Stranded With a Billionaire (2 page)

“This place is a total roach motel,” Sharon said, tossing her suitcase onto the bed and throwing clothing onto the floor until she uncovered her pink bikini. “You should have asked them to upgrade you to the penthouse.”

“The radio station gave me the vacation. I couldn’t exactly demand anything.”

“I would have demanded a room larger than a closet!” Sharon stripped off her sundress and began to change.

Brontë went back to her guidebook, ignoring Sharon’s incessant complaining. So the resort was a little on the . . . rundown side. Seaturtle Cay in the Bahamas was still a win in Brontë’s eyes. It was free, for starters. She hadn’t spent a dime on travel or the hotel, thanks to the radio station. Which was a good thing, seeing as how she didn’t have two nickels to rub together. Mostly, it was just nice to get away from work. The beaches were gorgeous, and she’d seen a few advertisements for fun excursions like parasailing and snorkeling.

It just had to stop raining.

Brontë glanced out the window at the gray, gloomy skies and pouring rain. She sighed and flipped to the back of the guidebook, wondering if it included a list of rainy weather events.

Sharon finished adjusting her bikini and then glared out the window. “We’re not going to get one day of sunshine, are we?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a weatherman,” Brontë said without looking up, her voice as cheerful as possible. “Maybe you should go to the bar and see if anyone there has a weather report.”

“Now that sounds like a great idea.” Sharon put on a pair of enormous hoop earrings, slid into her sandals, and waved at Brontë. “I’ll be back soon. You want anything?”

Some peace and quiet? “I’m good.”

As soon as she was gone, Brontë exhaled in relief and stretched out on the bed. She grabbed a pair of earbuds and turned her music up to blot out the sound of her neighbors having sex—again. Brontë picked up her guidebook and flipped back to the beginning. A vacation was a vacation was a vacation, and she was going to enjoy this one, damn it. She turned a page. Swimming with stingrays. Huh. Maybe she’d try that. She glanced at the angry, cloudy sky again.

Just as soon as it was sunny.

***

A hand roughly jarred her awake from her nap. “Brontë! Ohmigod. Brontë! Wake up!”

She jerked up, tugging out the earbuds, only to see Sharon looming over her bed.

The other woman looked frazzled. “Did you not hear the loudspeakers?”

“Mmm? Loudspeakers?” Sure enough, there was a low tone echoing over and over. As she cocked her head to try to distinguish the sound, Brontë heard a voice chime in over the loudspeaker.

“
Please make your way to the bus loading area
,” it said, calm and smooth. “
All guests will be transported to the evacuation site as soon as possible. Please remain calm and do not panic. There is plenty of time to evacuate the area prior to the hurricane. Refunds will not be issued. Guests will be given a voucher for a future visit
.”

“Hurricane?” Brontë repeated slowly, as if trying to make the word register in her mind. “Are you serious?”

“Hurricane Latonya,” Sharon said, moving to her bed and throwing her suitcase onto the mattress. “Category three currently and heading toward category four or five. They’re evacuating this entire stupid island.”

A hurricane? It seemed ridiculous. Brontë had seen something about it on the news. Something like “not heading anywhere near the Bahamas.” The news was apparently a big fat liar.

She sat up in bed, alert. “Where do we go?”

“We’re all going to be shuttled over to a nearby cruise ship and taken back to the mainland.” Looking stressed, Sharon pulled a pair of jean shorts on over her bikini. “This whole vacation has been doomed.”

Brontë believed in making lemonade out of lemons as much as the next person, but she was starting to agree with Sharon. “I can’t believe the hurricane’s heading this way.”

“Yeah. It’s supposed to be a big one, too. Pack your stuff. We have to
go
.”

They packed quickly, Brontë far more than Sharon, who had crammed her suitcase full of clothing and shoes and now found it wouldn’t all fit back in since she’d purchased some things in the gift shop. Sharon spent a good twenty minutes deciding which outfits to take with her and which to leave behind, and wailing about all of it. Just when Brontë was about to leap over the bed and take over, Sharon said she was ready. Suitcases in hand, they made their way out of the room.

