Page 46 of The Lessons

I swallowed hard, threw my hand up, and in less than twenty minutes, we’d checked into a hotel downtown and were headed toward the bank of elevators.

As we waited for the next car, Natalie’s eyes darted around, looking at the large paintings that adorned the sleek lobby.

“So, this is a fancy place; you come here often?” she asked.

I tried to decode her face. Was she flirting, or was she serious? Either way, it made me chuckle.

“Definitely not.”

The corners of her mouth tugged up in a smirk. “I don’t believe that.”

“No, really. Never have any occasion to. Believe it or not, I’m actually more of a homebody.”

“Now that I definitely don’t believe.”

The elevator dinged, and I got on. Natalie stood at the threshold, taking in the interior of the car before stepping inside.

“Why is that so hard to believe?” I asked as the doors closed behind us. I pressed the button for the 27thfloor.

“I don’t know. It’s just you’re so—”

She was interrupted by a sudden vibration followed by a strong shake.

“Omigod—” A look of panic erupted behind her eyes, and her voice dropped. “Was that an earthquake?”

“No, no. It’s okay, probably just an elevator hiccup,” I said gently, trying to keep her calm. We were both perfectly silent as we listened for the mechanical sounds that would let us know we were back on our way, but they didn’t come. We glanced at each other. Crap.

The elevator was stuck.

I pressed the button for our floor again, but it was no use. All the lights were out on the panel.

Natalie’s voice was tight, and her eyes rapidly moved from me to the instrument panel and back. “I’m going to press the emergency button.”

I nodded.

She pressed it once, and then again. Nothing.

“Seriously?” she asked, of no one in particular.

“I’ll call the hotel. I’m sure the engineer will have us going in no time,” I said, trying to keep the situation in perspective.

Natalie

I was glad he was calm because I was out of my mind. I braced myself against the wall of the elevator car, gripping the handrail for dear life. I had to stay together. I could not freak out in front of him.

“They’re sending the engineers. I hope you aren’t claustrophobic,” Ryan joked, hanging up the phone. “Boy, someone upstairs just does not want us to have sex today.”

I managed a half-smile and took a gulp of air. My throat started to close up, and my palms grew wet. I leaned back against the wall of the car for support.Dear God, please don’t let me pass out. Please don’t let me pass out.I started to imagine the set of headlines:

UnSexed Virgin Dies En Route To Her Deflowering

‘We were so close,’ says surrogate

I started to melt as a high-pitched buzz seized my ears. Clamminess took over my limbs.

“Whoa, wait. Natalie,areyou claustrophobic?” Ryan’s eyes widened at me. He came over to me and put his hand on the small of my back, lowering his voice to a purr.

“I just…don’t like elevators,” I whispered, my voice small as I felt my windpipes close in on themselves.

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