Chapter 2
"Lizzie!"
Elizabeth had just enough time to slide the sunglasses off of her face, before Lucky threw his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. She screamed in delight as she felt the warm glow of familiarity stream through her body.
"Oh, I have missed you so much!" Lucky declared, lowering Elizabeth back to her feet, but not removing his tight grip around her waist. He ushered her down the terminal to where Emily and Nikolas waited.
"Welcome back, Lizzie!" Emily screamed before embracing her best friend. "So, are we excited to be home?"
Elizabeth's face went from a sweet, innocent smile to a too-big-to-be-real smile in seconds. "Totally! I've missed this place so much!"
Emily sent an uncertain look toward Nik who returned her confusion. The only one oblivious to Elizabeth's sudden change in demeanor was Lucky, probably just lost in his own excitement from seeing his ten year obsession after two years absence.
"So, are you hungry?"
Without missing a beat, Elizabeth threw her arms in the air and started speed walking in the direction of Baggage Claim. Her friends quickly followed. "Are you kidding? I'm famished! They were serving dinner on the plane, but like I was really going to eat that crap. I mean, come on, do they really cook it? I don't see how they can do a good job in a plane. Plus, I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning because I woke up late. Then my driver screwed up and made a wrong turn so I couldn't pick something up at the airport either. So now..." She turned around abruptly-- -Lucky nearly running into her---and addressed the group. "I really have to use the little girl's room before we do anything." She grabbed Emily's hand, and pulled her in that direction. "Come with me?"
"I guess." Emily stared back at her husband and brother-in-law in utter shock. Who was this wannabe Valley Girl and what did she do with their best friend, Lizzie Webber?
When they reached the restroom, the body snatcher began primping herself in front of the mirror---something Liz would never have done. She cared more about being friendly, loving, fun; not "beautiful."
"Oh, I hate what flying does to my skin." Elizabeth grimaced when she saw that her make-up had began to flake. "Something about the altitude makes it all dry. I swear, I had to touch up ten times today!"
"I didn't realize you wore make-up?" Emily crossed her arms as she studied the changes in her best friend. She was wearing a baby blue halter-top that left little to the imagination, skintight black dress pants that showed every curve, and white stilettos. Lizzie Webber was no where to be seen!
"Oh, when in Rome..." She joked.
"Yeah." Emily smiled. "However, we're not in Rome."
"Oh, you know what I mean. Everyone in LA wears make-up. You just sort of pick things up there." Elizabeth straightened quickly to face Emily. "So, does Lucky still have a thing for me?"
"What?"
"Lucky. Does he still like me? I mean, he was all touchy-feely out there. I was just curious if he still thinks of me in the romantic way." She went back to applying eyeliner. "I mean, he's gotten pretty cute. He looks like he could be fun while I'm back in town. Maybe I could..."
"Okay, enough!"
"What's up your ass?" Elizabeth looked at her, confused.
"No no no! We're going to talk about you. What is with you?! And what's up your ass?! I mean, you come here, you're actually wearing coats of make- up, you're dressed in whore clothes, you're talking like a character from Clueless! Where is my best friend, Lizzie Webber?" Emily stopped to take a breath and give Elizabeth time to explain.
"I...um...I really have no idea what you're talking about. However, I don't like that whatever it is seems to be an insult!" Elizabeth put away her make-up quietly.
"Lizzie, this isn't you. You don't worry about your appearance. You don't care how plane food is cooked. And you wouldn't consider using your friend, Lucky, for a little fun. You now that's not you."
Elizabeth was silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh and falling against the wall. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. This is Em. Just tell me what's got you acting like this." She went to her friend's side and mimicked her stance.
"I'm just..." She bit her lip, trying to think of the best way to explain. "I'm a little nervous."
"Around your friends?"
"No. Just about being back here. I can't believe I let my agent talk me into doing this movie." She turned to face Emily. "I was nothing here, Em. I was the loser drama kid who everyone picked on. Now I finally have what I've wanted my whole life; popularity, success, money. I'm just scared that being back here is going to...I don't know...change me back. Everyone is going to see me as that nobody I was."
"Hey, hey." Emily pulled her into a hug. "You've never been a nobody to me, or Lucky, or Nik who you didn't even hug hello, by the way."
Elizabeth pulled back. "Oh, no. I was so concerned with this stupid act and he was so quiet...oh my god, I'm a horrible friend!"
