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“Yes, I am. So, do we have a deal?” I look down at her as she looks up at me, and I feel that gut-wrenching conflict once more. From a professional standpoint, what I’m suggesting makes so much sense. But what are the emotional stakes? I already know there’s a strange attraction, more than I have felt in a long time. And she would be working under me. Under me… that puts images in my head that I prefer not to have. I turn away and go to my desk. I sit, looking at the women.
Then Sidney speaks. “I—I think I’ll take your offer, Mr. Colleymore.”
“Archer. We’re not big on formalities around the office. Welcome to the team, Sidney. First thing tomorrow, I’ll have you on the range.”
“The range?”
“Yes. Every member of staff carries.”
“Carries? Carries what?”
I look at her as she stares at me cluelessly. I slowly pull my gun out again and place it on the desk.
“Carries this.”
“I can’t fire a gun!”
“Which is why you’ll be trained.”
“But isn’t that for the guards?”
“My admin, who you’ll be replacing, is almost as good a shot as I’m.”
“That sweet little lady—”
“Can put a bullet in your head before you even know what happened. Everyone carries. So, you’ll be on the range tomorrow. Now, let me get the show on the road and get your contract done and notify my accountant.”
“Me. Carrying a gun,” she whispers to her friend who is trying her best to hide her smile.
“Told you we should have gotten a chihuahua,” she whispers back.
Despite herself, Sidney smiles.
I really need to know what this chihuahua joke is all about.
Chapter five
Sidney
I’mwaitinginthefoyer, with Tony by my side, when Archer pulls up to the curb. Tony does his usual sweep with me a few steps behind him as we step onto the pavement. Without ceremony, he hands me into the front of the heavily tinted vehicle.
“Bye, Tony. Tell Maria I enjoyed the brownies.”
The usually dour man cracks a smile when I mention his daughter.
“I will, Sidney. See you next week.”
I buckle my seatbelt as Archer pulls into traffic. I examine his granite profile for a few moments as we drive. I must admit he is attractive. Without a word, he points to the console. I pick up my coffee and take a sip. The first day that Archer picked me up he asked how I take my coffee. Every morning thereafter my coffee has been waiting in the car when he picks me up or at the office when another driver picks me up.
It hasn’t taken long for us to establish a routine. Archer is true to his word when he says that I’ll be watched twenty-four seven. He picks me up from home and takes me back home on most days. If he does not do it, he has another guard who does. When I get home, there is usually a guard waiting on the curb. This guard will be on duty until the shift changes and he is replaced because in the morning, I usually find someone else on duty. They would take me down to Archer and the cycle would be repeated. In addition to this, he has followed through on his promise of placing cameras around my apartment. As a matter of fact, that same afternoon after my ‘interview,’ he had come to my apartment to assess my needs. The first guard had been placed on duty after he left. The next day the cameras were installed while I did some chores. I felt awkward having these strange men in my space, especially as Archer himself was there as well. He is the strangest CEO. Many times I’m tempted to ask if he sees to camera installation personally for each client. But I hold my tongue. I’m having a bit of a challenge as it is to keep my notice of him on a professional level, because even in the midst of my distress, it’s been hard not to notice how devastatingly handsome this man is. His dark hair is thick and lays in sleek waves. The way his gray eyes have pierced through me has made me feel as though he is stripping me naked. And his attire is always impeccable. I have yet to see him wearing anything but his trademark suit, though I feel that he can wear a paper bag and still make it look as though it belongs on the cover of a magazine.
But I have to keep my admiration to myself. There are too many hurdles: he is my boss, my bodyguard indirectly, and old enough to be my father, just to name a few.
Colleen has been an angel in training me. I’m a fast learner, so by Monday of the following week, I’m on my own.
I sip the last of my coffee as we turn the last block and the office building comes into view.
The usually muggy Chicago weather has given us a break for Spring. The April weather is just right.
