Johnny arrived at Diane's office and asked what was so important.
"Do you know why your bookkeeper called and asked for an appointment with me tomorrow morning? Have you done something I need to be aware of?" she said with a glare.
"Uh..." Johnny flushed as his mind went to his rather erotic fantasies.
"Sit down and tell me what is going on." she said.
"Nothing, nothing is going on, honestly." he said but sat anyhow.
"Really, not very convincing." she said in her best trial voice.
"Just..." he stopped then added quietly speaking to himself "Is it sexual harassment if you are dreaming about sucking on someone's toes and they don't know about it? Not to mention what I want her to do with her hands. But she is so not my type."
Diane was startled and not sure if he was speaking to himself or her, as the images of a blond bimbo version of Spinelli flew through her head. "Just why is she not your type and please, please tell me that you haven't ACTED on any of these dreams."
"No, I mean you will see for yourself tomorrow, she is very much not my type."
Diane wanted to ask what that was, overt sexuality and no brains. she amended that, at least Olivia had some brains but that clearly was working out his Hamlet complex. "So, she is not coming here tomorrow with the intent to sue you for everything you own."
"No, I didn't even know that it was you she had the appointment with." he said just as his phone rang. Listening to Jason, he said I am on my way. Then he turned and said "The WSB was just ordered by Interpol to leave Spinelli here for a couple of months. Jason, wants us looking into why they are so interested. All he has is a name. Emira La Chariff."
"I will look into it. I know that name from someplace." as it hit her, she stiffened and said "Tell Jason that I went to see Kate Howard, this La Chariff is interested in buying Crimson and has been making Kate's life hell for a while now."
Arriving at GH Johnny saw Elizabeth talking to her future mother-in-law as a blond man argued with Maxie Jones rather loudly. Seeing Mac entering, he stopped to listen as the stranger greeted Mac and handed over some papers.
Mac opened them then turned to Maxie and said "Stop it, he is not taking Spinelli for now. Frisco, what is going on?"
"All I know is that I was told that the kid was to remain here until September. Interpol has a vested interest in things."
"I won't let you take him not even then." said Maxie as Mac rolled his eyes behind her. "I don't know how Jason did this, but she is why he is being forced to leave town. Her and her illegitimate brat."
Elizabeth saw the blond pointing at her and turned to Mac saying "One more comment and I will get a restraining order, Commissioner. She keeps verbally assaulting me every time I turn around."
"You deserve it, you killed Sam." said the blond defiantly.
"That woman had a gun pointed at my son and had already fired at him once. Maxie, she is responsible for her own death."
Mac dragged his daughter away while Frisco followed not sure what was going on. Once they had some privacy, Mac ordered Cruz who was waiting to take Maxie home and stay with her until he arrived. "Frisco, what aren't you telling me?"
"A local so-called respectable business person is of interest. Lets just say things aren't quite what they seem." Frisco explained as he closed the door never seeing the shadow standing in the corner trying to listen in.
Johnny slipped in to see Spinelli and saw that the geek had his bags packed. "Where are you going to stay?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Seems like an easy question to me, where are you going to stay?"
"I am going home." he said confused as to what interest it was of Johnny's.
"You don't have a home, or did you forget that?" Walking out, Johnny saw Elizabeth's guard wasn't around and wondered where he was. Seeing the man return he went over and asked what was going on.
"Tell Jason that they are keeping Spinelli in town because of something with Kate Howard from what I heard before the WSB agent closed the door."
Johnny met Jason on the pier where he told him what was said. Seeing a light in the window he knew to be Bellona's, he walked to her building and climbed up the stairs up to the fifth floor. Knocking he heard a meow and grimaced he disliked cats.
Georgie grabbed the robe she kept next to the door and covered her unclothed body, "Who is it?"
"Johnny, do you have a minute?" he asked.
Grimacing as she grabbed the lank brunette wig, she opened the door far enough to step out and pulled it behind her "What is it?"
"Why do you have a meeting with my attorney in the morning?"
Georgie cursed, she hadn't intended to use the Bellona persona, but the secretary had refused to give her an appointment without a recommendation.
