Chapter 4
Skye couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She was CEO in a major corporation, and she was picking the lock in a mobster's home. She only hoped that the diversion she created was good enough to keep the bodyguard away for awhile. Skye breathed a sigh of relief when the door clicked open. She slipped inside, and turned on her flashlight. Now that she had gotten through that obstacle, It was time to find a needle in a haystack. Or rather, a tape in a penthouse. That was assuming he didn't still have it on him. Her PI had told her that he came home to change before going out again with Alexis Davis. She checked the top of his desk, and tried opening a few drawers. The middle one opened, but no tape was there. The other drawers were locked. She checked the coffee table – nothing there either. She started up the stairs, glancing down into the living room to make sure she didn't miss anything. At the top of the stairs, she ran right into something big and solid…and warm and soft. Frozen in horror she turned her head back around, and straight into Sonny's eyes. "Looking for me?" he whispered. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and started to take a step back. But he grabbed her arms and pulled her against him. "Now, now, be careful. Wouldn't want you to take a tumble down the stairs." He pulled her towards the bedroom. Skye was numb with fright. "S…Sonny. What are you doing here?" He smiled coldly. "I'm sorry, was I supposed to be somewhere else? I neglected to check my calendar."
Sonny closed the door and pushed her into a nearby chair. "Have a seat," he sneered. He went over and picked up the tape recorder, taking the tape out. "Much as I like to think of myself as a ladies man, I doubt that you came here tonight hoping to see me. I'm guessing that this was the object of your desire?" Skye decided not to give him the satisfaction of a response. She sat there in stony silence. "Cat got your tongue? Oh no, wait, I got that confused. It appears you are the cat. Or cat burglar, as the case may be. But then, that's not right either, since you didn't scale any walls. You just walked in my front door. Which indicates you knew that my bodyguard would be gone. Which reinforces my notion that you are in cahoots with Dawson." Skye gave him a withering glance. "I could have called in a tip that the President of the United States was skulking around your warehouse. Would you have believed that too?" Sonny put his hands on the arms of her chair, and leaned in to her. "Brave words from a woman caught breaking into my home. What do you think, should I call the cops? Wouldn't that make great headlines – 'CEO sent to jail for breaking into mafioso's home!' – the press would eat it up."
Skye looked up at him, his face millimeters from her own. She was unnerved by how close he was, but for some reason it was not fear she felt, but something else. "I've been sent to jail for all sorts of things. The front page wouldn't be able to fit in my entire arrest record." Sonny laughed, and straightened up. He sat on the bed and leaned over on one elbow, casually playing with the tape. "Tell me something. How much would you give for this tape?" Skye's eyes widened. "You mean money?" Sonny shook his head, smiling so that his dimples deepened. "No, I mean, what would you do for me, in exchange for this tape?" Skye's mouth dropped open, and she looked away from his bare chest. "You're despicable," she whispered. Sonny laughed. "No, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine. You're the despicable one for entertaining such thoughts in your head." He sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Don't think I didn't notice that you are attracted to me. I could see it the first time we met. And you still want me, despite the fact that you hate me."
Skye looked at Sonny with loathing. "Any animal can have the urge to mate. It's the ability to control desire that distinguishes us, or at least me, as a civilized human being." Sonny laughed again. "You don't have to worry about my lack of control. You don't put me to the test at all." Skye schooled her features into a cool mask, so that Sonny would not see the humiliation she felt. When she didn't respond, he continued. "I'm sure that you already knew I wasn't attracted to you, or else you would have tried getting me into your bed long before now." Skye rolled her eyes. "I see you're back to calling me a tramp again. Its getting somewhat repetitive." Sonny narrowed his eyes. "Well its true isn't it? And you must be good at it, because you got Jax to hand you ELQ on a silver platter." Skye hissed, "Unlike you, Jax is a gentleman. He never laid a finger on me." Sonny snorted. "Much to your regret. So what induced him to make you CEO, then?" Skye fought to hold back the tears. "He thought that I had potential. He believed in me. And I proved to him my worth, ELQ is doing a damn fine job." She held her chin up. Sonny cocked his head. "I'm sure that is because of his close supervision." Skye smiled coldly. "Not really. The only investment he's been closely supervising is Carly's new club. And we both know why." A muscle worked in his jaw. "Yes, I should know why more than anyone. She was my wife once. Carly is more than just beautiful. She is sensual, exciting, vibrant. She sets the world and the man in her life on fire. She's like a narcotic that sucks you in from the very first touch, and never lets go. She's everything you will never be, Skye. And that is why Jax is with her, and not you."
