Elizabeth turned this way and that, scrutinizing her image in the mirror, checking for any flaws. She had to admit the black off the shoulder dress clung exactly where it was supposed to. The ankle length dress even had sparkles in it and, as she turned, it shimmered under the lights. Her feet were encased in one inch high heels, and they glittered along with the dress.
Satisfied that there was nothing wrong, Elizabeth picked up her matching black, see through wrap, and made her way to the stairs. She had heard the penthouse door open and close just a few minutes ago, signaling Jason's arrival, and wanted to get a peek before she went downstairs. Carefully, she approached the top of the stairs, peeking around the wall to see where Jason was. Her breath caught in her throat as she located him, with Sonny and Carly, waiting near the dining table.
His tuxedo fit him perfectly, showing off his broad shoulders and narrow hips. He skipped the tie, and left the top button unbuttoned, like he did the other night, but he had the stark white shirt neatly tucked into his pants. He kept pulling at the cuffs of his jacket, twitching against the formal wear. He hadn't shaved and there was a slight stubble on his face, giving his already gorgeous features a dangerous sexual quality that she felt even from the stairs.
He heard her giggle and looked up at her, his eyes piercing hers where she stood. She sucked in a breath, and tried to remember how to breathe as she felt the weight of his gaze fall upon her, waiting for her to descend the stairs.
Nobody moved, nobody spoke. Time stood still while he took in the sight of her as she stepped away from the wall. For him, everything melted away except for her and him. In that instant, he knew he would never meet another woman like her; elegant when necessary, yet wild and reckless too. He felt someone poke him in the back, urging him to say something, anything. His mind searched for the words while Elizabeth floated down the stairs.
"You look... " There was no word for the way she looked. "Breath taking."
She bowed her head, hiding the blush that crept into her cheeks. "Thank you."
Being the only one in the room able to fully breathe, or even think, Carly grabbed her purse from the table. "Are we ready to go? Johnny!"
The guard opened the door, fastening the second cufflink to his tux. "Deborah, Francis and Deanna are all down at the limo, if you're ready Mr. Corinthos?"
Sonny nodded as he slipped on his tuxedo jacket. "I think so?" He looked at his wife. "Have I told you how beautiful you are?" he asked, his dimples emerging.
"Not today," she joked, taking the elbow he offered.
Jason looked to Elizabeth with a grin, and bent his own arm, "Shall we?"
She took a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves and shifted her wrap to take his arm. "I think so."
Her hand barely weighed anything on his arm and he couldn't help but smile. He knew it was so she could flee if necessary. When he covered her hand with his, her head whipped around to look at him.
"It's ok. Nothing's going to happen, I promise."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Elizabeth surveyed the table, grateful that Carly was sitting next to her to help keep her calm. Every time Jason raised his fork to his mouth, his elbow brushed hers, sending a surge of electricity throughout her body. She couldn't help but peek at him from time to time out of the corner of her eye, her fingers itching to trace the square line of his jaw. She imagined her lips against his tan skin and wondered what it would taste like.
She did watch the skits from time to time, and looked up now to see Ned Ashton and A.J. Quartermaine finishing up their rendition of "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better." She laughed politely along with the rest of the crowd, not really understanding why it was so humorous.
Jason stretched while the servers came to take away their plates, his arms and back feeling stiff from having to sit properly, and in a tuxedo no less! He couldn't keep himself from stealing looks of Elizabeth, his eyes caressing her more boldly than his hands dared. Her whole body glittered under the dim lights, and he wondered to himself if the skin underneath the dress sparkled as well.
His thoughts were briefly interrupted by the round of applause for Ned and A.J. and he watched while Lucy Coe came out to announce the slight intermission in the festivities. His ears picked up the beginning strains of music and his eyes scanned the room until they landed on the sharply dressed dj, obviously hired to play during the intermissions. His gaze traveled back to Elizabeth, who was in deep conversation with Carly. What they were talking about didn't matter, as long as he could steal a glimpse of her every now and again.
His attention was drawn upward as Sonny and Johnny returned from saying 'hi' to Laura Spencer. Sonny was grinning from ear to ear, his dimples cutting deep into his cheeks while all his attention was focused on his wife. Approaching his oblivious date, he tapped her on the shoulder and, when she turned around, held out his hand to her; a silent invitation for a dance.
She readily accepted, placing her hand in his, and let herself be led to the dance floor, turning around once to shoot Elizabeth a knowing wink. Elizabeth smiled in return, watching until they disappeared into the crowd. She noticed Johnny and Deborah not far behind them. Clearing her throat, she noticed her empty wine glass. "Wish they had some beer here," she mumbled.
Jason tried to surpress a laugh, but failed. He had noticed her fidgeting, and wondered if she hated to be here as much as he did.
"So..." Elizabeth turned to Jason while Francis and Deanna left for the dance floor as well. "Let me guess, you don't dance?" Her hands gave away the nervousness she felt in the pit of her stomach from being alone with him; they were restless, constantly running themselves over her dress, smoothing out the invisible wrinkles.
He shook his head, "Sorry."
