was scary. What’s happening?” she asked, her voice tinged with panic.
“I don’t know,” Monte answered. He reached out, fumbling with the buttons in an attempt to press the now-blackened one for the lobby. The elevator remained motionless and dark. He felt along the smooth panel again until he located the alarm. He pressed that button and the shrill sound rang out, causing Torie, who was still standing very close to Monte, to jump even closer.
“It’s okay. I’m just ringing the alarm to alert someone that we’re in here,” Monte said.
The rich timbre of Monte’s voice had an almost calming effect on Torie. Almost, because although it was a well-guarded secret, Torie was deeply afraid of the dark.
“Shouldn’t an emergency light come on or something?” she asked.
“You would think so, but I’m guessing maybe the power is out. I’m sure it’ll come on in a few minutes.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yeah, I’m sure of it. This is a state-of-the-art building and we’re constantly having elevator inspections and such. And even if it doesn’t come on, the lobby security will respond to the alarm,” Monte said.
He said these words even though he really wasn’t sure of any of it. But making others feel at ease in any situation was in Monte’s nature and it was a talent at which he was very good. It was what made him a loving father and son, and a superb lawyer. He could feel the anxiety radiating off of Torie, and the last thing they needed while trapped and suspended twenty-odd stories off of the ground was for her to get hysterical.
“Okay,” came Torie’s measured reply.
She accepted Monte’s rationale and allowed it to sink into her mind and racing heart. Of course he was right. This was, after all, the Time Warner building, located in the center of midtown Manhattan on a Friday night. This building and its personnel was equipped to deal with this type of emergency, and it would just be a matter of minutes before they were rescued. Torie inhaled a deep breath. She closed her eyes and allowed her muscles to relax. As her pulse slowed and the queasy feeling in her stomach began to subside, she became aware of how close to Monte she was still standing after having been thrown into him. Although she could not see his face and could only make out the outline of his form, her other senses kicked in, drawing her into his presence. She felt the warmth of his body next to hers and the scent of him, a mixture of maleness and a heady aftershave toyed with her sense of smell. She suddenly felt wobbly again and reached out for him. Her hand found his strong forearm, and she clenched it.
“Maybe we should sit down,” Monte said, interpreting her move as a sign that she was unsteady on her feet, perhaps near fainting.
He quickly removed his suit jacket and laid it on the floor beside him. He felt for Torie’s elbow and then slowly guided her to the floor and onto his jacket. He slid down the wall beside her, loosening the knot in his tie. Monte stretched his long legs out in front of him and let out the deep sigh that he’d been holding in.
“This really sucks, doesn’t it?” Torie asked.
“Well, I guess you could say that it’s not my idea of how to spend a Friday night.” Monte chuckled.
He thought for a moment about his boys and his mother, who were at home in bed for sure. Cheryl, the nanny who looked after them while he worked, would probably call the office soon, to see how much longer he would be delayed. She’d have given his mother her sleeping pill and made sure the guardrails on her bed were in place. He’d had the bars installed a few months ago when his mother had either rolled off the bed or fallen while trying to get up. She’d broken her wrist when she’d hit the floor and now he made sure that she was secure in bed every night. Cheryl would begin to get worried soon and would then call both his cell and car phones. Monte felt around in the dark until he found his briefcase. He reached into the side pocket and retrieved his PDA.
“Humph, just like I thought. No signal,” he said.
All the device was able to provide was a sliver of light from the small screen when he depressed the power button.
“And then there was light,” Monte joked.
He lay the device onto his lap and let his head roll back against the elevator wall.
“So what would you be doing tonight if you weren’t trapped in this elevator?” Monte asked.
“Me? Uh, I’d probably be home, curled up on the sofa by now,” Torie answered.
“Yeah, right. On a Friday night in New York City? Come on, for real. What would you be doing?”
“I’m serious,” Torie cried. “I’d be watching 20/20 or whatever’s on right now. Ooh, and tonight was the season finale of NCIS, too. Shoot.”
“Listen to you, sounding like a regular couch potato.” Monte laughed.
“And what’s wrong with that? I happen to have a very nice couch, I’ll have you know,” Torie said over Monte’s raucous laughter. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, nothing. I’m sorry,” Monte said, putting his laughter in check. “It’s just that I can’t really picture you with curlers in your hair, flannel pajamas and a big bowl of popcorn,” Monte said, chuckling.
“You know, if you’re going to make fun of me, you could at least introduce yourself first.”
“Monte…Monte Lewis. I’d shake your hand, but I’m not sure where it is,” Monte said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Monte Lewis. I’m Torie…Turner.”
“I know who you are,” Monte responded. “Oh?”
“We, uh, actually shared an elevator a couple of weeks ago. You were coming up to the office to see Monica Schwartz. You’re an actress, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Don’t tell me you’ve seen my work?” Torie asked.
Monte realized at that moment that he could lie and say, yes, he had. He could tell her that she was a terrific actress and possibly score big points with her, but that wasn’t his style. He believed that when you start off telling one lie all you’re doing is setting yourself up for a dozen more lies to follow.
“No, I can’t say that I have. What have you done?”
In the darkness, Torie’s smile broadened. She hated when she met people who, immediately upon learning that she was an actress, pretended to recognize her. Someday she was certain that she would be a face that people knew immediately, but that day was not here yet. Torie Turner’s was not an ego that needed to be stroked with false praise. She found Monte’s honesty refreshing.
“Well, let’s see. There was that mouthwash commercial last winter. Then there was the Reynolds Wrap foil spot around the holidays. And my personal favorite, the genital herpes medicine gig.” Torie laughed. “Pretty impressive résumé, huh?”
“I guess I don’t watch much TV,” Monte said apologetically.
“I’m just teasing; that’s not all I’ve done. There have also been a couple of small theater productions in Atlanta and in Philadelphia. But all that is about to change.”
