Chapter 13
Well, Spence, are you going to introduce us, or are you going to stand there with your jaw on the floor?” Charisma asked with a sly smile.
Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to mess with Lucky, Liz turned around and grinned. “Yeah, Spence, aren’t you going to introduce me?” she asked.
Still recovering not only from being caught, but also from the sudden contact with Liz, Lucky quickly ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. Charisma, Rich, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, my business manager, Charisma, and my road manager, Rich.”
“Two managers?” Liz asked, raising her eyebrows. “Do you really need two of them?”
Lucky chuckled and shook his head. “Actually, I have four: Charisma, Rich, then there’s David, my tour manager, and Seth, my general manager.”
Liz blinked, trying to process what he said. “Four. Please tell me you’re kidding!”
“Sorry, I can’t. It’s all part of the music business.” He chuckled, then looked up and Charisma and Rich. “Now, what are you two doing here?”
“We can’t just come to visit you, without having a reason?” Charisma asked, trying to sound innocent.
“You know, for some reason, I just don’t buy that. I haven’t been gone long enough for you to miss me, so what’s the deal?”
“Isn’t tonight that auction thing?” Charisma asked.
“Yeah....” Lucky said slowly, not sure he liked where she was going with her question.
“Well, we’re here to watch!” she said with a grin. “After all, it’s not very often that you do something for charity, since you’ve been so busy touring. I wanted to make sure I was here to witness the big event!”
Lucky sighed, then looked at Rich. “Okay, so why are you here?”
“Just keeping Charisma company, that’s all. She needed a date to the auction,” Rich said with a grin. He could see how annoyed Lucky was and couldn’t help being amused.
Liz stood by and watched them talk, chuckling at how irritated Lucky was getting. Anyone that could push his buttons like that had to be cool. “Um, I have to finish setting up, so I hope you’ll excuse me,” she said, backing away from them and smiling.
They watched as Liz went back to setting up the tables, then Charisma stepped closer. “So, is that the girl that answered your phone the other day? I mean, it sounded like her, but I don’t want to assume anything.”
“Yeah, that’s her,” Lucky answered, sounding less than enthusiastic about it. “Just don’t get any ideas, okay? What you saw just now was nothing. She had my planner, and I was just trying to get it back, that’s all. We’re just friends, and not even that. We hate each other.”
Rich snickered, getting Lucky’s attention. “What?” Lucky asked.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that for two people who hate each other so much, you looked pretty cozy when we walked in.”
Lucky groaned. “Rich, I just said it was nothing! We were fighting over something, that’s all. Now, if you don’t mind, my food is ready.” He spun around and went over to the counter, where the cook had just set his breakfast.
Charisma turned to Rich and raised an eyebrow. “Nothing, huh?”
Chuckling, Rich shook his head. “I kind of hope he’s right, she’s pretty cute!”
Lucky stopped eating when he overheard that and looked over his shoulder, wondering why Rich calling Elizabeth cute had gotten his attention like that.
~*~
Liz hurried to the front door, slipping on her shoe. “Coming!” she shouted, quickly checking her hair in the mirror before opening the door. She was wearing a royal blue, floor-length dress that fit every curve perfectly, and her hair was piled on top of her head, with a few strands loosely framing her face.
“You’re early!” she greeted, grinning at how gorgeous Jason looked in his tux.
“Sorry, you want me to wait?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, I’m ready. Let’s go.” She stepped outside and closed the door.
“You look great,” Jason said, pulling her close to kiss her. “I might get jealous if another guy gets to have dinner with you tonight.”
She giggled as they walked to his limo. “Well, I don’t exactly want another woman spending dinner with you either. Maybe we’ll get lucky and end up with each other after all.”
“Maybe,” he said, ducking into the car after her.
~*~
“Come on, Spence! We’re going to be late!” Rich shouted up the stairs. He turned to Charisma and smiled. “Looking good there Rizzy.”
“How many times do I have to tell you I hate that nickname!” she groaned, smacking him on the shoulder. She looked up as Lucky made his way down the stairs and whistled. “Wow, you clean up good!”
Lucky blushed slightly, looking down at his tux. “Thanks. So do you. Now let’s get out of here. Lucy will kill me if I’m late.” The three of them headed out the door for Lucky’s car.
