Gia Campbell ran her hand down the fine silk of the navy blue nightgown that clung so generously to her curves. A wide smile graced her face as she admired her reflection in the mirror. She thought she looked beautiful. She could only hope that Nikolas would agree.

This was, after all, for his benefit. She had gone to great lengths to make sure that she was the vision of perfection for him. She had spent twelve hours having her hair re-braided. She had blown her budget on the lingerie that  she now wore. But, she had no complaints. She would do anything to make Nikolas happy. And tonight, she was going to prove it. Gia was more than ready to offer her body to the man she loved. She wanted him to know her flesh as he already knew her soul. She wanted the same of him. This  would be their first time.

She swept her long braids over one shoulder so that  he would be able to see the low back of her gown. Anticipation welled up in her, but she forced it down. She had to maintain her cool demeanor .

She surveyed her bedroom. The queen-sized bed was made with silk sheets. Every space was filled with flickering candles. It was the perfect setting for the night that was about to unfold.

The knock at the door startled her. Her eyes grew wide.

Nikolas . . .

She stuck her arms into the sleeves of her robe and flew from the room. In front of the door,  she forced herself to wait. It wouldn't do anyone any good if Nikolas knew how much she was looking forward to being with him.  It might give him a bigger head than he already had.

If that was actually  possible.

She paused for another few seconds before sliding the chain off and opening the door.

The look, the one she had practiced for an hour in front of the mirror, the one that was a delicious mix of sensuality and coyness, froze on her face when she saw who was on the other side of the door. Her face quickly contorted into an expression of annoyance, as she snapped, "Well, if it isn't  my favorite teen junkie! To what do I owe  this lovely little visit?"

"Do you ever shut up?" Emily asked as she pushed past Gia into the apartment.

Gia rolled her eyes  and closed the door. Turning to face her uninvited guest, she said, "Look, I'm not in the mood for this, Emily. I know it's hard for your little mind to grasp, but some people do have lives. So, say whatever you have to say, and get out of my place."

"I hate that you're still in town. I hate that you blackmailed me. I hate that you're using one  of my best friends as your personal checkbook. And, to be truthful, I hate you."

"Old news. You and your goofy friend Elizabeth have already made that abundantly clear. You don't like me. Well, the feeling's mutual. Now, get out!" Gia hissed, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest. "Or, do you need help working the door knob?"

Emily smiled confidently. She leaned on the back of the sofa, saying, "Have you heard that old saying? You know that one...What goes around-"

"Comes around," Gia interrupted wearily. "I’ve heard it. Why?"

"Well, I'm about to prove that it's true. You blackmailed me, and now, I'm about to return the favor."

Gia laughed heartily. Was this girl serious? "You? Blackmail me? With what? You've got nothing on me...unless you're going to tell everyone that I blew the third grade spelling bee. I'll be ruined. Nikolas would never be seen with a bad speller, right? Puleese, Emily! Go peddle your lunacy elsewhere."

"You think you're so funny. Well, you want to know what's really funny? You and your big mouth. It's gotten you into a load of trouble this time," Emily said, reaching down into her purse and pulling out a mini tape recorder.

Gia shrugged her shoulders. "It's a recorder. So what?"

"So, you're busted. Yesterday, I accompanied my mom to the hospital. I'm  doing this interview with her for career day at school. Naturally, I took my tape recorder along so that  I wouldn't  miss anything. You can't imagine my surprise when I got home and realized that I had left it  in the Steve Hardy Library with the record button on...I can see that you know where I'm going with this."

Gia did know what was coming. She felt as if the room was spinning out of control. She could see her dreams dissolving before her very eyes.. This couldn't be happening. She steadied herself. She couldn't let Emily know that she was scared. "I don't know. I have no idea what you're talking about." Good, she thought to herself. First rule of survival in the Port Charles jungle:  DENY EVERYTHING.

"Oh really?" Emily flicked the play button. Immediately, Gia's angry voice filled the air.

"...don't care if you don't like me. The job is done and I'll be damned  if I'll let you ruin my relationship with Nikolas. You don't want to know what I'd do to keep that from happening..."

Emily stopped the tape. She beamed as Gia visibly blanched. Gia advanced on Emily. "That stupid tape proves nothing!" Her words were hard, but her voice had lost its conviction. Busted was right.

Emily pushed  the play button again. This time, it was a man's voice that stumbled into the tense room.

"Is that your idea of a threat, Miss Campbell? If it is, let me assure you that it is lacking. I'm not as easy to shove around as Nikolas' idiotic friends are.  You *don't* want to cross me. Now, you are correct. I don't like you. And I don't want you anywhere near  my nephew. "

"You're not in any position to tell anyone what to do. If you try to come between us again, I will not hesitate to blow your innocent victim routine out of the water. You and Nikolas  are closer than ever now that you've returned from the 'dead'. I would hate to have  to be the reason why all of that progress falls by the way side. Do you think your nephew would still be so fond of you if he knew you faked your own death, kidnapped Chloe Morgan, and framed  his brother's father for murder? I don't."

