The employees who worked in the International Bank Tower were familiar with elevator number three. It wasn't something that happened often, but it did happen, over the course of a year, perhaps two, or maybe three times. The computer, which controlled the elevators, hiccupped. There was no other word for it that they could think of. Hiccup seemed to work.
Every time it happened, the bank had an elevator company come investigate the elevator and the computer that controlled it. Once, when the bank president and a young file clerk were caught in the stalled elevator, two different maintenance companies tried to find the problem and both declared the problem was resolved. Three months later the computer hiccupped again.
That particular elevator stuck, stopped, paused, or some other more appropriate word, but everyone knew whatever word they used, it still meant trapped. On rare occasions, when going up, there was a small bump, which caused people to jerk in apprehension, squeal in surprise, or turn white with fear, but the carpeted people mover never seemed to hiccup on the way up, it was always on the way down and seldom with warning. It never seemed to stop at the same place and the bump did not occur on the same floor, either. It was such a seemingly confusing thing and no one seemed able to find the problem.
Last Thursday I was late getting to work. I'd had to stay in my new apartment for a short time to let the plumber replace the trap under my kitchen sink, which I had discovered, during my initial inspection, was leaking. I agreed to accept the apartment as it was, with the rental management company's promise they would repair the leak as quickly as possible. I didn't realize that would take a week, but the leak was really minor and it didn't take very long to replace the trap in the drainpipe. Nevertheless, it still made me late for work.
When I got to the bank tower, I was standing waiting for an elevator when a stranger walked up beside me and stood waiting also. I had noticed him the day before, carrying three large boxes and a briefcase strapped to a luggage carrier. This morning he had two file boxes strapped to the same luggage carrier.
"Moving in?" I asked as I looked at his boxes and then up at his face. For just a moment his beautiful dark blue eyes mesmerized me as he looked at me while a slow smile crossed his face. I almost felt he could see beneath my clothes. I disregarded that notion thinking that because I was attracted to him did not mean he was attracted to me.
"Yeah, I just started working for Harris and Associates," he replied, holding out his hand. "I'm Dave Thomas."
I also offered my hand, "Nice to meet you Dave Thomas, I'm Jo Preston. I work for Preston & Preston. I'm across the hall from your new office."
"Which one of the Preston's are you?" he grinned.
"Neither," I laughed. "The first is my grandfather and the second is my dad. I guess I'm number three."
"So, when do the sign painters get here to change the company name to Preston, Preston & Preston?" He joked as we got on the elevator.
"Oh, I guess I need to pass the CPA exams first." Although I'd promised my father I would do it, I hadn't finished that last year of school and taken the multi-part test that would actually allow me to add those magic letters after my name.
"Don't wait too long," he cautioned as he pushed the button with a twelve on it, for the top floor of the building.
"Oh, you know about it, huh?" I grimaced at how hard I'd heard the tests were.
He said, "Yeah, my brother's a CPA, he put it off and it took him a while to get all of the sections finished. He said it was worse than watching childbirth, and if he could do that three times, he figured he could finally pass the test."
"He waited until he had three children to take the test?" I wasn't sure I was really interested or just trying to keep the conversation going with this good-looking man.
Dave laughed this time. His previous laughter had been a light chuckle, but this one was a really deep belly laugh that made his dark blue eyes sparkle and his whole face change from a solemn look to one of pure delight.
"No, not three different times," he explained, "Triplets."
"Oh lord." I'm not sure my expression showed I could imagine having three babies all at the same time, but I did blush as he grinned at me and then laughed even harder. I felt a light seepage of moisture between my legs and tried to clamp by thighs tighter. Good grief, I'd just met the man, I can't be this aroused from one look into his eyes, but it seemed I was, because I felt my nipples drawing into tight points. I did not dare look down at the front of my blouse. He would know what I was looking at and laugh even harder.
When we walked out of the elevator and down the hall, he stopped at the door to my office, opened it for me, and said, "I'd like to take you to lunch one day next week."
"I would like that." I answered as he turned to go into the office across the hall.
I closed the office door and looked at the older woman sitting at the front desk, who was grinning from ear to ear. "Some dish, isn't he?" I'd known Sarah, almost since I was born, or at least from my first memory of coming to my dad's office. She had worked for my grandfather for more than twenty years. It wasn't unusual for her to make a remark about a handsome man. She had quietly commented on more than one client. However, Dave Thomas was more than simply good looking, he was gorgeous, a hunk, and everything I liked about a man, tall, dark, serious but fun, nicely dressed, and polite.
"I'll say," I agreed using my hand to fan my face as a full blush swept up my face and grew even redder because I knew Sarah had seen me flirting with the newest man in the building.
I also knew if I stood there long enough, Sarah would give me all the statistical information I wanted to know. As she began to tell what she knew, I grew even more interested. He was a newly hired engineer, single, as in never married, twenty-eight, lived alone, or as least as far as the secretary across the hall knew, he didn't have a long-term relationship, and no women had yet called to leave a message for him. He was local, meaning he had shown his father, with a local address, as the person to notify in case of an emergency.