By Any Other Name
by LSquared

Despite the late hour, Alexis had no desire to call it a night and bury herself under the covers. She had aclient on the loose to worry about, her nephew’s engagement party had been single-handedly ruined by Helena’s nefarious deeds, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to stay awake for. She could only hope it had nothing to do with Mary Bishop or a book of curses.

She fixed a cup of hot tea and settled on the sofa. Alexis brought the rim of the mug to her lips and the steam warmed her face. She was instantly reminded of the pressure of Ric’s mouth on hers, and then of his hands caught in her hair and trailing down to her back. She trembled at the memory, at the way his kiss lingered for so long after.

Alexis held the mug on her lap. She traced the rim with the tip of her finger. The harder she tried not to think about Ric the more present he was in her thoughts, and she was biting her lip not to smile.

The soft tapping on the door pulled Alexis out of her daydream. She left her tea on the table and opened the door to find Ric, his hands straightening his tie. “Hi,” he said.

“It’s very late,” Alexis pointed out.

“I see you’re still wearing your dress, just as I’d hoped.”

She folded her arms across her chest and eyed him cautiously. “Why is that?”

“The evening didn’t go quite as I’d hoped. I figured after you had your fill of making me feel as awkward as possible with Nikolas and Emily we’d leave Wyndemere and have a drink. I thought we’d dance and you could show off that fabulous dress. And then I thought I’d bring you home and kiss you on your doorstep.”

Alexis stepped back and said, “Well, you thought wrong.” She turned away, leaving Ric to let himself in and shut the door.

“There’s still time,” he told her.

She shook her head. “Viola is already gone. Kristina is sound asleep. I’m home for the night.”

He shrugged and gestured toward the clear, open floor. “There’s no reason we can’t share a dance right here.”

Alexis sat down on the far end of the couch, crossing her legs. She folded her hands together over her knees. “It’s been a rather long day. I’m tired.”

“Okay,” he conceded. Ric sat down next to her, his shoulder bumping hers. “Too tired to dance, I can understand that. But you could never be too tired to talk. So, how about you answer my question from earlier?”

She pressed herself as close to the arm of the couch as she could. “What question?”

Ric turned so that his knees touched her thigh. He pressed his hand lightly over Alexis’ knee. “I asked if you brought me to Nikolas and Emily’s party only to persuade me to change my mind, or if you truly enjoy my company. I want more of an answer than ‘maybe,’ Alexis.”

“No,” she said. “My answer is no.”

He nodded, and his fingers started drawing lazy circles over her knee.

“Stop that,” she whimpered, her eyes falling shut.

The fabric of her dress was soft under his fingers. “Do you really want me to stop?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Yes.”

“Do you enjoy my company?”

“Yes.”

He snatched his hand away, leaning back against the cushions. Alexis’ eyes grew wide and she slapped his hand where it rest between them on the sofa.

Ric laughed and said, “While we’re in the process of finishing up previous conversations, there’s something else I’d like to revisit.”

“I’m afraid to ask, but what would that be?”

“What you said to Sonny.”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Didn’t I already explain that? I wasn’t being serious.”

“I beg to differ. You see, I think you were vocalizing some of your deepest, most passionate fantasies about me. What is it you said again? The bedroom was boring. The sofa?” He bounced a little in his seat and brought his arm up to rest on the back of the couch.

Alexis looked behind her, to where his hand came to rest on her shoulder. He fingered a soft strand of her hair and she stood up quickly. She moved to stand behind the couch.

Ric followed her. “Any number of elevators? All over town?” He taunted her with his proximity, his soft voice and the way his eyes promised she wouldn’t go the rest of the night without another kiss. He tilted his head toward the sliding doors that led to the balcony and said, “The patio?”

~

Her hands gripped the railing. She closed her eyes, reveling in the breeze against her face and in her hair. Alexis didn’t turn around when she heard the door slide open and then close again.

