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Chapter Four
Lucy stretched out a bit feeling the arms wrapped around her as she snuggled into the warm body beside her, “Doc,” she spoke in a soft, tired voice as she kept herself locked up in his arms. She nestled her head into his chest wondering if this was all a dream as being back in his arms again felt so right when suddenly she heard it and her eyelids snapped open. There was no mistaking it as she heard the rip roaring sounds of snoring and she let out a gasp realizing that this was not her Doc, not by any means. Suddenly she pulled her head up looking down at the body beneath her as she saw the face of Chris Ramsey lost in his obnoxiously loud dream land. She contemplated swatting at him to make him quiet down, but thought better of it as she slipped out of his arms pulling herself up a bit from the sofa, but before she was able to fully get to her feet, he grasped her again bringing her down to him while in the midst of his dream.
“Don’t go,” Chris mumbled in his slumber before letting out another wild snore and warning Lucy that he was still far from being alert.
With great resignation, Lucy lay back into him thinking about the previous evening’s turn of events. Somehow she hadn’t planned on spending the night here with him, but somehow between dinner and their conversation, something change. She found herself no longer concerned about getting this done as quick and painlessly as possible. Rather she’d found that she didn’t mind the conversation at all. Since Scott and her had split, she’d been on her own most of the time, well, not including her brief time with Doc, but since then she hadn’t really had a talk with someone, at least not anything really substantial.
Lucy looked down to Chris again wondering how on earth they’d managed to end up sharing so much with one another in such a short time. Granted, they could easily use the martinis as an excuse and she was fairly certain that she would once he woke up from this sleep of his, but for now it felt kind of nice just to have spent an evening where she could just be herself and there was nothing riding on it. She had nothing to prove to Chris, well, not really at least and it didn’t matter what they’d said to one another. They both knew what it had been like to have lost something special in their lives and they were both trying to pick up the pieces the best they knew how and perhaps in this reluctant partnership they’d found, they might be able to do that and be stronger than ever. Somehow Lucy was beginning to feel confident about this, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Turning her head again to relax a bit, Lucy felt another snore rising within Chris as she pulled back from him, “No wonder you live alone,” Lucy muttered realizing that she couldn’t go back to sleep again as she carefully pulled herself from his arms. She watched him for a moment before reaching for the blanket that had been draped over the back of the sofa and she covered him with it. He stirred for a moment before melting into the sofa once more still lost in his dreams.
“Rest up Chris,” Lucy couldn’t help but smile at him, “we have a lot of work ahead of us,” she explained searching his apartment for her shoes. She’d left them somewhere over near the fireplace, now only if she could. “Ah, there they are,” she smiled finding them near the empty martini glasses spilled over onto the floor after they’d gotten a bit carried away in their plans for the future. She couldn’t help but laugh thinking back to how Chris looked when he’d rolled onto that wet patch of carpet when they‘d been kissing. It had killed whatever mood they’d been working up to as the hours dragged on, but in a way it was good as it had lead them both to the sofa for more of a relaxed rest there.
Now slipping into her shoe, Lucy heard a knock at the door. She looked to Chris realizing that there was no possible way that he’d be waking up any time soon as she frowned, “Come on Chris,” she replied walking over to him and tugging on his arm, “wake up.”
“Five more minutes....” Chris groaned rolling over again.
“Chris, don’t do this to me now...” Lucy urged swatting at him lightly as she tugged on the folds of his shirt pulling him forward a bit, “get up. You have company.”
“Not now...” Chris argued reaching out to remove her hands from his shirt before snuggling back into the sofa.
“Oh no you don’t,” Lucy instructed ripping the blanket off of him, “get up. Come on. There’s someone at your door.”
“They’ll go away,” Chris moaned, “just go back to sleep.”
“Chris, this isn’t even funny,” she tugged at his arm once more as she was greeted by the sounds of him snoring, “come on you. Don’t you dare fall back asleep on me now. You need to get up,” she said hovering over him as she smacked him in the head, “Get up!”
“Go away!” Chris groaned.