"Are you in some trouble?" he asked anxiously.
"No, nothing like that." she said her mind racing to come up with a reason for the appointment. Then said "An incident today at the store, she was in there at the same time arguing with some uptight annoying woman. I was hoping she could help. A store detective rifled through my purse and my clothes in the dressing room's pockets while I was trying on an outfit."
"You could have told me." he said feeling like something was off, but feeling even more like a fool for just showing up this way. "See you in a few days."
Walking down the stairs, he went back to the pier when it hit him. The body under that robe, no matter how bulky the robe was, didn't match the body he had been staring at bewildered by his attraction to her. What the heck was going on? Turning to go back and get some answers, he looked up hoping to find the light still on in the window.
Georgie groaned as she removed the robe and hung it back on the hook, she needed to get things moving, she had been procrastinating, but it was now time. Checking out the window, she saw Johnny was still outside and when he looked up, she took a deep breath and made a point of going over to close the blinds, knowing he had to get a good glimpse of her naked body.
Swallowing his tongue, Johnny stared stunned at the body he saw as the idea that he was missing something once again hit him. Seeing the lights go out, he knew that he had to figure this out BEFORE she came to work for Jason.
That night, the young Italian didn't get much sleep as images of that taut body invaded his dream. Waking up just as in his dreams, he went to slide into his fantasy girl, he was not in a good mood as he realized he would have to wait at least another day for his answers.
Diane looked up at the respectable young woman who entered her office and offered her a seat. She could not figure out what was Johnny Zachara's problem. The young woman sitting in front of her, with the exception of the strange hair color seemed like a perfectly exceptional young woman.
"Thank you for talking to me." said Georgie finding she didn't have to pretend to be nervous, this was one very sharp lady and she was worried that the truth would come out.
"What seems to be the problem?" asked Diane.
Georgie gave her the same line she told Johnny about the sales clerk and detective the day before. "Anyhow there is something else, I need to tell you before you decide if you can help me. I have been sort of deceiving Johnny. It wasn't intentional, well maybe it was intentional but it isn't bad, I swear."
Diane couldn't help thinking how could she be so wrong, maybe this girl wasn't so perfect for the young enforcer. Then hearing the explanation smirked at the young woman.
"See, I was forced to leave my last place when this guy made it so that I couldn't remain where I was." Georgie was finding it hard to lie so she used bits of the truth mixed in, it was in way the truth, she HAD been force to leave PC because of a man.
"So when I came here, I wanted a fresh start and so when I applied at the garage I thought it would be perfect if I didn't look like myself."
"So that was when you came up with the disguise." said Diane.
"Yes, but I was planning on telling him the truth, eventually, then his girl friend accused me of wanting him for myself and I knew that if I came out with the truth, she might truly believe it and get me fired."
Diane said "I will deal with Wyndhams; but you really should tell Johnny the truth."
"Thank you, I can't pay what you normally make but I heard you and the woman you were arguing with talking about hiring someone to help with a wedding, do you think I could help with that and pay you half your rate." she said hopefully.
"No, we are fine. I can't take payment for this. No one deserves to have to deal with that in any store."
"I won't take charity." she insisted hoping that Diane would go where she wanted her to.
Diane saw that she was serious then looked at the huge pile of things on her desk to do with the wedding that Jason was arranging. "How about you come help me with the wedding instead? You don't have any reason to want to stop Jason Morgan from marrying Elizabeth Webber do you?"
"Nope." she smiling inside. Perfect she now had a way to monitor things from the inside. "I have Johnny up-to-date at the garage and am free most afternoons."
"Bellona, one last question why that particular shade of red?" she said pointing at the younger girls bright crimson red hair color.
"I was green yesterday. Today I was in the mood to be red." she said with a shrug. Diane watched her leave then called over to the department store and put the fear of the American constitution into management then went to visit with Elizabeth Webber soon-to-be Morgan.
"I found the perfect runner to help me with your wedding and she will be just perfect for another little project you have going." Diane explained about Johnny, his naughty dreams and a girl who changed her hair the way the attorney changed shoes.
"So you think she will work?" asked Elizabeth doubtfully.
