For: Sonny's Heart

I have no claim on Days of Our Lives or its characters. I just want to play with them.

He wakes up half an hour before his alarm, as usual. Heading out to the kitchen, he prepares and eats his breakfast. Returning to his bedroom, the young man shucks off his sleep shorts, tosses them at an open drawer and heads for the shower. After donning his work clothes, the happy young man takes a last look at himself in the mirror before leaving for work. His body is lithe and toned. Currently, his wavy dark-blond hair is cut short in a carefree style framing a face that is going to have his ID checked for many years to come. And the feature that gets him the most attention; his eyes which are a luminous, light green surrounded by thick, light brown lashes.

His new shirt fits snuggly across his chest. A white polo trimmed in green with the logo of his workplace over his heart. This paired with black slacks is the uniform of the managers." All right. New town, new apartment, new job. Time to officially start your new life, Hutson!"

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Young Mr. Hutson arrives at the Brady Pub well before opening. The manager of the Pub hired him as the assistant manager because Hutson had worked at a pub in his hometown. Jim, the manager, scheduled Hutson to come in so they could handle a truck dellivery before they did all the pre-opening preparations. Then it was Hutson's responsibiltiy to work out front with managerial authority.

"And that was the breakfast rush. You acquitted yourself quite well, William. It was great to have someone out here who could make a snap decision on how to handle our few rude customers," the plump and pretty brunette said with an eye-roll.

"That's what I'm here for, Dana. And call me Will when we aren't with customers. I like to keep a professional air with the public," stated Will with a wink.

"Okay, Will. I know you're new to Salem. Do you go to the university and have you met many girls, yet?"

"Whoa there, Dana," Will responded with a dazzling grin. "I'm not attending school at this time. I have met a few very nice young women since I move here, but I do not date them."

"Oh," Dana playfully pouted, "do you get a lot of dates? You must!"

Will chuckles, "Not really. Guys ask me out all the time, but most of them just want to sleep with me. I'm done with just dating. I want a real relationship." Will's eyes sweep the dining room. Everything is back in order; ready for the switchover to lunch.

Dana gives Will a nudge, "And here's our first lunch customer, Mr. Jackson Kiriakis; owner of Common Grounds coffee house, Club: WilSon, and The Brady Pub. He comes in for lunch three times a week and often meets with Jim at this time." Dana gets a water and an unsweetened iced tea. "Mr. K always orders the same thing. I'll put in the order while you introduce yourself."

While Will strolls over to Mr. Kiriakis' table, he observes the man."He's a very handsome man. Can't tell how old he is, but there is some silver in his sideburns. Looks as if he's working from an electronic Personal Assistant." At that Will stands before the table of the older man. "Hello, Mr. Kiriakis. I am William, the Pub's new assistant manager."

Jackson Kiriakis responds without looking up from his work, "Yes, William Hutson. I do want to meet with you, but I have a business matter I need to work on through lunch. Would you please come back afterward?"

A little taken aback by the gentleman's manner, Will says, "Sure. Your server will be here with your order, shortly." Joining Dana, who is refreshing the coffee bar, Will asks, "What's the story on Mr. Kiriakis and does he really eat the same lunch every time?"

"No, not really. As the owner, he's quite familiar with the regular menu, so he always wants the daily special. Mr. K is friendly enough at staff meetings but still kind of stand-offish. It's as if he doesn't want to get to know us too well."

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Seeing that the pub's owner is finishing his lunch, Will rejoins him. "Was lunch to your satisfaction, Mr. Kiriakis?"

At this point, Mr. K has put away his PA and stands up. The two men are approximately the same height. "Yes, William, my lunch was very good as usual and you may call me Jackson." He extends his hand to Will.

Will grasps the proffered hand and experiences two shocks at once. One was an odd, warm, tingly sensation from the hand-to-hand contact. The other occurs as Will looks at the other man in the face for the first time and crystal, green eyes lock with the deep brown Will thought he would ever see in his waking life. With a tiny gasp, the younger man whispers, "S-ss-sonny."

TBC