Prompt: Ignorance is bliss.
February
Upstairs at Jake's, Approximately 5:30 A.M.
Elizabeth slipped out of Room 2 above the bar, gently pulling the door closed behind her. She paused long enough to rest her head against the frame, and rub a hand over her face. It had been a long night, and unfortunately, she had a shift in an hour. She jumped away from the door when she heard movement on the other side and knew it was probably best to disappear before she was caught. Or rather stopped by the person inside the room.
Last night had most definitely gotten out of hand.
"Shit," she muttered, when the old, wooden floors creaked beneath her light footsteps. She neared the staircase, glancing over her shoulder one last time to make sure she had a clean exit. Sighing with relief, she set one foot on the top stair, only to freeze when the sound of a door opening behind her filled the hallway.
"Elizabeth Webber," came a soft, but scolding hiss, followed by a muffled giggle.
Letting out a deep breath, she spun around to find Kelly standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" she cried in a
whisper, careful not to disturb who she was trying to leave behind. The last thing she needed was some kind awkward confrontation amidst a hangover.
"Oh, I think I asked you that first," Kelly teased, wincing as she closed the door to Room 4 behind her.
"Did you sleep-"
"Son of a bitch," came a heavy, hungover growl as the door to Room 1 opened.
Both women's heads snapped in the direction, raising their eyebrows simultaneously at Lainey. "Well, well, well," Kelly murmured, clasping her hands and twiddling her thumbs. "Looks like there are some naughty girls among me."
"Me?" Lainey cried, placing a hand on her chest, turning around to close the door. "You're the one who's a recovering sex addict. You're not supposed to be having sex."
"Who said I got any?" the OB asked, a playful smirk spreading across her lips. "Besides, you aren't supposed to be sleeping-"
"What the hell?" came a fourth voice from the far end of the hallway.
"Oh my God," Elizabeth whined, hanging her head when she saw Robin slipping out of Room 6. "What the hell do they put in that tequila?"
"What are you all doing here?" Dr. Scorpio spat, racing towards them on her tiptoes.
"Oh, I'm still waiting for Webber here to answer that question," Kelly replied, tilting her head in the brunette's direction.
Elizabeth frowned, tugging at the hem of her rumpled camisole. "I asked you first," she replied hastily, tossing her messy, bed head curls over her shoulder. "You're not supposed to be here!"
"And neither are you!" Lainey chimed in.
"Actually, none of you were supposed to-"
"Oh, what the fuck."
All four heads turned to the door of Room 3, their jaws slacking when the most innocent of them all, with her big blue eyes and obviously not slept in clothes, stepped into the hallway.
"Well, I'd say this one got worn in just right," Kelly joked, rocking back and forth excitedly on her feet.
Nadine grimaced, glancing back into the room, before finally pulling it closed. She leaned against the door, clenching her eyes shut. "I am not a whore," she said sadly. "I really am not-"
"Oh, honey, we've all done it," Lainey cut in, motioning around at the five of them standing in the hallway.
"That's awfully presumptuous for you to assume that we all had sex," Robin said pointedly, her hands on her hips as she glared at the psychiatrist.
"Okay, so maybe you didn't," she replied, rolling her eyes. "What? Because you're afraid of doing something casual and risky. I'm telling you a session or two could-"
"Stop psycho-analyzing me," she pratically shouted, causing all the other women to hiss at her to lower her voice.
"I'm trying to sneak away quietly," Elizabeth scowled, holding a hand over her forehead, and rubbing her temples soothingly.
"As am I," the others replied robotically, and they would have laughed had the sound of footsteps on the stairs not caught their attention.
Elizabeth was the closest, so she was the first to see the rush of straight, brown hair hurrying down the steps as quickly as it came up them. "Hold it right there, Emily Quartermaine!" she cried, doing her best to keep her voice hushed.
The other four girls raced to the landing, all doing their best to squish around Elizabeth and get a look at their fellow friend being caught in the act. Emily shook her head, lifting her hand, and then her middle finger at the girls.
Kelly let out a devious giggle, throwing Emily a wink. "Well," she murmured, nudging Lainey and Elizabeth who were on either side of her. "I suppose last night was one for the books."
Six hours earlier...
"There is no way in hell I am answering that question," Lainey said firmly, taking a long sip of her beer, as Kelly clucked her tongue in response.
"You have to," Robin said firmly, sliding everyone's shotglasses across the table towards Emily, who was clutching a bottle tequila tightly to her side.
"I don't understand the point of these mindless questions," her friend replied seriously, lowering her beer back to the table. "If you want to get inside someone's head, you have-"
"No one is trying to get into anyone's head," Elizabeth sighed, reaching for her shotglass after Emily refilled it. "It's a simple question, Lainey. When was the last time you got laid?"
"How is this appropriate?" she replied challengingly.
"Uh, it's Valentine's Day," Emily said, as if that made all the difference.
"Which means what exactly?" the usually quiet blonde finally chimed in. "It's just a day created by the greeting card industry. They try to convince you that you should have flowers, cards, and candy, when what really matters is if someone loves you and is there for you. And in turn, all of that only reminds us all how lonely we really are."
