Chapter ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY TWO – A Swing and a Miss
Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.
Benjamin Franklin
(American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer and Inventor
1706-1790)
Kate walked into Chez Rouge the next day and the first person she saw was EJ, sitting at a table and reading a newspaper. It wasn't an accident that she was here though. Kate had gone to the office to talk to EJ but had been told he was having lunch at Chez Rouge so she followed him there. To her surprise Sami wasn't with him but then she supposed they were still trying to keep a low public profile even though they didn't seem to have any qualms about bumping uglies right out there in the open thought Kate dourly. She walked up to his table but EJ didn't seem to notice her, still intent on his newspaper.
"Hello EJ."
"Hello Kate, you're looking as gorgeous as always my dear," said EJ evenly.
Kate noticed with frustration and some wounded feminine pride that EJ didn't even look up from his paper as he said that. She wasn't one to be dismissed so easily she thought in annoyance. She moved around behind him and put her hands on his shoulder, EJ still not looking up. Looking over his shoulder Kate could see that he was reading the financial pages.
"Look at you captain of industry," she commented huskily.
EJ gave a little laugh at that observation.
"Not yet," he said confidently with a smile, "But soon – I'm more of a lieutenant right now."
The smug self assuredness Kate could hear in his tone rankled Kate and she felt the urge to take him down a peg or two. Of course blurting out that she knew about him and Sami would be showing her hand far too soon but it was a tempting thought. Instead she decided that proving to herself that EJ was as full of crap as he'd ever been would be an ample substitute. Listening to him sprout sweet nothings to Sami last night had been nauseating and Kate was quite certain just EJ playing a role. He wasn't in love with Sami, just telling her what she wanted to hear for his own no doubt sick and twisted purposes and Kate was intent on confirming that. She knew that if he was given the opportunity EJ would take a walk in greener pastures without a second thought.
"I see that you were able to tear your luscious self away from little Lord Fauntleroy," observed EJ casually, "Have you hired a nanny to look after him in your absence my dear?"
Kate swallowed her angry words of rebuttal over EJ's comments, knowing they weren't going to best serve her purposes right then. Instead she was intent on proving that EJ was the same old liar and master manipulator that he always was and she could have a little fun along the way while she was doing it. Kate wanted to prove to EJ and herself that his comments to Sami about being the best he'd ever had was a bald face lie.
"If you want to see how luscious I really am perhaps you should take a bite EJ?" Kate offered, running her hands up and down his lapels as she leant over him from behind.
"Really?" asked EJ, not bothering to hide his surprise, looking back up at over his shoulder at the suggestion, "After all this time you want to revisit that particular well Kate?"
"Why not?" she said with a casual shrug, a little stung by his reaction, "We had fun didn't we? And it's not like you are seeing anyone right?"
"First of all I had fun at a line dancing bar back in the day but I'm not feeling a particular urge to revisit that either," said EJ with a quirk of his lips, "And second of all why would you even want to Kate?"
"I was at a loose end," said Kate, feigning casually, "And I saw you sitting there."
Kate stopped suddenly as she realised she'd handed him a perfect set up about Kate being the one with the 'loose end' or something like that but he surprised her, letting that pass.
"You know Kate," said EJ conversationally, eyeing her thoughtfully, "There is one thing that I've learnt about you over time."
"Oh and what might that be?" asked Kate a little curtly, still trying to process the fact that EJ had rejected her and not liking how it made her feel.
She moved her hands from his shoulder, not wanting to make any more of a fool of herself and went to stand in front of him again.
"It's that you never do anything without a reason," said EJ calmly, "An ulterior motive if you will which makes me wonder just what that little offer of yours was really all about."
"I'm a woman with needs EJ," she sniffed, trying to put him off, "It's that simple."
"Oh darling," EJ laughed, "Of all the things you are, simple is not one of them. If all you wanted was sex why come to me? I'm sure there are plenty of willing and more age appropriate men out there eager to fill that particular slot."
Kate pursed her lips, letting that vaguely crude statement pass without comment.
"Our age difference didn't seem to bother you back then," Kate informed him, wanting EJ to say something incriminating and give himself away, "What's changed EJ? Where has all this moral fibre come from?"
"No moral fibre here darling," said EJ with a bit of a smirk, "I just don't tend to believe in repeating myself – it gets a bit boring."
"What you mean been there, done that kind of thing?" said Kate flatly.