“I will not go away. In fact, the only thing I want from you right now is for you to get your butt off of this sofa right now and answer your door right this instant. Come on sleepy head. Now is not the time to be drowning in your hang over here. Get up!” She screamed at him again as the knocking continued growing louder by the second, “Chris Ramsey, if you don’t get up right this instant, I swear I’ll..I’ll...” she stammered a bit looking around the apartment for a moment, “I’ll do something really horrible here.”
“Your screaming like that is horrible enough,” he groaned bringing one of the throw pillows over his head, “shut up!”
She gasped taken aback by his tone as she reached for another pillow off of the sofa and began hitting him with it, “I will most certainly not shut up! If fact, if you think I’m annoying now, you just wait Bub, because I’m just warming up here and I’ve got plenty more to say before the morning is through, so if you don’t get up right this instant and see who’s at that door and make them go away before....”
“Alright,” Chris groaned bringing his arms up to fend off her attack as he seized the pillow from her hands, “god...woman, give it a rest,” he sighed rubbing his aching neck as he pulled himself up off of the couch giving her a disapproving look, “damn you’d think the apartment was on fire or something.”
“It was about to be if you didn’t get up from that sofa and answer the door there,” She said shoving him towards the landing as he nearly tripped over his feet by the force behind the push there.
“Take a valium or something,” Chris replied catching his balance mid-step as he looked over his shoulder at her.
“You just answer the door!” She waved her finger at him pointing, “I don’t care what you have to do, but you make sure that whoever is there, just goes away.”
“They would’ve done that on their own Lucy,” Chris frowned raising his voice a bit as he looked to her, “if you hadn’t woken me up!”
She huffed slightly as she watched him before throwing her arms out in the air again, “Just get rid of them.”
“Fine,” Chris replied with a sigh, “but you owe me for this.”
“Oh you’re going to get it from me here,” She warned.
“Is that a threat or a promise?” Chris grinned slightly throwing a wink in her direction.
“You!” Lucy huffed again before reaching for a pillow off of the sofa and throwing it at him angrily before stomping off to the kitchen, “I need a drink!”
“You need more than that Lucy,” Chris replied offhandedly, “you need to relax a bit here...maybe a good lay or something.”
“Not by you I won’t be getting that,” she growled at him, “now get whoever is here to just go away so that I can go home.”
“Want to leave me so soon?” Chris questioned feigning hurt as his annoyance with Lucy shifted to amusement as he watched her, “and to think that I was your one and only now that Kevin was gone.”
“My one and only pain in the....” she stopped herself, “just get rid of whoever is there so I can go back to the hotel!”
“Fine,” Chris replied with a sigh turning around towards the door before stopping himself once again to look back to her going into his kitchen, “while you’re in there, why don’t you make me some breakfast or something since you woke me up sweetie?” he laughed lightly as he heard an annoyed squeal come from his kitchen.
“If you don’t answer that door right this instant the only thing I’m going to be serving you is your lungs up on a platter,” she warned popping her head out of the kitchen for a moment, “now answer the door!”
Chris couldn’t help but laugh at her response as he turned towards the door, “Whatever you say darling.”
Lucy groaned once more before going into the kitchen realizing that there was nothing more that she’d like to do than strangle Chris in this instant. She looked over the counter of his kitchen and she saw the rack of knives and her thoughts lingered a bit. She paused for a moment before shaking the thought, “No,” she said to herself although the more she waited, the more tempting it was starting to look.
“Why Livvie,” Lucy heard his voice call out as she turned her focus away from the knives to peek out into the other room, “whatever are you doing here?”
“I was just,” Livvie started as Lucy saw her standing at the door before Lucy leaned back to hide behind the kitchen wall, “well, I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I’d stop by. I needed to talk to you.”
“About?” Chris questioned curiously as he leaned against the door leisurely.
“Well,” Livvie paused looking around, “I’d rather not get into it out here. Can I come inside?”
“Well....” Chris started as Lucy leaned up against the kitchen wall hearing the conversation.