"I'm sure he'll forgive you. Why? Because he loves you. We all do. And you know what? Those people who treated us like shit in high school, Lizzie. They're the nobodies now. You can bet that they pick up People every week, see you on the cover and say to themselves, 'Damn, she really is something.'"
"Really? Even people like Carly Roberts or Courtney Matthews?"
"Definitely them. You know, Carly married Sonny Corinthos and Courtney married Jason Morgan!"
"Jason? Are you kidding?"
"No, why?"
Elizabeth smirked, remember all of the times he asked her out and she shut him down. "Nothing. I just really can't stand that guy!"
"Tell me about it." Emily jumped in excitement. "Oh, remember all of those rumors that Sonny and Jason were mixed up in organized crime?" Elizabeth just nodded her head. "They were so true!"
"Wow! That's a pretty creepy thought."
"But, Carly does own a pretty cool club here in town, The Cellar. Maybe you and me should go tonight. Just us girls. We can go out and have a good time?"
Elizabeth smiled. "Sounds like a plan."
~*~
"Excuse me miss, do you mind my saying, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
Carly let out a yelp as Sonny snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. "Mmmm..." she moaned as he softly scratched the skin just below her belly button. "You better stop that, sir. My husband's going to be here soon, and he doesn't like men touching what's his."
Sonny attempted to laugh, but the noise didn't make it past his lips. "I don't blame him." He spun his wife around to get a good look at her. She had on a long white dress that tickled the floor. It was cut low, exposing a fair amount of cleavage. The front stands of her hair were clipped in the back, while the rest fell free. "You look great, baby."
"Well, I try." She looked around the room. "So where's Jason and Ric? I thought they were coming with you."
"Well, Jason had some business to take care of tonight, so he's not going to be able to make it." Sonny didn't elaborate, and Carly didn't ask. She knew better than to ask about her husband's work. However it didn't stop her from speculating. She assumed what Jason was up to tonight had something to do with Lorenzo Alcazar. She'd overheard that name recently when she walked into a conversation between Sonny and Jason. She wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow's newspaper's headline read something like "Alcazar Found Dead Under Suspicious Circumstances." Of course, Carly would never ask.
"And what about Ric? I heard he broke up with Skye."
"I don't think you can call it breaking up when they were never really together. Come on, Carly. You know Ric. It's all just meaningless sex for him." Sonny sat on a seat at the bar and pulled Carly to stand between his legs.
"Yeah, well, Skye didn't seem to think so. She was in here earlier crying into her scotch about losing the love of her life." That was the wonderful thing about owning a club. Everyone and their brother found themselves on one of the barstools whining about their latest crisis. Carly loved knowing everyone else's business.
"Is she still here?" Carly answered with a simple head shake, no. "Good. 'Cause I'm sure Ric will be in here about ten ready to pick up another one night stand. You know, I'm starting to feel sorry for all of these girls. I mean, really. Ric seems like the perfect catch. He's smart, funny, got a Harvard Law Degree, he's loaded thanks to me. Plus he takes after me in looks."
"Poor guy!"
"Yeah, they worked on you, didn't they?" She just smiled at him. "But he just doesn't seem to be able to fall in love."
"Why do you say that? It's not like he's running out of time. He's only twenty-seven. He just...he has to find the right girl."
"And who is that right girl?" Sonny just wanted his brother to have what he had with Carly.
"Elizabeth Webber!"
Sonny looked at his wife, confused. "You think Elizabeth Webber is the girl for Ric?"
"What?" Carly turned to Sonny, then realized what he was talking about. "No no. I mean, Elizabeth Webber just walked in."
"She's here?" He aimed his sight at the door and sure enough, the Highway's Dream star was standing there. He couldn't stop the blush from creeping over him as he flashed back to her nude scene from the movie. The woman was flawless.
"Oh my God!" Carly started pacing the floor in front of him. "I can't believe this. Elizabeth Webber, famous actress, is here in my club! What do I do?"
Before Sonny could answer, his sister, Courtney pranced up to them. "You guys, you'll never guess who just walked in!"
"Elizabeth Webber, I know. We just say her!" Carly screamed in delight, thinking about all of the wonderful publicity her club would get from this.
"Oh my gosh. I actually got to see her up close!"
