“Thank you,” she whispered, unable to look him in the eyes.
He moved to the elevator and pressed the up button.
“Working late again?”
She nodded.
“I wonder if Michael Barrington fully appreciates everything you do for him.”
“I was helping out Olivia,” she explained.
“Oh.”
The elevator door opened. Mike stepped inside.
Sophia hesitated. Did she really want to get into that elevator with him? In that tiny little box where they would be separated by no more than a few feet.
“Going up?” He grinned, quirked an eyebrow and cocked his head sideways.
What the heck? she thought. It’s only one floor.
Bravely Sophia thrust back her shoulders and stepped over the threshold. Mike stood on the left side of the elevator, near the control panel, his finger on the Open Door button.
Sophia moved to the right rear of the car and pressed her back firmly against the wall in order to support her wobbly knees. She clutched the baby quilt to her chest and found herself staring straight ahead while waiting for the elevator door to close.
It seemed to take hours.
She knew Mike was looking at her, the heat from his gaze palpable, but she didn’t have the courage to look back.
The tension stretched like a steel ribbon between them. Taut and unmistakable.
Finally the door whispered shut and the elevator started upward.
Mike cleared his throat.
Sophia studied her shoes, noticed they needed polishing.
“I suppose you heard I turned in my resignation today.”
“Yes.”
“How do you feel about that?”
She flashed him a look. “How do you expect me to feel?”
“I was hoping you’d miss me.”
“Why should I?”
A puzzled expression crossed his face. “I thought we had something going on, you and I.”
“Yeah? If that’s true, how come you’re leaving town?”
He jutted his chin forward. “To give you free access to Michael Barrington. I don’t want to crowd you.”
“Bull!” she said vehemently. “That’s just an excuse.”
“Now wait a minute.” He raised his palms. “You made it perfectly clear you couldn’t become involved with me because you had a thing for your boss. What was I supposed to do?”
“Quit. Run away,” Sophia jeered. “That’s your M.O., isn’t it, Mike? Never too long in the same town or on the same job or with the same woman.”
“Doublespeak, Sophia. You say one thing but mean another. How am I supposed to stay and fight for you when you made it abundantly clear I’m not good enough for you?”
“I never said that,” she denied, ire sparking in her eyes as she glared at him. He was so damned handsome and so spectacularly sexy looking in those faded jeans and that form-fitting T-shirt. “You’re good enough for me.”
“But not rich enough, right?”
“Be fair. This isn’t about money.”
“Then what’s it about?”
“It’s about having a man I can count on.” Sophia spoke softly. “A man whom I can trust to be there in the tough times. An honest man who won’t lie to me or make excuses for his behavior. A man who will assume responsibility for his family by holding down a decent job.”
“And you don’t think I can be that man?” He sank his hands on his hips.
“No, I don’t.”
“But Michael Barrington fits the bill, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a multimillionaire,” Mike challenged. “Does it?”
“This isn’t about Michael Barrington. This is about you and me,” Sophia said.
Suddenly the elevator jerked. The cables whined, echoing loudly in the elevator shaft as the car ground to a halt.
“What was that?” she asked.
“I’m not sure.”
They both glanced up at the lights over the door. First floor.
But the door did not slide open.
“Mike?” Sophia hated that her voice trembled, but she was a tad claustrophobic. “Why isn’t the door opening?”
“Minor glitch. Nothing to worry about.” He leaned over and mashed the Open Door button.
Nothing happened.
Sophia took a deep breath to steady herself while Mike tried the button again. “I get nervous in small, confined places,” she confessed.
“I’ll get us out of here,” he reassured her. He started pressing all the buttons. “Stay calm, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart.
That one word went a long way in allaying her anxieties.
The elevator still refused to respond.
They heard a clanking noise, like something mechanical malfunctioning. Mike frowned. “What the heck?” he said, and then the lights went out. Darkness closed around them like a gloved fist.
“Mike!” Sophia squeaked.
“Right here, sweetheart.”
His hand groped for hers. She gave him her palm and he squeezed. “Don’t worry. I’m here. You’re not alone.”
No, she was not alone. Instead, she was trapped in the darkness with the one man in the world who stirred her soul and set her body aflame. A man she loved so desperately yet could never claim as her own!
Chapter Ten
“Are you all right?” Mike asked, his fingers now entwined with Sophia’s. It was odd to feel him but not be able to see his features.
“Yes.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have a flashlight or matches in your purse, would you?”
“I’m sorry, no.”
“It’s okay.”
“What do you think happened?”
“Power failure of some kind.”
Under the anonymity of darkness, his voice sounded exactly like Michael Barrington’s. It oozed a warm sensuality that surprised Sophia in its likeness to her boss’s whiskey-smooth tones.
“I’m going to fumble around over here, see if I can find the phone and call for help. Will you be all right?” he asked.
Sophia nodded then realized how ridiculous that was. He could not see her. “I’ll be fine,” she said, fighting panic at the thought of losing contact with him.
“Are you scared?”
“A little.”