“Don’t you even think about it Chris,” Lucy warned under her breath as she thought of Livvie’s request.
“Well, I was just about to make myself some breakfast here,” Chris replied with a devious smile as he looked Livvie over for a moment, “but since you did make the trip out there...”
“Don’t you dare Chris,” Lucy warned again quietly as her eyes drifted to those knives again, “I swear if you...”
“Come on in Livvie,” Chris smiled brightly, “I wasn’t really all that busy here to begin with.”
“Thanks Chris,” Livvie replied accepting his invitation as she walked inside the apartment and Lucy made a silent vow to herself that she was going to strangle Chris Ramsey before this day was through.
“Can I get you something to drink? An orange juice perhaps?” Chris questioned with a smile.
“No, really I’m fine,” Livvie shook her head.
“You sure, because I was just going to go into the kitchen and get myself some,” Chris nodded towards the kitchen once more, “you know if you’d like you could come with me and we could continue this conversation in there.”
“Actually maybe that’s a good idea,” Livvie agreed as Chris stepped in front of the kitchen door.
“I thought it might be and maybe I could coax you into that juice,” he said standing in the door way as he suddenly felt a sharp pain rush through his foot. He turned his eyes towards the kitchen and saw Lucy standing there giving him a death glare as she raised her foot only to stomp on his once more. He winced slightly, “On second thought,” Chris said painfully, “maybe you should just wait on the sofa there.”
“Are you sure?” Livvie asked watching his features, “Chris, are you sure this is a good time?”
“Of course it is,” Chris replied as Lucy hit his hand that was resting against the wall in the kitchen. He grimaced slightly as he looked to Livvie, “I’ll be right back. Are you sure I can’t get you that juice?”
“No really, I’m fine,” she smiled lightly before moving over to the sofa to take a seat.
“Okay I’ll be right back,” Chris replied moving into the kitchen as he looked to Lucy and finally let out a groan at the pain he’d been trying to hide. He glared at her, “what do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m going to kill you,” she replied bringing her hands around his throat, “That’s what I’m going to do!”
“Lucy,” Chris replied reaching for her hands as they clamped around his neck, “don't’ you think you’re being a bit extreme here?” he breathed as her lock on him tightened.
“Extreme would be an understatement by the time I’m through with you,” She hissed at him as she began to choke the life out of him.
“Lucy....” Chris groaned gasping for air as he finally pulled her hands away from him, “Damn, no wonder you and Collins made a perfect pair. You’re both crazy,” he said rubbing his neck to alleviate the pain.
“You just concentrate on getting her out of here,” Lucy warned in a threatening tone as she watched him take a step back, “Chris, I mean it!”
“What? I told you I’d get rid of her,” Chris shrugged reaching for the juice inside his refrigerator, “She’ll be gone soon.”
“Not soon enough,” Lucy frowned, “you go tell her right this instant that you forgot you had somewhere that you had to be very soon and you need her to leave.”
“But that would be a lie and we all know where lies get us Lucy,” Chris teased watching her face grow red with anger.
“You get rid of her now Chris,” she snapped at him.
“And turn my back on poor, helpless Livvie? What kind of man would that make me?”
“A dead man if you don’t!”
“My Lucy, how the tune changes as life goes on,” Chris chuckled again, “I’ve never seen this homicidal side of you, and if it wasn’t directed at me, I’d be rather impressed.”
“Just shut up and work on getting her out of here,” Lucy warned him.
“I’m interested in hearing what she has to say,” Chris explained with a shrug reaching out to pour his glass of juice.
“Since when?” Lucy questioned raising a brow, “you haven’t been interested in a thing she’s had to say unless of course you were thinking about how you could use it to get at Doc.”
“Even so,” Chris shrugged, “that’s exactly why I think you should let me hear her out right now.”
“Chris, I don’t want Livvie to see us here,” Lucy replied with a menacing glare.
“No Lucy, you don’t want Livvie to see you here, but you do realize that this could work out in our favor here,” Chris winked at her, “I mean then we could skip a few steps in our plan and just let everyone see just how happy together we are.”