"Courtney," Sonny tried to calm her down. "You used to see her everyday in high school." All though it came out convincing, Sonny couldn't help but want to see her up close, too. After all, she looked damn good in that skin tight dress she was wearing.
"But Sonny, she's an actress now!" Courtney tried to explain.
"So what should we do? Should we go up and say hi?"
"That seems like the logical thing." Sonny couldn't help but laugh at his wife and sister. They used to pick on this girl like no other back in high school. Now they were trying to find excuses to talk to her.
"No, we can't. She just came in." Carly explained. "We need to give her a little time. We don't want to ambush her. We'll say hello in an hour or so."
~*~
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beat!" Emily sighed as she sat across from Elizabeth at their table.
"Tell me about it. I don't think I've had this much fun in years!" Elizabeth smiled at her friend. Sure, she went out a lot in LA, but she was usually the designated driver. And when she did drink, she usually over did it, and would wind up getting very sloshed very early, and had to be taken home before the real fun began. But tonight, she just sat back and had a few casual drinks with her best friend, did a lot of dancing, and had a great time.
"Well, that's why you need to start coming back to hang out with me!" She looked at her watch. "However, I have to work tomorrow morning. So I need to be getting some rest in."
"Oh, okay." Elizabeth took another sip of her vodka martini. "Do you mind if I stay? I can call a cab. I just want to have a couple more drinks, do a little people watching."
"Yeah, that's fine, Lizzie. I have your hotel room number, so I can ring you later?" Emily stood, threw her jacket over her shoulder.
"Definitely." Elizabeth rose from her seat, gave her friend a hug. "We'll all have to go to dinner tomorrow."
"Okay. Later Liz." Elizabeth sat again when Emily was well on her way to the door. She finished off her drink, but before she could stand to make her way to the bar for a refill, Carly Roberts Corinthos and Courtney Matthews Morgan were at her side.
"Hi!" The blondes said in unison.
"Do you need another drink?" Carly asked.
"Um..." Elizabeth tilted her empty glass, examining it, contemplating. "Yeah. A vodka martini."
"Marco!" Carly bellowed. Moments later, a large, stoic man approached the table. She handed Elizabeth's cup to the man. "Get Miss Webber another vodka martini please." The man retreated to the bar. "So, I'm Carly Roberts Corinthos, and this is my club." She pointed to her other half. "This is my best friend, Courtney Matthews Morgan. You might not remember us, but we went to high school together."
Elizabeth laughed incredulously. "I know exactly who the two of you are; Carly, Courtney." She nodded her head to them.
Carly's face erupted into a huge smile. "That is so great!" She sat in Emily's vacated seat, pulling Courtney into the seat next to her. "We just wanted to tell you how much we loved your last movie, Highway's Dream!"
"Oh, and we are so jealous," Courtney added. "What is it like making out with Josh Hartnett and Heath Ledger?"
"Um..." Elizabeth got this question all of the time. Her answer never changed. "A girl never tells."
"Oh, but how do you do it?" Carly grabbed hold of Elizabeth's hand. "That scene in the back of the truck where all three of you had sex? How do you do it without getting totally turned on?"
"With all of the people there, directing us, it loses all of the heat, trust me. But I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it." Elizabeth couldn't believe this. She figured there'd be a few people from her past that would treat her like royalty, but Carly Roberts and Courtney Matthews? They made her high school years a living hell. Come to think of it, she really disliked these girls---not hate, she was to loving to hate---so why was she being friendly to them?
Elizabeth decided to turn the tables on them. "So, how are your lives going?"
The blondes looked at each other, before Carly answered. "Well, I own this club. Courtney is the hostess. We're both married. My husband is Sonny Corinthos, and Courtney's is Jason Morgan."
"Right," Elizabeth smiled at them. "I heard that. But, weren't you dating Jason in high school, Carly?" Before Carly could answer, Liz went on. "Oh, wait. Didn't you cheat on him with Sonny? Damn, that's gotta be weird for the four of you, huh?"
"Well, it's..." Carly couldn't think of anything to say.
"Yeah, I remember Jason back in high school." Elizabeth sighed. "He had this crazy obsession with me. I couldn't figure it out. All of his friends treated me like trash." She studied the guilty looks plastered on the blondes' faces. "Remember me back then? Not all that great looking. But look at me now. If Jason wanted me back then, wow. He's gonna just die when he sees me now." She looked at Courtney. "Speaking of Jase, where is he tonight? I'd like to talk to him."
