Chapter 0128
Just as his lips were about to reach mine, a voice rang out over the elevator loudspeaker.
“Hello? Are you okay in there?” A male voice asked.
We both jumped at the sound of it. Logan jumped up and pushed one of the buttons on the right side panel. “Yes! Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” the voice said. “Don’t worry, we have people working on the elevator right now. Shouldn’t be too much longer.”
Logan pushed the button again. “That’s great news, thank you!”
He gave me a half smile and sat next to me again. He rested his forehead on mine and played with a strand of my hair. I wondered what he was thinking exactly, but I was way too nervous to ask
After a moment he sighed and leaned back, I pulled his jacket closer around me, suddenly feeling very naked and vulnerable. We sat in silence for several minutes.
Suddenly, the elevator gave a little jerk and started moving again. Logan looked over at me, then reached out his hand. I took it, and he helped us both up to standing. I took his jacket off and handed it back to him..
“Do you, um…” he said softly, then paused. “Would you like to get dinner, just the two of us? I’m sure our client and Ralph would understand.”
I bit my lip. I wanted to more than anything. But just because we had a moment in the elevator didn’t mean that the reasons we shouldn’t see each other ceased to exist. “I think I’d just like to go to my room,” I said quietly. “I just want to get some rest.”
Logan nodded, disappointment spreading over his face. “Of course, it’s been quite an afternoon. Ralph and I will walk you back, just to make sure you’re safe,
I smiled, and the rest of the elevator ride went by in silence. When the doors opened at the bottom, I bolted out of the elevator. I had never been so happy to see the first floor of an office building in my life.
Ralph stood there with someone I assumed was a maintenance worker. The maintenance worker walked forward to us.
“Are you alright?” He asked.
“We’re fine,” Logan said. “Thank you for making quick work of it.” He shook the man’s hand.
“I’m so sorry, we haven’t had any issues with the elevator until today,” the man said.
Of course they didn’t, I thought bitterly.
“It’s alright,” Logan said. “We’re just glad to be out now
He turned and looked at me. I nodded.
“Ralph, will you help me escort Ms. Whitaker back to her room before we go to dinner?” Logan asked.
Ralph nodded, and we turned to exit the building with Ralph leading the way.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0128
“Oh, here’s your sweater, miss,” Ralph turned back to hand it to me.
“Thank you,” I smiled.
We walked through the lobby doors to our hotel. I didn’t even look at the elevator, I headed straight for the stairs. Logan and Ralph were practically on my heels. I stopped and turned.
“I can make it the rest of the way by myself,” I said.
“Oh…right, of course,” Logan blushed, “Actually…” he turned to Ralph. “Do you mind waiting outside? I just have something I need to discuss with Hazel.”
“Yes, sir,” Ralph turned and stepped back out onto the sidewalk.
Logan turned to me again. “Want me to bring you anything back from the restaurant?”
“I’m okay, but thank you. I think I’m just going to go straight to bed,” I smiled at him.
I
“Okay,” he said, a concerned look on his face. “Let me know if you need anything.
I nodded at him. He leaned in close and gave me a kiss on the cheek. His face lingered close to mine, and my heart began to race. I wondered if he was going to try and kiss me again. Part of me definitely wanted him to.
I turned my lips towards his and we stared into each other’s eyes. The electricity between us was palpable. My lips began to tingle.
But then he gave me a sad smile and pulled away. My heart sank a little.
“Get some rest, I’ll check on you later,” he said.
I watched him walk through the door, and he and Ralph turned and walked out of view.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Maria’s number.
“Hazel?” Maria answered. She was sitting in the bar that Hazel had been banned from and it was noisy. She plugged the other ear with her finger. “Everything okay?”
Hazel began speaking very fast on the other end of the line. Between the bar noise and the speed of her words, Maria couldn’t make out anything she was saying.
“Hold on babe,” Maria said, standing from her stool at the bar. “I gotta step outside, I can’t hear you.” She hurried outside and stepped in front of the bar window, Hazel started over, telling Maria about the hotel room mix up and falling on Logan in the middle of the night, then the elevator ride from hell she just went through. She was talking so fast, Maria could even get a word in.
“Okay, that’s it. That’s my trip and it’s only been like, a day,” Hazel said when she finally finished
“Good lord,” Maria said, unsure of where to even begin with her thoughts.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone walking up to her. She looked up to see Dylan, much to her surprise. She gave him a small wave and pointed to the phone. He gave her a thumbs up and moved away slightly to give her privacy.
“What are you even thinking right now?” Maria asked. would be such a confused mess.”
Chapter C128
Hazel groaned. “I am. I really just want to pack up everything and move far away and start a brand new life.”
“Yeah, that’s a good, logical, non–dramatic solution,” Maria said.
“I thought so,” Hazel said. She yawned. “I’m about to pass out, talk later?”
“Yeah, okay, get some rest,” Maria said and hung up.
She turned to Dylan. “Well hey there,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah…well…” he seemed kind of embarrassed. “With Logan out of town I didn’t have anyone to hang out
with so…I thought I might drop by here and see if there was anyone I knew hanging around.”
Maria smiled. “Just me tonight, hoping some of Hazel’s magnetic charms rubbed off on me.”
Dylan laughed. “I’m sure you do just fine on your own with the guys.”
“Yeah? Tell that to my on again but mostly off again man,” Maria said. “Buy me a drink? I had to forgo mine to take that call.”
Dylan opened the bar door for her. “Gladly,” he said. “Was that Hazel?”
“It was,” Maria walked through the door. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Is Logan behaving himself?”
Maria gave him a look. “Pfft, yeah right,” she said and sat at the bar. “He tried kissing her again.”
Maria’s eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with both hands. The alcohol had loosened up her lips more than she realized.
Dylan’s eyes also grew wide, then he narrowed his eyebrows. “He did what?”