"Well, on that note," Elizabeth groaned, raising her glass into the air. "To being lonely."
"Now, come on," Nadine said, looking apologetic for her less than positive remarks. "None of us are lonely. We have each other."
"Dear God," Robin griped, following Elizabeth and holding her hand in the air. "Why do I suddenly feel like we're having a moment out of The Babysitter's Club or something?"
"Oh, I loved those books," Nadine replied, her bright blue eyes lighting up.
"You would," they all replied together, before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
"I'd rather be like Thelma and Louise," Elizabeth said with a shrug, breaking the tequila trinity, and throwing her shot straight back.
"You're out to kill a man?" Lainey asked, arching an eyebrow at her.
"She's still not over it," Emily teased, taking her shot, and lowering the glass back to the table to refill it.
Elizabeth scowled, glaring at her best friend.
"Or maybe she's still not over throwing up on Leather Jacket's shoes," Robin tossed out, muffling her laughter with her hand.
"Jason," Nadine corrected seriously. "Leather Jacket now has a name."
"I prefer Leather Jacket," Kelly said staring off intently, a grin on her face. "Just like I'd prefer to know what's under that-"
"Six weeks," Elizabeth shouted, holding her hands up, her face twisted into a painful frown.
"Six weeks?" Lainey echoed, still holding her full shot glass in her hand.
"Oh, six weeks," Emily murmured, looking away as her friends all turned to her in confusion.
"No way!" Kelly cried after a few seconds, practically jumping from her seat with excitement. "You had sex-Oh my God!" She held a hand over her mouth. "With Nikolas?"
Elizabeth's shoulders fell, and she slumped over the table, nodding slowly.
"You little slut!" Robin cried, flinging a bar nut at her friend.
"Honey, you shouldn't be sleeping with him," Lainey said, in the gentle, but serious voice she often used on patients. "That's extremely unhealthy and-"
"So is sleeping with your patients," Elizabeth pointed out, causing all the girls to gasp.
"Burn!" shouted Kelly, reaching around and taking Lainey's shot of tequila from her. "If you won't take it, I will."
"Leo and I had one session," she said, rolling her eyes as Kelly sucked the liquor down. "One single session-"
"That ended with you half shirtless on your desk," Robin reminded her, shrugging when her friend gave her a dirty look. "Don't give me that...I was the one that walked in on it."
"And I was the one who heard Robin's shriek and came running," Nadine continued, shaking her head, as she slammed, licked, and sucked in the appropriate order. "Not even the finest tequila in the world will make me forget-"
"We haven't slept together," Lainey snapped, correcting them all, as she pointed a slender finger in Elizabeth's direction. "And this is about how she slept with the Prince post breakup, remember?"
"Ass," Elizabeth muttered, when the attention suddenly shifted to her. She stared at her friends with a blank face, then realized they weren't going to give in. "Fine, I slept with him...I went over there to pick up the rest of my things, and he started talking about how good we were together."
"And?" Robin asked, urging her to continue.
"We slept together."
"Where? When? And in what position?" Kelly asked excitedly, ticking each question off on her fingers. "I'm the one not getting any, and we all know that the Prince was more than giving."
Elizabeth shook her head, but Kelly failed to relent. "Of course, we were arguing, so I started to leave, and we ended up.." She paused, rubbing a hand uncomfortably over her chest. "Um, in the hallway, right by the front door."
"Angry sex!" Kelly shouted, clapping her hands together. "You win!"
"Oh, that's so not fair!" Emily replied defensively.
"Well, you haven't been penning time for sex in that little spiral notebook you've got in your pocket...Or have you?" Kelly said, leaning over and pulling the memo book from the back of her jeans. She jumped up, flipping it open, and started to read before Emily could stop her. "Interesting...Lunch with Patrick at noon...Studying for intern exams with Patrick from 3-5...Oh, and of course, dinner with Patrick at six."
"So, you are getting some?" Elizabeth asked suprised.
"Maybe a little," the intern replied, her cheeks turning bright red.
"You've at least coped a feel, right?" Kelly asked, tossing her memo pad down in front of her, and sitting back down. "I've always wondered how big Patrick Drake really is."
"Maybe you could ask him yourself," came a husky voice behind the OB, and she turned around to find Dr. Drake standing there in all his glory.
"Well, Dr. Drake, just how big-"
"This conversation is not happening," Emily cried, jumping up from the table and hurrying towards the bar.
"You're evil, you know that," Patrick replied, tossing Kelly a wink, before following after her.
"Did you know?" Kelly hissed, turning towards Elizabeth.
The brunette shook her head, laughing softly to herself. "I feel so left out."
"Don't talk about left out," Robin teased, suddenly scoffing in the direction of the door.
"Son of a bitch," Elizabeth murmured, looking over to see Jason walk in. His eyes met her's immediately, and his lips gave her a faint, secretive smile, but she couldn't concentrate on him. Her ex-fiance stole all her attention when he followed behind Jason seconds later.
"Oh, there's Johnny," Kelly sighed, her eyes softening in his direction. "That man is fine."
"And quite polite," Nadine said, and they all looked at her as if that mattered. "What? A man who takes the time to ask your name and buy your drink-"
"Is probably just trying to get you in bed," Robin interrupted, taking one of the shots and tossing it back.