Courtney looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Well, he had to take care of some business."
"Oh, yeah. Business." Elizabeth took a sip of the drink she hadn't realized the Hulk, Marco, had already placed in front of her. "I heard about their business, too." She leaned in to whisper to them. "That's gotta be rough, knowing they live in so much danger. Plus, you're in danger just being with them. And your children? That sounds like a terrible life. You must really love them."
Carly finally managed a comment. She tried to sound sure of herself, but her shaky voice gave away her real feelings. "Well, Liz, they're in the coffee business. What's so dangerous about that?"
"Oh, the coffee business. All right. I'll play." Elizabeth let out a hearty laugh. "You know, I did a movie about the line of work that your husbands are not involved in. The Mob's Daughter. Maybe you've heard of it?" She didn't wait for a response. "It was a Superstation Original. Way back at the beginning of my career, before I became what I am today: Sex Symbol and all around It Girl. You know how it is..." She smiled viciously at them. "Well, I guess you don't know. Anyway, I died in that movie. Dangerous world the mob is." She quickly finished off her drink and stood. A mission completed, she decided, after inspecting the blondes' distressed faces. "But I better go. Gotta be on the set tomorrow at noon. Later girls."
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she made her way to the door. She was so wrapped up in complimenting herself for her great work in issuing pay back, that she didn't notice the man walking in. She ran straight into him.
"Hey, watch..." She cut herself off when she saw the gorgeous creature standing in front of her. His charcoal suit covered almost every inch of his body, however---thanks to her clumsiness---when she ran into him, she felt his rock hard chest. The guy was built. His jaw dropping---at her appearance, no doubt---didn't take away from his beautiful face. His tongue ran across his well-defined lips, moistening them just right. He had a long, slightly thin nose. His hair was shorter than she'd ever seen it, but it was still long enough to curly at the ends. And then there were his eyes. Big, brown, glorious eyes that were now looking over her figure hungrily.
That's right, Ric Lansing was now checking out Elizabeth Webber. And then there was a light bulb. After all, pay back could be fun. "Hi," She smiled sweetly. "Wanna dance?"
"Lizzie!"
Elizabeth had just enough time to slide the sunglasses off of her face, before Lucky threw his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. She screamed in delight as she felt the warm glow of familiarity stream through her body.
"Oh, I have missed you so much!" Lucky declared, lowering Elizabeth back to her feet, but not removing his tight grip around her waist. He ushered her down the terminal to where Emily and Nikolas waited.
"Welcome back, Lizzie!" Emily screamed before embracing her best friend. "So, are we excited to be home?"
Elizabeth's face went from a sweet, innocent smile to a too-big-to-be-real smile in seconds. "Totally! I've missed this place so much!"
Emily sent an uncertain look toward Nik who returned her confusion. The only one oblivious to Elizabeth's sudden change in demeanor was Lucky, probably just lost in his own excitement from seeing his ten year obsession after two years absence.
"So, are you hungry?"
Without missing a beat, Elizabeth threw her arms in the air and started speed walking in the direction of Baggage Claim. Her friends quickly followed. "Are you kidding? I'm famished! They were serving dinner on the plane, but like I was really going to eat that crap. I mean, come on, do they really cook it? I don't see how they can do a good job in a plane. Plus, I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning because I woke up late. Then my driver screwed up and made a wrong turn so I couldn't pick something up at the airport either. So now..." She turned around abruptly-- -Lucky nearly running into her---and addressed the group. "I really have to use the little girl's room before we do anything." She grabbed Emily's hand, and pulled her in that direction. "Come with me?"
"I guess." Emily stared back at her husband and brother-in-law in utter shock. Who was this wannabe Valley Girl and what did she do with their best friend, Lizzie Webber?
When they reached the restroom, the body snatcher began primping herself in front of the mirror---something Liz would never have done. She cared more about being friendly, loving, fun; not "beautiful."
"Oh, I hate what flying does to my skin." Elizabeth grimaced when she saw that her make-up had began to flake. "Something about the altitude makes it all dry. I swear, I had to touch up ten times today!"
"I didn't realize you wore make-up?" Emily crossed her arms as she studied the changes in her best friend. She was wearing a baby blue halter-top that left little to the imagination, skintight black dress pants that showed every curve, and white stilettos. Lizzie Webber was no where to be seen!