A sea of people wandered the hallways, tourists with suitcases and small children. People were crying and arguing, and everyone was shoving to get ahead. The line for the elevator stretched down the hall and the bland, too-calm evacuation message played over the loudspeaker over and over again.

“Stairs?” Brontë asked Sharon.

“In heels? Down twenty floors? Are you kidding me? We can wait for the elevator.”

Brontë bit back her retort. “Fine. We’ll wait for the elevator.”

They did, and had to wait nearly half an hour just to get on the stupid thing. They made it down to the lobby only to find that it was packed shoulder to shoulder with guests. It was a complete and utter mess, and Brontë’s stomach sank at the sight of it.

Sharon pushed her way forward, and Brontë followed her. There was a line of buses in the parking lot, barely visible through the relentless rain and the crowd of bodies waiting to get out of the hotel. One harried looking man with a clipboard was trying to keep order—and failing miserably.

As they stood waiting, a man with a Red Cross symbol on his rain slicker headed inside. “All right,” he yelled, and the room quieted. “We’re going to need you to form an orderly line. Have your identification and your passport out and available. We’ll be taking you all to a nearby cruise ship that has agreed to sail back to the mainland and out of the storm’s way. Again, please have your passport and identification ready.”

The crowd murmured, digging into pockets and pulling out wallets. Brontë pulled out her small purse and removed her passport and license.

Sharon got a panicked look on her face and started digging through her purse.

“Sharon?” Brontë said nervously. “What is it?”

“I can’t find my passport,” Sharon said, moving aside as the line of people surged forward to get onto the bus.

Brontë pushed her way to Sharon’s side, trying not to be annoyed. “Is it in your suitcase?”

“I don’t know! It should be in my purse.” Sharon opened her purse and began to dig out a random assortment of makeup and brushes. She dropped a lipstick, and it rolled away under a sea of feet. Sharon stared after it, her gaze full of longing. “Shit. I loved that color.”

“You can buy a new one,” Brontë told her, her patience nearly gone. “Find your passport.”

Sharon’s eyes widened. “Do you think it’s at the bar?”

“Either the bar or the room.” Seeing as how those were the only two places Sharon had been since they’d gotten to the resort.

“Bus number two is loading,” the man called. “Please form an orderly line for the evacuation!”

They ignored him. Sharon clutched a double handful of makeup and was still digging in her purse. “It’s not in here. Can you go back to the room and check?”

Brontë stared at Sharon. “Seriously?”

“Yes!” Sharon snapped, no longer bothering to be friendly. She stuffed the makeup back in and sat down on the floor, unzipping her luggage and ignoring the mob glaring at her. “I’ll check my suitcase here and then go to the bar and see if it’s there. We can save some time if you go double-check the room for me.”

“Line up for bus number three!” the man yelled.

“How many buses do they have?” Brontë asked nervously. “I don’t want to be left behind.”

“I’ll call your cell if I find it,” Sharon said. “Leave your suitcase here, and I’ll watch it for you.”

Brontë hesitated. She really didn’t want go hunting for the missing passport. Sharon had been awful to room with, and it had only been two days. Two very, very long days. She was almost at the point where she didn’t care if Sharon stayed or not. And now there was a freaking hurricane on the way, which just made things go from bad to worse. “There’s a hurricane, Sharon. I’m sure they’re not going to bother to check everyone’s passports. They’ll let you on without it.”

“Please, Brontë,” Sharon said, and her voice sounded tearful even as she began to rip her suitcases open and frantically dig into messy piles of clothing. “Help me, Brontë. It won’t take five minutes! I promise I won’t let them leave without you. Look at all these people standing here. It’s going to take them an hour to evacuate everyone.”