"Your nerd's here too," Kelly exclaimed, nudging the blonde with her elbow.
"Oh, so Nadine does have a man," Lainey teased, smiling fondly at the nurse. "And he's probably the most normal-"
"Are you kidding me?" Robin cut in with a laugh. "He showed up looking for Nadine at the hospital last week, and when I told him I couldn't find her, he started ranting about how he was taking PI classes online. Then the next thing I know he's hiding behind one of those big, ugly, fake plants in the sitting area, and he jumps out-"
"Be nice," Nadine said, her face growing flushed as she waved briefly at the boy across the bar. "He's a really nice guy...Different, but nice...And he has a big heart."
"And he sends giftbaskets of orange soda and barbecue chips," Robin reminded her, as she looked at Lainey and Elizabeth in disbelief. "Where exactly does a person get something like that?"
"He made it," she replied, almost sounding annoyed that they were making fun of him. "If you took the time to talk to him, you'd see what he's really like...He may not be the best dresser or the wittiest guy in the bar, but I promise he's the one you'd be lucky to go home with." Before anyone reply, he got up from the table, and hurried over to where Spinelli was sitting with Johnny.
"Oh, young love," Kelly sighed, resting her chin in her hand, and watching as Nadine pulled up a chair beside Spinelli.
"Do you think he would even know what to do with it?" Robin asked, causing the girls to burst into laughter.
"Something tells me he would just Google it," Lainey replied, suddenly tensing up.
The girls followed her gaze, whistling loudly at Leo, who had just walked into the bar.
"Assholes."
"Aw, you love us," Elizabeth said, smacking her playfully on the arm, as she looked up at the bar. Her eyes landed first on Nikolas, who raised his short glass of scotch at her, as if to say hello. She forced a smile, then shifted her eyes down to the other end of the bar, to find Jason sitting alone on a stool, his gaze resting solely on her.
"I need another," she muttered, reaching for the bottle of tequila. "Something tells me, it's going to be one hell of a night."
"I didn't think I was ever going to get your attention," Kelly muttered to her friends, as they watched Elizabeth intently, who was stationed at a stool that sat directly in the center of the bar.
"At least she chose equal distance," Robin slurred, linking her arm through Lainey's, and laughing loudly.
"Who do you think will approach her first?" Emily asked curiously, shooting a glare at Kelly when she started to reply. She was obviously not over her friend's antics from earlier that evening.
"My bet is the Prince," Nadine chimed in, crossing her arms over her chest.
"The Prince?" Robin spat in disbelief, shaking her head at the innocent blonde. "You obviously know nothing about Nikolas Cassidine. He's not a man that goes after what he wants."
"Nope," Kelly agreed. "What he wants comes to him simply because that's the natural order of things."
Nadine rolled her eyes, and pointed at the two men, who were either oblivious to the women's attention or doing their best to ignore it. "Nikolas has been watching her for the past twenty minutes," she said seriously. "Elizabeth has been watching Jason, who is doing his best to pretend he's not watching her, but he's enjoying every second of it."
"Which is good considering last time she upchucked on his shoes," Kelly chimed in with a grimace.
"Exactly," the blonde muttered, tossing her head in Nikolas's direction. "Needless to say the Prince is far from happy with this shift in attention. He's growing more and more flustered by the second, and eventually he's going to walk over to her, and do what men do best."
"What's that?" Emily asked curiously.
"Make an ass out of themselves," Kelly replied, with a gleam in her eye, that told them all she was enjoying this far too much.
"The Prince will wander up to her, commenting first on how she's ignoring him," Nadine continued, chewing her lip as she imagined it all playing out. "That will make her mad."
"Of course," the four women said simultaneously.
"Which means Nikolas will then be an even bigger jerk," Robin said, slowly figuring out where the nurse was going with this.
"And Leather Jacket will step in to save the day," Lainey shrieked, clapping her hands excitedly.
"I was going to say you're pretty insightful," Lainey snickered, "but I think it's just those Babysitter's Club books you read growing up."
"Oh, that's just mean-" Nadine started to say, then stopped when Kelly started to smack her hard on the shoulder.
The five women watched silently as Nikolas adjusted his tie, sighed heavily, and slowly made his way towards Elizabeth.
"See!" the blonde said, smacking Kelly back.
"Uh, oh," the OB replied, when Elizabeth rolled her eyes as the Prince leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"Five bucks says she knees him in the crotch," Robin snorted, pulling a few dollar bills from her pocket.
"Ten says she throws her shot in his face," Emily chimed in, waving a ten dollar bill in her hand.
"Oh, that's a waste of good tequila!" Kelly hissed, digging a hand into her pocket, and pulling out a twenty. "Let's hope the girl remembers Jose is a good friend of ours."
"Your wager?" Robin asked, gathering their money together, each woman far too drunk to realize none of their amounts matched.
Kelly grunted, a grin spreading across her face. "That she takes the shot, starts to hit him, but Leather Jacket steps in first."
