Henry cleared his throat, " So Claire, what is your son's name?", he asked, hoping the subject would take his mind off of how good she smelled.
Claire's face lit up, stopping Henry's heart, " Ethan", she said, the love for her son clear in her voice as she said his name.
" And you said he's two?", Henry replied.
" Yes, he's a crazy little boy, definitely a handful, do you have any kids Mr. Beck?", Claire asked, her voice was so sweet.
" Ah no, no kids", Henry said, shaking his head.
" Are you married?", Claire asked, innocently curious.
" No", Henry said shortly. He wasn't really comfortable talking about his personal life with employees, but he couldn't seem to not answer Claire when she had asked.
Claire nodded, rolling her lips in. She seemed to have noticed his discomfort. Which he guessed was good, she would stop asking questions like that. The air in the elevator had suddenly become tense. They remained silent all the way to the deli, which was a short block away.
Once at the deli they got in the short line, Henry turned to look at Claire. She was looking over the menu that was hanging above the counter. Fuck, she was gorgeous. He had the sudden urge to explain himself to her. But that was ridiculous. He didn't explain himself to anyone. She didn't need to know his life story to be able to work for him. And he didn't want her knowing more about him then was necessary. Because then emotions got involved. The more you knew about someone, the more likely you were to care for them. Henry didn't need anyone to care for him. Or so he kept telling himself.
Henry paid for lunch. Claire protested but he would hear none of that. He always paid for lunch. And everything else for that matter. Claire would learn. They found a booth in the corner and sat down to eat. In silence. Apparently Henry had scared her out of talking. Or maybe she just didn't know what to talk about.
" Did you bring my schedule?", Henry asked before biting into his corned-beef special.
Claire nodded as she chewed, then reached into her little purse to pull out her iPhone. Smart girl. He was afraid she was going to print it out. It was ungodly long and she would have had a book on her hands. She wiggled her phone in the air before placing it on the table.
" Good, we'll go over after we're done eating", Henry said then took another bite of his delicious sandwich.
Henry had closed his eyes, enjoying his sandwich when he felt like he was being watched. When he opened his eyes, Claire was watching him, a small smirk curling her lips. " What?", he asked after he swallowed.
" Nothing, you just seem to be really enjoying that sandwich", She murmured, a small flush creeping up her pretty cheeks.
" I am enjoying it, they make the best sandwiches here", Henry stated.
" Okay", Claire said, shrugging, as if she didn't agree but she wasn't going to argue.
Henry narrowed his eyes at her, " You think you know of a place that's better?", he challenged.
" Not necessarily, you have your favorite place and I have mine", Claire said, an amused twinkle in her blue eyes.
Henry raised an eyebrow in question, " Is that so? Where is this place that you love so much?"
Claire smiled and it made his damn heart stutter. " It's a few blocks away from where I live"
" And what makes them so much better?", Henry asked, liking their little banter. It was refreshing.
" I'm not sure, I think I like their rolls better", Claire said.
Henry snorted and took another bite of his sandwich.
" I'll bring in something for you tomorrow, then you can decide", Claire said, her blue eyes daring him.
Henry nodded, " Okay, fine"
The tension between them seemed to ease, which made Henry happy. They finished their food then went on to talk about Henry schedule and what she was going to have to do now that she was his assistant. Claire asked questions and took notes. Henry had a feeling she was going to be an excellent assistant.
Chapter 2
" Shit, shit, shit", Claire muttered to herself as she looked at the schedule in front of her.
Somehow, she booked two meetings with different clients at the same time. Henry was going to be pissed. Both clients were due in the office in two hours. How the hell was she going to fix this? Neither would be happy to reschedule. Claire took a deep breath and got up from her desk. She had to tell Henry as soon as possible. Maybe he could give her an idea on how to fix it. It didn't help that she's only been working for two weeks and had made a couple other mistakes as well. Nothing as big as this, thank god.
Claire knocked on Henry's open door. Henry glanced up from the papers he was looking at, already looking irritated. He looked insanely handsome in his black suit and royal blue shirt. When she didn't immediately speak, Henry gave her an expectant look, " What is it, Claire?", he asked, annoyed. Shit, shit, shit.
Claire took a hesitant step into the room. She couldn't help but wring her hands together. She was so nervous at what his reaction was going to be. " Mr. Beck...I...uh..."
" Spit it out, Claire", Henry snapped.
" I accidentally scheduled meetings with two different clients for 11am today", Claire said then swallowed hard.
Henry's green eyes flashed angrily. " What?", he ground out through clenched teeth.
" I'm sorry", Claire whispered, not trusting her voice. She didn't want to cry but lack of sleep and PMS had a different idea. Her eyes wells up instantly.
