Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
Emily
My hands were shaking as I closed the door softly behind me.
I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I stared down at the floor, taking my time, not wanting to make eye contact with Veronica just yet.
I knew that she would be looking at me with judgment.
She likely knew what had been going on in the office just now.
She probably heard everything. Without anything else to do, I fumbled in the outside pocket of my purse for my badge and pulled it out, then walked over to the desk.
I cleared my throat, then set my badge down on the edge of the desk where I usually placed it every day so it wouldn't get lost. Then open the bottom drawer to drop my purse inside.
I closed the drawer, then cleared my throat once again.
"I'm going to run to the restroom really quickly. I'll be right back," I mumbled and jerked my thumb over my shoulder in the general direction of the ladies' room. Then, like the coward I was, I hurried away without once making eye contact with her.
In the bathroom, I hesitated, but eventually got up the nerve to look at myself in the mirror. I was surprised to see that, aside from my flushed cheeks, I didn't look any different than when I'd arrived at work.
"They really cleaned me up," I whispered to my reflection.
I guess I had expected that. They had made sure that I was presentable, that I wouldn't be embarrassed walking out of that room.
Maybe they did care for me after all. Was it possible that what they said was true?
That they weren't playing a game with me?
I didn't know why I was having a hard time believing it.
For so long, I spent my life not taking chances, just playing it safe.
Applying for this job was the first time I took a chance on anything.
I'd learned that taking chances was dangerous.
You could lose everything important to you with one bad decision.
If I decided to trust them, if I chose to believe that what they said was true, I could possibly end up with two beautiful men and a wonderful relationship.
Or, if it went poorly, I could lose my job.
I could have my heart broken. I could be made a laughing stock.
It would be like losing my family all over again, only it would be almost worse because I would be walking into it with my eyes wide open.
Could I do it? Part of me wanted to try.
I've been so lonely for so long, even though I pretended not to be.
Every single day for years, I pretended as I lived my lonely life.
I had been content to live in my small apartment without even a pet because I was afraid to lose one.
Not even a stupid goldfish. I was pathetic.
I shook my head at my reflection as I watched a single tear track down my cheek.
I was scared to live because I was scared to lose.
With a sigh, I looked away from the mirror.
I turned on the cold faucet, wanting to splash the water on my face but refraining, knowing I really would mess up my makeup.
Instead, I ran the cold water over my wrists to cool my heated skin.
Then I reached for the basket of neatly rolled washcloths on the counter.
Paper towels were too ordinary for Lane Industries; instead, they had fancy baskets of cloth towels in every washroom, along with a few other basic necessities.
If a woman needed a tampon while at work, the boss had her covered.
I ran the small cloth under the water. After ringing out the excess water, I used it to wipe the back of my neck.
I closed my eyes and let the last hour replay in my mind.
Everything they'd done to my body had felt amazing.
I couldn't deny that I had enjoyed every second of it.
I also couldn't deny that I wanted more, so much more.
They had made my body vibrate with hunger and satisfaction in a way I'd never thought was possible.
Just remembering what we had done in that office had my skin feeling hot all over again.
"I think Brayden kept my panties," I muttered to the sink, not really upset by the idea at all.
With a sigh, I dropped the washcloth in the basket under the sink.
After taking a fortifying breath, I opened the door.
I walked back out to the main area, where Veronica appeared to be waiting impatiently for me.
She was tapping her foot, holding a thick stack of folders.
She gave me a cross look and snapped out, irritation clear in her tone.
"Finally! You're late as usual. We have to get these folders downstairs right away.
They've been waiting on us for too long already. Let's go!"
She jerked her head towards the elevator, indicating that I should go first. I furrowed my brows in confusion because I had no idea what she was talking about. "We do?" I asked.
"Didn't I just say so?" she snapped again.
Before I could respond, she thrust the stack of folders into my arms and grabbed me by the elbow.
Veronica began pulling me to the elevator as I did my best not to fumble the heavy stack of folders.
I looked back at the desk, my mind trying to tell me I was forgetting something, but Veronica's hastiness had me too flustered to think properly.
"This is part of the responsibilities as the CEO's assistant.
Sometimes you have to deliver important papers to other departments.
It's supposed to be done promptly. Mr. Lane is responsible for overseeing many different projects.
He also needs to sign off on each of them before they can proceed.
If it is not done properly or on time, projects can fall through," she said as she scanned her badge.
The elevator door slid open, and she gave a not-so-gentle nudge on my back, causing me to stumble as I stepped in.
I held back a glare as she followed me on and turned around to face the closing doors.
"If you don't deliver the papers and a project falls through, that is on your head. Millions of dollars, sometimes billions, are your responsibility," she said.
She punched the button for the 18th floor and scanned her badge again. I just nodded my head as my heart beat faster, thinking that I could have screwed something up while I was sulking in the bathroom.
"I had no idea," I mumbled.
"Well, that's your problem, isn't it?" she snipped at me. "You don't think, do you?"
I ground my back teeth together at her rudeness.
It was uncalled for. I knew she didn't like me, but she hadn't really insulted me the way she was doing now.
Ever since I had walked in the door this morning, something about me had set her off.
Apparently, she was no longer holding back.
Instead of saying anything in response, I just pressed my lips together in a tight line.
Once the doors opened with a quiet ding, I began to step forward, then stopped in confusion. The floor beyond was dark. I squinted my eyes, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Or not seeing.
"Why is it so dark on this floor?" I asked hesitantly.
"The lights are probably on a sensor to save electricity," she said, her tone still just as curt as ever.
