XI
(Fifteen minutes to impact)
Nick was enjoying Nika's company. Besides kissing phenomenally, she was an interesting conversationalist too.
They talked about everything, and Nick admired the sharpness of the intellect in that attractive head.
He listened, fascinated, about the life of plants, because Nika presented it in a terribly interesting way, half joking while on the other hand adding a dose of excitement.
Or maybe it all came from a sincere love for her chosen profession.
It only proved that if you do something you truly love, you'll enjoy it and be able to pass it on to others.
The music, though not too loud in the rest zone, still got in the way of conversation, so Nick, sitting on a beanbag, played with her hair while she nestled comfortably in his lap.
She smelled so good that, listening with interest to her anecdote from some seminar, he felt himself getting aroused.
Nika stopped mid-sentence and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Looks like something's growing and paying no attention to the seminar on pollination."
Nick hid his embarrassment with a smile and just kissed her passionately.
She kissed him back with passion, and the two of them began to caress in the empty room of the former office, with its poster of the hammer and sickle peeling at the edges.
Passion was taking them over completely, and Nika tried to pull off his shirt, dried by his body heat. He stopped her.
"Not now. And not here."
Nika looked at him questioningly, desire plain in her eyes.
"Not here, there are too many people," Nick nodded toward the crowd in the hallway.
Since the room had no door and sat on the main hallway leading to the bar area, a river of people flowed in both directions.
Now and then someone would peek toward the couple on the beanbag, but they'd move on, respecting their privacy.
Nika understood and agreed, but she was still full of passion.
He had an idea and gently moved her aside, then got up from the beanbag.
He offered her his hand, which she readily took.
"I know a place with more privacy."
Nika nodded in agreement and picked up her dropped purse.
He embraced her. She could feel his arousal, which only stoked her own.
She turned and kissed him passionately. He took her by the hands and, kissing her without pause, started toward the exit of the room.
There they had to separate because of the crush, but they didn't let go of each other's hands.
Nick pushed through the people toward the elevator.
He nodded to the security, who were trying to keep serious faces, and stood in the middle of the freight elevator.
Nika clung to him and began kissing him wildly as the elevator rose laboriously.
It didn't take long before they reached the entrance level.
Nick had intended to take the girl to one of the warehouses, but the keys had stayed in the locker in the security room.
But this was fine too — the whole level was empty and they had an enormous space all to themselves.
He looked around and noticed a spot to the right of the shelter entrance with a few metal benches.
He led the smiling girl toward the benches and, a moment later, the two of them gave in to passion.
A loud shriek of metal cut them short. The screeching and grinding, along with the rumble of heavy motors, were deafening.
Dust began sprinkling everywhere around the room, while the heavy vibrations gave the impression that the room was collapsing.
With the frightened girl in his lap, Nick looked around and saw a bewildered Tomi running in a panic down the building's stairs toward them, gesturing wildly.
None of it made sense to him when suddenly, through the general din, the girl's questioning voice startled him.
"Is this normal?" she asked.
Nick looked at her, and she nodded her head toward the entrance. Stunned, he set the girl down, stood up, and turned to look. The heavy metal doors at the shelter's entrance, for the first time in the decades since they'd been installed, were closing with an unceasing scream of wailing metal.