Ric adjusted the volume on the monitor, turning it up a notch. He set two mugs of hot chocolate on the table and said, “I peeked in on Kristina. She’s still sound asleep.”

Alexis nodded. “Good. Thank you.” She looked out at the skyline, at the dim twinkle of lighted windows and the brighter scattering of stars. She felt Ric come nearer to her, standing behind her.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“A little,” she said. She smiled when his hands pressed down on her shoulders and moved up and down her bare arms.

Ric moved his hands to her hips, willing her to turn around. “How about that dance?”

Alexis reached for his hand and walked him to the center of the patio. She dropped his hand and pursed her lips. She seemed to be contemplating him, analyzing what seemed to be a look of adoration in his eyes.

Ric couldn’t quite read her expression. And he was too distracted by the way her hair fell around her face, and the swell of her breasts under the revealing fabric of her dress, to ask questions.

Releasing a shallow breath, Alexis lifted her arms to rest her hands at his shoulders. She liked the feel of his broad, sturdy shoulders under her palms. The texture and fit of his suit, combined with the way his cologne laced the air around them, overpowered Alexis with a sense of comfort and yearning. She sighed happily when Ric’s arms wound around her waist, pulling her closer.

He dipped his head, his lips near her shoulder. His breath danced across her bare skin, his mouth teasingly close. One of Ric’s hands wandered up to where her back was exposed and he traced a line up the curve of her spine.

They barely moved, hardly able to call their embrace a dance. Not a dance like the first one they shared – slightly awkward, a little bit too fast. This dance was slow and sensual.

It was Alexis who pulled back just enough to see into his eyes. She brought her lips close to his, softly kissing the corner of his mouth. She gripped the back of his neck and went limp in his arms when Ric’s teeth tugged at her bottom lip. He kissed her hard, his fingers pressing into her back and his mouth hot and persistent against hers.

They caught their breath, their arms still tangled around each other. Alexis rested her head on his shoulder. Ric started to sway back and forth, and soon they were dancing again.

The ringing of his phone was shrill and they both groaned, reluctantly pulling apart. “Lansing,” Ric answered the call, clearly annoyed. “Okay. I’ll take care of it.”

“Was that about Nikolas and Emily?” Alexis asked.

He shook his head. He handed her the baby monitor and picked up the mugs of hot chocolate. Alexis opened the door back into the apartment. “That was about Skye Quatermaine. We got a call that she was spotted with an unidentified male figure,” Ric told her.

Alexis nodded. “You’ll let me know what happens?”

“Of course.” He turned and headed for the door, stopping before he opened it. “Oh, and Alexis?”

She met him at the door. “Yes?”

“I just have one more question for you before I leave.” Ric paused, clearing his throat. “Are we dating?”

Alexis crinkled her nose and balked, “No! Of course not.”

“Oh,” Ric nodded. “Are you sure?”

“We share the occasional meal or drink. That’s all,” Alexis told him, finishing with a firm nod of her head.

“A rose is a rose is a rose,” Ric said.

Alexis shook her head. She reached behind Ric to open the door for him. “We’ve danced a couple times. Every once in a while we kiss. But we are not dating.”

“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Alexis narrowed her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip.

He recognized her telltale signs of agitation. Ric’s hand darted out, his fingers curling around her wrist. He brought her hand up to his mouth and brushed his lips over her knuckles. “We can call it whatever you want,” he said, “but there is definitely something more than just a few random kisses happening between us, Alexis.” He turned her hand and pressed a lingering kiss into the center of her palm. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she stammered, stepping under the doorway as he left. She watched him until the elevator doors slid together, and the hallway was empty and silent.

Alexis retreated back into the apartment. She was still too wide awake to consider calling it a night, but it was no longer the threat of Helena or her nephew’s legal problems that left her restless.

She sat down, her fingers absently touching her warm lips. She could feel Ric’s mouth and his hands even stronger now, the currents of electricity reaching all the way down to her toes. Alexis couldn’t quite name the way she was feeling, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t think of a better reason to stay awake.