I Have Lived And I Have Loved: A Charity Romance Collection

by Willow Winters

  Her first sob escaped one second after the elevator doors closed. She’d somehow held it together when she’d had an audience, but now that she was alone, the built-up anger and humiliation of the last hour popped as surely as a balloon encountering a pin. How the hell had this day blown up so spectacularly?

  Only when the elevator moved into motion a minute later did she realize she’d been standing in an unmoving elevator, which usually happened when you don’t press any buttons. Worse, she was going up, not down, and since the only floors higher than HR in the building were the executive-level suites, God only knew who might get on when she stopped next.

  More importantly, she may not know exactly what time it was, but it had to be getting close to five, which meant there would be people waiting, trying to grab an elevator to leave for the day, all the way down to the first floor.

  Too soon, Lanie felt the lift stopping and heard the swoosh of the doors opening behind her. Trying her best to avoid making eye contact with anyone, she pressed deeper into the corner of the elevator, keeping her back to the door and setting the corner of the heavy box on the handrail that circled the space at waist-level, helping to steady her load.

  “Em… do you need help with that?” a low voice asked.

  “No. I got it,” she spat, keeping her voice strong.

  “Okay… what floor?”

  She was tempted to call the unseen rider an idiot but bit her tongue. He wasn’t who she was mad at.

  “Lobby, please.”

  Seconds later the doors snapped closed and they were thankfully going down. She was grateful for each floor they passed without stopping. She wasn’t sure how she would hold it together if someone she knew got onto the elevator with her.

  “So, you quit?” the stranger asked too cheerily to suit her.

  His jovial tone irked her. Shifting the load that was getting heavier by the minute, Lanie bit back. “More like fired.”

  The lame instrumental 80’s music piped into the small space was the only reply for the next few floors of downward motion.

  “Sure you don’t need help? That looks heavy.”

  She felt no need to repeat her answer. Instead, she hoped the elevator music was loud enough to camouflage her racing heart. The thought of getting all of this stuff not only down to the lobby, but then somehow crammed into an Uber and then up to her apartment felt like a mission impossible in that moment.

  Lost in replaying the disastrous last hour on auto-loop in her brain, she was slow to recognize the shimmy under her feet. Her first reaction was that she had to be more upset than she’d realized as it felt like she was going to topple over. It was only when the lights overhead started to flicker, and the walls of the elevator began to vibrate, that it dawned on her what was happening.

  Her elevator partner was the one who put the verbal label on it. “Earthquake!”

  And she didn’t think her day could get any worse.

  She was wrong.

  Chapter 2

  The shimmying vibrations escalated to erratic lurches as Lanie lost her balance. Forced to take a step back to keep from falling, the weight of the box slid off the handrail, crashing to the floor at her feet with a thud.

  Loud shudders surrounded them as the building swayed, suddenly at the mercy of Mother Nature. For several seconds she thought it might be over, but then the strongest shake yet tossed her backwards, crashing her back against hard muscle.

  Strong arms hugged her from behind, helping her to remain on her feet, as he shouted over the racket. “Get into the corner… just in case the ceiling collapses in on us!”

  Lanie scrambled back towards where the shaking walls met, latching onto the handrail to try to stabilize herself. Her fellow elevator passenger pressed in behind her as the metal box screeched and shuddered as it continued a slow earthward slide. The overhead light flickered out, throwing them into darkness just as the abrupt halt of their downward fall crashed her forehead against the wall with a loud thwack.

  Around them a light coat of what felt like dust rained down from the ceiling until the chunks started to get bigger. She couldn’t see, but felt her companion maneuvering his suit jacket up and over their heads, sheltering them from the shower of falling ceiling particles.

  Being thrust from one crisis into another had Lanie’s heart racing, yet even as she saw her life flashing before her eyes, the faint scent of woodsy masculinity surrounded her, calming her unexpectedly, tamping down some of her fear.

  The dim emergency lighting flickered on just as the last shudder of the earthquake rocked the box they were dangling inside of. If she had to guess, they were maybe around the twentieth floor—far from the lobby.

  Both occupants huddled frozen in the corner for a few long seconds, unsure if the quake was over or if they were about to be bounced around again like snow in a snow globe. Only when they heard alarms sounding in the distance did the man pressing against her take a step backwards, shaking the debris off his suit jacket.

  In shock, Lanie remained silent. She wasn’t sure what the right words were for this particular social crisis. Thankfully, her temporary partner-in-transport moved into motion, pulling the emergency alarm button, dousing them with the piercing siren.

  Lanie threw her hands over her ears just as a voice spoke through the still-functioning intercom.

  “This is Tom from security. Is everyone okay in your elevator? Any injuries?”

  Unsure why her companion wasn’t answering, Lanie turned and looked up to take her first good look at the man standing just a few feet away. This time, she found herself short of breath, but for a completely different reason. Even in the dim lighting, his dark persona was larger than life. That he was staring at her expectantly scrambled her thoughts until he finally prompted her. “Are you okay or do you need medical attention?”

  Lanie shook her head, gritting out a simple, “I’ll be okay.”

