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Chapter 21

The morning was a lot of fun. The friends sat on the blanket flying their kites. Johnny shared stories of his childhood and the fact that he often went out with his grandfather to fly kites. As it got closer to noon the day warmed some and the wind stilled so they gathered everything up and headed back to the deck.

Francis made lunch and Johnny just disappeared leaving Jason and Elizabeth alone. As soon as the door closed behind Johnny, Jason pulled his girl's chair closer to his and kissed her. He hadn't lied when he said he planned on kissing her as much as possible.

Lifting his head he licked his lips as he looked at her. "You taste like strawberries." He said starting to smile.

"It's the lip shimmer." Elizabeth said smiling as well.

"Got any other flavors?" He wanted to know.

"I'm not telling." Elizabeth flirted back.

He put his lips beside her ear. "If you don't tell me then I'm going to have to kiss you every time I see you." He whispered.

Her heart rate increased and her breath started coming faster. "If that was a threat to make me tell you, it's failing miserably."

"Actually it's an incentive for you to buy every flavor they make." Jason gave her a wicked grin.

"That's a great marketing plan." One she would get right on when she got home. If she recalled correctly there were four flavors and chart on the back of the box to tell how to mix the flavors to create new ones. As Jason's girlfriend she owed it to him to find out which one he liked the best.

"Is there anything you'd like for me to do for you?" While he liked to be clean he didn't pay much attention to how things looked or smelled.

Elizabeth gave his question some thought. She bit her lip as one thing in particular came to mind. But she wasn't sure he would like it.

"I know that look." He teased. "Spill it."

"Do you think you could wear that light blue shirt you have sometimes when we are together?" She really liked him in the shirt. Not that he didn't look good in black.

"I could do that." Jason knew the shirt she was talking about. He'd have to go get more because he only had the one. "Anything else?"

"I'm not trying to change you Jason. I think you are wonderful just the way you are." She finished softly. She wasn't saying he was perfect, because nobody was. She just didn't feel the need for him to be someone or something he wasn't.

"Thanks." The tips of his ears were turning pink. "I think you are wonderful too." He said leaning in for another kiss. As he pulled back the guys came out with lunch. After they ate Jason was going to see about getting Liz back into the hammock.

Jason's hammock plans were thwarted by his girlfriend. "Can I use the computer?" Elizabeth asked as they were finishing up lunch.

"Sure thing. I'll get you on." Francis volunteered. The system was password protected. He didn't worry about Liz snooping into areas she shouldn't.

"Cool. I need a legal pad too. Does Sonny have a spare one?" She asked bringing in hers and Jason's plates. She needed to be able to take notes.

"Yup." Francis said as they walked down to the office. He got her all set up and left her to it.

Before she began her internet search Elizabeth made a list of her monthly expenses. She wanted to be able to compare what she spent now and how much a unit in the Towers cost. Rent, utilities, and money for repairs were all listed. After she had a grand total she factored in that she had recently won money at the casino so she would be able to spend a bit more than the figure on the page. If she managed to get a tenant or sell her unit that would be even better.

With that done she started her search. The Towers would be the last page she checked instead Liz looked up luxury rentals in Port Charles. It would be good to see what else was available. She made a list of the prices for studios and one bedrooms. A one bedroom would be ideal because it would give her a place to paint. The prices had her eyes opening wide. She'd never be able to afford any of them.

Finally she went to the Towers. A good portion of the units in the building were occupied by the guys who worked for Sonny. But he had regular tenants as well. She wasn't sure if all of Sonny's guys lived in one part of the building or if they mixed with everyone else. She did learn that the prices were quite a bit higher than the competition and that the building was all inclusive. So she would pay one price and get the bonus of gym access plus cable. Maybe she'd save up and get a television. But units were still well above what she could pay. Taking a deep breath to get ready she picked up the phone and called Sonny.

"Corinthos." Sonny answered on the first ring. He was happy to get a call, his eyes were swimming from reading contracts.

"Hi Sonny." Elizabeth greeted her friend.

"Hey sweetheart, how are you?" He leaned back in his chair smiling.

"I'm good. How are you?" She asked.

"Good." He answered.

"Am I disturbing you?" They didn't keep normal business hours so she never knew if he was busy.

"No, actually you are giving me a much needed break. What did you need?" She wouldn't have called without a reason Sonny knew that.

"Well." She started. "I was talking with Jason last night and we both agreed that I should move out of my studio. Jason would like for me to be in the Towers so I thought I'd call and talk to you about that."

Sonny smiled wide enough to make his dimples show. He wanted to know how the hell Jason had pulled that off. They'd been trying to get her to move in since after she had taken care of Jason. The mob boss was hoping that this meant Jason and Liz were now a couple. Instead of instantly agreeing that she could move in Sonny took it slow. The young woman on the other end of the phone could be stubborn and she wouldn't agree to what he wanted, which was her not paying rent. "What did you have in mind?" Was his opening salvo.

"I've been doing some research looking at the prices of apartments around the city to compare rents." Elizabeth explained. "I can't afford to pay full price for any of the units in your building." She admitted up front. Sonny's rents were higher because he used the Towers to help offset his illegal income. Also he didn't just let anyone move into the building, so the tight security allowed him to charge more. "But I'm hoping we can come to an arrangement. Like maybe I could get a discount and in exchange I could clean the penthouse a couple of days a week."