Henry pounded a fist on his desk, making Claire jump. " Fuck! Damn it Claire!", he shouted before scrubbing his face with his hands, making an aggravated noise in his throat.
" I don't know how it happened", Claire said quietly, quickly swiping the tear that leaked from her eye.
Henry stared at her for a moment, his expression closed off. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. " Listen, I'm already having a shit day, go tell Asher about the mistake and let him handle it", he said evenly before opening his eyes again.
Claire sniffed and nodded before racing out of his office and down the hall to Asher's. Claire knocked on his door and waited for him to call out " Come in". Claire opened the door just as Asher was hanging up his phone. The smile on his face slowly fading as he looked her over.
" What's wrong?", Asher asked, brows furrowed in concern.
Claire waved a dismissive hand and shook her head, " I made a mistake, Mr. Beck told me to have you take care of it"
Asher sighed, " Did Henry yell at you?", he asked gently, giving her a sympathetic look.
Claire gave him a watery smile, " It's fine, I'm just overly sensitive at the moment", she said, swiping another tear away.
" Ah, got it", Asher winced then motioned for her to have a seat. " Tell me what you did"
Claire told him about the meetings. Asher assured her that it wasn't as bad as she thought. It has happened before and it will most likely happen again. No one was perfect and Henry was just in a bad mood today.
" I just don't want to get fired, I like my job", Claire murmured, finally getting her emotions under control.
Asher smirked, " You're not going to get fired, you're doing a great job and Henry knows it. He's just being a dick today because his bitch of an ex-girlfriend called begging him to take her back"
Claire was surprised when she felt a bolt of jealousy. She didn't want to see Henry with his hands on another woman. Not that she had any claim to him, he was her boss and they would never be anything between them. But the thought just turned her stomach a little bit.
" Oh", Claire said, " Did he?", dreading the answer, but she had to know.
" Did he take her back? Fuck no, he's not that stupid", Asher snorted.
Claire smirked.
" There is that beautiful smile. I hate seeing you sad. Don't let Henry get to you, he doesn't really mean it. He can just be mean when he's pissed off", Asher said.
Claire nodded, " Okay"
" Alright, now let me fix your little boo boo"
Claire stood and headed for the door, " Thanks Ash
er"
" You're welcome sweetheart", He murmured as he picked up the phone.
Claire shut his door behind her and headed back to her office. She had just reached her door when Henry called her name. Claire turned to see him leaning out of his office door looking somber.
" Yes?", she swallowed.
" Can I speak with you for a moment?", he asked gruffly then ducked back into his office without waiting for her to answer him.
Claire's heart raced. She really couldn't take being yelled at again without breaking down. She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her skirt as she walked down to Henry's office. She nervously stepped inside.
" Shut the door", Henry said without looking at her. He was shuffling same papers on his desk.
Claire's heart dropped, she was going to get fired. Asher was wrong. Henry told her from day one that if she couldn't catch on fast enough he would let her go. Claire shut the door with a soft click and went to sit on the chair in front of his desk. She had to fight to keep herself from bursting into tears before he even got started. What the hell was she going to do? She hadn't been able to save any money yet. She couldn't be without a job. Her dad would help her, but he only had so much money because he was retired. This was going to be the worst day ever.
Henry frowned across the desk at Claire. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking down on him. He had been harsh with her earlier but he didn't think it was that bad to have made her so upset. Asher had just called him as Claire had walked out of his office and informed him that he had been a dick and Claire thought her job was in jeopardy. Asher insisted that he should apologize. Something he rarely did with his employees. He wanted to be looked at as the tough boss who didn't take any shit. He wanted people to know that mistakes were unacceptable.
Claire's eyes were downcast. Her shoulders slumped and her hands squeezed together on her lap. His heart ached. He didn't want her to be so upset. He didn't think she was so sensitive. He had been firm with her before about a previous little mistake and she took it in stride, fixed it and moved on. But today she had teared up when he yelled at her, making him feel like a douchebag. But he hadn't planned on apologizing to her until Asher said something.
Henry knew he was in a shit mood. And he really shouldn't have taken it out on her. It wasn't Claire's fault that his ex-girlfriend Juliette had called, practically begging for him to take her back. That was so not going to happen. She was a spoiled rotten brat who wanted him to buy her everything. She had left him for another rich guy who was willing to spend butt-loads of cash on her. And now, that she found out he was married and would never leave his wife, she wanted Henry back. Well fuck her! She hadn't even treated him that well and she sucked ass in bed. She always would just lay there looking bored. She never wanted to suck or even touch his dick. Which she said she would do this time around. No fuckin' thanks.
" Claire? Is everything okay with you today? You seem overly sensitive", Henry said gently, folding his hands on top of his desk.
Claire glanced up, a flush creeping up her cheeks. That's when it hit him. It was probably that time of the month for her. Shit. No wonder she was so emotional.
