Devil In The Elevator: A Hartman Romance

by Laura Christopher

  Saluting him I watched as he stormed out of the room like a child who had just been told he was grounded and not allowed to play with his friends. Jack was five years younger than me, but sometimes he acted like he was a lot younger, almost like a teenager. To be honest, I don’t think he will ever grow out of that or grow up.

  Michael gave me one last lingering look before turning and following my brother. A sour look took over my face. I was not a fan of him. There was a bad vibe around him, and his whole character seemed shady as hell, and no matter what was going on in the office, there was always this cloud that seemed to hover over him. Something dark.

  Heading back to my own office, I bumped, literally bumped into two guys walking through the corridor.

  They did not belong here, that was for sure. Both dressed in old jeans and hoodies. The bigger one, who was very pale with almost white skin, just glared at me with resentment, his large jaw gutting out as he stepped around me.

  What the hell?

  Why were they here?

  I couldn’t imagine that they had any requirement to be on the advertising floor, at all.

  They didn’t look like engineers, and they sure as hell weren’t clients.

  My eyes followed them as they moved, stomping steps that echoed throughout the corridor.

  Who were they, and more importantly, what the hell were they doing at Hartman Inc.?

  **END FLASHBACK**

  A gasp left my mouth. One of them had been the guy with the green hair, the jaw. I remembered thinking how off it looked at the time. Almost like it could be false, one tug and I could pull it off. That had been several months ago that I had seen them at the office.

  Did this mean that my father had been planning this for that long, or did it mean that these were the guys he used to make people disappear?

  Were they on the Hartman Inc. payroll?

  Chapter Ten

  Valentina

  "There is no way in hell that I am sleeping in here, Noah," my eyes continued to roam the poor excuse for a motel room that I had ever seen. There were stains, well everywhere. The walls were discolored yellow striped wallpaper that was pealing all over the place. The once-white ceiling had yellow stains covering it, the brown carpets had burn holes and stains that I prayed weren't what they looked like, blood. The once white bed covers looked stiff as aboard. Hell, even the television had a suspicious white stain across it.

  "Look, we need to shower and rest, a few hours is all we need, and then we can get back on the road again. This place was $30 for the night. It is not the four seasons." Noah was way to okay with staying here, especially with all of his money. I would have thought he would be refusing more than I was to stay here.

  "Oh god, if this is like this, what's the bathroom going to be like?" I cringed, and his eyes widened, realizing that it was probably covered in god knows what too. "Maybe we just shower here and sleep in the car?"

  "No, I need to sleep properly" he said but he finally looked like he realized what a dump this place was. I was more likely to catch an infection from this room than anywhere else.

  Looking down at my wrists, I winced at how sore they looked. I really needed to get him to wrap my wrists up once I had showered and cleaned them properly.

  "Don't, Noah, I don't think there is any possible way that I could sleep in this"

  "Well you are going to have to try, at least"

  My hand clutched around the bag of toiletries and new clothes we had bought from the store next to the motel. Well, I say store, but it was not like any kind of store I had ever been in before. The shampoo, toothpaste, and body wash were calling my name very loudly. Smiling in anticipation of finally washing my hair, I froze mid-step when he spoke.

  "Man up, Sneaks, you shower first. I need to see if there is a computer around here, I can use"

  "Why?" what possible need did he have to use a computer right now?

  "I want to see if there is a missing person report out about you" after so much had happened, I had almost forgotten about that woman in Target who had pointed at me. He was right. "I still think you need to dye your hair."

  "If I'm doing it, so are you, those are my conditions." Maybe I could dye it purple or something instead of brown or black. That way, when this was all over, it would fade, and I wouldn't have to ruin my hair by bleaching it a lot. When, god, what if this never ended and we ended up on the run forever?

  Would we have to try and leave the Country?

  Anyone searching for us would be looking for me with my light silver hair and his sun-kissed blond shaggy locks. He was right we really should look at dying our hair or buying wigs.

  "Shower," he pushed me in the direction of the bathroom door when I had stayed standing in one place for too long, stuck in my own thoughts.

  Slowly I moved my head around the door, opening it with trepidation. What was I about to see?

  My mouth fell open in shock when it was finally revealed to me. This bathroom did not go with the room. It was like a before and after image. A sparkling white shower greeted me first, and I think I peed a little in excitement. "Holy shit." This was better than any motel bathroom in the history of motel bathrooms.

  Quickly shutting the door with a click behind me, I shed out of my clothes in seconds and all but jumped into the glistening shower. Letting the warm water massage my muscles as I lathered up the shampoo in my hair. When was the last time I had showered?

  Suddenly the door banged open, and I let out a scream.

