*Skips onto stage* Hey everyone, I’m backkk!  Sorry for the long wait… school started and everything was just a bit hectic so thanks for hanging tight and still reading my story!  My school schedule got seriously messed up so I was really confused=P and just didn’t have the time to write.  Sorry about the I-thought-you-had-a-new-chapter-up-but-it-was-actually-just-an-author’s-note thing, I should have done something else instead of putting it up as a new chapter.  As always, mucho gracias to The Reviewers!  

Lilbosgirl:  I’m sorry…I didn’t exactly “stop”.  I just had a lot of stuff going on…tests, homework, etc., you know?

Ck:  Thanks for reviewing again and waiting so patiently!  You’re my 50th review, did you know that?=P 

Kloud king:  Every time I see your name, I think how cool it is because it’s sorta like your real name.=D  Does that make sense?  Anyway, thanks for reading my story! 

Yisa:  Thanks a bunch for explaining and always reviewing!^_^

People’s Victory:  Thanks for reviewing and no, I don’t think your reviews are like hell for me because if I did, I would have already blocked you.

Kala:  Thanks so much for the sock and cookie, it was just what I needed!^_^ *gives Kala mitten and brownie* 

Lunar Writer:  Thanks and read on!^_~

Lalala:  I’m glad someone here read Yisa’s stories!  Thanks! 

One more thing, Bella is Italian, has dark blond hair and Mr. Miles is Caucasian.

..::Chapter Seven::..

            Bella walked over to Loren while keeping an eye on the backside of Mr. Miles in case he caught them talking. 

“Not many big changes in my new schedule, what about you?” Bella asked beside her friend. 

Loren groaned out loud.  Bella looked over with a perplexed expression, “What’s the matter?” 

“Just look!” Loren exclaimed then held her schedule out at an arm’s length like she couldn’t stand looking at it for a moment longer.

Bella leaned over and read, “Monday, toilet cleaning…Tuesday, toilet cleaning…Wednesday, toilet cleaning…”  She scanned her schedule quickly. 

“Oh my god, poor you.  Mr. Miles put you on toilet scrubbing duty every single day!  Maybe you should go complain!” 

            Loren blanched.  Complain?  Was that even an option?!  She could get fired to the fifth degree!  Loren swallowed the lump in her throat, “I’m not exactly on Mr. Miles’s good list.  As a matter of fact, he looks forward to the day I die.”  She snuck a glance at Mr. Miles and shuddered as she saw him rip apart a sheet of paper with much anger and enthusiasm in front of a quivering (and confused) Phillip.  She faced Bella again, “I can’t complain!”

Bella looked frustrated with her brows knitted, “Damn bastard!  You can’t scrub toilets every workday though!  You’ll be dead in two months or something!  By the time someone discovers you, you’ll be lying dead on top of a toilet with your skeletal hand still holding a bucket and a brush!”

Loren slapped her forehead and growled, “Bella, you are not helping, okay?  NOT HELPING!”

“Okay sorry, I won’t describe the graphic details then.”

“Yes, that’ll be a pretty good idea,” Loren sighed and nodded.  She raked her brain for any ideas to get her out of this toilet-scrubbing situation.  Nothing came up.

“Hey!  Why don’t you ask Mr. Montoya?  He’s the future boss and seems nice enough,” Bella suddenly spoke up.  Loren snapped out of her self-pitying trance. 

“What?!  Ask René?  Are you kidding?  Sure, like he’ll help me!” she replied sarcastically. 

“Did someone call my name?” a deep voice chilled Loren from behind.  Oh god, Loren thought, I do not need this on top of my troubles! 

“No!  You are such a—” Loren caught the glaring eye of Mr. Miles at the last moment and quickly tried to search her brain for a fitting word—any fitting word.  

“—a handsome man,” she finished, then  glanced nervously at Mr. Miles who was still glaring at her from across the room.  René saw her glance at Mr. Miles and smiled, playing along.  “Why, thank you Miss Tasani.  You’re quite pretty yourself.” 

            Loren felt her cheeks flush but inwardly ordered herself not to show any emotion.  He just has to play dumb, doesn’t he?!  Bella smiled cheekily and nudged Loren, to Loren’s dismay, as she was only too aware that René was still right there. 

Loren put on a big fake, sugary sweet smile as she looked at Mr. Miles from the corner of her eye.  Yep, the ol’ stick was still looking at her warningly.  Great.