"Go on." She gave a rough nudge to my shoulder, forcing me to step forward off the elevator floor.
"I forgot another folder. I'll be right back," she said as she pushed a button on the elevator keypad and scanned her badge quickly.
I turned around to face her as the doors began to slide shut, my mouth open in protest, but she cut me off before I could say anything.
"Go on to the meeting room," she pointed in the general direction of where a meeting room should be.
"I'll be right there." The doors whooshed closed quietly, and I was left standing there in the dark.
I turned back around slowly, my arms full of folders, and swallowed hard as my heart thumped rapidly in my chest. I wasn't usually afraid of the dark, but it was nearly pitch black.
The only light came from the windows, which seemed to be covered by some thick material.
Even then, it was nothing but a thin, minuscule gap that wasn't covered.
Barely a sliver of light shone through. It was only enough to cast deep shadows throughout the room, making everything seem gloomy and ominous.
As my eyes began to adjust, I realized that the room I was standing in was under construction. There was scaffolding, ladders, and even paint cans. It didn't make sense why I was on this floor. I wondered if Veronica had hit the wrong floor when she'd brought me here.
"This can't be right," I muttered into the darkness.
I turned back to face the elevator to hit the call button.
For a brief moment, I forgot that I needed my badge to make it work.
Carefully juggling the folders, I reached down to where the pockets would be and felt for my badge.
As my heart started racing even faster, I began patting myself frantically all over my torso and my hips, searching for my badge that I already knew I didn't have on me.
My skirt didn't have pockets, for one. For another, I finally remembered that I had set my badge down on the desk before heading to the restroom.
That was the niggling feeling I was trying to decipher when I felt as if I were missing something.
I wanted to smack myself on the forehead for forgetting something so important.
Before I could let the panic seep in further, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"It's okay," I said to myself. "It's okay.
Every stairwell door has an emergency button that goes to security.
" I remembered asking Brandon about it once during lunch.
I had been concerned about what would happen if I ever forgot my badge.
I knew myself, and that meant I knew the likelihood of forgetting at some point was pretty high.
"The security guard had been clear that not having my badge was a violation. But what if it was an emergency?" I asked while biting my lower lip, thinking about how awful it would be to get in trouble with security.
That was when Brandon had told me about the emergency call panel.
"Don't worry," he told me with a wink. "There is an emergency call button that connects directly to security at every stairwell.
And you won't get into trouble. I promise.
The security guard would be fired if he even thought about laying a hand on you. "
With that reminder, I turned on my heels and quickly made my way to where I knew the door to the stairs should be.
I breathed a sigh of relief once I reached the door and blindly hit the button in the darkness.
I waited for security to answer, but there was no answer, and the button didn't light up.
I press it again, and then again, with still no response.
I began to push on it frantically, jabbing my finger into it until it began to throb in pain, but the result was the same.
The box that should have had a glowing red light on it was pitch black.
I could barely even see the outline of it in the hallway, so far away from the lobby windows.
I hit it with the side of my fist, then, with a scream of frustration, I banged on the door. "Can anybody hear me?" I yelled. "Help! Somebody open the door! Somebody open the door!" I yelled again and again. "Help!"
I set the folders on the ground, then stepped forward so I could use both fists.
When I did, I accidentally kicked the stack of folders, sending the top two tumbling forward.
When I glanced down, I could just make out the papers spread out.
The light was very dim, more dark shadows than light at all, but there was just enough to see the bright white of the paper glaring up at me. The blank, bright white papers.
My cries for help died off as I stared down in disbelief. I slowly sank down until I was on my knees and reached out with trembling fingers. I flipped open the top folder to see the papers spread out before me.
"What the hell," I muttered into the quiet hallway.
Using my hand, I swiped through the papers one after another as I squinted through the darkness to see that they were all the same. Each of them was just a blank white sheet of paper, as if they had been taken straight from the ream and stuffed into the empty folder.
I shoved the top folder aside and opened the next.
One by one, I shuffled through each sheet until I had confirmed what I already suspected.
Then I did the same to the following folder and the next, until all five folders were open.
By the time I was done, I was surrounded by nearly a hundred sheets of plain white paper with nothing on them.
I shook my head in disbelief. Could she really have been so vindictive?
Why did she do this? I looked up at the disabled call box.
Had it been disconnected on purpose? It was possible it just wasn't working because the floor was under construction, but did she know that, too?
Was this part of her plan? I wondered how long she expected me to stay locked up on this floor.
I suppose the bigger question was, how long would it take for somebody to notice that I was missing?
Surely, the Lane brothers would notice, right?
But they knew I was upset with them. They might think that I was purposely staying away from them.
If they respected my distance, it could be a day or two before they tried looking for me.
I brushed the back of my hand against my cheek before I realized that hot tears had been streaming from my eyes. I honestly had no idea what I had done to make her hate me so much that she would want to hurt me this way.
As I spiralled into despair, wondering if there was a real possibility that I wouldn't be found for days, I couldn't help but think that this was my punishment for taking a chance.
Nothing good ever came from taking chances.
My shoulders shook as I cried harder. "Someone please help me," I moaned as I sat surrounded by empty papers.
With my back against the cold metal door, I cried.
For the first time in years, I no longer wanted to be alone.
It wasn't just being trapped on the abandoned floor that made me desperate for the men who'd barged into my world and made me rethink everything I'd thought I needed from life.
I was realizing that there was nothing more that I craved than being in their arms, where I knew they would keep me safe.