her bedroom; her hair was up in an elegant bun, because of the high slit of the dress she was unable to wear any panties. She was just able to wear the lilac corset that was in the Big Box of Fun. Lulu went to her jewelry box. She put on the necklace that her brothers got her for her birthday, the ring that Sonny got her and the bracelet Sonny bought for her over during her summer visit, and a pair of diamond earrings. Her other wrist and hand looked bare. Without thinking, she put on the bracelet and ring that Dante had gotten her for her birthday.

The only shoes that looked the best with the dress were the shoes that were in the Big Box of Fun.

Lulu picked up her tote bag and pulled out the home pregnancy test. Someone knocked at the door. She picked up her black purse she had with her on the plane, shoving the test inside. "I am almost ready!" she called. "Give me a few minutes!"

"We will be in the kitchen waiting for you," Morgan's voice said. "We would like to get there in a descent hour."

Lulu looked down at her black leather handbag; it worked with her dress so she will use it if not they would be late if she went to look for another bag.

Lulu came downstairs to meet her brothers in the kitchen a few minutes later. They both were dressed in tuxes. "Wow, sis you look great. Milo over did it a tad though," Michael commented.

"Why is the slit too high?" Lulu wondered. "The bodice cut too low? I mean I was a little worried to have something this low cut but my scar is gone."

Morgan didn't know how to broach the subject. "When you walk, the slit gets higher if that is possible and when you move we can practically see your panties."

"Maybe it's a good thing that I am not wearing any panties," Lulu returned.

"That is too much information for a brother to know," Michael cringed.

Morgan handed her something that was on the counter. It was a black and purple masquerade mask. "Apparently the gala is some type of masquerade ball."

Lulu took the mask from him. "Where's yours?"

Michael and Morgan reached into their inside jacket pocket, pulling out a plain black mask. "It's not as fancy as yours. Dad must like you better," Morgan kidded.

Max and Milo entered the kitchen also wearing tuxes. Milo stopped suddenly when he saw what Lulu was wearing. Max ran into him. "Wow…" he stammered.

Max smacked Milo upside the head.

"What my brother means is that the limo is ready to take you to the gala. Sonny is going to meet you there," Max said.

"Ready to party the night away?" Michael asked.

"Ready!" Lulu and Morgan said together.

Sitting in the limo was harder than Lulu thought, her entire legs were exposed. Morgan being the gentleman gave her his coat to drape over her lap. "Thanks Morgan."

"Milo needs to turn is back when you get out of the limo. If he doesn't I might have to gouge his eyes out with a dull knife," Morgan threatened.

Lulu laughed.

Michael sat next to Lulu; he noticed the other ring and bracelet on her hand. "This is nice," he took her hand in his. "Who got you this?"

Lulu snatched her hand away. "It went with my outfit. Don't read too much into it."

"Aren't we a little bit touchy, sis? Could those items be from Dante?" Michael asked.

"Maybe," Lulu huffed.

"You really need to talk to him and clear the air," Morgan added.

"No, I don't," Lulu countered. "I told him all I needed to the day he showed up at my door in Boston. There is nothing else to say."

Lulu clutched her purse tightly in her hand. She felt the cardboard box of the home pregnancy test tucked inside. Even if she was pregnant, she didn't want Dante to be a part of her life. He could be a part of the baby's life but not hers.

The limo stopped, Milo got out and opened the door. "We are here," he announced.

"Turn around or close your eyes when my sister gets out," Morgan ordered as he exited. "IF not, we might have to deal with you ourselves."

Lulu handed Michael back his jacket, Milo's eyes widen when he saw her bare thigh. He closed his eyes, and held out his hand to help Lulu out of the limo.

Lulu got out of the limo; she was surprised to see where they were. "The masquerade ball is at the Haunted Star?"

Michael followed them out of the limo. "You left you mask in the limo." He and Morgan put on theirs. "Ready to go inside, sis?" He held out his arm.

Lulu threaded her arm through her brother's. "I am freezing, so let's get inside."

