Jax downed his twelfth tequila shot and felt his head pounding angrily in protest. His tried to open his eyes and find the bartender to order another one but his vision blurred. He shook his head and it cleared somewhat, the pounding in his head slowing progressively. He wiped his mouth with his hand clumsily and tried to straighten up. He felt someone sit down next to him and dragged his eyes over to see who it was.
"Hello, stranger," a soft feminine voice beckoned to him. He looked up and felt temporarily disoriented when there was two blurry shadows in front of him. He shook his head again and the two shapes melded into one- a gorgeous blonde was looking down at him, her blue eyes glowing with amusement. "Hi," he mumbled, sitting up and resting his forehead on his hand. "Drinking alone? That's no fun," the woman teased, laughing. Jax felt his heart drop into his stomach- when she smiled, an adorable dimple peeked on her left cheek. Courtney had the same dimple. Come to think of it- Courtney had the same luxurious blonde mane and baby blue eyes. And this woman was wearing a deep red dress, the same exact color as the one Courtney had been wearing on the plane before he got arrested. The thought of her painfully wrenched his heart and he turned away, signaling the bartender for another three shots.
"I hope one of those are for me," she pouted, touching his arm. He took another shot and glanced back at her again. Her body was arranged in a fetching position, offering him the perfect view of her breasts underneath her low cut neckline. He looked away again. She may look like Courtney but her demeanor was completely different. She continued tugging at his sleeve and he finally nodded, pushing a shot glass towards her. In his inebriated state, he spilled some onto his own hand. She leaned down and slowly ran her delicate tongue along the trail of tequila on his fingers. He felt a jolt of desire and when he raised his eyes to hers, she was staring down at him, her soft mouth smiling invitingly. Keeping her eyes on him the entire time, she slowly reached down for another shot of tequila and drank it swiftly, running her tongue seductively over her full lips.
God, she makes me miss Courtney, he thought viciously. The bartender raised his eyebrows appreciatively when the blonde leaned down and traced her tongue around the corner of his mouth and expertly brushed her lips against his. He smelled the blast of tequila and was not sure if it was coming from him or from her.
"I am very attracted to you," she whispered, taking in his handsome face. She had noticed him the minute she entered the room, had taken a liking to his tall frame and tousled blonde hair. She did not even have to see his face to know that this was one gorgeous man. And probably rich beyond measurement. Which didn't matter, since she was extremely wealthy herself. What she wanted was entertainment and she was willing to bet a large sum of money that this was the man to give it to her. No doubt he was good in bed- how could he not, she knew he must have had a lot of practice. Not that he needed any. She was certain this man was a born natural. "Well?" she asked alluringly when he didn't respond. "I'm not interested," he mumbled, pushing her away and standing up haphazardly as he made his way blindly out of the bar. "Your credit card sir!" the bartender yelled after him but Jax didn't care as he stumbled out of the room. The blonde looked down at his card and her lips quirked into a smile.
He made his way to the elevator and peered at it stupidly. He finally located the button and tried to slam his finger against it but he missed. "Damn it!" he swore angrily. "Allow me," the same feminine voice said as a long lacquered red nail daintily pushed the button. She looked down as he slumped against the elevator door. For some unknown reason, his ability to resist her even when he was drunk out of his mind intrigued her. She had definitely made the right choice for entertainment with Jasper Jacks.
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"Thanks for coming," Carly said genuinely as she let Courtney into the penthouse. "Sure, no problem," Courtney tried to say brightly but Carly heard the dejection in her voice. "If you don't want to be here, it's okay," she told her. Courtney looked up at her in surprise and said honestly, "You know I love Morgan, Carly, and I love you too. Of course I want to be here." Carly saw the sincereness in her eyes and immediately felt contrite. "Sorry, I overreacted. You know me, that's what I do," she said, trying to joke about it.
Courtney gave her a small smile and sat down on the couch. Carly was not immune to her best friend's melancholy behavior so she asked casually, "Are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to drag it out of you?" She saw her best friend sigh and rub her eyes tiredly. She hadn't noticed it when Courtney first walked in, but she was a lot paler than normal and her eyes lacked their usual luster. "You can tell me," Carly said gently, wrapping her arm around her best friend. She had been so caught up with her father and all the implications that came along with it that she realized now guiltily that she hadn't been a very good friend.
"It's nothing," Courtney lied. Carly gave her a pointed look that said she didn't believe her. "I'm going to keep pestering you until you spill, that's what I do best," she assured her. Courtney didn't know what to say to Carly. Did Carly even like Jax? Carly always wanted her to get back with Jason. She wasn't sure if she could handle that today. She looked at her best friend and realized that it would feel so good to tell someone her problems. She finally told Carly the entire story, from Jax's arrest up to seeing Sam at the PCPD with Jason. "So Jax is in Bermuda and you're going to meet him after Morgan's party?" Carly asked. Courtney nodded slowly. "Do you think he's angry?" Carly asked hesitantly. She may not like Jax, but it seems to her that Courtney was the one to blame in this situation. "Do you think he is?" Courtney asked tentatively.
As much as it killed her to side against her best friend, Carly felt like Courtney deserved an honest opinion. "Look, I'm no fan of Jax and you know that. I realize that I've been trying to get you back with Jason but if this whole entire situation with my father taught me anything, it is that we cannot let others decide what is best for us. It is our life and our choices. The lines are never clear cut and easy to define. Everybody tells me that John is bad for me and that all I am going to end up with is heartbreak but I need to figure that out on my own. And I think that if you really care about Jax, you need to figure it out yourself," Carly tried to say fairly.
Courtney looked at her best friend in surprise. Carly rarely said anything rational when it came to making a choice between someone else and Sonny and Jason. Her loyalty to them was fierce but today, she had actually sounded as if she was telling Courtney to let Jason go. "Jax is probably very upset that I stayed in Port Charles instead of going to Bermuda with him," Courtney admitted. Carly stared at her confused face and said firmly, "Sweetie, you stayed because of Jason and he is still keeping Sam with him. You have to make a decision, either you want to stay and fight for Jason or not. It's as simple as that." But it wasn't as simple as that. Because it was no longer a single question of whether or not she wanted to stay and fight for Jason. She now also had to answer the question of whether or not she wanted to go and fight for Jax.