Page 4 of Under Control
His chuckle vibrated through the bottoms of her feet. “I won’t. I promise.”
His back muscles flexed and she barely had time to register his strength as he lifted himself—and her—before somebody grabbed her under the arms and lifted her. She got her knees onto the lip, but they didn’t let her go until she was on her feet and several feet away from the elevator shaft.
“Lieutenant Rick Gullotti,” one of the older of the group said to her, and she shook his hand. “Are you injured at all? Do you need medical attention?”
She wouldn’t mind Derek’s hands on her some more, but she definitely didn’t need an ambulance. “I’m not injured. Thank you—all of you—for getting me out.”
He nodded and then turned back to the elevator. She stepped into her shoes, thankful her ankle didn’t offer up more than a slight twinge. And the firefighter who’d been called Scotty handed over her journal. “Thank you.”
Her phone chimed with a text from the driver.Two minutes and then I’m leaving.
Olivia hesitated. She wanted to stay and thank Derek. Maybe she’d work up the nerve to ask his last name or give him her business card.
But if she got in the car right now, she could still salvage her day. Rescheduling one appointment was bad enough. Depending on traffic, she could make the next one and maybe not even be late. And it was a big client she’d been trying to land for a while. Waiting for another Lyft could derail that.
Coming right now,she messaged back.
“I really have to run,” she said, “but thank you for everything.”
“All in a day’s work,” Scotty said.
She looked at the elevator, hoping Derek would be out already, but Aidan was in the process of pulling Derek’s coat and helmet out of the elevator. “Tell Derek I said thank you, too.”
“You sure you can’t wait a couple more minutes?”
She wanted to. She really did, but she shook her head. “I have a meeting. But tell him I said thank you.”
She walked toward the front door as fast as her sore ankle allowed, feeling a little like Cinderella fleeing the ball.
Once she was in the back seat of her ride, she knew she should check her email account and see if anything needed her attention as she always did while in transit from one appointment to the next.
Instead she leaned her head against the leather and closed her eyes, regretting her decision already. Not that leaving was the wrong decision. Success came from making a plan and executing it, and right now her focus was one hundred percent on her business. Dating wasnotpart of her plan yet.
She opened her eyes as the car pulled away from the curb and she caught a glimpse of two fire trucks parked down a side street as they passed by. It would be a while before she forgot her firefighter, she knew. His laugh. His eyes. The feel of his hands on her skin.
And now she’d probably never see him again. Sometimes making the right decision really sucked.
Chapter Two
Olivia let herself into her sixteenth-floor apartment and, once the door closed, leaned against it with a weary sigh.
Getting stuck in the elevator had thrown off her schedule and when your business was helping others managetheirschedules, you busted your ass to catch up so you wouldn’t be late or appear rushed. She’d managed it and she’d done it with a smile on her face and not a hair out of place, but now she was both physically and mentally drained.
And when Kelsey stuck her head out of the second bedroom, which they’d made into an office, Olivia felt a rare pang of regret at not having rented a separate space. Usually having Kelsey here worked well. Two of her employees worked remotely except for staff meetings once or twice a month, but Kelsey was not only vital to almost every aspect of her business, but she lived in a tiny apartment with two other women and working from home wasn’t a viable option. It would be a waste of money to lease office space just for the two of them—especially since so much of Olivia’s work was done on-site—so the home office worked well.
Except for the nights Olivia was exhausted and wanted the apartment to be her sanctuary and not her office. It had been a splurge, especially considering the view she had. She loved it, despite the number of times her parents had reminded her that renting was setting money on fire. She should invest in a property and, when she was ready to start a family, sell high and upgrade. But the location, the total lack of maintenance responsibilities and the view had deterred her from making the fiscally responsible decision. It didn’t happen often, but it had been worth it.
“You look beat,” Kelsey said as Olivia stepped out of her heels and walked across the pale maple floor to get herself a glass of water. Hydration had been one of the sacrifices she’d made to get back on schedule.
“Of all days to get stuck in an elevator.” Usually she’d go into the office with Kelsey and review the day before prepping for tomorrow, but she crossed to the living room area and sat on the sofa. The thick area rug felt like heaven under her feet, and she inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling.
“What happened?” Kelsey sat in one of the two armchairs facing the sofa. Those and several glass tables made up the seating area, which was set up to take advantage of the view of the water outside the tall windows. There was no television. It was in the bedroom, since she only watched a few shows and preferred to enjoy them while curled up in bed. “Today was so crazy, you haven’t even told me about it yet.”
Olivia shifted onto her hip so she could tuck her legs on the sofa. Kelsey had become a friend as well as an employee shortly after she’d started working for her two years ago. Even though there was still work to be done, she didn’t mind relaxing for a few minutes.
When she was finished telling the story—except the part about him massaging her ankle—she took a long drink of water. “I didn’t want to hold the door for him, but I’m glad I did. I probably would have totally panicked if I was stuck in there alone.”
“Was he hot?”
