CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25 STUCK WITH ALORA

*ALORA*

The hand that grabbed me was strong, big and masculine.

His touch, whoever he is, sent a frisson of heat and awareness through me.

I knew someone had been in the elevator when I entered because the door was already opened but I had been so busy reading my new script.

My mind and soul was literally into it and it felt as if no one else mattered.

And now, I was in an elevator, a plummeting elevator with a strange man who was holding me!

What if he was sent to kill me?

Way to go, Alora.

For someone whose life was in potential danger, I was too relaxed, not even caring to be more aware of my surrounding.

What do I do now?

Was there anyway to even escape this?

The elevator suddenly stopped, but everywhere was still dark.

Just as I was about to say something, it lunched downwards again and my hands held onto the stranger tightly so I wouldn’t fall.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”He said to me.

The man was tall, his words, rough-edged and gravelly, came from just above my head.

The elevator stopped plummeting again.

“Are you okay?”He asked me.

“Ye...yes.” I murmured, making no move to let go of his hand as another shake reverberated the small space.

I am not okay.

I am scared, plus, I should be scared of this stranger whom I’m holding but there was a familiarity to his voice.

I doubt if I’ve actually heard his voice before but it sounded really familiar.

Maybe we’ve starred in the same movie together?

Was he an actor or something?

I thought of all the co-stars I’ve acted with and I couldn’t match their voice to his in my head.

“Don’t be scared.” He said, softly. “I’m sure we aren’t going to plummet to our deaths.”

Everywhere was still pitch black.

“I’m not scared.”I lied, trying to act a bit tough.

But I am scared shirtless.

I was trapped in a fucking elevator where my gruesome death could potentially occur at any moment.

Even if he was a good person, the elevator wasn’t stable.

It kept plummeting and stopping, I might still die tonight.

This stranger was still holding my hand.

He was warm and solid and somehow both reassuring and dangerous at the same time.

Dangerous?

I was beginning to think that he might’ve just gotten trapped here with me by coincidence.

He might not be here to kill me.

“You don’t happen to have a phone, do you?”I asked.”Mine fell and even if I’m able to find it in this darkness, it might have gotten bad.”

“I forgot my phone in my car.” He replied.

I don’t see him as a man who goes around forgetting things.

Heck, I don’t even see him at all.

Alora, it’s pitch black in here.

But that didn’t stop me from imagining his appearance.

Judging by his voice and arms, he had to be strong, confident and handsome.

The kind of man who’s made of iron.

His demeanor was soothing, dislodging my fear like it was nothing more than my imagination, which maybe it was.

“Well, as first dates go, this may be the most successful one I’be had in a while.” I had no idea where those words just came from.

But I was so glad it was dark in here so he couldn’t see my flaming red cheeks.

I, Alora-Grace Harper was known to be very strict, especially with men. I don’t make flippant jokes, even half-hearted ones.

But here I was, spouting off the most inappropriate gallows humor ever.

Maybe it was the total darkness.

Or the heightened adrenaline.

Or the fact that someone was after my life!

Or maybe, the fact that the man sharing my space smelled so delicious, all spicy and masculine and dangerous.

Shit.

That one again.

“Excuse me?” He asked in his dark, rumbling voice, in response to my rizz.

I lifted our joined hands.”You’re still holding my hand. I told you I’m okay.”

“Maybe I need your comfort. I might be scared of the dark, you know.” His words were laced with heat and I started to melt.

“But you don’t seem like a man who’s scared of much.”

“And you don’t seem like a woman who clings to a stranger’s hand.”

“Blame the elevator.”

He laughed but made no move to release me.

I made no move to pull free either.

And I wondered what it would feel like to have him touch more than just my hand.

God!

What was wrong with me?!

“I think...”I attempted to control my breathing, keeping it slow and steady and not too shaky.

I didn’t want him to know he was affecting me.

He was.

“I think we should press the emergency button. Do you know where it is?”

“Already done. Pushed it as soon as everything went black.” He replied.

I detected a faint note of something in his voice that I couldn’t quite place.

I frowned.

“There should be an emergency lighting system somewhere.”

I felt him shrug.

“It must have failed then. Don’t worry, I’m not a serial killer, you won’t lose your life to my hands in here but I can’t say much about the elevator’s decision though.”

I laughed.”That’s makes me feel so much better.” I let out, sarcastically.

“You’re welcome.”

As his rough-edged wrapped around me, I placed a note of something in his voice.

Humor?

“What if I told you I am a killer but I’m only a threat to those who intend to do you harm?” He teased.

I wanted to laugh but I bit my tongue.

I was laughing too much with this stranger.

“Well, I’d say I’m grateful.”

I winced.

What was I even doing?

Flirting with a complete stranger?

I don’t even know his name or if he was married, had a girlfriend, gay, or anything.

I didn’t even know what he looked like.

But he looked like hot sex and deliciousness in my imagination.

I shove the unwanted thought away.

I had always prided myself for being a woman of high standards. I wasn’t even moved by men, and after the last eight years, I was starting to think no man deserved me.

“As the elevator is supposed to be down already.”He said, as though that moment of flirtation didn’t just happened.”The media and security team should already know that there’s a problem.”

Yeah, I owned the hotel and I know almost everything about it.

Though guys at the footage room should already know that there was something wrong with this elevator.

Now, it just depends on how long it would take for them to successfully get us out of here.

My employees were effective, they should know what to do, promptly.

“I hope we won’t be in here for a while.”I let out.

There was a long moment of silence before I said.

“I’m Alora.”

With how he’s been speaking to me, it seems he didn’t know who I was.

Maybe he didn’t see my face before the light went off.