"Trust me, she already has him on the ropes, my guess is it doesn't take much to send him straight into bed with her." said a bawdy Diane as Kate and Olivia approached the two of them in the waiting room.
"Diane, do you have a minute?" asked Kate. Once they were alone, she asked about the message the previous evening. Diane punted around it, now that Bernie had discovered the truth, her illusions of Kate were slightly shattered.
Meanwhile as Elizabeth walked back to the hub, Olivia followed and asked "Why do I get the feeling you don't like me?"
Elizabeth turned and said "I don't know you."
"Then why do I get the cold freeze every time I visit this place?"
Elizabeth tried for politeness, but Olivia stopped her and said "Right there, that is the attitude I am talking about. I have seen you around, observed you a bit, and I think you don't like me."
Carly saw the confrontation as she dropped up Michael from his appointment since the car was in the shop. She knew that look and was well aware that Olivia wouldn't let this go. Walking over she asked what was going on?
"Nothing, Ms. Falconari is convinced she has me pegged that's all." said Elizabeth walking away.
"Wait, you are going nowhere." said Olivia grabbing her arm. Elizabeth waved off her guard and turned. She had vowed to be more open with people well, if Olivia wanted the truth she would give it to her.
"Fine, you want the truth. I find you to be a hypocritical, two-faced witch." Carly recognized that look. She had seen it directed at herself once or twice.
"You kept telling your cousin how dangerous Sonny was, how he and the mob should be kept far away, but lets face it if Sonny had called and asked you to come and have dinner with him, you would have burned rubber getting there. A little self-serving wasn't it to be telling Kate to stay away when the truth was you wanted him for yourself."
"You know nothing..." protested Olivia.
"See that is where you are wrong." said Elizabeth as Carly leaned back to enjoy the show. "I know a lot, I have seen a lot of women just like you around this town. I also know about Johnny and you, and that you attacked his bookkeeper yesterday. See there was a witness who saw the whole thing."
Elizabeth had sent Rebecca to the garage since she had been hinting that she needed a new car to Monica.
Carly was interested even more now. "What bookkeeper?
"Carly stay out of this." said Elizabeth, then turned and smiled. "You know Carly, at least you are honest about things, you never lied and said that Sonny's life was dangerous when you only wanted a woman out of it. You just outright said you wanted him."
Olivia didn't get why this girl was attacking her this way. She seemed like such a sweet miss. Then saw the cold smile as Elizabeth turned back to her and said "Does Kate know about the time slept with Sonny after his marriage to Claudia."
She had been just guessing but the two women joining her saw that she was correct. "What?" asked Johnny, Diane had ordered him to meet her here and instead he heard Olivia had helped Sonny cheat on his sister.
"It wasn't like that. It was an accident." Olivia wondered if Jason Morgan had seen them, he had never really warmed up to her and would love to see her gone.
Carly had loathed Claudia and didn't like Kate but the scene in front of her was too good to ignore. "An accident, what you were both undressed and you what slipped and one of you just happened to land on the other in just the right way?"
"I thought..." said Olivia.
"Olivia, look, I didn't want to bring it up, but you asked. This is why I don't like you."
Johnny just walked away as Olivia followed him out the hospital doors. We need to talk."
"I said all I had to last night." he replied. "We are over. No more sex."
"What you think that little bookkeeper can keep up with you? Please, that one is going to expect hearts and flowers and when you give it to her like the fool you are; it will be for what exactly? A few hours in bed then she will be following you around like a lost puppy expecting love, marriage and kids."
Johnny stopped, his mind hadn't objected to that idea at all. Shaking the thought away, he called Diane and asked what she needed?
"Your bookkeeper had an incident yesterday at the department store, that was all it was about." Diane had more than one reason to not take payment from Bellona. "Also, she has a secret that when you find it out, I swear if you go off on her in any way shape or manner, I will make Jason look like a certain purple kind and friendly dinosaur, got me."
"I think I know the secret, even if I don't know the why." he said as he ran into Maxie who was trying to explain something to one of her father's detectives. Seeing a way to help Jason with his need to speak to her, he intervened and soon had Maxie in the passenger seat of the truck.
