Lib Novel Page 5
“Do you want us to turn around and drive back home, Mr. Hawthorne?” Dave raises an eyebrow.
“Tempting, but unfortunately, my house is not off-limits for Mr. Garcia.” I give a parting nod to my bodyguards before stepping into the private elevator.
The tightness in my chest eases when I spot Daisy watering the two owl-shaped succulent pots on her desk, which she probably loves more than what’s deemed healthy. I once caught her in a video consultation with the local nursery, asking how to ensure that her plants never die, ever.
Her words not mine.
Today, she’s wearing a lilac circle skirt with a matching top, and there’s a dainty purple flower hair clip secured in her hair. As she turns, the elephant-shaped, plastic watering can slips from her grasp, spilling water on the floor, including her feet.
Thankfully, I’m at a safe distance.
“What the heck?” She jumps from the mess toward her desk. “You scared me. Why are you secretly gawking at me like a lunatic?”
This woman has completely forgotten I’m her boss.
“I have better things to do in life than gawk at you.” I step closer as she hastily covers the spill with pink paper napkins I left on her desk the previous evening.
She’s still on her knees when my custom Tom Ford loafers stop right in front of her. Daisy looks up and grins.
“Are you avoiding going inside because you know Jimmy’s here?”
She tips her head in the direction of my office. The mischievous glint in her eyes, her puckered lips, the tease of her cleavage as she’s still bent forward, are a huge nuisance.
My heart rate picks up as I once again notice that my assistant sometimes looks beautiful in a way that makes it difficult to breathe.
My fists tighten around my laptop bag as, like always, I try to shut that crazy part of my brain off.
“Don’t you know it’s not wise to provoke someone when you’re in a delicate position?”
Caught off guard, her almond-shaped brown eyes framed by thick lashes widen. I catch her subtle glance toward my zipper before she blinks a few times and rises hastily, cheeks flushed. Dumping the wet paper into the wastebasket, she avoids my gaze.
“What? No comeback?” I enjoy seeing her flustered, which is a rare sight in this office.
When she turns back to me, she’s more composed, with a smirk tugging at her lips.
“Go into your office, Charles A. Hawthorne. Let’s discuss delicate positions after Jimmy leaves.”
Of course she’d bring out the big guns. Right now, that abbreviated “A” in my middle name sure as hell doesn’t stand for Ashcroft.
But when I make no move to walk toward my office door, Daisy shakes her head.
“You can’t avoid him forever, Charles. So instead of wasting time talking to me, go inside.”
“You’re coming with me.” I grab the silk frill of her top resting on her forearm and tug her forward.
“You look mighty tough using someone half your size as a shield against your PR manager.” Daisy giggles as if she expected nothing less.
“Yeah, I’ll worry about how pathetic I look later. Right now, I have other priorities over self-pity.”
She continues to laugh as we enter the room. Jimmy glances up from his iPad, his brows furrowed as he regards us.
“Thanks, Daisy, for finally getting your boss for me.”
I glance down at my hand on her. “How does it look like she dragged me here?”
“Do you really think I can’t imagine you debating whether to turn back when you saw my car in the parking lot, Charles?”
“You’re not as hard to read as you think, boss.” Daisy chuckles, slipping out of my grip with ease. It’s like my morning misery is her personal comedy show.