Chapter 11
Several days later, Stefan and Carly are relaxing in the conservatory after a simple evening meal, and discussing plans for the following day.
"I'm going off Spoon Island?" Carly's heart skips a beat, both with excitement and a little bit of fear. It had been weeks since she left this safe haven. She had no idea what would greet her when she stepped back on Port Charles soil.
"Yes, tomorrow morning there is a blood drive at the hospital, and since the blood supply at General Hospital is at critically low levels, I thought we should do our part and contribute." At Carly look of amazement, Stefan cocks his head quizzically at her. "Is there a problem?"
Carly tries to stifle chuckle, but can't. "Stefan Cassadine, donating blood. The things Luke Spencer would say."
Stefan scowls. "Would you prefer to stay at Wyndemere instead? I can attend the blood drive on my own. I should be gone most of the day, since I have some duties at the hospital that need attending to. I was hoping you would assist me with some of the more mundane details..."
"I didn't say I didn't want to go," Carly rushes to explain, finding herself eager for the opportunity to leave Wyndemere. Maybe she'd even get lucky and get a brief glimpse of Michael. "I'll come, I'll even donate blood. Anything for a good cause. Right?"
General Hospital.
After donating blood himself, Stefan leaves Carly alone to give blood as well. Once she's done, she goes in search of him. Carly grits her teeth at the idea of approaching Amy at the nurses station, but given Amy is the only one there, she squares her shoulders and takes the plunge. Pasting a confident smile on her face, she approaches the counter. "Hi Amy, can you tell me where I can find Stefan?"
"Well if it isn't Snarly Carly," Amy responds in a nasty tone. "Tell me, are you enjoying your stint on Spoon Island as Stefan's latest trollop? I wouldn't count on it lasting too much longer. I can't believe he'd be interested in a lying tramp like you for more than five minutes."
"Ms Vining," Stefan says sharp tone, coming up suddenly from behind Carly. It's obvious from the angry glint in his eye, he's heard her attack on Carly. "Don't you have some work you could be doing? Or would you prefer to spend your time brushing up on your resume? It can be arranged."
Paling, Amy gulps nervously, fumbling for a large pile of patient files. "Yes, sir, Mr Cassadine. I.. uh have some filing I need to do." She quickly scurries off, her face burning from the scathing look he directs her way.
Stefan takes an infuriated Carly by the arm and guides her to his office. Once inside, Carly explodes. "That Bitch! Of all the sanctimonious people I've encountered in this town, I hate her most...."
While Carly goes on, venting at length about her encounter with Amy, Stefan quietly returns to his desk and resumes working on his paperwork.
Carly stops mid sentence when she realizes he's not really listening. "What? You think I'm overreacting?"
"Aren't you?" Stefan looks at her over his half rim glasses. "Tell me...
does Amy Vining have the power to define you?"
Carly's mouth opens and shuts, she's so stunned by his question. "I can't just let what she said to me go?! She was viciously attacked me! She called me a slut, and you think I should just ignore it?"
"Does Amy Vining calling you a whore make you one? You give people like Amy power, give their insults credence, when you let their attacks upset you, and you allow them to control the decisions you make about who you are." Before she can answer, Stefan looks down at his paperwork again, letting the next bomb drop as if he's talking about the weather. "If and when you decide to become my mistress, Caroline, the opinions of the 'Ms Vinings of this world' will be irrelevant to your decision."
Later in the day, at the blood drive, Bobbie Spencer cheerfully rolls up her sleeve as one of the nurses volunteering for the blood drive prepares to take her blood. "Once I'm done donating, I get to go home for the day. I tell you, Jeannie, after a double shift, I'm ready for some serious sleep!"
The nurse Jeannie smiles at her, wrapping the rubber tubing around Bobbie's arm. "I bet you're dead on your feet."
"Hi Bobbie, Jeannie," A friendly doctor says as he joins them. He takes a packet of sterile latex gloves from nearby cart and dons them. "How's it going?"
"Terrific, Dr Vader," Jeannie answers enthusiastically. "We've already reached the donation level we had at the last drive and the day is only half over."
Bobbie's eyes widen with amazement. "Wow! That's incredible!"
"How about I give you another break, Jeannie?" Dr Vader suggests, already pulling up a chair and taking over the procedure. "Go have some lunch while I take Bobbie's pint of blood."