Elizabeth sighed, rubbing her forehead against her palm, as she noticed her friends stationing themselves leisurely along the bar. They looked at her with knowing eyes, and she couldn't decide if she was more annoyed at them, or at the ex-fiance pressed against her side.
"I don't understand why you're being so short with me," Nikolas muttered, sipping his scotch and looking around the bar.
"I don't understand why you're here," she replied, running a fingertip over the top of the shot she had just ordered.
"I thought things were on the ups," he said seriously, placing on a hand on her bare shoulder.
She tensed under his touch, trying to fight the urge to glance down the bar at Jason, but it was nearly impossible. "Ups?" she asked, clearing her throat when her eyes locked with Jason's who were narrowed at Nikolas's hand.
"When you came to Wyndemere," he said, moving his hand to brush her hair away from her shoulder, and placing his hand over the back of her neck.
She shivered beneath his warm palm, swallowing hard when she saw Jason stand up from his barstool. "We slept together, Nikolas," she replied, tipping her head in his direction and looking at him with glazed eyes.
She caught Kelly's eye over Nikolas' shoulder and wasn't at all surprised that her friends were treating this like some kind of movie, when in reality it was breaking her heart. "After which, you suggested we continue to see each other on a friendly basis until I was willing to commit. I suppose that's on the ups if you're an asshole."
"I can't talk to you when you're like this," he said, pulling his hand away from her as if she had burned him.
Arching an eyebrow at him, she leaned over, placing a hand on his chest. "Then get the hell away."
"You're wasted," he replied, placing his hand over hers, and holding it against him.
"Happy Valentine's Day," she said with a smirk, using her free hand to take her shot, slamming the glass down hard against the counter.
"Let me take you home," he murmured, cupping her cheek with his other hand.
"I can get home fine on my own," she replied, attempting to push him away, only to slide off her stool and into his arms.
He tightened his hold on her waist immediately, holding her body tightly against his. "Is this about that guy down there?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. "The one you've been parading around in front of for the past couple of months?"
Her mouth fell open, and she glared at him. "What I do, and who I do it with is none of your business anymore."
"That's right, honey," he replied, swiping a thumb over her cheek. "I know all about your little antics...I suppose it's a good thing you and I didn't work out...Tramps don't make good princesses."
"You son of a bitch!" she cried, doing her best to hit him in the face, but he caught her wrist in his hand, enticing a struggle.
When she tried to push away again, he released her suddenly, causing her to fall back against the bar. Her elbow collided with several drinks, and she found herself covered in alcohol. "Don't you ever speak to me again, Nikolas, or so help me God-"
"What will you do exactly?" he snarled, stepping towards her. "You're going to find yourself begging on your hands and knees for me to take you back, and-
"She won't be doing that," came a firm, husky voice, and Elizabeth was sure she heard a squeal from Kelly somewhere in the bar.
"And they say chivalry is dead," Nikolas said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows at Jason, who had placed himself firmly between Elizabeth and the Prince.
"She asked you to leave her alone," he replied, folding his arms across his chest.
"I don't see how any of this concerns you," he muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What happens in my bar is my concern," Jason stated clearly, causing Elizabeth's eyes to widen.
"Really? Your bar?" the Prince mused, laughing to himself. "Well, in case you haven't realized it, this place is a dump...And most of the patrons come here to pick up the local whores."
"I know as well as you do, that Elizabeth doesn't fit into that category," he replied, clenching his jaw.
Nikolas grunted, rolling his eyes. "Is this how you want it to be?" he asked, peering around Jason's wide stance at his former fiance. "You're replacing me with this guy? The owner of some shitty-"
"Nikolas, please," she sighed, shaking her head at him, and wringing her hands. "Just go...This is not the time or place."
"So, you are seeing this guy?" he asked in disbelief.
"We know each other," she muttered, shrugging it off as if it were nothing, but to Nikolas it would mean everything.
He smirked and threw up his hands. "I digress to my former statement," he replied, glancing between her and Jason. "Tramps really don't make-"
"Get. Out. Now," Jason said firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder, and shoving him to the door.
"Fuck-"
"Hey," another male voice called out, shuffling his way towards the two men. He tapped Nikolas on the shoulder, and tossed his head towards the door when the Prince turned around to face him. "Johnny O'Brien doesn't like it when people mess with his women."
"And she's one of your women?"
"Damn straight she is," Kelly called out, stepping beside Johnny and looping her arm through his.
"O'Brien's got a soft spot for chicks in the medical field," Emily chimed in, resting her arm on O'Brien's shoulder.
The Prince scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Goodness, Elizabeth. You found one hell of a trough to roll around in."
"Oh, go get your suit dirty somewhere else," Lainey cried, flinging a handful of barnuts at Nikolas.
"I'm on the hospital board. I could get you-"
"Fired for sexual harrassment?" O'Brien chimed in, nodding at Elizabeth. "Or wait, that's Ms. Webber come tomorrow morning...Jason and I know a hell of a lawyer." He looked around Jason at Elizabeth, who was doing her best to be amused, and not dying of embarassment by this whole show. "You wanna be the Cassidine heir?"
"Family has terrible luck," Robin called out, grimacing.
"Oh, luck is what you make of it," Nadine muttered, stepping up beside Elizabeth, and giving her a faint smile.
