Chapter 16

Skye's Townhouse

Skye sipped her espresso and stroked Mocha. She was glad to be back in Port Charles. It had been great visiting with people she cared about. But there had been awkward moments as well. She had run into Tad Martin and Edmund Grey, among others. Despite those embarrassing episodes, Skye did not regret the trip. She had made a few new friends. She thought of Anna, and hoped that this fascinating woman would visit Port Charles. Skye tapped her fingernail on her coffee cup, contemplating Anna's words about Sonny. If she were right, then Sonny did care for Skye. The thought blew her mind. She shook her head. She couldn't believe it was true. Sighing, she got up and went to the kitchen to check on the cranberry-hazelnut biscotti she was baking. An idea formed in her head. She could bring Sonny some biscotti as a thank you gift for taking care of Mocha. Maybe, if she watched him closely, she could get an idea of how he felt about her.

Skye wrapped up the biscotti and got into her car to head over to Sonny's penthouse. It was pouring rain outside, and she had to drive slowly. The closer she got, the more apprehensive she felt. Was she being too obvious by coming over to his place? She remembered with embarrassment the many times she had shown up on Jax's doorstep on some pretext or another. Skye had just decided to turn around and go home, when her tire suddenly blew out, and she was forced to move over onto the side of the road. She was giddy with relief when her car stopped without further incident. She dialed the auto club on her cell phone. Because of the rain, they were backed up. Skye got into a heated argument with the dispatcher, invoking her family name and even tried to bribe him with money. The dispatcher refused to be swayed and would only promise to try and get there within two hours. She tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. "Great."

She sat there for awhile, listening to the cars swoosh by. Despite being September, it was still very hot in Port Charles. The rain had cooled things slightly, but it didn't affect the inside of Skye's car. She didn't want to turn the air conditioning on and run down the battery, so it got hotter and hotter. Finally she couldn't take it any more, and muttering about the worthlessness of the auto club, she grabbed her umbrella and went outside. She sighed in relief when the cool breeze hit her face. Suddenly the breeze turned into a gust, and Skye's umbrella flew right out of her hand. She watched in horror as it disappeared into the distance. Her horror increased tenfold when she tried to open her car door, and saw that she had locked herself out. She hadn't brought her cell phone or her keys out with her, so now she was stuck out here, soaking wet, for who knows how long. She went over to the other side of the car, away from traffic, and started pacing around, cursing her inability to get anything done despite her influential name, cursing the car dealership for not talking her into getting one of those cars with the key pad on the door that would open it with the right combination, cursing the people who maintain the roads that didn't clean up whatever it was that popped her tire, and most of all cursing Sonny.

In her state of mind she almost didn't notice the limo that pulled over to the side of the road, and then backed up to her car. She watched as the driver got out, opened an umbrella, then opened the back door. Skye rolled her eyes when Sonny emerged from the vehicle. He looked so much like a character out of the Godfather movies that she would have laughed if she weren't so wet and annoyed. Sonny took the umbrella and the driver got back in to the car. He walked over to her, holding the umbrella over the two of them. "I recognized your car. I see you have a flat." Skye folded her arms, trying to maintain her dignity. "That's the least of my problems. I also happen to be locked out, my umbrella is halfway to Pennsylvania by now, and the auto club is taking its sweet time coming to help me." Sonny extended his hand towards his limo. "I live just a block from here. Why don't you wait in the comfort of my penthouse?" Skye took a deep breath and exhaled, then marched over to the limo and got in. It didn't take long for the limo to whisk them to the parking garage at Harborview Towers. As Skye and Sonny were going up the elevator, Skye started to shiver from the combination of the airconditioning in the building and her wet hair and clothes.