  “We’re uninjured. Not exactly sure what floor we stopped at. Did the entire building lose power?”

  “I’m afraid so. Looks like we’re on backup emergency systems only at the moment. It’s gonna take us a bit to do a full safety check and then execute our evacuation plan.”

  It was difficult to hear over the alarm, so she was grateful when her companion turned it off, reporting to security, “Well, you’ve got us recorded as stuck in this elevator, right? Any chance you can get enough power to us to open the door so we can get off and walk down the stairwell?”

  “I’m afraid not. The error code is indicating you are between floors eighteen and nineteen. The building engineers and the fire department will have to evaluate the best way to extricate you. How many of you are there?”

  “Two.”

  “Okay, well, sit tight. It could be a while.”

  She heard a click sound as if Tom had severed the emergency connection. A new awkward silence filled the confined space.

  If she had to guess, she’d say he was around thirty-five years old, tops. Lanie tried not to get caught watching him as he took his suit coat off before leaning back against the wall of the elevator, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor, his legs bent, feet flat on the floor where he reached into his coat pocket, coming out with his cell phone.

  He didn’t bother looking up at her as he suggested, “You should get comfortable too. Like the security guy said, we’re probably gonna be stuck in here for a while.”

  Wishing she’d worn slacks instead of her favorite narrow pencil skirt, Lanie gingerly lowered herself next to the plant and box of belongings she’d dropped earlier, reaching to throw a few random items back into the container that had flown out on the way to the floor.

  “Shit…” he muttered, finally looking up at her. “My phone is almost dead. I was gonna try to get some information on what’s going on outside of the building… to see how bad things are out there.”

  She hadn’t even got that far yet. There were enough things falling apart in her sphere of control, she didn’t need to wor
ry about the rest of the world just yet. Still, she felt around, coming out with her own cell phone, adding her own, “Damn… mine’s at only ten percent. But it won’t matter much. I have no bars or Wi-Fi either.”

  They each set their phones aside, useless at the moment.

  After a full minute of awkward silence, he broke the quiet by asking, “You aren’t one of those people who are claustrophobic, are you?”

  “Claustrophobic, no. I can’t say I’m too excited about dangling eighteen stories above the ground in an earthquake, though.”

  “You might be in good company in that club,” he assured her.

  Unsure what one discusses in situations like this, Lanie focused on taking long, calming breaths to fend off her growing anxiety.

  Her companion didn’t seem as comfortable with their silence, asking, “So were you really just fired?”

  Determined to stay strong and not cry, she snapped back, “No, I just like to drag all of my belongings back and forth between the office and my place every day.”

  To his credit, he raised his hands up, the universal sign of surrender. “Okay, sorry I asked.” He let his superficial apology last for only two seconds before he added, “So what did you do that got you fired?”

  “Seriously? Don’t we have enough problems right now without making me relive the last disastrous hour of my life?”

  “Fair enough… I just thought it might help you to talk about it.”

  “Well, it won’t. It’s a bunch of bullshit.” This time she was the one who grew uncomfortable with the silence and went on offense with her first question. “I’ve never seen you here before. What were you doing here today?”

  “I just finished an interview before I caught the elevator,” he answered, loosening his tie at his neck before unbuttoning the top button.

  “Well, take it from me, you don’t want to work here,” she replied, trying not to get distracted by the glimpse of tan skin and dark hair peeking out at the neck of his expensive looking dress shirt.

  “That’s not what I’ve heard. I thought Rossi, Anderson, & Hart was one of the best engineering firms on the West Coast.”

  “Yeah, well they may build strong buildings and bridges, but they don’t know shit about running a professional organization that I’d want to work in.”

  His low whistle bounced around the confined space. “Wow, someone really pissed you off. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Ah come on, what else do we have to do?” He waved a hand in the air as if to remind her their entertainment options were limited.

  Sighing, she realized it might help to talk through what had happened with an innocent bystander. Even if he didn’t help her, she could at least keep him from making the mistake of agreeing to work at RAH.

  “You won’t believe me. No one does.”

  “Try me.”

  She took a deep breath before plunging forward with the ugly truth. “I was accused of embezzling from the very company I’m working to protect. Like I said, if they call you back for a second interview, I’d think twice about accepting. And if you do, be sure to watch your back.”

  “Okay, I’ll bite. How the hell does one go about embezzling from an engineering firm? You selling construction supplies on the black market?” he chuckled, having entirely too much fun at her expense.

  “Seriously? I am… I mean… I was the chief staff accountant.” When he didn’t add another smart-ass retort, she added, “I started here six months ago and almost from day one I started to find irregularities in the books. At first, I just thought the company was still using out of date processes and that I’d eventually get everything to balance, but the deeper I dug, the more concerned I became.”

  The guy shot her a dubious glance before challenging her. “I’m sorry, but this sounds a bit unbelievable. While RAH may not be a publicly held company, they do have a board of directors and regularly go through rigorous audits.”

  Lanie gave him the side-eye. “How would you know? I thought you were just interviewing here?”

