Guarding His Heart

Chapter Four

Hannah



“Are you ready for our trip tomorrow?” Leo walked up next to my desk and nearly made me jump out of my seat.

“Don’t scare me like that.” I glared at him, looking so calm and relaxed. It was so unfair that he could look so cool, calm and collected while I was pretty sure I looked a frazzled mess every time he was around. I was annoyed at my body for betraying me every time he was near. I wasn’t sure how it was possible, but every time I saw him, he looked hotter and hotter.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He rubbed my shoulder briefly and my body nearly went into convulsions.

“Did you need anything in particular, Leo?” I’d quickly gotten into the habit of calling him Leo instead of Mr. Maxwell. I’d felt like a fool addressing him so formally in front of the other members of staff.

“I’d ask you for a coffee, but I know that’s not your strong point.”

“I can get you a coffee if you want.” I stood up and grabbed my bag, eager to be away from him. “What do you want?”

“I’d take a cafe latte with one sugar, if you’re going and you promise not to drink from it first.”

“I won’t drink from it.” I promised, still feeling embarrassed at how badly I’d behaved the first day I’d gotten him coffee. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, why don’t you dress up as a nurse this time?” He winked at me. “I’ve always had a thing for nurses.”

“Excuse me?”

“You know - last time you were a waitress, this time you can wear a nurse’s outfit. Keep things spicy.” He laughed as I glared at him and quickly left the office.

“I should put on a nurse’s outfit.” I muttered to myself as I walked into the elevator. “That would show him.” I pressed the ground floor button and grinned to myself as I thought about him. He’d be shocked if I showed up in the outfit. He thought he was making me uncomfortable by calling my bluff, but I’d show him. I’d show up in the sexiest nurse’s outfit I could find and have him so turned on, he wouldn’t even be able to work. Then I thought about all the other people in office. If they saw me in a nurse’s outfit, I’d be out on my ear. There was no way I’d get a promotion then.

I exited the elevator feeling peeved. Then it hit me. I’d take a nurse’s outfit with me to New York and show up in his room on the last night and tease him with it. I grinned again. He wouldn’t know what to do or say then. I’d have the upper hand. I’d show him that his silly little comments weren’t getting the better of me. I’d turn the tables on him. I pulled my phone out and quickly called Lisa.

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked me sounding surprisingly happy for a work day.

“Why are you answering the phone?” I asked suspiciously. “I thought you couldn’t take calls while you were on the floor?”

“Why are you calling me if you thought I couldn’t answer?”

“I was going to leave you a voicemail.” I said and then continued. “You are at work right.”

Silence filled the other side of the phone.

“Lisa?” I said her name accusingly.

“I took a sick day.” She responded finally. “It’s not a crime.”

     
“You don’t sound sick.”

“I’m not sick.” She giggled. “Only dumb people use sick days when they’re actually sick. I just needed the day off. My boss is riding my ass and I needed some free time.”

“Lisa!” I sighed. “You can’t just call in sick when you’re not sick. What happens when you really get sick and then you have no time off left to take?”

“Don’t know and don’t care.” She said in a blasé tone. “Anyways, what do you want? I’m watching Maury and I have a feeling this guy is not the baby daddy and shit is going to go down.”

“Really Lisa?” I sighed. “You took the day off to watch Maury?”

“No, not just to watch Maury. I’m going to do my nails and I’m meeting J-Lo for lunch.”

“What?” I shrieked. “How are you meeting J-Lo for lunch?”

“Oops, I meant J-Ho.” She giggled. “You remember Jennifer right, my friend that works at Macy’s and hooks me up with discounts.”

“Yeah.” I was starting to get annoyed. “Anyway, I need you to do me a favor.”

“What?”

“I need you to pick me up a sexy nurse’s outfit at Hot Topic.”

“Sexy nurse-what?” She shrieked. “Hold on a second.”

“Fine.” I walked into the coffee shop and ordered two lattes. I waited for Lisa to come back to the phone impatiently. “Lisa.” I whispered loudly into the phone, feeling annoyed to be kept waiting.

“Sorry, sorry.” She came back to the phone a minute later. “He wasn’t the daddy, but guess what?”

“Lisa, I do not have time—”

“His uncle was the daddy.” She shrieked. “But guess what? He was sleeping with the uncle’s wife, so the uncle’s child was really his. Can you believe that?”

“What are you talking about, Lisa?”

“So the main guy, I think his name was Jim, or maybe it was Bob, let’s just call him redneck number one.”

“That’s so offensive to rednecks.” I sighed.

“Are you a redneck? Do you care?”

“Lisa,” I started again. “I’m about to go back into the—”

“So redneck number one was dating trashy girl number one. Trashy girl number one had a baby, but redneck number one didn’t think it looked like him. So he went on Maury. Turns out trashy had an affair with redneck number two, who is redneck number one’s uncle. And redneck number two is married to trashy girl number two and she had an affair with redneck number one in the back of the trailer while trashy girl number one was sleeping.”

