“Damn it!” Jessalyn Hendricks could not believe her luck. She had hit every traffic light between her apartment and her office. She was already 15 minutes late for work. Standing now in the lobby of the massive skyscraper that housed her law firm, the elevator slammed shut in her face. Desperately, she hit the open button, but her attempt was in vain. She debated taking the stairs, but quickly vetoed the idea. Jessalyn could not imagine trying to run up to the 38th floor in a pair of heels and a skirt. She checked her watch. 9:15 am. Great.
Jessalyn had a meeting scheduled for 9:30 am with a new client, and she needed the little bit of time to prepare and compose herself. Noah Jennings was huge, rich and powerful. He was looking for an attorney to settle alimony disputes between him and his ex-wife. The last thing that Jessalyn needed was a cocky, twenty-something business owner complaining about women and his pathetic life in general. Then again, Jessalyn knew she should be grateful for this opportunity. If he was pleased with her work, he might ask her for additional help. Additional work meant additional money. If she ever wanted to open her own law firm, Jessalyn would have to do some ass-kissing.
Jessalyn was busy pondering the opening presentation she had prepared when she was bumped from behind. “Excuse me, I am so sorry!” a deep male voice apologized to her back. Jessalyn whirled around and found her face buried into a very broad, well-built chest. She stepped back and looked into the face of a very handsome stranger. “Someone was trying to get by me, and the lobby just isn’t big enough,” he offered as she stared at him dumbfounded. Finding her voice, Jessalyn managed to squeak out an okay before spinning around again. She did not recognize him. Working in such a huge building meant that she did not necessarily know all of her neighbors. She would definitely have to find out who he is.
The elevator doors opened, and Jessalyn stepped in. Mr. Handsome stepped in behind her. She pressed the button for floor 38, and asked where he was going. He said he was going to a law firm, not sure which one, though. There were too many in the building to guess. He reached into his leather briefcase to search for the information. The doors shut and the elevator began to rise.
Jessalyn stole a glance at him while he searched. About 6’4”, black hair, baby blue eyes, and a body to die for. Or, at least, to beg for. This guy was no couch potato. He was clean cut, clean-shaven, and smelled like heaven. His musky scent drifted through the elevator and tickled her nose, causing goose pumps to jump onto her arms. His navy Armani suit and blue tie set his eyes off perfectly. Damn. Mr. Handsome looked up at her and noticed her checking him out. Jessalyn blushed and looked away quickly, pretending that the ugly wood paneling on the elevator was simply fascinating.
The elevator rose to the 24th floor and suddenly jostled to a stop. Jessalyn braced herself against the wall for balance as the lights dimmed to the emergency lighting system. Mr. Handsome reached by her to the control panel, which was now blank. After pressing a few buttons, he looked at her and said, “I think we lost power”. Jessalyn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at such an obvious statement.
“Does the emergency call button work?” Jessalyn asked. He pushed the big, red button and shook his head no.
“What about the phone?” Again, he shook his head no.