"I can't... I can't... I can't... I can't..."
Jason glanced up from his phone and the Kindle book he had been reading in alarm, the woman's face on the elevator with him flushed and red while she sifted from foot to foot.
"Are you ok?" Jason asked.
"I can't... I can't... I can't..." the woman continued to chant, her eyes welling up with tears while she stared around in panic.
"Hey!" Jason called out and stepped over to the woman to take her sweaty, clammy hands in his, "Hey... look at me."
The woman's eyes continued to dart around in panic.
"Look at me," Jason said calmly, the woman finally hesitating and looking into his eyes.
Jason had seen the woman around the office before, an older woman probably twice his age in her late 40's or early 50's but still physically fit and attractive. He had always found her a little amusing with platinum blond dyed hair, a deep tan straight from way too much time in a tanning bed that would give a shall remain unnamed President a run for his money, always wearing a different pair of open toed high heels, either a midi skirt or yoga pants molded to her curves and a blouse that invariably exposed her very well endowed bosom and cleavage.
Not that he'd noticed or taken the least bit of interest in as she had passed by occasionally. Not so much as a glance.
Really. Because... like... HR.
"Take a deep breath" Jason said and began to breath in only to stop and try again when the woman glanced away.
"Look at me," Jason repeated slowly and calmly, "Take a deep breath with me!"
Jason inhaled slowly over a span of ten seconds, the woman after a moment following his lead.
"Hold it," Jason whispered and began a slow count out loud from one to ten.
"Exhale, nice and slow," Jason continued and exhaled over a count of ten.
"Again, just follow me, Ok," Jason said as soon as they were done and began to slowly inhale again.
The woman began to calm as they tool slow breaths in and out together until after the fifth or sixth repetition she finally gave a small nod.
"Thank you," she said, "I'm... claustrophobic and this... I... I..."
"It's fine," Jason said calmly while staring into her eyes.
From so close he could see a hazel halo around her iris with an occasional golden spoke radiating outward. He smiled and then took a quick glance down at her high heels that today were light brown leather peep toe ankle boots, her toes with each nail edged in a brilliant white and the front of her foot left bare except for the leather laces.
"How many pair of high heels do you have?" Jason asked.
"What?" the woman asked in confusion at the non sequitur.
"I always see you wearing high heels, but I've never seen you wear the same pair twice" Jason pressed, "How many pairs do you have?"
He said it calmly while still smiling at the woman and looking into her eyes before she finally glanced down at her feet and then back up to meet his gaze.
"I... more than I should," she said with a small laugh, "I'm not as bad as that lady from the Philippines was back in the day... but I'm probably close.
"Why, do you like them?" the woman continued with a mischievous smile of her own.