"Where is your car?" she asked as soon they had pulled out.
"My bookkeeper has it, right now. So what is going on?"
"Nothing you care about, poor Spinelli is out on the streets. I talked my Aunt Bobbie into letting him take a room at Kelly's, just wait until I see Jason Morgan." she fumed as they arrived at the coffee shop.
Maxie rushed in past the guards who saw Johnny shaking his head and indicating to let her go. "I need to talk to you!"
"What do you want?" Jason asked as he looked back down and went back to work, ignoring the blond.
"Spinelli has no place to live." she said. "Why would you kick him out of the penthouse, it's his home."
"Actually, it's mine. Not his." said Jason. "And I have sold the two top floor apartments. Now I know that he is staying at Kelly's and I know he has the money to afford it, so why are you really here?"
"Jason, you really hurt his feelings. He thinks you hate him now." she said earnestly leaning forward. "You HAVE to talk to him."
"No, all I have to do is go home to my family. Spinelli was warned repeatedly and this time he almost cost me everything. Go home, Maxie. Better yet, go see Spinelli, you be his friend."
Mac arrived home to find the note from the city building inspector hanging on his door. Calling he asked what was going on.
"We have had a complaint that you are renting out a room in your house, you do know that you live in a single family zone, don't you?"
Mac groaned, he hadn't stopped to think about that when Robin had approached him last year. "I was unaware of that fact, What is the fine?"
"It depends on the length of time your tenant was living there and if he is still there?"
"He moved out at the end of last year." Mac groaned as the man explained he was going to have to go to housing court and deal with this in front of a judge the sooner the better.
Calling Robin he asked if she had been aware of the rule.
"No, I had no idea, I mean it was your house, you should be able to rent to anyone you want."
"The whole house, yes, a single room, no." he explained. "We both have to be in court since your name is also on the rental agreement."
"When?" she asked as she put Emma to bed.
"Tonight would be best." he told her.
Kate was in no shape to deal with things when she meet with Jax. "So anyhow, we are going to lose our entire investment if we don't sell the magazine."
"Is there no other way?" she asked the blond.
"None, I talked to a few different companies, no one wants to touch it except for Persephone Media. They want editing rights and hire/fire rights for the first six months but are okay with you still running things. At the end of the six months, if it is back in a better financial position, we can buy it back at for the same amount."
"Why are they doing this, though." she asked well aware that no one gave you anything for free.
"I don't know, but we need to take their offer and then find out where the leak is." he said grimly. Kate kept from flinching, she had tanked the magazine hoping to use one of the clauses to move it to the city, instead she might have destroyed her dreams.
"Fine, I will call their chief of staff." she said sighing.
Georgie went into the garage and waited for Johnny. Setting her meal down on the desk, she tried to control the dreams that still sometime came when she thought about the park and her subsequent fake murder and kidnapping.
"Georgie, wake up."
sitting up, she saw she was in a cage and her tormentor was standing just outside with a cup.
"why don't you just let me go, no one will have to know?"
"i need that money. i am losing lulu because of your sister. so i think not. besides, don't you want to know what sex is really like, i mean I overheard your sister talking to coop again. i know that the only person you ever slept with was Dillon."
"Logan, let me go." she said while furious that Maxie had been discussing her with anyone.
"nope, for once something good happened when i had a plan. they all think you died at the hands of the tmk serial killer, but oops, Georgie isn't dead. in fact she is going to be making me a whole lot of money. thanks for that by the way."
"what did i ever do that makes you think i deserve this." she said.
"nothing really, but the money is too good to pass up. you should really be thanking Maxie for this, it was all her idea. well not the part about you. you should hear the filthy things that come out of your sister's mouth. coop is in way over his head, you should have heard his response to her fantasy about being owned."
Georgie tried to ignore his voice as he went on and on about all the things he had heard about white slavery and how he hoped that when she returned she hated Maxie. "What about you, do you really think I will forget that it was you that did this to me?"
"of course not, but i will be long gone by then with my lovely little half sister's trust and the money you are bringing me as well."
her hands shaking, Georgie took the water glass he offered and tossed it in his face, go to hell.