  His retort was immediate. “I did tons of research, that’s how. It’s one of the reasons I knew I wanted to work here instead of any of the competitors who have tried to woo me away.”

  “Well, your research missed this, because I’m certain.”

  “Okay, say I believe you, why is it you’re the one that got fired, then?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? All I know is I took my findings to my boss this morning, asking for his help in gaining access to some of the confidential reports I didn’t seem to have access to so we could take the investigation deeper. The next thing I know, I’m called up to HR and accused of embezzlement myself.”

  “But you must have some proof, right?”

  “Of course, but they wanted no part of hearing about my findings. They refused to let me get my laptop and walk them through what I’d shown my boss earlier. Not only was I not allowed near my computer before I left, they didn’t even let me pack up my own office. When I opened the door to leave the HR office, I was met with a guy from security holding all my stuff. I even had to leave some of it behind because I couldn’t carry it all. Oh crap…” Her voice trailed off as she leaned over the box next to her. “They better have put my purse in here or I won’t have my wallet or keys.” Her rummaging was successful as she found her bag at the bottom of the box, pulling it through the other items until she extricated it, glancing through quickly to make sure all was there.

  Her companion was determined to keep up the small talk. “I really regret skipping lunch, now. You wouldn’t happen to have a steak in there, would you?”

  “Fresh out. And I’m regretting not stopping at the ladies’ room before my meeting with HR.” Refusing to worry about the fact that she really needed to pee, she pressed him, “How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here?”

  “Sorry, I forgot to bring my crystal ball with me today.” Even though she knew he was making fun of her, she forgave his teasing since it was accompanied by a broad smile that made her breath hitch.

  They fell into another long silence until he once again became uncomfortable enough that he broke the quiet. “Since it looks like we’re gonna be here a while, don’t you think we should introduce ourselves?” When she remained still, he added, “My friends call me JR.”

  Interesting. “What do your enemies call you?” she teased, realizing she was smiling, something she’d have thought impossible today.

  He had a rich chuckle that had a way of putting her at ease, not exactly the easiest thing to do considering the last hour of her life. “I guess they just call me Jacob, like everyone else.”

  “Jacob,” she acknowledged, before asking, “Is it JR as in junior, after your dad?”

  “Thankfully, no. My older brother got that dubious honor. How about you?”

  What harm could telling the guy her name do? Sticking her right hand out, she introduced herself. “Alaina Bennett, but my friends call me Lanie.”

  His handshake was firm—steady—unlike the aftershock that chose that moment to literally rock their world. She allowed the contact to go on longer than etiquette called for, drawing comfort from his grip until thankfully, the aftershock ended.

  Pulling her hand back, she added, “I’ve lived on the West Coast my entire life, but I never get used to the weird sensation of quakes.”

  “Well, you should take comfort that we’re in one of the safest buildings in the city. The Tower was built to withstand much stronger quakes than today’s.”

  “How would you know that?” she probed.

  His smile was back as he used his finger to point above his head, gesturing as he reminded her. “Engineer, remember? I do my homework,” he added before starting to unbutton the cuffs of his long-sleeved dress shirt, taking a moment to roll up his sleeves.

  “Making yourself at home?” she questioned, trying not to admit she was enjoying the flash of a tattoo on h
is right forearm.

  “It’s getting freaking hot in here thanks to the air conditioning being cut off. This had to happen on one of the hottest days of the year so far.”

  Jacob wasn’t wrong, but unfortunately, despite getting warm she didn’t have as many layers she could take off.

  “We’ve established you don’t have a steak in there, but you have anything else to eat or drink in that box of yours?”

  Pulling the box closer, she pulled her purse out, reaching in to grab the breath mints she carried with her. Lanie tossed the small box to him, grinning. “Have a Tic-Tac.”

  She’d half expected him to give her shit, so when he popped a few in his mouth and teased her with a smart-ass, “Ah… so filling, thanks,” she couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Because he was being a good sport, she pulled the box even closer, rummaging around in the strewn items the security guy had obviously just dumped together with no regard to organization. The lighting sucked, so she had to rely on her sense of touch to find what she was looking for.

  Waving her spoils above her head like a trophy, Lanie celebrated, “I found them! We’re saved!” When she tossed one of the two protein bars she’d had stuffed into the back of her desk drawer, he almost missed catching it.

  Despite his hunger, Jacob delayed opening the bar, while she dove in, taking a big bite.

  “Don’t you think we should ration this since it might be the only food we have for a while?” he questioned.

  “It better not be. I’m counting on security getting us out of here and pronto.” She stopped short of saying it was because she couldn’t wait to get home and cry in the privacy of her own home over her lost job.

  “I’m more worried about beverages. Mind if I go shopping?” he asked, lifting a few picture frames, as he asked.

  “By all means,” she deadpanned, not really upset but thinking the guy was pretty bold.

  “Bingo!” he declared, pulling a bottle of the world’s worst wine out of the box.

  “Trust me, that’s no bingo, it’s a booby prize. Wait until you taste it. And anyway, we don’t have an opener.”