“Chris, if you don’t get Livvie out of here soon all she’s going to discover is what you look like when I’m strangling you to death here,” Lucy warned him as he let out a light chuckle.
“Don’t worry Lucy, I’m going to get her out of here soon. I promise,” he blew a kiss at her before stepping towards the door to leave, “don’t miss me too much.”
“You don’t have to worry about that one,” Lucy promised watching him walk back out to join Livvie as she wondered if she was making a mistake in agreeing to work with him.
“So tell me again Livvie,” Chris urged taking a seat beside her on the sofa, “what brings you here so early in the morning?”
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday,” Livvie sighed taking in a breath.
“Okay,” he nodded leaning back on the sofa a bit as he noticed Lucy’s purse on the coffee table and his eyes widened a bit before he looked to Livvie again, “what’s on your mind?”
“Well, I was thinking about my dad, you know,” Livvie started with a tortured expression, “I mean with what happened yesterday between Eve and Lucy, I just feel so horrible.”
“Livvie, it wasn’t your fault,” Chris replied trying to assure her, “I mean you had no idea that Eve would hear you talking about that.”
“No I didn’t and now, well, now I just feel so awful,” Livvie sighed shaking her head, “I feel like once again I started this big mess in everyone’s lives and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Livvie, what your father did is not your fault,” Chris replied watching her, “you couldn’t keep on lying to Eve because sooner or later she was going to find out the truth,” Chris paused laying on the sympathy thick, “after all, that’s what she deserved right?”
“I guess,” Livvie shrugged, “I just wish I wasn’t the one to give it to her there,” Livvie pouted a bit, “I mean I just want everyone to be happy.”
“And I’m sure they will be given time,” Chris nodded in response, “they just need some time to cool down here and then everything will be as it should be.”
“You sure about that?” Livvie asked in a pathetic, sappy tone.
“Of course I’m sure Livvie,” Chris smiled at her, “Would I lie to you?”
“No, I guess not,” Livvie shrugged, “I’m just so confused.”
“I know you are,” Chris replied setting his orange juice down before reaching out to her to embrace her, “but I can assure you everything is going to be okay.”
“How can you be so convinced?” Livvie asked with a heavy sigh as Chris looked over to the coffee table reaching out a bit trying to retrieve Lucy’s purse from it. Livvie pulled back slightly stopping him as she looked into his eyes, “Do you really think it’s going to be better Chris?”
“I’m sure it will be,” Chris replied squeezing her to him once again as his gaze drifted to the purse, “you don’t have a thing to worry about,” he said extending his fingers once more as he caught the purse strap with his index finger.
“You make it all sound so easy Chris,” Livvie sighed with a sniffle as she pulled back from Chris and without a thought he threw the purse across the room hearing a splashing sound as he looked to find the purse sinking into his fish tank. Livvie looked around the room for a moment, “Did you hear something?”
“No,” Chris replied reaching out to cup her chin in his hands, “I didn’t hear anything at all Livvie, but what I do know is that you’re worrying about all of this far too much.”
“You really think so?” she asked timidly.
“I know so,” Chris said realizing that Lucy might’ve been on to something in her initial desire to kick Livvie out of the apartment. The more he looked at her and listened to her voice, the more he realized he was going to need some aspirin by the time she was gone, “in fact, I think that the best thing you could do right now is just go home and be there for your dad.”
“You think he needs that?”
“Oh I’m sure that’s what he’d want. I mean he probably needs time with his daughter,” Chris nodded in agreement.
“Well, maybe you’re right, but after last night, I just wanted to give him and Eve some space there. They really got into it a bit,” Livvie explained with a sigh, “it was really awful last night.”
“What do you mean they got into it?” Chris questioned instantly curious about something she’d said for the first time in months, “how so?”
“Well, she was upset after you and Lucy took off there and the next thing I know was when I got home after being with Jack, they were screaming at each other. Eve was upset because she thought my dad wasn’t telling her everything and my dad was trying to convince her that he’s in love with only her and not Lucy.”
“I see, and how did Eve take that?”