"Think about the cash," Lainey threw out.
"But accidents happen to people in the Cassidine family," Emily pointed out, shaking her head.
"Well, maybe I can make an accident happen to you," Johnny said, poking the Prince in the shoulder.
"Assholes," Nikolas muttered, glaring at Elizabeth. "If this is how you want it to be, then that's fine by me, but you'll regret this."
"What's there to regret?" Kelly cried, before she could reply. "She's the one with the half a million dollar ring."
"Half a million dollars?" Johnny spat, his eyes widening.
"Though I think she'd rather have the tiara," Nadine teased, nudging Elizabeth with her elbow, and causing her to laugh.
"Can she do an exchange?" Emily asked seriously.
"If she wants one, he'll give her one," O'Brien murmured, eyeing the Prince spitefully.
"Oh, go to hell, the whole lot of you," Nikolas growled, throwing one last disgusted look at his former fiance. "Especially you. I can't believe I wasted years-"
"It's time for you to go," Jason growled, grabbing him the arm, having clearly lost his patience.
"I'm going," he said, jerking away from his grasp.
"Aw, is the court jester bowing out?" Spinelli called out, from where he was sitting at the bar several stools down from Elizabeth, sipping a Cosmo.
"Okay guys, that's enough," Elizabeth called out, cradling her head in her hands, as her friends laughed at what had just occurred. Her stomach was churning, a mixture of embarrassment and anxiety.
"Hey, we're just looking out for our girl," Kelly said, hurrying over and throwing her arms around her friend's neck. "Not even Princes fuck with my Webber."
"Yeah," Robin agreed.
"He's going to get us all fired," Nadine clucked, shaking her head.
"Then we'll...just draw unemployment," Lainey offered seriously.
"Hey, that's more time at the bar," Emily said with a shrug, causing Elizabeth to laugh.
"Okay, not to be rude," Kelly griped, backing away from her friend, "but you smell like you bathed with Jim Bean."
"Sounds hot," Emily teased, winking at her friend, as Patrick came up behind her.
"Now that's hot," the OB corrected, winking at her, and Emily just laughed, allowing him to pull her away from the rest of the girls.
Elizabeth sighed, doing her best to wipe her liquor soaked arm dry on her flimsy camisole, not realizing that her friends slowly left her one by one. When she looked up, only Jason was standing there.
"Your bar?" she asked wryly, something about the admission making her nervous.
He nodded, and she folded her arms, staring up at him crossly. "What?"
"Oh nothing," she muttered, shrugging as a coy smile spread across his lips. "I'm just wondering why I've never gotten a free drink."
Four hours earlier...
"Patrick, everyone is going to notice that I'm-" Emily started, only to be cut off when he backed her against the door, and leaned down to place his lips over hers.
She sighed against his mouth, allowing him to part her lips easily, while he slid a hand around her waist to fumble with the lock of Room 5.
"I really have to get back-" But he muffled her words with his mouth, swinging the door open, and shoving her gently inside.
"Your friends are drunk," he muttered against her mouth, kicking the door shut with his foot, before spinning her around to press her against it. He dropped a hand to the hem of her shirt, slowly sliding it beneath the thin material. "Which means they have no idea what we're doing..."
"Well, they kind of know," she murmured apprehensively, sliding her arms around his neck, as she kissed him chastely.
"Oh, of course," he replied, brushing her hair away from her neck, and lowering his mouth to her skin. "Like us hooking up would get past Kelly?"
"Hooking up," she muttered, closing her eyes, and leaning her head back against the door.
She spent a lot of time wondering if that's all this was with Dr. Drake, the man notorious for sleeping around, but stressing that they should keep their relationship-if you could call it that-relatively quiet. He stressed about the reprecussions for sleeping with an intern, especially one whose father was the Chief of Staff, and Emily had stupidly believed he would want to actually be with her at one point.
"Patrick," she groaned, when the doctor expertly unbuttoned the front of her jeans, removing them before she had the chance to stop him. "This is..."
"What you want," he said teasingly, taking her mouth with his again.
Briefly, she thought of her friends, and what they would do in a situation like this. They were all stronger and more capable of acting on a whim, whereas, she attempted to do as much as possible by the book. Whirlwind romances or sneaky hookups, this sadly being the latter, were not her thing, and she just didn't know how to feel about it all.
She found it hard to debate whether this was love or lust, especially when his hands were touching her in all the right places. Despite her worries, she didn't stop him from undressing her the rest of the way and laying her across the bed.
"Ms. Quartermaine," he muttered, settling himself hurriedly between her thighs. "You just may be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
Rolling her eyes, she slid her hands over his bare, broad shoulders, telling herself that for now, that could be just enough.
"You are very, very drunk, Jackal," Nadine laughed, falling down beside him on the bed.
"The Jackal does enjoy partaking in a tasty beverage from time to time," he replied, turning his head in the blonde's direction. "Though he must say that Nurse Nadine is equally as inebriated."
"Nurse Nadine is very, very inebriated," she corrected, propping her head up on her arm, and scooting closer to him.
