Big Bad Wolf Chapter 8: Hold The Door

Harper was late for work after meeting with Kendal for a quick lunch. Now, she needed to be at her desk in less than five minutes if she didn’t want Lucas to notice her empty cubicle.

Standing at the foot of the stairs in the Carmichael tower, she shook her head then walk over to the elevator. She had always taken the stairs after lunch because she believed it was good for her, but she was in a hurry to walk up a seemingly endless flights of stairs. So, she opted for the elevator.

Much to her relief, there was no one else waiting for the elevator. She pressed the button for the fourteenth floor and stepped into the elevator when it arrived, but just as the doors were closing, she heard someone shout, “Hold the door!”

Harper knew that common courtesy would expect her to press on the button to hold the elevator open and wait for whoever it was to join her.

But what she ended up doing was pressing on the button to close the elevator and, when it didn’t close straight away, she hit it a few more times for good measure.

She wasn’t sure what might have made her to do such action, and she knew it wouldn’t make her any later than she already was if she held the door for a few seconds. But something in her brain told her not to hold the elevator open, and she listened to it.

But why?

When the stranger got in, she immediately knew why her body automatically made the decision for her.

Alexander Carmichael.

Harper mentally cursed at herself. She never liked her boss’ boss, but she kept it to herself. It was never known to anyone that she had loathed their CEO.

“Ms. Fritz.” Alex nodded in her direction, and with a smug smile he says, “I saw what you tried to do. What the fuck did you do that for?”

Harper looked down and glowered, embarrassed over her decision. Alex had seen her attempt to close the door instead of holding it open for him. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Carmichael. I didn’t mean to…”

“I’m sure you didn’t. I mean, who would―” A phone ringing cut off Alex’s sentence. Harper sighed as a relief that his attention was now on something else.

Alex dug his phone from his pocket and smirked as he swiped the screen with his thumb and pressed the phone against his ear. “Hello, darling.” Then he paused and glanced at Harper who stood still in the opposite corner of the elevator. “I’m in the elevator now…Lunch sucked, but I’ve already anticipated it.”

Tower 1 had over forty floors and Harper’s heart beat faster as the elevator kept moving up. It was a long way up, and she hoped Alex’s phone call would go on until she reached her floor.

“…I know. She’s always been such bitch.”

She forced herself not to listen to Alex’ private conversation, but it was just impossible for her not to when Alex didn’t bother to lower his voice down. Although, she still tried and paid her full attention on counting the floors that they had already passed. But her nightmare soon began because as soon as they passed the eighth floor, the elevator made a lurching noise and the emergency button lit up red as the elevator came to a halt. The sudden stop knocked them both off balance.

“Wait,” Alex told the person on the other line and tried to hit the buttons but nothing happens.

“What happened?” Harper went frantic. “Can you press the call button?”

“This is fucking great,” Alex whined and told the person he was talking to that the elevator had stopped. “I don’t know. Could you please tell Lucas for me that the elevator that Alexander fucking Carmichael is on has suddenly stopped? He should know what to do.” He paused and smiled. “Thank you, darling. And where were we? Ah- yeah, Collette being a total bitch.” He sighed and then a few seconds later, asked. “Where are you now? Oh, good…”

Deep inside, Harper felt a little thankful that she got stuck in the elevator with their CEO as she was certain they’d be rescued in no time.

And to take her mind off things, like Alex’s conversation with obviously a woman, she shoved her hands in the front pockets of her blazer and tried to relax in her own little corner and thought of her latest dream.

“You’re going to have to spread wider for me, my dear Harper.” Her heart quickened. She briefly glanced at Alex’s broad back and her palms started to sweat.

“…and what are you wearing right now?” Alex asked, his voice was deep and made the question just unbelievably a thousand times hotter.

Harpers eyes widened.

“Red is actually my favorite color. Are you alone?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Could Alex really not care that she was standing there, no more than five feet from him?

“Good. Now I want you to slowly start touching yourself,” Alex ordered in a way that whoever it was he was talking to wouldn’t have the strength to say no. “Tell me what you’re doing. I want to know which part of your body you’re touching with your hand.”

Oh, hell no!

Harper cleared her throat on purpose to remind Alex that he wasn’t really alone.

“Wait a sec,” Alex looked at her over his shoulder. “What was that, Ms. Fritz? Do you have a problem with me pleasing my woman?”

She took a deep breath to brace herself for what was to come. “Actually, I do. With all due respect, Mr. Carmichael, I am here and I think what you’re about to do―”

“Phone sex,” Alex casually interrupted and let out his usual smirk. “What I’m about to do is have a phone sex, Ms. Fritz.”

“And I’d really appreciate if you don’t do it, Mr. Carmichael. Maybe you can do that as soon as we get out of here and you’re already in the four walls of your room office.”

Alex turned to her and stared at her for a minute, smiling, then he raised his phone again to his ear. “Darling, I’m so sorry but you need to finish off without me.” He canceled the call without obviously letting the other person speak and slid his phone in his side pocket. “Ms. Fritz.”

“Mr. Carmichael.”

“You, not only tried to close the elevator door on me, but now asked me to stop trying to please my woman. Do you have any problem with me?”

“Why-why do you think I’d have any problem with you, Mr. Carmichael?” Harper stammered.

“Are you really sure about that, Ms. Fritz?”

“I―ah,” she swallowed. “Of course.” She checked the monitor and saw they were still at the 8th floor. Shit.