Page 19 of Merry Little Mishap

“Is this to shut me up?” I asked, taking a quick bite, wiping sauce off my chin.

“Trying to make amends for offending you with my movie taste… wait till you hear my thoughts onJingle All the Way.” Nick turned his attention back to his food, but I didn’t dare look away.

It’d been over thirty minutes since the power went out, but I didn’t mind any more. Sure, I was a little drunk, still semi-mortified, but Nick was being totally cool. The emergency panel was still open, the speaker still silent, but I wasn’t that bothered. Here in the dark, munching on food, laughing, it almost felt romantic,kindalike a date.

I ignored the fantasy, the ridiculous notion that us being stuck in an elevator could ever be considered something as exciting as going out to dinner with Nick Stafford. Yet, wasn’t that what we were doing?

“Thank you,” I said quickly.

Nick perked up.

“Pardon?”

“Thank you for making me feel better. I know I was freaking out earlier, but you… fixed that. Guess that’s what you do, though. You fix things, and not just the plumbing. I don’t know what I’d do if I were alone right now.”

Nick took a few more bites, then shrugged.

“I’d find you.” He nodded. “Just like someone will find us. It’s late, and people are either out celebrating tonight, or already in bed.”

“Maybe Marty will come to our rescue,” I joked, but Nick was quick to reply.

“His bowl is full of food, and he’s watchingSeinfeldright now. He won’t even know I’m missing.”

“So, he isn’t expecting this giant sack of Chinese food?”

Nick furrowed. “It was more of a Christmas surprise… the old boy will still get a treat once I’m back.”

We both chewed a little longer, taking turns crossing our legs, making due with the space we had. Nick’s long legs would spread out from time to time, his large boot resting near my thigh. I kept my legs tight together, our walls made of mirrors, giving me all the opportunity to accidentally flash Nick if I weren’t careful. It was dark though, maybe I could get away with it, my panties still hidden enough that I carefully relaxed more in my posture.

“So… why were you all dressed up tonight? I know you were with your boss, but…” he didn’t finish his sentence, he only arched a perfectly intrigued brow.

“There was sorta a Christmas party tonight.”

“Sorta?”

“Well… a big one. But it ended up having to do with my deadline, so I was on the clock, but with cocktails, of course.”

“Oh! A work party.” He seemed sensitive to the subject, pausing after the wordwork. Oh, god, of course, he was thinking of this morning, of the package I so pathetically declared was for my job.

“I’m actually doing a small assignment:Twelve Days of Sex-Mas.”

“Never heard that version of the song before,” he joked.

“It’s better than the song. This one will actually make you hit thehighnotes.” I shamelessly plugged in one of my Instagram captions.

“Explains the package today.”

“Yeah… The August Falls toy.”

“And which day was that one for?”

“Second to last.” I swallowed my spit, chewing more Chinese food than maybe I should’ve. My mouth felt entirely too dry, and Nick seemed to notice.

“Thirsty?”

“A little.”

Nick reached into the paper grocery bag, moving items aside as he revealed a crystalline bottle of Havana Club Rum. He twisted it with a pop. “Looked good at the store, thought it could bring a little holly to my jolly.” He sniffed it, then took a long sip, letting it sit in his mouth. He made me laugh, but the way his cheeks contoured to the bottle, his Adam’s apple bobbing with a swallow, felt oddly masculine and entirely hot. He exhaled, absolutely pleased. “Interested?”

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