Page 18 of Still Her
When I step off and turn left, I am delighted to find I was right. Another bathroom lounge, with the same set up and not a soul in sight. The lounge door closes behind me and I head into the ladies. After I’m done and have washed my hands, I take a moment to check my hair. I realize that I left my handbag with Jack so touching up my gloss will have to wait. I turn and open the door that leads to the lounge, but before I can make it to the door that leads to the hallway, it opens… and Eli steps through.
“Oh. Hi,” I greet him, caught off guard a little bit. I wasn’t expecting anyone else to have the same idea I did.
He steps in front of the door, barring my exit. He gives me a cunning smile in return, and turns to flick the lock.
What the hell?
“Hi,” he finally says back, putting his hands in his pockets. He’s regarding me almost affectionately with his head tipped to one side.
“What are you doing?” I question, my eyes on the door lock.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
Feeling every bone in my body go cold, I back away. I frantically search around for another exit, another person… Anything. I even glance up to the corners of the ceiling.
“Oh, there are no cameras in here Kitten,” Eli taunts, ever so casual. He looks relaxed, cool, as if he couldn’t possibly be making me feel uneasy and afraid. “We’re alone.”
I don’t know what to do. I know that if I try to cruise past him and out the door, it will put me close enough to him that he could put his hands on me. But if I stay back, I have no other way out and am at his mercy, allowing him to make me cower here as long as he pleases. As I’m deliberating, his eyes darken, assuming that expression that I hate so much; the one that saysyou’re mine for me to play with.
And he’s playing with me alright. He’s enjoying this. Neither of us is speaking, but his easy smile doesn’t falter as every bone in my body shakes like an earthquake. I don’t have all night to decide how to handle this. I finally decide to fake it until I make it, as the saying goes. I try my best to calm my mind and will my limbs to stop trembling. I lift my chin to address the douche-canoe in front of me.
“Unlock the door, Eli.” I’m not asking.
“Oh, I will,” he responds jovially, as if he’s a child that just got told to clean his room but he’s too busyplaying.“Just as soon as you and I have a little talk, alone, with no interruptions.”Fuck. “Did I detect a hint of jealousy upstairs?”
Is he serious right now?
I look around the room, as if the orchids on the vanities can help me out of this, before answering, “Not even a little bit.” I’m not normally so blunt, but he’s seriously freaking me out. Locking us in a room together makes it seem like his presence is taking up the entire room and forcing itself upon me, making me feel defensive. “In fact, I was just trying to make sure your date is okay. She seems very uncomfortable here.”
“Hilary is just fine, she’s just a little nervous. This isn’t usually her scene. You on the other hand,” he takes one hand out of his pocket to gesture towards my defensive stance, “still seem to be uncomfortable when I’m around. I want to assure you, I’m going to change that. I’m going to do everything to get us to a place where you’re not only relaxed around me, but completely enjoy having me near.”
Ugh. What the fuck does he mean bythat? I don’t want an elaboration. I want to get the hell out of here. I keep up my façade of trying to coolly shut him down.
“Well I can assure you that’s not going to happen tonight, so unlock the door so I can leave.”
“Okay, okay,” Eli rolls his eyes and smirks, like we’re debating about baseball teams and not how he’s cornering me like I’m his prey. “Not tonight? Fine,” he shrugs. “But soon. I promise you, you’re not going to keep feeling this way when I’m around. We’re going to get closer and I’m going to make you warm up to me, really nice,” he finishes with a lick of his lips.
I want to throw up, but I have to fight. I can’t let him know how much he’s scaring me.
“Damnit Eli! Open the damn door! This is some kind of entrapment that you’re doing here. You’re threatening me, and I’m going to take this to the CEO, or whoever the hell the head of your agency is.”
“First of all,” Eli prepares to school me, “I’m not threatening you. I don’t think I’ve uttered a single threatening word since I’ve been in here. And you’re not trapped; you can leave any time. The door’s right there. I locked it so that we could have a private conversation without anyone interrupting. That’s all.” He shrugs again as if to emphasize just how harmless his actions are. “Second of all… you just did.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He runs the agency. Hell, he probably owns it. HeisNoLimit PR. I won’t let this defeat me.
“There’s always the police,” I threaten.
“Yeah, sure,” he patronizes. “Go for it, tell them I walked into a communal lounge, saw an opportunity to speak with you and locked the door so we could have a conversation.” He starts taking steps towards me and I back away, knowing it’s useless but unable to stop myself. All that’s waiting for me is a wall. “Because if you tell them I did any more than that,” he continues, getting so close there is roughly only a foot of space between us, enough for me to smell his God-awful cologne, but not enough that I can feel his breath on me, “you’d be lying,” he concludes.
“What are you talking about? Look at you, look what you’re doing!”
“I’m talking to you. And okay, I’m standing a little close to you, but I haven’t laid a finger on you.” It’s true. His hands are still in his pockets. He leans in just a little closer, and I freak out.
“Get the hell away from me!” I shout, reaching both hands out and giving him a hard shove against his chest. He falters back, but only one step.
“Oh, look at that,” he muses, his casual smile becoming sinister. “I haven’t touchedyou, but you just put your hands onme. I’ll be sure not to leave that part out when you summon Jacksonville’s finest.”
Fuck. Me. Sideways.