Sonny put his arm around her and guided her into his apartment. He led her into his bedroom. She ruefully remembered the last time she'd been in here. "My robe is hanging on the back of the door. Take off those clothes and put it on. There's a one hour dry cleaning service just down the road. I'll make sure your things are taken care of." He left the room and she unbuttoned her dress, shivering violently. Sonny's robe was of the warm terry cloth variety, and she wrapped it around her with a sigh of relief. She briefly took a moment to inhale his scent on the robe before opening the door. He was standing outside, and she shyly handed him her wet things. He pointed towards the phone on the bedside table. "You better call the auto club and let them know where to reach you. When you're done, you can come on downstairs and I'll make you a hot drink." She nodded and he left. When she finished making her call, she tiptoed down the stairs, and went towards the kitchen where she heard noises. Sonny was just pouring some hot chocolate into a mug. He handed it to her. She drank eagerly, warmth spreading through her body, while he put away the ingredients. She handed him the empty mug, which he rinsed out and put it in the dishwasher. He suggested they go sit on the couch. She led the way out of the kitchen, but stopped abruptly when she reached the living room.

Skye stood frozen in shock, staring at the painting above the fireplace. It was the one from Italy, which had reminded her of their picnic. Memories of that day flooded through her. She turned around to face Sonny. He was standing directly behind her. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He stared at her, cocking his head. Finally, she managed to croak "Sonny…" That was all he needed. He pulled her to him and crushed his lips against her. She wrapped her arms around him, determined not to blow it this time. He unbelted the robe and slid it off her. She unbuttoned his shirt and ripped it off him, letting out a tiny moan when their bare skin made contact. In one swift move he had hooked his arm behind her knees, and swept her off the floor. She gasped at how powerful his arms were. He carried her up the stairs and laid her on his bed. He stared down at her, his eyes full of desire and need. "Do you mind if I call you Antoinette?" Tears came to her eyes and she shook her head. "Thank you," she said in a choked whisper. He smiled seductively. "The pleasure is all mine, Antoinette."

Skye woke up with a start, confused for a moment by her surroundings. Then it all came back to her and she smiled in satisfaction. She looked over to the other side of the bed, but Sonny wasn't there. She saw that he had laid out her freshly cleaned clothes. Had it been over an hour? Boy, time flies when you're having fun. A silly expression lit her face when she saw what was lying on top of her dress. It was a purple tulip. She held it to her nose and breathed deeply. She quickly put on her clothes, and went downstairs. Sonny was at his desk, writing something. He looked up and smiled. She smiled back, shyly. The phone rang, and he picked it up. His expression sobered. "What's up, Mike?" Skye sat on the couch, and stared at her tulip, twirling it around in her fingers. "You want to repeat that?" The tone in his voice prompted Skye to look over at Sonny. He was staring at the wall as he listened to Mike. His face was set in stone. "When did this happen?" There was a pause. He turned around to look at Skye. "When they were in Atlantic City?" Skye was suddenly filled with dread as she realized what they were talking about. "Well we can't do anything about it now, can we Mike? Just let her leave and we'll sort this out later. Bye." He very carefully hung up the telephone. His hand stayed on the receiver for just a moment, then he forcefully swept it off the desk, the bell ringing as it crashed to the floor.

He turned to Skye. "You knew that AJ and Courtney were going to elope, didn't you?" She took a deep breath, but said nothing. "Didn't you?!?!" He yelled, his rage boiling to the surface. Skye exhaled. "I told you that I have no control over what my brother does. I couldn't have stopped him from doing what he wants." Sonny flung up his hands. "I could have! But I didn't get the chance, because you wouldn't tell me. I had a right to know if Courtney's life is going to be ruined!" Skye lifted her chin. "AJ told me about it in confidence. I wasn't going to betray his trust." A muscle worked in his jaw. Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door. Sonny opened the door, and Johnny was standing there. "The auto club is here. They got the tire changed and was able to open Ms. Chandler- Quartermaine's car door. They're ready to take you back to your car." Skye nodded at Johnny, then looked over at Sonny. His eyes glistened, but his face was still full of anger and resentment. "I guess this is your cue to leave," he said very quietly. Skye hesitated a brief moment, then squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and breezed out the door. She flinched as it was slammed behind her.

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