"And very, very exquisite," he replied, much to her surprise, and she knew it was the liquor making him so bold.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was that she really did like him, but all she could think about was that she wanted him. Something about that made her feel funny, and she knew it was because all the other girls would laugh at the thought.
"You should probably do something about it, Jackal," she said, placing a hand gently on his chest. She slid a finger beneath one of the buttons of his collared shirt, laughing softly when he sucked in a breath, and looked at her with wide eyes.
She arched an eyebrow, sinking a tooth into her lower lip. "Or maybe Nurse Nadine should?" she asked, holding back a laugh when he merely blinked, and gave her a terrified look.
"You do like Nurse Nadine, right?" she asked, carefully undoing the buttons one by one.
He nodded, staring down at her hand. "Uh, should you be doing that?"
"No, I should be doing other things," she half slurred, knowing that under any other circumstance this would be a ridiculous situation.
It wasn't her fault that she liked the way he showed up at the hospital just because something had reminded him of her, or that she really did find the barbecue chip and orange soda combination enjoyable, or most of all, that she liked when he looked at her like she was the only girl in the whole room.
Kelly's whole when was the last time you'd gotten any pry hadn't helped by any means. Needless to say, it had been a very long time. So long that she had dragged the Jackal upstairs, telling him she needed to lie down, when really she just wanted him to.
"Uh, should you really be doing that?" he asked, tensing up when she slid her hand down his chest, to his stomach, and stopped at his belt buckle.
"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, continuing to pull at the buckle, taking his silence as a no.
It was only when she shifted to move over him, placing her lips gently against his, that the Jackal finally spoke up.
"Nurse Nadine?" he asked, placing shaky hands on her shoulder.
"Yes, Jackal?" she asked, propping her elbows up on either side of his head.
"Uh, if I didn't know any better," he muttered timidly, giving her a crooked, but scared smile. "I would think you are trying to seduce me."
"Well," she replied, almost shyly. "You're going to have to wait and see."
"Will you hurry up?" Lainey cried, smacking Leo playfully on his shoulder while he fiddled with the key to Room 1.
"I'm trying," he replied hastily, and she found herself annoyed that she'd chosen a man who couldn't unlock a door.
"If anyone sees us-"
"What are you going to do run away?" he teased, finally pushing the door open. He reached around and grabbed her hand tugging her inside, before she could respond.
"I might have tried," she replied, hurrying to lock the door, while he tried to pull her into his arms. "You know this goes against every vow I ever made as a doctor."
"You were hot for a patient," he murmured, winking at her as he slid his arms around her waist.
"Oh, this is just far too wrong."
"Maybe a little right," he replied with a shrug, gently tugging her sweater off her shoulders.
"No, you're probably just seeing me as the person who can fix your problems," she said, placing her hands over his, and shoving them away from her body. "My goal was to help you deal with this issue of your's."
"I do believe you did," he reminded her, folding his arms across his chest.
"And now you see me as this know it all-"
"Not really."
"And you're going to put off your issues on me, and turn this into some bizarre, sexual-"
"We have to have sex for-"
"If anyone ever found out that I slept with a patient-"
"It was half a session, and we haven't-"
"Half a session because-well, you ended up-"
"I believe it was you who made the first move," he corrected, stepping towards her slowly. "And I believe you were the one totally flirting with me-"
"I was asking about your past relationship history, which was very fitting-"
"Why are you fighting me on this?"
"And you of course, had to go and make some stupid comment about-"
"Lainey," he interrupted, tugging her into his arms, and placing his mouth over hers.
She punched him in the shoulder at first, but he didn't relent, and seconds later she melted into his arms. "This is entirely inappropriate, and-"
"Shut up," he hissed, sliding his hands down her body, and lifting her into his arms.
"Leo-"
"Shut up," he said again, kissing her soundly as he carried her across the room.
She laughed when he lowered her down on the wooden desk in the corner of the room. "I suppose you're shooting for a reinactment of some sorts?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.
He nodded, hurrying to unbutton her shirt. "This time with no interruptions."
Robin held her eyes closed tightly, forcing herself to focus on the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she had kissed a man. And in this moment, it felt damn good to be kissed, even if she would regret it tomorrow.
It wasn't like her to get drunk and pick up a guy, or rather allow a guy to pick her up.
She always thought ten steps ahead when it came to relationships, knowing the second she muttered something about having HIV, the guy would head for the door without looking back.
"We have to slow down," she murmured, when his hands slid beneath her shirt, one going straight for her small breast.
She moaned when his hand slid beneath the satiny fabric, her hips thrusting upward immediately. "Really, I told you I can't-"
"And you're not," he cut in, pressing her body into the bed, as his lips brushed across her cheek. "I promise."
That was enough to silence her, and she leaned up to kiss him again, sliding her own hands beneath his shirt. She almost loved a great kiss more than anything else. One that was soft, but rough, and slow, but hurried, and always left her breathless.
And he was doing just that and then some.
"Robin," he growled against her mouth, when she wiggled her hips against his. "You're killing me here."
She laughed softly, knowing all too well about the annoyance of the situation.
For the longest time, situations like this scared her, or rather, the implications that came along with them. She gave up any chance of throwing caution to the wind a long time ago, not that she would change any of her past, even if it meant she would always have to be very, very cautious.
