"Romantically, I mean." Sonny continued, pretending not to notice Alexis' deer-in-the-headlights expression.

Alexis looked at him, at a loss for words, among other things. The look in her eyes said stunned. His eyes, however, were dancing in delight. "Gotcha" they were saying. He really needed to work on his sense of humor. Alexis wondered briefly, what did mobsters find humorous?


Oh yea, his eyes were definitely saying "gotcha". His lips were saying something else. "Unless you'd like to discuss any and all ways to turn you on in… other ways."

Before she could react, Sonny was moving again and thankfully changing the subject. "I feel like a fire. Just the thing for a stormy night."

She watched him, teeth worrying her lower lip as he moved to the fireplace, knelt down and expertly went to work on it.

 "Why don't you lose the heels and relax, Alexis. I think we're done for tonight." With business, anyway. He thought. He smiled as Alexis slipped her shoes from her feet, before turning to work on the fire.

She watched as the flames caught and grew, but the rush of heat Alexis felt had nothing to do with the change of the temperature in the room. Things had decidedly gone up a notch or two. Alexis took another swallow of her drink, thankful that it all went down the proper way this time. She spoke to his back. It was much easier that way. Even if she couldn't help the way her eyes visualized his body under his shirt as he stretched and moved, and the way his slacks fit tightly against his thighs as his body shifted. She reined her treacherous thoughts back in and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand.  "Aren't you the same man who told me very immodestly not too long ago, that he had no problem getting women?"

  "I told you, maybe I'm trying to raise my standards. You did say that I was redeemable, didn't you? Maybe a good woman is just what I need…" Before her mind could form a response to that, Sonny stood and turned back towards her. In one smooth movement, he took the glass from her hand, her glasses from the bridge of her nose and brought her to her feet. He had her in his arms so effortlessly that Alexis hardly realized exactly how she'd gotten here. All she knew was that Sonny was suddenly holding her close. And it wasn't such a bad thing, either. She could get used to this. Without her heels, they were at eye level with one another.

Alexis willed her breathing to stay normal as his eyes snared hers. His hands were burning through the thin silk of  her blouse as they moved unconsciously down her back and came to rest on her waist. Her hands had flew up, startled at his sudden move and still rested on his chest. Without realizing it, her hands flattened themselves against the smooth hard plane of his chest in a soft caress, feeling the taut muscles beneath the fine Egyptian cotton shirt.

 "I wonder what does it for a woman like you?"

 "Like me?" her voice was almost a strangled whisper. The heat in the room flared up another notch.

  "Exactly. Smart, sharp, classy." His eyes stared into hers and Alexis found herself unable to drop her own. "Beautiful, sexy…."

 "Sexy."

 "Yeah, Councilor. What kind of woman exists under tailored suits? What does a woman – someone like you – want? Do romantic music and soft lights work for you?" Sonny asked, almost innocently. Almost. "Flowers and candlelight? Silk scarves and champagne and strawberries? Leather, lace and whipped cream?"
 
"Sonny!" Alexis tried for indignant and failed. She laughed in spite of herself. "The champagne and strawberries, silk scarves, lace and whipped cream sounds messy."

 His voice dropped to an intimate rumble that vibrated through the palms of  her hands, sending a hot lance of pure feeling shooting through her body. "You make that sound like a bad thing -- messy can be good."

The two of them fell silent for a moment, caught up in the vision those words created. Unable to help herself, Alexis let visions of her and Sonny, soft lights and music and flowers and…yes…even silk scarves…catch hold. The thought sent a river of weakness straight through her pausing to coil sharply inside her and sent a flood of weakness straight to her knees, but then, with an effort, she pulled her mind back to reality, shocked to suddenly notice that the two of them were swaying together gently as they'd been talking, moving in rhythm to music that didn't exist. Her body stiffened in surprise.

Bad move. Her feet tripped over one another and sent her stumbling into Sonny's arms.


"Li-" Sonny had begun to speak when Alexis's body knocked the two of them over and sent them sprawling onto the couch.

Alexis landed on top of him, his arms tightening automatically around her. He looked up into her face, feeling a silken wing of hair sweep gently against his cheek as it draped downward.  Sonny shifted one hand, enjoying the soft texture of her skin as his hand moved over the fine line of her cheekbone and then the sleek silk of her hair as, unbidden, his fingers slid upwards.


He repeated himself, in a voice suddenly gone husky, this time finishing what he had begun. An odd light gleamed in his eyes as his dimples deepened in a smile. "Live dangerously."

Her breath caught in her throat. Appropriately enough, Alexis thought, thunder rumbled directly overhead.

Then the lights went out.