"Damn! I'm on holiday I can't spend valuable time stuck in a lift," James exclaimed.
"You're wrong young man," Nora stated. "One, you're on vacation not on holiday. Two, this is an elevator not a lift. Three, WE are stuck not just you. We are definitely stuck," she sighed, counting his errors on three fingers.
He glared back at her. If it had been Janet, from college, instead of this old woman it would have been so much easier to take. Janet was the same age, eighteen, whereas this woman looked around thirty-two. There were some similarities though. They were both blonde and, and he couldn't think of anything else. She was an American not an English rose and she had a fuller figure, unlike Janet's tall lithe frame.
He knew she was thin and athletic because he had spied on her while she played netball in the sports hall. He had happened to be taking a short cut through that way, escaping a maths class. As soon as he looked through the window it was only Janet he could see among the team of girls jumping, reaching up, and bending over, with sports shoes squeaking over the polished floor.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"What does it look like?" she returned.
"All right then, WHY are you getting undressed?" he asked.
"It's hot in here and going to get hotter and I can't sleep when I'm too hot. Besides, the floor looks too hard for me," she shot back at him. She had stripped down to her underwear dropping clothes onto the floor.
"Haven't you seen a bra before?" she asked, in annoyance at the stare.
"No," he said, with uncharacteristic honesty. "Should I turn around?" he said, making no attempt to take his eyes off an impressive cleavage.
"It's too late now for false manners! Besides, we'll be here some time, not much point in being coy," she said.
"What do you mean we'll be here some time?" he asked.
"What do you think it means?" she said.
"Are you always this awkward?" he asked.
"Are you always so stupid? I'm divorced, does that answer your question?" she stated, with a touch of venom in her voice. "The hotel is cheap and they don't have a twenty-four hour lift service. We'll be here overnight so make your self comfortable," she advised.
She bent over straightening the clothes out making slightly more comfortable to lie on. She quickly straightened up and looked round at him. "Haven't you been told it's rude to stare," she shot at him.
"Sorry," he whispered.
She looked at his crotch. "I guess I'm not such a pretty sight, eh?" she said, not wanting a reply.
"It's lovely, you're lovely, I mean," he said, stopping abruptly on realising he was just digging deeper into something he didn't understand.
She looked him over seeing a crimson colour take over his face, looking awkward too, like a coy schoolboy. "How old are you?" she asked.
"I'm eighteen," he said, straightening his shoulders as though proud to be so old.
Nora held back a chuckle realising it would annoy this young man and the small space had to be shared for a few hours yet. "What's you name?"
"James, but you can call me Jim," he said, and held out his hand to shake.
"Nora and you can call me Miss Rodgers," she said, with a stern look.
"Are you a teacher," he said with a gulp and a sudden shift in tone of voice. He looked as though she had delivered an electric shock, from one of those trick buzzers.
"What if I was?" she asked, with a caustic sound to her voice.
"But, your in your underwear!" he exclaimed. He was still shaking her hand as though stuck in a wash cycle pumping water.
Her breasts jiggled in the loose bra - not one she would have chosen to be seen in. The bra and panties didn't even match, but they were comfortable.
"So, as long as I'm not a teacher it's alright to jiggle my breasts around?" she asked, her voice laden with sarcasm.
"Oh! No, sorry," he said. He watched them for a moment or two then let go of her hand. He watched her clasp and unclasp an aching hand to bring back the circulation from his tight grip. "Sorry," he said.
"Let's get comfy, OK?" she said. "You look hot, I suggest you remove the sweater," she advised. She felt a little warm herself over the suggestion.
He hesitated then pulled it over his head. He looked at her settling onto the pile of clothes. "Here you can have my jacket and this pullover," he said, trying to be gallant and make amends for his rudeness. Looking away he pulled off the t-shirt but couldn't bring himself to remove the jeans.
"So what are you going to lie on? Here take them off too, we'll make a nest to share," she said. "Don't worry I won't tell," she laughed.
He hesitated until she looked away and he pulled them off making a hash of it getting them stuck around the shoes. Eventually he managed to strip down to his shorts and she added the jeans to a makeshift bed. Again he hesitated getting close.
"Might as well make the most of it," she said. This time her cheeks reddened. "I'm nice and you're nice so no harm in it, I guess," she said, a little too defensively.