Her laugh was staccato, another sign of her unease. "That's ok, I'm not the world's greatest either."
His eyebrow arched, his mind bringing him back to the night they all had dinner at Sonny's. She had moved so gracefully, even though she had been slightly under pressure. Jason was sure she was a great dancer, she probably just didn't want him to feel obligated to dance with her. In truth, that was the one thing he wanted to do most, to be able to hold her to him and let his fingertips skim over her bare shoulder.
Elizabeth noticed the fire in his clear blue eyes and placed a hand on his arm. "Is everything ok?" Small worry lines formed around her eyes and mouth, her eyes boring into his for information.
He shook his head of his thoughts, "Yeah. Everything's fine." He looked to the dance floor and then around the whole room, his shoulders rolling, trying to shuck off the stiff tuxedo jacket. Leaning a little closer, he held out his hand. "Do you want to get out of here for a second?"
Her eyes dropped to his offered hand, her teeth catching on her bottom lip. Slipping her tiny hand into his, she waited until he rose before doing the same, and followed him to the terrace.
The trees around the hospital had been decorated for the occasion with small white lights -- thousands of them. Elizabeth felt like she was in a fairy tale. Never had she been to a function as fancy as this. The only "ball" that she had attended was her senior prom, and the experience paled in comparison to this.
Jason let her walk to the railing, watching her shimmer beneath the lights. She could've been a dream, an apparition. But no, she was there; smiling like a child on Christmas morning, her head tilted back to observe the stars. He did the same, and wondered what she found so interesting about some large balls of gas billions of miles away. Hearing the music of her laughter, his head came back down, his eyes falling on her radiant face.
"This is just so magical." Holding her hands out to her sides, she did a slow turn, her face still upturned to the sky.
Jason shook his head, "Why?"
She stopped, faced him. Her arms dropped down to her sides, a sad smile forming on her face. "You know, I don't know why." She turned back to the inky blackness beyond the trees. Approaching the railing, she leaned over, watched the people mill about below her and took a deep breath.
Elizabeth stiffened slightly when she heard the muted clicks of his shoes on the cement. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, his scent wrapping around her like a soft cotton blanket; spice and leather. Always leather. She never thought the smell of leather could be so intoxicating, but it was; thick and heady, invading her head, her thoughts. Her heart.
She turned her head to the side and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Why do you come?"
His hands found the pockets of his pants and he shrugged. "Sonny asks me to, so I go. There's nothing else I would've done tonight.
She nodded, more out of politeness than understanding, and turned to him, leaning her hip against the railing.. "But you're obviously uncomfortable. You can barely stand the jacket, let alone the scratchy pants and stiff shoes. Is he really worth it?" Her arms crossed in front of her chest and she shivered when a small breeze blew by.
He focused on a star, her question rolling through his mind. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked suddenly, his eyes falling back to hers, as blue and clear as she had ever seen them.
Elizabeth froze, that had not been the answer she expected. "I... well.." She shrugged, pulling her wrap tighter around her shoulders. The wind whipped around her again, causing her dress to flutter at her feet. Her hand absently pushed a loose lock of hair from her face. She studied him from head to toe, as if seeing him for the first time. "Sure. Let's go."
Jason let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. Offering her his elbow, he led her back to their table to let the group know they were leaving.
"I'll have Anthony drop us off at the Towers, then turn right back around, ok?"
Sonny nodded at Jason's suggestion, and turned to Elizabeth. "I was hoping I'd get to share a dance with you tonight," he flirted, his dimples emerging.
Elizabeth blushed slightly, bowing her head, and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.
He was careful with her, keeping a slight distance between them so she would feel comfortable. "Having a good time?"
She nodded, her blue eyes sparkling, "Oh this is wonderful! I've never been to something like this before." She giggled as he raised her arm up and spun her around.
"So you're glad you came?"
"Yes, Mr. Cor- Sonny," she corrected when he shot her a firm look. "Thank you for asking me to come along."
He graced her with another smile, a flash of his dimples, "Then why are you leaving early?"
She stiffened and looked into his eyes, relaxing when she found only twin brown pools of friendship. "Jason asked if I wanted to leave." She shrugged, "I said sure. Besides, I don't really get the whole thing. Probably because I don't know the town too well. There will be another one, right?"
Sonny's chuckle stuck in his throat, "Yes, Elizabeth, there will be another one, same time next year."
"Good, then maybe I can volunteer some time for that one."
"I'm sure they would appreciate that," he responded, offering her his elbow as the final strains of the song ended. When they neared the table, Jason stood up, his eyes focused intently on Elizabeth.
"I think now would be a good time to leave, before the intermission is over?"
Elizabeth agreed, giving Sonny a kiss on the cheek before turning to
Carly and hugging her new friend. As she pulled away, Elizabeth could've
sworn that her boss' cheeks were turning a light shade of pink underneath
his olive toned skin. "Thank you both for inviting me tonight.
And Carly, for helping me pick out this amazing dress." She hugged
the woman again, then took Jason's outstretched hand to follow him to the
garage.