Dante was wearing a black mask like most of the men in the party, he weaved through the crowd. He already spotted Nikolas who was standing against the wall talking to Lucky and Elizabeth. Most of the town was already here. Even with the masks, he spotted the mayor and several other high ranking members of city council milling about.

The only people missing were Sonny's children, Michael, Morgan, and most importantly Lulu.

"There you are! I have been looking everywhere for you!" Maxie's voice said.

"Hi Maxie," Dante greeted. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Cut the chitchat. Lulu texted me saying she was in the limo. So she should be here any minute now, so I don't have much time. I am going to find away to get Lulu alone, okay? Then you two will finally talk. Got it? I will give you a sign or something. Just be ready."

Before Dante was able to respond, Maxie dashed off again to find Spinelli.

He continued to mill around when he felt a cold breeze, he looked up to see who was coming in. His heart stopped, Lulu stood between both of her brothers. Even with the mask she had on, he would recognize her anywhere. The dress she had on, made his groin stir.

As Lulu descended the small staircase, her slit opened revealing her bare legs from ankle to hip. Dante bit back a groan. He was getting hard. He hid behind a potted palm tree before he got arrested for being too excited.

Dante watched as Sonny went to greet his children. He whispered something in Lulu's ear to cause her to laugh and playfully smack him in the arm. Sonny must have said something about the dress she was wearing.

A waiter went by them with a tray full of champagne flutes. Sonny took two, Michael and Morgan took one. Sonny tried handing one to Lulu, she waved off the offer. Dante thought that was suspicious. He remembered that Lulu drank like a sailor when they were in the casino. It has been months since she had been shot, her scar was faded enough for her to wear a dress with a plunging neckline, and she should be off her meds by now. Why wasn't she drinking?

The music started up. Morgan placed his empty glass on a passing waiter's tray. He took Lulu by the hand and led her to the dance floor.

Dante looked around; there were some poker tables set up around the room. He recognized the dealer as several of Sonny's other guards. He wondered where the money that the house was bringing in was going.

"The hospital is grateful for this fundraiser," Mayor Floyd said to Sonny. "By the looks of things, there might be a new wing for the hospital."

"It's also a welcome home party for my little girl," Sonny said. "She is going to be an intern at Miller and Davis this winter, I couldn't be prouder."

Even with a mask on, Dante spotted Brady Andrews. For someone that stated on more than one occasion his hatred for Sonny and he compromised Dante's undercover work to Lulu, Dante found Brady being present odd.

Dante watched as a masked man approached Lulu and Morgan on the dance floor. It must be Dr. Dickhead.

Lulu was dancing with her brother when a masked man tapped Morgan on his shoulder. "May I cut in?"

She recognized the voice instantly. It was Matt.

"It's up to you, Lulu," Morgan stated.

"It's okay. I can handle myself, remember?" Lulu winked.

"If I was at the bar, you would have been missing a very important appendage," Morgan said as he kissed Lulu on the cheek before leaving the dance floor.

"Did I tell you that I was sorry?" Matt began, as he placed his hands on Lulu's hips. "You look beautiful by the way. Every guy has his eyes on you."

Lulu looked around even with the masks on; she didn't see the busty nurse. "I don't see your slut. Did she kick you to the curb too?"

"Jess was just a passing phase," Matt countered. "What I guess I am asking for is a second chance, Lulu. Will you please give me that?"

"How would I know if I go back to Boston, you won't jump on the nearest nurse with big tits?" Lulu countered.

Matt hesitated. Lulu plucked a glass of white wine from someone on the edge of the dance floor and dumped it over Matt's head.

"Sorry, Matty-Boy, I am not going to be your girl while you bang a whore on the side," Lulu stated as she stormed off the dance floor.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" Nikolas asked as he approached Lulu when she got off the dance floor.

Lulu narrowed her eyes. "That is none of your business, why are you even here?"

"I am your partner in this venture, remember?"