“Don’t be.” He let go of her hand and the air around her moved as Mike inched his way over to the front of the elevator. She kept her fingers curled around the sack holding the baby quilt, taking comfort in the softness of the material. The sack made a crinkling noise that sounded irrationally loud.
“Any luck?” Sophia asked him, anxious to fill the unnerving silence and calm her fears.
“It’s like swimming through cream soup. I can’t see a thing.
Sophia heard Mike running his hand along the wall. “Ouch,” he exclaimed.
“What happened?”
“Jammed my thumb on the emergency button.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.”
There were more fumbling noises. Then the sound of a telephone being knocked off the hook and the familiar dial tone filled the car with a resounding loudness.
“Hello?” Mike spoke.
Sophia huddled against the back of the car, waiting. Already it was growing warmer and the air seemed stale.
“Hello, Operator?”
“Did you get someone?” Sophia whispered.
“Not yet.”
“Hello? Yes.”
Someone had answered! Sophia exhaled and it was only then that she realized she’d been holding her breath. She listened while Mike explained their situation to whoever was on the other end of the line. He muttered a few words of concern then a few seconds later, hung up.
“Well?” Sophia asked.
“There was a major accident on the freeway. An eighteen-wheeler ran into a transformer, knocking out the power in a twenty-block area. They’re sending someone after us but apparently we’re not real high on t
he priority list. They have several other emergencies.”
“What does that mean?”
“We may be stuck here for hours.”
Stuck? Here? In the elevator car? Alone? With Mike?
Sophia gulped and closed her eyes against the myriad of emotions rushing through her. Excitement, trepidation, nervousness, longing, anticipation.
“Maybe the power outage is a sign from God,” Mike said, his voice teasing.
“A sign from God?” Sophia repeated.
“We’ve had the hardest time getting together for a serious talk. Maybe this is His way of intervening.”
“Oh.”
“There’s something I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks now, Sophia, and it’s not going to be easy.”
Alarm raced through her at his words. The worse had already happened. He was leaving Phoenix with her heart in his hands. What else could he have to say that would change that?
“Maybe you shouldn’t bare your soul to me,” she said. “What would be the point?”
“We might as well sit down,” Mike said. “It’s going to be a long night.”
“Mom’s going to be worried,” Sophia said. “Do you think I can call her?”
“The phone’s only for emergencies,” Mike said. “It’s not connected to an outside line.”
“Oh, dear.” She felt him drawing closer to her.
“I’m sure someone will contact your mother when word gets out we’re trapped in here.”
“We could unwrap the baby quilt and sit on that,” Sophia said. “It will be more comfortable than the floor, and I’m sure Olivia will understand.” In the darkness, her fingers stripped the sack from the quilt. She leaned down to spread the quilt on the floor. “There, now.”
Mike sank down, reached out, grabbed her wrist and pulled her down beside him. Sophia had never seen such complete and utter blackness. No light of any kind bled into the car. It was as if they were suspended in an endless tunnel where nothing existed except the two of them.
Mike slipped his arm around her shoulder and eased her to him. “Do you mind?” he whispered.
Mind! Oh, heavens no. She leaned into him, pressed her ear to his chest and listened to the steady, comfortable lub-dub of his heart.
His stomach growled and Sophia giggled. “You’re hungry.”
“Didn’t eat supper.”
“Me, either.”
“Too bad we don’t have that pizza we ordered that evening a few weeks ago and never got around to eating,” Mike said.
Heat rose in her cheeks as Sophia remembered exactly what had taken their attention off the pizza.
“I’ve got cheese and crackers in my purse,” she volunteered, groping in the darkness for the handbag she’d laid down along with the paper sack. She blindly searched the interior until her fingers grazed across the cellophane package.
“You must have been a Girl Scout,” Mike teased. “You’re always prepared.”
“No,” Sophia denied. “No Girl Scouts for me.”
“Why not?”
“Mom couldn’t afford it, but I always wanted to join.”
Sophia peeled open the package, passed him a cracker and then took one for herself. She munched on the cracker, amazed at how good it tasted, with its tangy cheese flavor, the salty texture. The black void stretched into nothingness, sharpening her senses. Sounds were more intense, smells sharper. For the first time, Sophia detected the scent of oranges in Mike’s cologne. Was this what it was like to be blind? she wondered. All your other senses so attuned, so aware of every nuance.
“You were really poor growing up, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“It must have been hard for you,” he said a few minutes later.
Sophia snorted. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“No,” he said. “I don’t.”
“What was your childhood like?” she asked. “Do you have a mother? A father? Where did you grow up?”
Maybe, Mike thought this was the perfect entry into what he had to tell her. Brushing cracker crumbs from his fingers, he then pulled her closer. It felt great to have her snuggled against him. The inky darkness seemed to ease his confession. He pressed his nose to her head, inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. Heaven!
“My mother’s no longer living,” he said. “She died of breast cancer fifteen years ago.”
“Oh, Mike. I’m sorry.”
“She was a truly wonderful woman.”