"Thanks, I could use the break." Pulling off her gloves with a snap, Jeannie gets up to leave. "You want me to bring you anything, Dr Vader?"
Evening.
Carly and Stefan walk along the deserted docks towards the launch. Carly is wearing her Russian Sable, which Stefan regards with silent disdain. The night is mild, but still holds the chill of winter.
Stefan breaks the silence between them. "Was the trip into Port Charles what you were expecting?"
Carly considers the question for the moment. "Yes and no. I mean, I figured the citizens of Port Charles couldn't pass up the chance to dump all over me the first chance they've had in weeks. I know, you said I shouldn't let their opinions affect me. But it's hard to believe that when everyone looks at you like you're a disgusting piece of gum that got stuck to the bottom of their shoe. It was enough seeing Audrey, Monica, and Amy. At least I didn't run into Bobbie." Her voice gets soft and vulnerable. "I don't know if I could have handled that yet."
Stefan says nothing, but instead rubs her back soothingly. He had thought right in keeping Carly away from Bobbie. He had expended some effort keeping the two of them from crossing paths, knowing a setback could be dangerous this soon after her emotional breakdown. Only now is she showing some of her former spirit.
Carly chatters on. "I was kind of hoping to see Michael, but I knew that was incredibly unlikely. Maybe I'll have better luck next time...."
"Would you like to stay in town for dinner?" Stefan suggests, somewhat reluctantly. Though he doesn't tell her, he'd much rather share a quiet dinner with her at Wyndemere, followed by making her his mistress in every sense of the word. "There is the Grille ..."
"I think I've had enough of Port Charles for one day. Do you mind?" Carly asks as the come to a stop by the launching dock.
Stefan shakes his head, turning to face her. "I would much rather eat Mrs Lansbury's cooking, and..." He smile turns suggestive as he rubs her upper arms. "have you to myself."
Carly plays with the buttons on his coat in an age old intimate flirtation. "Really?"
"Really," Stefan murmurs, wrapping his fingers around the collar of her sable. Just as he's about to lower his mouth to kiss her, he pulls back with a deep frown. "This will not do... give me your coat."
"What?" Carly is stunned by his odd request.
"Give me your coat," Stefan demands more forcefully, then softens it. "Please."
"Okay... but why?" Carly is puzzled, but complies with his request, taking off the coat and handing it to him. She watches with growing dismay as he takes her sable and walks over to an elderly woman dressed in a tattered coat who's toting a shopping cart of her belongings.
"Madam, would you do me the honor taking this?" Stefan asks as he gently places it in the woman's arms. As the deal is struck, the old lady kisses Stefan on the cheek, thanks him profusely, and goes so far as to embrace him.
Carly protests hotly. "HEY!! Wait a second, Stefan! That's mine!"
"Not anymore, Caroline." Stefan takes Carly's hand and forcefully pulls her towards the launch before she can grab her coat back. Once aboard, he orders the launch operator to shove off.
Carly turns her anger towards Stefan, struggling to get away from him and back to her coat. "Let go of me! Stefan! You had no right to give my coat away!"
"I had an excellent reason for doing so," Stefan says as he easily encircles his arms around her waist and keeps her on the launch. The launch picks up speed and in no time they are out of reach of the docks.
Carly smacks at Stefan's hands and steps out of his arms, her eyes glittering with angry tears. The cold breeze is biting, but Carly is too furious to notice. "How could you? You know I love that coat!"
"And I hate it," Stefan replies just as vehemently. "It is an exact replica of the one my mother owns and I am not about to make love to a woman who reminds me of my mother." He reaches for her again. "Now please come here before you freeze to death."
"Well, just because you don't like it doesn't give you ...." As meaning of Stefan's words hit, Carly stops mid sentence. "Ohhhh, it reminds you of.. You want to...?"
Stefan pulls her against him, opening his winter coat so their bodies are pressed together and flaps of his coat envelope Carly, protecting her from worst of the biting wind. The intimacy is enticing, and Stefan buries his lips on Carly's cool throat, making erotic forays along her pulse point and causing her heart rate to accelerate. Stefan shudders when her cold hands find their way under his clothes and against the warm skin on his back.
