CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
         questions…



"So, what should I ask you about? Your wife?" Carly flung the words at him, before she turned and marched back into her office, her face red from a mix of anger and the embarrassment of having been caught eavesdropping.. Mason followed her, but to her surprise, he laughed, virtually in her face. He closed the door and leaned against it.

 "A wife?" he laughed louder, and unaccountably furious, Carly swung at him, intending maybe to scratch his eyes out, or deliver a well deserved slap to his face. But Mason caught her wrist and used her own momentum to pull her into his arms.

"That, my darling nuisance, was one the representative of some of  my closer business associates. They were simply wondering why I am lingering in Port Charles, and if the reason were business or personal. What you heard was my assuring them that my interests here for the moment, are definitely all about business…but it's personal business, isn't it?"

            "And why should I believe you?" Carly demanded.

            "And what reason do I have to lie to you? Are you in love with me, so that you should suddenly care?" Mason laughed at her again, totally amused. "Let's be honest with one another, if nothing else. Can you be as honest as I'm prepared to be? You aren't in love with me, any more than I'm in love with you. I do enjoy your company, and why shouldn't I? Aren't you beautiful and desirable?" He pulled her hard against him. "Well?"

            "I'm not about to deny it," Carly said finally. He was a skillful and very attentive lover, but she knew that for the two of them, their affair did not deal with their hearts.  It didn't stop  her fro being angry with him and she tried to scowl at him. But Mason had found away awhile ago, how to pierce thru her defenses. "And fine, let's be honest…no I'm not in love with you and I know you're not in love with me."

         "Are you still in love with your mob boss husband?" Mason felt her body stiffen in his arms and laughed again, pressing an insistent kiss on her. He laughed against her lips as she pushed at him half-heartedly and deepened the kiss until she'd responded. "I think I have my answer, but I won't press you further. We can make love without being in love, I think we've proved that." He  caressed her lips with her own. "But, let's change the subject to something more pleasurable. Now I have to make this misunderstanding up to you, don't I? Tell me you don't like the idea of that?"

         Carly smiled reluctantly, but with a trace of calculation lingering around the corner of her lips. "Yes, I do. I'm liking the idea of that very much. So what are you going to do about that.? Something totally extravagant, I hope?"

         "Allow me to surprise you."

         "Surprise me how?"

         "If I told you, would it be a surprise?"

         Carly conceded that it wouldn't.

         "Think of long limo rides, of golden yellow roses, and champagne. That should do to get things started, shouldn't it?"

         "It might." It would, but she wasn't about to admit that. Mason kissed her one more time before exiting her office. Carly sat back down at her desk looking at the closed door and reached for the invoices on her desk, all thoughts of Jax gone from her mind.

***

Two hours later, she left her office. Walking through the public area of the club, she was pleased to see that it was another night of wall to wall customers. She saw no signs of Jax, but shrugged it away. They'd talk before the week was out.  He'd get over it. It wouldn't be the first tie they'd locked horns, and it wouldn't be the last.

It took her more than a few minutes to make it to the entrance of the club, so many people wanted to shake her hand and congratulate her. The men were openly admiring of her and the women, well, who cared what the women thought? But she was glad to step out in the cool night air, just in time to see a long black limo pull up to the curb. Perfect timing.

"Your timing was perfect." Carly said, jumping into the depth of the limo and settling herself comfortably. "I hope you have champagne and plenty of it, just like you promised. I'm absolutely parched…. I swear if Jax tries to lecture me one more time, I'll scream."

"I do hope you won't. I abhor loud noises." The cool voice froze Carly in mid-rant. Her head snapped up to see the crystal flute being offered to her.

"Would you take this already? I'm hardly used to pouring my own champagne, let alone anyone else's. Come now, Mrs. Corinthos, if I'd meant you any harm, you'd be dead already." She tapped on the intercom. "Drive, Raoul."

Carly stared in shock at the face of Helena Cassidine. "You're supposed to be dead."

"You've heard the adage about reports of my death being greatly exaggerated. Take it to heart, Mrs. Corinthos...or shall I call you Caroline? Please don't insist on Carly… it's rather gauche." She offered the glass again. Seeing Carly look at it suspiciously, Helena laughed softly, poured a second glass from the bottle and drank deeply. "There, that should assuage any of your suspicions, my dear."

"What do you want? What is this, a setup?"

"To discuss with you a matter of mutual importance. As for a setup, you jumped into my limo, my dear. I did want to talk to you, but I hadn't planned on it this soon. But, as you'll find out, I'm a woman who knows how to take advantage of any situation. I think you are much the same." In answer to Carly's still wary expression. "In case you didn't recognize it, that was a compliment. I'm not in the habit of giving them often."

"You're right, if you wanted me dead, I'd be dog food already." Carly accepted the champagne from Helena, then sat back warily, the wheels in her mind spinning wildly. "So what is this matter of mutual importance?"

"Alexis."