“My mother had a stroke when I was eighteen. I know what’s it like to have a family member who’s seriously ill.”
“Yeah,” he said huskily. “It’s rough.”
“What about your father?” she asked.
“He’s fine.”
“Where does he live?”
The time had come to tell her the truth. But not just yet. First, he had to know that she would commit to him as Mike. Once she’d passed his test and he knew he could trust her, then he’d reveal himself. But he was not going to outright lie to her. Not anymore.
“My father lives here in Phoenix.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Phoenix was your home?”
He had to change the subject, before she delved deeper into his past. “What about your father?”
Sophia tensed. Mike felt her muscles contract as she shifted away from him. “My father was a liar and a cheat.” Her tone was bitter.
“How so?”
“He told my mother that he loved her. That he wanted to marry her. But he was lying just to get her into bed. Mom was only seventeen and so much in love, she couldn’t think straight.”
“And she got pregnant.”
“Yeah,” Sophia whispered.
Mike said nothing. The pain in her voice was sharp and fresh. Clearly she’d never forgiven the man.
“When Mom told him, my father demanded she have an illegal abortion. He didn’t want me or my mother. But she refused to abort me. Later she found out my father was already married. Can you believe that?”
“Unfortunately it’s not an uncommon story. Your mother must have had a very difficult time.”
“Terrible. Her parents were ashamed. They sent her away to live with Aunt Sophia in a small town outside Phoenix. They wanted her to give me up for adoption, but Mom refused. I was all she had.”
Suddenly a lot of things made sense. Jannette’s anger toward men. Sophia’s devotion to her mother. Sophia’s need to marry a man who could take care of her. Mike felt sympathy for Jannette’s desperation. She’d filled her daughter’s head with horror stories in order to keep Sophia from following in her footsteps. She’d only wanted the best in life for her daughter. Something she’d never had. She thought a rich man could supply those things for her.
“What happened to your father?” Mike asked. “Did you ever hear from him again?”
“Thankfully, no. He was sent to Vietnam and killed in the war.” Sophia shuddered and Mike could tell she was crying. Gently he pulled her close to him again.
“Shhh, it’s all right.”
“No,” she denied. “It’s not all right. Because of him my mother was never happy. She was scared to trust men again. She never even tried to date. Her resentment grew and she developed high blood pressure which eventually caused her stroke.”
Mike reached up with his thumbs and brushed the wet tears from her cheeks. Her skin was so soft beneath his fingertips. He battled the urge to take her lips with his, to drink her nectar.
No, his inner voice cautioned. Not yet. Not until they’d cleared the air and set the record straight.
“My father’s abandonment affected me, too,” Sophia admitted. “The way I think about men.”
“I know.”
She drew in a heavy sigh. “I thought all I had to do was find a nice man with a good job. One who could support me. One who would never lie to me or take advantage of me.”
Mike said nothing, simply allowed her to talk. This had
been a long time coming, and obviously this emotional catharsis was something she needed.
“See,” she said, “when Mom met my dad, they had this instant chemical reaction.” She snapped her fingers. “Fireworks.”
“Like us.”
“Yes.”
“And you were afraid because we have such a strong connection that I was like your dad?” Mike asked.
“I know it sounds crazy, but after listening to years of warning from my mother, I saw sexual attraction as a bad thing. I told myself my relationships would be calm and safe, based on mutual interests and honesty, not on some explosive physical reaction.”
“That explains a lot about you.”
“You changed everything,” she said.
“I did?”
“The way I feel when I’m with you is unbelievable,” Sophia confessed.
Mike groped for both her hands, brought them to his lips and kissed her knuckles one by one. “I feel it, too, sweetheart.”
“Do you? Do you really?”
“You can’t tell?”
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, Mike? I couldn’t bear it if I found out you’d lied to me.”
“Oh, Sophia.”
He had lied to her! How could he explain his charade, the way he’d allowed her to believe he was nothing more than the charming man from the mail room?
“Where are you going when you leave Phoenix?” she asked. “Will you come back to visit your father?” .
“I don’t have to leave,” he said, feeling the quicksand of falsehoods dragging him deeper into the tangled web he’d woven for himself. “I could stay.”
“What are you saying, Mike? That we could have a future together, you and I?” Sophia’s heart thudded hopefully. Could it be true? The possibility swelled inside her. At long last a man to love?
“I want you, Sophia, more than I’ve ever wanted any woman.” Mike tucked her into the circle of his arms, pressed his forehead against hers. The bond between them was a physical thing—strong, unbreakable.
Sophia reached out and ran her palm along his jawline. She caressed his dear face, enjoyed the sensation of his beard stubble rasping against her skin.
“Dear Mike, can you stop your roaming for me? Can you give up your carefree life-style and commit to our relationship? I have to know. Do your feelings for me run deep enough for you to change your lifestyle?”
“What if I said yes, Sophia? What if I told you I was already tired of wandering long before I met you and one taste of your sweet lips had thoroughly convinced me that there was no other woman on the face of the earth for me?”
I Married the Boss! Page 13
