Caught in the Middle

Chapter 15

The next morning, I woke up, I jumped into the shower as my mind wandered to last night.  I couldn't believe what Dane proposed to me the night before.  He was only keeping me here because he thought I was a whore.  And the price he was asking me for his help was to sleep with him.  Did he think I was desperate to sleep with him?  I was willing to deal with Mr. Pierce myself if only I could get out of this damn penthouse.

But Dane was right about one thing.  I did feel pleasure when I was with him.  The man knew how to make me feel by doing nothing at all.  His good looks and charming ways was worming it's way inside my heart.

I shook my head.  Staying in this penthouse wasn't going to be an option.  I had to get out of here, return to work, file a claim against Mr. Pierce, and try to survive somehow.  Maybe I could make back up with Irene.  I hated to admit she was right, but being alone wasn't fun.

I got dressed and went into the living room to see Dane.  Only he wasn't there.  I walked to his office, seeing that his door was open.  I knocked lightly on it and called his name.  He didn't answer me.  Peering into his office, I saw an empty chair behind a magnificent desk.  I left the empty room and stood in the hallway.  There was another closed door, which I assumed to be his bedroom.

'Now is my time to escape,' I thought. 

Quietly, I crept to the end of the penthouse and touched the button for the elevator.  I heard the elevator moving up and I smiled to myself.  I checked behind me to make sure Dane's door was still closed.  The elevator had come up and the doors opened with a ding.  I cursed at the loudness.  It pierced the silence in the room.  I swiveled on my feet and slowly backed into the elevator while looking around the room.

This escape seemed to easy, almost as if Dane anticipated it.  I didn't want him to pop out of thin air.  The elevator doors swiftly closed, again with a ding.  I pushed the button for the lobby.  The button lit up and the elevator slowly descended all while my heart was pumping and adrenaline was flowing through my bloodstream.

The crews that worked in building maintenance had shifts.  There was a good chance I wasn't going to run into the same doorman who let me up into Dane's apartment.  If by chance he was working the morning shift, I was going to high tail outside.  I lifted up my foot and rotated it when I realized I wasn't wearing any shoes.  I glanced down at myself, seeing I wasn't wearing a jacket.  I hit my head, wondering how stupid could I be.

The elevators opened with a ding and the doorman greeted me with a friendly expression.  Only his eyes didn't appear that way.  He looked down at me as if I was some sort of contagious disease.

"Are you going anywhere, Miss?" he questioned me with disdain.

"I was," I strained a smiled as I continued speaking, "But I realized I'm not appropriately dressed for outside."

"I wasn't going to let you go outside anyway," he replied.

"Excuse me," I retorted, clear taken aback by his frankness.

"Mr. Cole said not to let you go outside on your own.  Apparently, you're not feeling well and that you need a lot of rest.  It's not safe for you to go outside in your condition."

'This bastard and that insufferable man!'  Defiance took over me.  'So Dane thought he can prevent me from escaping.  Well, he has another thing coming.'

I walked out of the elevator and I flinched as my bare feet touched the cold, polished floor.  The floor was another good reason for me to dash outside.  An old man dressed in casual outdoor clothing was at the lobby door.  He gaped at me, which probably had to do with how I was dressed.  The moment he opened the lobby door, I darted for it.  I made four leaps until strong arms closed around my waist and pulled me back against a hard body.