“Lisa.” I groaned.

“Get it now?”

“Lisa, I do not care about rednecks or trashy girls or trailers. Just go and get me my outfit, okay? I need to dress up like a slutty nurse tomorrow.” I shouted into the phone and heard the lady next to me gasp as she listened to my words. I groaned and walked back into the office. No wonder I hadn’t gotten the job. I was a crazy person surrounded by crazy people. As I rode back up to the office with the coffees, I wondered if wearing the nurse’s outfit was a good idea after all. Maybe I was playing into his hands. Maybe that was exactly what Leo wanted.

“Don’t worry, Hannah.” She giggled. “I’ll get you the sluttiest outfit I can find. Are you going to tell me why?”

“Not now. Bye.” I sang into the phone and hung up quickly. I didn’t want to talk to Lisa and have her filling my head with even crazier situations. Lisa loved drama and she loved crazy. She’d have me convinced that some stupid idea was great and I’d be in way over my head. And I didn’t need that at all. I was practically in over my head as it was already.



***

“You look happy.” Leo looked at me from his computer as I entered his office with the coffee. “Why do you look so happy? What did you do?”

“Nothing.” I put the coffee down on the desk. “Trust me.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. When a beautiful girl tells me to trust her, I tend to think something else is going on.”

“A beautiful girl?” I repeated feeling ridiculously happy and annoyed at the same time.

“Do you prefer the term gorgeous?” He picked up the coffee tentatively. “I’m not going to die of cyanide poisoning if I sip this am I?”

“Who’s to know?” I responded tartly, with my hand on my hip.

“I wouldn’t put it past you, p-ssy Galore.”

“What?” My jaw dropped.

“Haven’t you seen James Bond?” He laughed and took a sip. “Well, it’s warm at least.”

“I should have spiked it.” I hissed as I turned around and marched out of the office. p-ssy Galore indeed. Who did he think I was? I sat down at my desk with my face burning and quickly typed into google to see if he was telling the truth. There was indeed a character from James Bond called p-ssy Galore. I had no idea how it had made it through the censors.

“Hannah.” Leo buzzed me on the intercom.

“Yes, Leo.” I sighed as I answered.

“Thanks for the coffee.” He said smugly. “It doesn’t taste like I’ve been poisoned.”

“Yay, I fooled you then.” I said lightly and he laughed, a deep husky sound.

“Yes, you did. By the way, you can leave early today. We’ve got a busy next couple of days and I’m sure there might be some things you need to do.”

“Oh wow, thanks.” I said feeling shocked. “I can stay on and help get everything prepared.”

“It’s okay, you’ve been great. I’ve got it from here.” He said seriously. “I need to go and talk to my dad about strategy in thirty minutes and so I won’t really need much from you for the rest of the day.”

“Fine, I guess I’m just the assistant.” I mumbled, feeling deflated. That told me all I needed to know. Why didn’t he invite me to that meeting? Didn’t he think I had ideas? Didn’t he think I was good enough to go to the meeting?

“Have a great evening.”

“Yeah, you too.” I sighed and clicked the phone off. I switched my computer off and jumped up. I was going to just leave now. What was the point of staying and doing work? I was just the lowly assistant, my job didn’t matter. I might as well just go home and watch some Maury with Lisa. I was about to walk out of the building when I realized I’d left my handbag in the office. I turned around and went back into the elevator and walked back into my office. Leo’s door was open and I could see him on the phone talking to someone. His back was to me and I could see him running his hands through his hair as he talked.

“Yeah, tomorrow.” He sighed. “Yeah, totally different from being a bouncer.” He laughed. “Anyways, forget about my stress, how is Lucky? Tell her I bought some presents for David and Ruby Lane.” He stepped back and I quickly moved out of site. Who was he talking to? “Zane, I’m not sure I’m ever going to believe that you’re a married man with kids.” He chuckled. “Who knew you’d be so whipped? Me?” He burst out laughing. “Never. There will never be a woman that can trap me into marriage. Don’t want it. And don’t need it. Whatever, bro. You wish. I better go. Dad wants me to go up to his office so he can remind me how important this account is. And how the board of directors will not look at me fondly if I screw up.” He sighed. “I don’t know why my assistant Hannah was fighting so hard to be in this position. All it carries is stress. Yes, she’s cute and I have no idea if she’s single. Yes, she’s doable.” He laughed and I heard him sitting down in his chair as my face reddened. “She’s a 9. Her personality is a bit off, otherwise she’d be a 10. No, you’re not going to meet her.” He laughed. “I’m going. Tell Lucky, I said yes to the picnic when I get back from New York. I’ll talk to you later, bro.” And with that he hung up. I grabbed my handbag and quickly moved out of the office again. So he thought I was a 9, asides from my personality? I wanted to laugh. I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or not. I had a smile on my face when I left the building this time. I’d show Leo Maxwell just what he was missing. I’d have him salivating over my every step by the time I was done with him.