the weekend scrubbing the scent of orchids from her memory, but every time she

lena was late. A subway delay had eaten twenty minutes of her shift, and she was rushing, he

t of order-a yellow "Ca

levators. They were sleek, mirrored pods of chrome and glass, reserved for the gods o

nside and hit the but

ng, tan, and familiar-suddenly shot between th

Vane st

hirt unbuttoned just enough to reveal the hollow of his throat. He look

st the mirrored wall and closed his eyes. Then, the

the girl in the navy jumpsuit, then

d her name in the confined space mad

tammered, flattening herself against the opposite c

r lurched i

e digital floor counter g

berate steps toward the center. The elevator was large, but with him standing

His voice was low, vibrating off the chrome

, her gaze fixed on his tie. "Th

of several,"

om outside, vibrating through the steel cables. The elevator shudder

. She gasped, her sneakers slipping on the polished floor. B

ng her waist with a strength that was almost bruising.

, honey-colored glow that turned the

you," he

o the expensive wool of his suit. She could feel his heart-it wasn't

o pull away. The air in the elevator was rapidly warming, thi

gh, dangerous velvet, "you'll just run back into the sh

," she lied, fi

er with a raw, unchecked hunger that made her knees feel like water. His thumb, still resting on her waist, b

"I'm the girl who empties your trash. T

n was too slow for that, the tension too exquisite to break. Instead, he tilt

reath sending a violent shiver down her spine. "I close my eyes and I see you. I open them and

rising from her waist to cup her jaw. His skin was hot. His

ed him to close the distance; she wanted to run away. The tension was a phy

" she ch

hed back to full, blinding white. The motor hu

opping to her mouth with a promise that felt like a threat. Then, as the bell chimed for the 6

ors sl

smirk playing on his lips-the first time she'd seen him sm

one in the elevator, her heart racing and the