"Oh, when in Rome..." She joked.
"Yeah." Emily smiled. "However, we're not in Rome."
"Oh, you know what I mean. Everyone in LA wears make-up. You just sort of pick things up there." Elizabeth straightened quickly to face Emily. "So, does Lucky still have a thing for me?"
"What?"
"Lucky. Does he still like me? I mean, he was all touchy-feely out there. I was just curious if he still thinks of me in the romantic way." She went back to applying eyeliner. "I mean, he's gotten pretty cute. He looks like he could be fun while I'm back in town. Maybe I could..."
"Okay, enough!"
"What's up your ass?" Elizabeth looked at her, confused.
"No no no! We're going to talk about you. What is with you?! And what's up your ass?! I mean, you come here, you're actually wearing coats of make- up, you're dressed in whore clothes, you're talking like a character from Clueless! Where is my best friend, Lizzie Webber?" Emily stopped to take a breath and give Elizabeth time to explain.
"I...um...I really have no idea what you're talking about. However, I don't like that whatever it is seems to be an insult!" Elizabeth put away her make-up quietly.
"Lizzie, this isn't you. You don't worry about your appearance. You don't care how plane food is cooked. And you wouldn't consider using your friend, Lucky, for a little fun. You now that's not you."
Elizabeth was silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh and falling against the wall. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. This is Em. Just tell me what's got you acting like this." She went to her friend's side and mimicked her stance.
"I'm just..." She bit her lip, trying to think of the best way to explain. "I'm a little nervous."
"Around your friends?"
"No. Just about being back here. I can't believe I let my agent talk me into doing this movie." She turned to face Emily. "I was nothing here, Em. I was the loser drama kid who everyone picked on. Now I finally have what I've wanted my whole life; popularity, success, money. I'm just scared that being back here is going to...I don't know...change me back. Everyone is going to see me as that nobody I was."
"Hey, hey." Emily pulled her into a hug. "You've never been a nobody to me, or Lucky, or Nik who you didn't even hug hello, by the way."
Elizabeth pulled back. "Oh, no. I was so concerned with this stupid act and he was so quiet...oh my god, I'm a horrible friend!"
"I'm sure he'll forgive you. Why? Because he loves you. We all do. And you know what? Those people who treated us like shit in high school, Lizzie. They're the nobodies now. You can bet that they pick up People every week, see you on the cover and say to themselves, 'Damn, she really is something.'"
"Really? Even people like Carly Roberts or Courtney Matthews?"
"Definitely them. You know, Carly married Sonny Corinthos and Courtney married Jason Morgan!"
"Jason? Are you kidding?"
"No, why?"
Elizabeth smirked, remember all of the times he asked her out and she shut him down. "Nothing. I just really can't stand that guy!"
"Tell me about it." Emily jumped in excitement. "Oh, remember all of those rumors that Sonny and Jason were mixed up in organized crime?" Elizabeth just nodded her head. "They were so true!"
"Wow! That's a pretty creepy thought."
"But, Carly does own a pretty cool club here in town, The Cellar. Maybe you and me should go tonight. Just us girls. We can go out and have a good time?"
Elizabeth smiled. "Sounds like a plan."
~*~
"Excuse me miss, do you mind my saying, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
Carly let out a yelp as Sonny snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. "Mmmm..." she moaned as he softly scratched the skin just below her belly button. "You better stop that, sir. My husband's going to be here soon, and he doesn't like men touching what's his."
Sonny attempted to laugh, but the noise didn't make it past his lips. "I don't blame him." He spun his wife around to get a good look at her. She had on a long white dress that tickled the floor. It was cut low, exposing a fair amount of cleavage. The front stands of her hair were clipped in the back, while the rest fell free. "You look great, baby."
"Well, I try." She looked around the room. "So where's Jason and Ric? I thought they were coming with you."
"Well, Jason had some business to take care of tonight, so he's not going to be able to make it." Sonny didn't elaborate, and Carly didn't ask. She knew better than to ask about her husband's work. However it didn't stop her from speculating. She assumed what Jason was up to tonight had something to do with Lorenzo Alcazar. She'd overheard that name recently when she walked into a conversation between Sonny and Jason. She wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow's newspaper's headline read something like "Alcazar Found Dead Under Suspicious Circumstances." Of course, Carly would never ask.
