Could this be the last big storyline for Carter Walton?

As the Quarter affair heats up, one character's time on the show is in danger of winding down. Carter's entanglement with Quinn might paint Carter into a backburner box from which he can't escape. Get the two scoops on ways we think Carter might possibly exit the scorching affair story arc unscathed on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Eric's senses were sharper than those of the Great Spencerini this week. In a conversation with Shauna, the uneasy Eric predicted that it's just a matter of time before Quinn betrays him again. Poor Eric. He doesn't know that the ship has already passed in the night, and like The Love Boat, it soon will be making another run. In fact, Quinn is lip-deep into some Carter even as we speak!

If you ask me, Quinn isn't exactly working overtime to save her marriage. Eric wasn't home for five minutes before she flew right back into Carter's arms. Quinn is a chronic manipulator, and she has Carter and Zoe snowed. Zoe deserves what she gets for handing another woman to Carter on a silver platter. To get her sexual needs met, Quinn might have just manipulated Carter out of a job, a best friend, and the family he'd considered his own.

Just in time for Mother's Day, Quinn commits the mother of all sins, and Brooke is already on the case, searching for Quinn. It's as if Brooke can sniff out a raunchy affair between an older woman and a younger, forbidden man from a bedroom away. While it's satisfying to hope Brooke happens by Carter's window with a video recorder and then buys Eric a brand-new portrait-sized digital frame for his fireplace, exposing Carter and Quinn might leave Carter with little to no place to go -- except into the Backburner Zone, where many characters have gone, never to be heard from again.

Let's get two scoops deep into this week's shenanigans, decide what best friends are not for, and solve the quandary of how Carter can escape complete and total exile from all things Forrester as a consequence of his affair with Quinn Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Remember when Quinn couldn't stand the thought of Shauna being alone at the mansion, conversing with Eric while Quinn wasn't around? Those days are gone, honey, and so is any truth to Quinn's mantra that she misses Eric so much. Eric had barely gotten in the door from his one-day trip when Quinn left him and Shauna alone in the martini room because Quinn had to go back to work. Quinn didn't punch in at Forrester, where Brooke was on the lookout for her, though. Instead, she put in some overtime over at Carter's.

I wonder if Quinn was ever sincerely jealous or worried Shauna would bed Eric. I suspect that Quinn was merely projecting onto her BFF something that she was capable of doing herself. Quinn seems to trust her friend with her man, but Shauna better not ever let any man of hers get on a conversational basis with Quinn. It's a lesson Zoe is about to learn the hard way.

Speaking of Zoe, did anyone wonder why she chose to wear a dress with a three-headed serpent on it the day after Quinn and Carter fell into bed together? For me, it represented Quinn smack-dab in the middle of Zoe and Carter's decidedly failed reunion. All three of them are snakes, if you ask me, and they deserve each other. Zoe's a cheater, Quinn's a cheater, and Carter's a cheater, too. Carter didn't cheat on Zoe, but he did cheat on his relationships with Eric, Ridge, and the whole Forrester family, who'd come to love and trust him as their own.

We all expected Quinn to be a no-good betrayer to Zoe, but what we hadn't expected was for Carter to get sucked in emotionally by that viper. Carter really disappointed me when he made excuses for their infidelity. He adamantly refused to get over Zoe and Zende's betrayals but now defends Quinn's cheating ways and upholds her worthiness to be with Eric.

According to Carter and Quinn, it's okay because they'd needed a connection. It's outrageous to think one can go a few months without sex, isn't it? Shame on Shauna for expecting Quinn to, in Shauna's words, "Um, I don't know. Wait? You know, be true to your wedding vows?"

Isn't it funny how things aren't so bad when the proverbial shoe is on the other foot? Suddenly, cheating isn't as bad as when Zoe propositioned Zende or when Brooke kissed Bill. At least Zoe and Brooke only transgressed once, unlike Quinn and Carter, who have Shauna over there lying and covering with Eric because they couldn't even wait until after dinner for their dessert.

I will tell you what I can't wait for. I can't wait for Shauna to get a martini in her hand and start chirping like the Big Bird canary she dressed like this week. If we know anything about Shauna, it's that she can't handle her liquor or her guilt. She couldn't even pull off her drunken marriage to Ridge because the guilt ate her up. Quinn called Shauna her ride-or-die, but I doubt that after a few empathizing conversations and martinis with Eric, she can continue to hide-and-lie for Quinn.

Regardless of the rampant haterade people drink about Brooke, she displayed what a real friend is this week when, despite her disdain for his wife, she gave Eric sound advice about reigniting the flame in his marriage. If anyone knows how to get a sex caboose back on the tracks, it's Brooke. Eric said that, even if he wanted to, he couldn't just flip a switch and change his marriage. I disagree. Eric can indeed flip a switch. He can flip the switch in his pants and possibly change his wife's whole perspective.

