Page 50 of Kisses Behind the Spotlight

The sudden clapping pulled me out of my trance, and I realized how pitiful I was. Khaleesi had all of my attention, even as she tried her hardest to keep it cool in front of everyone else. I only knew Q gave a top-tier speech because of the applause and the way Jameera and Q were sucking face in the middle of the dimly lit theater. Fabian would have to send me the video later because I was barely paying attention.

A song was playing at a low volume, and I realized it was the unreleased song Khaleesi mentioned the day prior. The way Khaleesi beamed while giving me vague details about the proposal told me I would need to pull out all of the stops for her. I would. She deserved nothing less.

The entire time we stood off to the side of the theater to watch the proposal, Khaleesi continued to ignore me. When Khaleesi brought Fabian to me so we could wait for them to arrive at the theater, she ignored me when I called her for a quick sidebar. That’s how she did me as I carried the items into the cafe to set up for the candlelight dinner. I’d walk in the room with a handful of shit, and she’d scurry out. Then she acted too focused to let me get a word in.

Khaleesi was extremely talented. I’d watched her work her ass off, barking orders and commanding people around for the last few years. It was second nature to her. I’m sure that helped her always go toe to toe with me. That’s why experiencing Khaleesi during sex was so gratifying. It was the only time I left that smart-ass mouth on mute.

In the midst of the celebration, Khaleesi made her way over to congratulate the couple, then quickly shot towards the exit. Her ass wasn’t slick.

I jogged over to Q and quickly dapped him up, offering quick congratulations, then shot towards the direction Khaleesi was headed. Just before the elevator doors slid shut, I slipped onto the elevator.

“Why the fuck you runnin’ from me? It’s Valentine’s Day. I thought you were going to be my gift,” I grinned, stepping closer so I towered over her.

“I can’t do this with you, Xain.”

“Why?”

“We’ll smother each other and really have to find new jobs if things don’t work out. I really can’t believe I crossed that line with you. Q was just threatening to fire one of us if we didn’t get along. He didn’t say we should start messing around. There is no beef like one connected to an ex-Roman⁠—”

VRRRRRR! VRRRRR!

The elevator vibrated, and the car went dark as we came to a complete stop.

“What the fuck? Are we stuck?” Khaleesi quizzed.

The emergency lights flicked on, bright and blinding above us.

“Good, some more forced time together is exactly what we need to help you come to your senses,” I suggested.

“No. I need to get off of here,” Khaleesi panicked, pushing past me to reach the elevator panel. She repeatedly tapped the button to open the door, then the emergency call button, but nothing worked.

“Damn, you gone break the button and fuck more shit up. You want to get away from me that bad?”

Khaleesi didn’t respond. The lack of rebuttal instantly told me something was wrong. She stopped tapping the button, and her chest was rising in quick, shallow movements.

“You good?”

Khaleesi shook her head from side to side. “I can’t…”

“Fuck. What’s wrong? You can’t breathe?”

She shook her head harder, then mumbled, “out.”

I didn’t know what the fuck to do. Khaleesi’s hands were balled into fists, and her body was trembling. She threw herself into the door, banging on the elevator doors using every ounce of strength she had.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“We are aware of the situation and are working to get the elevator fixed,” a voice came over the speaker in the ceiling.

“Khaleesi, calm down,” I encouraged, pulling her away from the door.

“I need to… to get out. I can’t breathe,” she panted, her breathing coming out in frantic gasps until it sounded like she was choking.

Khaleesi dropped to the ground, and I dropped in front of her. Her hands went to her head, and she roughly pulled at her hair. I took her hands and held them in mine.

“I can’t breathe,” she quavered.

The distress on her face and the tears welling up in her eyes tore me to shreds. She was at the mercy of the confined space, and I couldn’t instantly fix it. I pulled Khaleesi into my arms to console her, but instantly made shit worse. Khaleesi shoved me away and was up on her feet, banging on the doors again. For fear of making the situation worse, I didn’t wrap my arms around her again like I wanted to. Instead, I spoke to her calmly.