Skye stood up, trembling from head to toe. "I think I've had just about enough. If I have to, I'll turn myself in to the cops. But, I'm not going to listen to one more word from you." She turned and started to walk towards the door. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She looked back and saw him holding up the tape. "I said I'm not going to listen to any more of your taunts." Sonny walked over to her. "Its not a game, I'm giving you the tape." She narrowed her eyes. "Why?" "Because it occurred to me that if I play this tape for Courtney, she will hate me just as much as AJ, because I was the one who bore the bad news. But if I bide my time, AJ will inevitably screw up. And when she breaks up with him, I'll be there to comfort her. So I don't need this tape to prove I'm right about AJ. He'll do that all by himself."
Skye didn't want to debate that issue, so she decided to needle him a little. She sauntered closer to Sonny, and put her hand over his. She delicately plucked the tape from his fingers, while staring smoulderingly into his eyes. Before she could pull away, he gripped her hand in his. "A word of advice, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine. Be careful in the future what you say to me or any of your other enemies. You never know how it will be used against you." He let her go. She smiled seductively. "I'll be sure to take your advice…and the tape…to heart." She kissed the tiny cassette, and tucked it into the front of her blouse. Then she turned around and left the room.
A little while after she was gone, Sonny could still smell her perfume lingering in the air. He realized then that he had lied to Skye about her attractiveness. And he was in deep, deep trouble.
Skye couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She was CEO in a major corporation, and she was picking the lock in a mobster's home. She only hoped that the diversion she created was good enough to keep the bodyguard away for awhile. Skye breathed a sigh of relief when the door clicked open. She slipped inside, and turned on her flashlight. Now that she had gotten through that obstacle, It was time to find a needle in a haystack. Or rather, a tape in a penthouse. That was assuming he didn't still have it on him. Her PI had told her that he came home to change before going out again with Alexis Davis. She checked the top of his desk, and tried opening a few drawers. The middle one opened, but no tape was there. The other drawers were locked. She checked the coffee table – nothing there either. She started up the stairs, glancing down into the living room to make sure she didn't miss anything. At the top of the stairs, she ran right into something big and solid…and warm and soft. Frozen in horror she turned her head back around, and straight into Sonny's eyes. "Looking for me?" he whispered. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and started to take a step back. But he grabbed her arms and pulled her against him. "Now, now, be careful. Wouldn't want you to take a tumble down the stairs." He pulled her towards the bedroom. Skye was numb with fright. "S…Sonny. What are you doing here?" He smiled coldly. "I'm sorry, was I supposed to be somewhere else? I neglected to check my calendar."
Sonny closed the door and pushed her into a nearby chair. "Have a seat," he sneered. He went over and picked up the tape recorder, taking the tape out. "Much as I like to think of myself as a ladies man, I doubt that you came here tonight hoping to see me. I'm guessing that this was the object of your desire?" Skye decided not to give him the satisfaction of a response. She sat there in stony silence. "Cat got your tongue? Oh no, wait, I got that confused. It appears you are the cat. Or cat burglar, as the case may be. But then, that's not right either, since you didn't scale any walls. You just walked in my front door. Which indicates you knew that my bodyguard would be gone. Which reinforces my notion that you are in cahoots with Dawson." Skye gave him a withering glance. "I could have called in a tip that the President of the United States was skulking around your warehouse. Would you have believed that too?" Sonny put his hands on the arms of her chair, and leaned in to her. "Brave words from a woman caught breaking into my home. What do you think, should I call the cops? Wouldn't that make great headlines – 'CEO sent to jail for breaking into mafioso's home!' – the press would eat it up."