"I guess I can understand, but now I need a new coat, an expensive one..." Carly complains, shivering more from excitement than the cold as his gloved hands slip under her sweater and sweep up her back. He does it with a sureness that brooks no question as to who she belongs to.
Stefan pauses for a moment to look down at her flushed face, his eyes dark with undisguised desire. "Then I will replace it." A soft groan escapes as his mouth covers hers, masterfully parting her lips and stroking her tongue with his, as a promise of what is to come.
 Chapter 12
Shortly after their arrival at Wyndemere...
"Thank you, Mrs Lansbury, that will be all for this evening," Carly overhears Stefan say as she paces nervously in the conservatory, waiting for him to dismiss Mrs Lansbury. "Come morning, we will serve ourselves from the ample breakfast you left for us in the kitchen. We will see you later in the morning, then."
Carly walks up to the doorway, watching Stefan close the door behind Mrs Lansbury. He turns to face her, a predatory gleam in his eye. Saying nothing, he stalks over to her and takes her face in his hands. His mouth descends on hers without warning; he kisses her roughly, pillaging her mouth and pushing her hard against the doorjamb with the force of his kiss. Carly returns his kiss with equal fervor, losing herself in him, holding back nothing. Their tongues join in an erotic dance, stroking... mimicking the lovemaking they will ultimately consummate.
Stefan forces himself to break it off. His eyes raking over her body as if she is naked. "Unless you wish me to ravage you right here, I suggest we move this to a more comfortable locale..."
"Shut up and make love to me." Carly grabs the lapels of Stefan's suit coat and brings his lips down on hers again. Hard.
Her demand coupled with her searing kiss drowns out all rational thought and Stefan growls in response, devouring her in a bruising kiss in which she gives as good as she gets. Of their own accord, Stefan hands slip under her skirt to caress her bottom, realizing the mistake too late. There was no going back, he would make love to her now, against this doorway.
Stefan leans his head against Carly's shoulder, breathing in deeply as his heart rate returns to normal. His hair is mussed and fine beads of perspiration grace his brow. Slowly he releases his firm grip on Carly's thighs and lets her slip down the wall until her feet hit the floor while his hands trail up her body to rest at her waist. Next to their feet lay his suit coat in a heap along with some choice pieces of lingerie.
Carly, her eyes shut, is also covered in sweat. Her clothes seem to straighten in spite of themselves, making her more modest that she feels. "Wow, you are too good at that," She mumbles finally, awe creeping into her voice as her hands find their way back to his bare chest then down to his stomach. She finally opens her eyes as she comes down to earth. "I'll never be able to look at this doorway the same way again."
"Come," Stefan says as he takes her hand off his stomach and guides her towards the staircase, his eyes only leaving her long enough to navigate them safely. Just as they reach the steps, Carly tugs on his hand, bringing him close again. The long slow deep kiss they share immediately results in Stefan's hands roaming her body again and leaving her dizzy..
"I can't think when you do that," Carly complains without conviction when he releases her mouth to kiss her at the hollow of her throat. Carly's body molds to his as she lets herself fall under his hypnotic spell again. The familiar ache of desire that she feels every time he looks at her, touches her, or kisses her, returns despite the fact that the need was satiated only minutes before. As her knees buckle, She has the sensation of being lifted with ease and carried up the stairs. The next moment she feels herself being placed in the middle of a soft bed full of comforters that smell of uniquely of him.
She opens her eyes to find him standing above her, his eyes boring into her with the same sexual desire she saw before he made love to her the first time. She vaguely notices the room is full of soft candlelight, though she doesn't have the presence of mind at the moment to wonder how it happened.
With exquisite slowness that accentuates the aching need of her body, he undresses her. His hands are gentle in contrast to the first time, worshiping; each touch, each caress designed to give her pleasure. Her body arches to his touch, longing for more, begging for more. Her eyes are glued to his, heeding his silent demand that she watch him as he makes love to her. Never before had a look from a man been so completely erotic. She has no doubt in her mind that he is a sorcerer with how completely he has her under his spell.
A part of her shivers with alarm as she lays naked to his devouring eyes, but the fear quickly dissipates as she watches him remove his unbuttoned shirt and his hand go to his belt buckle. She marvels again at how magnificent he is, lean and powerful, like panther. She reaches her hand up to help him undress and he stops her.