“You are too kind, Mr. Montoya,” Loren bit out through her fake smile.  René almost laughed out loud at the expression on her face.  She looked like she was going to burst from trying so hard to be nice to him!  Very well, he’ll just have to play along then, he thought happily.         

Bella took this chance to speak up as she pushed in front of Loren, “Mr. Montoya, Loren’s new schedule is a bit…rough…and she was wondering if you could please change it for her.”  She jammed her elbow into Loren’s side.  Loren bit back a cry as she coughed to cover it up and said, “Um, yes Mr. Montoya.  Can you please help?” 

            It was just so damn hard keeping this nice act up, thought Loren angrily.  He knew it was hard for her also but he wasn’t saying a single word about it, damn jerk!  Loren glanced over and swallowed when she saw Mr. Miles walk towards them.  René followed her glaze and noticed also. 

“Of course I’ll try to help, Miss Tasani.  Just follow me,” then he grabbed her wrist quickly and dragged her to the elevator.  He got them into the elevator just as Mr. Miles made his way over to them.  Loren let out a drawn out sigh just as the elevator doors closed in Mr. Miles thin, glaring face.  She was safely away from Mr. Miles and she could only hope that her friend, Bella, was too.

Loren turned around and bumped into René.  “Ow!  Watch where you’re going, you jerk!”  She stumbled against the elegant elevator wall. 

René chuckled, “Tsk, tsk, tsk, I expect better of the View Hotel employees, Miss Tasani.  Besides, this is the second time I’ve saved your butt from Mr. Miles.”

Loren rubbed her sore head and walked over to the farthest corner in the elevator from René.  “I didn’t need you to save me at all!  I was handling everything perfectly, if you aren’t blind, you would have seen that,” she said proudly. 

“Yes, of course,” he answered mockingly, “But you really should be a little nicer to me since you are at my mercy, seeing as we are alone in an elevator together.  If you aren’t blind, you’d also see that.” 

She tightened her grip on the metal bar around the outside of the elevator and inched further away, “Don’t do anything.  Just stay there!”  Loren glanced at the numbers indicating the level they were passing.  Ding!  They passed the 2nd second floor.

René smiled sexily, “We’re going to my office on the 8th floor, so you’ll have lots of time with me in here.”

Why are there so many damn floors in this hotel?! Loren screamed inside. 

“Okay, just stay there then.  Don’t come closer or I’ll scream!”  Not that anyone would hear me through this soundproof elevator, he added mentally to herself. 

“No one’s going to hear you, you know.”  He walked towards her across the large, decorated room in the elevator.  Loren held a hand up between her and him, “Stop it, you bastard!  Don’t do anything, just stay there!” 

He smiled and walked towards her, only stopping when he was just a few inches away from her.  He placed two hands on the bar beside her, trapping her in. 

Loren tried to push him back but it was no use.  “I told you I’ll get you back,” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath heating up her neck. 

“What do you think you’re doing, you asshole?!  Let go of me right now!  I mean it!” she cried but was ignored when he pulled her closer, into a hug of some kind.

He was, of course, only doing this to get back at her and for a little fun.  She really meant nothing to him, he told himself.  He was just going to seduce her and play her like his toy.  He did this plenty of times with other girls and she’ll be no different, he thought.  Little did he know that he’ll later see that she was not like them at all and that things won’t always go his way.    

“You’re a hopeless pig and a child molester!” she yelled at him while struggling.  He stopped with an amused expression on his face, “Child molester?”  Loren tried to push him back, “Yes, you are!  Children are people under 18 years of age, you dimwit!” 

René laughed, “So I suppose you think you’re a child?  Okay then, have it your way but you really should know that I like children better.”  He crushed his lips over hers as Loren struggled even more.  His mouth muffled her curses and yells but before she could do anything else, everything went black.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Cliffhanger!!  Sorry guys, but it just seemed like a good way to end it, but fear not, I’ve got the next chappie sort of planned out! 

I guess I won’t be able to update for a while since tomorrow is MONDAY and you all know what that means.  Yup, you guys are so smart: SCHOOL!  Oh… the horror.  I’ve got a math test and a really long run sometime next week, so wish me luck!=)  Keep checking back though! 

Just a note, my bio is ultra-screwy at the moment (only one sentence shows), so just ignore it for now.  Please review like you faithful readers always do and ciao!!^_^  Have a good week!