"now that wasn't nice. since i have to keep you well-hydrated, we will do this the hard way." Logan turned on the hose that was hanging on the wall and turned it on full blast and icy cold. twenty minutes later, he felt the water pressure go slack.
turning he saw the buyer waiting. "here she is."
"stand her up." said the cold voice. when Logan forced her to stand, she was shivering when she kicked at him until he put the knife at her throat. the woman with the accent walked over and slowly looked a shivering Georgie over then reached out and squeezed and pinched her a few places. "nice. young. what about her virginity?
"long gone." said Logan with a cruel grin when he saw Georgie flinch.
"shame that would have brought ten thousand more."
when the woman was finished she said to the two men with her. "get her ready to transport for the auction the day after tomorrow. i want her in Prague without drugs. she will appeal to those who like a little fight in their woman."
Georgie turned white, these was no hope left, turning to Logan, she spit on him, "I hope you rot in hell."
feeling her hair being pulled back snapping her neck taut, Georgie saw the woman move closer. "don't do that again, there are ways of making you co-operative that don't distract from the asking price."
Georgie woke up, as she felt something wet in her lap. Shaking as she once again had the same nightmare about her trip to the sales floor, she had accidentally dumped her milkshake in her lap while moving around in her sleep.
Standing, she let it fall to the ground needing to get away but with the dampness from the shake soaking all the way though, she knew she had to take care of things.
Looking in her bag she saw the only clothes she had were the ones from her appointment with Diane and they were sadly wrinkled a bit. Lifting the dress slacks, she looked up the stairs and grinned.
There was a shower just up those stairs and she knew he had plenty of shirts, surely he wouldn't miss one. She also knew he was supposed to be in the warehouse most evenings.
Johnny was talking to Jason after Maxie had left, "Did you get the information about your bookkeeper for Bernie."
"She has a few secrets, I am not really comfortable with her helping him until I find out what they are." he admitted. Hearing Elizabeth and the boys coming in, Johnny slipped past them out the door leaving Jason with his family.
Leaving Kelly's after dinner, he stopped and knocked on Bellona's door. Hearing only the sound of the meowing cat, he decided to head home and talk to her at work the next day.
When Johnny saw Michael Corinthos and his sister, he stopped to say hello and was amused to find out that they were avoiding their mothers. "They don't want us hanging out down here."
"They might be right." he said looking to see if the their guards were close by before walking away, then stopped. "Michael, you said that voice was familiar the other day. Do you recall why?"
"Its nothing. Just sounded similar to someone I used to know." he said. When Johnny had walked away, he turned to Kristina who gave him a weird look.
"It's really nothing... look, she just sounded like Georgie Jones, okay?"
"Mac Scorpio's daughter?" she asked.
"Yes, it was weird, I had been sneaking down to the old gatehouse and was watching some old L & B stuff and she was in this video with Brooklynn and another girl. This girl sounded the same."
Johnny saw his car out front and the note on the windshield "Keys inside, on your nightstand."
He walked in heading upstairs to take a shower before settling down to read for the evening. Tossing his dirty clothes in the corner basket as he started to strip on his way to the bathroom, he was removing his boxers when he felt a warm and wet female body coming into contact with him.
"Hummph." said Georgie as she realized that Johnny had walked straight into her.
"What are you doing here?" they both asked one another.
"What am I doing here? I live here!" he said as his eyes fought with his brain for control and won as they followed a path down her chest and then further south. "What are you doing here?"
Georgie tried to still her pounding heart and could hear her mentor in her head telling her to take advantage of the moment. "A milkshake ended up places it didn't belong. I wanted to get the sticky stuff off so I borrowed your shower."
Johnny was trying to keep his eyes to himself but she was standing in front of him with only a towel wrapped around her head. When she picked up a second towel, he felt himself relax just a little but instead of wrapping it around her she just used it to dry off leaving way too much of her exposed. "We need to talk." he stated even as his mind came up with ways of helping her dry off that didn't have anything to do with a towel.
"Your right, that is why I was waiting for you." she said as she kept drying off. Johnny was finding it hard to ignore the view in front of him when he realized he was indeed getting hard.