"Silent partner," Lulu corrected. "Meaning that you are in the background while…"

"I ran this place while you were in law school in Boston," Nikolas pointed out.

"Bully for you," Lulu congratulated. "If you excuse me, I have someone else I want to talk to."

Nikolas sighed. "Lulu, I know that you were disappointment when Lucky and I forgot your birthday…"

"Again, you two forgot it again. You know what; I don't know why I got my hopes up that we could finally fix this rift between us after I got shot. I should have known better, it would have saved me a lot of heartache. If you excuse me, I am going to find my other brothers, Michael and Morgan. They didn't forget my birthday; they got me this." She gestured to her necklace.

Lulu knew she hit Nikolas where it hurt when she referred to Michael and Morgan as her brothers but the look on his face. "That was a low blow, Lu," he grumbled.

"It may be a low blow but it's the truth," Lulu said as she stomped away, tears threatening to fall.

Maxie intercepted her as she headed to the ladies' room to freshen her makeup. "You okay?"

"I am fine," Lulu sniffled. "I am going to restroom to fix my makeup."

A light bulb went off in Maxie's head. "I just got back from there. The line is out of control. Why don't you use the bathroom in your office?"

"Yeah, that is a good idea. I will be back soon." Lulu gave Maxie a hug and headed off to the back of the casino to her office.

It only took a minute for Maxie to find Dante. "Lulu went to her office. There is a lock on the door. I suggest you use it so you two could finally clear the air."

Lulu blotted her tears with a tissue. She reached in her purse to reapply her lipstick. She noticed that home pregnancy test was inside. This was the perfect time as any to take the test.

A few minutes later, Lulu clutched the test in her hand. In the other hand she was calling Bethany. "Okay, I just peed on the stick. It will take five minutes and if I get a plus sign means I will be a mother in a few months."

Bethany let out a squeal of excitement on the other end. "Those five minutes are going to be the longest five minutes of your life."

Lulu sat on the edge of the desk, so that her back was to the door. In one hand she held her phone the other hand had her pregnancy test.

"Be ready for me to say 'I told you so'," Lulu said. "It's the stress. You must have planted a seed in my head, when a waiter offered me some champagne, I refused. Dad caught it. I told him it was going to be a long night and I wanted to pace myself. I think he bought it."

"You keep telling yourself that," Bethany returned. "So what is the gala about?"

"It's more of a masquerade ball with the proceeds going to General Hospital," Lulu said.

"Did you run into Dr. Dickhead yet?"

"I did, he wanted me to give him a second chance."

"What did you do?"

"I dumped a glass of white wine over his head; I wished it was red wine because that would mean he wouldn't get the deposit back for the tux."

Bethany laughed. "That's my girl. What about Dante? Have you seen him yet?"

"No, not yet…"

"There you are, beautiful," Dante's voice said behind her. "I have been looking for you everywhere."

"I have to go, Bethany," Lulu said quickly as she shoved her cell phone and pregnancy test in her purse.

Dante was at awe of what he saw. Lulu perched on the edge of the desk; the slit of her dress dangerously exposed her leg even more. He could practically see the apex of her thigh.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Dante locked the door before he approached her. "We need to talk."

"We've talked," Lulu countered. "We don't need to talk anymore."

"Longer than five minutes and without you leaving," Dante countered.

"I don't have time for this."

Lulu tried to push past him. She heard a click of metal and she was stopped in her tracks. She looked down; Dante had handcuffed her left wrist to his right. He dragged her to the porthole. He wrenched it open with his free hand and tossed the key through it. There was a small splash as the key hit the harbor and sank.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Lulu shrieked, jerking the cuffs. "Get these off of me."

"No," Dante said simply. "Stop jerking the cuffs around. You will bruise yourself."

"Get these off me!" she repeated.

"No," Dante declared. "You can't run off this way."

"It doesn't mean I will listen to you."

Dante looked down at her shackled wrist. "You are wearing my bracelet and ring I got you for your birthday."

Lulu tried to yank her hand from him, but he held on tight. "Don't read too much into. They went with my dress."