Sonny damned near choked on his coffee. She was not cleaning his house. Jason would shoot him. "I already have a house keeper." Sonny answered. "Before you tell me your next suggestion." He knew she had other ideas. "Let me remind you that you took care of me after I left the hospital and you are refusing to take any money for helping Jason. Plus you aren't getting paid while you are down there." Sonny felt that put him on good negotiating ground. "The guys who work for me don't pay full price on their places."

"I don't work for you." Elizabeth pointed out.

"Sweetheart, you're Jason's private nurse right now, so actually you do. I also know that should we need it in the future you'll take care of him or me or any of the guys again." She wouldn't hesitate to offer her assistance. "So let's work something out." He took a deep breath and logged into the Towers page. As the owner he could see what units were open on the floors where his guys lived. She would not be on the floors with the other tenants. "What size unit were you thinking of."

"A one bedroom?" Elizabeth asked him.

"Will you be painting?" Sonny wanted to know.

"Yes, I can leave a security deposit for that." Elizabeth quickly told the older man.

"It's not a problem." He assured her. "I'm just trying to see how that would work."

"I would set it up like my current place. The bedroom will be my work space." Elizabeth explained.

"Where will you sleep?" Sonny didn't think it was healthy sleeping in the same area she worked in.

"On the couch. It pulls out." She told him. Her current place was tiny so she had to make all the space count.

"So you need a two bedroom." Sonny countered.

"One is fine." Elizabeth hadn't looked up two bedroom units but she knew that was way out of her budget.

"No, you need two." Sonny wasn't going to budge on that. "Sleeping in the living room is a security risk. If someone breaches the building and gets in your unit as soon as they walk in they will be right on top of you." He generally planned from a 'what could go wrong' scenario. Jason would think the same way.

"Oh." Elizabeth said quietly. The Towers was probably the most secure building in the city, but nothing was perfect. Safety needed to be a concern for her from here on out. "What were you thinking?"

"Take a deep breath." Sonny said knowing she wasn't going to like what he said next.

"That bad?" She said laughing.

"Yeah." He laughed too. "I think you should just let Jason pay."

"No, that isn't going to happen." She didn't hesitate to shoot that idea down. If she got her own place, she would pay for it. However in the back of her mind Jason's offer to live with him was taking root.

"Okay." Sonny knew she would say no. By suggesting that first she might be more inclined to his actual idea. "How about I give you the unit for sixty percent off the market value. In return you will give me four pieces of art over the next twelve months. One of which will be from your island series." He'd love to be able to look at a view of his own slice of paradise while at the office.

Elizabeth did the math in her head. She could comfortably afford that and still eat. "A two bedroom unit?"

"That's non-negotiable." Sonny told her. He wasn't trying to be bossy he just wanted her behind a closed door at night. A door that he planned on making sure was reinforced.

"Deal." She said knowing that was probably as good as it was going to get with Sonny.

"Fantastic. I'll let you know what units are available and you can walk through them when you get home." Sonny offered.

"Actually you can just pick." Elizabeth figured they were all pretty much the same. "I need good light though."

"I figured as much. Something on the south side of the building." Sonny offered.

"That would be perfect." The light at the Towers was better than what she had now. She'd done a painting while sitting on Sonny's balcony.

"Would you like me to have a realtor list your place?" Sonny asked. Edward's bid to buy the building had surprisingly enough failed. With so much property being sold the home owners association was holding out for a better offer.

"Only if you promise not to buy it." She knew how he was. "And you can't tell the guys it's for sale or one of them will try to buy it."

"I can do that." Sonny agreed. "I'll have Trent fax you the lease in a few minutes. Welcome to the building." He said knowing she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Thanks." Elizabeth said before hanging up.

Back in his office Sonny smiled wide. Now all he had to do was wait for Jason to call and tell him that Elizabeth was his girl. He would try to be patient. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long.

Elizabeth found the guys still on the deck. Jason was in the hammock reclining and she wanted to join him. When he held out his hand she smiled because he wanted her to join him. She stretched out before making her announcement. "I talked to Sonny and he is picking out a unit for me at the Towers."

"Should we expect it to start snowing in Hell soon?" Johnny asked wondering how Jason had pulled that one off.

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at her friend. "I have no idea which one."

"Two bedrooms?" Francis asked her. If she said no he would call Sonny. He knew Elizabeth slept on her couch and he didn't like it.

"Yeah, we worked out a deal so that I could afford it." She explained.

Johnny started to open his mouth to ask why she was paying at all but thought better of it. If he rocked the boat too much she might not move in and then it wouldn't just be Jason who wanted to shoot him. "I'm guessing he's going to put you somewhere near me or Francis."

"I need to buy a bed." A big one because she hoped that Jason would want to stay sometimes.

"When are you moving in?" Francis asked her.

"When I get back home." No one had a key to the steel door on her studio but her so they couldn't get in to pack up her things. She didn't even plan to argue about the fact that she would be moved by one of the crews. "Probably the same day."

Jason was curious as to what deal she had reached with Sonny but wouldn't ask. If she wanted him to know she would tell him. "Thank you." He whispered so that his friends didn't hear. She patted his chest in reply.

"Are you moving in?" Johnny asked Jason.

"No." The enforcer said shaking his head as well. "I'm looking into getting a house." He needed to check in with Sonny and see how that was going. He also needed to thank his friend for Elizabeth's new unit as well as tell him that they were now a couple. Even though Elizabeth's call probably tipped him off. He would do all that later because right now he had his girl in his arms and nothing was moving him from this spot.

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