She moaned when he pressed his hips back against hers, suddenly all too aware of how long it had been since she'd gone to bed with a man. Under normal circumstances, she would have already striped her clothes off, and things would have been well under way. Now all she could think about was how it couldn't go that far.
"Hey," he said suddenly, pulling his body up over hers. She forced a smile at him, slowly feeling herself sober up from all the serious thoughts. "You okay?"
"I just-This wasn't a good idea," she replied, placing her hands on his shoulders, and pushing him away from her.
He sat up easily, giving her no fight, and for that, she respected him far more than she ever imagined she could. "We're not doing anything bad here, Robin."
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one-"
"With HIV," he finished, rolling his eyes.
"You could have picked up any of my friends."
"I like my women smart," he murmured, falling back against the bed, and staring up at the ceiling.
"All my friends are smart," she pointed out, knowing he was losing his patience with her.
"Okay, so I like brain doctors," he replied, laying an arm over his eyes. "And women who hate Princes and would rather hang out with seedy bar owners."
"This place is far from seedy."
"The Prince-"
"Is an asshole."
"See?" he pointed out, grinning widely. "I like women with dirty mouths."
"Which all my friends-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered, and she imagined he was rolling his eyes beneath his arm.
The room grew quiet, and she knew any chance of whatever could have come of this was probably ruined. It wasn't her fault that people didn't understand how careful she had to be. Not to mention that the last thing she wanted to do was him to remember what had happened tomorrow and regret it.
And he most definitely would regret it. Normal, attractive men didn't pick up on women with HIV, regardless of the fact that she was a brain specialist, was extremely cultured, and could drink any man under the table.
Sighing, she turned to face him, and wasn't all too surprised to find that he was passed out. "Johnny," she said, poking him on the shoulder, to which he responded with a heavy snore. "Johnny?"
Another snore, and much to her surprise, he rolled onto his side, drapping an arm over her stomach.
"Dammit," she muttered, letting herself fall back onto the bed.
"Shh," he murmured beside her, pulling her close to him.
"You're awake?" she asked, suddenly feeling as though she'd just gotten played.
"No."
"I'm sorry," she murmured, raking a hand gently through his hair.
He shrugged. "Just stay."
"You okay?" Jason asked, so sincerely that it caught her off guard.
"Just drunk," she replied with a half smile, sitting down hesitantly on the edge of his bed.
She knew that his bedroom was the last place she needed to be, but when he offered her a place to wash up, as well as sober up, she couldn't find a reason to say no.
"You sure that's it?" he pressed, kneeling down in front of her, a damp wash cloth in his hands.
Shrugging, she tucked her hair behind her ears, and shifted her blue eyes to his. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked, placing a hand gently on her knee.
She shrugged again, feeling more nervous with every passing second. "Causing a scene down there, you having to step in," she replied with a frown. "I should have just left when I realized you were both here tonight."
"I'm glad you didn't," he admitted, lifting the washcloth to her cheek, wiping tenderly at her tearstained cheeks.
She promised herself she wasn't going to cry over Nikolas, and in her own defense, this was more like crying about him. She had long ago surpassed the idea of the two of them ever getting back together, especially seeing as he had become controlling and eratic, now that they were apart.
"I wanted to see you tonight," she confessed, grinning half-heartedly as she lowered her eyes to his shoes. "Partly to apologize for the way things went last time..."
"And partly because I still owe you a birthday kiss," she continued, only because she was drunk, and figured she could get away with such an admission.
"Though I doubt you want to get involved with me and my crazed, ex-fiance drama." She paused, grimacing briefly. "Not that we're getting involved or anything. I just-"
"Is he giving you that much trouble?" Jason cut in, cupping her face, while he wiped at the other cheek.
"It's complicated, because we were engaged, and we were planning a life together," she replied seriously, "but he wanted me to be someone I'm not...He wanted me to give up my life for him...My job, my friends, coming here...And it just wasn't fair."
"I agree."
"I think I always knew we would never work out," she continued, scolding herself for going on and on about Nikolas, when she should be focusing on Jason. "It was too cookie cutter and ideal. I think I got caught up in the fun that it once was.'
"Being a princess?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
She nodded, laughing quietly. "That quickly lost it's silver lining," she murmured, pointing at her head. "Tiaras look terrible on me, and diamonds are just so gaudy."
The room grew quiet for a minute, and he just stared at her intently, as if he were trying to figure her out.
"Do you really own this place?" she asked, for at least the tenth time in the last hour.
He nodded.
"I just never remember seeing you," she said, feeling as if there was no way she could forget him.
"You were caught up in other things," he replied with a shrug, looking at her as if he knew more than he was letting on.
"But you've seen me?"
"You and your friends come here a lot," he said, stretching to toss the washcloth onto his nightstand.
"You're avoiding the question," she replied, noticing how he didn't completely answer her.
Sighing, his eyes flashed to hers, and he placed both hands on her knees. "I've noticed you."
"Noticed?" Elizabeth asked, leaning forward so that she was that much closer to him.