"Bull," Dante said softly. "Your jewelry box is filled with all sorts of high-end stuff that would have gone with your dress, but you chose to wear the items I got you."

"Let me go," Lulu hissed. "People might be wondering why I am taking so long."

"No, you know what? Let's go somewhere else and talk."

"There is a room full of people out there. How are you going to hide the handcuffs?" Lulu held up her arm. "How are you going to explain that I am shackled to you?"

Dante took her hand and placed it through his arm so it would look like he was escorting her somewhere. "There. Grab your purse. I have a plan."

They walked arms entwined back to the desk so that Lulu could retrieve her purse. "This still won't make me listen to you," Lulu grumbled.

Dante sighed; at least he will have her in the position to actually listen to him. The party was in full swing when they emerged from the back of the casino.

"Is everything okay, Lulu?" Sonny asked approaching them. "You look a little pale."

Dante cleared his throat. "Yeah boss, she mentioned that she is not feeling well. I am going to take her outside to get some fresh air."

Sonny shook his head. "If she is not feeling well, get her out of here, okay? Take her somewhere warm and safe and call me when you get there so I won't worry. If she is sick I don't want her around all these people. I hope you feel better pumpkin."

"Thanks Dad." Lulu smiled.

"We better get going, Lulu," Dante said as they slowly made their way out of the Haunted Star.

Lulu looked at Dante's car. "Okay, now what? You didn't think out our escape plan very well did you?"

Dante opened the driver's side door. "Get in and when I get in scoot to the passenger side," he ordered.

"Close your eyes, with this slit I am bound to flash you when I get in the car," Lulu said, as she sat on the edge of the driver's seat and scooted over enough for Dante to get in.

To her dismay, she couldn't scoot that far from Dante because of the manacles. He started the car. "So, where are you taking me?" Lulu demanded. "Or you haven't figured that out yet too? Flying by the seat of your pants, tonight?"

"I was just thinking about what happened the last time we were in a car together. That was one of the best nights in my life." Dante pulled on the road and headed the opposite way to go out of town. "Three times in the car then when we got to my place you tied me up and had your way with me."

Lulu rolled her eyes. "Not one of my finer moments. And the next day I found out that you were lying to me for months and using me to get to my Father. Nice."

"Lu," Dante began.

"I am done talking to you." Lulu reached over and turned on the radio, she fiddled with the dial until she found a station playing Bon Jovi and sat back. "I think he is playing your song."

Dante smiled, as Bon Jovi belted out one of his biggest hits: 'You Give Love a Bad Name'. "I thought you were done talking to me."

"I am not talking to you; I am making an observation," Lulu pointed out.

"So keep making observations, then," Dante challenged. "It keeps you talking when you said that you weren't talking to me."

"You are an egotistical jerk thinking that handcuffing me and kidnapping me will make me forget that you used me to get information about my father and expected me to keep quiet about it so you could bust."

"What if I told you the truth from the beginning?" Dante wondered.

"Then we would have never slept together and…" she trailed off.

"You still would not have said anything because you don't want to lose the only parent that you have left," Dante finished for her. "That is what you said from the beginning and I still believe it."

Dante got on the highway heading east.

"Where the hell are you taking me? It's not Sonny's or your place. You are heading out of town!"

Dante patted her knee. "Relax, baby. It took me months to get you alone with me. I am not letting you go anytime soon."

Brady paced the stern of the Haunted Star. He walked the narrow gangway. He looked down and saw the water flowing beneath him as he spoke. "What do you mean you lost them?" he snarled. "How hard was it to follow a car? They will be able to stick out like a sore thumb wherever they are going. I should have done it myself. If you want something done and done right…"

Brady paused as he listened to the explanation the person was giving. "That is bullshit and you know it! Find Lulu and Dante! The only way to get to Sonny is through her."

Brady closed his phone and shoved it in his pocket, unaware that Nikolas went outside to get some fresh air and heard every word.

Given his relationship with Lulu, would she believe him?

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