"And what about Ric? I heard he broke up with Skye."
"I don't think you can call it breaking up when they were never really together. Come on, Carly. You know Ric. It's all just meaningless sex for him." Sonny sat on a seat at the bar and pulled Carly to stand between his legs.
"Yeah, well, Skye didn't seem to think so. She was in here earlier crying into her scotch about losing the love of her life." That was the wonderful thing about owning a club. Everyone and their brother found themselves on one of the barstools whining about their latest crisis. Carly loved knowing everyone else's business.
"Is she still here?" Carly answered with a simple head shake, no. "Good. 'Cause I'm sure Ric will be in here about ten ready to pick up another one night stand. You know, I'm starting to feel sorry for all of these girls. I mean, really. Ric seems like the perfect catch. He's smart, funny, got a Harvard Law Degree, he's loaded thanks to me. Plus he takes after me in looks."
"Poor guy!"
"Yeah, they worked on you, didn't they?" She just smiled at him. "But he just doesn't seem to be able to fall in love."
"Why do you say that? It's not like he's running out of time. He's only twenty-seven. He just...he has to find the right girl."
"And who is that right girl?" Sonny just wanted his brother to have what he had with Carly.
"Elizabeth Webber!"
Sonny looked at his wife, confused. "You think Elizabeth Webber is the girl for Ric?"
"What?" Carly turned to Sonny, then realized what he was talking about. "No no. I mean, Elizabeth Webber just walked in."
"She's here?" He aimed his sight at the door and sure enough, the Highway's Dream star was standing there. He couldn't stop the blush from creeping over him as he flashed back to her nude scene from the movie. The woman was flawless.
"Oh my God!" Carly started pacing the floor in front of him. "I can't believe this. Elizabeth Webber, famous actress, is here in my club! What do I do?"
Before Sonny could answer, his sister, Courtney pranced up to them. "You guys, you'll never guess who just walked in!"
"Elizabeth Webber, I know. We just say her!" Carly screamed in delight, thinking about all of the wonderful publicity her club would get from this.
"Oh my gosh. I actually got to see her up close!"
"Courtney," Sonny tried to calm her down. "You used to see her everyday in high school." All though it came out convincing, Sonny couldn't help but want to see her up close, too. After all, she looked damn good in that skin tight dress she was wearing.
"But Sonny, she's an actress now!" Courtney tried to explain.
"So what should we do? Should we go up and say hi?"
"That seems like the logical thing." Sonny couldn't help but laugh at his wife and sister. They used to pick on this girl like no other back in high school. Now they were trying to find excuses to talk to her.
"No, we can't. She just came in." Carly explained. "We need to give her a little time. We don't want to ambush her. We'll say hello in an hour or so."
~*~
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beat!" Emily sighed as she sat across from Elizabeth at their table.
"Tell me about it. I don't think I've had this much fun in years!" Elizabeth smiled at her friend. Sure, she went out a lot in LA, but she was usually the designated driver. And when she did drink, she usually over did it, and would wind up getting very sloshed very early, and had to be taken home before the real fun began. But tonight, she just sat back and had a few casual drinks with her best friend, did a lot of dancing, and had a great time.
"Well, that's why you need to start coming back to hang out with me!" She looked at her watch. "However, I have to work tomorrow morning. So I need to be getting some rest in."
"Oh, okay." Elizabeth took another sip of her vodka martini. "Do you mind if I stay? I can call a cab. I just want to have a couple more drinks, do a little people watching."
"Yeah, that's fine, Lizzie. I have your hotel room number, so I can ring you later?" Emily stood, threw her jacket over her shoulder.
"Definitely." Elizabeth rose from her seat, gave her friend a hug. "We'll all have to go to dinner tomorrow."
"Okay. Later Liz." Elizabeth sat again when Emily was well on her way to the door. She finished off her drink, but before she could stand to make her way to the bar for a refill, Carly Roberts Corinthos and Courtney Matthews Morgan were at her side.
"Hi!" The blondes said in unison.
"Do you need another drink?" Carly asked.
"Um..." Elizabeth tilted her empty glass, examining it, contemplating. "Yeah. A vodka martini."
