Counting to Ten
"Cameron Alexander Webber! If you don't get your little behind over here NOW we are NOT going to the parade tonight."
Jason tipped his sunglasses down his nose to get a better look at the leggy brunette in the hot pink string bikini and matching sarong yelling at the little boy who was fully dressed, shoes and all, stepping slowly into the shallow end of the pool while sticking his tongue out at his mother.
Why did I let Carly talk me into coming here? All these kids. How am I supposed to relax and recuperate from the stabbing when I can't even get some sleep lounging around the pool while Carly, Michael and Morgan went to tour around Fantasy Land.
Disney World. What the hell was I thinking? Well, I know what I was thinking. Animal Kingdom and Epcot. That's all I was thinking. And getting some rest and some sun while Port Charles still froze. April and it's still thirty degrees in the sleepy New York town. Everyone was wearing parkas and gloves and snow boots while he was able to lounge by a pool in eighty-five degree weather in a pair of shorts.
"Cam, honey please? Mommy has an interview and we need to get back to the hotel room so I can get dressed and the hotel babysitter can watch you." She begged of her four year old son.
"NO, I want to swim!" was his response as he fully sunk into the water while standing on the stairs.
First she threatens, then she begs. He's got your number honey. You haven't won the battle or the war. You never will. Where is his father? If I were his father, I would sternly walk over to the water and pull him out of the water and walk him to the room and follow through with that threat of no parade. Women. No backbone. Carly's the same way.
Jason sat up straighter as he watched the brunette turn around and look straight at him. 'Did I say that out loud?' he thought as she huffed and started walking toward him.
"Excuse me. May I use your table for a moment? I need to get my son and he is being downright ornery today." She asked.
Jason was awestruck. He could not say a word. His jaw was left gaping open as he stared into the most beautiful blue doe shaped eyes he had ever seen. He allowed his gaze to travel down her body. He nose was cute and perked up just a notch at the end. Her lips were full and pouty with a deep red color that naturally tinged them. She had freckles across her chest and her breasts were full and round and still standing. Not an easy feat for a woman who was also a mother. She looked to be in her late twenties and her body looked amazing. He continued his trip to her flat stomach with the slightest swell just under her bellybutton which was normal for a woman who had a child. Most women never get that completely flat stomach back because off the stretch it takes while the baby grows. It's sexy on women. It's REALLY sexy on her.
His eyes continued their decent to the junction between her thighs. She was thin but not overly skinny. Her legs were nicely shaped and her hips curved in a way that was all woman. He knew she worked out because he could see the muscle in her legs but could also see straight through her legs right at the part where they stopped being legs. Without realizing it, he licked his lips.
"Oh never mind. Honestly!" She stomped and threw her bag, towels, book on the Artists of Italy, sunglasses and cell phone on the ground at her feet.
"I'm sorry. Of course you can use the table." He stammered out jumping up slightly placing both his feet on the concrete. "I guess I was too late."
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm sorry. You were probably asleep or deep in tho…CAMERON WEBBER GET OUT OF THAT POOL! DON'T YOU DARE GO ANY FURTHER!" she yelled when his little devious laughter turned her attention away from the blue eyed chick magnet she was focused on.
Cameron Webber was not a good child. Oh he was sweet and loving and Elizabeth would never trade him for all the art supplies in the world but his terrible twos had lasted two years now. She had even taken parenting classes but they didn't work. He was rambunctious, active, too smart for his own good and a handful for his single mother.
He actively swam into the middle of the pool, laughing at his mother while she stomped her feet in disgust.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." Elizabeth counted as her child psychologist had instructed her to do.
"Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty" Elizabeth continued counting past ten when it didn't work. Just like her Grams had told her to do.
"Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three" she continued like her brother Steven had suggested when she became so aggravated one night that she ruined one of her paintings she had been working on.
"Counting…I do that too." Jason said as he stood and walked up next to her, pushing his sunglasses back up over his eyes and pulling up his pants that rode low on his waist.
"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, counting. Doesn't do a damn bit of good." She replied.
Next both adults were soaked from the knees down when Cameron decided to send his arm through the water to splash up onto his mother and whoever the guy was talking to her. Looking down, Elizabeth realized he had just soaked her book, cell phone and bag which held her purse among other things as well as the towels she had to dry him off with. That was it. Play time was over.
"ONE, TWO, TEN!" she said as she raised her hands in exasperation and started to stalk toward the side of the pool. "Cameron Webber you GET OUT OF THAT POOL NOW!"
With a twinkle in his eye, he pushed off the side and swam to the middle again. Suddenly he was out of the water and into the air by a hugely muscled arm and standing in front of his mother, dripping wet and unable to get loose from the hand that held him. The hand attached to the arm attached to the man he had just soaked along with his mother. Looking up, he wasn't afraid. The man didn't hurt him and for some reason, which Cameron didn't understand, the man looked…fun.
"I believe your mother asked you to get out of the pool. You should probably listen to her. I would if I were you." Jason said in a soft soothing voice as his hand moved from the boys arm to the top of his shoulder to gently keep him standing facing his mother.
"I…uh…thank you. Cameron, you should not have splashed water. I do not understand why you won't do as I ask today."
"Because I don't want a babysitter. I don't want you to talk to that man today in your meeting. I don't want to move away if you get the job."
