Trapped by Love
A Novelette
By Lillie Ammann
©2000 Lillian A. Ammann
All rights reserved.
Clunk! Thud! The sound of grinding gears, then silence. Even after the elevator stopped, the doors refused to open. Lori Hammond looked at the numbers on the panel. Both "11″ and "12″ were lit. She punched the button for the first floor several times. When nothing happened, she turned to Derek Anderson, her boss and the only other passenger in the car.
"Are we stuck?"
"Sure looks like it. I thought they fixed this thing." Derek grabbed the emergency phone and jiggled the receiver. "What’s wrong with this phone? The darn thing won’t work."
Lori took several deep breaths, thankful that her boss directed his attention to the elevator panel and not to her. Maybe the car would move before he noticed her reaction. If he did notice, he’d probably attribute her behavior to claustrophobia. Her reaction didn’t come just from being closed up in a small space, although heaven knew that was scary enough. No, her reaction came being closed up in a small space with Derek Anderson. She managed to focus on her job and hide her attraction to him in the office. However, she didn’t know if she could maintain her professional attitude stuck in an elevator alone with the only man who inspired her passion.
After jiggling the switch hook on the phone several times, Derek slammed down the receiver and pushed the door of the phone cabinet shut. "Lori, do something. We’ve got to get out of here."
She looked at the ceiling and struggled for calm. What did he expect her to do — perform a miracle?
"Mr. Anderson, we’re probably the last people in the building. It’s after eight." They had worked late — again.
He looked surprised when he checked his watch to confirm the time. "There’s bound to be a security guard or the cleaning crew around."
"The security guard is on duty, but he’ll be at his desk on the first floor now. He probably won’t make rounds for another half hour or more." She hoped her companion didn’t notice the quiver in her voice. "I don’t think he can see the elevator from where he sits."
"What about the cleaning crew?" Derek asked.
Lori turned away and pretended to look at the phone. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists to hide the shaking of her hands. "They don’t start till nine o’clock."
"Well, I don’t intend to stay stuck in here for an hour." Derek banged on the walls and yelled, "Anybody out there? We’re stuck! Get us out of here."
His voice echoed in the small space, but they couldn’t hear any sound from outside.
He took off his coat and tossed it in the corner of the elevator on top of his briefcase. He loosened his tie before he hit the wall and called out again.
Lori tuned out her boss’s voice. She was used to his loud and impatient ways now, but she still remembered how terrified she’d been when she started working at Consolidated Electronics eight months ago. She’d been hired as a clerk in the sales department. Although she didn’t work directly with him, she quickly learned to recognize Mr. Anderson’s voice. Everyone in the department took notice when he bellowed. He didn’t like to use the intercom or the phone. If he wanted to see a salesman or one of the office staff, he simply called out from his office. And when Mr. Anderson called, whoever he called came running.
In the first five months she’d worked in the department, Lori had seen four secretaries come and go. Before they left or transferred to other departments, they all gossiped with the other office workers about their boss. "He’s a perfectionist," they complained. "No one can live up to his standards."
Lori never took part in office gossip. Thrilled and proud to have such a good job, she’d never risk it by complaining. Besides, she had no reason to complain. She liked her job.
She filed and copied and ran errands and tried to make herself useful, but inconspicuous. She’d been surprised when Mr. Anderson called her into his office after the fourth secretary left. Surprised that he’d asked her to come into his office, she was even more surprised that he’d walked over to her desk to speak to her.
"Boy, you must really be in trouble," one of her coworkers whispered. "I’ve been here five years, and I’ve never seen him walk up to an employee and speak normally. If he didn’t yell, something must be really wrong."
Lori took a deep breath and steeled herself to face the boss. She refused to consider the possibility that she would be fired. Whatever was wrong, she hoped he’d give her a chance to correct it.
She quietly followed the manager into his office. He took his seat at the desk and motioned her into a chair across from him.
"Lori, I’ve been watching you work. You’re doing an excellent job. You never need any help to keep up with your own work, and you volunteer to help others in the department. You’re both efficient and a team player." He leaned back in his chair and rolled a pencil in his fingers. "How would you like to make more money?"
"You mean I’m getting a raise?" She tried to sound normal, even businesslike, but inside she was shouting with excitement. As a high-school dropout, she’d resigned herself to a life of unskilled labor. Now, she had proven her worth in an office job. Mama would have been so proud. She’d been so unhappy when Lori dropped out of school.
"You deserve a raise, and I’ll see that you get one, whether or not you accept the challenge I’m offering you." He dropped the pen on the desk and leaned forward. "I’m sure you’ve heard what a tough boss I am."
Lori looked down at her hands folded in her lap. What could she say that was both honest and tactful?
Derek Anderson, the terror of the sales department, suddenly smiled and Lori’s whole world lit up. She’d admired her handsome boss from afar. Now she sat in front of him, the center of his attention.
When she didn’t answer, Derek continued. "I’m glad you didn’t deny hearing the complaints. If you’d said you hadn’t heard anything, I’d know you were lying. And I have to be able to trust my secretary. As I’m sure you know, I need a new one, and you’re the perfect candidate."
He held up his hand to stop Lori’s protest. "I don’t really expect you to be perfect, you know. You’re competent and don’t engage in office politics." He frowned and paused for several seconds. "I think you’ll keep your mind on business, and I’m looking for a professional, not a personal, relationship. The last couple of secretaries I’ve had were more interested in flirting than filing."
Lori’s eyes widened and she felt the heat as her face turned red. She’d heard the other women giggling and sighing over the handsome Mr. Anderson. She admitted to herself he was an attractive man. Okay, more than attractive — gorgeous. But there was no danger of her even considering a personal relationship with him. She came to work to work, not to play. She’d put too much time and effort into preparing for a career to risk an affair with her boss.
"Look," he continued. "I realize it doesn’t have anything to do with me personally. They’re attracted to the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, not to Derek Anderson."
Lori’s confusion must have shown on her face, because he continued, "I prefer the title sales manager, but my official title is Vice President of Sales and Marketing." He shrugged.
Lori knew what his title was. She was confused that he would think any female would be more attracted to the position than to the man. His longish blond hair invited a woman to run her fingers through it, and the long lashes on his green eyes were the envy of many women. In contrast to the boyish good looks of his face, his tall, broad-shouldered body seemed to emanate power. He didn’t need a title or even his authoritative voice to draw attention. Lori heard enough gossip to know her heartbeat wasn’t the only one that sped up when he came near.
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His voice interrupted her daydream. "Can you move to your new desk this afternoon so we can get started in the morning?"
He didn’t seem to realize that she hadn’t answered. He obviously took her acceptance for granted. Although she wondered how she would keep him from seeing her attraction to him, she knew she couldn’t pass up this career move. "Of course."
On that day three months ago, she hadn’t let her new boss see how much her hands were trembling. Today she wouldn’t let him see her fear, and she certainly wouldn’t let him see her fascination with him.
She suddenly realized she didn’t hear his voice. He’d quit calling for help. She couldn’t hear any sound at all. When she looked toward him, she gasped at the look in his eyes. He stared at her as