There were a lot of people, Brontë had to admit. And there had been a line at the elevator upstairs. It would take a while for the resort to clear out. She thought of the upset wobble in Sharon’s voice. Damn it. With a sigh, she pulled out her cellphone and waved it in front of Sharon’s face. “Call me the moment you find it,” she said in a firm voice. “Hurry,” Sharon told her.

No “Thank you.” No “I appreciate it.” No “You’re the best.” Just a “Hurry.” Figured. Parking her suitcase next to Sharon, she turned and ran for the elevator.

She was definitely going on the next trip alone.

***

The passport wasn’t in the room. At least, Brontë was pretty sure it wasn’t. It was hard to tell with the mess Sharon had made of things. But Brontë had dutifully upended the garbage can, searched through the assortment of half-used bottles in the small bathroom, shaken out every towel, and even looked between the mattresses.

And then, because she hadn’t gotten a call from Sharon and because she felt like she couldn’t go back without Sharon’s passport, she checked one more time. Anxiety made her stomach feel as if it were tied in knots. Were the buses still downstairs? They wouldn’t leave anyone behind, would they?

Brontë moved to the window and peered out, but it was raining even harder, the skies gray and dark. It was impossible to see anything out there except more rain.

She checked under the bed one last time and then couldn’t stand it any longer. She was just going to have to admit defeat. With a final glance at the empty room, Brontë closed the door behind her.

The hall was empty this time, but that annoying tone was still going off over the loudspeakers. Crossing her arms over her chest, she headed to the elevator and hit the button. She drummed her fingers as she waited, every second seeming like a million years. She checked the screen of her phone for a message from Sharon. Nothing.

The elevator door chimed. It opened slowly, revealing a lone occupant. A man in a double-breasted gray suit stood at the back of the elevator. There was a white name badge over one breast of his jacket, indicating that he worked at the hotel. He frowned at the sight of Brontë, looking as if he was incredibly annoyed that the elevator had bothered to stop on her floor.

Yeah, well, she was annoyed, too. Brontë stepped inside and smacked the lobby button, even though it was already lit up. She punched it a few more times for good measure. Great. She was probably in the elevator with the manager or something. She supposed it was lucky that she’d gone back to the room and not Sharon. If Sharon had seen the manager, she’d have filled his ears with complaints about how horrible the hotel was. The
free
hotel.

She stared at the buttons, watching them light up as the elevator moved down. Twenty floors, and she’d been on the nineteenth. The man on the elevator must have been in the floor above her. The penthouse. If she had to guess, Brontë would have assumed those guests had been evacuated first. Maybe the manager had gone up to count the bathrobes or something.

They were evacuating the entire island. Good lord. So much for her fun, relaxing vacation. She’d been trying so hard to make this vacation enjoyable, and it had fought her at every turn, as if determined to suck, and hard. So much for “fun” or even “relaxing.” Brontë’d never felt so stressed out in her entire life.

A freaking hurricane. The perfect way to cap off the world’s most horrible vacation.

The elevator panel lit up on two. Brontë drummed her fingers on her arm, waiting for it to roll over to one. And waited . . .

And waited . . .

The elevator shuddered just as the power went out. The elevator car was plunged into darkness, and Brontë lost her breath, terror gripping her.

“Great,” the manager said behind her. “Just fucking great.”

A hysterical giggle rose in Brontë’s throat. Nope.
That
was the perfect way to cap off the world’s most horrible vacation.

Chapter Two

Brontë’s wild laughter echoed in the small elevator, the only sound breaking the silence. She couldn’t seem to stop. It was just so ridiculous. She’d been stuck in what was supposed to be paradise with a horrible roomie and a hurricane. Now? Now she was trapped in an elevator with a stranger. Truly, she must have racked up some sort of hellish karma to have this happen to her.

“I’m glad you find this funny,” the man behind her said in a cold, biting tone. “I assure you that I do not.”

“It’s funny because it’s so awful,” Brontë said between giggles. “This is the worst day ever.”

“I don’t laugh when I’m in a life-threatening situation.”

