"SARAH! WHERE is my new client notebook?" Leo asks, walking into the security room-slash-office.
"The same place it always is. Top drawer on the left," I respond from behind the company laptop.
I’ve been working for Leo for the last six weeks. And when I say "working for," I mean trying to get him organized. How the hell this man has been running a successful business is beyond me. The day I started, Johnson walked in with a yellow sticky note covered in numbers. When I asked him what the hell it was, he told me that was how he turned in his time to Leo.
Head. Exploded.
I thought I was laid back about proper business practices, but a Post-it note time card? Really? Leo has thousands of dollars’ worth of high-tech security equipment, but his client list was handwritten in a spiral notebook. It was almost comical.
"No," he drawls. "That’s the old notebook. I’ve asked you to add at least twenty people since it was last updated. None of them are in there. Fuck, please tell me you added them. Those were some big-name clients, and now I have no way to reach them."
"Oh! The new one. It’s in your phone. I added them all to a spreadsheet then merged it with the contacts on your phone."
"Seriously?" he asks, surprised.
"Yes, seriously. I can’t believe you had a freaking notebook to begin with. Aren’t you Mr. Technology?" I ask, leaning back in the chair, propping my feet on the desk.
He gives me a slow, sexy smirk. "Yes, but I’m not Mr. Time. I’ve been doing this alone for a year now." He walks around the desk and sits on the corner. "What else have you been up to?" he asks, running a hand up my thigh.
"Well, the guys now have time cards. They’re still handwritten though. You need to figure out a way to allow them to clock in and out remotely. There has to be an app or something for that. Because I’m really sick of importing all that shit every week. You have too many guys now. It takes me forever."
"Okay, ángel. No need to get feisty. I’ll figure something out." He leans in and kisses me.
This might be the only perk of the job. Leo wasn’t lying. He really does pay for shit, but it’s still more than I was making at the newspaper.
"Mmm. You want to do lunch in bed today?" I stand up and wrap my arms around his neck. Yeah. Lunchtime quickies are definitely a perk.
"I am pretty hungry." He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth before raking his teeth across it.
"I have something you can eat." I’m guiding his hand under my dress just as the phone begins to ring. I let out a groan and he chuckles against my lips. "Guardian Protection Agency," I say when I pick up the phone, but I’m greeted by the sound of a dial tone.
"It’s the TV, Sarah." He clicks a button on the computer to answer the incoming call.
Erica flashes onto the screen, but her face is twisted in pain. "I can’t find Slate. My water just broke," she moans, and Leo jumps to his feet.
"Shit. Hang on, babe. Where’s Johnson?" he asks, but Erica doesn’t answer.
Supporting herself on the arm of the couch, she shakes her head.
He moves to the screen of monitors and brings up the inside of Erica’s house. One by one, he goes through each room, looking for any sign of Slate or Johnson. For the last few weeks, Johnson has been staying in Indianapolis so he can be there when Slate goes to train the kids at On The Ropes. They never leave Erica alone. Someone has to be there.
Not a second later, Leo locates both Slate and Johnson laughing in the basement gym.
"Andrews!" he calls over the intercom and Slate’s head snaps up. "Get your ass upstairs. Your wife’s having a baby."
"What?" Slate responds, but he takes off at a dead sprint with Johnson right behind him.
Leo tracks Slate through the house until he reaches Erica. Slate immediately scoops her off her feet and hauls ass toward the front door. Erica screams out just as he gets to the door, and I swear you can see the pain move through Slate’s face as well. It might be twisted, but it makes me smile.
"He really loves her," I say to Leo as he watches them peel out of the driveway.
"Yeah. He does. You want to go to Indy with me or stay here?" His voice is void of emotion as he begins shutting down all the monitors.
"I’ll go. Let me grab some stuff. You want me to pack you some clothes too?" I ask just as Leo turns to face me. His eyes are nervously flashing around the room and his chest is heaving. "Jesus, are you okay?"
"Um, yeah," he confirms, but he looks anything but okay.
"Leo, she’s not dying. You know that, right? She’s just having a baby."
"Yeah, I know. It’s just…hearing her scream. I…um… Fuck, it just brings back some shit. That’s all." He shoves a rough hand in his hair and strides out of the room. As he heads for the hall bathroom, I decide to give him a few minutes to collect himself.
I quickly pack an overnight bag for both of us before going to the kitchen to make a few sandwiches for the road.