"The sword cuts both ways. If you reveal my secret, I will have no choice but to reveal yours. He would forgive me. I have been his father. I have protected and cared for him his entire life. But, you, on the other hand, can claim none of that. Your entire relationship is built on a lie. He would be terribly irate if he found out that his new paramour was and *still is* accepting money from his uncle to spy on him."

"Let's not do anything hasty, Cassadine. Okay? The job is over. Over! We can make a deal. There is no reason that Nikolas needs to know about any of this. You're a smart man.  You know that it is mutually beneficial for our secrets to remain secret. I doubt he'd forgive either of us. And, I doubt Chloe Morgan would take the news too well. She doesn't know that you were behind this scheme. Now, she never has to. IF we have a deal."

"I must concede that Nikolas was right. You do have guts...You're right. It is best this way. I will not interfere with your relationship. AS LONG AS, you do not harm my nephew. If you do, I will not hesitate to have you, and the threat you pose, eliminated. But, for now, we have a deal."

As the tape ended, Gia fell back against the wall. She felt nauseated. Her world was crumbling and so was she. She trembled as the implications of her situation took hold.

Emily continued to smile. "This is the part of the conversation where you learn the price of you treachery."

"What do you want from me?" Gia asked, her voice barely audible.

"Looks like you've lost all of that attitude. Good. About what I want, that shouldn't be too hard to figure out. I want you away from Nikolas. Leave him alone and I'll keep silent."

Gia shook her head no. "Not on your life. I love Nikolas and I won't give him up."

"You gave him up the moment took money from his uncle."

"I'm calling your bluff, Princess. You go right ahead and tell him. Either way I'm screwed, right? If I dump him or if you tell him about me, our relationship is in the crapper. What I don't get is why you would  want to ruin Nikolas' life. He loves me-"

"He only thinks he loves you. He doesn't. He can't see you for the gold-digging tramp that you are and I would love nothing more than to tell him everything. But, if I did, it would demolish his relationship with his uncle. That is something I don't want to do. I know how much it means to him to have a second chance with Stefan."

"You're willing to protect Stefan?" Gia asked in disbelief.

"I think Stefan should rot in hell for what he did, but that would destroy Nikolas. He can bare to lose *you*. It would kill him to know the truth about his uncle."

"You're right, Emily. It would.  I won't let him be hurt like that. That's why you have to keep quiet. He can't know!"

"And he won't. IF you break up with him. I will tell Nikolas if you don't do a as I say."

Gia pushed back tears. She wouldn't fall apart.  She started to pace. "He won't let me go. He loves me as I love him. He'll know that I still feel the same."

"Well, you better try your hardest to make it clear that it's over. Tell him you were lying to get his money. He should buy that, seeing how it's the truth and all."

"I am not with Nikolas for his money. He knows that....No, I won't do it. I won't let you force me to do this. You're not going to push me around."

"You've already been pushed," Emily stated, slipping the recorder back into her purse. "He'll get over you."

Gia's head snapped around. "You Bitch! I know what this is about! You want him for yourself. Now that Juan's finally dumped you and Lucky and Liz are back together, MY MAN is  the only one left that you haven't tried to push yourself off on."

Emily averted her eyes. "Nikolas and I friends. That's it. I care about him and he deserves better. What's it going to be? Should I wait around until Nikolas shows up and let him hear the tape, or are you going to do as I asked?"

A lone tear  fell down Gia's cheek as she realized that she had no choice but to cooperate. She  needed to buy some time until she could figure out how to neutralize Emily.  "Ye...Yes," she sputtered, "we have a deal. I will break up with  Nikolas tomorrow."

"Tonight," Emily demanded.

"Don't push your luck," Gia roared, moving across the room to tower over the other girl's sitting form. "I may have agreed, but I am not your lap dog. I will do it tomorrow and that's final. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave before I decide to make you disappear."

Standing up, Emily responded, "You and your big talk."

"I doubt anyone knows you're here. It  would be so easy to wrap my hands around your throat and SQUEEZE. Heck, now that DeadTed is gone, there is more than enough room in the freezer at Wyndemere."

It was the younger girl's turn to blanch. Gia's eyes were cold as she glared at her blackmailer. Hate radiated as she clenched and unclenched her hands.

"You just keep your word, Gia." Emily moved towards the door, but was stopped by a few crisp words.

"When it's over between Nikolas and me, *you* will not be the one he goes running to."

"You wanna bet?" Emily asked. And then, she was gone. ~*~   ~*~   ~*~

End of chapter One, Please e-mail any feedback by clicking on the mailbox below :)

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