Grabbing her stenographer's notebook and a pencil, Elizabeth entered her bosses office. "Yes Mr. Corinthos?" She looked at the mess on his desk through her stylish yet functional glasses.
Sonny stood up behind the desk, dropping a thick stack of papers on the last bare spot on his desk. He looked up at her, his hand lazily scratching his stubbled cheek. "I have a business meeting at the Port Charles Grille in half an hour. Do you think you could get this mess organized before I get back?" He watched her survey the damage, an expectant look on his face.
She nodded to him, placing her notebook and pencil on an empty chair. "Sure Mr. Corinthos."
He smiled at her, his dimples flashing. "I knew there was a reason I liked you," he said heading towards the door to grab his coat. He looked back at his desk, and let out a low chuckle. "You'd swear my last secretary did this on purpose, pushing his hands through the sleeves of his jacket, he shot her another smile and a wink before heading out to his business lunch with Johnny tagging along behind him.
Chewing on her lower lip, Elizabeth scanned the tumultuous desk, trying to decide where to start. She took a stack of papers closest to her, fanning them with her thumb.
It took almost a whole hour for Elizabeth to decide which papers went in which file, and another half hour to put away most of the files. Kneeling on the floor, bent over the bottom drawer of a file cabinet with the last of the files at her side, she was startled when someone came into the office.
The man walked in, his eyes focused on a sheaf of papers in his hand. "Sonny? Have you seen the rate increase from J&L Beans?"
Elizabeth looked up, a small smile on her face, "My name's not Sonny, but yes I have." She giggled when the stranger's head bolted up from the papers. Standing up, she brushed her hands on her black, ankle length skirt and held it out to his for a handshake. "I'm Elizabeth. I'm Mr. Corinthos' new secretary." Her smile was warm, extending into her eyes.
He took her small hand in his, literally swallowing it whole. "Jason Morgan. I'm Sonny's partner."
"Ah yes," Elizabeth said with a nod, "As in Corthos-Morgan Coffee Warehouse. Nice to meet you Mr. Morgan." Her eyes scanned his body, taking in his straw colored hair, the broadness of his shoulders, the way his hips narrowed slightly from the rest of his torso. He also dressed differently than his partner, opting to wear a casual tee shirt and jeans instead of following Mr. Corinthos' suit and tie approach.
Jason glanced around Sonny's office, unaware that he was being appraised. "When is he going to be back?"
Elizabeth looked around Jason to see Sonny walking around her desk, Johnny dutifully following behind. "Right about now," she answered, pointing a slim finger out the door.
"Hey Jason," Sonny greeted, slapping Jason on the shoulder. He stopped when he noticed his empty desk, "Elizabeth my dear, you're getting a raise, and the rest of the day off." He turned to her, a hundred watt grin lighting up his face.
Elizabeth blushed lightly under the praise. "Really Mr. Corinthos, I was just doing my job." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, accutely aware that all three men were staring at her.
Sonny shrugged, tossing his jacket on the chair. "And you did it so well, that I want you to go home and relax. That is, of course, you're unpacked?" He crossed his arms in front of him, waiting for an answer.
"Uh, actually, I haven't finished. My Gram still has some boxes at her house, and I'm not sure how to get them to my apartment." She pulled her glasses off her face and twirled them around between her fingers.
Sonny nodded, "Then take Johnny. He'll help you with anything you need." Taking her by the shoulders, he gently pushed her out the door. "Now go, and I don't want to see you here until tomorrow." He turned to his bodyguard, "You help her with anything." Checking to make sure Elizabeth's back was turned, he handed Johnny a wad of bills and mouthed 'anything' before returning to his office, closing the door behind him.
After grabbing her purse from the desk drawer, she looked up at Johnny, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "You don't have to help, you know." She found herself taking him in much the same way she assesed Jason, even though the two were worlds apart. Where Jason was broad, Johnny was slightly more narrow. Where Jason's hair was the color of sun kissed hay, Johnny's was the color of milk chocolate. Both men exhuded strength, but Jason seemed be unaware of it, whereas Johnny made sure everybody knew.
He watched her with a gleam in his eye as she looked him up and down. When her eyes traveled up his face, he smiled, causing her to blush. "It's not a problem. I'm pretty handy at carrying boxes." The joke put her a little more at ease, and he offered her his elbow as they left the warehouse.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Disappointed that her Gram wasn't home, Elizabeth let herself into the quaint little house, and led Johnny to the basement, where ten boxes stood, waiting for Elizabeth to take them home. After a few trips up and down the stairs, they climbed into the Escalade and headed over to Harborview towers.
Johnny pointed out the few landmarks that were spattered throughout Port Charles. The Grille, Kelly's, the Hospital.
Elizabeth turned to her companion. "Tell me Johnny, what do you do for fun in this town?"
Johnny snickered, "Well, I don't really get out much, because of my job. But Mr. Corinthos is half owner of a blues club called Luke's." He paused for a moment, "Are you twenty-one?" He glanced over to see her nodding her head. "There's a bar on the outskirts of town, Jake's, if you're into that sort of thing. There really isn't much to do. New York City isn't too far away, so I think a lot of people go there."
Elizabeth's eyes roamed over his chiseled profile, drinking in all of his fine lines while he concentrated on the road. She guessed he was about 35, a little too old for her, but an extremely handsome man. If she were just a few years older, she might be bold enough to ask him out. But not tonight.
"This Jake's, it's on the outside of town?" she asked as they pulled into the parking garage at the towers.
Johnny nodded, grabbing two boxes from the back of the SUV. "Just follow the main road, you can't miss it."
After they had all the boxes brought up to her apartment, Elizabeth
thanked Johnny and bid him goodnight, anxious to get him out of her apartment
so she could go out and meet some new people.