He nodded, lifting a hand to cup her cheek again, and slowly drew her mouth to his. When Jason kissed her, she found it impossible to think of anything, even her own name. And when his tongue parted her lips, and he shifted to move from the floor, she felt everything else fade away. Sliding an arm around her, he lowered her gently to the bed, almost nervously, but she tugged his body down on hers, letting him know that it was okay.
Suddenly, she felt drunk all over again; the touch of his lips and the movement of his hands far more intoxicating than any liquor she'd ever drank.
She mewed against his mouth when his teeth raked gently over her lower lip, and she was well aware of his hands sliding beneath her shirt. He shifted his weight over her, giving her enough space to slide her hands beneath his shirt, and she raked her fingernails against his back, her hips thrusting upwards.
"Jason," she moaned, after he'd inched her camisole down enough to expose her breast, and was brushing his lips lightly over her skin.
The room spun around her, and the only thing she could focus on was him moving above her. She wanted it all at one time; his hands on her skin, his naked body pressed against her, and most of all, him inside her.
"Jason," she half groaned, when his mouth suddenly moved away from her body, and he was sitting beside him on the bed. "Jason, wha-what's wrong?"
He shook his head, rubbing his palm over his flushed face. "You're drunk, Elizabeth."
"I know, but when has that mattered?" she asked, laughing to herself as she gripped the comforter, and pulled herself up beside him. "Just pretend it's charming."
"I don't have to pretend," he murmured, looking over at her. He slid an arm around her and leaned over to kiss her gently, and she shuddered at the touch of his lips against hers. "But you're too drunk for anything except sleep."
"Sleep?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
He nodded, moving hurriedly, as if trying to ignore that he wanted her as bad as she did him. Before she knew it, the bed was turnd down, she was under the covers, and Jason was beside her. "Sleep," he repeated, brushing her hair away from her face.
She turned so that her face was pressed against his chest, and she sighed happily as she breathed him in. "Jason?" she whispered, as he slid an arm around her, and pulled her close.
"Hm?" he asked, gently combing his fingers through her hair.
"Happy Valentine's Day."
I"Ah, well, another lover's holiday well spent," Kelly mused, sliding a finger into her glass of water to pull out a piece of ice.
"You're awfully happy for someone who is spending Valentine's Day alone," Coleman said, leaning against the bar.
She laughed, popping the piece of ice into her mouth. "I didn't spend it alone," she replied, crunching down on the ice. "My friends have just left me to celebrate on their own-Well, not on their own, so I'm sure they are having a good time."
"And what about you?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.
"Uh, no," she muttered, wagging a finger at him. "I'm fine, recovering sex addict and all, you see."
"Oh, did you mistake that for an offer?" he teased, and she could only roll her eyes.
"Coleman, why don't you have a lady?" she asked, suddenly curious as to why he seemed so alone.
Sure, he was somewhat creepy and always perverted, but there had to be a woman out there who liked that.
"Who says I don't?" he asked with a wink, sliding a key across the bar to her.
Her mouth fell open, and she looked at him stunned. "Are you kid-"
"You shouldn't be driving, and It's the last available room," he cut in, holding up his hand. "And it's on the house, seeing as your friends are off doing God knows what, which I'll probably have to clean up after tomorrow."
She stumbled off the stool, snatching the key in her hand. "Aw, you really do you love me, don't ya?"
He laughed, winking at her. "I love every woman."
Upstairs at Jake's, Approximately 5:40 A.M.
"Okay, someone better start fessing up," Kelly said, glancing around at her friends.
"What about you?" Elizabeth asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Ms. Recovering Sex Addict?"
She rolled her eyes, pushing herself away from the railing. "Maybe it's better if we just let this hang in the air."
"I couldn't agree more," Nadine muttered, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail.
Every girl turned to look at her, and Emily slowly made her way up the stairs. "Did you sleep with the nerd?"
"What about you and Dr. Hottie?" the blonde asked teasingly, folding her arms over her chest.
"None of your business," Emily replied, coming to a stop at the top of the landing. She pressed two fingers against her temples and rubbed hard. "I wouldn't even be dealing with this, but I left my stupid purse, and I had to come back for it."
The girls all looked around at each other in silence, and then somewhere in the hallway, a floorboard creaked.
"Oh, hell," Robin cried, pushing past them and scurrying down the steps.
"I have to go," Nadine muttered, following after her, and soon all six of them were clamoring down the stairs.
"This is just...bad," Elizabeth said to herself, tugging nervously at her loose curls.
"We are never talking about this again," Lainey hissed, as they rounded into the hallway outside of the bar. "I don't need to know what any of you did, and I have no desire to tell you what I...Gosh, I'm going to need to go to therapy for weeks."
Kelly laughed joyously, slapping her friend on the arm. "It's not so bad," she said, looping her arm through Lainey's, as she pulled a wad of cash from her pocket.
"Where did you get that?" Elizabeth asked, eyeing it widely.
"Just some bet," Robin answered, shaking her head, and everyone but Elizabeth laughed.
"I'll put it to good use," the OB offered, holding it up in the air, and her friends just looked at her. "Come on, you guys are all sneaking out and doing the walk of shame, so I figured the least I can do is buy you breakfast."