“I do,” she said, and burst into more giggles. They were part hysteria, of course, and part anxiety. Not exactly endearing her to the manager she was currently stuck with. “Sorry,” she apologized, but it came out wobbly, as if she were suppressing more laughter. “I’m what you would call a nervous laugher. I’ll try to stop.”

“Good.”

She giggled again and then clapped a hand over her mouth.

He said nothing. She wished they had the lights at least, so she could look over at him and judge his expression. Probably just as well that she couldn’t. He was probably glaring hatefully at her. She couldn’t really blame him for that. She was kind of being an ass. A hysterical ass.

Silence fell, almost oppressive in the darkness. Neither said anything, and Brontë found herself silently wishing that the blaring monotone of the loudspeaker with the hurricane warning chimes could be heard. Just to break up the silence. Something. Anything.

Her phone. Of course. She felt stupid for forgetting about it. She could call Sharon and tell her that she was stuck in the elevator. Fishing around in her purse, Brontë located it with her fingertips and pulled it out, clicking it on. Bluish light flooded her end of the elevator, nearly blinding her with its brilliance. One bar left—that was what she got for reading books on her phone, she supposed. Not that it mattered. The screen was lit up with a message—“Area out of service.” Shit.

Across the elevator, another light flared to life, and she glanced over at the man in the suit, his features illuminated by the phone’s light. Good-looking. A few years older than her, with a strong jaw and nose. He immediately clicked his phone off again. “No service.” He sounded disgusted.

Thrown back into darkness again, Brontë blinked at the red spots in her vision. She reached out into the darkness, trying to recall exactly how big the elevator was. Fifteen feet across? Less? More? She hadn’t paid attention. Brontë suspected that if she took a step forward, her outstretched arm would smack into the stranger, though.

Cozy. A little too cozy, considering they were trapped.

Exactly how long could they be trapped here before someone would notice? What if the ferry had already left the island for the mainland? Brontë tried not to think about that, or the hurricane heading their way. Someone would be coming to get them. She waited for the inevitable sound of voices, of rescuers.

And waited . . .

And waited . . . The darkness was stifling, the only sounds in the elevator that of her accelerated breathing. Hers and the manager’s.

When the power didn’t appear to be coming back on, she slid down to the floor of the elevator. It felt cool against her legs, a welcome change considering that the air in the elevator was becoming a little stuffy. How long had they been sitting here in the darkness? Ten minutes? Twenty? How long did they have before the hurricane hit? She clutched her purse close.

Air brushed past her as if he was moving forward, and she clung to the wall. “What are you doing?”

Buttons clicked. He seemed to be ignoring her.

“What are you doing?” she asked again.

A buzzer rang out, startling her so much that her heart jumped into her throat and she jolted in her seat.

“Emergency buzzer,” he said in a low voice. “Someone should hear it and come looking for us.”

“If they’re still here,” she pointed out.

“Well, aren’t you Miss Suzy Sunshine?” he said. “At least I’m doing something instead of sitting around and giggling.”

“‘Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge,’” she quoted.

“What?”

“Plato,” Brontë told him, lifting her chin in the darkness.

There was a long pause. Then: “I don’t think Plato had ‘giggling’ in mind when he wrote that.”

“Hey,” she said, her nostrils flaring with anger. “It’s called nervous laughter, you jackass. I laugh when I’m uncomfortable. So sue me. And here’s a thought: Since we’re stuck in here together, how about you try not being such a jerk for five minutes?”

He said nothing, just continued to hammer on the buzzer.

After about twenty minutes of his endless pushing on the buzzer, she wanted to cover her ears and tell him to knock it off. But that would be stupid, of course. If someone heard the buzzer, they could get out of here. And yet . . . no one was coming. The power was still off. She clicked on her phone, looking at the time and trying to ignore the fact that her battery was almost dead.