" Womanly troubles?", He asked, one side of his mouth kicking up.
Claire nodded, " Sorry, I'm not usually this bad, and I'm also still adjusting to getting up so early", she croaked, swiping at the tears that ran down her cheeks.
Henry sighed and leaned back in his chair, " I didn't mean to upset you earlier Claire, I'm just in a bad mood, I shouldn't have taken it out on you"
Claire shrugged helplessly. " Okay", she whispered.
" Claire, look at me", Henry said and leaned forward again, placing his hands together on his desk.
Claire's blue eyes met his and he could see her apprehension and fear. She really was afraid that he was going to fire her. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. Her makeup was forming black smudges under her eyes. She looked more beautiful then ever.
" I am not going to fire you so get that out of your head", Henry said sternly. Claire's eyes widened slightly but she looked confused. " You are doing a great job and catching on much faster then any of my other assistants. Everyone messes up now and then and you are still learning. So stop worrying about your job because it's secure. I swear. And I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier", he said sincerely.
Claire sighed in relief, " Thank you. I'm just so afraid that I'm not doing good enough. I don't want to lose this job. I like working for you"
" And I like having you work for me. Believe me when I tell you that you are doing a great job and I couldn't have asked for a better assistant. So just relax, go take a fifteen minute break, collect yourself and then get back to work"
Claire gave him a grateful smile and stood, " Thank you, Mr. Beck"
Henry groaned and hung his head, " Claire, do me a favor?"
Claire froze halfway to the door and turned around, " Okay?", she asked cautiously.
Henry lifted his head, " Call me Henry, Mr. Beck makes me sound so old"
Claire's tremendous smile just made his day. " Okay", she agreed then headed out of his office.
Henry sighed. What was this woman doing to him? She was making him soft. Goddammit!
Claire had a great first month at work. Henry seemed to be pleased with her progress, which is what mattered most. Claire was exhausted every day when she got home at 6pm. Ethan was transitioning well to the new schedule. Her dad had him Monday, Wednesday and Friday's while Claire took Ethan to daycare on Tuesday and Thursday's. Her father had offered to watch him all week, but Claire couldn't burden her father like that, plus he needed to learn to socialize with other kids.
The second month went just as great also. Her and Henry were getting along great and had really fallen into a routine. Asher had been shocked that Henry was letting her call him by his first name. Asher assured her that was something none of his other assistants had been allowed to do. Claire had beamed with pride for the rest of the day, apparently Henry thought she was special. He usually called her "Darlin'". Claire liked the pet name.
One day, Claire was sitting in her office, preparing for a meeting that Henry had with a client when the phone on her desk rang. Claire answered it with the standard, " Claire Russell speaking"
" Ms. Russell, this is Tammy Jacobs, the director at Happy Times daycare", the female voice said on the other end.
Claire froze, her heart sinking into her stomach, " Yes? Is everything okay?", she asked anxiously.
" Ms. Russell, your son has been taken to the hospital, we think his appendix ruptured, he was screaming and crying and clutching his stomach, we had to call the paramedics. They think it's his appendix and are taking him to St. Christopher's"
" Oh god, okay, thank you! I'll leave right now", Claire said then after a quick goodbye, hung up.
Claire rushed to clean up her desk, then she grabbed her purse and raced down to Henry's office. His door was open and he was sitting behind his desk looking over some papers. He was so not going to be happy, but Claire could care less at the moment, her son came first.
" Henry", Claire squeaked as she walked into the room. She was on the verge of a panic attack.
Henry's head shot up at her tone, his face going from annoyance to concern in a matter of seconds. " Jesus Claire, are you alright?"
Claire shook her head furiously and tried to find her voice, she could feel the tears building in her eyes. Henry frowned hard and got up from his desk. He stopped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders.
" What's wrong, Darlin'?", He asked softly.
Claire looked up at him. He was a tall guy, at least 6'4. She had no choice but to look up at him. She blinked and the tears fell, rolling slowly down her face. " My...Ethan...the daycare called, an ambulance had to take him to the hospital, they think he appendix ruptured, I have to go, I have to be with him", Claire choked out.
Henry's jaw clenched, " Dammit, of all days", he bit out.
" I'm sorry Henry", Clai
re whispered.
Henry shook his head and gave her shoulders a squeeze, " It'll be okay, just go"
Claire was so relieved that he'd taken it so well that she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Henry stiffened at first but then slipped his arms around her to give her the comfort she needed at the moment. Claire pulled back first and looked up at him with wide eyes, realizing what she had just done. And Henry's face was an unreadable mask, which did not help at all.
" I...I'm...", Claire stuttered, not sure of what to say. God, she felt like a fool.
Henry (The Beck Brothers) Page 2