Bending down to become eye level with her son, she took in a deep breath and let it out before responding. "Cameron, this job interview is very important to Mommy. It would mean we could buy a house with a back yard for you to play in. It would mean a new car and money in the bank instead of always just getting by. It would mean I would be able to do what I love and get paid for it instead of waitressing. Honey, I know you don't want to move from Colorado but we can go back to visit Grams and Uncle Steven anytime. And they will come visit us. Grams is even going to take a leave of absence to stay with us for the first three months after we move to help out."
"I don't want you to go Mommy." He pleaded.
Looking up a the man who still had his hand gently on Cameron's shoulder and had actually started to rub small circles on his back with his fingers, Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you for your help. I apologize for my son's behavior. I hope you aren't too upset that he splashed you and then that you ended up even more wet jumping in the water to pull him out. I really don't know what to say except Thank you."
Reaching down and grasping her arm with his free hand he gently coaxed her up into a standing position. "You don't need to thank me. You were having a hard time. Boys can be so…well let's just say, boys can be boys. I have two nephews that try my patience at times." He lied. Michael and Morgan were always on their best behavior when in Jason's presence. "I am just glad I could help out. It sound like there is more to this than just a little boy behaving badly."
"Well, he has always been a handful but ever since he found out we were moving, he has been horrible. I had hoped bringing him to Disney World for the final meeting with my new boss to hammer out all the specifics would be enjoyable for him. And he has enjoyed every part except when I mention my meeting tonight."
"You said your boss but earlier you indicated you didn't have the job yet. Miss…" Jason asked, suddenly curious about everything about her. Her name especially.
"Elizabeth, Elizabeth Webber. And I don't have the job completely. I mean, I am the finalist but this next meeting where we hammer out schedules, pay, moving and what exactly is expected of me could come crashing down and I'll be back to waitressing by the end of the week with an even bigger debt since taking this little vacation is putting a huge strain on my only credit card."
Cameron started to fidget so Jason bent down and picked him up in his arms and looked the boy in the eye. "It sounds like this job is really important to your Mommy. Why don't you cut her some slack today, okay? You can go back to being awful tomorrow."
"Okay. Hey what's your name?" The little boy said as he fidgeted with the silver cross necklace that hung on a short chain around Jason's neck.
"My name is Jason. Jason Morgan. And your name is Cameron Webber. That's a strong name. I bet you are a really strong man too." He replied smiling at the curly headed boy that looked just like his mother except his eyes were brown instead of blue.
"I am, see" Cameron raised his arm in a ninety degree angle and flexed his little muscle for the man he now knew as Jason.
"Wow, that is strong." Jason replied squeezing the boy's bicep with his free arm.
"I bet you are strong too. Let me see. Let me see." The little boys animated face quirked as he tried to lift the man's arm.
Jason, embarrassed, didn't lift his arm and looked over at Elizabeth for help.
"You started it." She said as she crossed her arms across her chest and pulled her own sunglasses down her nose to get a good look at the chest and arm in question. She was actually hoping to see him flex his muscle too. It wasn't often that you met a real life Adonis. She wanted to paint him. No, scratch that, she wanted to sculpt him. That way she would have to touch him to get the right lines and depths of the rippling muscles on his body.
"Okay, well then you need to see it all." Jason said putting her son down and turning fully to face Elizabeth. He knew the look of a woman wanting to gape at his muscles. He'd seen it all the time at the gym next to the coffee shop. He would work out and suddenly, all the stair-step and jazzercise classes emptied out to stand in front of the window to the weight room.
He formed a perfect traditional muscle flexing pose. Then turned around and did the same thing again. Finally he lowered his arms and picked the little boy back up into his arms. "Was that what you two wanted to see?"
Elizabeth could not speak. She prayed there was not drool dripping from her agape mouth. Here eyes didn't blink. Her body didn't move. She just stood there, staring.
Laughing, he shook her shoulder a bit. "Hey, didn't you have a meeting you needed to get to?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Come on Cameron. Help Mommy pick up all of her soaking wet stuff and let's get going."
"Okay Mommy." The little boy conceded as he jumped down from the strong mans arms.
Jason stood there watching the two of them working to pick up, wring out and shake out all of their stuff. His mind was frantically searching for the next thing to say. Normally he was so calm and collected. He could talk women out of their clothes in seconds at Jakes but this one woman had his thoughts cluttered. He didn't know what to say or even is she would respond to him. Sure responding physically to his sculpted body was one thing but this woman had brains, class and…a kid. She doesn't need one night stands or men who drifted in and out of her and her son's life. Noticing her standing back upright with her wet stuff in her hands and gently taking her son's hand in her free one he panicked.
'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven….aw fuck it' he thought as he grabbed her and pulled her into his chest and forced his lips onto hers. She gasped which was all he needed to slide his tongue into her mouth and search hers.
She wasn't stiff and she didn't act scared but she wasn't necessarily responding. He stopped abruptly and pulled away. Cameron let out an 'ewww' as he was looking up between the two adults. He looked down, smiled then looked back at Elizabeth's face.
He waited…and waited…and waited for her to do or say something. Instead she just stood in the same position he let go of her in. Her mouth still slightly open and swollen from the kiss he had just placed on it. Her arms still holding her son's hand in one and her book, cell phone, towels and bag in the other.
Finally, feeling like he had just overstepped and not really knowing what possessed him to do it he stammered, "I...I'm…I mean…well…I don't know what possessed me to do that. I apologize for being so forward."
Finally shaking out of her fantasy that continued to run its course in her mind even after he stopped kissing her she finally spoke.
"So this IS the most magical place on earth."