"Couldn't have put it better myself," said EJ with a quirk of his lips.
"So what?" she pushed him, "You don't see yourself ever settling for one woman for the rest of your life EJ?"
"If I do Kate you can be rest assured that it won't be you," said EJ without missing a beat.
"So who might it be then?" Kate asked him, already knowing the answer of course, "Sami Brady perhaps?"
"My relationship with Samantha is none of your concern Kate," said EJ simply.
"So you do have a relationship then?" Kate said quickly.
"Of course," said EJ smoothly, "Samantha is my business partner – just like she is yours as well Kate."
"Don't remind me," said Kate darkly, "But that isn't my only relationship with her – I'm going to be her mother in law as well."
EJ looked at her, silently processing the information Kate was intentionally trying to bait him with. She'd certainly gotten an earful as well as an eyeful on the roof the other night but she needed to know a little more about EJ and Sami's plans before she could formulate her own.
"That was said with calm offhandedness," observed EJ, "Doesn't talk of Sami marrying your little man usually evoke some frothing at the mouth action on your behalf Kate."
"He's a grown man," Kate said coolly, "It's his choice who he wants to marry."
EJ's eyebrows shot up at this piece of information.
"Since when?" asked EJ, looking particularly suspicious now and Kate knew she had to be convincing.
"Since the last time I tried to interfere and Lucas made it quite clear that he didn't want that kind of help from me," said Kate easily.
"I was actually querying the grown man statement," said EJ with a quirk of his lips, "But you have me intrigued now. So you're telling me that you are finally cutting the umbilical cord and sending your little boy off into the big world to make all of his decisions for himself eh?"
"Of course," Kate sniffed, "It's his life and his own free will."
"And you're telling me that La La is going to ask Samantha to marry him with that free will of his?" EJ continued on, eyeing her speculatively.
"What's the matter EJ?" she asked him sweetly, "Does the thought of Sami and Lucas being married bother you?"
"Frankly darling the thought of Lucas being married to any woman bothers me," said EJ wryly, "I think that man has more than a few issues."
"Unlike you right?" Kate sneered, "You're just little Johnny Sunshine aren't you Elvis DiMera?"
"Well I've never watched my mother have sex with a cavalcade of men," said EJ evenly, "So I can't help but think that whatever issues I might be carrying have less of a Freudian flavour to them then your Little Boy Lu."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" asked Kate in horror.
"Back in the day," said EJ conversationally, "Before things took somewhat of a downward swing between Lucas and myself we went out one night and it turns out he gets quite chatty after a few drinks. He had one too many Flirtini's and-"
"Lucas was drinking back then?!" asked Kate in shock, horrified at the thought of it.
"It was just the one night and I know he called his sponsor the next day and did the appropriate Hail Mary's or whatever it is that they do," said EJ casually, "Anyway, it came up in drunken conversation that he learnt about the facts of life in 3D living colour from you and your stream of lovers back when he was a child."
"You're lying!" Kate hissed.
Kate knew that Lucas had met several of the men that she'd been with over the years and truth be told had even suspected a little of what EJ was saying but had never admitted it to herself. To hear it out loud was just too much though, especially on the lips of the likes of EJ DiMera. Her relationship with Lucas made sense to Kate inside her own head but to hear it spoken about by others put a slant on it that Kate was simply unwilling to accept.
"Even I wish that I was Kate," said EJ ruefully, "But to say that you've inflicted significant psychological harm on that son of yours is I fear only the tip of the iceberg. God help any woman who gets involved with that train wreck – that is all I can say."
"And what?" asked Kate bitterly, "You're all set to swoop in and rescue Sami from Lucas – is that it EJ?"
"You are just full of questions now aren't you Kate?" asked EJ, tilting his head and regarding her coolly, "Especially for a woman who supposedly was just wanting to get her rocks off so to speak. That nagging feeling of you having an agenda is back again and stronger than ever I fear."
"I don't have an agenda," said Kate coldly.
EJ eyed her up and down, running his tongue over his bottom lip, seeming to be weighing up that statement.
"Sorry darling," he said with feigned regret, "I tried to buy what you were selling but unfortunately I just can't seem to – you're up to something."
"Paranoia is a family curse of yours, did you know that?" asked Kate with a roll of her eyes.