“She didn’t sound so convinced,” Livvie sighed, “in fact my dad ended up sleeping on the couch last night.”
“Really?” Chris asked raising a curious brow, “that sounds serious.”
“Well, it was, but I don’t really know what they said because after I got in, they kind of quit talking to one another. Still I feel like it’s all my fault somehow,” Livvie sighed, “I mean Eve didn't’ say it, but I can tell she doesn’t like me around.”
“Livvie, I’m sure that’s not the case there,” Chris tried to assure her, “In fact I’m sure this has more to with what’s happening with her and your dad than it does with you.”
“Chris, I just feel so bad, I mean while Eve was supposedly dead, I was trying to push my father with Lucy, but now that Eve’s back, I feel like an idiot.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I thought that my dad and Lucy had this great love there,” Livvie sighed, “I mean I really, truly thought that they were soul mates and I wanted them together, but now...”
“Now what?”
“Now I just don’t know anymore. After Lucy lied to my dad like she did in doing what she did...”
“Sometimes people do things out of their love for another person,” Chris defended for moment.
“I don’t know Chris. I don’t ever think deceiving a person is right,” Livvie replied.
“It depends on the circumstances.”
“No, it’s always wrong,” Livvie decided, “I mean even if I thought my dad and Lucy were meant to be, he’s still married to Eve and he loves her. Not only that, but what kind of relationship could they have if they don’t have any trust there? It seems to me that if something is based on a lie, well then it’s not meant to be.”
“You know Livvie, those are some pretty deep thoughts there,” Chris replied watching her for a moment, “and I’m sure your father will sort out what he feels in time there, but for the record I think you were right on.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely. You saw a chance for your dad to be happy with a woman that he had truly loved, whom he probably still does love there and you took the initiative to do something about it,” Chris smiled at her, “that’s not something that most people are willing to do. I think that was very noble of you.”
“I feel like all I did was make more trouble for everyone involved,” Livvie sighed yet again.
“Well, don’t worry about it because like I said, it’ll even itself out in time.”
“You really...” she started
“I know so,” he cut her off already knowing where she was going, “in fact, I’m sure that given a little time everyone will be as they should be here.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” Livvie smiled at him, “do you know something that I don’t know here?”
“Nah, I just have a feeling,” Chris smiled at her, “Now was there anything else you’d wanted to talk about?”
“Not really, but I just figured in coming here you’d find a way to make me feel better,” Livvie smiled at him, “You always do that for me.”
“Well thank you and I’m glad I could help Livvie,” he replied thinking about leaving Lucy alone in the kitchen for this long with so many potentially harmful objects there, “but right now I really have to get ready for work because it’s later than I thought it was.”
“Oh I’m sorry. I thought you said that you weren’t busy...” Livvie started.
“Well, I wasn’t, but then I remembered I was going to check into something at the hospital and if I’m late,” he shrugged, “you understand.”
“Yeah,” she smiled at him, “I do.”
“Good,” he said getting up from the couch and walking over to the door and opening it, “Well, it’s been great talking to you.”
“Yeah you too Chris,” she smiled at him watching him curiously, “You really are in a hurry, aren’t you?”
“Yeah I am,” he nodded, “but it’s been great talking to you.”
“Yeah it really has. You know I always enjoy our conversations Chris,” Livvie smiled approaching him, “you always have a way of making me feel better somehow.”
“Well that’s what I’m good for,” he replied watching her step up to him.
“You’re my best friend Chris,” she replied leaning up on her toes to kiss him as he took a step back and she fell forward a bit.
“Well, I think you’d better be going,” Chris replied catching her fall and setting her up straight again, “and watch those toes of yours. You wouldn’t want to fall down and hurt yourself there.”
“No I guess not,” She agreed looking to him again as she stepped up in yet another attempt to kiss him as he placed his hands on her shoulders and shifted her out of his apartment carefully dodging any attempt she’d make to kiss him there.
“See you later Liv,” he smiled at her before closing the door in her face as she opened her mouth to speak again. Turning around, he found Lucy standing behind him as she swatted him upside the head.
