Chapter 9

At his insistence, Sonny slept in a chair in her room that night. Skye felt a distinct sense of déjà vu at the arrangement, reflecting on the irony that in the previous situation, the threat had supposedly been from Sonny, and in fact had not been real at all. The next morning Sonny and Skye went to the Espressive offices. They had a meeting with the higher ups to explain (without going into detail) how Skye had found out that a member of the mafia had been using their company to launder money and other sordid activities. Sonny announced that Mocha Mike was no longer interested in purchasing Espressive, and Skye announced that she would be recommending to the executives at Café Italiano that they either liquidate the subsidiary, or do a complete overhaul. Having dropped these two bombs, they left. In the limo on the way back to the hotel, they used their cell phones to set their plans in motion.

After each had hung up, they looked at each other. Sonny spoke first. "So, are you going back to Port Charles?" Skye shook her head. "I'm not going to let a little thing like murder scare me away from one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I originally planned to stay here a week, and I will do just that. I think I'll change hotels, though. I don't want to spend the whole time looking at that alley." Sonny nodded. "You can try my hotel. I've been very satisfied with the suite I was given." Skye smiled. "That's a good idea. Maybe they'll even give me your suite when you leave." Sonny smirked. "Who said I'm leaving?" Skye raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I just assumed…" Sonny shook his head. "Like yourself, I was planning to stay a week. I haven't had a vacation in a long time, and as you said, this is one of the most beautiful cities in the world." Skye nodded, not sure what else to say.

They were silent for awhile, both lost in thought. "Skye, there are a lot of issues that form a, uh, barrier between us. The fact that we saved each other's lives doesn't really knock down that barrier. But I'd like to think that it would grant us a sort of reprieve, you might say." Sonny cleared his throat. "How about, just for this week, we call a truce. Try to get to know each other so that when we get back to Port Charles, we'll be less likely to go for each other's throats. Waddya say?" Skye glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and bit her lip. Then she smiled. "I think that's a lovely idea. Truce." She held out her hand. He gave her a blinding smile and took her hand in his. "Truce," he said, and then kissed her hand. She laughed.

Sonny helped her check out and transfer her luggage to his hotel. She was able to get a room without a problem. They agreed to meet in the lobby after changing clothes. They both laughed when they saw each other. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt with blue jeans, and she was wearing a fuschia top with black jeans. He commented, "I don't think I've ever seen you look so casual." "Yes, well I usually dress up because I want all eyes to focus on me. Today the focus will be on the surroundings. Besides, I like to be comfortable when I'm pounding the pavement." She decided not to comment on his appearance so she could avoid looking at how well the shirt molded to his chest. They set about deciding which sights they would visit, and once negotiated, they headed out.

Skye had a complex camera that she used to take many pictures. "You're very good with that," Sonny commented. "I've taken several classes," Skye said, not telling him that she had snuck a few photos of him here and there. Sonny spotted another tourist with a similar camera, who seemed as proficient, and asked him if he would use Skye's camera to take a picture of them. Too surprised to speak, Skye handed the gentleman her camera, and he took a photo of them sitting on the rim of a fountain. As the man handed her the camera, he winked at Skye. "Honeymooners, eh?" Skye flushed a deep red, and Sonny simply responded to the guy with a wide smile and waggle of his eyebrows.

They had lunch at a small café, and then continued their touring. Midafternoon they stopped, exhausted from the heat, to have some iced cappuccinos. They decided their next stop should be an air conditioned museum. They spent a couple of hours in the museum, and then called it a day. Over dinner that night, they discussed what they would do the next day. "If you want to rest in the morning, I am frankly dying to do some shopping. When we passed by the fashion district earlier, I was starting to salivate." Sonny laughed. "Well, unless you want to be alone, I'd like to go with you." Skye raised her eyebrows. "Really?" He shrugged. "Sure. Italians make clothes for men too, you know." She smiled.

