Chapter Thirty-Seven
"Hey, bro!"
Lucky looked up from his paperwork in his GH cubicle and dropped his black pen on a pile of computer printouts. "Ohmigod! Nikolas," he said with his mouth hanging open. "You're the last person I expected to see."
"And happy holidays to you, too," Nikolas laughed, casually leaning with a hand on the wood-capped cubicle wall. "I asked around and heard that you were now a GH employee. You're not getting respectable on me, are you?"
"What are you doing back in Port Charles?" Lucky asked. "I thought you were on the road for a few more months."
"The Eddie Maine tour is on break for two weeks, and I needed to take care of some business, tie up some lose ends," Nikolas replied, shrugging. "I still own this hospital, you know. I guess that means you work for me." Nikolas put on a mock stern tone and drew himself to his full princely height.
"In your dreams," Lucky retorted.
Nikolas chuckled and placed a hand on his hip. "Yes, well, I am looking into selling Wyndemere and General Hospital. I want to liquidate my holdings in Port Charles and relocate to New York City. You know that Alexis is now in Manhattan?"
"I knew that she broke up with Ned and moved away, but that's about it," said Lucky.
"She has a lot of good contacts and with my experience at L&B, I might be able to secure a public relations position in New York City." Nikolas lowered his voice and moved in closer. "But keep that to yourself. I'd like to keep my current position for now."
"Nik-kee!" A female voice echoed through the hallway. Nikolas turned around to meet the warm embrace of his blonde, buxom companion. After a major liplock of at least two minutes, the two separated, and Nikolas wiped his mouth and chuckled sheepishly. "Um, this is Monique LeGrande. Monique, this is my brother Lucky Spencer."
Lucky looked at Monique and noted her fuschia leather mini-skirt and tight little zip jacket that must have cost over $3000 at a fashion show. Monique looked vaguely like a Victoria's Secret model. "Hi, Mo-nique," he said in a lilting voice with a raised eyebrow directed at Nikolas.
Nikolas placed his arm around Monique's waist, pulled her close and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "I met Monique when we were on the European tour circuit. Lots of parties. We like parties, don't we, luv?" Nikolas grinned wickedly and raised his eyebrows.
So now Nikolas has finally emerged as Eurotrash, thought Lucky in a peevish moment.
"Here's some money for shopping and a cab. Meet me back at Wyndemere tonight, okay?" Nikolas pulled out a thick wad of bills and peeled off what looked to be about $500. "Oh, Nik-kee," pouted Monique with her full, pink lips and arched back. Nikolas chuckled and peeled off two more $100 bills. "Be good," he instructed good-naturedly with an index finger directed at her face. Monique giggled and stuffed the bills into her tiny purse, blew a kiss at Nik-kee and sashayed down the hall.
"Same old Nik," Lucky said smiling and shaking his head.
"What?" protested Nik with a creased brow. "A man has his needs, right? What's wrong with that?"
"Whatever happened to true love?" asked Lucky, leaning back in his chair with his hands entwined behind his head.
"I don't know, why don't we look up our mother and ask her about love and fidelity?" Nikolas bitterly sputtered as a negative shadow passed over his face.
Lucky's face colored, and he began clearing his desk.
Nikolas rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Lucky, why don't we go to dinner tonight. It must be 6:00 already on a Friday night, and you're still at work. Let's take off. What do you say?"
Lucky looked at his brother's face. "Okay," he said mildly.
~*~*~*~
The two young men commented on dinner on the launch ride to Wyndemere. Nikolas held his stomach and groaned. "I'd forgotten how…heavy…those ribs and fries could be."
"I think I hurt myself," complained Lucky, burping. "How did I fit that much food in there?"
"If that was a contest on who could eat the most, I think we both lost," laughed Nikolas.
"No argument from me there," agreed Lucky, leaning on the rail and staring into the murky river depths.
"So, are you dating anyone now or just playing the field?" asked Nikolas in his big brother tone of voice.
"I'm seeing Emily," stated Lucky. "We've been together for a couple of months."
"Little virginal Emily Quartermaine?" asked Nikolas with a snort.
"Emily's cool. We're in love, so don't talk that way about her," Lucky gritted through his teeth. "Show her some respect."
Nikolas held his hands up. "Mea culpa, brother," he said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stomp on true love."
Nikolas reached into his pocket, pulled out a marijuana cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply and letting out a trail of smoke from his nostrils. "Perk of the job," he laughed, gesturing toward Lucky with the cigarette. "Want some?"
Lucky shook his head and turned away.
"Still the ever straight Lucky Spencer?" Nikolas chided. "Why don't you loosen up and enjoy yourself for a change?"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Nikolas," said Lucky quietly and firmly. "Just leave it alone, okay."
"Okay, Pollyanna," chuckled Nikolas, taking a deeper toke, then flicking the cigarette into the churning river.
~*~*~*~
Nikolas and Lucky walked around a darkened Wyndemere, turning on lights and removing white sheets from furniture. "Mrs. Lansbury was eternally grateful to be able to retire," Nikolas commented breezily. "But I sure miss her morning scones. Do you think anyone would want to buy this place?" he asked.
"You never know," said Lucky. "Some European count might want to make Port Charles his home. Do you have any cousins that want to come to the land of opportunity?"
"I try to avoid the rest of the Cassadine family as best I can for as long as I can," Nikolas said wryly. "That's why I'm having fun now before the noose is slipped around my neck."
Lucky put on a small smile and looked down at his feet. "Whatever," he said, digging his shoe into the ancient Persian rug.
"Let's explore the wine cellar," suggested Nikolas. "I always wondered what uncle had down there. He was such a connoisseur."
~*~*~*~
"Look at all this good stuff," Nikolas admired, perusing the rows of alcohol that he'd carried up from the cellar and had placed on a sidebar in the dining room. "Uncle had great taste in wine and liqueurs." Nikolas poured two glasses of 100-year-old red wine and handed one to Lucky.
"I'm not too much of a wine drinker," Lucky refused, raising a hand.
"Ah, come on," Nikolas said. "You have to develop those taste buds sometime, brother. Impress the ladies when you order fine wine at dinner." Nikolas' eyes twinkled convincingly, and Lucky couldn't refuse.
"Well, just one glass," he said firmly as his fingers snaked around the crystal stem of the sparkling wine goblet.