“What do you think you’re doing there?” she asked in disbelief, “what were you trying to prove?”
“I was trying to see if we had anymore to go on with Kevin and Eve there,” he defended as she raised her hand again and he grabbed her wrist, “Give it a rest already killer.”
“I should’ve knocked your lights out for that display just now,” she huffed at him, “I can’t believe you let her in here like that. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that she might be able to provide some information for us on Kevin and Eve,” Chris stated simply, “and as predicted I was right. Kevin slept on the couch and to me that says something.”
“I don’t really think we got much of anything there even if Doc slept on the couch,” Lucy replied watching him walk across the room, “in fact, if anything I got more information on what a lying rat you are there.”
“Excuse me?” Chris replied taken aback, “you’re the one with serious issues here.”
“Don’t think I don’t see right through you,” Lucy huffed at him, “I know what you just did here.”
“I just got rid of Livvie like you asked me to,” he reminded her.
“No, you just used Livvie for your own greedy little purposes there, didn’t you?” Lucy questioned an accusatory tone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chris shrugged.
“Yes, you do,” Lucy insisted, “you manipulated her into telling Eve all about Doc and I, didn’t you?”
“I did no such thing,” Chris feigned innocence.
“Yes you did. You have the audacity to stand there and lie to my face knowing that you’ve been caught. I specifically ordered you not to say anything to Eve about what happened and you deliberately went out of your way there to have Livvie do it for you instead,” she snapped back at him frantically, “you went about it in your dirty little fashion doing your best to make sure that Eve did in fact hear it, but you chose to go through Livvie.”
“Lucy, I can’t control what Livvie wants to speak about,” Chris shrugged lightly, “What that girl says is beyond me. I don’t manipulate her into my doing.”
“Liar,” Lucy huffed at him searching the room for her wrap as she glared at him, “You can forget this. The deal is off. Our partnership is over, do you hear me?”
“You don’t mean that,” Chris said with an amused grin watching her, “you need me.”
“No Chris, actually I don’t and from what I see, being tied in with you was and is a huge mistake. I’m going to get out now before I’m over my head here,” Lucy explained searching his apartment.
“Lucy, just try to calm down,” Chris instructed as she pushed past him, “Lucy, all Livvie mentioned to Eve was what she’d seen in your hotel room. What you told me is still under wraps like I said it would be.”
“For how long Chris? Long enough for you to sit back and wait to spring it on Eve?”
“Why do you care about keeping it a secret? After the way Collins walked over you, you’d think you’d want the world to know what kind of creep he is.”
“Kevin is not a creep. He is a kind, wonderful, amazing man...” Lucy rambled on.
“Tell it to someone who’s sold on the Kevin is god campaign because I, for one, do not buy it,” Chris rolled his eyes, “that man must be one heck of a master manipulator there considering the way he takes intelligent women and turns their brains to mush.”
“You’re one to talk,” she snapped searching the room, “where is my purse?”
“What?”
“I’m leaving,” she explained sharply, “I’d like to just get back to my hotel room so that I can forget you and this,” she waved her finger between the two of them, “little association between us.”
“You think you can just walk out of here?” Chris asked in disbelief, “but after last night...”
“You just proved to me that you’re not worth risking any chance of a future I might have with Doc over,” Lucy blurted out angrily, “if I’m going to get him back, I’m going to do it on my own...not with you making things worse for me in your attempt to get Eve.”
“I haven’t even started to make things bad for you Lucy, but if you’d like me to,” Chris warned her.
“You wouldn’t dare because you know if you tried, I’d bury you,” she snapped at him, “I would make your miserable little life so bad that you’d wished you’d never stepped foot in Port Charles here.”
“I already do,” Chris grumbled.
“Then leave,” Lucy hissed looking around, “now where is my purse?”
“Over there,” Chris nodded towards the fish tank.
“Over where?” she asked searching the place.
“Over there,” he nodded again as Lucy found her eyes drifting to the tank as a gold fish weaved through the strap of her purse.
