Trust In Me (Triplets book 2)

Chapter 2

It was a leggy brunette in a tight-fitting business suit with a short little skirt and a low-cut jacket without a blouse under it. Shay had a rare moment of malice as she thought that the cut of the suit jacket emphasized her small bustline.

Shay watched the brunette get a little too close to Elevator Man, making Shay angry. Maybe it was because Corey never came home after her date or that Elevator Man wasn't at work on Monday, but all Shay could think was, who was the brunette to join the group at the last minute and upset the balance? Maybe it was a one-time thing, Shay thought, attempting to calm her rising and completely irrational anger.

Shay shuffled into the elevator with the rest of the group, limping on her uneven heels while wishing, once again, that she still had the budget she had when she lived off her parent's money. If she had, the brunette wouldn't be able to touch her in the class department, but as it stood now, Shay's dirty blond hair was long and uneven due to a lack of haircut, and her blouse and pencil skirt were two seasons out of date.

"Do you know what floor Human Resources is on?" the brunette asked in a husky voice while looking at Elevator Man.

Was she honestly trying to make asking for directions sound sexy?

"The third floor," Shay said as she sipped her coffee, answering before Elevator Man could.

As Shay stepped forward to push the button for the woman's floor, the brunette assessed her. She must have felt threatened for some reason because the brunette shuffled around, and as the elevator jolted into motion, she tipped her coffee forward and spilled it down the front of Shay's thin blouse.

Great, first she got caught with ice cream in the hair and now coffee on the blouse. Elevator Man was going to think that she was accident-prone. Shay closed her eyes as she did her best to hold her blouse off her skin to keep the hot liquid from scalding her. She really should have stayed in bed. Now she had a choice to make. She could go to the bathroom and clean up, which would cause her to be late, or she could arrive on time while looking like a mess. 

"Tough luck!" Peter said with a shake of his head. "The Dragon won't be happy if you're late, but she also won't be happy if you aren't presentable." He was always stating the obvious.

Shay opened her eyes, and they met the green gaze of Elevator Man, who was studying her predicament with as little feeling as when she had ice cream dripping from her hair. Well, at least she had caught his attention again.

"Thanks, Peter. I'm aware," Shay said dryly as she gave her blouse a little shake.

The elevator stopped, and the door opened. They were on the third floor, and the brunette had to get out. It caused more shuffling, and Shay took the chance to turn her back to the door and away from everyone else. Her silk blouse was now transparent despite the massive coffee stain that had spread across the front.

She was surprised when she had a jacket handed to her. Shay looked up, meeting Elevator Man's gaze.

"Thank you." It was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a long time, and she tried to smile at him, but it just wouldn't form.

The elevator jolted into movement as she reached for the jacket. "Would you mind holding this?" she asked as she held out her coffee to him.

He took it, his large hand brushing hers. Shay ignored the jolt it gave her as she got to work. She faced the corner as she put his jacket on over her shoulders, discreetly unbuttoned her blouse, and then wiggled out of it. If the brunette could pull it off, why couldn't she?

The elevator arrived on the 8th floor while she buttoned up the jacket and shoved her blouse in her purse. She forgot about her shoes and stumbled a little as she reached for her coffee.

The jacket was large on her, but she wasn't going to complain because it was warm and smelled like Elevator Man's cologne.

It wouldn't be a bad way to spend the day.

"I'll get it back to you tomorrow," Shay assured him.

"May I see your good shoe?" he asked, looking at her uneven feet. His voice was deep and a little rough while he measured his words.

"Um, sure," Shay said. It was an odd request, but she wouldn't deny him since he had just helped her out of a jam.

The elevator stopped on the 9th floor as she handed him her shoe.

Then he did the most fantastic thing. He took the shoe, balanced it on the handi-cap rail that ran the perimeter of the elevator, and hit it with his fist. The heel flew off, and he reached down, picked it up, handing it and her shoe back to Shay.

Shay grinned as she slipped it back on. There were still white knights willing to save the day, she thought, not minding that the shoes had cost the earth way back when because her white knight was Elevator Man.

The elevator dinged at the 10th floor, and Peter exited first as Shay looked over her shoulder at the handsome man.

"Thank you," Shay said once more as she smiled at him again.

He only nodded as he followed her off the elevator and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Shay forced herself to turn around and walk toward what she suspected would be a challenging day.