Skye looked up at him, his face millimeters from her own. She was unnerved by how close he was, but for some reason it was not fear she felt, but something else. "I've been sent to jail for all sorts of things. The front page wouldn't be able to fit in my entire arrest record." Sonny laughed, and straightened up. He sat on the bed and leaned over on one elbow, casually playing with the tape. "Tell me something. How much would you give for this tape?" Skye's eyes widened. "You mean money?" Sonny shook his head, smiling so that his dimples deepened. "No, I mean, what would you do for me, in exchange for this tape?" Skye's mouth dropped open, and she looked away from his bare chest. "You're despicable," she whispered. Sonny laughed. "No, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine. You're the despicable one for entertaining such thoughts in your head." He sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Don't think I didn't notice that you are attracted to me. I could see it the first time we met. And you still want me, despite the fact that you hate me."
Skye looked at Sonny with loathing. "Any animal can have the urge to mate. It's the ability to control desire that distinguishes us, or at least me, as a civilized human being." Sonny laughed again. "You don't have to worry about my lack of control. You don't put me to the test at all." Skye schooled her features into a cool mask, so that Sonny would not see the humiliation she felt. When she didn't respond, he continued. "I'm sure that you already knew I wasn't attracted to you, or else you would have tried getting me into your bed long before now." Skye rolled her eyes. "I see you're back to calling me a tramp again. Its getting somewhat repetitive." Sonny narrowed his eyes. "Well its true isn't it? And you must be good at it, because you got Jax to hand you ELQ on a silver platter." Skye hissed, "Unlike you, Jax is a gentleman. He never laid a finger on me." Sonny snorted. "Much to your regret. So what induced him to make you CEO, then?" Skye fought to hold back the tears. "He thought that I had potential. He believed in me. And I proved to him my worth, ELQ is doing a damn fine job." She held her chin up. Sonny cocked his head. "I'm sure that is because of his close supervision." Skye smiled coldly. "Not really. The only investment he's been closely supervising is Carly's new club. And we both know why." A muscle worked in his jaw. "Yes, I should know why more than anyone. She was my wife once. Carly is more than just beautiful. She is sensual, exciting, vibrant. She sets the world and the man in her life on fire. She's like a narcotic that sucks you in from the very first touch, and never lets go. She's everything you will never be, Skye. And that is why Jax is with her, and not you."
Skye stood up, trembling from head to toe. "I think I've had just about enough. If I have to, I'll turn myself in to the cops. But, I'm not going to listen to one more word from you." She turned and started to walk towards the door. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She looked back and saw him holding up the tape. "I said I'm not going to listen to any more of your taunts." Sonny walked over to her. "Its not a game, I'm giving you the tape." She narrowed her eyes. "Why?" "Because it occurred to me that if I play this tape for Courtney, she will hate me just as much as AJ, because I was the one who bore the bad news. But if I bide my time, AJ will inevitably screw up. And when she breaks up with him, I'll be there to comfort her. So I don't need this tape to prove I'm right about AJ. He'll do that all by himself."
Skye didn't want to debate that issue, so she decided to needle him a little. She sauntered closer to Sonny, and put her hand over his. She delicately plucked the tape from his fingers, while staring smoulderingly into his eyes. Before she could pull away, he gripped her hand in his. "A word of advice, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine. Be careful in the future what you say to me or any of your other enemies. You never know how it will be used against you." He let her go. She smiled seductively. "I'll be sure to take your advice…and the tape…to heart." She kissed the tiny cassette, and tucked it into the front of her blouse. Then she turned around and left the room.
A little while after she was gone, Sonny could still smell her perfume lingering in the air. He realized then that he had lied to Skye about her attractiveness. And he was in deep, deep trouble.