Groaning he went back into the bedroom needing breathing space to keep himself from doing something stupid like tossing her down on the bed and kissing her senseless. Starting to count to ten, he reached about six when he realized she had followed him into the bedroom.
"Do you have a t-shirt or something I can borrow?" she asked standing there completely nude.
He was now trying to figure things out, normally a woman being this blatant would have turned him off by now, yet he got the feeling Bellona wasn't doing so on purpose which seemed to make his body just want her more. Opening a drawer he tossed her one of his t-shirts and watching out of the corner of his eye as she slipped it on. "Now where were we?"
"You not looking like what you do dressed." Johnny growled when he figured out that his statement had made no sense.
Georgie decided she had won that round and went to get dressed. Returning she said "Sit down, I will try to explain." as she sat down on the stairs.
Moving to a lower step, Johnny did the same.
"When I came in here looking for a job, I wanted to judged on my own merit not for how I looked or who I was. The disguise was the best way I could come up with, but I couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth. I like working here, I like talking to you." she said looking him in the eyes.
"You wouldn't have lost your job, you know I thought I was losing my mind." he said. When he saw the turban wrapped around her head start to slip, he tried to grab it at the same time as she did and it fell off.
Looking at her hair, he laughed suddenly and said "Did you used to have green hair?"
"Still do sometimes." she said with a wry smile.
Johnny and Bellona talked for a little bit longer as they discussed her helping Diane and his mentioning the expensive liqueur. Laughing, she said "I sort of liberated it from its pesky owner."
"Should I be worried?" he asked reaching for the hands that had fascinated him for so long.
"No, I promise I just was pissed off at it's owner and removed it." she said while freeing her hands. "I have to head home, Leo needs feed."
"You just don't seem like a cat person." he said he said as they walked down the stairs together.
"He came into my life at a time I was scared to death, he was kitten and needed to be cared for and I needed someone to keep me grounded to the real world."
Driving her home, Johnny waited until he was just about to leave after walking her to her door then asked "Why a Phoenix?"
"I like the symbolism, death to ashes to rising again." She said amused to realize he had studied her tattoo close enough to realize that the small red mark on her hip was indeed a phoenix.
"You are definitely unique." he said as he went to leave. "Good night Bellona."
"Bella." seeing the look she said "I prefer Bella."
"Good night, Bella." he said empathizing her nickname.
Looking down from her window as he pulled away, Georgie couldn't help thinking how she wished that she wasn't lying to him still. Picking up her cat, she said "I think I am falling for him, Tiger. What am I going to do?"
"Meow." was the response as the tabby approached his dinner dish.
"Your right, don't lose sight of the important things." she said as she went to get his food before changing to go out for the night. She had another item to remove from its owner.
Kate listened to the man on the phone stunned to realize that this La Chariff knew everything. "So do you understand what we want?"
"Yes, I will fire them in the morning." she said staggered at the first thing they wanted done.
Luke entered the old club, the call out of the blue followed by the remarks of Ethan had him worried. Entering his office he checked his secret hiding place and found nothing but a small square piece of paper.
Reading it, he vowed to get that rock back. Making a list he tried to figure out who could have gotten to it. Arriving at the mansion to accuse Tracy he saw Edward slamming down the phone.
Calling Mac Scorpio, Edward said "We had a break-in at ELQ tonight."
"What was taken?" asked Mac as he let Robin out of the car.
"That is just it, nothing too important." he said huffing. "But they were very brazen about this. What are you doing about it?"
"We are going to need a list of everything taken." he asked.
"Just some more liqueur, a few files, my people are looking into exactly which ones and well, a stuffed bird that used to stand in the entranceway to my office."
"Why would he remove that?"
"That is the weird part, the only person whoever expressed an interest in it was your daughter. I should have given the stupid thing to Georgie years ago." replied a cranky Edward.
Michael had come downstairs when he heard about the burglary but stopped, then staring at Rebecca who was visiting with Monica again, wondered. Then went back upstairs to call Kristina. "Hey have you ever had the urge to be Nancy Drew?"
TBC