"Not this time, Caroline," He answers in voice low and gruff as he steps out of his slacks. He lays down beside her, intertwining his legs with hers and grazing her ear lobe with his lips, letting his breath warm her neck. "This time I will take my time making love to you. I won't be satisfied until you beg for mercy."
Midnight. Carly wakes to find her senses filled with scent of Stefan. He surrounds her, his arm wrapped possessively around her nude body, while his face is buried in her hair. The secure feeling along with the memory of their incredible night together causes a smile to spread across her face.
The day began as a difficult one, from the blood donation, to taking Amy's abuse, to the nasty comments made by Monica, and the disapproving glower from Audrey. It all depressed her to no end. Then Stefan had the audacity to give her beloved sable away while she stood by helplessly. She had been incensed until he kissed her and told her why. Ugh, Helena Cassadine. Everything she'd heard about the woman, she isn't surprised that he wanted that sable gone. Still, she misses it.
Then their incredibly passionate night of lovemaking. They made love twice before they gave into their starvation. The feast that was waiting in his room had been fabulous. But then Mrs Lansbury's food was always amazing.
Feeling restless and not wanting to wake Stefan, Carly carefully extricates herself from his arms. Finding his discarded shirt on the floor by the bed, she slips it on, buttoning a couple buttons before padding to the window that looks out onto the water.
Port Charles. Her home even though no one wants anything to do with her. Her mind returns again to Amy's accusing words.. calling her a slut for sleeping with Stefan. The irony of that hits her in the gut. Before she had been innocent of that, not of her own choosing, but because Stefan didn't want her that way. She remembers the time he seduced her on the conservatory floor. God, she begged him to make love to her and he'd been so disgusted with her obvious attempts that he'd decided to teach her a lesson. A lump of shame forms in her throat. Pathetic, that's what she was. Even after he'd humiliated her repeatedly, she'd jumped at the chance to sleep with him.
She wanted him, God he made her heart race by just looking at her a certain way. It was scary how much he understood her, more than Jason, even. She'd even gone so far as to tell him one time. Why did he put up with her, anyway? She had nothing to give him. She was just something he toyed with. Was this latest seduction the same thing? Was Amy right? Would he tire of her and throw to the wolves? It never did make sense why he helped her. He'd certainly done a lot more than provide her with safety.
She feels him come up behind her, slipping a hand under the shirt and around her waist until his palm rests against her stomach. Her heart skips when she realizes he's wearing nothing, but she forces herself not to respond, not to melt into him like her body is screaming to. The lump in her throat tightens, making it hard for her to breathe.
Stefan feels the tension in her body. "Tell me what is wrong, Caroline," He whispers in her ear. "I thought you enjoyed our lovemaking."
"I did. God, I did. It's just..." Carly stops when she realizes she's too ashamed to say the words out loud. He'll agree with her. He'll tell her she's his whore and then he'll seduce her into his bed again. She knows she isn't strong enough to resist him. Not tonight, not when she knows he's right.
"Tell me," He urges softly, his breath warm on her neck. "You can tell me anything, you know that."
"It's true, isn't it?" Carly says, biting her lip to keep from emitting a sob. "I'm a whore."
In a few short seconds, Stefan's emotions run the gambit: shock, sadness, self loathing, protectiveness, and an strong urge to convince her she's wrong. But just as quickly, he realizes that unless she believes it herself, unless she convinces herself that it's not true, the self doubt will eat away at her. Instead he tightens his hold on her slightly and asks. "Are you selling your body, Caroline? Are you giving me your body in hopes of gaining anything from me?"
"I... I don't know... I just wanted you." Carly answers uncertainly.
"Have I offered you anything in exchange for sleeping with me?"
Relief seeps into Carly, causing her to relax against him. "No, you haven't."
"And I never will," Stefan assures her. "You and I are lovers because we want to be. Protection from me, help from me, will never, EVER be dependent on you being my mistress. If at some point we cease to be lovers, you will not have to fear losing my protection."
Carly presses his hand more tightly against her womb, loving the feel of being safe in his arms. "Thank you."
Touched by her vulnerability, Stefan presses his lips into her hair. "Will you come back to bed?"
Carly turns in his arms and places a kiss on his bearded cheek. "I'd love to."
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