"Paranoia is what has kept our family alive and kicking all of this time," said EJ casually, "Now then are you going to tell me what is going on in that devious mind of yours or are we going to have to do things the hard way I wonder?"
"I don't have time to listen to the deluded accusations of a mad man," Kate sniffed and went to sweep past him in a dramatic exist.
EJ stalled her leaving by putting a hand on her arm, his face still set in a pleasant enough expression but the cold steel in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Kate my dear," he began conversationally enough, "I realise that we've already screwed each other rather thoroughly but I just want you to know that if you try and screw with me-"
EJ trailed off briefly, all trace of pleasantness gone from his tone now.
"-then I'm going to hurt you so badly that you will be praying for death," he continued on evenly, as though they were discussing something as benign as the weather, "Everything that you hold dear I will completely and utterly destroy without a moment's hesitation."
Despite herself Kate felt a fission of fear run through her at the depth of coldness in the younger man's eyes but she prided herself on the fact that she didn't show it. She knew all that talk of being a changed man on the roof with Sami the other night had been complete and utter horse shit on EJ's behalf and no doubt Sami's as well. These two leopards were never going to change their spots and all Kate could think about was trying to protect Lucas from their insanity.
"Leave the strong arm tactics to your father Elvis," she said dismissively, pleased that her voice was so steady, "You don't really have the balls to pull it off."
"I wouldn't be so quick to find out just what I am capable of my dear if I were you," said EJ coolly.
"What, you mean stay out of your way or you'll kill me, is that it EJ?" asked Kate with a twist of her lips.
"Don't be so uninspired Kate," said EJ, looking at her unblinkingly, "There are so many ways to dismantle a person without resorting to such a predictable solution."
"Would you really hurt me EJ?" asked Kate, pouting a little, "After all that we've been through together?"
"You know Kate I do hope that you aren't planning on playing me for a fool," commented EJ casually, "And I also hope that you aren't under the severe misapprehension over the fact that we had a few frankly forgettable tumbles in the hay buys you in any way into my good graces."
"Is that right?" asked Kate tightly, not liking how he could so easily dismiss what had happened between them.
"Let's face it darling," said EJ with a quirk of his lips as he looked up at her, "That was a fairly well worn path that I travelled down, it's practically the road to Damascus, so let's not go pretending that it was something special when it obviously wasn't – for either one of us. I know you're used to trading sex for favours but I don't recall making that agreement so I'm going to go ahead and assume that your time was given for free, no strings or expectations attached. So I'm thinking that if you want to tug on my heart strings... or any other part of my body for that matter you're going to have to pick something else to bargain with. Or better still just stay the hell out of my business and then you won't ever have to worry about hedging your bets now will you?"
"You really are your father's son aren't you?" asked Kate bitterly as he summarily dismissed her.
"Until a new set up DNA tests proves otherwise," said EJ offhandedly as he let her go.
EJ picked up his newspaper again and leant back in his chair, going back to reading his newspaper. One long finger scratching absently at his cheek, giving the appearance of being bored with her and their conversation now. Kate ground her teeth but maintained her cool exterior. It never did anyone any good to show a DiMera that they had gotten to you she thought grimly. EJ didn't seem interested in talking anymore and it vexed Kate no end that he appeared to see her as so little a threat. Mind you that could only help her cause in making him pay for what he had done to her and Lucas, Kate knowing that however she went about it she was determined to destroy his perfect little world.
With an angry glare at the top of EJ's head which he didn't look up to appreciate Kate turned on her heel and left him to it. Kate walked around the corner, feeling to her surprise that she was actually shaking a little after that encounter. She found a little out of the way area and pulled out her cell phone and dialled; her jaw hardening as she took a deep breath.
"Hello?"
Even from his greeting Lucas actually sounded like he was in a good mood for a change and Kate gritted her teeth. Sometimes when you were a mother you had to do things for the good of your child that just wasn't pleasant but it had to be done.
"Lucas," Kate said evenly, no trace of her inner turmoil in her face, "I have something to tell you..."
oooOOOOooo
EJ picked up his wine glass and leant back in his chair, taking a thoughtful sip now that Kate was gone.
He was no fool and he knew what a woman with an agenda looked like and Kate definitely had an agenda. There were a few possibilities over what it might be about but whatever it was EJ knew he had to keep a very close eye on the woman. He knew what Kate was capable of and EJ was determined that nothing and no one in this world was going to come between he and Sami ever again and God help them if they tried.