Chapter Four
Tuesday, January 10 2012 15 weeks pregnant
"Honey, I know I was pouty about you going back to work yesterday but I really don't expect you to take pity on me by dragging me to have lunch with you and Kate today," Nicole shouted to her husband who was getting dressed in the bedroom as she carefully checked her reflection in the mirror of the tiny bathroom of the apartment they were now sharing. Not quite satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed a tube of mascara from the over-crowded, over-the-sink cabinet and applied some finishing touches to her lashes. She fed the mascara wand back into it's tube and smiled when she saw EJ, sharply dressed in a charcoal business suit, blue shirt, and striped tie in multi-shades of blue and grey, approach from behind. He wrapped his arms around her, his hands instinctively landing on her stomach: a habit they had both instantly formed since learning she was pregnant.
"Sweetheart, did it ever occur to you that I missed you just as much and that is why I insist you come along?"
Nicole studied his reflection in the mirror carefully before responding. The all-telling impish twinkle there in his eyes was a dead giveaway. "Well, it's not that I don't believe you missed me but, you've never been one to mix business with pleasure. What are you up to?"
"Darling, you really have the most suspicious mind, you know. "What makes you think I'm up to something?"
Nicole shot him a knowing, accusatory glance which caused him to laugh thus, breaking his innocence charade. "A-ha! See, I knew it," she exclaimed, smiling triumphantly. "Let me guess. You've found a new, cruel and unusual method of torturing Kate so you're inviting me along for the show, thus furthering her humiliation even more? I love it!"
"Well, there is a bit more to it than that but all in all, that is a most-impressive analysis, Mrs. DiMera," he whispered in her ear in his most seductive voice which he knew drove her absolutely bonkers.
"So, come on! Are you going to let me in on the rest or what?"
"Well, believe it or not, although it will be most enjoyable, watching Kate suffer miserably is not my main objective."
"Ok, so what is then?"
He spun her around gently and keeping one arm still wrapped around her waist, he poised her arm up as if leading her in a dance. She let out a surprised little yelp and then took his lead by instinctively throwing her spare arm around his shoulders.
"You are. Everything I'm doing is for you."
She glanced up into his adoring gaze upon her and felt her knees weakening. It still amazed her that even after several years of a very tumultuous relationship that he still had that affect on her. Everyone she ever knew claimed that one day the spark would die and husbands and wives would find themselves stuck in the old married couple rut, making the romance they once shared seem like nothing but some distant childhood memory and that any claim that some perfectly happy married couple existed was nothing more than some urban legend. For now at least, the romance was still thriving and she found herself leaning on his every word in the event that one day she would be forced to survive on nothing but memories of how things used to be, though she couldn't even begin to fathom how their love for each other could ever fade.
Kate rapped her perfectly manicured fingernails across the table set for three as she impatiently waited for the rest of her party to arrive at Chez Rouge. With any luck, Nicole might be forced to stay at home, stricken with the sudden onset of some nasty virus confining her to bed for the next several days. The little reverie which brought a brief ray of hope was quickly squashed by the all-too familiar face she'd most like to never see again flash her an exaggerated, phony smile as she approached the table with EJ following close behind.
"Mommy," Nicole exclaimed in her loudest voice just short of a shout designed to draw the attention of the other guests as she threw her arms around Kate and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Kate turned her nose up in disgust as her vile step-daughter-in-law hugged her and was about to make a snide remark when she caught EJ's intense glare upon her from beyond Nicole's shoulders. She had to literally bite her own tongue to keep from screaming as his stern look silently reminded her of the consequences of "speaking ill of Nicole." She stared him down hatefully as attempted her best at a warm welcome to Nicole, flashing her an impressively sincere looking smile to go along with an equally genuine sounding greeting. "Nicole. Lovely to see you again, as always."
"Doesn't she look just stunning, Kate," EJ inquired as he seated Nicole by pushing her chair beneath her before taking his own seat. "She has that infamous glow of a woman with child, wouldn't you say?"
"Absolutely!" Kate could feel the steam blowing through her ears. It was irritating enough that she was being forced to play nice with Nicole but what irked her even more was that the compliment she was being forced to pay actually held some merit. As much as she loathed the girl, there was no denying she was beautiful and yes, now more than ever since becoming pregnant.
"And doesn't her hair and makeup all look just perfect? If I'm not mistaken, I believe they were all Countess W products you used this morning, right sweetheart?"
"Uh, yeah actually which reminds me, thank you Kate for sending all those samples over. I must admit I was impressed, especially with the names for your new product lines, Royal Flush blushes, Earl-y Girl morning skin routine, to name a few. Very clever. It appears your aiming to appeal to a much younger generation. Smart move."