  "Just me," Noah's voice floated through the steam that had filled the room. "Fuck me. This bathroom is decent."

  "I'm sleeping in here tonight," I told him. After seeing this room, I was not getting into that bed, no way in hell. "Now get the fuck out."

  I was in the shower, after all, completely naked. My hands had frozen in my hair with shampoo dripping down my back. Waiting for him to leave.

  "Can I see?" Knowing damn well that he was smiling right now, I held a groan in.

  Oh my god, is he serious right now? "No, get out."

  "Oh, come on, I showed you my tattoos." And the abs, do not forget the abs. Never.

  "Get out, Noah!"

  "Just a peak, one tit, that's all I'm asking for."

  "Get the fuck out, or I will cut one of your balls of when you're sleeping. I thought you were going to find a computer?"

  "Changed my mind."

  "Get out, Noah!"

  All I heard was a huff before the door closed with a loud bang, echoing in the small bathroom.

  "You're still in here, aren't you?" I asked, still feeling his presence, and sure enough, the shower curtain was pulled back after some rustling, and in he walked, joining me in the shower. Stark fucking naked. I think my mouth dropped open. Holy shit.

  "What are you doing?" I screamed at him, trying to grab a handful of the shower curtain to cover my own naked body. Involuntary my eyes lowered, fucking hell he is….. I'm fucked. You're about to be, my subconscious screamed. Damn it.

  Noah did not say a word, just closed the distance between us, pulling the curtain away from me, giving his eyes full access to roam my naked body. Which is exactly what he did.

  "Like the ink," he smirked, looking at the New York skyline vinyl tattoo that was on my ribs and the blue rose on my thigh before crashing his lips down onto mine.

  I didn't mean to moan, I really didn't, but when his lips touched mine, it was like my brain became mush. My hands found their way up his hard, broad back and into that hair that was getting wet from the shower. His little, big friend pressed against my stomach. My fingers itched to touch him, wrap them around it. Knowing he would like it, my right hand stilled for a moment on its descent from his hair.

  Pulling my lips away from his, I found my eyes dropping to his naked chest, almost completely covered in tattoos, except for one area exactly where his heart was. What was that about?

  Sensing my stillness Noah lifted my chin with one finger. "Tell me to stop, and I will" his eyes sparkled
, but I knew that he meant every word he had just said. If I said no, he would stop. He was not so much of an asshole as he wanted people to believe.

  The trouble was though, I didn't want to stop.

  Not even a little.

  There was no part of me wanted to stop was we were doing.

  "Just shut up," I whimpered, crashing my lips onto his and finally grabbing his hardness. A moan left his mouth, and I felt myself become wetter. I wanted him. Right fucking now.

  His fingers began roaming my body, sliding upwards from my hips, one of his hands enclosed my left breast, a tight squeeze made me moan into our kiss this time.

  "I'm going to make you scream, Sneaks." His hot breath fanned my face, intoxicating me more than I already was.

  "Just shut the fuck up, and well, fuck me already, will you." He always told me I talked too much, now he was the one doing too much talking.

  When he stepped backward without warning, my hands fell from his body. What was this now that I was finally giving in, he was stepping back? Was he all talk?

  The look on my face must have said everything that my mouth wasn't because he took one long look over my body. "Condom, two seconds." And then he basically ran out of the shower, slipping slightly as he went.

  "It better be more than two fucking seconds," I muttered to myself.

  I was more turned on right now than I had ever been in my entire life. Moisture was gathering between my legs, and it had nothing to do with the running water coming out of the shower.

  He finally came back, holding a gold square foil in his mouth. One from his wallet he had taunted me with before.

  "Now, where were we?" He asked, dropping the foil down onto the small shelve built into the wall, backing me into the tiles besides it. Eyes focused on me with such intensity my legs almost gave out beneath me.

  Grabbing me with his strong hands, I squealed when he spun us around, putting him under the water stream.

  The both of us moaned as my fingers wrapped about his throbbing hardness again just as his knee pushed my legs apart. The burn of his fingers singed my flesh as they slid downwards, one hand stayed on my hip but the other "Oh my god," I moaned as his fingers brushed the sensitive skin between my legs.

  "For someone who claims to hate me, you sure got wet about me, Sneaks." He sounded so pleased with himself because of it.

  Squeezing my hand around him, he let out a low hiss and when I began moving my hand up and down, he growled out in pleasure.

  "Now, who's doing too much talking?" I teased him, and not only with my words.

  He smiled, showing me those dimples as he slid one solo finger inside of me. A porn star moan left my lips. Jesus Christ.

  "So, god damned beautiful little Sneaks," his breath caressed my face as he pumped his finger inside of me. Everything began to flame. I needed more. I wanted him, all of him.