Sadly, I don't think there's hope for Eric and Quinn at this point. Even if Eric does flip that switch with the help of a new attitude toward his wife or some little blue pills, I think Carter's got Eric beat in the bedroom. Quinn probably went running right back over to Carter's place before Eric's eight o'clock bedtime because Carter can go stronger, longer, and harder, and he doesn't smell like BenGay and Old Spice.

Quinn's always been into younger men and rogues. I think Bill's the only man Quinn's been with who's her age. If you recall, she was hot and heavy with Liam. Before that, Quinn was cooking in the kitchen with Deacon. Deacon has to be around Rick's age and could barely keep up with her. After Liam, Quinn resisted temptation with Ridge and Mateo, but it's quite obvious younger men are Quinn's weakness. It was only a matter of time before she finally faltered.

With Liam, it seemed to be about more than sex. Quinn was even willing to kill for that relationship and run away, leaving Wyatt behind forever. I sense that she's also smitten with Carter. She even told Shauna that it had been an emotional and mental connection, not a physical one. That has to be some connection for it to outrank Carter's physical prowess.

The feeling seems to be mutual, but if Carter and Quinn can't keep their hands and minds off each other, this thing is bound to explode, engulfing them and everyone they love in flames. If that happens, Quinn can live to manipulate another day. She still has ties to Wyatt, Shauna, and Flo, but what about Carter?

Fans have complained for years about Carter not having a decent storyline of his own. Carter has been a supporting character and wallflower from the time his relationship with Maya Avant (Karla Mosley) ended to the point that he assumed a relationship with Zoe. Zoe wasn't good enough for him in the eyes of fervent Carter fans. Many applauded when Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) began to play alongside leading lady Rene Sofer (Quinn) in some scenes that Saint-Victor wrote himself. Fans raved, but fear began to settle in as they wondered what will become of Carter once the affair with Quinn is exposed.

Viewers who deplore cheating want to see Ridge and Eric throw Carter and Quinn out of Forrester and banish them from the family. We all know that Quinn will land on her broomstick and live to ride another day, but Carter has no other ties to anyone in L.A. but Zoe, played by Kiara Barnes, who will soon be leaving the show. Where does that leave Carter, and how can this storyline end in a way that sustains Carter Walton as a viable character on the show?

One way Carter might come out of the affair unscathed is if he and Quinn come to their senses and put a stop to it, and we never hear of it again -- kind of like it never came out who Steffy's pill supplier was. Or like no one else ever found out that Taylor shot Bill. Maybe Eric decides to bed Quinn, and all is well that ends with Quinn in ecstasy.

I doubt it. As I said before, I don't think Eric is enough for Quinn anymore, and Quarter proved on Friday that it is impossible for them to keep their hands off each other. They're gonna keep at it. It's just a matter of who will be the one to catch them. If they get caught, I see Carter's whole life evaporating like Pacman.

Carter's career and core friendships could be spared a reckoning if Eric gives up on Quinn first. Eric is unhappy, too. He wants a sexual relationship, and he needs companionship. He is also worn out from pretending not to be ready for bed or to already be asleep when Quinn goes to bed. It could be possible that he decides to let go of Quinn before the news of the affair surfaces. If it happens that way, Eric might not bother to blame Carter, since Eric would believe his marriage already was over.

With a scenario like the above, Carter might keep his job and even hold onto a romance with Quinn. Quinn would be out of Forrester, and the jewelry line would be in limbo until Flo convinces Eric to let Quinn back into the company, even if not his heart. But before that happens, Zende needs to read Carter for filth for chiding Zende about Zoe and then going on to steal Eric's proverbial milk and cow.

Ridge, who tends to call the police on everybody and randomly seeks to punish people, may not easily forgive Carter. After all, Ridge is still mad at Zoe for flirting with Zende. Imagine how upset Ridge would be if his best friend hurt his father. Eric would probably have to convince Ridge that Carter was actually doing Eric a favor by letting Quinn expose herself for who she really is.

Another way that Carter could live another day to marry another doomed Forrester couple in unholy matrimony would be if Eric cheats first. Maybe Eric shows affection to Donna or even Shauna, and Quinn uses it as an excuse to leave Eric for Carter. Better yet, maybe Quinn and Shauna set Eric up to cheat with Shauna like Katie did with Bill, and the lonely Eric falls for it.

