Page 3 of Out of Order
Just stop thinking about it. Think more about how Enzo would handle it if he was stuck in a lift. I could picture my brother banging on the doors, demanding that they open. Enz wasn’t a lover of enclosed spaces, so he’d be trying to distract himself. He’d also be on his phone-the media tart that he was. He would text everyone. Posting messages about it on Facebook. Asking for suggestions on how to distract yourself, or even RELIEVING YOURSELF IN AN ELEVATOR.
Which was a good idea, actually. Digging about in the pocket of my messenger bag, I found my cell phone in its little carry case. I didn’t bother with mobiles, didn’t really see the point. I sat at a desk with a phone for 7 ½ hours a day and was only 5 minutes’ drive from home. If a caller couldn’t wait till I got to either destination, then to hell with them. That and the fact that I didn’t feel the need to tweet or whatever about my life. Which is why my phone was such an old model.
Enzo purchased a replacement for my Nokia 3200, which I was very attached to, even though I kept needing to buy new batteries for it. But now this phone too was considered an antique. It still had ‘buttons’ and wasn’t a touch screen. But it had a camera so … you know it wasn’t that outmoded.
Pulling it from its case, I pushed the button, waiting for the screen to flash into life. Except it didn’t. The battery was dead. Not a surprise, considering I couldn’t remember the last time I’d charged it.
Ahhh stupid phone!
With no other option, I was forced to stand again and pressed the alarm button. The sound of a ring tone came over the speaker as the system attempted to contact security.
Attempt being the defining word. As it just rang and rang without connecting to either a human or answering machine.
My anger level rose another few notches with each passing moment as they ignored the call. What the hell were they doing? What happened to the ‘can’t leave the phone unmanned’ dude or whatever he said… Yeah, right. The guy was probably putting his feet up for 40 winks or having coffee and donuts sitting on his ass.
… time to PANIC!!
I shouted until my throat was sore, then I switched to banging on the metal doors that still refused to open. Only stopping when the pain in my arms got too much; then I pulled off one of my boots and started hitting the doors with that instead.
After about 10 minutes, I decided it wasn’t worth breaking a heel over and sat back down and looked at the now empty water bottle.
CHAPTER THREE
Niall
I grabbed the towel draped over the end of the bench and placed it, along with my water bottle, into the side pocket of my bag. I slowly ambled along the walkway to the elevator and pushed the button. Really, I should have gone with the stairs, but I might have overdone it a little and my legs were aching. Just the thought of steps was not a pleasant one. The door sprung open, and a startled man shot out. With his urgency to leave, he’d barely registered that I was standing in front of him, blocking his path before he collided with me.
“Sorry. I… oh, I need to get to… I… sorry. The… broken… I need to go. Wait, I’ll be back.”
With that, he dashed off toward the men’s changing room.
… What the hell?I just stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened and why the cute guy was running around like a mad thing. I’d heard him say ‘Brokenandtrapped, that he’d be back’ but that was about all I could make of it. But I had a pretty good idea what the guy was talking about. There had been a flicker in the over-head lights earlier that made me think that the building’s power had just had a glitch.
When the building had been renovated, some systems had not been updated, Williams cost saving ideas. What that meant was that the new systems and the old cabling had a habit of shorting out. It’s possible something else was wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was it. I was really hoping I was wrong.
Luca
I had made it to the safety of the men’s changing room before the reality of the situation hit me.
Oh god!I’d bumped into him. I’d been seconds away from picking up that darn bottle, unzipping and getting the job done when the doors pinged open. Not wanting them to close before I could make my escape, I’d grabbed my stuff and had practically thrown myself through the opening.
IN. TO. HIM! And oh, what a HIM. Dropping my bag, I darted to the nearest toilet. Ah, the blessed relief, the pain I had felt in my stomach from contracting my muscles, was gone. It felt like I’d been doing sit-ups all night.
Once finished, I ambled to the sink, washed my hands, and stared at my flushed face as another thought hit me. I’d almost been caught with my dick out–literally. A minute later, he would have seen me.
Oh, my fucking god, shit, shit. No, no, no… fuck. Ugh. How the hell am I going to face him?
Gripping the sink, I tried to calm myself enough to think rationally. He didn’t see me doing anything, he just saw me reach for the bottle. You’re ok, it’s fine, and you don’t have to hide in the locker rooms all night. As the truth sunk in, I slowed my breathing. I soaked my face with water to cool off, while I dug through my purse for a comb and my tiny makeup pouch, as I attempted to recall the man I had just met.
Only my befuddled mind came up with tall, sweaty and very solid, nothing more. He smelled good, that I could recall. I made a tweak to my hair, put on some more eyeliner, and added a hint of cologne, then stood up straight, took a deep breath. Picked up my stuff and left the room. I hoped I looked put together, even though I was a mess inside.
CHAPTER FOUR
Niall
I hadn’t gotten more than a look at his retreating backside. When he had bumped into me earlier, he had only reached the top of my chest, so he was small. He was also slim and quite agile, as he practically ran away. However, I noticed that the guy’s soft looking toffee-caramel colored hair fell to his shoulder.
Now, if he had a face to match the already enticing package, then I’d be more than interested. Geoff would be over the moon to hear that.
