"And good morning to you," an all too familiar voice greeted.
She turned her head up slowly, her hair hanging in her face, concealing the blush that had grown on her cheeks. "Good morning," she replied, slipping her foot out of the stuck shoe so she could stand up straight.
Jason's eyes glittered with silent laughter. "Need some help?" He pointed to her shoe, and crouched down to free it. Turning to her, he took her leg to lift her foot off the ground and slip the shoe back on. He smiled slightly when he discovered she wore no pantyhose, and that she painted her toe nails a deep purple. After getting the shoe on, he let his hand slide up to her calf muscle and give it a squeeze. "There." He stood up, brushing his hands off on his jeans. "Do you want me to walk you to your desk?" he said with a wink before entering the elevator.
Elizabeth's blush deepened, her eyes lingering on him, even after the doors closed. Of all the people to run into first thing in the morning, it had to be Jason. She shook her head, realizing just how horrible this day would be.
When she turned the corner to toss her purse on her desk, she noticed a single white rose placed in a lead crystal vase sitting right in the middle of the empty surface. Her eyebrows knotted, her eyes searching the desk for a note. When she found none, she leaned over, dipping her nose into the soft petals to inhale their scent. Elizabeth let a smile form on her lips, but it slowly disappeared when she realized she had no idea who would be sending her flowers. Before she could think about it further, Sonny called her into his office.
She found him sitting behind his desk, a stack of contracts waiting to be messengered out in front of him. His eyes were focused on the top sheet, his hand motioning for her to sit in the chair in front of him. He scrawled his signature on the paper, dropping the pen on the desk to look up at her. His eyebrows met instantly as his eyes took in her pale face, her red, burning eyes.
"Elizabeth? Are you ok?" He stood up from the chair to come around the desk, dropping into a crouch in front of her. "Is there something wrong?" He brushed her bangs away from her forehead to feel for a temperature.
Elizabeth smiled weakly, pushing Sonny's hand away. "I'm fine. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Her eyes followed him as he rose to lean against the desk.
"That's all?" he asked, a stern look on his face.
She nodded, and managed a small laugh. "Actually, I didn't get any sleep last night."
Sonny cocked his head to the side. "Then why didn't you call in sick? I would've understood, Elizabeth. I'm not a slave driver."
Her eyes fell to the ground, focusing in on the shine of Sonny's shoes. "I know, but it's only my third day."
Sonny took her upper arm in his hand, gently pulling her into a standing position to lead her to the door. "I don't care. You won't be of much use if you're half asleep." He took her purse from the top of the desk and handed it to her before continuing down the hallway to the bank of elevators. "Just go home, take a long bath, get some sleep. And I'll see you tomorrow." He pushed the down button, his hand now on the small of her back. He let his hand drop one the doors opened. His chocolate colored eyes watched her until the doors began to close, and he suddenly remembered why he called her into his office in the first place.
He thrust his hand out to catch the closing doors. "Elizabeth? The reason I asked you into my office? What are you doing tonight?"
Elizabeth's head shot up, confusion and fear rippling across her face. "Mr. Corinthos, I- You're married!"
Sonny's eyebrows knotted for a second before a smile broke out on his face. "No, no. I want you to meet my wife." He chuckled at her assumption. "And I know you don't know many people in town, so I thought you might like to join my family and I for dinner." His head cocked to the side, his smile still bright, while he waited for her answer.
Her eyes searched his face for a catch. When she found none, she gave him a tentative smile and a nod. "Sure, I'll come. Penthouse 4, right?" She remembered his penthouse, how spacious it had been, and the doorman that was posted outside, Johnny, whom she now knew.
Sonny nodded, moving his hand away so the doors could close. "Seven
o'clock." He waited until the doors closed before turning back to
his office, a low chuckle erupting from his lips.