Alexis leaned against the wall, breathed a grateful sigh of relief, and laughed. It was a small victory, but it was hers all the same. She certainly deserved it.
She looked up at the numbers above the door. Five... four... three... The elevator suddenly stopped on the third floor. Alexis was eager to get home, but she was patient enough to be able to wait while another passenger got on. She was feeling positively giddy about finally escaping Ric.
Famous last words.
There he was, just as the doors opened. Alexis had every intention of strolling right by him with her head held high, completely ignoring his presence, and taking the stairs to the lobby. It was cowardly, but it would at least be effective. But Ric had his own plans.
He grabbed her by the shoulders just before she could get away. He pinned her lightly but tightly against the wall and quickly hit the "DOOR CLOSE" button.
"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded angrily.
"Well, I missed the elevator on the sixth floor."
"Isn't that too bad?" Alexis retorted. She was screwed. She couldn't struggle free because he was standing way too close. If she moved at all... well, it would be very uncomfortable for her.
"You know, Alexis, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to avoid me. Is it because you don't trust yourself to be around me?"
"Don't be ridiculous, of course I do," she snapped.
"All right, then," he said calmly. Neither spoke as the elevator descended painfully slowly and silently. But to Alexis's dismay, Ric still would not move.
"Do you have to stand so close!" she hissed.
"What's the problem?" Ric asked innocently as they heard the bell that signaled they'd arrived at the second floor. "I thought you said you could handle it?"
"I said I could handle being in an elevator with you. I didn't say you could smother me."
"Oh, so you don't trust yourself to be this close to me?" he teased, bringing his lips closer to hers. "That's because you know that by the time this elevator car hits the ground floor, you'll have your hands in my –"
"Oh please!" she exclaimed, shoving him away from her. She bought herself just enough time to confidently stride about four steps away before he swung around and pinned her again, this time to the doors. Alexis heard the final bell – they had hit the lobby.
"Ric, these doors are going to open any second," she worried helplessly.
"Hmm. No they're not," Ric said as he quickly reached over to his right and pulled the emergency stop button. He could hear an alarm going off in the distance, but he wasn't at all concerned with it. For that matter, neither was Alexis. She was too preoccupied with what he was doing with his hands. And his hips were way too close to hers. She could feel the temperature in her cheeks rising unnaturally quickly.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered breathlessly.
Ric pulled his hands deliberately up the sides of her body and into her hair. "Come on, didn't you notice the way I was looking at you in court today?" he asked. He was so close that she could feel his warm breath wash over her like a heat wave. It did things to her that she wouldn't even dare herself to think about.
"I thought it was obvious," Ric said. "I was thinking about all the ways I could get you out of those clothes and which way would be the fastest." His hands fell slightly to her neck, and he moved his thumbs fluently down the center. He could feel her swallow hard through his touches. "Don't you want to know what solution I came up with?"
Alexis shook her head fervently, but Ric noticed her lips trembling, almost as though they were waiting for him. With a satisfied grin, Ric brought his mouth down on hers. She inhaled sharply at the sudden shock of his lips being on hers again. It was the first kiss that she herself hadn't initiated, and she felt more than ill-prepared for it.
He certainly hadn't been lying when he said he had given much thought to undressing her. Without breaking their kiss, he ripped open her suit jacket, nearly tearing the buttons right off. She gave a small gasp in spite of herself; she almost wanted to re-button it just so that he could do it again. He moved his lips from her mouth to her neck, relishing every bit of skin he could find. Alexis's breath hitched in her throat as he bit roughly at the flesh on her shoulder. She didn't know where to put her hands first. She had them immediately at his belt, but she just as quickly moved them to his face, then to his hair, then back to his belt. Ric laughed into her skin.
"Need some help?" he teased.
Alexis opened her eyes and looked at him watching her with amusement. She was completely and utterly embarrassed, but it hardly even registered with her. The fire from his hands that were fastened firmly at her hips burned through her whole body and left her paralyzed.
Just as Alexis was ready for Ric to kiss her again, a loud deafening bang sounded. They looked at each other worriedly. The car gave a sudden jerk, dropped sharply a few inches and then stopped. Before they could react, the elevator doors slid open, sending Ric and Alexis tumbling out into the hallway. Ric caught his balance and held onto Alexis to keep them from falling to the ground.
A whole team of maintenance workers surrounded the elevator, along with several reporters who came to report on the mysterious mechanical failure. One of the reporters nudged his photographer, who immediately snapped shot after shot of Ric and Alexis in a compromising embrace. They both looked up, humiliated, to see far too many witnesses.
They would make the early edition of the Port Charles Herald the next morning for sure.