AS YOU MELT THIS HEART OF STONE

ALMOST GIVING IN

A/N: Warning - Usage of mild cursing and a few improper thoughts. Nothing graphical. Still better to be warned beforehand.
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" I lose control
Because of you babe.
I lose control,
Don't look at me like this.

There's something in your eyes
That is saying tonight -
' I'm so curious for more,
Just like never before,
In my innocent life.'

I lose control...." - The Scorpions

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I was trapped with her.

Literally.

Inside the elevator, with no lights on.

It reminded me of some soapy romantic novels or movies, where the hero and heroine are alone in an elevator, suddenly the elevator stops midway, lights go off and then... well... they can't keep their hands to themselves any more!

How disgusting! I mentally rolled my eyes.

But then, why was I suddenly nervous and why, the moment the elevator stopped functioning, first thing appearing in my mind was the above mentioned scenario? Why was I feeling trapped, more than what is literally intended?

The fact that I was unfocused enough to leave my phone in my office, didn't help my mood either. It only fueled my anger and irritation towards myself.

"What have you been thinking! It's just a news of transfer Rick! You have transferred more than hundreds of people in your lifetime. It's just like that! ", I chastised myself.

Calming my mind, I tried to find the emergency button in the hope that soon I would be out of this entrapment without any inappropriate interaction with.....her.

But of course the little Miss troublemaker had something else in her mind! She didn't waste a moment to 'help' me find the right button and in the process coming too close to me, touching my hand over the buttons.

Well, an unbiased person would have said that she alone was not to blame. Because it was in my power to remove my hand away, yet I froze the moment I felt her touch. It was not even meant to be some seductive brushing of fingers or some hungry touch of flesh to flesh! It was just a simple coincidence that our hands happened to be at the same place at the same moment. Still it sent a jolt to my heart that even the top super models failed to do with their provoking touches or sultry smiles. And I had my fair share of 'hot' super models in my life, whose seductive smiles always froze under my super icy glare.

No, it was something different. An innocent touch from an innocent woman with no ulterior motives. And that very thing was my undoing. I found myself exploring the elevator buttons with my fingers over tip of hers. Her fingers were so soft and small under my long and strong ones. I had this insane urge to intertwine our fingers and caress her palm with my thumb, drawing patterns on that delicate skin leisurely, while inhaling the sweet floral scent coming from her hair. Did she use floral scented shampoo?

"Someone take this lad to bedlam!", cried my inner rescuer, "Earth calling to Rickard. Earth calling to Rickard. Caaaaaan yooou heaaaar meeeeee......"

I snapped out of the daze, "Stop mocking me."

"I wouldn't dare! But as you were over the moon, it was my duty to call you back to earth.", he informed innocently.

Ignoring him, I finally turned my attention to reality and successfully pressed the emergency button, amidst some.... well.... interactions with Mr Thorn.