Authors: Kristen Luciani
Venture Forward (31 page)
A sudden and powerful lurch rocketed her toward the back wall. She gripped the handrail, heart thundering in her chest. The lights flickered tauntingly until everything faded to blackness. What the fu--?
She blinked rapidly, eyes struggling to focus. Shallow breaths escaped her lips. They were stuck in a metal box that weighed hundreds of thousands of pounds, suspended by cables that could snap at any second—Dammit! Why hadn’t she taken the stairs? Another jerk made her stomach clench, a loud yelp piercing the silence. “Oh my God, oh my God,” she whimpered, clutching the rail. “I don’t want to die. Not tonight.”
“Big plans?”
“Don’t talk! You’ll use up all the oxygen.” A lump formed in her throat, each gulp of air harder and harder to pull into her lungs. Beads of perspiration formed on the back of her neck. Her chest tightened. What if they didn’t know there were people in the elevator? And how would they get help? It was too dark to see the alarm button—
She let out a bloodcurdling scream as the car dropped what felt like a hundred feet before it yanked back upward.
A bright light revealed a lazy smile and deep-set eyes that could singe her insides under normal circumstances, when she wasn’t a few feet away from meeting certain fiery death at the bottom of an elevator shaft. “Relax. Just hit the alarm button.”
Teeth chattering, she shook her head. “I’m too scared to move.”
He jabbed the button and nothing. No response, except the palpitations that assaulted her heart. “It’s not working! Oh my God! We’re going to die in here! They’ll be too late! Nobody knows we’re even in here!”
Tears formed in her eyes, her breathing ragged. She clutched her chest, squinting in the light emitted by his phone. “I’m having a fucking heart attack. I’m going to die in an elevator. God only knows if they’ll be able to recognize our mangled bodies after the crash.” The lump increased in size with the pass of each agonizing second. “Why aren’t you talking?” she shouted.
“You told me not to.”
“So why did you listen? I’m hysterical!”
“Clearly.”
Her hands grew clammy, sweat now drizzling down her back. This was it. No sex. No vodka. Just impending death. “I need to get to a hospital,” she choked. “I’m too young to survive a heart attack. I won’t make it!”
The phone light faded and they were once again immersed by blackness. She let out a gasp. “What happened to the—“
Soft, yet demanding lips pressed against hers, extinguishing all coherent thought. Sweet, sugary, bubble gum flavored lips. Strong hands caressed the sides of her face, stroking the loose strands of hair now matted to her neck. Tiny shivers danced across her damp skin as the coiling warmth of his tongue probed and plundered her eager mouth. Oh fuck, they must already be dead because this was heaven… a better one than she’d ever dreamed.
Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. Overhead light illuminated the elevator car, the motor roaring back to life. But his mouth was so insistent that she could do nothing other than comply with its very wanton wishes. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him close, longing to feel his—
Ding! It was the one sound that could break the intoxicating spell. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and strode through the elevator doors as they opened without so much as a backward glance. No effing way. Lisa Embry was not one to be ignored.
“Hey!” she sputtered as she followed, still breathless. “What the hell was that? You can’t just go around assaulting random helpless women!”
“You’re far from helpless. Besides, I didn’t hear any complaints when I had you pinned against the wall. Maybe you need to have a chat with that tongue of yours… and some of the other body parts that were edging in on the action.” He turned, a wicked gleam reflected in his deliciously deviant eyes.
“Whaat?” Her stilettos clicked on the marble floor as she stomped toward him. “You’re a disgusting pig! I panicked, you saw an opportunity and took it.” Two could play that insidious little game. Standing down, her lips curled into a smirk. “Poor thing. Are you really that desperate?”
“That’s supposed to be a rhetorical question, right?”
Her fists clenched at her sides, twitching, aching to knock that smug look off his beautiful face. “You’re a real asshole. Who the hell do you think you are?”
A cocky smile appeared, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “I just stopped a heart attack. Call me God.”
KRISTEN LUCIANI
is a self-proclaimed momtrepreneur with a penchant for Christian Louboutins, Silicon Valley, plunging necklines and grapefruit martinis. As a deep-rooted romantic who prefers juicy drama to fill the lives of anyone other than her, she tried her hand at creating a world of enchantment, sensuality, and intrigue, finally uncovering her true passion. No pun intended…
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I AM SO THANKFUL
to everyone who made
Venture Forward
come to life! I feel incredibly blessed to have such an amazing support network. Terry, I love you more than words could express. Thank you for always encouraging me to follow my dreams and to keep driving forward. Lulu, Cooper and George, you guys light me up every day and I’m so lucky to have you in my life!
To Ryan, what can I say besides…glow sticks? We’ve had so many laughs together, and many more Jack and Cokes. I’m so thankful for your friendship and live for our Dunkin’ Donuts jab sessions.
To Becca, you’re such an incredible person and friend – always willing to give of yourself, never asking for anything in return. I’m so happy to have you in my life and look forward to our next adventure!
To Cindy, thank you for always getting my head in the right place. I’m a better author for it.
To the fabulous Blue Tulip Publishing team, Nate, Rachel, Jill, Jena, Paula and Kathleen, thank you so much for your constant support, inspiration and insight. I love working with you all!
To the members of The Stiletto Click, you are awesome! I’m so thankful we found each other and love the friendships we’ve created.
To my readers, I couldn’t do any of this without you. You inspire me to create and share the best stories possible. THANK YOU!
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