Lucy found herself boiling with anger as she looked to him with a serious expression as Chris moved over to the sofa taking a seat as he sipped at his juice.
“I told you it was over there,” Chris shrugged picking up his glass and bringing it to his lips as he heard a growl from behind him and within a matter of seconds, he found himself down on the floor with Lucy pounding her fists into his chest after she‘d leapt over the couch to attack him.
“Why you....” Lucy huffed as she smacked him finding herself at her wits end as she continued to beat on him, “Doc was right about you. You’re nothing but a sneaky, slimy little person and just the idea that I could’ve been crazy enough to even thing about working with you, well, ha! The deal is off,” she informed him hitting him again, “Do you hear me? The deal is over and there is nothing you can do to change that Chris Ramsey and if you keep trying to mess with my life I swear that I’m going to make you sorry that you ever met Lucy Coe,” she continued with a fire behind her eyes as she swatted at him.
“Lucy,” Chris replied reaching for her flailing limbs as she continued her assault on him, “come on. Just take a moment and think about this.”
“Oh I’ve thought about it good and plenty here and I refuse to let you of all people ruin things for me,” She continued reaching for a pillow as she started hitting him with it, “you’re not going to do that. Do you hear me?”
“I’m not out to do that Lucy,” he replied ripping the pillow out of her hand before seizing her arms in his hands. Realizing that he’d taken her off guard, he swiftly rolled out from beneath her and pressed her back into the floor as he moved over her, “Do you hear me? This isn’t about destroying you. This is about claiming what is rightfully ours.”
“I don’t want to work with you,” She blurted out as he tried to pin her down to the ground, “you get off of me right this instant and let me out of this apartment before I....” she poked him in the ribs before moving over him and knocking him back to the ground. She saw the look in his eyes as she was over him, but before she could get another word out, she heard the sounds of a gasp from across the room. Picking her head up a bit, she noticed Livvie standing in the doorway looking shocked.
“Oh my god....” Livvie blurted out taking a step back, “I...I....I forgot my purse and the door was unlocked so....I am so sorry.....”
“Livvie,” Lucy spoke her name as she watched Livvie take in the moment with obvious shock.
“I...I....” Livvie stammered a bit her eyes drifting to Chris, “no wonder you wanted to get rid of me.”
“Livvie, we can explain,” Lucy began in her own defense as Chris remained silent laying back on the floor with his arms folded over his head and a smile over his face.
“Lucy, I think this is pretty straightforward her,” Chris explained blowing a kiss at her, “we really shouldn’t try to hide the truth about how we feel about one another.”
“I....I.....” Livvie started watching Chris wrap his arms around Lucy before she let out another gasp, “I have to go.”
“Livvie wait,” Lucy called out to her as Livvie rushed out of the apartment and Lucy looked down to Chris feeling his hold on her tighten a bit. She glared at him as she shoved him once more, “do you have any idea what you just did?”
“I just set our plans into action,” Chris replied with a knowing grin as Lucy pulled herself up off the floor.
“You know she’s going to tell Kevin all about this,” Lucy blurted out in shock, “she thinks that you and I....”
“That was the general idea Lucy,” Chris explained rolling over onto his side and propped his head up on his elbow, “wasn’t it?”
“That was before I decided I wasn’t working with you anymore,” Lucy reminded him.
“Well, it looks like it’s a little late to change things now,” Chris chuckled thinking back to the look on Livvie’s face, “god that was fun.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Very much,” Chris nodded brightly.
“So what do you suggest we do now?” Lucy asked astonished as she watched Chris seeing how obviously amused he was.
“Now, well, we sit back and watch the aftermath,” Chris suggested with a bright grin, “of course thanks to Livvie it looks like we’re going to brush past phase one faster than anticipated, so that only leaves one thing for us to do...”
“Phase two?” Lucy asked realizing it was too late to turn back now as things were already set in motion here.
“Bingo,” Chris smiled pulling
himself up off of the floor, “and I can assure you, that’s when things
are going to get good,” he finished as his wicked grin widened, “very good.”