They’d been in here an hour. The buses would still be outside, surely. With all that rain, it would take a while to pull off any kind of evacuation. The elevator was becoming stuffy, too. Either that or she was just in the early stages of hyperventilation. She put a hand to her damp forehead and willed herself to breathe slowly. This would be a lot easier if she wasn’t trapped with the unpleasant manager. No wonder the hotel was such a dump if he was in charge.

“Shouldn’t someone come looking for you soon?” she asked. Surely they’d need the manager to help coordinate the evacuation.

“You would think so.”

No sarcasm that time. Well, goody. They were making progress. Brontë dug through her purse and pulled out a piece of gum, popping it into her mouth and nervously chewing it. Every action in the oppressive darkness seemed of monumental importance. She picked through the contents of her purse with her hand, looking for anything useful. A pen. Her checkbook. Passport. Wallet. Loose change. Birth control. When her hand touched upon that, she smothered another hysterical laugh.

She heard him sigh at her laughter. He sounded frustrated. Too bad for him—she was at her wit’s end herself. But she needed to talk, so she asked, “Think the buses are still outside?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

Jeez. Could he be any ruder? “Aren’t you supposed to be good with customer service or something? You seem to be failing on that front.”

He seemed amused. “Am I?”

“Yeah, as a manager, you might want to work on your people skills. I’m just saying.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the dry voice said.

She yawned. Now that the initial terror had worn off, she was busy being annoyed at him and not frightened. Combine that with the rising humidity, and she was getting sleepy. “I think we’re stuck here.”

“Theoretically.”

“I assume the buses left by now.”

“You also assume I was going to leave by bus.”

“Oh? I guess you have special transportation to take you away before the hurricane gets here?”

Silence for a moment. Then: “A helicopter.”

Well, wasn’t he high-class management? “Okay, let’s try this again. Do you think your helicopter is still there?”

A long pause. Then he grudgingly admitted, “Not if the weather is getting worse.”

“You might have to ride the bus with us plebes, then.” She lay down on the floor, using her purse as a pillow. “‘As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser.’”

“More philosophy?”

“Just a little something to think about,” she said tartly.

“Indeed,” he said slowly, and she noticed he had let off on the infernal buzzer. Maybe he was giving up. She sure was. After a moment, he asked, “Will anyone be looking for you?”

Her sigh in response seemed overloud in the darkness. “I don’t know. I came here with a friend, but she’s a bit . . . flighty. I don’t know if she’ll realize I’m missing or just assume I got on another bus.” Brontë hated to think about it, but if it came down to Sharon staying behind to make sure Brontë was safe or Sharon getting out of Dodge? She knew which one Sharon would pick. “I like to think that someone will come and check that the building’s been completely evacuated before they all run off to the mainland.”

“Mmm.” His tone was noncommittal. As if he wasn’t sure that was the case at all but wanted to humor her.

Yeah, she wasn’t sure about that either. But it sounded good, so she adjusted her purse and rested her cheek on it, waiting for rescue.

***

Brontë woke up some time later, her mouth dry, her body ach
ing. The silence was deafening, the blackness almost overwhelming in its depth.

Still no power. Still in the elevator. She rubbed at her eyes and sat up, wincing. “Hello?”

“Still here.” The man trapped with her sounded more weary than annoyed. “You haven’t missed anything.”

“I must have slept. How . . . how long have I been out?”

“About six hours.”

Six hours? Dear God. Panic made her heart flutter in her chest. “They’re not coming for us?”

“My guess is no.”

She sucked in a deep breath, willing herself not to panic. Stuck in an elevator on an evacuated island.
Stuck
. It felt oppressively hot in the elevator now, as the power had been out for several hours and the tropical humidity was taking its toll. “How could they leave us behind?”

“Again, just a guess, but I would say that in the chaos of the evacuation, someone dropped the ball.” His tone was analytical. Bored.

Was he still pissed at her, or pissed at their situation? It didn’t matter, she supposed. Neither of them was going anywhere anytime soon.