The only way I can see Carter staying front and center after a storyline like this is if the storyline never ends. The Quarter affair would have to become a bona fide love story, with Carter possibly becoming an enemy of the Forresters, suing Eric for everything he can get in court as a result of the divorce from Quinn. Lucky Quinn. Eric ripped up their prenup before the ink had even dried. The power dynamics would shift, and maybe Carter and Quinn would somehow wind up living in the mansion and running Forrester Creations.

For example, if Eric was caught cheating first, Quarter could rise at Forrester in a way similar to what Rick and Maya did. Quarter's situation would be precarious, however, because if it were ever to be exposed that Quinn cheated first, it would nullify the gains Carter might procure in a divorce settlement.

Whatever happens, viewers are enjoying the fire that Sofer and Saint-Victor ignite on the screen -- even if they want them to pay later. Others resent the cheating and couldn't care less what happens to the cheaters as a result of their wanton ways. Here is what some of the members of our Soap Central message board have to say about it:

"The Carter/Quinn storyline is as good as the Brooke/Deacon affair...I am loving the Carter/Quinn story, it gives me a reason to tune in. I can only hope and think how soapy this will be when it's revealed." -- Theresa_Fan

"Carter doesn't look good moralwise -- having sex with a married woman- - when he had been so upset about Zoe's behavior, but finally that character gets a bigger SL than just the tiny drama with Zoe-Zende-Paris." -- Viennagirl

"I have a feeling Eric would be relieved if Quinn gave him cause to divorce her. He's clearly not happy in that marriage." -- Belindaa

"Why would [Carter] need a new job? He is a lawyer, not a hillbilly. You cannot fire someone because they had sex with a willing partner. He could sue them and he'd get millions." -- sheries

While it's a satisfying idea for revenge, Sheries, California is an "at will" state, which means an employer can fire you at any time for any reason. I do believe, however, that Carter is under contract, but Forrester has a morality clause that they drag out to enforce whenever they feel like it. I'm pretty sure sex with the boss's wife will be covered under that for safe firing's sake.

What do you think? Will a blow-up like this paint Carter into a backburner corner, or could it lead to a more prominent presence for Carter on the show?

Quarter wasn't the only thing sparking off this week. I have some random remarks about the last few days, and I'll just set them all right here for your enjoyment or eye-rolling amazement:

First, what was everybody wearing? Zoe showed up one day looking like she was in a Chiquita Banana Lady contest. Flo came to work dressed as a tablecloth or doily. Paris looked like she rolled out of bed and came to work in her negligee.

Next, Thomas made a memorial to his lifelong friendship with Vinny, but it was missing kid photos of them, like when they were in Little League. Also missing were the pictures of them pulling Steffy, Phoebe, and Hope's pigtails. Surely there were photos of the boys posing with Brooke in the background, scowling at them because she knew what disgraceful men they'd become? While Thomas is on memory lane, it would be nice if he and Ridge remembered that Thomas also left someone to die on the side of the road like a piece of trash.

In Spencerland, Bill changed the details of the night Vinny died. Liam said he and Bill had left Vinny on the side of the road to die. Bill claimed he'd checked Vinny thoroughly, and Vinny had been dead. It's not true. I checked the video, and I'm about to forward it to Baker to hurry this investigation along. In actuality, Bill took Vinny's wallet out of his back pocket and phone from beneath his body, but at no time did Bill thoroughly check Vinny or his pulse.

When Chief Baker questioned Thomas for a second time about motives stemming from the paternity test results, did anyone wonder why Baker has yet to question the subjects of that test, Steffy and Finn? Steffy is out of town, but Finn could tell Baker that -- if Baker ever gets around to questioning him. Baker also had questions about a fight in the hospital lab, involving Thomas, Vinny, and Finn, but Baker hasn't felt the need to question Finn, the one who hit Vinny during the fight. And if anyone's keeping track, night just fell on the third day since Vinny's incident.

According to spoilers, Zoe learns that Carter is seeing someone else when a surprise she has for him backfires. Shauna makes a decision on Quinn's behalf, and Shauna suggests that Quinn use a situation to her advantage. Brooke and Ridge warn Zoe about the real Quinn, and Eric makes a decision about his marriage.

My prediction? Zoe will discover that Carter is seeing someone else, and somehow, Shauna will reveal that she is the someone else! Shauna will urge Quinn to use that to Quinn's advantage. Eric will decide to have sex with Quinn, and -- hand me a barf bag -- Quinn rekindles her marriage and breaks it off with Carter. All is well -- until Brooke busts the affair wide open.

That's just what I think might happen. Meet you here in two weeks to scoop on how deliciously right or insanely wrong I was about it.

Thanks for scooping with me this week, and until we scoop again, stay bold and beautiful, baby!Chanel

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