"Marco!" Carly bellowed. Moments later, a large, stoic man approached the table. She handed Elizabeth's cup to the man. "Get Miss Webber another vodka martini please." The man retreated to the bar. "So, I'm Carly Roberts Corinthos, and this is my club." She pointed to her other half. "This is my best friend, Courtney Matthews Morgan. You might not remember us, but we went to high school together."
Elizabeth laughed incredulously. "I know exactly who the two of you are; Carly, Courtney." She nodded her head to them.
Carly's face erupted into a huge smile. "That is so great!" She sat in Emily's vacated seat, pulling Courtney into the seat next to her. "We just wanted to tell you how much we loved your last movie, Highway's Dream!"
"Oh, and we are so jealous," Courtney added. "What is it like making out with Josh Hartnett and Heath Ledger?"
"Um..." Elizabeth got this question all of the time. Her answer never changed. "A girl never tells."
"Oh, but how do you do it?" Carly grabbed hold of Elizabeth's hand. "That scene in the back of the truck where all three of you had sex? How do you do it without getting totally turned on?"
"With all of the people there, directing us, it loses all of the heat, trust me. But I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it." Elizabeth couldn't believe this. She figured there'd be a few people from her past that would treat her like royalty, but Carly Roberts and Courtney Matthews? They made her high school years a living hell. Come to think of it, she really disliked these girls---not hate, she was to loving to hate---so why was she being friendly to them?
Elizabeth decided to turn the tables on them. "So, how are your lives going?"
The blondes looked at each other, before Carly answered. "Well, I own this club. Courtney is the hostess. We're both married. My husband is Sonny Corinthos, and Courtney's is Jason Morgan."
"Right," Elizabeth smiled at them. "I heard that. But, weren't you dating Jason in high school, Carly?" Before Carly could answer, Liz went on. "Oh, wait. Didn't you cheat on him with Sonny? Damn, that's gotta be weird for the four of you, huh?"
"Well, it's..." Carly couldn't think of anything to say.
"Yeah, I remember Jason back in high school." Elizabeth sighed. "He had this crazy obsession with me. I couldn't figure it out. All of his friends treated me like trash." She studied the guilty looks plastered on the blondes' faces. "Remember me back then? Not all that great looking. But look at me now. If Jason wanted me back then, wow. He's gonna just die when he sees me now." She looked at Courtney. "Speaking of Jase, where is he tonight? I'd like to talk to him."
Courtney looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Well, he had to take care of some business."
"Oh, yeah. Business." Elizabeth took a sip of the drink she hadn't realized the Hulk, Marco, had already placed in front of her. "I heard about their business, too." She leaned in to whisper to them. "That's gotta be rough, knowing they live in so much danger. Plus, you're in danger just being with them. And your children? That sounds like a terrible life. You must really love them."
Carly finally managed a comment. She tried to sound sure of herself, but her shaky voice gave away her real feelings. "Well, Liz, they're in the coffee business. What's so dangerous about that?"
"Oh, the coffee business. All right. I'll play." Elizabeth let out a hearty laugh. "You know, I did a movie about the line of work that your husbands are not involved in. The Mob's Daughter. Maybe you've heard of it?" She didn't wait for a response. "It was a Superstation Original. Way back at the beginning of my career, before I became what I am today: Sex Symbol and all around It Girl. You know how it is..." She smiled viciously at them. "Well, I guess you don't know. Anyway, I died in that movie. Dangerous world the mob is." She quickly finished off her drink and stood. A mission completed, she decided, after inspecting the blondes' distressed faces. "But I better go. Gotta be on the set tomorrow at noon. Later girls."
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she made her way to the door. She was so wrapped up in complimenting herself for her great work in issuing pay back, that she didn't notice the man walking in. She ran straight into him.
"Hey, watch..." She cut herself off when she saw the gorgeous creature standing in front of her. His charcoal suit covered almost every inch of his body, however---thanks to her clumsiness---when she ran into him, she felt his rock hard chest. The guy was built. His jaw dropping---at her appearance, no doubt---didn't take away from his beautiful face. His tongue ran across his well-defined lips, moistening them just right. He had a long, slightly thin nose. His hair was shorter than she'd ever seen it, but it was still long enough to curly at the ends. And then there were his eyes. Big, brown, glorious eyes that were now looking over her figure hungrily.
That's right, Ric Lansing was now checking out Elizabeth Webber. And then there was a light bulb. After all, pay back could be fun. "Hi," She smiled sweetly. "Wanna dance?"