She sat up, wincing at how stiff her body felt, and how sticky with sweat. Ugh. She was thirsty as hell, too, and there was no relief from the heat. The jeans and T-shirt she’d put on for the evacuation felt stifling. She kicked off her sandals and then glanced over to his corner of the elevator, not that she could see anything. If she undressed, would he notice? Would he mind? Was it dangerous? He didn’t seem like the type to leap over here and rape her, and she was miserable in the heat.

After a moment more of hesitation, she began to slowly shimmy out of her jeans, frowning at the loud noise her zipper made.

“What are you doing?”

Naturally he’d caught that small sound. Figured.

“I’m getting undressed. It’s hot in here. Just stay over on your side of the elevator, and I won’t bother you.”

She heard the rustle of clothing from his side of the elevator as well. “Good idea.”

“Was that a compliment? My. Am I forgiven for my insane giggling?” she teased.

“Not yet.” His terseness threatened to shut down the conversation.

“‘Forgive many things in others; nothing in yourself.’”

“Are you going to sit here and quote Plato all afternoon?” He sounded almost amused.

“That was Ausonius, actually. And yes. My philosophy degree has to be of some use.” Stripping off her shirt, she sighed with pleasure when the air hit her flushed skin. Clad in nothing but her bra and panties, she immediately felt cooler, much to her relief, and she folded her discarded clothes and tucked them against her purse.

“You can get down to your boxers, you know,” she told him. “I can’t see you, and it feels much better.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Briefs, then?” she couldn’t resist asking. “You struck me as a boxer man.”

Actually, he hadn’t struck her as much of anything. She’d only had a quick glimpse of him before the power had gone out. But she liked teasing him. It somehow made this hellish ordeal slightly less suffocating.

“Why are you asking about my clothing?” His tone was stiff, unpleasant.

She sighed. “It’s called making conversation. You should learn how to do it.” Curling up with her phone in her hand—though she didn’t dare open it and run the battery down—she thought for a minute and then offered, “My name’s Brontë.”

“Brontë? After Charlotte or Emily?”

Her esteem of him grudgingly went up a notch. Normally people cracked jokes about dinosaurs rather than realizing where her name was from. “Either. Both, I suppose. My mother had a fascination for classic literature, not that it got her anywhere.”

“I see we share a commonality in mothers, then.”

“Do we? Was yours a total dreamer, too?”

“Mine was a showgirl,” he said flatly. “I am told she was highly impractical and extremely irresponsible.”

“Oh. Um.” That hadn’t been quite what Brontë had meant. Her mother had been a sweet, caring woman, even if she didn’t have a practical bone in her body. She’d also stubbornly refused to see anything but the best in people, which was why Brontë’s childhood had been so idyllic . . . and so very false. She shoved away the bad memories. “I didn’t mean to sound negative about my mother. She just didn’t have sensible side. That’s all. She was a good woman. Anyhow, she liked books—especially classics.”

“And you have inherited her love, I take it. You seem to have an obsession with ancient philosophers.”

“Everyone has a hobby,” she said cheerfully. “What about you?”

“I do not.”

“You don’t have a hobby? At all?”

“I work. It takes up all my hours. Though I suppose I could spend my time memorizing pithy quotes to zing back at unsuspecting men in elevators.”

Well, now she felt stupid. “I . . . wow. Sorry. I just—”

“I was teasing you,” he said, his voice that same crisp, abrupt sound that she’d mistaken for rudeness. Perhaps that was just his manner and she hadn’t realized it because she couldn’t see his face.

“Oh.” Now she felt silly. “I didn’t realize.” There was a long pause between them, and she rushed to change the subject. “So, what’s your name?”

He hesitated, as if he were weighing the benefits of telling her. “Logan Hawkings.”

“That’s a nice name.”

“Indeed.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice now, definitely.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing at all.”

It sure sounded like he was amused by something, but what it was, she didn’t know. A smidge annoyed, Brontë lay back down on the floor, resting her cheek on her folded clothing. “So how long do you think we’ll be here?”