"Well Mad World Cosmetics moving into town has really left me with no other choice but to reinvent the company. That Madison James is really a marketing genious though I must admit her latest move has left us all scratching our heads just a little bit."
"What's that supposed to mean," Nicole inquired of both Kate and EJ who were enjoying a good chuckle over their inside tidbit of information.
"Well, on my latest spying endeavor, I learned via the Mad World website that Madison has hired a new Vice President of Sales and you are never going to believe who it is."
"Ummm, OK...yeah nothing at all shocking comes to mind. Who?"
"Darling, let me put it to you this way," EJ said, resting an arm across the back of her chair as he leaned in close to her. "If you were trying to run a successful business, who would be the last person on earth you would hire?"
Nicole began to chuckle heartily. "OK, well one person instantly popped into my mind but I know it's so completely ridiculous that it couldn't possibly be her[."
"You guessed it," EJ replied with a bemused grin.
"No," Nicole said, shaking her head in denail. We can't be thinking of the same-"
"Samantha," EJ replied affirmitively, desperately trying to keep a straight face as he laid any lingering doubt they were discussing the same person to rest.
"She must really be into Brady is all I can say," Kate said, directing the comment to Nicole as she leaned over her glass of wine. "I can't imagine any other reason why on earth-"
"Of course this is about Brady," EJ interjected. "He's always been very persistent with Samantha to pursue some kind of career."
"Oh, come on I know Brady well enough to say that this was not his idea," Nicole stated adamantly. A comment which brought something to EJ's eyes that Nicole hadn't seen in quite some time: a hint of jealousy.
"Well, whatever the reason, I see this as a huge advantage for Countess W however, I don't want my business to win merely by default," Kate said, giving the ice cubes in her drink a swirl around the glass. "I think our new product lines are really going to wow the world of beauty. I already have some of the hottest, fresh new faces lined up to model."
"That's great," Nicole replied enthusiastically, suddenly wondering just how any of what she heard today qualified as torture on Kate.
"There is one new product line however that I've really kept under wraps since it has still been under development, until now anyway. I just got delivery of the finished product yesterday and I'm really excited about this one. I don't think any other company will be showcasing anything like it at the summer preview convention next month."
"Wow, OK, so this is like top-secret stuff and you're telling me. Why?"
"Because I'm asking you to be the spokesmodel."
At last, she got it. EJ didn't even bother to try to contain his satisfaction, bearing the grin of a grade school prankster who just unleashed his wicked ploy on the unsuspecting substitute teacher.
"OK, knowing you and how you feel about me it's probably for some facial hair removing cream or something equally embarrassing. No thanks."
Kate reached underneath the table and withdrew a large, pastel green gift bag. In large, undercase yellow lettering on the side were the words "baby count." She hesitantly handed the bag over to Nicole. "See for yourself."
Nicole reached into the bag and extracted a few full-sized products and carefully laid them out on the table before her as Kate began her sales pitch.
"Countess Wilhelmina is proud to present our newest product line, baby count featuring a full line of products designed to pamper both mother-to-be and child. Here we have a bottle of 'baby belly jelly,' a clinically-proven stretch mark reducing serum, followed by the 'oh, baby!' soothing massage oil, specially formulated for both mother and baby, 'baby face,' a facial moisturizer for mom which reduces puffiness from swelling and bloating, and finally, 'baby nap,' an aromatherapeutic lotion to soothe your little baby girl or boy to sleep. Of course there are several more products still to see, if you're interested."
Nicole was hesitant though the smile on her face told a different story. "Kate, I'm very flattered but-"
"But what, darling," EJ interrupted. "I can't think of anyone more perfect to sell this product than you. You've done the modeling thing before."
"It's not that. It's just that I really, really wanted to just kind of sit back and enjoy this pregnancy and enjoy being a new mom without having to think about work for a while. I just don't want to get involved in something that's going to drag me away from you or the babies."
"I promise you your involvement can be very minimal," Kate interjected. "All we need to do is get some snapshots of your pretty face, a couple of commercials with you endorsing the product, and a total of two public appearances, one next month at the convention, one in the summer when the product actually launches which is, by design, the same day as your due date. What do you say?"
Nicole looked back and forth between EJ and Kate, Kate and EJ. The exchange was hilarious, from EJ's enthusiastic, encouraging nods to Kate's desperate eyes pleading for her to say no. Ultimately, it was the pathetic look on Kate's face which led her to her decision. "OK, I'll do it."