“I still can’t believe you guys came all the way down here just to watch me in some stupid auction,” Lucky grumbled, turning on the car and backing out of the parking lot. “I’m just going to end up having dinner with some woman that I barely know. Or with my luck, I’ll end up with my cousin, Carly!”
They both chuckled. “Hey, I just want to see you up on that stage like a piece of meat, that’s all,” Charisma joked.
“Thanks,” Lucky answered sarcastically, glancing at her reflection in the rearview mirror. He turned to Rich. “What, no comment from you?”
Rich shrugged. “I’m kind of looking forward to seeing that Elizabeth girl myself.”
“Liz,” Lucky corrected, not sure why. “Everyone calls her Liz.”
“I thought you said Elizabeth earlier when you introduced us,” Charisma said, noticing the faint hint of protectiveness in Lucky’s voice.
Lucky shrugged. “Force of habit. I call her that sometimes, but she prefers Liz.”
“Oh, okay then,” Rich said, wondering why he got so defensive all of a sudden.
~*~
Liz and Jason walked into the Versailles Room and spotted Sonny and Carly over in the corner. “They really went all out this year, didn’t they?” Liz asked, quickly hugging Carly. “You look amazing!”
“Thanks,” Carly said, standing back to admire Liz. “So do you. Blue is definitely your color!” She glanced up at Jason and smiled. “You look good too, Jase,” she said softly.
“Um, thanks. So do you,” Jason answered politely. He still felt a little jealous when he saw her with Sonny, but having Liz with him usually helped He kept reminding himself of all the things Carly did that led to them divorcing, and would then look at Liz, and think about how perfect she was. Still, there were times like this, when Carly looked breathtaking, and they were being civil to one another, that he would find himself missing her. He quickly shook his head and smiled over at Liz, trying to block those thoughts. “I guess Sonny and I should go find Lucy.”
Liz kissed him quickly and smiled. “Probably. You know how she gets at these things. Go ahead, we’ll wait out here.”
Sonny sighed and kissed Carly. “Why did I let you talk me into this again?”
“Because you just can’t say no to me, that’s why!” Carly giggled, patting him on the back as he walked away with Jason.
Liz smiled as she watched them leave, then turned to survey the room. Her eyes fell on Lucky, standing in the doorway, his arm linked through Charisma’s. He was talking to her and Rich, and he looked... well, there were no words for how he looked. She forced herself to tear her eyes away and turn back to Carly before he caught her staring, reminding herself that she hated Lucky Spencer, no matter how good he looked.
~*~
“Wow, look at this place!” Charisma gasped as they walked into the ballroom. She smiled at her companions, who were standing on each side of her, their arms linked with hers.
“Yeah, they like to go overboard when it comes to these charity things around here. You get used to it,” Lucky said, his voice dropping as his eyes fell on Elizabeth and Jason. They were at the end of the room with Carly and Sonny, and as much as he hated to admit it, Elizabeth looked gorgeous. Rich and Charisma, noticing how he had suddenly fallen quiet, followed his gaze as Liz reached up to kiss Jason.
“Oh, well,” Rich muttered to himself, “I guess she’s taken. Guy looks pretty rich, too.”
His voice somewhat distant, Lucky nodded. “Let’s just say he’s connected.”
“Connected? You mean, as in the mob?”
“Yep. That’s Jason Morgan, and the other guy is Sonny Corinthos. The blonde woman is my cousin, Carly,” Lucky explained, finally coming back to reality. “Anyway, Lucy wants us backstage, so I have to go. Are you guys going to be okay without me?”
Charisma rolled her eyes. “We’re fine, go. We’ll meet you back here when it’s over, okay? That is, unless your date goes well....”
Lucky groaned. “I’ll meet you back here, trust me!” He turned and walked quickly to the stage, trying to figure out if it was too late to get out of this.
~*~
Backstage, Lucy was nervously flitting about, trying to make sure everything was perfect. Luke walked up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulder. “Boo!” he said with a laugh.
Lucy gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun to face her attacker. She grinned and shook her head. “Luke, you nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing back here?” she whispered, afraid someone would see them talking.
“Just making sure everything was good to go. You know what to do, right?”
Lucy sighed and nodded. “Yes, don’t worry. Lucky and Liz will end up together, I promise!”