Skye came down to the lobby the next morning, wearing a sundress and sandals. Sonny complimented her on her dress. "Thank you," she said breezily, "I like to wear this when I go shopping because it's so easy to take off." She froze when she realized what she had said. "Um..I mean, for when I try on clothes in the dressing room." She laughed awkwardly. Sonny just raised one eyebrow and hailed a taxi. They spent all morning in the fashion district. Skye bought several items of clothing, and Sonny ordered a couple of suits to be made and shipped home. Skye paused in front of a formal wear shop, gazing at the dress in the window. "Do you want to go in?" Sonny asked. Skye hesitated, then shook her head. "No, I think I have plenty of gowns at home." "But did you bring any with you?" Skye frowned at him in puzzlement. "No, I hadn't planned on going any place formal." Sonny shook his head and tsked. "Don't you know that you're supposed to pack for any eventuality?" Skye laughed. "If I did that, I would be over my luggage weight limit on the airplane. Besides, if something comes up, I can just buy what I need." Sonny smirked. "Which is why I suggested going into this shop. You'll be needing a formal gown for tonight." Skye raised her eyebrows. "I will?" Sonny nodded. "I spoke to the concierge, and he's providing us two tickets to the opera tonight. I hope I wasn't too presumptuous." Skye looked at him in delight. "That's a fantastic idea! Thank you so much! Well, I guess I have no choice but to buy a formal gown." She made a beeline into the store, a laughing Sonny right behind her.

After lunch, Skye told Sonny that she wanted to rest that afternoon. "If I take it easy the rest of the day, my feet should recover enough for some more sightseeing tomorrow." They parted ways, and Skye went to her room. She lounged for a little while, then went to the window to stare out at the view. She looked down, and could see the hotel pool. It looked extremely inviting. She changed into her bathing suit and a wrap, and went down stairs. The pool area was quite crowded, but she was instantly able to spot a dark, well physiqued body amongst the mass of people. It was Sonny, and he was heading towards the diving board. She watched as he paused at the end of the diving board, and then executed a perfect dive into the cool, clear water. Skye sighed. She looked around, and was able to find an unoccupied lounger. She found her sunglasses in her tote bag, which she put on, and then began to slather some waterproof sunblock onto her skin. "I see you had the same idea." She turned her head, and saw Sonny standing there beside her. Her eyes traveled up his wet body, silently damning him for being so perfect. "I love to swim," she offered lamely. Sonny nodded. "Would you like some help with that? With your delicate skin, I'm sure you need as much protection as possible." Skye hesitated, then handed him the bottle with an inward sigh. She must be a masochist, there was no other explanation.

Sonny's hands were swift and efficient at first, then gradually became slower and more sensual. Just as Skye was about to scream in frustration, Sonny abruptly stopped. "I'm feeling a slight breeze, I think I better get back in the water." He walked away at a brisk pace, leaving Skye to stare after him speculatively. She finished her coverage, and then went over to the pool and dived into the water. It felt deliciously cool in the blazing July heat, and she swam a few laps before stopping to look around for Sonny. She was treading water by the edge of the pool, when she felt something slide past her legs. A moment later, Sonny's head popped up out of the water. He smiled at her, and started to say something. Unfortunately there was suddenly a great deal of laughing and shrieking behind her. Then before she knew what was happening, something ran into her from behind, and she was knocked against Sonny. Sonny grabbed her to keep her from going under. She heard a boy's voice say something in another language that sounded like Spanish. Sonny responded to the boy in the same language, and the child swam away.

Sonny looked at Skye, still holding her in his arms. "He apologized for knocking into you like that." Skye nodded, unable to say anything. She started to tremble involuntarily at the way her naked skin slid against his in the pool water. She laughed shakily. "You know what, I think I'm starting to get a chill. Maybe I should get out." She waited for him to let her go, but he just stared at her with a sober expression on his face. Finally he opened his arms, and she swam away and exited the pool. She went over to her lounger to dry off, and she lay down in the hopes that the rays of the sun would warm her up again. After awhile she felt a shadow. She opened her eyes, and Sonny was standing there, his eyes traveling the length of her. Finally he spoke. "I'm going back to my room. Shall we meet in the lobby at 6pm?" She nodded her agreement. He smiled. "Don't lay there too long. Wouldn't want the sun to damage that delicate skin of yours." He walked away before she could respond.