  Dropping my hands from his hardness, leaving it bobbing between us, I grabbed the foil package from the shelve and tore it open.

  Ignoring his "Now who's keen" comment, I quickly put it on him. There should be some kind of law about guys who looked like him, also having something so magnificent between his legs as well. God, it was almost selfish.

  "Show me" when he just quirked an eyebrow, I added, "Show me what I've been missing, Diablo."

  Accepting the challenge, his hands instantly lifted me off the ground, and turning us around, he slammed my back onto the cold tiles, causing me to scream out in shock. Not giving me a second to breathe, he pushed in one fluid motion fully into me. Both of our groans filled the shower cubicle we were in, mixing in with the steam that surrounded us. He was so big that the burn I was feeling made a breath stick in the back of my throat.

  Squeezing him from the inside as he stilled a moment too long, he finally began to move and as he thrust in and out my head fell back against the tiles. Ignoring the small pain from that, I concentrated on the immense pleasure that was ripping through my body, building in the most incredible way. So much pleasure that my senses felt overloaded.

  Hot lips began kissing up and down my neck, teeth biting slightly in-between the kisses.

  I never wanted this to end. I was being consumed by this man in every way. And god did it feel so damn right.

  "Sneaks," his voice sounded strained. Lifting my gaze to him, I didn't know what to make of the look in his eyes, the deep penetrating gaze that almost made my heart stutter.

  There was so much in them, passion, lust, and need.

  Crashing his lips back onto mine, he picked up the pace and began to pound into me like he couldn't get close enough, deep enough. The moans coming from me were like nothing I had heard before, and when one of his fingers began to circle my clit, I almost lost it. Oh my god, yes, so much, yes.

  Our breaths were becoming harder and harder and with every thrust and circle of that magical finger. I was so close to exploding around him I could taste it right there on the edge of it. Yes.

  "Come on, Sneaks cum for me." He groaned as I began to squeeze him from the inside.

  At that moment, everything exploded, and my vision blurred as he pounded into me with such ferocity, I was sure my back would have bruises from slamming against the tiles. No doubt in my mind that I would be aching tomorrow, everywhere.

  We stayed still coming down from our highs. He was softening inside of me as we just looked at each other, not saying a single word. There was nothing to say. We couldn't take back what had just happened, and in all honesty, I don't think there was any part of me that wanted to anyway. He was an asshole, but he was kind of my asshole, at least while we were in this situation.

  Dropping his forehead down onto my own as his lips pressed against mine just once. This kiss was different. It was tender almost; it was more and every part of me liked it. Which should have sent alarm bells ringing, but right now, I didn't have a care in the world. Apart from maybe, finishing washing the shampoo out of my hair.

  

  Once we had both dried off and gotten dressed, Noah ordered a pizza for us and was currently waiting at the motel reception for it to arrive. While he was gone, I had begun to flick through the channels on the small portable television in the corner of the room. My mouth dropped open in shock, hitting the button back to the news channel, dropping backwards onto the edge of the bed at what I saw. My entire face almost covered the screen.

  "Oh my god" I groaned, turning the volume up so I could hear what was being said.

  "Valentina Borroni, the twenty-eight-year-old New Yorker, went missing on April 15th after having a drink with a friend at The Lilac Orchard, a skyscraper wine bar in Manhattan, New York. Valentina has not been seen since she left the bar to meet her friend in the lobby. Police discovered Valentina's purse in the underground parking garage but have since found no confirmed leads. If you have seen Valentina or know of her whereabouts, please call the number on the screen"

  No confirmed leads? I guess that meant the woman from Target hadn't called the cops after seeing me then? Why had she reacted the way she had to me then?

  "Holy shit" Noah's voice made me jerk on the edge of the bed. I hadn't realized that he had come back into the room. Looking over and seeing the pizza box in his hand, my stomach growled involuntarily.

  "You're on the news"

  "I am on the news" I repeated his words back at him. "No mention of you, though?"

  Confusion masked his features as he walked further into the room "Huh"

  "Huh? That's all you have to say?"

  "Well, I'll be honest I would have thought that there would be CCTV of us in the elevator and Target, I assumed that they would have had that"

  My blood ran cold "Do you think, do you think that your father has something to do with that?" There had defiantly been cameras in the elevator. I remembered clocking them when thinking about hitting him and thinking that I would get sued.

  Closing the door behind him and using the lock and chain, he nodded his head but didn't actually speak. It was almost
like he was in shock. After that report, it seemed that he had not been reported as missing. That there was not anyone looking for him. Apart from our kidnappers, probably.

  "Noah?"

  "Yeah?" Dropping down next to me on the bed, I took the hot pizza box from his hands as I turned sideways, pulling one leg up under my body.